VSTE Day 2 Reflections
I was too busy today to remember all the details… I’m writing this on Tuesday morning before our presentation upstairs, enjoying a great grainy-mustard-smeared pretzel. Good snack…
Yesterday there was a theme I found in the sessions that focused upon the “Web 2.0″ experience. You may have heard the phrase, “The buck stops here.” And that is what many Virginia educators are discovering as they try and branch out to do some interesting things.
A had a gentleman come up to me after my Google Earth session that told me I had inspired him to do podcasts with his kids… how neat. I created quite a buzz after that Earth session–there was a lot of excitement about the product.
I visited Talaiver and Talaiver for their session on Sketch Up, the companion app to Earth. I definitely see this being a big trend–it will be hot at NECC and likely next year at VSTE as more educators want to integrate the use of this powerful, free software.
But what about the blogs and podcasts? “We’re not allowed… that won’t fly… what do you suggest that isn’t locked down?”
Some school divisions evidently have gone to the extreme, and banned everything to do with online communications. And the message from the luminaries, Prensky among them, is that… NO! Let the kids write, communicate, collaborate.
Safety is an issue. But it’s also an overreaction. Kids can hurt one another with sharp pencils. But we still hand them out, because we feel it’s an important enough tool to learn with, and the risk is worth it. Look how companies are changing now–they’re taking risks too–and are doing some incredible things!