Reading Online as Revolution

Will Richardson makes me think sometimes. I don't know how revolutionary he is, but some of the things he shares on Delicious, Twitter, or his blog cause the little Che or Freire inside of me dance.

In his latest post, Richardson mentions a couple of quotes that got him thinking about how reading is changing. The basic idea is that students read to write and/or write to read when online. It's the interactivity of Web 2.0 that makes this possible. The learning is active and creative as opposed to passive. Kids aren't just sponges anymore. They are water pistols. Watch your eye!

The idea that students are creating their own knowledge is still a pretty revolutionary one. This scares a lot of teachers, causing them to limit or stifle progression. This just makes a stronger case for constructivism and inquiry in the classroom.

Consider the turmoil over the election in Iran. Instead of waiting to hear from the media or protest organizers, the people of Iran have made their own revolution via Twitter and other Web 2.0 tools. The repressive government has even been forced to block Twitter in order to limit protester organizing.

The problems in Iran may be a stretch, but it does demonstrate the revolution user-created content can inspire. Imagine our students gathering knowledge with the intent of creating their own as opposed to just regurgitating what we already know.

Illustration Source: Wikimedia Commons

Thoughts

I really need to post here more often...

I have a few thoughts on where schools are heading in the coming years...

The end to unions as we know them are on the horizon. Just as in any industry, unions lose power as they become corrupt and their counterparts run out of money. leaving no room for negotiations. Don't be surprised that once unions are eradicated, money suddenly trickles back to the schools.

Charter schools may finally be getting it right. Once investors figured out that they needed to put out a good product instead of hoping to make a quick buck, charter schools are suddenly showing insane improvements. New Orleans was the test-case, and if what The New York Times says is true, that city will be the model for the rest of us.

Netbooks and Web 2.0 tools will take the place of paper, textbooks, and even Windows/Vista-friendly PC's. There are two reasons for this shift in educational technology: price and access. When administrators figure out that a $200 netbook running on free software could be placed in the hands of every student for less than they are currently spending on 10:1 computer ratios running pricey Microsoft software packages, they won't take long to buy in, so to speak. With blogs, wikis, email, and social networks all available for free online, the classroom tools of the past will be obsolete.

A new structure for teacher advancement will have to happen. Schools don't receive financial support because they still pay a 30-year teacher twice as much money as they do a first-year teacher to do the same work. There is room for advancement in almost every other profession except for teaching. Schools are already experimenting with incentives, but a complete overhaul of the profession's structure is needed. I propose that schools hire college grads as aids and subs. It would raise the education level of school support staff and properly acclimate young teachers to the many demands of teaching. Once newbies prove themselves capable, they can be promoted to classroom teacher. Then, teachers can advance to grade-level team leader, subject chair, assistant principal, and so on. The days of teachers doing the same thing for thirty years and getting paid double or triple by the end will probably die out.

I've got more, but it will have to wait...