You may only be someone in the world, but to someone else, you may be the world. --Author Unknown
The Times They Are a-Changin'
As I was working recently for two days with a newly formed Curriculum Mapping Cadre, we spent some time discussing Joshua, a [real] Kindergarten student who will be graduating in 2022, and the necessity for him to experience learning involving Web 2.0 tools (and eventually 3.0+ tools), collaborative learning, critical thinking, and meaningful local/global interactions and exchanges. This particular district has a tight firewall due to community culture and policy. As Heidi shares in Curriculum 21, informing all stakeholders of what reform (and new forms) needs to look and feel like is critical for making necessary learning and teaching growth changes focused on what is best for 21st century students.
We collaboratively looked at the Common Core State Standards for ELA and Math drafts, which will soon be officially approved and utilized throughout our nation. We searched for the term technology in the ELA draft and what we found pointed out exactly what we had been discussing concerning the necessity of accessibility to 21st century tools and skills. For example, in Writing Standards 6-12/Production and Distribution Writing ... Grade 6, #6 states Use technology, including the Internet, to produce, publish, and interact with others about writing, including linking to and citing online sources. Grade 8, #6 states Use technology, including the Internet, to present and cite information effectively in a digital format, including when publishing and responding to writing. In the Writing Standards for History/Social Studies and Science 6–12, Grades 9-10, #6 states Use technology, including the Internet, to produce, publish, and collaborate on a shared writing product, incorporating diverse and sometimes conflicting feedback." Firewalls must crumble," was a response from a CM Cadre member. Another mentioned Dylan's classic, The Times They Are a-Changin'.
Realizing the necessary change (growth) needs to begin now, we discussed ideas appropriate for addressing the necessity and urgency of the district/community culture's awareness of what needs to change since some stakeholders may not know what they don't know. A couple of ideas include attending the national Curriculum Mapping Institute in Saratoga Springs, NY, in July, 2010, with a Growth Task Force including administrators, teacher leaders, board members, union members, and IT personnel; and providing community awareness town squares. I am looking forward to the collaborative process that will be taking place to ensure that Joshua's learning journey is timely, meaningful, and authentic.