Day four insights

So,, today was day 4 of our Digital Leaders' course.  I got there a little worried that my project and ideas wouldn't be good enough or not developed enough but was relieved to find that I was not alone.  

I'm pleased to say that all my input was received with encouraging nods and comments... thanks guys!

Great to see the 'digi gang' again!

So what has the end of day 4 left me with?

Firstly, I was glad to see that the others were following, with interest, my Twitter project.  I am using Twitter as a learning platform - I've used it with two English classes - year 9 and year 10 - and it is interesting to see how the pupils embraced the idea.  I will have to monitor it in more detail to see if all the pupils have completed their homework, but the deadlines are not up yet.

After an indepth debrief, we were shown a video by a lady called Nichole Pinkard. 'Big Thinkers'.  This showcased the power of digital literacy in the youth of Chicago.  One thing that really stood out was the way the  youth embrassed technology - they, simply put, are not frightened of it!  Not in the slightest!  In fact, the most powerful quote, for me, was: '...kids are more digitally sopshticated than teachers'. Yes!  How true.  With age comes a sense of hinderance.  With hinderance comes a sense of uncertainity; what if I fail?  What if I can't do it?  What if I am not good enough? 

The youngsters don't worry about such things.  They embrace 'new'!

The project put the youngsters in control; they were the creators, producers and eventually teachers thus developing a skill set that is applicable in the world of work.  Very inspiring!

The another point of reflection would be the video we were shown on Project Based Learning - PBL.  This is another avenue I am interested in as I currently teach BTEC Media and just recently have been appointed as the Welsh Bac Co - Ordinator and the this qualification wants to embrace this in the classroom.  The thing that struck a chord with me is that when you give the pupils a 'role' they take responsibility of this and therefore they are more willing to engage in a range of different activities.  Instead of 'teaching'a topic or situation PBL gives the pupils the opportunity to 'live in the situation'' the topic takes on a life and it almost becomes 'real'.  What the video showed me is that, not only is this good classroom practise, but it also gives the pupils life skills that they can use throughout their lives; making connections with the material and the real world.  To me, this has the potentially be an empowering tool.