"Connected Educators"

Connected Educators
Education has shifted from an age of paper and pencil to one where digital is becoming the new classroom. Schools are using the Internet, Ipads, document cameras and other technology to teach from and engage their students.As Will Richardson discusses in his article Three Starting points for Thinking differently about learning, the Web has greatly influenced us as educators and learners. With the web, we have "access to more information, more knowledge and more people." I do agree that this new shift is challenging and kind of scary for educators. As a connected society the fact that  "our students can access most of the traditional school curriculum without us requires us to rethink almost everything about our role as teachers and our value in schools." Has the importance of teaching in the classroom become undervalued? Is our role as educators now more of  just a guide or supplement to the Web and all its tools? I tend to  think that the up and coming age of technology allows our roles to become those of "connected educators" and to enhance teaching and learning in students rather than undervalued educators.

Richardson mentions three ways in which we can think differently about learning in the digital age that I mostly agree with(thining the walls of the classroom, taking to strangers and being transparent)

The one I agree with and resonate most is :
1. Thin the Walls of Your Classroom
Using the Web as a tool is a great way for students and educators to connect to others as well as share their own work  for "real audiences" all over the world. In one of my classrooms in the past,my students have had pen pals from africa who they connected with through email and talked to. They loved to share all about themselves and their passions. We made videos and wrote poems for them. My kids became "connected" with others in a fun,passionate and engaging way. 

This article provided a different way of looking at the new shift in our society and gave great advice on how we can start to shift into the new society of globalization, technology and connectivity in education. Let me know what you think about this !