Will Richardson Speakth the Truth

Will Richardson: Learning in a Networked World

Learning in the 21st Century is not easy and you shouldn't feel too comfortable with it, but you should be excited to try it. 

All you need is:

imagination, creativity, collaboration, critical thinking, communication, KIDS, and YOU.  The schools are preparing kids for what the future doesn't want - the old guard called 20th learning skills.  As teachers, we need to ask WHY????  Why are we teaching some of this stuff? 

We need to connect the real world into our classrooms.  This is where the HOW comes in - what do we want our kids to know for their future?  Today's kids want to be connecteed with the world that's real and tangible.  Why do we think you need a classroom to learn? I can learn without a teacher ... Reality is, I would rather learn with lots of teachers from all around the world when I use my access to everything I want to learn!  How is what we're doing in school preparing our students for the 21st Century?  This is a dramatic  time of challenges and opportunities - Where do you want to go? Do I need to go to school???? Changes ... re-thinking, re-inventing, and re-imagining what the classroom is - the classroom doesn't need to be the learning grounds anymore. 

Those who learn online tend to learn more and value it more.  Therefore, I ask you, what's your value? You're not the content (Google has replaced you rather easily, Youtube gives us lots of teachers); You're not deliverer of education anymore, that's right, you're not; Students can learn to pass EQAO and other tests better using online sources like Khan way better than a classroom teacher ... this is personalized for each and every single kid. 

You, as a classroom teacher can't do that - no matter how much you try, you can't.  So, I ask you, where is your value to the classroom??? We can't personalize education - we don't have the resources. But this does give us opportunities!  Imagine being a child today with the opportunities we never had - wow!  Now, imagine being a teacher today - wow, the opportunities are amazing. 

So, now ask yourself, where do you want to go and how do you want to go there?