Sicheii Yazhi

Clarence Fisher posted his “Mini-Manifesto for Classrooms 2.0” on his blog yesterday. I’ve been working on a manifesto, too … but on my wiki (so I can keep changing it … plus, I don’t have the time or discipline right now to craft a 500-word-or-less version). I particularly like what he has to say about education as network:

To be a teacher means to be a learner as well. One of the key roles of teachers is to be a connector, a networker, helping students connect with content, with information, and with other learners who have new perspectivesno matter where they are located on the globe. Understanding thedynamics of networks as living organisms is vital for both teachers andlearners. (emphasis added)

The importance of connections in the learning process cannot be overstated–it is, afterall, biological. Information is not stored in brain cells but in the connections among them. The internet, particularly the read/write version of the internet, extends those connections beyond the internal (biological) or the local (school and immediate community) to the global. Unfortunately, school censorship often hampers the ability for students to make these connections, making cyber-invalids of students by ripping out most of their virtual synapses. (In my school, nearly every “web 2.0″ site is blocked.)

Fisher also implies something else that I consider important, particularly as we adapt teachers and students to these new technologies: there is no one tool, no one method that will, can, or should work for everyone all the time. I obviously support the integration of technology into the learning process, but I carry a Moleskin notebook and pen everywhere. Technology is not a panacea for me. I remind myself often that, though the tools technology offers are often beneficial and sometimes bring substantial change to the learning process, we don’t need to abandon everything that’s come before. (I have trouble composing poetry on a computer. Will this be true of writers in ten years?)

A final item I’d like to point to is that of authenticity. From Fisher again:

There are few thing more empowering than working on something you are authentically interested in.

Of course, students can be empowered to pursue their own goals in a completely tech-free environment, too. What I find so powerful about blogs, wikis, forums, and other technologies is that it adds authentic audience to that authentic purpose, and that’s a potent combination.

At any rate, you can view (and edit, if you’d like) my evolving “principles of technology” on the wiki if you’re so inclined …