Monday, May 28, 2007

Time4 Online

Sheryl Nussbaum-Beach has a fantastic keynote presentation at the Time4 Online Conference. Its well worth checking out.

Thanks Sheryl, wonderful keynote. I get the feeling though that you are speaking to the converted.

We (your fellow conference participants) can master the stuff. We can join in online.

But it's many of our colleagues I'm concerned with. The reaction to a presentation like yours (in my experience) is that it divides the audience into those that "get it" and go off and bring their students into the global discussion, and those that find it "scary", which results in a fear of the changes, often leading to a withdrawal. (Machines are unplugged, networks are dismantled, students are disengaged).

It's less scary that way, and a sense of control can be regained.

This situation is sad. It's what I find really scary.

How can this reaction be overcome? At a class/school/region/state or national level?

1 comments:

Anonymous said...

"I get the feeling though that you are speaking to the converted. We (your fellow conference participants) can master the stuff. We can join in online."

Here is my philosophy- to evoke change, the first step is to motivate and identify the change agents. To help them see the potential in a "we can do this way" and get the conversations started. To do what I can to help illuminate why change is needed and small steps for making it happen.

Even though many of us are the converted, I think some of us are not certain how to begin the change effort, some of us are overwhelmed and disillusioned, some of us are ready to lead.

I have added you to my RSS feed. I would love to find ways to collaborate as teacher leaders who can help usher in the needed change, while it is still "now" for many of our students.

Thanks for your comments. I hope you will help push the dialog further in the forum. By the way, you might want to add the tag time4online. That is how the conference is listed in hitchhikr.