Turn your Classrooms into Learning Ecologies

Technology will never replace the Teacher. However, teachers who know how to use technology effectively to their students connect and collaborate together online will replace those who do not. Dr Scott Macleod credits the message of the inspirational slide to Sheryl Nussbaum-Beach.

That's how we get to read the Open Letter she wrote to all her colleagues. Dangerously Irrelevant was first to pick the gems, but we secondly, want to go to middle of the letter and extract what we consider is the key to connect and do progress in curriculum and classroom management.

From the Letter to my Colleagues:

"Want to know how a 21st Century learner learns? Ask them. You will be amazed at what you hear and if you are smart- you'll act upon it. Sylvia Martinez says we are trying to solve this 21st C PD issue in schools with 6% of the population (teachers) when 94% of the population (kids) are better positioned to help us learn what we need to know to be successful. Turn your classrooms into learning ecologies- learn with and from your students. Get rid of top down, expert driven instruction methods and nurture self-directed discovery- both your own and theirs. Turn your passions into classroom curriculum. Get excited and mentor your kids integrating your passions with core content and foundational knowledge. Help them develop a love and understanding for culture and our rich heritage. Advocate hard to get the metrics we are using to measure classroom effectiveness changed- for we teach what we measure. Leverage NCLB to push for personalization of curriculum in an effort to meet AYP and all the various needs of your subgroup populations."

21st Century Learning's letter came into, after a request from a person who asked to continue with thread that Mark Shirky started when "Here Comes Everybody" discussion took place, and same requester, "wondered whether or not technology would have a similar effect on teachers."

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