Destroying Traditional Teacher Figure to Raise Passionate Students

Tonight, I've missed the regular session for edchat. Hundreds of educators, administrators and community interested in education, meet up on Twitter to discuss about the student ownership of learning. A good example can be mirrored from @lanwitches' article.

There, we show probe that learning can happens in an interconnected environment. Skype is only one example. Silvia Tolisano, the article's author, wraps up perfectly: "Technology is not about replacing learning nor teaching. Technology is a tool to make learning and teaching possible in ways that it never was before nor that we had ever imagined."

We believe ownership in students can be gained when they feel part of the process. Such participation needs to go beyond hands-on experiences but solutions to real life small problems. We have to identify the objects of attention and interest of our students, re-design the curriculum and have always in mind that teaching and learning is a 2-way street.

When teachers were never shown how to use new technologies for education, they tend to be reluctant to use the technology available. Teachers, as much as students have to work their way out to own the whole process of learning, using all tools at their disposal. If training is needed, we have to take and enforce it.

Kristen Swanson thinks that success of #edchat is due to "we own it" and "If it were directed from "above" we would not be as passionate."

Same can be true for our students, they need to observe a facilitator, a leader, rather than a plain teacher, as we were accustomed to.

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