Its been some time(as you can see) since I last blogged. I would love to use the old time excuse but I don't imagine it will wash. I just have not prioritised my own learning (which is what I consider blogging to be essentially about for me) enough this week.
Its been a busy old week with lots of different insights and ideas. I seem to have been in perpetual conference mode having visited Bradford and Worthing this week to talk about developments in digital media. It has given me some time to think about the course and where it all fits into the bigger scheme of things. The one theme which has emerged from this introspection has been the extent to which schools are prepared (or rather unprepared) for the digital wave which is rushing their way. Theo and I presented in Bradford at the annual JISC conference (mainly FE and HE people) and only one or two people in each session had even heard of things like Wikis, flickr and Creative Commons. Startling really, given what you would imagine these people are doing in their daily lives. It just has'nt registered on their radar yet, but it will. And as usual they will be ill-prepared for the consequences.
That is why I believe we need disciples like ourselves doing this course. We may not always be popular in what we say but the world is changing and it is happening very quickly. There is a real imperative now to establish the basic grammar for the new language we are starting to learn. Digital literacy will soon be an imperative as Theo pointed out when he talked about Marc Prensky's concept of the digital natives. If we fail to educate our youngest about the benefits and dangers of this new world we have only ourselves to blame when they use it in ways we think unsuitable. Nowhere is this better exemplified than in the issue of copyright where I see teachers and educators continually flouting and breaking the law all in the name of education. They may never be caught in the legalistic sense of the word but they will be held to account eventually if they continue to fail to set the kind of example to youngster they normally do in other aspects of their work
Anyway enough of my rant. More thoughts to come shortly after the next session.
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