Hopes and Challenges

I'm excited about the opportunity to work with Thoreau teachers as they begin exploring the world of emerging technology and thinking about the possibilities it may offer them and their learning and teaching environment. When I first walked into the school 4 years ago, I wondered if this school would prepare my kids to face the world in front of them. Will they be engaged? Will they develop skills for inquiry? Will they become lifelong learners? Then I started to meet the teachers. There was no question that my children would be able to learn a tremendous amount in our neighborhood school.

However, the question still lingered as to whether or not they would be prepared to demonstrate what they know in ways that their peers, other 21st century learners, are already doing in much of the country. What I didn't see were 21st century tools that would allow today's children to learn in school the way that they learn outside of school. Today's children are living in a world where collaboration happens on a global scale, where we are surrounded by/bombarded with media, and computers are so small they fit in a pocket. The problem was never the teachers, it was the lack of useful tools to help them meet the needs and learning styles of today's students and families.

I'm excited to be a part of the change that is now happening in our public schools and at Thoreau in particular. Part of teaching is learning from your students. What I'm most looking forward to is learning from Thoreau teachers. I only have a cursory knowledge of what goes on in their classrooms and what challenges they are now facing. I look forward to learning about their challenges and having them challenge me to find solutions. I look forward to building a relationship with more Thoreau teachers and hope to help them beyond the scope of this course as they begin to integrate a variety of emerging technologies into their curriculum.