Absolutely love this Facebook page. There are always some incredibly interesting articles and often truly inspiring.
I just finished commenting on this one:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/parenting/wp/2014/09/29/parenting-as-a-gen-xer-what-its-like-to-be-the-first-generation-of-parents-in-the-age-of-ieverything/
I said this.
"Interesting read indeed. As a childless adult, who teaches up to 150 students a day and knows more than 300 more in the school - I can definitely say that the world we live in is changing daily. That's not a bad thing. Yes when I grew up we didn't have access to the internet but it wasn't for lack of trying on my part. I actively sought out new information from the age of 8 and I'm apparently still years ahead of my peers who just don't 'get' my techie life. Kids need to know how to walk effectively and confidently between a digital and traditional world. They need to know that you have their back and that you will talk them through any issues they may encounter, rather than continuously say, "Back in my day we didn't have these fangdangled...." Kids need support and trust. Yes they will encounter roadblocks but what person doesn't through life? Trust that you've brought them up right enough to know the difference between what is appropriate and what is not. Teach them about leaving a positive digital footprint. Be open to them when they have a question. Don't shoot what they're saying down. If you do that they will only revert inside a digital world more often. Not that that's a bad thing. I blog religiously about my teaching practice and it's important to be a reflective person in a world that's consistently changing and adapting to it's new surroundings.
Minecraft is a brilliant tool for learning. Teaches cognitive skills and empathetic skills too. Check out minecraftedu.com for more info. Check out my blog for more info on digital citizenship - evolutionandimagination.blogspot.co.nz. Your kids obviously are lucky to have someone who has both feet in the water - dig a bit deeper though and see the world that they live in. Ask them to give you a tour of what they see."
I stand by it and hope more people will be aware as a result. Just couldn't stand by and watch a tonne of parents say all of that when it's affecting their kids lives and learning. Yes there is a time for screen down time and for nature and whatever else you want them to do. But when it comes down to it - do you want them to live the life you lived or the life they are living?
I completely abdicate for education outside the classroom. The best learning happens in real life - however our understanding of what is real life is changing. My real life consists of friends and family, animals, my city, my car that gets me places and my job and the volunteer work I do. My online life is big. Just as big as my real life. I'm becoming known by others - for just doing what I love - talking about teaching... and what's more I think I do an okay job of it. I have a massive professional learning network and a lot of them have become very close friends this year.
I'm just saying that we need to rethink what is it that we want the next generation to have in terms of experiences and life skills. Because the ones we learnt may be useful for them or they may not be. The world is ever changing and we need to adapt with it.
To read more by the above author:
Blog: http://allisonslatertate.com
Twitter: @allisontate
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