Thinking+Digitally

Derek's Key Note provided an overview of the digital realm.

He pointed out that whilst some of us, as practictioners, need to make a concious effort to think in digital terms our students do it effortlessly every day to the point where it infiltrates every aspect of their lives. Using "txt tlk" in their essays, instant messaging while they're researching assignments, blogging rather than having a journal or diary (which is no longer hidden under the bed but available to anyone they want to invite along to read it) are second nature and simply the way the world works. The analogue world has dissipated and we are now moving from digital into the possibilities of something more interactive and collaborative.

As practitioners in an educational environment what does this mean? How can we harness this to support students' learning?

After this session I listened to the buzz of discussion around the room and heard comments along the lines of: whilst RSS Feeds, Blogs, etc are not new concepts to us it is encouraging to hear somebody else advocate the use of these tools and identify the potential.

How do we take this back to our sites? How do we motivate our colleagues to get out there and begin to think digitally? And more importantly how do we foster an environment in which teachers are comfortable harnassing an array of tools which their students are more skilled in using?