Kids and Adults Design New Tech Tools

In my graduate work for IUPUI, I have been asked to watch several short and inspiring videos about education and the changing world around us.  One of them was a fun way to develop better habits.  I was so inspired by this video, I shows it to my fifth grade students in a discussion about how music enriches our lives.  The next asked us to do more with what the students already know about technology, and use it to our advantage.  I'm still grappling with the idea of allowing students to use cell phones in class.  (I don't even have a cell phone, believe it or not).

I hope you can take a moment to enjoy the following video from edutopia.org.  It is a delightful look at collaboration between adults and children in a non-threatening and totally equal way.  I found a lot of insight in the dynamics between the adults and the children.  One of the facilitators discussed how this sort of collaboration is difficult in a public school setting.  For good reason, students look to the adults as the more powerful in American schools.  This needs to happen when one adult is in charge of 20 or more students at a time.  However, this scenario allows the pairs to be equal partners.  How refreshing!



Now that I've seen this video, I feel inspired to brainstorm with my students ways that technology would be added to my curriculum in meaningful ways. They are the natives in this brave new world, so I should rely on their expertise to help guide my way.