Eric Sheninger, Principal, New Millford HS in New Jersey

[Sean Wheeler]

I was fortunate enough to hear Mr. Sheninger give a version of this talk at the eTech Ohio conference in Columbus yesterday. I'm wondering if this is the kind of thinking our community could get behind. I think our school leaders are poised to make this sort of move.



link --> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZDndaL6Fmdo

[Sean Wheeler]

This one from Adam Bellows is great as well and adds to the potential conversation.



link --> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7vevGmzmWnI

[Sean Wheeler]

Ps. I was really hoping for some input. This is worth your time if you are in any way interested in education.

[Sandra Donnelly]

Sean, since I have been preaching the tenets espoused in these videos for four years, I certainly hope that the community and school administration finally recognize the need for the transparent integration of technology and social media into the classroom. Expecting students to disconnect and power down when they enter school is ludicrous; instead we should be teaching them to use the tools that they have in a safe and effective manner in order to enhance their digital skills and prepare them for the real world.

Just a thought...You might solicit more responses if you give this post a "catchy title" and put it on the main board. This is definitely a discussion worth having!

Sandy

[Sean Wheeler]

Thanks Sandy. I know you've been saying this for awhile, and can distinctly remember having this conversation with you more than a few times.

I just think that it would add a level of transparency and provide a great feedback loop if we could get people to consider the possibilities. I'm genuinely interested in getting some community conversations going concerning ways in which we could shift towards a more open channel of communication in our schools and community.

My guess is that people aren't posting anything because they haven't watched the videos. I post here because I like the idea of having a group of forums devoted solely to education. Stay tuned, though.