Well the cat is out of the bag. Note, if you’re going to read this post, read it carefully before responding. Hear my heart…
This announcement is NOT ready for prime time, but now is needed because we are being challenged over something that exists very much in theory alone. You could say this is an alpha release, but I feel this is needed because on the comments to Bud’s posting we have been referred to as narrow and divisive. That is not our desire nor our approach. I am so sorry to have to announce this under these circumstances, as this was going to be such an exciting announcement, now it feels more like damage control.
What I am announcing today is the creation of a group of educators whose mission can be articulated as follows:
Next Generation Teachers is a global network of educators
sharing thoughts around the tools of today and the students of tomorrow.
Here is the backstory, please hear my heart in this…
Some months ago, I got into several conversations with a couple recent graduates of anytown USA higher education teacher training programs. They were left feeling dissatisfied with the amount of instruction they had received regarding technology and its use in k12 education. Is it the purpose of higher ed to teach this? I don’t know. Let’s set that aside.
So we talked about blogging, podcasting, wikis, tagging and the like. Our conversation took us to Moodle and beyond. But more than that, it occurred to me that there might be a need to connect graduates of teacher-training programs to the world of educational technology that we experience every day in our aggregators. I want these folks to know of the wealth of resources out there in the form of amazing teachers, authors, consultants, speakers, and the like that can influence the future of education.
I want them to know there is another way.
I don’t want anyone to fall into the trap of thinking education has to be done the same way it always has been. I want them to rage against the system, for the sake of our kids.
I did not attend a formal higher education teacher-training program rather I went through an alternative route that allowed me to teach while taking state board of ed classes on the weekends and during the summer. I noticed that there, too, was a lack of instruction of how to use these amazing new tools to help revolutionize the classroom. Much was taught about how it was always done. Now, there is wisdom there, but there is also room for change.
I want these career-changers to see there is another way.
This leads me to Purpose # 1 of the NextGenTeachers – to connect preservice and new educators to the edtechblogosphere. This is to be accomplished through direct outreach to campuses, flyers, posters, and other strategies. To reach them, and then connect them. NextGenTeachers is not about bringing them into our fold, rather to function as a gateway.
Purpose # 2 deals with the International nature of our group. I will not list the members, because I do not have their consent to do so yet (again, this is much earlier than intended) but suffice it to say that we are scattered around the globe. That is part of the plan! We believe that this world is flattening and that international collaboration is going to be a large part of the future need of our students.
I was a Christian missionary to Peru for some time, and during my research of different missionary agencies I noticed that one major area of work for these agencies was caring for the missionaries. Be it a phone call home, a care package, or pastoral counsel on the ground, caring for people’s hearts was important. Well, NextGenTeachers wants to unite the international teachers out there to bring them into the conversation. Much (the majority?) of the innovation in the EdTech world is coming from the United States and we want to help spread the knowledge to other countries. This outreach will be to Americans teaching internationally, as well as to native teachers in other countries. I suppose I could sum it up by saying,
Purpose # 2 is to connect international teachers to the wealth of wisdom and resources and ensure their voices are heard. Playing with words at one point a few weeks ago I jotted down that “Global collaboration will be a part of many of our students’ careers, the corporate world is not the first place they should experience it.”
Here is more of our thought process. This would have been better worked out, but due to the circumstances, you get the raw idea.
How do we accomplish these goals?
In the interest of transparency, I had a long chat with Dave Cormier about possibly bringing this under the Worldbridges umbrella. That’s in the thought process. I am not sure what they are thinking, and I sure don’t know what we think. It’s just an idea.
One idea would be to sort of follow in the footsteps of the Women of Web 2. Weekly show, etc.
I don’t want to copy them.
I wish I had a better idea of how to accomplish this goal, but as of yet, everything we have talked about has been remarkably familiar to the women of web 2′s ideas. I feel like we’re on the cusp of coming up with new ideas to really get a new thing going, but I am not sure.
Let me address some of the more notable objections.
1. Is another group really necessary? This seems to be Bud’s central objection. Let me iterate that our goal was never to be divisive, and I am a little upset that his commenters would assume that we were without even knowing who I am. I hope my heart comes through on this blog, and I am not one to create walls. I just feel like there are some “natives” out here doing some amazing things! I think it would be a lot of fun for some of us younger teachers to get together and highlight some of the wonderful ideas coming from the next generation.
Our mean age is less than 30, which means we have a lot of teaching years left.
I am not saying we are experts, all I am saying is that this is an amazing group of teachers (and I speak of them, not me) and I want to show the world what they are doing! More than that, I want to show preservice and new teachers that there are some other younger teachers out there doing great stuff.
2. Objection #2 is that creating more groups is divisive and not unifying. I really don’t have a response to this as our group is not intending to draw from the already-there audience. I know this is poorly articulated, but we are intending to serve and draw from a group of folks that is not currently a part of the conversation.
I guess I see our group as having open arms, with one arm extended to the international community specifically, and the other arm reaching towards the preservice/new teachers and bringing them into the conversation, not monopolizing them.
That is Purpose #3, to bring more folks involved in education into the conversation. I don’t see that as wrong or divisive. We are not trying to keep anyone out, rather we are trying to reach the technologically lost and help them understand that it is about the information, not the integration. We want to help them not fall into the trap of setting a yearly goal to integrate more technology and simply automate the already existing process.
We want to spread the revolution.
It is not our revolution, but it is our generation.
A lot of this is rambling, and believe me, this is not how I wanted to announce this. Please hear the cry of my heart to help save more kids from the same old same old. I don’t think the current system can last much longer, and I think that because we are as young as we are, we will be around to see this thing through, for better or for worse.
Also please understand this is still just a theory. The web site that Bud linked to is horrible, and was just for my personal testing. Bud and I had talked about this idea since I am still in a counsel-seeking mode. For the record, I sent emails to some of the major players in the edublogosphere seeking counsel on this, to see if was even a good idea.
I recieved only one response, from Bud Hunt. Just one. I know these folks are busy, I mean it was getting to be Christmastime (I emailed in November).
What I do know is that I have a group of folks excited about helping out! I don’t think we are egotistical in trying to do this, our goal is not to further ourselves. I hope you can hear my heart here.
One final note, we as a group CRAVE accountability. Hence the discussion with Dave Cormier. If there were a major player out there willing to become our “club sponsor” we would ceratainly entertain that. We want to function with complete integrity and not make rookie mistakes. There is much wisdom in much counsel. Hence my many requests for help!
I know I don’t know much, and I would love (and need) some oversight.
Ok, let me have it. I take full responsibility for this group of folks, it was my idea and I will take the heat.
Does this have wings?
Kelly Christopherson says:
Chris,
Having commented on Bud’s blog, let me see if I can bring light to what I was saying. As someone just “new” to the blogosphere realm, I too am looking for ideas while I shape and mold things in my classroom and in the school where I am an administrator. I, too, have a fair bit of time left in this profession – at least 15 years, which, at the speed things change, is a fair amount of time. I have been here since the beginning of the “technology revolution” and have seen so many different initiatives that I’ve lost count. As someone who is familiar with the educational polictical sphere, as it exists in Canada, I know that great thinkers and doers can become frustrated with the lack of movement and change – I have seen many great teachers find other professions because of it. Do you need another “group” – maybe. Will it put up walls – maybe. You must realize that, as a subculture of educators – people using these technologies – it is very small in comparison to other “groups” within the educational sphere. Also, not all newbie teachers are at the cutting edge of technology – I worked with 5 this year in our school – 0 cutting edgers. My passion is to reach children in whatever way is possible – be it tehnology, sports, art, debate, … and the blogosphere allows me to be in contat with people who have passions in all these areas – maybe in more than one. I love to make contacts, pass them on to teachers I work with so that they can make contacts and grow, learn and build their passions. So, if you think a group to initiate them into the blogosphere will help, then by all means do it. Since I considered myself the next geneeration of teachers when I started and I will be the next generation of central office people, I believe that keeping the lines of communication, learning and building open is vital to creating a change in the educational realm. Without links between all areas, the change may come but at the expense of losing many very great teachers, some of whom have already found other professions. I hope that I have shed some light about why I am not always comfortable with groups that are created – you may not want to leave people out but you do and you lose some perspectives that may not be match yours but will challenge you to see things in a new way, increase your knowledge and deepen your learning. That is why we need all perspectives in this discussion – not just one group or another. Synergy – vital to creating the change.
For what it’s worth,
Kelly
30th December 2006 at 6:35 pm
atw says:
This is an interesting idea.
I teach a “computers in education” course for undergraduate pre-service teachers at a small University. I am the lead teacher and design the curriculum, and between myself and the other instructor, we enroll about 30-45 per semester. I will agree that I don’t do a lot with web 2.0 in the introductory class because I am constrained by the state and national “standards” for the certification exams which were written LONG before there were any web 2.0 technologies! (That doesn’t mean you can’t sneak some things in, but I am first and foremost bound to doing whatever supports the examination most closely.) I do an advanced course less often where MOST of what we do relates to web 2.0 applications.
I am wondering why you have such an emphasis on age? I would hope you would choose to emphasize the mindset, not the generation! : ) Are you interested in working with universities? Or are you trying to create a space outside of that arena? That would affect how you go about attracting your audience. You could also look at applying for funding from a granting agency. Again, that is easier if you are affiliated with a University.
As a practical matter, I can’t imagine the eventual community being anything except a “group”. The important thing is that you make it worthwhile to join and collaborate with and that you can provide whatever materials/support the members need to reach the goals–conversation, demonstration, assessment, inspiration, training, etc. Then, your community will thrive and attract others.
I am reminded of the Intel Teach to the Future intitiative. I was a pilot member at the higher ed level several years ago (2000). The general strategy was that instructors and students received a complete curriculum (now distributed on CD), and the modules could be used as a self-contained course or split up and integrated with multiple courses over the education portion of the curriculum (not the teaching field, but the pedagogy coursework).
Another idea is the Carnegie Mellon Open Source Open Learning Initiative Or Connexions from Rice University. There are a number of intitiatives you could study before you decide how best to proceed. Not all will be exactly what you want to accomplish, but you can certainly get some very good ideas about what could be and what resonates with your purpose.
So if you are interested in any members slightly over 45 who could do some pilot testing with live pre-service teachers, give me a shout! Otherwise, I will be content to just look on. I also have a real passion for the pre-service teacher and using technology as a tool to enhance learning.
atw
30th December 2006 at 6:43 pm
Cathy Nelson says:
Yes–fly with it! Be glad to soar along. As an LMS, I feel the need to constantly model, enlighten, lead, teach, and more–and I am feeling very limited right ow. But this could be the avenue to do more of just what Iike. Broaden the focus though, as there are many educators out there who DESPERATELY need this, yet they are VETERANS in the field. I don’t understand why so many stop learning once they have that certificate to teach. Anyway, even though I only have seven more years (if I quit at 28) Id be glad to participate and maybe mentor some myself. Tell me how to promote from my world.
This could be the beginnings of your next grad degree…I can see a thesis coming from this idea or concept.
30th December 2006 at 7:12 pm
Kevin says:
Your heart comes through loud and clear, I think.
It is an interesting idea that you are promoting and one I would like to learn more about as things unfold. I think you pinpoint a real fissure happening in education — which is that as we come to slowly understand the nature and possibilities of tech tools for critical thinking and learning for our students (I teach sixth grade in Massachusetts and am 40, so I would skew your data), we encounter roadblocks along the way to actually using those tools for critical inquiry. Firewall blockades are just one, but there is plenty of skepticism from principals and others, too, about the nature of this technology beast.
I like the aspect of “no borders” and mentors, and promoting technology with the new generation of teachers.
Let’s just keep the hype of newness in perspective and focus on the students in the classroom, and think reflectively about our choices in practice as much as we can.
Good luck!
Kevin H.
30th December 2006 at 9:11 pm
Owen Bradley says:
There are a group of educators in Sarasota County, FL that have already taken the NeXt Generation leap. Our program is actually called NeXt Generation Educators- it was the “brainchild” of our Superintendent, Gary Norris two years ago after he was inspired by reading “The World is Flat”. There are about 50 of us “NeXt Gen’s” in the Sarasota County school district, and I am one of them. We are all implementing various technologies in our classrooms and are focusing on integrating Web 2.0 technologies.
It is so interesting as I read your blog entry that many of the things you talk about we have been studying and doing in our classes! If you are interested, I will forward more information about our program to you.
30th December 2006 at 10:24 pm
Bud Hunt says:
I certainly think your goals are noble — as I’ve said to you previously. I even think I’d join your group, if you’d have me. I hope you “hear my heart,” too, as I ask these questions, not maliciously, but honestly.
30th December 2006 at 2:03 am
Ewan McIntosh says:
It just strikes me that the ‘new’ group exists and has existed in good Local Authorities, good schools, good education systems etc. etc. etc. Will creating a small group in a small area of education make a big difference? Probably not. What will make a big difference is the continued growth of the masses using this technology in a way that suits their way of thinking. What tends to stop these newbies from grasping technology is sometimes that it appears to be the spawn of a geeky clique – creating branded groups of this nature would tend to exacerbate that, no?
30th December 2006 at 8:35 am
Jennifer says:
Count me in — I want to know more.
JenniferW
30th December 2006 at 8:05 pm
Heather Sullivan says:
Best of Luck from a fellow Alternate Router!! I think you should do whatever your HEART TELLS You to do- otherwise, no matter what others think/say, you’re not really following your true calling, are you? We all know when our GUT tells us something we never really feel right about our decisions until we finally listen to it (one of those annoying little humanisms!!) So…you should start your “group”, or whatever you/others want to call it for no other reason than to help YOURSELF help The Rest of Us! If it doesn’t work out, oh well- The greatest risk is in never taking one at all…Who knows what your idea may spark?
One comment on the divisiveness issue, though. As a fellow Alternate Router, you know that many people don’t follow their calling as educators until later in life (later for me was 27) & their true passions even later (My “tech epiphany” came only recently- I’m 34 now). So, no matter your age (& I still consider my self “young” & part of the “next gen”), if you are new to education & technology, you ARE a Digital Immigrant. Generational tags can help categorize us by age, but not necessarily by state of mind. Please give serious consideration to defining your cause by age or generation because there are so many of us in the same boat, if not in the same age bracket.
Keep me posted!!
30th December 2006 at 10:57 am
Alec Couros says:
I’ve seen several posts on this, but still haven’t seen anything as to where to join, if there is a central community of “next gen” teachers, etc. How does one participate?
30th December 2006 at 2:52 pm
Mrs. W. says:
It doesn’t matter if you’re addressing “NextGen” teachers, “MidCareer” teachers, or “TheEndIsInSight” teachers. All of us have to learn how to teach with the amazing tools that technology is providing us. The majority of teachers are not technophiles. We need technology resources and support groups to encourage risk-taking but we need it in non-technical language. After unsuccessfully searching for a year for a resource for teaching with Open Source or learning with Linux I decided to create my own.
Check it out!
http://learningwithlinux.blogspot.com/
30th December 2006 at 11:33 pm
Brian says:
Chris,
I think you have a great vision. With this new technology and Web 2.0 tools why does everything have to be done as it was done in the past? I only hope that you are inclined to include us middle 30′s type people. I missed the dot.com boom because i didn’t know enough about the technololgy, I don’t want to miss the Web 2.0 boom in education because I am to old. I think that many of us who have been in education and are embracing web 2.0 could give you great insights. I hope that your group takes off and great ideas and reforms come out of it. The world is flat and it is going to take some forward thinking people to keep education from falling off the edge.
Brian
30th December 2006 at 1:06 am