Role of EdTech Leaders Team

[Jim Walker]

Teachers are needed who will help guide and inspire their peers to adapt the tools, pedagogy, and skills necessary to meet the challenges of educating children for life and work in the 21st century.
Using a ning social network will help across time and space to stay connected and support each other. At the present time there are four members of the team: James Walker, Kristy Dyer, Sue LaBonte, Greg Anderson. We all work in different schools in different towns, so keeping connected is important. Please use this ning and discussion forum to let the rest of the team know who you are, why you are part of the team and what your goals are for moving education into the 21st century.
I have included videos and podcast of educational leaders in this ning that will help us think more deeply about the educational process as we move forward on this adventure.

[Jim Walker]

I have been working with new hire teachers who are fresh out of college and I am surprised by their lack of 21st century technology skills. They can text, email, MySpace, Facebook, and have created a website, but where is the real collaborative learning? The education colleges are not doing a very good job of using the skills of the net generation to leverage Web 2.0 tools in the classroom.

[Kristy]

I absolutely agree with this! I graduated from college in 2002, and I have to take into account that there have been many new tools to use in terms of technology and the world wide web in the past seven years. However, the web existed then and I did not have one class that dealt with using technology in the classroom! I have learned more about some of the wonderful things you can do on the computer in the last 3-4 months, than I have learned during my entire educational career!