Summary: Last week I heard a presentation by <a href="http://www.indiatimes.com/news/india/this-17-year-old-indian-boy-invents-a-unique-electroshoe-for-women-to-keep-rapists-away-322170.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Will Richardson</a>, educator and author, who shared stories about new ways students are interacting with learning today.<br> Here are three examples he shared:<br> <br> * He talked about <a href="http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/meet-nate-butkus-6-year-old-science-podcast/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Nate Butkus, a 7-year-old boy</a> who has started his own science podcast.<br> * He shared the story of a young man in India, <a href="http://www.indiatimes.com/news/india/this-17-year-old-indian-boy-invents-a-unique-electroshoe-for-women-to-keep-rapists-away-322170.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Siddarth Mandala, who is beta-testing self-protecting “shock” shoes for women</a> to protect them from rapists.<br> * He showed photos of students who are <a href="http://www.newsplex.com/home/headlines/Building-Tree-Houses-in-the-Cafeteria-302233011.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">building tree-houses in their school cafeteria</a> to replace traditional furniture.<br> <br> The common thread among all of these students is the new ways they can learn today: their abilities to find resources, access information, and see examples that feed and inform their passions.<br> If we are living in a new world of learning where students constantly have access to create, design, connect, and produce inside and outside of school, Richardson asserts we must rethink three areas: beliefs, contexts, and practices.<br> Here’s are three questions Richardson explores:<br> <br> * How does this change our beliefs?<br><br> We must be willing to rethink what we believe is effective learning; we cannot simply base this on tradition. Instead of making “student-driven learning” an elective or encore period, let’s completely design school around their passions and interests.<br> * How does this affect our contexts?<br><br> Research shows that more students are actively disengaged rather than engaged; and technology often places us in “echo chambers” where we only access information from others with whom we share common interests. We must rethink how to keep students engaged in learning that is truthful, discerning, and meaningful.<br> * How does this influence our practices?<br><br> We must become “skill” centered instead of “content” centered if students are to demonstrate mastery. We must move from the ever-increasing world of assessments for knowledge toward a world of application for learning. If students are really learning, they should be mastering new skills, not simply memorizing information they can easily access via a Google search.<br> <br> Another Example of New World of Learning<br> Richardson’s presentation reminded me of a former student of mine, Jesse Haynes, who is now studying at the University of Tulsa. As a college communications major, Jesse’s professors have allowed him to begin podcasting as an independent study. Last year his podcast, <a href="https://www.jessehaynesauthor.com/2017/05/14/explosion-of-the-others/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">The Others</a>, a fictional narrative of a man stranded on a tropical island, hit over 1 million downloads.<br> Jesse did not wait for a college degree to pursue his passions or reach a million listeners with his content and creativity. Instead he combined his degree plan with his passion, and he’s already practicing and applying those skills now. Jesse’s examples as well as the ones Will shared point toward an important question for each of us to consider even in our own professional or personal growth: Whose permission do you need to produce, create, design, or share your ideas?<br> This is our new reality. People are longer just relying on traditional classes or ...
