Christopher D. Sessums :: Blog :: Reflections from EduBloggerCon07: Crafting a Compelling, Cogent Message for Change

The following are my initial reflections on the NECC2007 EdubloggerCon2007 session titled Getting Our Blogs in a Row: Crafting a Compelling, Cogent Message for Change hosted by Will Richardson and Chris Lehmann.

Framing questions: [I]s there anyone interested in taking an hour to discuss the creation of a short list of talking points regarding the uses of the Read/Write Web in education? What key points should we be making? What key points CAN we be making? To whom should we be making them? What questions do we need to have answers for? How can we best package all of that? I know this sounds like the beginnings of a marketing campaign, but it might be worth a try...or not.
 

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So, how do you talk about the Read/Write Web to people with little or no experience with it? Perhaps a better question might be “why would you want to do this?”

How Scared Are We of The Future?

Within this session, we talked about the fear factor and how many politicians and media outlets generally respond quickly (and not always wisely) to those things that threaten our collective values and way(s) of life. If it bleeds, it leads; yet, no one is bleeding from using the Internet in the classroom. Internet safety is one item that gets people’s attention, and perhaps a clear message can be brought forward about the need to inform parents and kids about the potential hazards that lurk in cyberspace (e.g., bullying, sexual promiscuity, pedophilia, illegal file sharing, etc.). Here I worry how that message will be crafted as well as kowtowing to the baser aspects of our social fears. Personally, I believe we should focus instead on building a case for promoting digital literacies wherein one component of this new form of literacy is knowing how to respond to information or people who seem suspect. Digital literacy could be said to be a combination of social and informational skills that schools can help learners to develop. They involve learning how to respect one another; how to behave ethically in a variety of contexts; how to meaningfully analyze and interpret data presented from a number of sources; and learning how to communicate knowledge using a veritable cornucopia of tools and media.

 
So Why is the Read/Write Web Important to Educators?


Here is how many participants at EdubloggerCon2007 responded to the question, “How has blogging made a difference to you personally?”

 

“It’s given me a place to vent, learn from others, and make connections.”

“It's made me more thoughtful, improved my writing skills; it's helped me meet more people.”

“It has helped me be more reflective about my teaching practices”

“Connecting me with other people who do what I do

“[It has] allowed me to connect with students in a very different way than in the past...lets me see what they are really thinking.”

“Blogging has defined my personal and professional expression of ideas, community, friendships and the world.”

“[Blogging has] re-engaged my passion for writing and communicating.”


Key Points

For many educators who are actively engaged in the blogging process, weblogs have reportedly transformed the way they learn; it has challenged them about the ways they think about themselves individually, as well as the way they think about teaching and learning.

For many educators at this meet-up, blogging extends their ability to connect to other people and ideas, enhancing both personal and professional relationships. Weblogging has reportedly challenged them to learn more about themselves as well as challenging the way we think about a variety of subjects.

In terms of professional development, educational bloggers in attendance are reporting how blogging expands their professional networks:

“It's helped me meet more people. It's helped me share interesting things with my teachers at my school. Reading blogs has certainly made me smarter.”

“[It has] helped me explore new opportunities that I am developing passions for.”

“It has allowed me to share information with a lot more people than ever before.”

“It has allowed me to grow and extend myself in ways I didn't know were possible.”

“[Blogging has allowed me to] learn more in last two years than in the last 10 from all the connections I've made.”

“[I] can call on a personal learning network anytime and anyplace. You can network with people wanting to make [c]hange.”

The Read/Write has allowed a number of educators to extend, expand, and accelerate their knowledge. Is this something we would like to see students in our classrooms doing?

A handful of the educators in attendance spoke of how blogging has permitted them to be “[m]ore willing to advocate for radical change in education” (participant’s emphasis).

This last item is one of the key take-aways I am hearing from attendees: Many educators are not satisfied being bound by uniformed administrators and legislated mandates. Many agree that accountability is critical, but to what end? Who are teachers accountable to? What are they accountable for?

Many educators in attendance at this session recognize that parents are key constituents in mobilizing schools and school districts toward adopting Read/Write literacies in classrooms. Parents are a political force that, when organized, can strongly advocate for the concerns that teachers identify and clearly articulate. While politicians can be another voice for change, they are reactive by nature responding to the perceived needs of their constituents. Perhaps if parents are kept well informed by teachers who can show the value of the Read/Write Web, politicians can be persuaded to advocate for those ideas through their various channels and connections.

Barack and Hillary: Are You Listening?

Given the political nature of education, clearly there is no simple way to go about promoting change when the belief that the change will do us all good is only held by a small minority. Clearly more work needs to be done to begin shifting the focus on No Child Left Behind to creating an informed, participatory 21st century citizenry.

Jenkins' text on convergence culture shows how new media can be used to organize political action on a number of social fronts wherein its potential has been lightly tested. If educators feel compelled to organize for change, to push for the adoption of Read/Write technologies and literacies within schools, perhaps the best place to start is locally. Crafting the vision and message will be dependant on those most likely to be impacted by such a vision, therefore, I’m not sure getting change to happen on a national scale is a good place to start.

This session gave us all plenty to consider. What say you?

 

[Note: All quotes taken from the “About” column link located here: http://edubloggercon.wikispaces.com/Attending+Atlanta+2007]