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| Tweet #1 |
Consider a One
to the World initiative. Rather than labelling connectivity initiatives as 1:1
or Bring-Your-Own-Technology initiatives, consider framing them as One to the World.* #1toWorld
By connecting students globally, a One to the World initiative would
improve the quality and amplify the impact of the work of students as they
master the content and competencies of the curriculum. Eight tweets from April
and May illustrate how One to the World improves
the quality and amplifies the impact of student work.
Four of the tweets illustrate that One to the World provides students with
the connectivity to the tools and information they need.
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| Tweet #2 |
Tweet #2: This tweet captures middle school English students creating digital public service announcements to raise awareness and money to stop elephant poaching. After extensive research, students used their own devices AND school-owned devices to download content, access video editing software, create public service announcements, and post them on the internet for a global audience.
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| Tweet #3 |
Tweet #3: High school students at a poetry jam use
their phones to access and to read aloud poems they wrote and saved to the
cloud.
Tweet #4: After reading Wonder, which tells
of the heroics of Auggie, a boy with a facial deformity, 5th grade
students wanted to connect with an expert. They arranged to Skype with a
student with the same type of facial deformity.
 |
| Tweet #4 |
Note that these tweets vary in terms of whether
students use school-owned and/or personal devices. The connectivity of One to the World is important, not
whether the connectivity is provided through a 1:1 or BYOT initiative.
#1toWorld
Two tweets reflect that One to the World initiatives connect students with a global
audience.
Tweet #5: Three students worked to raise money and
awareness relating to hunger and to collect food and other items for local
shelters. They used personal and school-owned devices to access wifi to send
tweets. One to the World allowed
students to reach an audience that they wanted to inspire to take action i.e. donate
food, clothing.
 |
| Tweet #5 |
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| Tweet #6 |
Two final tweets show how One to the World initiatives connect students with people with
whom they can collaborate.
 |
| Tweet #7 |
Tweet #8 Students join three other classes from
around the nation in holding a Skype session with Hilary and Chelsea Clinton
regarding their #NoCeilings initiative related to barriers girls and women face
around the world in terms of education, health care, and economic opportunity.
Not only does Chelsea publicly announce that she is pregnant during this Skype
call, but the participants share ideas regarding breaking through the
ceilings
discussed in the call.
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| Tweet #8 |
Five key reasons exist for using the One to the World framework, rather than
1:1 or Bring-Your-Own-Technology.
1. One to the World does
not suggest that technology or connectivity is an end in and of itself. The
goal is to improve the quality and impact of student work as they learn the
content and competencies of the curriculum. Note that in each of the examples
featured in the tweets, the work of students was not fluff. Learning the
content and competencies of the curriculum, whether that involves research,
Calculus, or writing, was the heart of the lessons.
2. One to the World emphasizes
that our focus in on connecting every student globally to tools, information,
an audience for their work, and people with whom to collaborate. Rather than
emphasizing one student, the emphasis is on communities, whether that is a
sense of community within the school or a local, regional, or global community.
3. One to the World doesn’t
assume that people use just one device. When given the opportunity, people use
different devices at different times. They might use a smart phone one moment,
a netbook the next, and a desktop computer later on.
4. One to the World doesn’t
assume that all students will use the same device. People naturally work
alongside one another while using a variety of devices.
5. With
One to the World, we can focus on
equity, on equitable access, not on who provides the device. It may make the
most sense to create a plan for launching One
to the World that relies on both school-owned and student-owned devices.
With
a One to the World initiative, significant
implementation questions exist relating to capacity building. For example,
·
What
technology infrastructure is needed?
·
What
policy and procedural infrastructure is needed?
·
How
should we reallocate/obtain the resources needed to support One to the World?
·
How
many devices should be purchased by the district? What devices should be
purchased by the district?
The most important questions, however, relate to teaching, professional learning, and leadership. For example,
·
As
Alan November has asked, “How can we build capacity for all of our teachers to
share best practices with colleagues in their school and around the world?”
·
How
can teachers design high quality work that engages students in using the
connectivity of One to the World in
order to master the content and competencies of the curriculum?
What are your thoughts regarding these questions? Also, what are examples of how your students have connected with the tools, information, audience, and people with whom to collaborate in order to improve the quality and amplify the impact of their work?Answering these questions will be incredibly rewarding. Let’s get started!
*I first heard the phrase One to the World from Alan November in 2012. I published a blogpost regarding this phrase in November, 2012. Alan November published an
article on this topic in January, 2013.
Related Blog Post:
Top 10 #EdTech Posts
Related Blog Post:
Top 10 #EdTech Posts
