Chandell Asuncion

1. Upload the file to your blog.
2. Choose Link to: “File” – Then click the “Send to editor” button. This will place a coded link in the editor window.
3. Click Save or Publish

Darrell’s Sample Movie Clip
Source: Darrell Kim’s Sample Movie Clip (.mov format)

Mr. William Sullivan is a 5th grade teacher at Kamehameha Schools Hawai`i, who is writing a paper for his masters course titled: “What is Kamehameha Schools doing to close up the gap in the Digital Divide?” This got me thinking about my son who has fantastic design ideas. Ideas that could add to the functionality of products making them better for consumers. My son who is 14 years old, has grown up with computers. He knows how to do research on the internet, can communicate using email, and is part of an online social network. Yet, his ideas are still in the wrong hands (his own). He has computer skills and is hedging towards 21st century skills; however he is not there yet. When his skills allow him to be a productive part of his community, participate in an international arena, and compete in a global economy then he will have acquired the 21st century skills he needs to prosper.

I can personally remember having ideas when I was a child, and wondering what to do with them… who do I call, where do I write, and who can I share this with? Not knowing who to contact, I wasn’t able to share my ideas with anyone. Many of us, at one time or another, has had an idea that others would benefit from, but had no one to tell the idea to. No one that is that could take that idea and put it into production. This is one of the areas that business are seeing as a gap between themselves and their community that can be “closed up” with the use of modern technology and 21st century skills.

We can take a look at our local news stations, or at a national news station like CNN, who ask the community to become on-the-spot reporters, photographers and videographers, capturing the news as it happens.

Encyclopedia Britannica is also looking at “closing the gap” on information literacy, by asking experts and individuals in the community to become a part of their knowledge base. In the School Library Journal released on June 11, 2008 Encyclopedia Britannica announced the launch of their new Britannica site which is about to go the Wikipedia route with personalized modifications that allow experts and the public to create, document and share knowledge on its site.

“The main thrust of this initiative is to promote greater participation by both our expert contributors and readers,” says Britannica. The hope is that the new Britannica site will create an online community that will engage thousands of scholars and experts, as well as regular users.¹

Hardware and Software companies have been piloting this model for years, as they roll out “beta” versions of their software and ask a select group of volunteers to use their product and provide feedback. They receive feedback on what is not working and what they would like to have in future versions. Beta testers are valuable to these developers because each of the users have different computer hardware, use different platforms and versions, and can offer a wide range of testing.

The internet has allowed for a myriad of social networks to form and collaborate. Today each of us are able to become a digital citizen, build meaningful mentor, student relationships, and provide a community service, at our convenience, using online productivity tools. We are able to become part of a community and improve the conditions of that community with our participation.

The “digital divide” comes into play if we don’t know how to participate. The same problems I experienced as a child, exist today for those who do not have 21st century skills. Many people are isolated and do not have access to computers, the internet, and proper training. What are schools doing? What are teachers doing? What are families doing? What are districts doing? What is our country doing? What are you doing to help close the gap that is being created by the “digital divide”?

Do you have 21st century skills? Are you are part of a social network? Do you contribute to the knowledge base of a community with your skills? Are you a mentor for someone who is new in your field? Are you a student who is looking to gain knowledge from a social network? Are you using the internet to collaborate world-wide? Are you using internet productivity tools to participate in or manage a project or a team? These are just a few of the skills we will need to close the gap on the digital divide in the 21st century.

For the first time in our history, big cities and small rural communities are on level playing fields. Will the United States be the for-runners of the global economy a year from now?

____________________________________________________________________________________
Footnotes:

1. By Debra Lau Whelan — School Library Journal, 6/11/2008 2:00:00 PM http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/index.asp?layout=articlePrint&articleID=CA6569492 (062708)

The Educator’s Guide to Copyright and Fair Use
A practical quiz by educator and multimedia guru Hall Davidson.

Quote: “According to Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, “The primary objective of copyright is not to reward the labor of authors…but encourage others to build freely upon the ideas and information conveyed by a work.” In other words, copyright was created to benefit society at large, not to protect commercial interests.” ~ Hall Davidson

Resources for Educators and Students:
Do you know what the copyright law says that you can do as an educator or as a student? Is it different depending on who you are or what type of work you do?

1. Take Quiz: Take a quick 20 questions quiz to see how you stand.
2. Read Article: The Educator’s Guide to Copyright and Fair Use
3. Print Chart: There’s also a handy chart that outlines teachers’ fair use rights and responsibilities.
4. KS Guidelines: Basic Copyright Principals

Resources for Administration:
Copyright Guidelines for Administrators: This resource is designed to inform school leaders of what they may do under the law.

1. Read & Quiz: Copyright Primer for Administrators: Five Steps to Avoiding Copyright Problems, and Quick Quiz (Part One – PDF 2,707 K)
2. Print Chart: Copyright Guidelines for Administators (Part Two – PDF 634 K)

Share you thoughts.

Kukulu Kaiaulu 2.0 – Building Globl Communities Keynote Speaker
Will Richardson was the opening keynote speaker this year at the Kamehameha Schools Education Technology Conference, in Honolulu, Hawaii, June 9th and 10th, 2008. In this one hour Podcast you can hear a portion of his message as he addresses participants at the new Media Literacies in Learning Conference, Charlottetown, PEI, September 29, 2007. Thank you to Stephen Downes for Video Taping and Sharing this video for all of us to learn from.

Watch his Video Podcast
Will says this is a challenging time for educators, because of the way kids are using technologies outside of school. How are kids using technologies and what are we telling them about how NOT to use technologies? Listen to Will Richardson podcast to see what he has to say about the direction of technology, education, and using Web 2.0 technologies.

When you are done you can visit Will’s wiki page to get more information at http://www.willrichardson.wikispaces.com

Does this inspire you, or confirm your beliefs?