NWP Tech Initiative Podcast (11-17-07)

Well, I have finally been able to take some time to work up the podcast from the NWP Annual Meeting that I started a few weeks ago. This conversation took place in the context of the Tech Initiative meeting on Saturday morning and, like all NWP conversations, helped me think about our work and how we might refine it in the new year. More notes from the session can be found on our wiki.

Two points to consider as you listen to the conversation. First, Inverness Research Associates did a nice job of framing the conversation around four dimensions and seven propositions, which I list below.

Second, this was a conversation held in the larger context of a full-morning meeting, and in the even larger context of the last three years of the NWP's Technology Initiative. So, as you listen, know that this group has been thinking about these issues for a long time. For us at RCWP, it gives us lots to think about in terms of where we want our work to go next. For other sites that may not have started with tech work yet, it can be overwhelming to think about all these issues, so don't let this list get you down. Instead, use it to guide your thinking about where you are and where you want to be in terms of technology and literacy.

All in all, this was a good conversation, and I appreciate the many NWP colleagues who allowed me to record them for this podcast:

• Heidi Mick
• Rita Sorrentino
• Paula Parson
• Dave Boardman
• Katherine Ramage
• Lynne Anderson Inman
• Darla Keatley
• Bobby Cummings

NOTE: The items below come directly from handouts provided by Inverness Research Associates.

Develop Site Capacity: Dimensions to Explore

• Knowledge of writing and technology
• Professional development design and programming
• Development of teacher consultant leadership
• Interacting with school and district contexts

Propositions about the Teaching and Learning of Literacy in the 21st Century

• The powers of technology exist alongside challenges and vulnerabilities.
  
• The world of technological innovation moves at a different pace than the educational system.
• Technology is integral to the discipline of writing today and is here to stay.
  
• Knowledge of the discipline (writing) is essential for wise use of technology to teach in the discipline.
  
• Technology amplifies aspects of teaching and learning writing (e.g., audience, voice, equity and access, publication, collaboration).
• Technology challenges assumptions and approaches to assessment of writing.
• New language associated with the use of technology to teach writing is emerging.