Learning how to use email

Credit: https://tinyurl.com/y76p8c43

Yesterday I spoke with some Year 5 classes about proper use of an email address which is supplied by their school or (in the future) their workplace. It's important because Year 5s start to learn to use email as a tool for learning and sometimes get carried away with the sense of connection sending and receiving emails can bring. And before long emails are flying around that bear no resemblance to anything to do with learning. And before much longer someone sends something inappropriate and it gets diverted to my inbox. The email trails often make for some 'interesting' reading (if I can find my way around all the emojis).

The children had some really insightful questions which shows they are thinking carefully through this expectation and wondering about the grey areas. We talked a couple of these through to demonstrate thinking 'before pressing send'. Is this email about my learning or school? If my email gets forwarded to someone else would there be unintended consequences?  and finally If I'm sending this to Ms Sands have I checked spelling and punctuation and deleted all the unnecessary emojis? :)

There's a new kind of learning going on

Much has been made of 'child centered' learning over the years stretching from the teaching of Jerome Bruner in the sixties right through to the recent work of Sugata Mitra. But it's when you see it in action you realise the power of students solving real life problems, using technology to generate possibilities and research what others have done, truly get engaged in high level learning thought to be beyond Year 3s, and producing atefacts and work samples that have quality and lasting value.

It's teaching at it's best when the teacher puts teaching analysis and evaluation at the heart of the work. At the end of the day it isn't about the building, creating or making. It's about the problem solving - doing something useful with paper, technology or a device that can be applied to our lives.

Such is the work of 3T this year. It has been truly inpiring.