Probably the highlight of yesterday’s ed-tech conference, Smart Ed-Tech Strategies for Tough Times, was listening to the four students who came in from York Community High School in Elmhurst, Ill., talk about their experiences growing up using technology and how that relates to the way that they use technology in schools. All the students agreed that there needs to be more education about how to use technology safely and effectively in schools, and they also advocated opening up Internet and Web 2.0 resources for educational purposes.
One interesting point they touched on was the idea of using Facebook for educational purposes. Surprisingly, the students felt that while Facebook is a tool they enjoy using, they do not want it harnessed for education. It’s a personal space, they said, that should be left to social, rather than educational, purposes. There is an opening, though, the students agreed, for a social-networking Web site that could be used specifically for education.
It was really refreshing to hear directly from students who are living through this technological evolution about the issues that they think are most important, and a nice addition to a conference that sparked lots of innovative ideas and interesting conversations about ed-tech solutions.