What do I want to get from this course???

I'm "backing up" here, as it's the third week and I am playing "catch up"! Just finished reading some of the Digital Youth Project stuff on Hanging Out! Being a school counselor, and about to move from ES to MS counseling, I'm first off eager to GET INFORMED fully about the tech world of teens. Hanging out/work arounds/ back channels/tele-cocooning/friending/gaming....and much more....all new to me and I'm eager to learn! Secondly, I'm always concerned about the unconnected, disenfranchised or marginalized students. How to ASSIST ENGAGEMENT for kids who are underskilled (needing voice activation?) or unable or dissallowed or kept out of this "hypersocial" world of digital social networking. What isolation that must create! Do these type of kids exist at ISB.....do we know? And, personnally I struggle to "fit", feel a part of an online course (first one!) where others can "walk in" for extra help and support and I am not able to. I'm challenged to LEARN TO LEARN this new way and not drop out (due to a busy school and out-of-school schedule...and feeling tech-challenged!)! The added benefit of sticking with it here in the course is to PREVIEW ISB, as I move toward joining the ranks!!!!

Wikipedia discussion

Interesting "rule of thumb": USE FIRST NOT LAST!!! IMpact of authenticity of multiple contributors? Over time? Links to original sources and timeing? Example of Hudson river airline crash...passion contributes to authenticity??

US Ambassador's blog

Awesome day today accompanying the 4th grade classes to the UN (Vienna) and to meet the US Ambassador for UN affairs. Ambassador Schulte had prepared a power point for us (also his wife's brownies!) that included his blog, translated into Arabic! Two of our students from Kuwait, and one from Dubai could read it! The Ambassador explained that he uses the blog to inform people of his work, issues that he hopes will be thought-provoking to people in other countries, and persuasive arguements about safe use of nuclear power. One thing that was mentioned on his blog was a fourth grade student from our school! This girl (Austrian) made special cookies on US Inauguration Day because she and her family were so excited about Barak Obama's inauguration! Of course another student asked if the Ambassador had ever met Barack Obama. He had once, in the Middle East when then Senator Obama was visiting the area.

Having seen the Ambassador's blog in Arabic really impacted me! I'll be thinking more now about how I can use my blog to impact student learning and enthusiasm for learning.......hhhmmmmmmmmmmmm!

Engage me or Enrage me!

Awesome article by Marc Prensky. "3 kinds of students"---wonder how this relates to international schools....do we generally have one kind more than another? Seems as we have (in Vienna) low divorce, high income (generally) and well-cared for students, that engagement might be skewed higher. At present, being in the elem school also doesn't give me a clear picture of MS level of disengagement....
Love the image of teens with "scores of windows open" and the fast and stimulating pace of "always on" with some media or another. What a hyper setting to compete with during school time! It moves me to think about how to set up my counseling office for next year. What to hang on the walls and have on the shelves that will not only be inviting/comfortable/affirming to students, but also stimulating and in sync with their TECH IDentity!