Please don't let the title of this blog post mislead you. The book talk video above is actually powered by a love of literacy, best practice, and innovation. (The drone technology used to create the short book talk video simply supports the learning.) With that said, I understand that some people may be skeptical about the role of some of the flashier tools in education (and I don't blame them).
I was recently keynoting at a state conference and a question about drones in education came up. I was happy to share how our school is using drones to support learning, and also mentioned a few of the ways we've used them to enhance communication with stakeholders. After the conference concluded, I continued to reflect upon the original question.
I quickly realized that we need to start asking better questions of one another. I need to ask better questions. Questions that prioritize learning, relevance, achievement, and innovation. Below are a couple questions that I believe our students need us to start asking.
1. How are students creating using cutting-edge technology?
2. How might we further support the development of deeper relationships, empathy, and integrity in our students?
3. What are some ways that our approach (pedagogy) places students in the driver's seat of their learning?
4. When and where are we seeing the shift from engaged students to empowered learners?
When our curiosity continually starts with a drone (or any other new virtual tool) we may miss the heart of the matter. Worse yet, learning takes a backseat to tools that undoubtedly have a shelf-life. Imagine the dialogue we'd have at state conferences if we led with question #4 above. Those are the conversations I want to have!
