On Monday, March 1st,  Jesse Miller of Mediated Reality came to speak to our students and parents.

I was lucky enough to participate in all three sessions, and it was incredible to hear how he adjusted the message to fit the age and stage of the group he was speaking to. I want to share my big take-aways, but don’t even know where to start!

There was an overarching theme throughout all three sessions…

BALANCE

We will never go back to a time when technology didn’t exist, so rather than fight it, we need to accept that it’s here and learn how to live with it. When speaking with the parents, Jesse shared a story from when he was a boy in grade 5, taking the bus from his elementary school in Westmount, QC, to McGill University where his parents worked. His parents helped prepare him for this responsibility by equiping him with the tools he would need in case of an emergency….a quarter in case he needed to use a payphone, a plan for what to do if someone unkind spoke to him, who the safe people were to speak to along the way if he needed help…

The online world may be new, but it doesn’t need to be that different. We need to teach our children how to navigate it safely. We need to equip them with the tools and skills to help lead a balanced life. We need to help them understand what is appropriate and what is not…and why!

• Using your computer during class a really fortunate tool to have. Chatting isn’t appropriate because you may miss out on important information, or it can take time away from using your class time appropriately when the teacher is available to help you. Closing tabs or telling your friends you can’t talk is a life skill that will help you BALANCE your responsibilities.
• Playing games and chatting with people online is fun and can help you build relationships, but if it gets inappropriate, there are people you can speak to, without punishment, who can help you. Choosing to be an upstander is a life skill that will help you BALANCE your relationships.
• Sharing some information about yourself online can have value. Documenting your learning is clearly something we value at OJCS. Protecting our identity is also something we value. Being respectful is definteily something we value, both on and offline. Who you choose to be online is important – what are you telling the world about who you are as a person? Teaching our children how to safely share and behave online is a life skill that will help them BALANCE their reputation.
• Just as we set rules and boundaries for when screens can be used and HOW they should be used in school, rules and boundaries can be set in the home as well. If you’re going to allow children to be online, make sure they are “participating with the screen, not isolating with the screen.”
• And finally, we should meet our children where they are. Their interests may not be ours, but that doesn’t mean we can’t learn. Jesse gave the analogy of the “hockey mom.” Some mothers (and fathers) never played a game of hockey, or even watched a game of hockey before their child started playing. After going to game after game, many of those same parents are now experts, yelling from the stands as soon as any player is off-side. If your child loves Fortnite or Minecraft…play with them! Learn what it’s all about, see what interests them about it, and learn the rules so that it can become something you share together, not something you don’t undestand and can’t relate to.

If you were part of any of Jesse’s sessions, what were your big take-aways? I’d love to hear your comments and feedback 🙂

I came across this article about a school in the Netherlands called Agora. It is a fascinating model where there are no classrooms, no curriculum, and the teachers are more “coaches on the side” than teachers at the front of the class (espcially since there are no classrooms!)

As I was reading it, I kept wondering…what would our parents think of this? What would our students think of this? What would our teachers think of this?

Rather than wonder, I’m here to ask! Let’s start a conversation.

Hey students! Would you want to go to a school like this? Do you think this kind of environment would work for you and your learning style? Do you think you would be productive? If you were completely in charge of your own learning, what would you learn? Does this remind you of anything we do in our school? If we could have elements of this in our school, what would that look like?

Hey parents! Would you choose to send your child to a school like this? What elements appeal to you? What would you find challenging as a parent? As you see in the arlicle, progress is measured in a very different way than we’re used to. How would you respond to that?

Hey teachers! This model sounds like so much of what we strive for in our school…(North Stars alers!) student voice, ruach, a floor but no ceiling… Could you see yourselves giving up the control as the teacher at the front of the room? The students at Agora are at least 12 years old. What would need to be true of your teaching now to prepare our students for a school like this?

Are there any other thoughts you’d like to share? Please comment below and let’s start a conversation!!