Producer.Consumer

"I Will Be A Producer, Not a Consumer!" Exploring Tools That Can Help

Interacting with people in the social web allows us to not only consume information but produce it. This is new to education as we were all raised to be consumers. We sit in class, we listen, we do our assignments, turn them in and move on. We consume, show that we consumed and that’s it. We never were asked to produce, to think deeply about what we were learning and we never had the opportunity to share what we thought (as scary as it is) with our social network and allow them to comment or think deeply about what we ourselves are trying to learn and understand.

Some interesting research has come out in the past few months that looks at the use of social networks and blogging and the trends that are happening in society today. > Nearly half of 18-24 year old social networkers (45%) told Future Laboratory researchers that if they had 15 minutes of spare time they would choose spend it on social networking sites rather than watching TV, reading, talking on their mobile, or playing video games. The impact of this trend is so significant that a quarter (25%) of respondents state that the rise in social networks has decreased the amount of traditional television they consume. The 21st Century Teacher does not tell their students to memorize it, summarize it, or hand it in....they say PUBLISH IT!

The slideshare below is a compilation of stories from classrooms and schools doing just that. You will see, hear, and experience first hand how teachers across the globe are re-imagining learning using their new literacy privileges. As you explore this fantastic resource, imagine this learning in your classroom. Begin to think about **1 thing** you might do different as a result of your own learning experience and reading about these classrooms. Share your idea in the discussion, and offer one another advice on taking action. Feel free to partner up or divide and conquer; just make sure that transforming learning is your goal! Remember, we are smarter together!

Slideshare compilation of teacher examples

As you explore the wonderful array of tools and platforms to share your voice and ideas with the world, take some time to imagine the possibilites these will have for your students and collegues. The following wikis:
 * 1) Cools Tools for School
 * 2) Find the Right Tool Wiki
 * 3) Web 2.0 For Schools Wikispaces

These are great places to start! Feel free to explore as many resources as you like or dive deep into a platform you have been wanting to explore. Please contribute your reflections of the tools you explore on the discussion page, so as others make their journey from consumer to producer, you can know that you have helped guide them.

Consider the following as you test out what tools work best for you:
 * What did you love?
 * What were the challenges?
 * How would you use this tool?
 * Who would you recommend it for?
 * Are there drawbacks?