newly ancient

It is time: time for authentic student voices in the edublogosphere; time to hear from those who are affected by education the most; time to regard students as more than just blank floppy disks to be written upon. It is time for Students 2.0 - a new generation of students: articulating their experiences, exploring the future, finding the best, and besting the rest. In short, it is time for authentic student engagement in the classroom. As I said:

For decades, students have been put in classrooms, sat down at desks, and told how to learn and what to learn. For a time when students were expected to become widgets for the vast machine of industry, this model of education was highly effective. However, we are now entering a new age: an age where thinking is more important than knowing, where the thought trumps the fact. Borders are melting away; project teams collaborate across the globe and intelligence is being continually redefined. The world’s information is at our fingertips and anybody can publish their thoughts for virtually no cost.

Everywhere, we see changes: in how business operates, in how people interact and success is accomplished. That is, we see changes everywhere besides the closed bars of education. The system continues to “stay the course” upon a falling ship. Yet, the widgets within the machine are no longer content to grind away. Ideas are popping up everywhere, across the globe. Students are continually redefining their own lives and how they want to learn and interact.

Adults and teachers talk about education and students, but rarely invite students into these discussions. Fortunately, this blog plans to change that by offering an authentic student voice upon education. This is not a gimmick, there’s no puppet master: we’re intent upon confronting the issues of modern education, never backing down from a challenge. Students 2.0 is a challenge for leaders and teachers alike: are you willing to listen to students.

Apparently, the edublogosphere is ready to listen. Our first day has been amazing:

• We got over 6,000 unique visitors
• We hit the del.icio.us front page, most popular page, and are still #2 on the most popular education tag: all thanks to the over 240 people who bookmarked us
• Over 60 blog reactions!

This is beyond words… I see seismic shifts in the future if we are seeing this kind of change. Think about it: over 5,000 teachers are willing to listen to the voices of students. When we get this kind of response before even having any kind of content, it shows just how much potential there is for change. Our personal learning networks are helping to amplify this change… Thanks to everyone who helped out by blogging, bookmarking, and badging. Also, thanks to Sean for making us an amazing :

See you on the other side.