To be online and learn online is not the same as being “tech savvy”; rather, it is about being an active contributor.
– Julie Lindsay and Vicki Davis in Flattening Classrooms, Engaging Minds
Contribution and Collaboration. So many of us consume in the digital world. We read, scan, listen, watch, download, sync. Global projects are about moving beyond consumption of information, music and videos and instead actively collaborating with others and making a contribution. I found the 90-9-1 principle that was outlined in this chapter eye-opening. The fact that 90% of us watch while only 9% of us show some activity and 1% are left to create and contribute really made me reconsider my own online activities and where I fell in those percentages.
Chapter Six provides loads of helpful guidelines about how to move from the 90% to the 1% and, more importantly, move your students from consumer to contributor. What new ways will you engage with “weapons of mass collaboration”? And how will you set expectations for your students so that they don’t lurk in the shadows of a global project but instead join the conversation? Share your thoughts here!
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Contribution is one area that I struggle with and in fact is one of my New Year’s resolutions this year. Though I have yet to contribute to my blog this year, I believe the biggest obstacle is that we must make this a priority of ourselves. How many of use have searched the internet for classroom resources to find one perfectly designed by a teacher who has put it on their blog or other site? Well that didn’t just happen, they probably spent hours on it at home and believe strongly enough that “sharing is caring” to put it out online for others to use, praise, or critique.” If they did it why shouldn’t we our thoughts, ideas, and resources are all valuable and could help another teacher out. So in other words if we use we should contribute.
Brendan
PS I do have a backlog of blogs on my “to write list” luckily I have March Break coming and one of the posts will be on my efficiency tools and setting aside a time each week to contribute something.