Power+Down+or+Power+Up?

Power Down or Power Up?
Alan November

Many of our classmates are familiar with Alan November. In his chapter, November introduces us to how schools need to be reengineered to allow students to do authentic and important work. Our traditional classrooms and traditional management of the classroom has led many districts to ban powerful learning tools that could be used for learning. Alan November encourages the use of digital tools to design more rigorous and motivating assignments while preparing them for a global economy. He provides new roles for developing empowered learners: tutorial designers, official scribes, researchers, collaboration coordinators, contributors to society, and curriculum reviewers.
 * Summary:**

"The essential question is not 'What technology should we buy for our schools?' The much more important question is one of control: 'Can we change our traditional culture of teaching and learning so that students are empowered to take more responsibility for making important contributions to their own learning and to their learning environments?'" (p. 193)
 * Point to ponder:**

It sounds like our class are big Alan November fans! Not only have we heard November present the Digital Learning Farm, but many of us have seen the classroom learning roles in action. We've seen students empowered by acting as classroom scribes and podcasters; student maintain learning blogs to share their classroom notes within a larger learning community. Allowing students to take on the role of a classroom researcher seems easier to implement for many of us.
 * Discussion Connections:**

While Brendan is frustrated that we continue to ban tools that students can and should be using in the classroom; John reminds us that there are two schools of thought: the technology friendly classroom where student technologies are welcomed and the technology phobic classroom where teachers have concerns about the chaotic implications of allowing such devices.

Alan November has always been ahead of his time and "stirred the pot" a bit causing our school districts to develop multiple policies addressing the use of student devices. However, this chapter encourages educational leaders to consider HOW we can empower young learners in the classroom using purposeful technology integration. Kelly adds that for many teachers, the Digital Learning Farm changes the dynamic of technology use and integration in the classroom. If one works to understand what the student roles embody, they can be implemented with very low-tech methods and provide for greater flexibility in their implementation.

Becky adds to our conversation that with powerful technology tools, students can become resources for one another and learn self-regulation and develop their higher level thinking. It seems that this chapter will provide many of us a great place to start with our teachers and perhaps use the Digital Learning Farm as a professional development tool with our teachers as we begin to change the paradigm of allowing STUDENTS to use the technology in the classroom and not just the teacher!

November, A. (2010). Power down or power up? In H. H. Jacobs (Ed.), //Curriculum 21// (pp. 186-194). Alexandria, VA: ASCD.