Digital Natives

More and more frequently we hear that 'children today are wired differently than us'. This is usually said in reference to their ability to use computer, cell phone, or iPod more quickly and effectively than the adults. Who has a better understanding of the video remote in your house?The old saying of 'you can't do two things at once' is clearly no longer true. Watch teenagers today and they can text, listen to music, network on a social website and write an assignment all at the same time. Reading left to right in a zig-zag pattern down the page is a skill that is soon superceded by the ability to read scrolling text entering a screen from many different directions. Kids today are wired differently. View this video from Youtube to help us to begin to understand the world that our children are growing up in. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_A-ZVCjfWf8

Welcome

Welcome to my first Principal's Blog. This is the beginning of a personal journey in using information communication technologies (ICTs) to engage students in their learning. My long term goal is that ICTs are integrated in to our curriculum and that we all have sufficient knowledge and capacity to support our students and learn alongside them.
ICT is a fast changing world, sometimes baffling, sometimes frustrating, sometimes overwhelming but always exciting. The pupils at school are often more familiar with the use of ICTs than the adults around them. As people interested in their future we need to be able to embrace the technologies and use them effectively as a tool to aid their learning.
As the lead learner in our school I think it is important to lead by example. I will therefore be slowly building my knowledge of ICT, making a few mistakes and learning some new skills. It is my intention to keep you informed of my progress through this Blog. Please get involved and help to develop our Puketapu learning community beyond the classroom.