Chapter 9: Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts by Richardson

Change, change, change! That is what it all means. Not only do teachers need to change, but schools and entire systems need to change to adjust to the "digital kids" who now come through our doors each day. We need to help students be consumers, collaborators, and producers of information and knowledge that goes beyond the walls of the classroom. Students can now produce information for the world.

Students need to be able to produce products that show a mastery of knowledge and demonstrates a synthesis of ideas. It seems that the change all boils down to one word: Relevance. Learning opportunities and the tools used to facilitate the learning, must be relevant to the students and engage them in authentic learning opportunities.

As we consider bringing about CHANGE, it will be important for leaders to know what brings about change and all of the elements of the change process. Knowing this, will allow them to facilitate change in a positive way, proactively addressing barriers that inevitably come up when change is introduced.