I do a great deal of reading online. The “screen” on a laptop, tablet, or smartphone is the new location our students must become proficient in reading. Paper-based testing is on the way out, and computer-based testing is stumbling in. If for nothing more than supporting this new testing platform, students must become comfortable reading on a screen. However, there is more involved.

I just came across this interesting post from Campus Technology titled “Why Blogging Is Key to the Future of Higher Ed.” It struck me that having students involved in an educational blogging community (sharing, posting, and reading) is a great way to boost screen reading, writing, and typing.

A community of students sharing and reading their peers’ work sounds fantastic and attainable. Per the article above, a blogging system is taking shape at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU), albeit at the college level. However, wouldn’t it be amazing if this system was available in a school district? At the Groton-Dunstable Regional School District, we are creating a digital portfolio system (portfolio.gdrsd.org), giving students access to a system like VCU’s.

In reaction to this article, a user wrote:

Suppose students don’t want to do most of their work on a public platform. Would you like most of your freshman “work” following you around for life? What about FERPA?

It is interesting to break this all down, and I will share my response to her below, but first, let’s walk through what took place that many of us do every day. Are our students fully trained or working in this online/social/education-infused realm?

My professional learning network (PLN) shares articles of note (social media); I read the Campus Technology article on my computer (screen reading) and analyzed my thoughts and feelings on both the article itself and commentary on the article, potentially from around the world, mind you. I could have just left a comment and been done with it, but there is something profound in the simple process that we should take credit for and gift to our students. There is much effort, writing, reading, close reading, and more each day, and deeper connections can be made with the technology available. Sharing feedback on a thought-provoking blog post is authentic to me. Let’s tap into this area with our students.

My response:

Specifically, I would answer your second question with a resounding YES! I want my freshman efforts to follow me around for my entire life. (Added: If students are given crummy and boring assignments, are not worthy of residing in the digital realm, or follow a student around, stop assigning them!) Curation is a skill we need to teach our students!

Sharing the 10-page paper beyond the class and receiving authentic feedback from peers, other professors, and not just from “my” professor sounds exciting to me. Makes my efforts legit and brings my work up a notch. The quality I would submit, knowing a single pair of eyes are reading my work would be at a certain level. Knowing the same piece could be read by many others and become a part of a digital portfolio that a future employer may see would receive far greater effort. This is human nature.

Students are misguided if they share silly things and frat parties on their professional social media accounts. Young and old students need to be trained and guided in the realm of social media/sharing. They need to be “Google-able” with quality results on top. We need to run towards, not away from, this new way of communicating. Our students need guidance and the ability to learn in the 21st century, and their future jobs will likely depend on it!

With students taking out 6-figure loans for their college education, I’m not sure there is time for the status quo, which is failing our students.

Thoughts?