on Clarence Fisher: connecting students to the wide world

So far we have had principals, government officials, and industry consultants speak to us, but Mr. Fisher, is our first Teacher. First practicing teacher that is: Clarence Fisher teaches a split grade 7/8 class up in Swan Lake, Manitoba, and was also the first speaker to truly talk about using technology and the internet to benefit the students in his remote classroom.

Fisher touched on the changing mobility of education, from the inclusion of students own iPods, laptops and tablets, and debated the authenticity of students blogging and posting pictures in the classroom. His most influential comments (to me) were about using that technology to gain perspective, to introduce his students (who are nearly 700 km North of Winnipeg) to global communities. 

Clarence referred to this as expanding their 'network of learners':

'if kids are only exposed to the same kids in your class, then that's it. But the larger the network the better - no longer is any kid, or even myself, the oldest/smartest person in the room - and that fundamentally changes things' - Clarence Fisher, February 7/2013.

Which he did by taking an old idea - pen pals - and giving it a moden turn: Clarence connected his students with classes in Colombia, Peru, Los Angeles, and Malaysia through like-minded teachers through the internet. By doing so, he was able to give his small town classroom an international presence and open his students up to cultures, ideas and concepts that they otherwise would likely of never had.

What Clarence has noticed about this expansion of his students learning network, is that they have become engaged. He has noticed them working at home with students from another country on group activities, assisting each other with homework; essentially learning based on their own inquiry. By sharing through their youTube account, posting pictures to Flikr, his students have found new ways to represent and view the world that wasn't possible a generation ago.

At this time, Clarence is experimenting with computer coding in the classroom, exposing his students to AutoCAD, animation/video making and exciting new developments like 3D-printing in a bid to keep his classroom within the authentic real world. To me, Clarence's class is real world inspiration of how a teacher can be effective wherever they are in the world today, and that if an educator has the humility to let others into their classroom, it can make a world of difference.