When I was in high school, our technology lessons involved writing binary code to create an animation of a launching rocket. Not very practical stuff. Today’s youth are digital natives who could probably launch a real rocket if they had the tools. They surf, tweet, post, click, e-mail, IM, SMS, download, upload, google, install, search, blog, vlog, glog, bookmark, comment, moderate, network, tag, RSS, link, and create. And then they go to school.

In the classroom, teachers often face systemic and psychological barriers to using technology. Maybe the internet connection is weak. Maybe the school or country has banned useful web-based applications. Maybe the computers are old and slow. Maybe there ARE no computers. And maybe we just feel intimidated. After all, we are the digital immigrants in this scenario.

In Shanghai, I was fortunate to work with many tech-savvy teachers. I saw first-hand how seamless integration of technology in the classroom translated to motivated, enthusiastic, inquisitive students. Once you’ve seen the power of 21st-century education, you just can’t go back to the ol’ chalk-and-talk approach.

My excitement was piqued again this weekend at Tech Train 2010, an EARCOS weekend workshop at the International School of Bangkok. We focused on blogs, wikis, digital storytelling, Creative Commons, global collaboration, and personal learning networks. The two-day workshop culminated with a “speed geeking” session, where we showcased our final projects. My head is buzzing with ideas as I head back to Vientiane. My biggest challenge will be NOT to try everything at once.

As if all that weren’t fantastic enough, one of the workshop leaders was Tara Ethridge, an inspirational techmeister librarian and former Shanghai American School-Pudong colleague, AND three of my favorite people were among the attendees: Amy and Kathy, who still work at SAS, and Colleen, another former Pudonger who is now elementary librarian at Saigon South International School. Amy, Col and I participated in the “next steps cohort” to build our tech repertoire, and Kath bravely attended the “beginners cohort,” where she launched a blog. Way more exciting than launching a 2-D rocket!

Here, Col, Amy and I collaborate on a digital storytelling project.

Tara’s husband, Dale, and daughter, Sojo, were hanging out at school. Sojo told us all about her upcoming show, which she is creating, producing and starring in. She sang “Good-bye, Friends” and demonstrated her robot moves.

Arriving at ISB for our second day aboard the Tech Train.

We had such a great time catching up! Saturday night, Tara met us at our hotel to go out to dinner, but we never ventured past the hotel’s 27th-floor club lounge, where we took advantage of free appetizers and cocktails for almost three hours. We were even treated to a colorful display of fireworks, reminiscent of our days in China.
The gang’s all here: Tara, Kathy, me, Colleen, and Amy.