Richardson

** Will Richardson **

"The illiterate of the 21st Century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn.

This is a very challenging moment for educators. Our children are headed for a much more networked existence, one that allows for learning to occur 24, 7, 365, one that renders physical space much less important for learning, one that will challenge the relevance of classrooms as currently envisioned, and one that challenges our roles as teachers and adult learners. Will Richardson strives to provide teachers and students the ample opportunities to interact with the supplemental classroom materials that will prepare students to succeed in the 21st century. Richardson serves as the forerunner in applying technology in the realm of education.

Will Richardson maintains a website named, Weblogg-ed, and is also the the author of [|Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts and Other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms] now in its 2nd Edition, published by Corwin Press. This site is dedicated to discussions and reflections on the use of Weblogs, wikis, RSS, audiocasts and other Read/Write Web related technologies in the K-12 realm, technologies that are transforming classrooms around the world. Richardson recognizes that technology and the internet have changed the way government, media and businesses are run and it would only make sense then for educators to adapt these changes to their curriculum and include more internet and technology supplemental tools into their instruction and Richardson provides the foremost site on implementing applicable technology into the classroom.

Richardson also recognizes how students constant access to modern technology and need for instant gratification has changed the way they learn. Richardson, instead of fighting back against this brick wall, has instead attempted to get teachers to adapt to not only the evolving needs of contemporary students, but the evolution of the 21st century society and how technology and digital skills must be introduced, taught and thoroughly embraced in today's classrooms. http://weblogg-ed.com/2006/owning-the-teachingand-the-learning/

Richardson's website, http://weblogg-ed.com/, provides a forum where both students and teachers are able to engage in conversations and educational debates and learning forums. It is a great resource for any teacher to pull idea's for blogs, wiki's, podcasts and any other digital tools that could be implemented into the classroom. This is a free website that teachers have complete access too and provide an open forum where they have the opportunity to ask questions and be a student themselves. I believe that Richardson is a pioneer and a visionary in the field of educational technology. He is on the cusp on educational pedagogy and understands what skills and dispositions students need in order to positively participate in a pluralistic democratic society. Not only, does he understand what these students need to succeed, but he also and more importantly, understands what and how students need to be taught so that they are digitally literate and able to succeed in the 24/7 techno-driven 21st century. RG