Watertown 1 to 1

Wayne Gretzky, whom some say is this greatest hockey player of all time, was asked a question many sports greats are asked: “How do you account for your excellence?”

Gretzky’s response was simple, yet profound. He allegedly said, “I skate to where the puck is going to be, not where it’s already been.”

Call me Pollyanna but I think we should teach like Wayne Gretzky skates. In spite of looming changes* in student access to technology here at Watertown Senior High, we still need to remember that the working world and our democracy need people who (among many other things):

• Are capable of self-directed, independent learning
• Are creative in their approach to problem solving
• Can use networks to learn and collaborate
• Are digitally literate

Digital literacy is seriously complicated. But in simple terms it starts with the obvious – our students need to be able to write, read and listen. Beyond that, they need to be able to make sense of numbers, maps, words, pictures, video etc. They also need to be able to distinguish between valid and invalid material that is internet based.

I think that the frustration that I and so many teachers feel these days is that what we should be doing in education seems to be a moving target.

Think of that target as a puck. And then think of Wayne Gretzky.

*Note: Due to repair issues with our current Gateway/MPC laptops, freshmen and sophomores will no longer be able to take their laptops home.