When it comes to making students dreams come true, schools fall short

"Think of something...anything you want to make happen. Get it in your mind and I’ll tell you how you can get the funding to make that dream come true."

What if “THAT” was how we motivated our students?  What if “THAT” is what we valued in school? What if schools supported our students in accomplishing “THAT?”

Slava Rubin CEO and co-founder of Indiegogo, the world's largest global crowdfunding platform asked that question to Makers Faire attendees yesterday.  He went on to explain exactly how anyone can achieve that goal.

So what is Rubin’s advice for success?
1) Know how to write a persuasive proposal.
2) Know how to create a compelling video.
3) Make sure you have a trust circle, learning network, professional network, interest circle (or whatever you want to call it.)  Make sure you have a network to reach out to.
4) Know how to write a persuasive email.
5) Make sure you have friends on Facebook who care about what you care about.
6) Same with Twitter.

Rubin shared that most projects are funded by outreach in this order:

• Email
• Facebook
• Twitter

And, those with a video are most likely to receive even more funds.

Know how to use these social media tools and you’re well on your way to making your dreams come true.

The problem...

In most cases what he advises is not only unsupported in schools, what’s worse is that in many schools the ingredients necessary to make student's dreams come true are also blocked, banned, and/or simply disregarded and given no value.

Sadly, our schools are focused on preparing students with skills that no longer matter.  The memorization and regurgitation that is rewarded in the drill, kill, and bubble fill in today's world of student achievement and teacher effectiveness is completely removed from what our students need for success in the world.

Our students need innovative educators and parents who will get up and stand up for the rights of their children to have access to resources and sites their children will need if they want to make their dreams come to life.  

That means not only providing technology and a robust internet infrastructure, but also supporting students in writing persuasively for real reasons, doing the same with video using social media like YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, and providing email accounts.  

Are your schools supporting students with the resources to achieve meaningful success?