Podstock: The Perfect Little Conference

"Podstock Registration" by dmcordell

It's been almost a month since I attended my first Podstock, so I've had time to organize my thoughts and reflect a bit on the experience.

Expectations
I already knew a lot about this conference from interacting on social networking sites, particularly Plurk and Facebook. Podstock is a (deliberately) small conference, averaging about 300 attendees. All of the keynotes and sessions are held at the Hotel at Old Town Conference Center, in Wichita Kansas. Because of the intimate setting, I felt reasonably sure that I'd have the opportunity to interact with a number of my online acquaintances face-to-face. The slideshow I had prepared for my presentation was uploaded and saved to my laptop, SlideShare, and a flash drive, ready to share with friends old and new.

Realities - The Good
Podstock, the conference, was every bit as welcoming and interactive as I had expected. The ESSDACK staff worked tirelessly to make sure that all attendees had a positive experience. Old Town Wichita, with its historic architecture and abundance of restaurants and shops, provided the perfect setting for exploring and connecting, during meals or informal activities, like our early morning PhotoWalk.

Realities - The Bad
Kansas tends to be HOT in July, so our time outdoors was limited. This wasn't unexpected, so appropriate wardrobe choice and intelligent planning resulted in a reasonably comfortable visit. My own personal disaster occurred when I nodded off in bed and spilled a sticky liquid on my laptop. This resulted in an inoperative keyboard (subsequently fixed, thanks to the Apple Genius Bar) and some pre-presentation stress. Fortunately, the ESSDACK crew provided me with a loaner computer and my flashdrive saved the day.

Realities - The Awesome (a partial list)

• Unconference: This was my first opportunity to connect more personally with people like John Martin, a member of my Network for years - a "real" friend but not one I had met face-to-face before. Another online friend, Sherry Crofut, shared her Google Glass, giving us a literal and figurative peek into the future, or, at least one possibility for digital evolution. Social aspects aside, it was energizing to propose, vote on, and participate in discussions with fellow learners. I chose one conversation about Maker Spaces and another about Badges. Both were lively and thought-provoking. It was the perfect way to seque into the (slightly) more formal conference experience.
• Opening Keynote: Mark Klassen, a 19-year-old cinematographer, shared the story of how he used his Personal Learning Network and other online resources to learn film-making. Many of the concepts he touched upon, connectedness, passion, life-long learning, were repeated throughout the conference.
• Sessions I attended (all were excellent): Dean Mantz & Wesley Fryer, CSI: Creative Storytelling Investigation; Dan Whisler, Energy 101 - KidWind & the SHS Chevy Volt Project; Butch Wilson, We Are Irons: Why We Asked Google to Lie to Us; Ginger Lewman, PBL Conversations; and a last-minute replacement presentation by Wesley Fryer on Visual Notetaking.
• Vendor Reception and Dance - refreshments, swag, music, dancing...what's not to like!
• Podstock PhotoWalk: John Martin and I led a merry group of photographers on a mini-tour of Old Town. 
• Closing Keynote: Kevin Honeycutt, Starting and Maintaining a Revolution. Kevin challenged us to change the world by changing ourselves, our expectations, our approach to life and learning. It's a message that applies across the education spectrum, to teachers, yes, but also to students, administrators, parents, all stakeholders in the future.

Final Thoughts
Although I got very positive feedback on my presentation, Seeing is Deceiving, I soon realized that Podstock is best suited for a different approach to sharing and learning. Ginger Lewman and Butch Wilson, in particular, modeled the type of loosely structured, participant-driven conversation which I hope to emulate in the future. Will I submit a proposal next year? Already working on it. Will I return to Podstock? Just try to stop me!

"Photowalk" by dmcordell

Additional Resources
Seeing Is Deceiving Wiki
Podstock '13 Facebook Page
Podstock Ning
Podstock Photoset

For the Love of Learning

"First Day of My New Job..." by theunquietlibrarian

Personal friend, and professional inspiration, Buffy Hamilton, recently left her position as a high school teacher librarian to join the staff of the Cleveland Public Library.

Her job title at CPL is "Learning Strategist." Not "School Strategist," or "Library Strategist" but "LEARNING Strategist," an inclusive term embracing a wide range of possibilities.

As a semi-retired, (Medicare) card carrying Senior Citizen, I'm concerned with staying mentally active and professionally involved. While doing the Sudoku and Cryptogram each morning is fun, it's hardly a spur to intellectual growth.  So I'd like to adapt the Learning Strategist concept and apply it to my own life.

I will try to

• make a conscious effort to leave my comfort zone Volunteering to do an Ignite! presentation at the ALA Annual Conference last year was a challenging, somewhat scary, but ultimately very satisfying experience which taught me a lot about presentation zen.

• read, analyze, and apply Taking in information isn't enough; creation of new knowledge is the highest level of Bloom's Taxonomy. Lifelong learning should be authentic and relevant.

•  interact with others Social isolation may trigger psychological issues; it can affect any age group, but older citizens are especially vulnerable. Networking, both online and face to face, not only forestalls feelings of isolation, but also serves to deepen understanding through dialog and collaboration.

Buffy and I will be moving in different directions as we explore what it means to be a Learning Strategist. But we will continue to share our experiences and LEARN from each other.

"The excitement of learning separates youth from old age. As long as you’re learning you’re not old." -Rosalyn S. Yalow

Today, My Job Was to Listen

“Adolescents sometimes say...'My friends listen to me, but my parents only hear me talk.' Often they are right. Familiarity breeds inattention.” -Laurence Steinberg, U.S. professor of psychology

Dr. Steinberg's words might equally be applied to teachers. We hear our students' voices, but do we ever stop to consider what they are saying?

Today, my job was to listen.

Our Current Events class is made up of teens in grades 9-12. Since the juniors were taking a test today, I gave the remaining 7 students time to finish up assignments, discuss upcoming projects, and just socialize.

One boy started complaining that he wished he were part of our in-house GED program rather than taking regular classes. A few of his friends jumped in to tell him that the course is a lot of work, the exam is difficult, and he'd be crazy not to just stick out school for a few more years. They discussed it for a while, and I believe - I hope - they convinced him to stay put and try to make it work.

None of these young men have been particularly successful academically. They are they same group who shared their anger about a NHS speech that seemed (in their eyes) to disparage them.

Today they used their leadership qualities to help a friend who's in danger of making a bad decision. It was a teachable moment, but I was not the teacher, my students were.

It was one of the best days I've had all year.



"One who cares is one who listens." -Richard Clarke




"listen to me..." by keela84

Bricolage

Bricolage: "make creative and resourceful use of whatever materials are to hand (regardless of their original purpose)." -Wikipedia


There was an article in our morning newspaper about a local man who recycles seemingly useless and unrelated bits of "junk" into eclectic dioramas that "pay homage to the craft form popularized in elementary school social studies projects and book reports." Artist Charles Steckler considers these pieces "kind of like poetry in a sense. Poetry has an open form. It has potential for many interpretations," he said. "It's the visual equivalent to poetry. People can find many meanings in them."

When I did a bit of research on the title of his exhibition, "Bricoleur/Bricolage," I found a fascinating collection of variations on the theme.

In music, bricolage refers to the use of found objects as instruments, including Irish spoons & bones, Trinidadian steel drums, comb & paper kazoos, and the incredible vegetable orchestra featured on YouTube. The emphasis is on imaginative use of unlikely items to create tunes - many of the musicians are self-taught and experimentation is the norm.

Steckler's dioramas, and the colorful taxi dashboard pictured above, are examples of bricolage in the visual arts. Improvisation personifies bricolage in the performing arts.

Science and technology frequently borrow words, like dryad, Beowulf, and Goldilocks, from art and literature.

In biology, François Jacob used the term bricolage to "contrast real biology with the false impression of nature as an engineer," emphasizing the impromptu "tinkering" that he felt really took place in evolution by trial and error as opposed to intelligent design.

Information technology stresses the need for bricolage-like freedom to develop in a non-linear, innovative manner. The Bricolage Content Management System is "an open-source enterprise-class content management system, [that] greatly simplifies the complex tasks of creating, managing, and publishing the vast libraries of content essential to any organization."

Can education benefit from the bricolage approach?

Constructivism is a philosophy of learning advocating the building of understanding as an active process initiated and directed by the learner. Some educators question the value of discovery-based instruction for "novices" who might lack the background knowledge or motivation necessary to acquire understanding.

When standardized testing and state-mandated curricula guide the educational system, is there room for exploration and innovation? Is there a place for bricolage in the classroom beyond the dioramas of our elementary days?






"Awesome taxi dashboard, Singapore" by gruntzooki

Classroom Rules Part 2

In a previous posting, I previewed a SlideShare presentation that I had assembled for my Current Events class.

Today, students watched the show and wrote down the classroom rules that they thought I was trying to convey. Their often creative interpretations reminded me that what is "obvious" to an adult might suggest a totally different meaning to a teen.

Image #1My rule: Pay attention
Their take:

Pay attention
Listen to others when they are speaking
Don't speak out of turn

Image #2
My rule: Respect your teacher
Their take:

Listen to the teacher
No yelling - pay attention
Be nice
Be respectful
This is a good class
Listen, raise your hand, pay attention
Be quiet and pay attention
Follow the rules

Image #3
My rule: Respect your school/classroom
Their take:

Don't make messes
Keep class clean
Clean up
Don't litter

Image #4
My rule: Contribute to group work - collaborate
Their take:

Participate
Work together
Help each other
Share
Teamwork
Diversity

Image #5
My rule: Bullying will not be tolerated
Their take:

Don't ridicule others
Be caring
Don't pick on people
Don't laugh at others
People you are mean to are like you

Image #6
My rule: Be on time for class
Their take:

Use time wisely
Don't be late
Buy a watch
Don't waste time
Time is in your hands

Image #7
My rule: Come with the tools you need to work
Their take:

Come prepared
Have utensils
Be prepared - bring materials
Have pens or pencil

Image #8
My rule: Complete your work
Their take:

Finish all work
Work hard
Get your work done
Don't cheat
Don't copy work
No note passing

Image #9
My rule: Respect yourself (by doing your best)
Their take:

Be nice
Peacocks are beautiful (Beauty is feather deep)
Be beautiful
Stand out in a good way
Stand up, look beautiful
Express yourself

Image #10
My rule: Have fun
Their take:

Keep clean
Enjoy yourself
Have fun and be clean
Clean up
Be sure to bathe

Which of their responses caught your eye or made you think?



All image citations found on Slide 12

So Are the Ants

"It is not enough to be busy. So are the ants. The question is: What are we busy about?" -Henry David Thoreau


Seeking to revise his district's guidelines for student research papers, Patrick Higgins asked a series of questions today on Twitter. His search for curricular relevance led to some reflective thinking on my part.

Patrick began by wondering, "Should we be teaching our students the Dewey Decimal System?"

As a School Library Media Specialist, I deal with this system daily in my professional life. Dewey numbers are standard in most K-12 and public libraries. There are, however, other ways to categorize and arrange material, including the Library of Congress classifications that students will encounter in research and academic libraries.

I don't feel that it's necessary for anyone to memorize Dewey numbers. Traditional and online catalogs provide the "address" of a book; all students need to understand is how to interpret the information to find what they are seeking.

The key concept is organization: how are things ordered for ease of access?

When asked to design their own grouping method, students in my classes have come up with some interesting suggestions:

• by color
• by size
• by number of words
• by weight
• by gender of the author
• by smell or taste (!)

Some of the children described a system that resembled the tagging now being used to sort and locate all sorts of resources. Others fantasized about having a device that could track and locate a book electronically, making shelf arrangement irrelevant. Our hand-held inventory wand could easily be adapted for this purpose.

Knowing the reason for the Dewey Decimal System is the key concept; the numbers themselves are only symbols.


Patrick next asked, "Should we be teaching them how to manually prepare a works cited page?"

This question was debated by some of the classroom teachers and librarians from our regional BOCES. The majority of us felt that using a tool like Citation Machine is perfectly appropriate. Few adults remember the finer points of citation formatting; why agonize over something that can be done better online?


I posed a question of my own, "Will it still be a research PAPER or will there be a choice of outcomes: e.g. Senior Projects like these?" to which Patrick responded, "This is for English classes: very traditional situation. Paper, undoubtedly."

Senior Projects are usually built over the entire four years of high school. They might begin with a research paper, then expand to encompass some type of culminating physical project and a presentation.

These projects embody the spirit of Inquiry-based Learning, a constructivist philosophy "driven more by a learner's questions than by a teacher's lessons." This approach allows students to become experts in their chosen topic, giving them a positive motivation for pursuing knowledge that is relevant to them.


Patrick ended by asking for more information about Zotero, "a free, easy-to-use Firefox extension to help you collect, manage, and cite your research sources." Obviously, he is still exploring, weighing his options, searching for the best possible tools and most relevant content.

I hope that he shares his final product with us. In the meantime, I've benefited immensely from using his questions to examine my own professional practice.



"When you stop learning, stop listening, stop looking and asking questions, always new questions, then it is time to die." -Lillian Smith






"Ant at Work" by DavidDennis

Where in the World? Part 2

I decided to create a companion mosaic to display after the Animoto clip has played. This would allow for discussion of the visual clues to the geographic area that's being spotlighted.

There are infinite variations on the Where in the World? theme. For example, individual students or teams could brainstorm significant landmarks, products, topological features, etc. of a city, state, province, country, continent, or biome, locate appropriate pictures, then challenge their classmates to identify what's being described. A similar project might involve finding images of the 7 wonders of the ancient or modern world.

Partner projects, like Where in Time ? or Where in History? would utilize photos and illustrations of primary source artifacts, buildings, and reenacters.

Upload some vacation photos and give it a try - then use your product to model the activity for a class. And, please, share your masterpieces with the rest of us!

Where in the World?

Since I hope to incorporate "geography literacy" in my Current Events class next year, I decided to make some Animoto clips featuring different parts of the world.

My first one was inspired by NECC. Can you guess Where in the World it is from the images? If anyone else would like to spotlight a city or country via Animoto, Voicethread, or any other tool, please send a link and help me build a data bank.

Troika

People are beginning to reflect on their NECC experiences. For me, there were three distinct but interconnected components.

Workshops and presentations were the marquee attraction. Internationally-known speakers, emerging Voices, and classroom innovators were all well represented. They shared information, explored core concepts, and provided valuable resources. As the member of a Librarians' panel myself, I was able to experience the positive energy such opportunities generated.

Another aspect of the conference is the Exhibition Hall, where vendors demonstrate products, answer questions, and conduct mini-workshops.

I found the official NECC program to be overwhelming, containing such an embarrassment of riches that I ended up only attending a few sessions. There was too much to take in, a sensory and cognitive overload. I'm hoping that many of the presentations have been captured on Ustream, so that I can explore at my leisure, a la K-12 Online.

The Exhibition Hall was similar in its excesses, but it seemed to focus primarily on things rather than thoughts. I dutifully sat through a few mini-workshops, but I was too keyed up to settle for long and ended up leaving many of the giveaways I received there in my hotel room. One quick sweep was enough to convince me that this was not a profitable space for me to spend much time exploring.

My favorite area was, as many of you might guess, the Bloggers' Cafe. Although a number of "getting to know you" chats took place, there was a rich and deep vein running through most of the conversations. People like Dean Shareski, Al Upton, Stephanie Sandifer, Dean Groom, Derrall Garrison, Vinnie Vrotny, and Jo McLeay stopped to say hello and stayed to explore such topics as internet/personal safety, student blogging, the power of f2f connecting, building student "excitement for learning" and teacher burnout.

Australian Dean Groom professed to be puzzled by the recurring "dream" motif in America. He prefers to focus on five achievable goals; when they're accomplished, he moves on to the next set.

Vinnie Vrotny told the story of his daughter's desire for a "fine dining" experience which led to a life lesson in gathering information.

Dean Shareski reminded me that our twitterverse comprises only a tiny percentage of the educational technology world, a fact that I need to keep in mind when interacting with other teachers and information technologists.

Stephanie Sandifer and I shared our distaste for the aggressive, intrusive tactics of some of the vendors.

Most fun for me, as a librarian and reader, was discussing literary genres - and favorite books - with Derrall Garrison.

Carolyn Foote demonstrated the features of her iPhone and Doug Johnson let us examine his Kindle. I reconnected with Joyce Valenza and met my dear friend Cathy Nelson for the first time in "real life."

I know that each of us took something home with us from NECC.

Which part of the troika appealed most to you? More importantly, how have you grown, how will your practices change, as a result of this extraordinary gathering?



"Troika" from Wikipedia

WARNING!

WARNING! HELP The website you are attempting to visit MAY violate your Acceptable Use Policy. You can click CONTINUE to visit the site OR click CANCEL to not access the requested site. All Internet traffic is logged and reported. User/Machine: DEFAULT IP: 10.230.12.110 Category: PASSED Blocked URL: http://www.youthtwitter.com/ To submit this warned site for review, click here. For assistance, contact your Administrator. 8e6 R3000 Enterprise Filter provided by 8e6 Technologies. Copyright 2007. All rights reserved.

Today I continued my exploration of connective options at school. Here are the results:

• Twitbin and Twiteroo are blocked on school computers and my MacBook
• Twirl will come up on my laptop but tells me "There is an error receiving direct messages" so the screen remains blank
• I installed Snitter on the MacBook - it also comes up blank

Note: I tried to install Snitter on a school computer, but received a message reminding me that all installations require Administrative permission.

As an experiment, I tried to search for proxy sites on Google. The entire search was blocked, "Category: Web-based Proxies/Anonymizers." I suppose I could find the addresses of proxies before I left home in the morning, but there is no guarantee that would work either.

My one success was surprising: YouthTwitter is not blocked here at school! I did get a WARNING! but was able to click through to the site and read student postings on both school computers and my Mac.

Interesting that a student online community is permissable but not an adult one. It seems that our youth are deemed more capable of interacting appropriately than their teachers. Score one for authentic Voice.

Perhaps if Twitter were subtitled AdultTwitter...but no, that sounds vaguely risque. It all comes down to trust. I would like to be treated as I feel our students should be treated when it comes to cyber safety and digital citizenship: provide instruction on safe & appropriate use of the Internet, set clear and reasonable limits, spell out the consequences for inappropriate use, and enforce policies consistently.

If I'm not trusted to conduct myself professionally, perhaps I shouldn't be here instructing children.

At least, that's my opinion. If you disagree, please speak up. I'd like to know the rationale behind Internet censorship.


Update: Now Twitbin is unblocked! I'm not sure why, but I'll link to this posting and hope for the best!

ACCESS DENIED!

I have been logging in to Twitter at odd moments during this entire school year. Yesterday, though, this message appeared on the screen:

The reason given for blocking the site is "Category: Online Communities." I've contacted both my Administrator and the company to request further information.

On the surface, at least, it appears that our district, and, by extension, our BOCES, considers "online communities" to be undesirable. I consider them a key component of 21st century learning.

What's the view from your corner of the world?

I'm Nobody! Who are You?

I'm nobody! Who are you?

Are you nobody, too?

Then there's a pair of us -don't tell!

They'd banish us, you know.


How dreary to be somebody!

How public, like a frog

To tell your name the livelong day

To an admiring bog!
-Emily Dickinson

There has been some discussion lately about the "exploitation" of Twitter by people who are interested in self-aggrandizement rather than connection and collaboration.

In my wildest dreams (well, maybe in just a few of the more delusional ones), I don't anticipate becoming a sought-after lecturer, consultant, or best-selling author.

Twitter is my place to meet new friends, converse with virtual colleagues, share resources, and offer encouragement, sympathy, or congratulations, as needed.

There may well be those who are only concerned with self-promotion. If so, their agenda becomes apparent relatively quickly. My rule is to only follow people who follow me back. I'm in Twitter for conversation, not hero-worship.

Like many tools, Twitter has a variety of uses. It works for me, but then, I'm Nobody! Who are You?


"Andrew likes 'Diary of a Nobody' by George Grossmith" by Ross_Angus

Saint Expeditus: He's fo' close scrapes

"Well, St. Espedee [Expeditus] works very quickly. His light is a red light on a Wednesday. He's fo' close scrapes -- he's fo' quick money." -New Orleans, LA. Informant


April 19 is the feast day of Saint Expeditus, patron of emergencies and solutions, guardian of programmers and hackers, staunch opponent of procrastination. Reputedly a fourth-century Roman martyr, Expeditus has evolved into a cult figure and voodoo saint, with strong followings in Réunion, Chile, and New Orleans.

Procrastination is a subtle siren, singing of drudgery deferred and duties delayed. It is a democratic habit, and encompasses all ages and walks of life. The teacher is just as likely to put off unwanted paperwork as the student.

There are a number of websites that offer practical advice on how to simply, streamline and prioritize your life. Study Hacks labels itself an "academic productivity blog." Primarily aimed at college students, its posts on achieving success while reducing stress are applicable to learners at all levels. Zen Habits promotes a simple lifestyle, presumably unfettered by the guilt that procrastination can bring. Lifehack focuses on "hacks, tips and tricks that get things done quickly by automating, increase productivity and organizing."

The end result of procrastination is usually panic and a flurry of activity. This prayer to Saint Expeditus might come in handy when those pesky deadlines finally catch up with you:

"Invoke in the urgent business"

My Expeditus Saint of the just and urgent causes intercedes close to for me Ours Mr. Jesus Cristo, help me in this hour of affliction and despair. Intercede close to for me ours Mr. Jesus Cristo! My Expeditus Saint You that are a warring Saint, You that you are the Saint of the afflicted ones, You that you are the Saint of the desperate ones. You that are the Saint of the urgent causes, Protect me, Help me, Give me you force, courage and serenity. Assist to my request. To " do the request ". My Expeditus Saint! Help me to overcome these difficult hours, protejei-me of everybody that can harm me, protect my family, assist to my request with urgency. Return me the peace and the peace. My Expeditus Saint! I will be thankful for the rest of my life and I will take its name the whole ones that have faith. A lot of thank you.

If you don't read this blog until after April 19, don't worry because "You can celebrate St. Expy Day whenever you get around to it!"


"I think that wherever your journey takes you, there are new gods waiting there, with divine patience -- and laughter." -Susan M. Watkins

What Was Expected

"From those to whom much is given, much is expected. I have been given much — the love of my family, the faith and trust of the people of New York, and the chance to lead this state. I am deeply sorry I did not live up to what was expected of me." -Eliot Spitzer, on resigning as Governor of New York State, March 12, 2008


My husband came home from work on Monday and remarked, "Well, another Democrat bit the dust!" When I told him I had no idea what he was talking about, he turned on his computer and showed me a video clip of our New York State Governor, Eliot Spitzer, tersely admitting,

I have disappointed and failed to live up to the standard I expected of myself. I must now dedicate some time to regain the trust of my family. I will report back to you in short order.

News networks were quick to fill in the details: the former state Attorney General, applauded for his "passionate pursuit of justice," the man Time magazine Time Magazine named “Crusader of the Year” in 2002, was involved in a prostitution scandal and under investigation by federal officials.

Obviously, this is a huge issue in the news. My morning paper detailed how local teachers were handling this "teachable moment." Since my high school Current Events class hadn't met since last Friday, I decided to see if the students brought up the subject themselves. The first boy in the room (it's an all male group) informed me that the Governor was scheduled to make a statement at 11:30 a.m. EDT, which is 20 minutes into our class. Out went the lesson plans; we talked about what had happened, put CNN live coverage up on the screen, and watched history unfold.

I asked the boys to write a reaction to either the entire situation or to the resignation statement itself. These are some of their responses:

• I think he should be prosecuted severely, especially if he used our taxes.
• Everyone makes mistakes, but he's the governor, he shouldn't act like that. He would be the first person to say it's wrong if just a citizen does it.
• I think it's very good that Spitzer is resigning. Being part of a prostitution ring is despicable. Being the governor of New York should hold him to higher standards. I do not think that you have to be perfect to be a politician, but you should be held to a general set of standards.
• I think that he should resign because you shouldn't be doing things like that when you are in office. I know that he is only human, but when you're representing something like a state, then I don't really think that it [this behavior] is really appropriate.
• I think that he was dumb to do what he did. He is a hypocrite; he was arresting people for prostitution rings and then goes and does it himself.
• I believe he shouldn't resign. He's human; we all make mistakes.

Spitzer acknowledged

I cannot allow my private failings to disrupt the people's work. Over the course of my public life I have insisted, I believe correctly, that people, regardless of their position or power, take responsibility for their conduct.

When he took office a little over a year ago, Eliot Spitzer proclaimed

In a Spitzer administration, the road to responsive and responsible government will begin on Day One. It is a promise based not on false hopes or foolish pride, but on a simple notion of government that has been lost amid the bickering and partisanship of the last few years: the idea that if we work to give everyone the same opportunity — that if we ensure everyone plays by the rules — there is no limit to what we can achieve as a people.

Eliot Spitzer was elected Governor of the State of New York in November of 2006: what was expected of him was integrity and justice.

The end came, on March 12, 2008: what was expected of him was his resignation.


"New York State Governor Eliot Spitzer" by Red Carlisle

To Know The Nature of Joy

"Where there is joy there is creation. Where there is no joy there is no creation: know the nature of joy." -Veda Upanishads


I just began an online course, "Learning and Teaching with Web 2.0 Tools." One of our first assignments is to create a blog, then write a posting "about how you would want to use a blog for educational purposes in your classrooms, schools, or districts." Because I've been blogging since last June, I asked the facilitator if I could use Journeys to share my ideas, and she agreed.

I'm hoping to fill in some gaps in my tech/tools knowledge; my online explorations certainly affirm that there are a LOT of things I want to learn, don't know, didn't even know I didn't know.

Still, I have made some progress. The required readings for class include articles and postings by people I interact with daily on Twitter or follow in my Google Reader. Wesley Fryer, Will Richardson, Steve Dembo, Miguel Guhlin, and the Students 2.0 contributers are all old friends, even though virtually. I could easily suggest another 20 or 30 outstanding edubloggers to add to the list.

What have I learned from this distinguished company? They have helped me to understand that

• learning must extend beyond classroom walls
• students have a Voice that needs to be heard
• safety means education not isolation
• teachers should be co-learners
  
• collaboration expands and enriches curriculum
• even in a 2.0 world, tools are secondary to content

A friend and colleague in South Korea, Clay Burell (whose wedding on Saturday was UStreamed, blogged, twittered and virtually attended by people from around the world) posted this reminder for bloggers:

I’d suggest this: if you think you have nothing to write about as you face the blank screen, remember these people, and their fine gestures, and consider, instead of thinking, simply feeling. And create from that. Create some new form of kindness. Let your education “lead you out” - from yourself. Let it pull you to engage the world from the tip of your nose to the opposite pole.

And that is the best lesson I've learned, to use blogging as a connector to others around the world, and by so doing, to discover joy.

"Joy, rather than happiness, is the goal of life, for joy is the emotion which accompanies our fulfilling our natures as human beings. It is based on the experience of one's identity as a being of worth and dignity." -Rollo May



"tay0403" by jwfarmer10

Great Expectations

"Now, I return to this young fellow. And the communication I have got to make is, that he has great expectations." –Charles Dickens, Great Expectations

To our parents and grandparents, the American Dream meant that, through hard work and a good education, young people could match and exceed the success of previous generations. Effort, determination and a college degree were seen as the keys to prosperity in adult life.

In some respects, the American Dream seems to have shrunk to an American Illusion.

A 2005 study published by the National Center for Education Statistics reported that

"more than two-thirds of students who were high school seniors in 2004 expected to complete a bachelor’s degree, and 35 percent planned to get a graduate or professional degree. But nearly two-thirds of the students who expected to get a four-year degree had not mastered intermediate level mathematics concepts as 12th graders, and nearly a third could not consistently solve simple problems based on low-level mathematical concepts."

In The Ambitious Generation: American's Teenagers, Motivated but Directionless, Schneider & Stevenson suggest that adolescents are extremely ambitious but "find it very difficult to fulfill their dreams." The authors believe one reason for this disconnect is that the transition to adulthood takes much longer, an "elongated transition" that postpones the onset of maturity, making decisions "overwhelming and less than meaningful" for high school students.


This is the illusion and the dilemma: students are desiring, expecting to be successful but are not emerging from formal schooling equipped with the skills to do so.


Arthus, in a posting on Students 2.0, flatly states that the current educational system is to blame, since

"every young child wants to grow up to be a successful citizen. Nobody is born hating learning—they grow to hate it through successively being treated as if they should hate it."

Rather than trying to "lock students into" learning, he wonders,

"What if ... schools taught students to make their own tools? If students are never taught to hate/fear learning, they will not shy away from learning opportunities."

Guest blogger Bill Farren, expresses similar sentiments on Beyond School:

"This made me reflect again on the current state of education: Why are we subjecting kids to an educational system that, for too many, dulls the senses, erodes natural curiosity, and forces kids to choose grades over learning, all in the quest for a high-paying job that will not necessarily make them happier or healthier? If someone wanted to create a system to reduce well-being for all, they need look no further than the current educational approach found in most schools."

Are student expectations unrealistic? Can the current educational system equip young people with critical skills necessary to be successful in our modern world? And what, after all, is success: how do we now define the American Dream?

I'd be interested in hearing your opinions.



"The quality of expectations determines the quality of our action." -Andre Godin

"Stairway" by Wolfgang Stoudt