Little and Personal

I like what Marc Prensky says in this short video clip of him talking with Stephen Heppell.  I have long thought we need to embrace what the kids already have!!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6cy1X-_CbFM&feature=player_embedded

Enjoy this clip and think about what it means for our classrooms.  Prensky is always ahead of the curve.....we need to listen!!

Hamlet's Blackberry: Reflections

(How can I become a successful blogger if I don't post, I am asking myself this morning as I notice my last post was January 10!!)

I seem to have a lot on my mind about education, even though I am now "retired" from the rat race of public education administration. Somehow, looking back and having the time to reflect and read some things I WANT to read, has been especially fulfilling, much to my surprise!

So, I just finished reading Hamlet's Blackberry: A Practical Philosophy for Building a Good Life in the Digital Age, by William Powers. That title caught my eye but I wasn't sure what to expect. Powers talks a lot about other periods in history when new "technologies" caused a lot of commotion such as the evolution of paper, the printing press, etc. With each innovation came lots of stress caused by the inevitable changes taking place.  Surely the evolution of the book was to be the fall of civilization, at least in some eyes.  


So it goes with technology innovation today.  A lot of folks, including lots of educators, do not embrace 21st century tools for teaching in the digital age.  Do we even want to admit we are in the digital age??  Power's reflections back on previous times actually helped me feel a little more patient with the human tendency to buck innovation.  And certainly it makes me realize the absolute need for adequate professional development before launching innovation.  The role of teaching is changing but students really need more than ever, the wisdom of adults, as they always have, to help them find their way in a rapidly changing world.


Powers spends a lot of time in the book challenging all of us to figure out ways we can actually disengage from the screen and make time for self as well as personal and meaningful human interactions.  That is surely always valuable for our sanity.  With the stress that comes from being connected 24/7 with the world at our fingertips, time for reflection is essential.  Our kids are going to need us to help them with that balance as well!!

Healing

"If we want to heal this nation immediately, we should pay attention to our children.  We should hard-wire their brains for kindness, love, compassion, joy, and equanimity."
- Deepak Chopra
This is a very powerful and  very important statement in light of the week-end tragedy in Arizona.  Never has our role as parents, grandparents, mentors and educators been more important in the future of our country.  Where were the parents of this young man??  How did he slip through the cracks??  What about his mental health issues??  So many unanswered questions!!

That Used to Be Us!

As an administrator and innovator, I get frustrated with some teachers' lack of desire and motivation to embrace technology as a tool for instruction.  However, this recent article in the Washington Examiner, is troubling at best!!
http://ow.ly/3zWAE

We hear over and over and over that our education system is behind the likes of China, India and Japan.  Our students are falling farther and farther behind and even the president recently said, in reference to high achievement of students in other countries, "...that used to be us...".  We continue to lament the fact that today's classrooms are designed and still function to prepare students for a world that no longer exists.  But yet our teachers, the very ones who can make a difference and turn our system around, are complaining about technology as a burden and something that makes their jobs harder!!  What a disgrace that we don't do a better job preparing our teachers and bringing them into the 21st century!  No one likes change and I understand that.  However, change and embracing technology as the way of the 21st century as a necessity instead of an "add-on"  is no longer a choice.  We can sit back and say ..."that used to be us..." or move forward, using technology to help us....OR find another profession!!!

Top Five Wishes for Education in 2011

As the year ends and we move into the second decade of the 21st century, here are some of my wishes for education in the New Year:

1.  The end of black/white boards!!  Smart Boards in every classroom!
2.   No more desks in 21st century classrooms.  Desks are rigid and confining...not what education is    about today!
3.  Access to 1:1 computing for all students....the power to consume, create, collaborate and share can only help student learning soar!
4. Fewer books and paper.....digital content is here folks!!
5. The prohibition of cell phones and other devices in the classroom....let's embrace what the students hold dear!

More to come........the biggie is how to pay for some of the above in these dire times.  Stay tuned and HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Can You Sandbag a Tsunami?

           In this case, the tsunami is technology in our lives, especially in the lives of our students.  It is as huge and daunting as a tsunami, and we cannot fight it with continued attempts to ban it or see it as something “added on” to our already full plates as educators.  There needs to be a balance struck.  There’s a word-balance!  It always makes its way into educational discussions.  “Balanced literacy”-where we sort of arrived in terms of literacy instruction after years of reliance on either whole-language or phonics, for example.  It is not a new concept in dally life as many seek a sense of balance in a hectic world.  The Greeks first spoke of balance or moderation in their lives centuries ago.

            And so it goes with technology.  There is no way even the greatest, most vigilant parents are going to take it away from the kids, much less us as educators.  Maybe another 21^st century skill needs to be taught amongst all the other skills we teach and that will be how to balance ourselves.  Research is proving that heavy usage of technology impacts behavior and the brain.  Our brains need downtime to synthesize and make connections…to really learn.  The adolescent brain is still in a critical stage of development and the overuse of technology is not necessarily a positive thing.

            So let’s help our kids think this one through.  Use the research to show kids what is happening and embrace technology as a wonderful, productive tool to be used for learning and entertainment, but in balance in our lives. There is no sandbagging a tsunami!!!

Gender and Education

This past Tuesday night, we had a lively discussion in the graduate class I am teaching about gender issues in the curriculum.  Our reading assignment had centered around girls and the bias against females, especially in the "hidden curriculum".  The next morning I picked up the Charlotte Observer and on the editorial page was a column about the effects of underachieving boys!  We really did not address that last night but it is a very big concern and ties in well to all that we have been talking about in reforming curriculum and making teaching and learning more relevant and engaging for everyone.  Boys are more likely than girls to have poor grades, be learning disabled, be held back a grade, be suspended or expelled, have a negative attitude toward school and ultimately dropout at higher numbers.  We also know that over the past few years, that women outnumber men 4 to 3 in college.  The current generation is the first in which women are more educated than their male counterparts.  This leads to a myriad of other problems that affect our economy and society as a whole.  Again, what are we doing with curriculum and instruction to ensure that EVERYONE gets a  rigorous, relevant engaging education enabling them to excel and be successful in life?