Interesting Bits from 2006

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G’Day Fellow Year-End Revellers,
cork
In the spirit of re-capping 2006, I’m weighing in with quirky twists that I think portend the end of “school-as-we-know-it.” Certainly the biggest story of 2006 is the emergence of Web 2.0 (audio discussion) and the flourishing that followed Tim O’Reilly’s What Is Web 2.0.But I like to get a feel for the littler moments within the grander sweep to sense which way the wind might be blowing for education. With that in mind here are my top five interesting bits for 2006.1) Early in the year the Wikipedia vs. Britannica battles began. The skirmish was well-documented with a little fudging room on either side of the debate, but the key point for me was not the 162 versus 123 flaws in Wikipedia and Britannica, respectively, but that within a week, Wikipedia’s errors had been corrected. How long before the next edition of EB?

2) Biting the hand that feeds them… When a UK security firm discovered a high frequency tone that drove away teen-aged loiterers, the teens turned the annoying sound into the Mosquitone, a ringtone that only youths can hear. When asked what schools should do about the scenario of kids phones going off in class and teachers not being able to hear it, one said, “hire more young teachers.” Ouch, but true?

3) Corruption as a sign of maturity… Most commentators are anointing You Tube as the big story of 2006. I’d point to a sign of its maturity even within its short lifetime. As Al Gore’s Inconvenient Truth gained traction world-wide, a PR firm working for energy producers got caught when they used YouTube for “Astro Turf”, the false presentation of what appears to be a “grassroots” up-rising. To me this is just one more padlock on the gates of the Factory School. Inquiry always trumps “information.”

4) Mashup as Art… Another popular sensation this year has been the emergence of Mashups. The most well-known examples often include Google Maps and other databases (wikis, classified ads, etc.). One that is close to my sensibility is Jonathan Coulton’s “Flickr”, a song that seems to begin like any other alternative folk song and then morphs into a post-modern collage of images drawn from people’s Flickr galleries. Here’s the kicker for education: what grade would you give this song if a student turned it in?

5) The New WWW & addiction… Finally, I’ve been predicting / watching the development of new forms of addiction as we enter into an era of the New WWW (Whatever, Whenever, Wherever). An archetypal example this year wasn’t when a hardcore World of Warcraft leader abdicated, but the 234 pages of heart-wrenching comments that followed the post. No wonder some call it “World of WarCrack”. Our task isn’t to bemoan, but to model what it means to be happily human. Not always easy, is it?

That’s it for me. I hope you all have a great holiday season and a terrific 2007.

Tom

(this post was cross-listed on the InfiniteThinkingMachine Blog)

Getting Serious about Play

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It seems Scotland public schools are in for an overhaul according to a recent BBC News article, School lessons to focus on play.

Schools will still use traditional methods when necessary to teach pupils to read, write and count. But the Scottish Executive also wants teachers to use play-based techniques.

Isn’t this a refreshing change?  I wonder how many students in the US will have to fall on the sword of external motivation and come up swinging or apathetic before the balance shifts toward valuing children over scores?  I continue to  be impressed and influenced by the work of Edward Deci and  Richard Ryan on intrinsic motivation.  Read their paper Self-Determination Theory and the Facilitation of Intrinsic Motivation, Social Development, and Well-Being  (downloadable from their Web site).  While there, view what should be mandatory reading for every politician making educational legislation: The High-Stakes Testing Controversy: “Higher Standards” Can Prompt Poorer Education.

Powerful Principals & Culture

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An article in The Sydney Morning Herald reports on findings in a recent study conducted through the University of Wollongong. Entitled Students’ academic success can be a matter of principal, it highlights that

Good principals were identified as those who were open to change, were informed risk takers, and were friendly and approachable. Their leadership was highly influential in the development of a positive school culture.

This brings up research that I am using in a study we will be conducting through the Association of Independent School – Victoria in 2007. One of the components is based on the work of Wayne Hoy and others who have identified what they call “Academic Optimism.” It is a school-wide measure that recognizes three interwoven criteria: “academic emphasis,” “collective efficacy,” and “parent and student support.” When these three aspects are strong, the culture of the school is a stronger predictor of academic success than socio-economic status. This is a powerful finding: more important than home income and all it reflects (parental education levels, enriched environment, etc.), is the culture of the school that says, we value learning, we can help children learn and we are trusted by parents and students as professional educators. If you want a terrific study, Hoy’s research study can be downloaded from his Web site at Ohio State University.

New Blog for Google & WestEd

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ITMYou might have noticed that Google has decided to get involved in education. A recent AP article describes the early steps of packaging the “Google Suite” with tutorials and examples for teachers. These are solid guides to help use Docs, Spreadsheets, Google Earth, Maps, etc. in the classroom. What the articles don’t mention is that Google has enlisted WestEd and Chris Walsh to develop The Infinite Thinking Machine, a video/blog with eight regular contributors. I have the pleasure of being one of these folks. We all make a post / week on whatever catches our fancy. There is no bias toward Google in the posts as our challenge is to contribute ideas around educationally sound integration of technology. Each week, Chris also hosts a video that energetically highlights other good teaching and learning ideas.

Quick List of some of my Favorites

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Yahoo’s Shared Time Capsule

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Yahoo's TimecapsuleI don’t know how I missed this great site while it was open, but Yahoo’s Time Capsule is a fantastic interactive exploration of life in 2006. I’m sure there must be cyber vandalism lurking in some corner, but what I saw was a lovely appreciation – both in the original postings as well as people’s comments.

There are all kinds of possible uses for this site – one of the best might be to have students create their own similar site or explore the themes as a way to help children and adolescents to express themselves about their feelings. Not a bad idea for us blokes as well!?

Helpful PD Links on Web 2.0

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Welcome to my friends in the Diocese of Broken Bay. Nice to get together again.

Here’s a handout for the day to download

Here’s a handout for setting up a WordPress blog
Activities

Readings

“World of WarCrack”

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I’ve been harping for a couple years about how vulnerable we can all be to the lure of getting “Whatever we want, Whenever and Wherever” (The New WWW). Even though it’s human nature to want what we want (all of it!), there’s some point in every life (that lasts long enough) when a person realizes that this doesn’t lead to happiness. I turn to Martin Seligman’s research on Authentic Happiness which points out that people typically try four approaches to find happiness: 1) pursue pleasure, 2) put meaning into actions, 3) engage in activities that stretch us into “flow experiences,” and 4) serve something larger than ourselves. All but the first work. And we all think (at least sometimes) that getting/doing/having something will make us happy. But the separation of “us” and “whatever” creates a duality that insures unhappiness (“I’m not complete without that“).

W o WI’ve just read the most powerful statement on this subject I’ve ever seen. Posted on a blog, this fellow provides a View from the Top: what it’s like to be successful at the most popular online game, World of Warcraft. Not just what it’s like, but why after a year as a leader in a position of power and respect, he gave it up.

When I started playing, I was working towards getting into the best shape of my life (and making good progress, too). Now a year later, I’m about 30 pounds heavier that I was back then, and it is not muscle. I had a lot of hobbies including DJing (which I was pretty accomplished at) and music as well as writing and martial arts. I haven’t touched a record or my guitar for over a year and I think if I tried any Kung Fu my gut would throw my back out. Finally, and most significantly, I had a very satisfying social life before.

It’s a tale of addiction realized. As powerful as his blog entry is, once you read it, take a look at the scrollbar and see how much of the page is yet to come. I did a quick copy/paste of the text on the page and it came out to 234 pages!

I think this should be required reading for everyone who suspects they might be addicted to online gaming (or gambling, drinking, drugs, eating, exercise, etc.).

With the opportunity to do “whatever” they want, our children face temptations we were fortunate we never had to confront.

It must be that time again…

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At the risk of sparking a PC/Mac flame war, I thought I’d point to a couple new models. The [H] with Dell innards and the Pumputer 1.0 (a Classic…).  Okay, so maybe it won’t start a flame war, just a couple candles to make the eyes glow…

As an Aussie transplant, I bring the undeard of pumpkin pie Down Under, so let me share a terrific soup recipe for those in the US:

Start with what we call a Jap Pumpkin (AKA winter squash)

In a large soup pot:

  • sautee one onion, three cloves garlic, chunk of finely chopped ginger root
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • Add a quick pour of dry cooking sherry (gets the above nice and soft)

Attack the pumpkin:

  • Scoop the seeds and cut off the skin (easier when halved or quartered)
  • Chop into chunks
  • Add to onion, etc. and sautee/stir fry a bit to bring out the flavor
  • Pour in enough boiling water to cover about 1/2 the mixture
  • Boil, stirring occasionally, until pumpkin is soft.
  • Use one of those hand blenders / whizzy sticks to puree
  • Add a can of coconut cream (lowfat?)
  • Add water to desired consistency
  • Add seasoning to taste (salt, pepper, dash of cayenne, curry powder)

‘US full of Internet addicts’

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Okay, so I can say “I told you so…” An article recently making the rounds highlights research at Stanford University that “indicated more than one in eight US residents showed at least one sign of ‘problematic Internet use.'” And I suppose it’s also no surprise that “the typical Internet addict is a single, college-educated, white male in his 30s, who spends approximately 30 hours a week on non-essential computer use.” If these guys are vulnerable, how do we suppose tweenies and teenagers will handle the New WWW (Whatever, Whenever, Wherever) as it comes to their personal device? Informants already say that iPods loaded with pornographic videos are common at schools. This said, I’m one of the biggest advocates for integrating iPods into learning (Stanford on iTunes, anyone?). Maybe we need are Real, Rich and Relevant discussions with kids about about choosing what they want to do with their lives?

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