I’ve thought about this before but it struck me after I hopped on a plane after speaking at TEDxWestVancouver on the topic “Whatever Happened to Joy”. On the flight the attendant was so focused on the regulations and walked through the plane literally scolding several people for not taking out their earbuds and talking during the safety presentation. At that moment I recalled a flight on Westjet where the crew smiled and teased passengers doing the same thing but got their attention with a little kindness and persuasion. I wondered, does Air Canada care about joy?

My definition of joy is that of the emotion of well-being and success as wells the expression of that well being.

As I said, Air Canada has been good to me but their reputation is not that of Westjet. I see schools with very similar characteristics. Not bad schools, but schools so bound by traditions and formalities that they have little time for joy. They take themselves very seriously. So serious that they see no time to express well being. I as talked about in my talk, joy is a wonderful ingredient for community. Creating shared experiences that generate smiles brings people together like no other strategy. For Westjet, this is a priority. For many schools, this is not. I know there are some schools but many more classrooms are actively pursuing joy as a cultural standard. Air Canada has many employees that are kind, caring people and offer a great experience but it’s not really valued and consistent as a culture. With Westjet, joy is the standard and it’s the culture. . Their organizational frameworks also reflect a different approach to business. Air Canada is a traditional, hierarchical business while Westjet employees are also stock holders and thus owners. Westjet employees understand more deeply how their performance and attitude impacts everyone.

What about our schools? Again, I shared lots of examples of teachers and classrooms that value joy and make it a regular part of the day. I take the stance that Alfie Kohn does that joy is and end unto itself and not a means to something else. It need not be justified as leading to student achievement. This starts with leadership, leaders who intentionally and actively pursue and choose joy not as an occasional break from the daily grind but as an embedded part of the day and thus the culture of the school. I don’t think there’s a recipe or a strategy for joy but I do think you have to be intentional and aware of the message you communicate to students. It’s easier to identify single classrooms that embody this but whole schools or districts, not so much. All schools and districts have a culture. Many are very positive but I’ve not seen many that would describe themselves as having a culture of joy. I can’t say that Westjet would use that language to describe their culture but I would.

This isn’t just about fun although the expression of well being is often associated with fun, particularly as viewed by children. I know I’m still working out exactly what this looks like and how to help schools move to cultures of joy. But it certainly has become a resolve of mine to move from the idea that joy is nice, but not really necessary for schools to something that is actively pursued and celebrated.

I’ll write a second post this soon. But I want to leave you with this quote I shared during my talk.

But by in large I continue to love the fact that I get to watch students truly awaken to new possibilities and connections that most had never considered before this course. My continued reliance on a great network of educators that support my teaching makes me feel incredibly blessed and fortunate to model and help my students develop their own networks. As much as I enjoy seeing them excited about new tools and new ways of communicating, I’m more jazzed about seeing them find people that will sustain and support their learning well beyond the time frame of this course. I love the fact that many of them chose different tools and methods of sharing their final reflection. Here are a couple of examples of varied ways they share their assessment of their learning. These are not necessarily exemplars but simply a cross section of tools and perspectives. But some of them are fantastic. Check them out: Amanda using ShowMe Kendra using RSA style Shannon RSA style Kathryn using Voicethread Taylor using a StopMotion format Daniel using Screencasting Those of you who have allowed student choice for assignments have likely experienced the pleasure of students who are not just engaged but truly invested in learning. That’s the reason we teach. I’ve been fortunate to see this from the vast majority of my students. In some respects I felt I didn’t provide the quality experience for my students as I may have in other years and yet I saw some of the best work from students this term. I continue to learn that teaching is like golf. You never really perfect it but it’s great fun in trying to get better. While many a dreading the end of the year grading barrage, I love it. I know not every student loves this course but every student has to share with me and their classmates what they have learned. Whether it’s a great deal or a little, it’s about their learning and mine as well. I even enjoy when some are honest and open enough to discuss their struggles with the course and with me: that’s how I learn. I also provide feedback via audio for each student. After all, as Joe Bower says, “Assessment is a conversation, not a spreadsheet.”   I’m fully aware of the latitude I have to provide this kind of freedom and control for my students but before you simply dismiss it, I would highly recommend making this happen to some extent in your own situation. Assessment and evaluation might become a treat instead of drudgery.

In my personal journey with technology, there are two very distinct “aha” moments. Number one came in 1997 when I created my first webpage using something called html. Inputting some weird symbols on a screen, sending them up to something called a web server, using something called FTP, and then knowing that the page could be seen by anyone anywhere with an internet connection and something called a web browser was transformational. Computing was about possibilities.

The second aha occurred in 2003, when I discovered something called a blog. I should say that in my rolefor nine years as a district technology consultant, aha moments were not of much value unless I could help teachers somehow see the same value as I did. While the complexity of computing often assumed it would be best suited for more mature students, I could see the potential for early learners as well.

So did Kathy Cassidy.

It wasn’t until I offered a workshop on blogging that we really began to teach each other. To be honest, I don’t remember much about my intent other than to show teachers this cool new idea around web publishing. I do remember Kathy asking if I thought her young students could do this. As a former primary teacher and one always interested in a slightly crazy idea, I said, “Absolutely.” I really had no idea. But I did know that if it was possible, Kathy would make it work. And she did. And that was only the beginning. While I often considered myself the proprietor of the “crazy idea factory,” it was Kathy who thoughtfully implemented many of our crazy ideas and made them into something powerful for students.

When I talk to teachers about the powerful potential of computing and technology in the classroom, it’s rare I do so without mentioning Kathy. When teachers question whether these things can be implemented, and I tell them that Kathy teaches 6 and 7 year olds, they’re usually astounded.

Kathy has become a shining example of what one teacher with some grit, curiosity and passion can do. As Kathy will often tell you, she doesn’t feel like she’s very tech savvy. That’s where grit comes in. She asks a lot of questions. I wish I had all the email queries and messages she’s sent me over the years. I could not always answer them, but she was never afraid to ask. That’s curiosity. Kathy has also been gracious, albeit at times hesitant, in sharing her best ideas. That’s because she’s passionate about teaching and learning. This book includes many of the things she’s discovered, presented at the level of detail other teachers like to see.

You’re reading this book because you want to learn more. You’re like Kathy, curious and motivated to help children experience learning and life to the fullest. Kathy has paved the way for countless numbers of primary teachers to feel empowered to take their students to places many could never have imagined. Chances are, you’re about to join their company.

And here’s the very best part of this book. After you finish reading it, unlike many authors, you’ll not be finished learning with Kathy. As I mentioned, she’s very gracious and willing to help. Yes, she’s a full time classroom teacher but it doesn’t stop her from reaching out and sharing with whomever reaches out
to her. She continues to blog, tweet and post questions and ideas that engage her and others in her learning network. You get to participate with her as well. So after you read the book or maybe pass it along to a colleague, send her a message, keep asking questions and continue to learn together.

I’d not only encourage you to buy the book but perhaps as an administrator, gift it to your primary teachers, maybe use it as a book study. Either way, you’re getting a great insight into what learning can be when your young students are connected.

Photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/kathycassidy/8522478858/

I love what Commander Hadfield has been doing as part of his mission. He’s done an outstanding job in bringing us into the world of space travel and along the way reminding us what a wonderful world we live in.

I love lip dubs. I’ve been part of making a few. While they’ve been around for a while I think they represent the power of connected media and storytelling quite well. If you’ve ever participated in one, the weird sense of community and joy is palpable.

I love how my class works and connects young pre-service teachers with great teachers and classrooms around the world. This continues to be one of the most important things I can give my students: the opportunity to work with teachers doing interesting things and sharing openly.

So I decided to combine these things and create a collaborative lip dub. I simply invited interested students and classrooms to sign up for a line or two. Without mandating, it worked out quite well with about 25 participants. I then assigned them a line or two and had them send me their files. They all chose how they wanted to sing their lines and we had some nice creative performances. I  used iMovie for this project and don’t think it took more than an evening or two to edit. I don’t claim this to be the greatest work of art or greatest video but I do suggest it’s a fabulous thing to do to create community and a great memory.

I want to thank all my students and those classrooms and teachers that participated.

I.S.S. The Lip Dub from shareski on Vimeo.

Weird title I know.

Next week I’m speaking to a mix of educators and IT people essentially about how the boxes and wires folks can and should work together with the teaching and learning folks. The dominant narrative seems to be that often these two groups don’t get along all that well, mostly from teachers wanting to innovative feeling confined and restricted.

My personal experience is pretty positive and I recognize that’s not how everyone sees this. I think more examples and stories are helpful.I’m trying to offer ways and means that these two groups can work successfully together.  I’d love to hear your story.  It doesn’t have to be a grand story of organizational change. It might be a simple act of support or kindness from a teacher or IT person that made a difference in a small way. Perhaps it’s a policy decision that impacted you in ways others might not understand.  I’m mostly looking for positive stories but certainly the not so great stories can be useful examples of what not to do as well.

So if you would be so kind, leave a comment, include a link or two if you’ve read or written about this elsewhere. Retweet it, send it to others you know have a story. 

Photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/uwwresnet/7650593390/

Bob Sprankle, as many know is one of the first classroom teachers to have his students podcast.  This was back in 2004 so 8 years later he invites students back to reflect on their experience. What a powerful, interesting conversation of students thinking about the impact of their time as 3rd and 4th graders and how it’s stayed with them. I’ve been teaching students at the University of Regina since 2007. After listening to that I decided I wanted to do something similar. Partly for purely selfish reasons, I wanted to see if and how the ideas of the introductory course to technology  has had any effect on former students.

I tell my students that I am a lifetime subscriber to their blogs. It is one of my favorite things when one of them continues to share and post after they enter the teaching field. While most of them don’t continue to blog, many of them continue to use twitter and set up classroom spaces for their students. It’s the one way I have to informally do long range assessments. I’m under no illusion that all my students think my course is the greatest thing ever. I’m also under no illusion that even those who do enjoy the course can point any success they had to my course. At the same time, I need to hear about the ideas the course offers that resonate in some ways. To that end, I invited a few former students to join me for a conversation. So Cori, Sara, Kyle and Deborah hopped on a Google Hangout and we talked.

I’m fully aware this is a thin slice, less than random sampling and at the same time their experiences help inform my thinking about what matters in my course. Even without that, it’s still great to talk with them as young teachers. Have a listen, you’ll learn something too, they’re a pretty smart bunch. I feel fortunate to get to teach them and even more fortunate to learn with and from them long after the course ends.

The other day I was in the middle one of my regular google hangouts with my teammates and my wife happened to be home over hearing the conversation. “I hate you”, she said in jest. “All your calls include lots of laughing, lots of encouragement and a bunch of new cool things you’re doing.” Yeah, that pretty much sums it up.

Fast forward to today where I’m in Surrey, BC, a suburb of Vancouver where I’ve spent the day working in various capacities with staff and students. This morning I was able to spend an hour at Fraser Heights Secondary School where I’ve been before. Sheila Morrisette, the principal, invited me to share an hour during lunch so I had the chance to work with 25+ staff exploring the notion of creativity and how we can begin to work our creative muscle using tools like the Daily Create and PechaFlickr. Nothing earth shattering but hopefully some useful ideas for folks to add some opportunities for students to think about and do more creative things. It’s always fun to spend a few minutes with folks actually doing stuff instead of just listening to me blather on, which I can do if need be.

Looks like I’m blathering

I then drove over to Bear Creek Elementary to work in Diana Williams classroom. Diana has been a rising star on my radar who has been exploring many things including Kiva after spending some time with Bill Ferriter. Diana is creating a video about their work with Kiva and wanted me to participate. I have minor cameo and offered a few ideas with regards to green screening.

Diana’s classroom is a treat to be in. As chaotic as trying to film 9 year olds who are wearing ninja headbands might be, she handled them beautifully. It was evident that they were engaged and invested in their learning. I don’t get to be in classrooms very often any more but after I spent a half day in my wife’s room last week and today in Diana’s class I really want to include more opportunities to work with students.

As soon as students were dismissed we heading up to the library to participate in a Smackdown. A smackdown, for those unfamiliar is simply a fast paced way for folks to share. I casually mentioned this idea to Tia Henriksen and Diana last week and they sent out a call and over 20 people showed up. Lots of great ideas, books and  apps were shared in a brief time period. DEN STARs Kathy Cassidy and Heather Blacker chimed in along with Brad Fountain. These people continually answer the bell every time I ask and always provide great insights and ideas from their classrooms.

As I was about to head for the airport, Tia and Diana had a little surprise for me.

A little early birthday wish complete with cake and balloons. I was a little weary of taking giant balloons on the plane but also didn’t want to leave without the wonderful messages that were inside them; notes from Diana’s students and the participants of the smackdown with personalized thanks and kind wishes. I think it’s clear I do have the best job.

I’ve said often, I get an  inordinate amount of praise for just doing my job. From my colleagues and DEN members and the people I speak to, folks are so gracious with their thank yous. It reminds me every time as I think of my wife, Diana and all the other great teachers who do the hard work of educating kids every day and I wonder how we can begin to thank them more. My wife has a note taped to her cupboard from a grandparent this year who wrote a thank you note for putting their grandchild’s tooth in a bag after it fell out in class. That’s normal procedure for a primary teacher but the thank you wasn’t and that’s too bad. The fact my wife pinned it to her classroom cupboard is a strong reminder of what a thank you means.

It’s not written in any job description or official goal of mine but if in some small way I can spend every day saying thank you to teachers, that would be a worthy and fulfilling goal. A have this unverified belief that if we really want to improve working conditions of teachers, saying thank you might be a great way to start. I’m not suggesting it solves all our problems but not many of us can say we do this well. And yet we all know how motiviating and encouraging it is when we receive thanks. This post serves as a reminder to me to return the many thanks I get back to teachers more regularly.  I do have the best job, but they have one of the most important ones.

]]> http://ideasandthoughts.org/2013/03/14/i-have-the-best-job/feed/ 0 http://ideasandthoughts.org/2013/02/28/it-takes-all-kinds-students/ http://ideasandthoughts.org/2013/02/28/it-takes-all-kinds-students/#comments Thu, 28 Feb 2013 16:46:47 +0000 Dean Shareski http://ideasandthoughts.org/?p=2346 This is the final in this 4 part series. 

“Preparing students for jobs that haven’t been invented” I first saw this statement almost 7 years ago as I viewed Karl Fisch’s original “Did You Know” It’s one of those memorable statements that has generated many great conversations.

In our attempt to place some more context on that statement I’ve been noticing a trend of late. Many people in my circles, those that advocate change and change that revolves around technology, have developed a kind of exemplary model student that demonstrates the potential that exists as a result of the web. The web has enabled and empowered otherwise less privileged students to develop their own pathways and own businesses and passions. And this is often associated with the start up culture. The design minded, coding entrepreneur working in Silicon Valley making millions. Exhibit A:

Let me say first, I like much of this video. I like the fact that is suggests schools should be teaching coding and programming. I tweeted it out as a conversation starter about what schools should be teaching students. That said, I was reminded quickly of the immediate association with coding and startups. When we think about people like Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg, our affection for them is less about their talents and more about their wealth. I love the possibility of people pursuing their passions, not simply as a vocation but as the fulfillment of life long learning. The web is about empowerment but it seems our best examples tend to be those who have figured stuff out on their own and started their own companies without the help of a teacher.  This message alone can be very alarming for teachers. Often that’s the intent but I worry it also polarizes folks. Teachers face enough bashing in the media, telling them they aren’t needed even indirectly may not advance the conversation as is intended.

While I can’t argue that we need different workers today, I’m cautious against a trend to create a narrow vision of what kind of person/worker/job we think our students should become. We praise the new qualities of creativity  collaboration and criticalthinking as essential for success and it seems often these are best associated with the hipster start ups. . I don’t argue against these qualities but I don’t think we’ve done a very good job of providing examples of these qualities at work in more traditional jobs and vocations.The typical vision is the googleplex of engineers and programmers sitting on comfy couches drinking lattes and creating the next big thing.

I wonder about those students who perhaps don’t have those aspirations or drive or abilities to manage the challenges required with the new age jobs. I wonder about the young woman who is hoping to be a firefighter or a homemaker. I wonder about the young man who becomes a barber or a mechanic.

I think we have a couple of issues to deal with. First I think we need better relationships with business. Currently so much of school and curriculum is dictated by universities who pay little attention or concern with the real world and thus are content to graduate massive amounts of teachers when their aren’t enough jobs available. A closer relationship with local business and industry will provide a more realistic and broader perspective for our students. I’d encourage you to watch Mike Rowe’s TED talk on the celebration of work. This is not to negate the entrepreneurial spirit, but actually provide them with more knowledge and insight. At the same time giving students a more realistic view of employment.

The second issue is that we continue to balance the idea that schools are primarily about jobs and preparing kids for the workforce. A successful life includes the ability to make a living but is only part of success. The idea that learning is just for the purpose of academic and vocation but learning is for pleasure and basic human existence is often lost on our kids.

This entire series was sparked to remind myself that I see the world through my own lens and my enthusiasm for change is often narrow. As much as we talk about diversity, we tend to create and share repetitive images and stories that actually do the opposite of our intent. These posts serve more to challenge my own stories and perspectives. I’m guilty of all these notions from time to time and value when my own presumptions are challenged. That’s how I learn.

Photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mesphotos-be/4617652909/

The truth is this post has already been written, and is the post that got me thinking about this whole series. I’m just going to add a few additional thoughts to what Lance has already said so well.

As a “community manager” my job is create and build community. If it sounds very enigmatic, that’s because it is. One of the problems that our team has discussed is that our current way of assessing community often is related to our DEN STARs. These are the folks within the Discovery Educator Network who have stepped up in some way. In many cases, these are the “rock star teachers.” I know many of them don’t think of themselves that way. I love the fact that becoming a STAR simply requires passion and a willingness to share. And those two things often get repaid with more opportunities to share and soon they get reputations;good ones, but reputations as rock stars, nonetheless. This is all well and good and we applaud these folks. But the reality is the Discovery Educator Network is way larger than the STARs and our goal is not just to make STARs but to support all members of the community. (FYI: A teacher that is in any school or district that has a Discovery Education license is in the Discovery Educator Network by default.)

So we realize not every teacher feels the desire to be a STAR and that’s okay. In building community we want to accept and support all teachers and find ways to acknowledge their work, be there when they need something and help them grow professionally. From webinars to online tutorials to social media to face to face gatherings, we want to provide as many entry points as possible. The ultimate goal for them is not to necessarily become STARs but to use our service and supports to become better teachers. Figuring out all the ways we can do that is essentially the job of the Global DEN team.

I believe every teacher needs to share and I believe passion is a prime ingredient to be successful. But I also believe that sharing and passion can look very different in each person. We want to continue to provide a myriad of ways for teachers to share. That might mean offering a PD session but it might also mean adding a quality resource to the shared school or district folder. Passion does not necessarily have to be vocal or overt. I think passion might mean waving the DEN finger and whooping it up at an event but it also might mean quietly reflecting on how they’re going to engage their students using media the next day. As I read the book Quiet, I’m continually struck by how often our world in very subtle and sometimes not so subtle ways tries to define how we should all be assertive and strut our stuff. The book is a great reminder of how many people are not comfortable expressing themselves in certain ways and these are not character flaws but personal dispositions that need to be honored and valued.

So as I and my team try to grow our community, we’re trying to be mindful of the scope of great people who work with our children each day and who have different ways of contributing and engaging with learning. The challenge is finding ways to honor and support them. What I love about our team and our community is the constant exploration of new ideas that in small and sometimes big ways bring more people to feel more apart of our community.

This is very specific to my work at Discovery. If this resonates at all in your world, I’d love to hear a comment but don’t feel compelled, I get it if this doesn’t apply. But read Lance’s post if you haven’t already. His is better anyway.

I used Explain Everything on the iPad to create this video. I apologize the audio is not great, not sure how to improve this as I tried yelling, and using a headphone mic.

I’ll be sharing more about how I do the self assessments although I’ve written about it here but I do love the ability to record audio and have a more “conversation like” experience with my students.

Update: I forgot to mention, I email the note back to them but you could share notebooks as well but this way, they don’t have to have an evernote account.

Darren Kuropatwa

Darren actually is fairly well known as a great presenter, storyteller, Math teacher and inventor of the Scribe Post. But lately he’s been doing something that’s inspired me in a few different ways and you may not be familiar with what he’s been up to. After many discussions around the challenge of blogging, Darren has been playing with an app called Social Cam and has been using it to offer daily or almost daily reflections of his learning called “While Walking”. Not only are these often provocative ideas that has enabled him to practice active reflection but it’s helped make him stronger connections in his local community. I’ve used this tool now a few times and have plans to incorporate it into our DEN community as well. I also love the fact that it demonstrates that reflection and blogging isn’t always about writing. While there are certainly challenges to overcome being brave enough to speak into a camera, it does alleviate some of the stress around writing. 

Cori Saas

Cori is a former student of mine as well as teacher in Prairie South. The first conversation I had with Cori after our initial class centered around her belief and hope that technology would be used to make us more human, not less. That was a shared value that made me pay attention to her from that day forward. Since then I’ve watched Cori grow in her understanding and connect with some great people. Cori’s passion is stories. In fact she’s begun her graduate work  focusing on narratives in curriculum. Her blog posts since September have been particularly enticing as she’s been exploring the rich nuances of storytelling. You can tell every one of her posts are done with care and great passion. If you are into stories, you need to be reading and connecting with Cori. 

Kyle Webb

Kyle is also a former student. Kyle is now teaching Math in St. Louis at MICDS, a school I’ve been fortunate to work with a few times. Kyle was the first student I had to take me up on the idea of getting his own domain. He worked hard at building a nice portfolio and had some early success blogging about some difficult but important issues. After a semester settling into his new job, he’s pledged to renew his commitment to blogging. As a new teacher Kyle is very inquisitive and working hard to establish and explore new classroom practices. But along the way offers some great resources and ideas. 

This idea has been rummaging around is based on the ideas Susan Cain’s book Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World that Can’t Stop Talking.  There are many aspects of this book worth discussing but the one that I think is most interesting for our classrooms is the way we deal with and think about this idea of collaboration. It’s a buzz word that is included in every new document that includes the “21st Century Learning” jargon and you won’t hear many educational talks today that don’t include the word. I believe that it’s the internet and the affordance of technology that makes us want to apply these principles to our classroom. The problem is, collaboration online is not the saem as collaboration in physical spaces. This is an issue.

We failed to realize that what makes sense for the asynchronous, relatively anonymous interactions of the Internet might not work as well inside the face-to-face, politically charged, acoustically noisy confines of an open-plan office.

While Cain is writing about offices, the notion of collaboration in schools often means kids working tables instead of desks. I have to admit, I used to be bias against teachers who have their desks in rows, thinking they weren’t very progressive or student centered. That’s an arrogant and misguided judgment on my part. After reading and reflecting on the book and with others, I don’t think one is better than the other. Certainly the dominate set up favored a teacher directed, controlled classroom and any attempts to break from that are likely for the best but like any pendulum be careful it doesn’t swing too far in the other direction. I’ve also heard teachers defend their noisy classrooms and I agree, at times noise and collaboration are good things. But all the time, or even most of the time? I don’t know if that’s what a classroom should look like. We need multiple ways for students to learn and interact. As a teacher who largely teachers online, I’ve often asked what’s the value of face to face? I assumed the answer had something to do with students working together. Again, that’s a good thing to emphasize do but I need to change the way I present that message. We all need privacy and quiet, some more than others. But we’ve been told for a while now how important group and cooperative learning is:

 When it comes to project work, l’m a proponent of my students taking a larger role in deciding whether working with a partner to create, produce, and/or present is really in the interests of everyone’s progress and learning. Some cite the infamous ‘real world’, in which we are supposedly inundated with demands to work with random people (in many cases, ones we can’t stand), as the pedagogical impetus behind group assignments, but that reasoning just feels lukewarm to me. It’s a strangely defeatist vista which I don’t see reflective of reality, and essentially lays our own adult baggage onto kids. Just who are these masses of people creating great works with people they have little to no working chemistry with? And what kind of bias are we promoting for our extroverted learners over our introverted ones in this equation? Royan Lee

Royan and others have been reading the book and it’s interesting how we’re beginning to see some new understandings and agreeing that quiet is a good thing. (Any teacher who has ever taught primary students doesn’t have to be convinced) It’s interesting how many teachers are actually introverts and are acknowledging the struggles they have in making kids do things they know themselves are uncomfortable.

The reason many love the idea of online collaboration and socialization is because it enables them to control their environment and interactions more than in face to face situations. This has been a boon for introverts who are finally feeling like they have a voice. Simply trying to replicate this in our classrooms is a mistake. While the natural response would be to say this is about balance, I’m not sure it is. This is about strengths and weaknesses. We shouldn’t attempt to balance this we should be exploiting them. That is play to people’s strengths. That’s not to suggest we don’t work on our weaknessness but not being an introvert is not a weakness, it’s a temperament that doesn’t need to be fixed. Note: Shyness and introversion are not necessarily synonymous. The truth is working alone is essential for so many things. Steve Wozniak, In Quiet says:

Most inventors and engineers I’ve met are like me—they’re shy and they live in their heads. They’re almost like artists. In fact, the very best of them are artists. And artists work best alone where they can control an invention’s design without a lot of other people designing it for marketing or some other committee. I don’t believe anything really revolutionary has been invented by committee. If you’re that rare engineer who’s an inventor and also an artist, I’m going to give you some advice that might be hard to take. That advice is: Work alone. You’re going to be best able to design revolutionary products and features if you’re working on your own. Not on a committee. Not on a team.

I still believe strongly in the notion of social learning. It’s the cornerstone of my own teaching and remains essential for schools to embrace. The “mind your own business” learning environments need to end. But the solution to this is not to force people to work side by side or continue to see group work as the primary mode of social learning. The solution is to find ways they can share and connect and that may look very different that you’re currently providing or have considered. Even Wozniak admits that coming together occasionally and collaborating with Steve Jobs was a critical part but the core of his work, the part he felt most comfortable, most in his element was when he was alone. Ultimately this is about autonomy. This is why so many of us have drank the koolaid: technology provides a way for more people to share more and do more than ever before.

This is a idea I’m still exploring as are many, and this space, for one, is where collaboration works well for me if you’re so inclined, play along. I’m curious, as you think about the word collaboration, what does it look like for you? What spaces and ways put you in your element?

Photo: http://youmeandscotland.blogspot.ca/2012/08/one-for-all-and-all-for-themselves.html

I know that everyone believes in the importance of diversity, individuality and differentiation, but I'm worried there are a couple of very strong narratives that exist that are sending the wrong messages to teachers and students. 

Let's start with this one.

The Myth of the Super Teacher from EdWriters on Vimeo.

After I saw this video a few months back I immediately thought of my pre-service teachers. I feel many times like I perpetuate this myth. I love bringing in smart, accomplished teachers to share all the wonderful things they do. I do the same thing in presentations I give. The truth is most of these teachers have done something above and beyond the call of duty to be able to do what they do. They've spend hours and hours dedicating themselves to developing new teaching methods and incorporating new tools. We love these teachers and but the message can often be interpreted that these tools are easy and you too can be a master teacher and technology ninja by joining twitter and starting a blog. It ain't that easy, but that sometimes gets lost in the excitement a reimagined classroom. 

The problem with exemplars is that they sometimes set unrealistic expectations and ideals that some folks may never live up to. I'm not suggesting we stop sharing and celebrating the great work of these people, I just think we need to couch the message better. There are many teachers doing good work. They don't blog, they aren't on twitter. While I continue to advocate that these are useful, important practices, I also think that as narrative champions we ought to find lesser known teachers and examples of small, meaningful ideas that illustrate that while there are so many wonderful ideas and teachers there is also a continuum of progress and that good teaching exists along that continuum. 

Teachers in general are going through a difficult time right now. Budget cuts, teacher bashing, initiatives up the wazoo including ones to increase the use of technology in their classrooms are making teaching an extremely tenuous vocation. The last thing they need is to be told in subtle ways "you suck". Obviously no one would say that or consider that message is being shared but it's a fine line between sharing outstanding teaching practices and shaming teachers. Lately I've been extremely sensitive of this fine line and have taken more care than usual to insure I don't cross it. I'm not full of answers on this one but one thing I know I need to be careful with is letting teachers know that they don't have to be super teachers to be effective and that every day they are learning and trying something is important and worth celebrating. 

So Jared's students get introduced to many people and places and at the same time get a unique way of getting a list of vocabulary words. Here are a few of Jared's guests including yours truly:

While this isn't the most transformative use of technology as Jared freely admits, it is in it's own way a brilliant use of the web and video to connect his learners to people and places. Today this is something anyone can do and while most of the global connections I see come from elementary schools, I love seeing High School teachers, who are generally more bound by tradition, schedules and content,  thinking of ways to create moments of connection and joy.  I'd encourage you to take the concept of Jared's idea here and use it for your own purposes.

@courosa member when you barely blogged? Now you're like that other Couros and I'm like you used to be. #upISdown #dayISnight

— Dean Shareski (@shareski) February 3, 2013

@shareski I can see you & @gcouros in that @gotye video right now singing 'That Blogger That I Use To Know"

—Alec Couros (@courosa) February 3, 2013

Done. To fully understand the context, I've been bugging Alec for a while about his lack of blogging. To his credit, he's picked up the pace a bit. I've slacked off. This is a lame attempt to get back into it. Use this video as a reference. PS. If I was in this band, I'd be the guy on the right.

Now you sing along. When you're done, write better lyrics in the comments. 

Now and then I think of when you started blogging
Like when you posted ‘bout the CBC archives
I decided I would add your feed
You become of one my favorite reads
But that was then and it’s an ache I still remember

You can addicted to a certain kind of postings
Like all the awesome little videos you shared
So in 07 when got on twitter
I never that it would make you bitter
But now it seems as if your blogging days were over

But you didn’t have to cut us off
Pretend that no one ever reads a blog anymore
I don’t even need your blog
Cause you treat it like a website that’s been left to die
You may have had a bad workflow
Writing drafts but deciding later they were just no good
You may have felt you didn’t need them though
Now you’re just some blogger that I used to know

Now you're just some blogger that I used to know
Now you're just some blogger that I used to know

Now and then I think of all times you could have posted
All the stuff you tweeted that should have been explored
But the twitter got in the way
Robbing us of all you had to say
And you left us wanting so
And now you’re just some blogger that we used to know

Then one day your brother George got into to blogging
He wrote like Fryer posting almost every single day
He became the Principal of Change
At first it wasn’t all that strange
And the leeeeder thing began to show
And you become just another blogger that I used to know

Congrats to Kelli Francis who wins the gift card and a copy of my daughter's CD. 

2008: No theme, just take a photo a day. 

2009: One word titles

2010: The crazy attempt at attaching a song title to every photo and the ensuing video compilation. But go watch, even the first part to see what I mean. 

2011: Adding occasional video to the mix

2012 I didn't really add much. With the new job and all I had enough going on. However, I have typically created a year end video with all 365/6 images and while that's a great document to have, I realize it's not all that watchable. 

So my video this year is taking highlights and making a minute a month. It's still 12 minutes,  but I might actually be able to get my family to watch the whole thing. I also used fewer golf and conference photos this year to appease their criticisms. With all the travel I did  this year, I did include all the locations outside of Moose Jaw. If you have 12 minutes, here it is. 

I'm still thinking about a theme for 2013, if not I'll just keep going. Day 1,827 and counting…

Thanks for the compliment. 

I take solace in Clay Shirky's statement that "even the stupidest creative act, is still a creative act". If I've not created something in a while I feel a little stale. These web and media tools are my paintbrushes and my canvases. I love that folks like Alan Levine and others are constantly making and fiddling with stuff. They inspire me and remind me to just do it. 

So after thinking about Dan Meyer's 2009 Annual Report and sharing it often as a example of using data to tell storie, I decided to give it a shot. While Dan used a wack sack of tools and does a much more professional job that took him weeks to produce, I wanted to see if I could use Keynote to tell the story of my year in numbers. So after an evening of planning, data mining, watching a few tutorials, I built my 2012 report. I spent most of the time working with timings, figuring out to animate charts and then added some music.

I know, you're still saying, "You've got way too much time on your hands." I hope that's always the case. 

I could stop right now and leave you with that thought as you consider both how you assess your students and how you as a professional are assessed. 

I looked back at a few related posts so I don't repeat myself. These provide more detail on my thoughts around professionals, accountability and assessment. As you might see, I'm fairly passionate about this topic. 

Should Teachers Own Their Learning?

Keeping the Professionalism in the Profession

We Have to Stop Doing this to Teachers

Follow Up to a Rant

I figured that Discovery hired me because they think I can do good work. I work with many talented people who inspire me to be better and offer me feedback on ways I can improve. Much of the work I do is public and available to the world. This seems like a simple formula that could easily be applied to any organization. 

So what's the problem?

Is it that you didn't hire the right people? That seems odd. 

Is it that you don't work with enough talented people? I doubt it. 

Is it that we don't trust people to create worthy or relevant goals? Yes, as a division we have larger goals but I know if I do the job I was hired to do, those things will take care of themselves.

Is it that we don't trust people to work on their goals? Again, these are my goals, of course I'm motivated. 

Is it that we don't trust people to accurately assess their goals? Perhaps. But I value the perspective of trusted colleagues who will let me know if there are areas I might think differently about as well they often let me know of strengths or successes I didn't even recognize. Now that's a bonus. 

As long as we continue to own the assessment process for professionals, the longer they'll be playing a game and even hating the idea of self assessment as opposed to owning their own learning and seeing the process as valuable. 

Headphones in the Classroom: Royan talks about his thinking around how and why he allows his students to listen to music in class. This is the type of thing most teacher have pondered but perhaps haven't articulated it well. The comments are equally as informative. 

Royan also does a great job of sharing tools and strategies that he uses with his middle school students. Some are quick ideas and his use of images and video are particularly appealing to me. Also the mix of personal and professional provide a wonderful picture of who Royan is as a teacher and parent. 

Other recent posts from Royan:

• Haiku Deck: Present Like a Boss
  
• How to Set Up Smart Document Camera
• A Love Letter to My Daughter

John Spencer has been a favorite read of my for several years. He's a prolific writer and has authored several books. I can truly say, he's got a wack sack of stuff online. John's humor and insightfulness around the human aspect of technology has been very influential for me. I've had John speak to my students about his Living Facebook project, which if you've not taken a look at it, you'll want to. 

John's best stuff always has some controversy around it. Those who read his blog aren't afraid to challenge him and John welcomes intelligent civil discourse. Recently he wrote about why he doesn't show a video on the day before the holidays. Clearly written, yet always a contrary point of view. 

John is never afraid to think out loud, questioning his practice and invited critique as he does here with regard to the #Newtown tragedy. John moves in and out of cultural topics and education but having spent some time chatting with John, I know how the two fit. 

So go ahead and check out these two and then pass their work along to your colleagues. 

Photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/r_o_y_a_n/8292046044/in/photostream/

Photo: http://www.johntspencer.com/

Please complete the form if you're interested. I'm going to cut off the list at 39 so I have a one to one ratio of classrooms to students.

Those of you that know me, know my passion for the game of golf. It's a game I've been playing for nearly 40 years and hope to play for the rest of my life as Dad is now into his 80's. I've also used it as a metaphor and analogy on my occasions.

Today Rod Murray tipped me off to a great article that uses ;golf as a metaphor for blended learning. I thought the author did a nice job of comparing the challenges of various courses, tools and also the pace of play.

I did feel the need to add a comment to caution the emphasis of assessing golf purely on the basis of a score:

As an avid golfer I quite like your analogy. Golf provides a number of great metaphors for learning and for life.
The one thing that concerns me though is the focus on the number. Unless you’re a professional golfer, score is only one way to assess. I’ve been playing golf for 35+ years and for about the last 10 my game has plateaued in terms of score but my enjoyment has gone way up. If I examine why that is, it includes a number of factors.

1. I understand better my limitations. I make fewer dumb mistakes and also rarely get upset when things don’t go well. I realize I’m not a professional, never will be and don’t look at that as a failure.

2. I appreciate the opportunity more. As our world moves faster, a few hours in relatively quiet and peaceful surroundings is pure joy.

3. I relish the company. I play about 40 times a year. Occasionally I’ll play by myself but most times I play with good friends and also get to make new friends as well.

4. The game within the game. Often we play games that aren’t focused solely on score, just fun ways to engage and allow all levels of golfers to compete.

I think the bottom line here is we need to take a similar approach to learning and recognize that it’s not all about a number or score. Yes, we all want to improve and help our students improve but learning, like golf entails much more than data or a score. While we intuitively know that, we often fail to make that clear. It’s way there are certain people I won’t play with. They’re so fixated on a number they forget that there are many ways to assess their day and time on the course. Since I’ve discovered this, I’ve never had a bad day on the golf course.

I'm not sure I would say I "measure" each round of golf but I do informally assess the experience. Things like, weather, condition of the course, pace of play and cost all factor in but those are elements out of my control. The things mentioned above are what I usually consider more intently as I determine my satisfaction.

I play with friends who shoot anywhere from 70-100. Their success and achievement is not based on this. Score is simply one small measure of a good day on the golf course. Golf is designed to be played for a lifetime. It's for all skill levels. But if it success were only measured in terms of score and the "standard" was even par, we'd have about 1% of golfers playing. Golf is a wonderful game and is so much more than posting a score. ;Learning is a game of a lifetime too. If we think about learning, we know that scores are only one factor and yet until we start emphasizing the other elements that indicate success, we'll be stuck in a limited understanding and appreciation for joy, beauty, complexities and wonder of learning.

It’s been very frustrating of late watching people debate important topics on twitter. It’s a lousy place to argue. But it’s not just twitter. There are some important ideas that require discussion and instead of being interested in exploring things in depth, we’ve resorted to 140 character sound bites. That often leaves us ready to make quick judgements and ignore the subtle nuances and perspectives that are less obvious.

There are three ideas that illustrate this particularly well.

Lecture: I’ve already blogged about thisi before but continue to hear constant bashing about lectures. Certainly it may be overdone and there are often better ways to learn but the simple idea of listening to someone talk is not something I’m ready to toss out the window. Less of it? Shorter lectures? Sure. But don’t bash the pedagogy. Or else stop listening to others talk.

Homework: This concept really requires definition. Most of us have a vision of kids sitting at a table crying over having to answer questions from a text book or completing work not finished in class. Some may be thinking of the flipped classroom. I’m thinking about extending learning beyond the school. That can’t always be bad can it? Most people would add “depends” to conversations about whether homework is good or bad. Then they go on to define their parameters. Yet it’s just easier to say homework is bad.

Worksheets: Like homework, we have very specific images of worksheets. Mostly low level busy work. But few would say simply doing work on paper or digital is bad. I’ll also add that if kids occasionally do a mindless worksheet lets not freak out. Teachers and kids can use a break.

To be clear I’m not advocating for any of these practices only to say be careful. I would that these are three ideas that in general are overused and misused. But teachers that use these practices may not be evil, unenlightened professional you thought they were and they actually may be using these things very well. They may have a different definition and perspective from you. At the very least, ask them why they do what they do instead of calling them out.

Photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/grisha_21/4065394925/

It's been over 5 years since Randy Pausch delivered his last lecture. If  somehow it passed you by, watch the video and even get the book.  As I was preparing for some work with administrators I recalled a short story from the lecture. I've trimmed it and would be happy to see others share this little story with other leaders. There's a simple but powerful lesson here. One that has the potential to empower others. Know any leaders like this?

You can find the full post there but I thought I'd put the video here in case you wanted to check it out. 

Assessment: Turning a Blunt Instrument Into a Powerful Learning Tool from DML Research Hub on Vimeo.

I guess I can't. 

One of my favourite quotes is from Thomas King who said, 

"The truth about stories is, that's all we are" 

I look for stories all the time. I try telling them with my photos, my videos, my writing and my voice. I also like telling them with other people. That's what I did last Tuesday when I sent out a tweet stating my fear over executing this request from my wife:

It was clear to me anyway that a story was emerging. So I told one. 

Be sure to watch the video embedded about halfway down.

]]> http://ideasandthoughts.org/2012/11/18/the-shopping-trip/feed/ 0 http://ideasandthoughts.org/2012/11/18/more-on-digital-dualism/ http://ideasandthoughts.org/2012/11/18/more-on-digital-dualism/#comments Sun, 18 Nov 2012 15:34:40 +0000 Dean Shareski http://ideasandthoughts.org/?p=2273 I continue to think about what is it that we struggle with as we consider mediated relationships, aka digital dualism. The following can be seen as a draft of challenges I hear and some attempt to respond to them and provide more fodder for discussion than simply a simplistic view of bad or good. This is not a zero-sum game. 

Complaint #1

Kids today expect immediate and constant feedback and connection. 

Think back to the days just before the telephone. The only way to maintain a relationship with someone not in your physical place was the mail. You wrote someone a letter and waited to hear back. You expected a response, you just didn't have a time frame expectation, or at least a very specific one. Perhaps you gave them a few weeks or months depending on your previous experience. But still, you expected feedback. If you didn't a response after a reasonable time, you likely did begin to get anxious and concerned. Today it's the same thing only the time gap has shrunk from months to seconds. So what is it the bothers people? Is it the impatience? We would argue the same thing about standing in line, waiting for computers to boot up, heating up a meal in the oven, traffic, etc. Impatients is an issue in society in general. Instant communication is not the cause, just another construct we need to attend be aware of. 

Complaint #2

They're always on their devices and when they are without their device, it's like they've lost an appendage

This is true. But what's the problem? What is it that bothers people? I might feel the same way if I was cut off from my family suddenly and not able to communicate with them. What are other appendages that we feel lost without? A wallet? 

Complaint #3

Their attention spans are short and they're unable to engage in deep learning or conversation.

I think Cathy Davidson addresses this somewhat in Now You See It.

Attention blindness is the fundamental structuring principle of the brain, and I believe that it presents us with a tremendous opportunity. My take is different from that of many neuroscientists: Where they perceive the shortcomings of the individual, I sense opportunity for collaboration

We have a detoriation in all kinds of attention related issues for ever. This is not a new issue. It's the result of any new technology. The phrase, "I'm bored" was likley more prevelant 30 years ago. Being bored of course led to everything from creative forts and games to vandalism. There used to be 7-8 minute songs on albums in the 60's and 70's. Those songs didn't work well on radio where keeping folks on a station meant more revenue, so songs targeted a 3 minute length. People read more now than ever but yet we complain they aren't reading the right stuff. 

Complaint #4

Because their primary communication is online, they lack the ability to have look people in the eye and have face to face conversations.

I have no idea if this is true or in the same category as, "Kids are so bad at math, they can't make proper change". Generalizations that may be true, I don't know. Again, even if it's true, I'm not sure it's the technology to blame. I remember lots of kids my age that had trouble looking people in the eye. It seems once again nostaglia is rearing its ugly head on this one. If I'm wrong, show me the research. 

Complaint #5

Even when they're in the same room they're texting, often to each other. 

Seen it, done it. Again, this still seems more a question of ettiquite. At times too, it's just different. Here's a photo of my daugther and three friends. 

They spent the day together and I watched them here for a few minutes. The girl in the middle was playing a game, the girl to her right leaned over to watch then asked to play against her. My daughter, on the left was showing them a youtube video. They stayed here for about 10 minutes then went off to bake some cookies. The devices didn't do anything to deter from the social experience. At times it helped. I'm not suggesting this is always the case but their connection to entertainment and other friends doesn't have to be associated with a bad trend in society. 

I think it comes down to this:

"Mindfulness may be one of the most important things you can ever learn in your life" William James

But actually I wrote this to try and engage in thoughtful conversation. As a heavy user of technology and major benefactor of being connected constantly, I'm sorry but while I acknowledge there are some downsides, I don't think there are many. As a human being, I'm more satisifed with all my relationships and from a learning context couldn't imagine being disconnected. I'd be way less happy and capable. I just wish I could do a better job helping others understand that. 

I'm sure I've missed a few things or don't quite have the responses right. That's where you come in. Please and thank you. 

Digital dualism is the belief that the on and offline are largely separate and distinct realities. Digital dualists view digital content as part of a "virtual" world separate from a "real" world found in physical space. 

I had a great day yesterday at Dakota Collegiate in Winnipeg. This is a school that is in their 3rd year of a BYOD initiative and for the most part, they are making some wonderful headway. My observations and conversations with them suggest they are really trying to be thoughtful in their implementation. Like any large school, some are more comfortable and trying to push the envelope and others are in need of time to explore more and yet others still are questioning the value of the technology as a connecting device. 

I had the opportunity to speak with the entire staff in small groups throughout the day. Our conversations were very interesting. We discussed a range of topics from asessement, attention, pedagogy and more. Yet for many they still were very concerned and uncertain about this idea of connection. Their concerns mirror how many educators view online connections. 

…people, especially young people, have logged on and checked out. They have traded human friends for Facebook friends. Instead of being present at the dinner table, they are lost in their phones. Writer after writer laments the loss of a sense of disconnection, of boredom (now redeemed as a respite from anxious info-cravings), of sensory peace in this age of always-on information, omnipresent illuminated screens, and near-constant self-documentation. Most famously, there is Sherry Turkle, who is amassing fame for decrying the loss of real, offline connection. In the New York Times, Turkle writes that “in our rush to connect, we flee from solitude … we seem almost willing to dispense with people altogether.” She goes on:

I spend the summers at a cottage on Cape Cod, and for decades I walked the same dunes that Thoreau once walked. Not too long ago, people walked with their heads up, looking at the water, the sky, the sand and at one another, talking. Now they often walk with their heads down, typing. Even when they are with friends, partners, children, everyone is on their own devices. So I say, look up, look at one another.

While the Cape Cod example is Kerry/Romney-level unrelatable, we can grasp her point: Without a device, we are heads up, eyes to the sky, left to ponder and appreciate. Turkle leads the chorus that insists that taking time out is becoming dangerously difficult and that we need to follow their lead and log off.

 

To summarize:

Online connections are a poor man's replacement for face to face, physical world, interactions. Had I read that yesteday, many teachers would have stood up and shouted, "Amen!" Certainly everyone would read that and relate or agree to various degrees. But…..

This perception is a huge hurdle to get over and often creates angst and tension among staff, students and administration. I need to do a better job articulating and helping folks understand the differences. Believe me, I share many stories of connections and examples yet when we sit down to discuss the possiblity, they focus on how their students feel the need to connect/text with their friends in lieu of conversations and interactions in physical spaces. They also talk about the shallow interactions with content. I completely acknowledge these issue and that's where Howard Rheingold's work on attention literacy becomes important. I think in part the issue is they only see online connection as a supplment to offline relationships. They understand and appreciate Skyping with a family member, they might even see Skyping with a guest expert. They don't understand or value the seemingly or varying purposes of connection. I like how the article quote above goes on to say:

we have been taught to mistakenly view online as meaning not offline. The notion of the offline as real and authentic is a recent invention, corresponding with the rise of the online. If we can fix this false separation and view the digital and physical as enmeshed, we will understand that what we do while connected is inseparable from what we do when disconnected.

This is still someone abstract until you begin to understand, value and appreciate what these connections look and feel like. Most educators and students don't know what it's like to forge connections with people youve never met. For me, face to face interactions for many of my professional colleagues supplement my online interactions. The notion of digital dualism is largely the crux of what holds education back from valuing  these connections. This doesn't suggest we can't discuss manners and norms but it also can't be shrouded with superiority or nostaligia. Those two perspectives will always remain so long as folks only see their connections as supplement or a second choice. 

My struggle remains in helping people understand that our world now includes digital connections not simply as supplements to relationships but embedded and at times equal to or at least different from traditional non-mediated relationships. Like our computers today, we feel a need to label this and distinguish them as "technology" if only to understand their "newness". Perhaps someday we'll not point out these differences and see online connections as less meaningful. For now, I don't know how to help folks get over that idea without them experiencing it for themselves. I also don't want this conversation to be about making people feel like "I get this and you don't". That's when the discussion becomes more polarized.

Any thoughts?

Photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/shareski/5185900567/

Thanks to Jon Becker for the links

With regards to social and professional, I asked twitter to fill out a simple form.  Feel free to add to it. Here is a map with the current particpants which is nearly 100. 

Here's the full list. If you're reading this you're likely pretty well connected. Perhaps you know some high school teachers who would appreciate having a look at various folks and some of the links they've shared to either their twitter accounts or classroom and professional sites. Even if you can this list by subject and find 1 or 2 new people to follow or watch, that would be useful.

Thank you to all those who took a moment to complete the survey. I hope you also can find a new connection or two. 

I've been fortunate to be able to spend time with so many great educators. Thoughtful, reflective practitioners who are full of enthusiasm, ideas and a passion for teaching and learning. So when I pose the question (one I got from Will Richardson) "Can I find your best work online?" it usually leaves folks challenged and at times guilty. 

To relieve some of that pressure, I've changed the question, to "Can I find any of your work online?" Part of the reason for rephrasing the question is to emphasize that our notions of publishing are still based in the analog world where publising meant a vetted artifact that was seen as a finished, highly refined product. Sharing online is not really about that. No one is suggesting that the old model of publishing doesn't have merits but that world is dying. 

"Publishing is not evolving. Publishing is going away. Because the word “publishing” means a cadre of professionals who are taking on the incredible difficulty and complexity and expense of making something public. That’s not a job anymore. That’s a button. There’s a button that says “publish,” and when you press it, it’s done." Clay Shirky

More smart people need to get this. I assumed this was a central reason why great teachers weren't blogging. I may be wrong.  

The blog as a place, is still the defacto sharing platfrom in my mind. Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Youtube and the like are fine places but they aren't your space so I think the blog remains the best place to accumulate and house your stuff. The trouble with blogging however is that it's still bias towards writing. We see very few examples of people regularly sharing and reflecting with video and audio. The tools are easy and ubiqitious but the medium is still intimidating, just like writing is for many. 

At a recent conference, after sharing my call to post online, I had an interesting conversation with a very bright, reflective person who told me she found writing very painful and draining.  Writing even the shortest reflection took her so long and even then never felt it was good enough. While I might blame our old notions of publishing for this and might suggest as Seth Godin does that writing, and writing badly is still good, it doesn't really address the issue. Writing is not for everyone. Just like speaking and articulating ideas verbally may not be everyone's strength. The conversation I had with her was very interesting. This wasn't a case of someone who didn't want to share but someone who didn't know how. She had tried audio and video but again, those are not easy mediums either. I'm sure with practice, anyone can find proficiency but that may miss the point. I realize that for me writing is relatively easy. This post isn't going to take me more than 30 minutes and while I'm under no illusion that it's a work of art, I do feel comfortable articulating my ideas and hopefully generate some discussion. (I really hope Bud offers a word of insight). That's a big reason why we blog. Anyone who says they blog and don't care if anyone reads it, is being a bit disingenious. Otherwise they'd write in a journal. If no one reads this, it's still valuable for me to write it but I hope others will chime into the conversation. 

But blogging still represents a medium that is bias towards writers. I'm not sure how to change this. I want people to share. Not just a great link, although that's useful, I really want them to search their research, their vulnerability, even when they suck. During my discussion with the woman last week I did offer the suggestion of recording a discussion with a colleauge and making their casual conversation her reflection. Taking your offline conversations online is a powerful way to combine where you might already be comfortable and sharing it with others. 

Maybe their are some great examples of reflection that doesn't rely on text? Again, I can write this in 30 minutes. What other medium is this fast and efficient? Text is great but I wish I had a better response to that woman last week.