Days 17-20: Rethinking

I read/heard about a great strategy.  (can't remember which)  Basically, high school math teacher is trying to figure out how to help students learn better.  Decides to film lectures.  Has students watch lectures at home, as homework.  During class, students work on the assignment related to the previous night's lecture.  Teacher is free to answer questions and 'teach' those who are struggling or need some alternate explanations.

Brilliant!

Of course, there are complications to resolve, problems to be dealt with, and unforeseen circumstances to negotiate around.  The ideas, however, is quite clever.  The teacher spends the majority of her/his time working directly with students rather than talking at students.

What I like most about the idea is that it looks at the idea of improving education and comes up with a clever method.  I also appreciate the effort to view education differently than the traditional view.  I realize the methods of instruction have been refined over the years and are, for the most part, effective.  This however, has the guts to ignore traditional approaches in order to reach student needs.

I wonder what other areas could be improved by looking/trying things in a new way?  Classroom arrangement or location?  Perhaps.  I'm thinking strongly about this in regards to the rows I have in the computer lab.  However, I am a bit tied down by the direct wiring the computer tables have into the wall.  It is a large, limiting factor to my ability to play around with alternative furniture arrangement.  Still, so many ideas....

Days 15-16: Shifting

A lot of ideas/thought/philosophy for today's post comes from an earlier entry, Day3: Shift.  I suggest reading it (if you haven't already) to get a better idea of my thinking.

I had one of those adrenaline moments yesterday. Perhaps you know the feeling.  I was doing something I really enjoyed and I couldn't keep up with all the cool ideas my brain was throwing into the discussion.  It was a buzz of excitement and a "I love what I'm doing" moment.

October 2006

It happened working with our fabulous 5th grade teachers, Anitra Jensen and Joan Kyriopoulis.  Each year 5th graders from EBLS spend two and a half days at the Teton Science School in Kelly, Wyoming.  It is a fabulous experience discovering, exploring, and learning about the Grand Teton ecosystem.  I've gone in previous years.  (see the picture of my son, Thomas, and I )  I am lucky enough to go with the 5th grade this year with the challenge of using technology to improve the learning experience of the students.

This is where my adrenaline rush comes in.  In thinking about how to enhance the experience, Anitra, Joan and I had a really good conversation about... Teaching and Learning!!!!!  The focus wasn't technology, although we did throw some ideas around.  These wonderful ladies talked about what they wanted to see their student's get out of the experience.  They shared curriculum objectives and learning outcomes.  They talked about what was most important to them and what they felt was most important to their student's learning.

They made my life easy.  I can now go about my work looking for innovative uses of technology to enhance what is most important.  I can suggest technology that will not only be cool, but also effective.  I can tell them why doing (tech project A) is much more effective that (tech project B).  They are willing to trust me enough to shake their heads up and down in agreement even when they may not understand the nuts and bolts of what I'm talking about.

Thank you for putting learning first.  That helps the technology be sooooo much more effective.

P.S. On a side note...  my dissertation proposal was officially approved by the USU IRB.  I'm now off to gather some data and write a few pages (or more) of deep philosophical significance.  Topic: PARENTAL PERCEPTIONS OF THE INFLUENCE OF DIGITAL MEDIA AND TECHNOLOGY ON STUDENT READING HABITS AT HOME.

Days 10-14: Pouring the Foundation

Planning vs. Doing
It may be the biggest challenge in the life of a technology specialist.  There is a certain amount of planning that needs to take place, unless... all there is doing.  Planning takes time.  It takes effort.  It takes away from doing.  It makes the doing more effective.  I remember my early days of teaching.  I spent a lot of 'planning' time setting up templates for labels, web pages, and other 'stuff' I knew I would use on a year to year basis.  To some people, it seemed a bit insane, the amount of time I spent getting a spreadsheet set up.  However, that all change into jealousy the next year when the same task was insanely quick.  Other teachers were asking, "how did you do that so quick?"  The answer, I invested the time earlier that allowed me to be quick.

This week I have been finding the balance between getting things set up for future success and 'doing' things. As a consequence, my 'to do' list ballooned throughout the week till I began to be a bit scared of things.  I was adding things that I wanted/needed to get done on top of things that others needed done, all while trying to do things that others needed to get done.  Adding no small measure to my anxiety was the daily email delivered by my 'to do' app informing me of all that I hadn't done.  I think some programmer at Wunderlist had an evil smirk on his face as he contemplated an automated email feature that would be sent out during the middle of the night.  "Just the right way to get the morning started, with a guilt trip," he probably chuckled as that feature was added.

Well, I have news for him.  Today I had a few chunks of 30 minutes to myself and have successfully cut my list down to a manageable size.  I've even been considering 'bigger picture' tasks.  My hope is that, by getting the right foundation (planning) down, everything I end up 'doing' in the future will be much more effective.  Kind of like the gal on PBS' Antique Road Show.  "Your antique, because of it's condition, is only worth a small fortune.  BUT... if you spend a few hundred dollars on a professional restoration, it could then be worth a large fortune."

I hope to spend a small amount so my efforts will be worth the larger fortune.  I think that is a wise investment.

Day 9: Happy Birthday to Me

Yes, This is Me

You will have to excuse me with today's post.  There will not be a lot of technology reflection here.  It has been a quiet morning.  My 'hurry up and wait' time is over as of this afternoon. (see an earlier blog post)  However, it is my birthday.  I am now 44.  I am leaving school an hour early to go spend some extra time with my wife who continues to recover from more back surgery.

The significant message of today's post is... Thank you to my beautiful wife of 18+ years for taking care of me so well and being my best friend.   Thank you to my wonderful parents who spent the first decade of my life taking care of me, the next two decades worrying about me, the last few decades advising me, and ALL the decades loving me.  Let us not forget my son, a wonderful young man who has more talents than I ever could imagine. (and more energy than his father and mother combined)

Day 8: The Element

I've been reading The Element by Sir Ken Robinson, Ph.D.  Most people have heard of his work through his speech at TED.  (I like the RSA Animate version better)  The book is reminding me a lot of some of my other favorites, Last Child in the Woods by Richard Louv, A Whole New Mind by Daniel Pink, and just about any book by Rafe Esquith.  I think the fundamental message behind each of these books is the same...  Everyone is unique and deserves to be treated with respect and appreciation for individual talents.

I was thinking today that I've tried to work hard in my career to treat my students with appreciation for their uniqueness.  Now, I find myself in the role of primarily working with adults.  I think it is even more important to remember those principles.  To that end, I pledge to avoid, as much as possible, the following...

• One size fits all technology training.
• Show up, listen up training.
• One size fits all technology implementation and use in classrooms.
• Directives for what 'must' be done.

I pledge to encourage, as much as possible, the following...

• Opportunities for differentiated technology training available at flexible times.
• Multiple opportunities to 'try' technology at variable levels in classrooms.
• Suggestions for what would be 'good.'

Day 7: Connections

Civilization grew in the beginning from the minute that we had communication -- particularly communication by sea that enabled people to get inspiration and ideas from each other and to exchange basic raw materials.  - Thor Heyerdahl

My favorite thing is to connect to great people and great ideas.  I've had that opportunity many times in my career.  Edith Bowen and Center for Open and Sustainable Learning (COSL) being the most recent.  What I find when you fill a room with outstanding people is that great ideas follow.

A big thanks for the opportunity to be in the same room and share ideas with Dan Johnson often over the last few days.  Another big thanks to Dan for letting me bring the very talented Casey Elliot from ThereNow into the office.  Here's to some great ideas turning into great projects leading to great results.

Day 6: (and a day late)

Why a day late. Not procrastination. Not lack of interest. More of depth of TO DO list. It's the start of week two and things are starting to roll. My TO DO list reads like a list of good ideas not implemented. Unfortunately, when there is a bunch of good ideas, it takes time to prioritize. Good, Better, Best. Not easy decisions to make.

Each teacher with a TO DO on my list has a great idea. Not only that, but their idea is important to them. Most of them involve the need for me to do some footwork to find information about a product, idea, software to be implemented in the classroom. In most of these cases I have made Diigo my best friend.

For those of you not aware, Diigo is a social bookmarking website. You sign up with an account. Mark webpages you like. Assign 'tags' to the pages you've bookmarked. You can share with others, make groups of people, compare with other's bookmarks, and tons of other social features. It's all kept online. Very convenient. So convenient, in fact, I cannot remember the last time I created a bookmark on my computer's web browser.

If you want to take a look at my bookmarks, go ahead. They're public (except for the ones I don't want you to see).

• My main page: http://www.diigo.com/user/kurtusu
• Web pages I recommended to the USU ScEd 6270 class http://www.diigo.com/user/kurtusu/USUSCED6270
• Stuff I like having to do with history http://www.diigo.com/user/kurtusu/history
• Want to see the websites a 4th grade teacher may want to consider using for creating online timelines? http://www.diigo.com/user/kurtusu/timeline
  

You get the idea. Go ahead. Browse my tags. I update them daily, adding web gems I like.