Mr Bass Online

I’m stuck in a routine. Some may even say that I’m addicted. Almost every day for a good portion of the day I sit in front of my computer. I have it set up the way I want it. My desktop is organized according to my tastes. My Firefox plugins anxiously await my use. Bottom line, my computer and I have a very special relationship because I have personalized it for my uses. My home row keys letters are slowly wearing away and there’s a shiny area on my space bar that shows the wear of my fingers. I know where to find my files and I know which programs will greet me upon startup. This is the very reason that, while I always like the boost in performance, I never truly look forward to getting a new machine. I always have to reconfigure everything. I hard drive failure not only runs away with my data, but it also causes me several hours of preparing my system for me to use meaningfully.

Last year, one of the biggest parts of my job was to hand out new laptops to teachers in my district. To make matters worse, we weren’t just handing out laptops, we were stripping these teachers of their beloved Macs. Over a year and a half later, I still hear comments about how much better the Macs were than these stupid HP laptops that we are now “stuck” with. We develop a personal connection with our tools. The problems, while frustrating, become somehow endearing over time. We know what to expect, we understand the challenges of these tools including their limitations and, however maddening, we get beyond it. Mac or PC, it’s simply a computer… a tool that we use to complete tasks. The passion that comes from these tools I don’t necessarily understand, but I find myself falling into passionate discussions over tools. My phone is one such tool. It’s not that it’s the best, but it certainly suits my needs and I’ve set it up exactly how I want it. They are very personal things and we become attached and fanatical about them. I use OSX, XP, Vista and now Windows 7 and, truly, don’t have a huge preference. My main machine is a PC because that’s what my district uses, but to me, they’re just tools.

What about the students that we teach? Does it really matter whether they’re sitting in front of an HP or an Apple when they’re typing a paper? They’re simply word processing. Even when it comes to video editing, there are tools on both platforms that students can use to create their movies. Is one easier than the other, maybe. But is the tool really that important? I say No. The skills that students (and adults) take away from any training or class is the important element in the equation. The logo doesn’t matter. The name of the software is immaterial. Do all secondary students need to be able to move through Excel or PowerPoint or is it more important that they understand and adapt their spreadsheet and presentation skills to any computer that is put in front of them? The classroom tools (SMART, Prometheon, Mac, PC, Web 2.0, etc) do not make for learning. Let’s start discussing skills instead of tools and end the argument over which one is better.

Even as I write this, I understand that there are tools that I would have a hard time living without. When Google announced that they were ending their support of Notebook, I was far from amused. However, there are other tools out there. Do they work the same way? No. Is their integration with other Google tools as seamless? No. Do I have the skills to use them effectively? Yes.

Yes, I’m attached to my computer and, yes, it’s a love/hate relationship. But the tools that I use in my daily routine as I work with teachers doesn’t make my work better; it makes it more convenient. I’m not interested in getting rid of my tools that I’ve grown so fond of, but I am interested in helping students acquire the skills to be able to move beyond a tool and still succeed in their tasks.

Image from http://www.sxc.hu/index.phtml

A friend of mine, Debra Baker, wrote a blog post today about a student she was trying to help.  I’m blogging this for two reasons, so I keep it fresh in my mind, and so others might become aware of it.

Today was a day well spent with an awful lot of learning. I started the day at an METC Advisory Committee meeting in which we revisited the conference from last month. It was a good discussion which included ideas about virtual conferences and reflections on the conference.

Upon leaving that meeting I went to one of the elementary schools in our district because the Higher Education Channel was coming to our district to do a “Behind the Minds” filming of some of our students as they work on their films for our upcoming Film Festival. Since this was my brain child, I wanted to be there as students talked about their films and were interviewed for the show. Jennifer Young (another TIS) and I were there to supervise and help the students as they worked on their films. These were fifth grade students who had done a presentation earlier in the year in which they became a person who has had a profound affect on society and who stood for something great. Anne Frank, Jane Goodall were among the people they chose and they had footage of them acting the part of these figures. Now they were in the process of whittling down their films to meet our two minute guidelines. During their interviews they discussed problem solving, collaboration and storyboarding as they described the process. They used film terms and talked at great length about what they wanted to say through their films. The entire process was nothing short of awesome. Watching students talk about and reflect on their process was truly transformative and they were very eloquent in their discussions. Through the work of Jennifer Young (another TIS), the morning was a success.

Upon leaving the elementary school, I accompanied the film crew to one of our high schools where they interviewed two junior girls about a sociology project that they embarked on last semester. They too were eloquent in their discussion, but one thing they said really stuck with me. “In all of our other classes, we had to do PowerPoints.” While I’m not completely against PowerPoint, it was clear, when talking to these students, that PowerPoint is an overused presentation technique in their school. They relished the opportunity to do something more meaningful and, as I watched their video, I think they succeeded. Their video was compelling and far more intriguing than any PowerPoint that I’ve ever seen. When they were done, I was interviewed in regards to the details and origins of the Film Festival. It was a great day. Watching students grades 5 and 11 talk about their learning really made me proud of what we’ve done to facilitate the Film Festival in our district and making it about the celebration of student work. I guess more than anything, I’m continually impressed with the abilities of today’s students. The show should air in the next few weeks and will be available online. I’ll post again when it can be viewed.

I recently finished reading the book, unSpun: Finding Facts in a World of Disinformation, by Brooks Jackson and Kathleen Hall Jamieson.  While I enjoyed the book and found it’s message to prudent for the general public.  What I do find disappointing is my reaction to it which I’ll get to in a little bit.  In my former life I was a high school Modern Media teacher and Media Literacy was a major focus for me.  I worked with students to help them look for the meaning and motivation for the messages that we are bombarded with daily.  Our focus was on media spin and the motivation for companies with their advertising.  We watched the Mickey Mouse Monopoly from the Media Education Foundation, The Merchants of Cool and The Persuaders (both from Frontline on PBS) to get a sense of the types of spin that is prevalent in our society.  We analyzed various forms of advertising and even created our own ads based on some of the techniques we were studying in class. The idea was to introduce to spin as a concept and make them aware of their own biases and buy-in to what they see in their daily lives.  The students who were in these classes began to bring in examples of bias and spin in media and we devoted a wall in my room to these examples.  That was a great class.

As I read the book, it reminded me of that wall and all the different examples that we had up there.  While I understand that everyone has an agenda and that there are different motivations for people to behave in certain ways and say certain things, however, I always liked to think of my classroom as a place where we could discuss these ideas in an academic way.  We studied the spin and looked at the intended and unintended consequences of it.  I tried very hard to keep my biases out of the discussion and encouraged my students to do the same.

In ”unSpun”, the authors outlined tricks and warning signs and even gave us a way to verify the information that we find regarding political figures (go figure, it was factcheck.org where both authors hold the position of Director.).  Had I had this book back when I was teaching Modern Media, I would have encouraged my students to employ some of these techniques giving them more tools in their intellectual arsenal.  It would have been a valuable resource for us.

My reaction to the book was slightly different though.  I found it informative and interesting, but I also felt like I was getting spun a little bit.  It may just be the cynical side of me, but I felt like there were ulterior motives behind it.  After all, “everyone has an agenda.”  I went to factcheck.org to see if the purpose behind the book wasn’t to drive traffic to the site so ad revenue would go up.  Nope.  The site doesn’t seem to be ad supported.  What was it that made me feel this way?  Still not sure.  Should the book be taken at face value and the techniques described therein be used in my daily life?  Sure, the information is valuable and seems to be well informed.  I’m not sure what bothers me about it, but there’s definitely something there.

It’s important to be able to identify truth in a world of disinformation.  With the amount of advertising and politics that invades our everyday lives, having the skill and conscience to look at a piece of information and question it is important.  To recognize that everyone has their own agenda and looks at a topic through their own lens is invaluable and it’s a skill that needs to be taught, not just be an expectation.  Eventually, these students will be the creators of spin (many of them already are).  They will be making decisions based on what they hear and read.  Giving them the tools to recognize this spin will be an important step as they themselves try to remain “unSpun.”  Just as the first line of the book states, “We live in a world of spin.”  I don’t see that changing anytime soon.

(For the record, I don’t take issue with factcheck.org or their goals.  I think it’s important for this type of education of the public to be known and to try to come up with the truth when facts are spun.  This is simply a reflection of my eduational practice and some thoughts I had as I read the book.)

Photo from Cartoonbank.com.

As of late I’ve been helping teachers sign students up for accounts for various services.  The question I often get from teachers has to do with student email accounts.  Granted, many of the students in secondary schools already have email accounts, but, as we’ve found recently, many do not.  With so many websites asking for a valid email account in order to sign up for their services, I’ve been suggesting Mailcatch.com to those teachers.  Today I ran across a blog post via Twitter that lists a number of temporary email services.  Enjoy.

Tim Tyson just posted a video to his blog based on a YouTube video he found and related it to teaching kids (marketing information).  I’ve been reading a book called “Tipping Point” by Malcolm Gladwell that discusses the social nature of trends or epidemics in our society.  I’ve only just started the book but I thought that this video relates very well (at least what I’ve read of it).  Granted this video is addressing advertising, but I don’t think Tim’s far off here.  We do have to “sell” the information to students.  The Internet has not only changed the way teachers teach, but it has changed the way learners learn.  The idea of entertaining students in order to get them to learn often ruffles the feathers of even the best teachers.  Are things so different now though?  The gadgets are different, the expectations are different but I remember enjoying learning when I found it entertaining.  Is everything in life fun?  No.  However, learning is fun.  Is sitting in a lecture fun? Not necessarily.  Yet in many classrooms that’s exactly what we expect students to do.  Sit and get.

Here’s the description of this video from YouTube.

“Companies, marketers and advertising agencies are facing a dramatic shift in marketing realitiy – and are increasingly failing to connect with consumers. The big challenge in times of exchangeable products, the rise of social media and mature and rather brand sceptic consumers: To find new ways how to get people engaged again in products, advertising and in brands.”

I’m just thinking here, so I’m not even sure how I feel about what I’ve written. Just a short reflection on a video.

The last section of the book, Lincoln on Leadership, has to do with his communications with others.  While this section is specifically about communication, it strikes me that all three of the other sections also had to do with communication.  Ronald Reagan was called “the great communicator,” but that title may have better been left to Abraham Lincoln.  He understood the need for appropriate and concise communication with everyone in which he came into contact.

“The Art of Public Speaking” is the title of chapter 13.  Being well spoken is a very important part of getting people to follow any given leader.  I listen to podcasts on a daily basis.  Many of these podcasts contain interviews of various people.  While I don’t claim to be a public speaking expert, I do understand the need for eliminating verbal cues, such as “you know” and “um” from your speech.  Whenever I record myself, I do go back in and edit these verbal cues out of the recording.  However, whenever I speak in public, I always have this in the back of my mind.  I try to be succinct in my speech, and, rather than resorting to verbal “filler,” I try to simply pause.  I’ve heard that the sound of silence is the most difficult sound when speaking in front of others.  This is something that, early in my teaching career, I made a concerted effort to learn.  When an educator asks a question and no one answers, it’s hard to let the silence linger.  However, it’s necessary.  My 10th graders were waiting for me to answer for them, it became an game between us, who could wait the longest.

While Lincoln was probably aware of his verbal cues, he was even more concerned with the message that he was giving.  He knew that everything he said would be scrutinized and that everything he said, not only represented himself, but the United States as a whole.  This is true of educators as well.  As we talk to our students (and as those in my position talk to teachers) we are representing our districts and departments.  We are all a part of something bigger.  When we speak, whether we want to or not, we represent that larger group.  Sometimes that’s a department, other times it’s a school or district.  Regardless, we must choose our words wisely, because, regardless of the context, only in rare circumstances do we only represent ourselves.

According to Phillips, storytelling was one of the techniques that Lincoln used regularly.  In chapter 14, “Influence People Through Storytelling and Conversation,” Phillips outlines Lincolns prolific storytelling ability and his ability to connect with those who could be considered “the common man.”  I’ve always known that telling story can make a point even better than if it were brought up outright.  As a teacher, telling story would often draw the interest of my students.  (Funny though, they liked to hear stories, but reading stories was not of great interest to them.)

One lesson that this chapter illustrates is that of using humor to create loyalty in “followers.” Lincoln is said to have used humor to create levity in situations that were especially grave.  He found that humor was a major component in persuading others.

The final chapter of the book, “Preach A Vision and Continually Reaffirm It,” restates the importance of setting goals from Chapter 10.  Lincoln continually went back to the goals and vision that he had when he took office.  Districts and buildings who have developed a mission and continually put it before the teachers will continually come out ahead when they look at whether their goals have been achieved.

Lincoln on Leadership: Executive Strategies for Tough Times gave me a look into the world of Abraham Lincoln and his struggles as President during the Civil War.  When I was a college student, I read a poem by Walt Whitman dedicated to Lincoln that has always stayed with me.

O Captain! my Captain! our fearful trip is done,
The ship has weathered every rack, the prize we sought is won,
The port is near, the bells I hear, the people all exulting,
While follow eyes the steady keel, the vessel grim and daring;
But O heart! heart! heart!
O the bleeding drops of red,
Where on the deck my Captain lies,
Fallen cold and dead.

O Captain! my Captain! rise up and hear the bells;
Rise up–for you the flag is flung–for you the bugle trills,
For you bouquets and ribboned wreaths–for you the shores a-crowding,
For you they call, the swaying mass, their eager faces turning;
Here Captain! dear father!
This arm beneath your head!
It is some dream that on the deck
You’ve fallen cold and dead.

My Captain does not answer, his lips are pale and still,
My father does not feel my arm, he has no pulse nor will.
The ship is anchored safe and sound, its voyage closed and done,
From fearful trip the victor ship comes in with object won;
Exult O shores, and ring O bells!
But I, with mournful tread,
Walk the deck my Captain lies,
Fallen cold and dead.

Walt Whitman – Leaves of Grass

I’ve already written about how Abraham Lincoln approached people and character when it came to his leadership style.  In the next section of Donald Phillips book, he takes a look at Lincoln’s endeavors.  The first chapter in this section is entitled “Exercise a Strong Hand – Be Decisive”.  One thing that I really liked about this chapter is Lincoln’s focus on the overall picture.  As a classroom teacher I had a very narrow view of my professional world.  Yes, I was connected in a number of ways to a number of people, but basically, I was in my room, with my students, teaching my curriculum and observing the inner workings of the district as an outsider.  Because of this, I didn’t have a view of the bigger picture.  I thought I did.  I thought that I knew the goals of the district.  I thought that I had an understanding of how the entire organization worked.  I was wrong.  In my current role I have a completely different view of education as a whole.  I’m not attached to a particular school.  I’m attached to a district.  I have a different perspective and lens through which I view my work.  Lincoln’s view was that “an organization is never wisely sacrificed to avoid losing one or two small parts”.  Schools are part of a system of education and classrooms play an integral role in that system but what happens in the classroom is influenced by the greater system.  The system will break down at times but sacrificing a program or a specific unit in a course of study (I’m learning) is not (usually) a reaction but rather part of the system.  If I go back to the classroom, I hope that this lesson is not lost as I get caught up in the mound of papers and narrow focus of my classroom.

Phillip’s next chapter, “Lead by Being Led”, describes Lincoln’s attitude towards his subordinates.  His was focused on goals and let his people make decision to that end.  When all was said and done, he wanted then to say, “We did this ourselves.”  I remember a number of years ago a Modern Media class that I had just taken over from another teacher.  I had equipment and a very outdated curriculum (the text book was published in 1992 and the year was 2000). So we ditched the textbook and I attempted a more authentic learning environment.  As the projects went on, students wanted to do more and more complex projects that pushed the boundaries of my knowledge and the abilities of our equipment.  I learned a lot, but more importantly, I gave them the ability to try different things and worked with them to find solutions rather than giving them solutions that may or may not have worked.  In many cases, the solutions that they came up with were beyond what I would have come up with.  They were innovative and driven.  The project very quickly became their’s.  I was simply along for the ride.  Every now and then there were ideas that were outside the realm of reality and had to be altered to fit our needs.  What it comes down to is that my student’s led me through this project.  They were the creators of their own knowledge.  It was all very exciting and when they were done, they could absolutely say… “We did this ourselves.”

In chapter 10, “Set Goals and Be Results-Oriented”, Phillips writes of Lincoln’s drive for success.  His goal was to always keep a fire lit under his people.  Being a results-oriented person myself, I understand his desire.  However, what I find amazing for many of the great leaders out there is the stamina it takes to keep that up.  Maybe my focus is in too many places.  Maybe I’m not as driven.  Bottom line, I get tired.  Now, I feel as though I come through on my commitments, but I also have to think about (and get better about) recognizing where my attention goes.  Whenever my attention gets pulled away from a task, I need to ask myself, “Is this the best use of my time?”

Another point from this chapter has to do with a “corporate mission” for a group.  At the beginning of last year the team to which I belong created a mission statement and business plan.  We’re trying to develop a brand of which we can be proud.  I think we’re on the way.  So many organizations (schools) have a mission statement that may or may not have buy-in by all of its members.  I think that many times that’s because the mission is not revisited on a regular basis.  Lincoln continually reminded his people of the overall goal and what it took to get there.  I wonder if a simple regular reminder would increase buy-in of school mission statements.

Chapter 11 is a little more specific to industries outside of education.  Entitled, “Keep Searching Until You Find Your “Grant”,” the chapter outlines the long line of generals that Lincoln gave charge of the Army before finally getting to Grant who eventually won the war for him.  Lincoln didn’t have any predisposition to removing someone who he felt was not working out and not realizing results.  It seems that his decisions were based on results rather than emotion.  In my experience, keeping emotion out of decisions is tremendously difficult to do.  There are always biases and experiences that can cloud judgment.  Lincoln was no different, but he had the courage to take action when he felt he needed to.  This is not to say that he didn’t provide ample opportunities for improvement and support, but time needs to be given to make improvements.  Unfortunately, in the world of education and testing, time is not something that we often have.  Teachers who are new to the profession are put in classrooms and expected to perform immediately because their students must be able to have the same opportunities that students in other classes do.  I haven’t completely focused my thoughts on this (as is probably very evident) so this is a little rambling, but I think there’s a tie in there with the support that teachers in classrooms need to teach their students.

The final chapter in this section is “Encourage Innovation.”  Innovation is abundant in education.  Every day I see classes that are working on new things and solving problems with a completely different outlook.  It’s an exciting time for education with all the possibilities that are out there.  At his METC keynote, Will Richardson said that “We are doing a great job preparing our children for their current reality.”  His point was that we’re not doing a great job preparing them for their future.  He asked whether we teach our kids to write using hypertext and linking to sources around the web.  The answer from the audience was basically, “no, we are not.” But, for the most part, everyone agreed that they will probably write using hypertext at some point in their future.   How will they know how to use hypertext in their writing?  If we’re not teaching them these skills, do they just figure them out for themselves?  Lincoln looked for leaders he could learn from and who would find innovative solutions to problems.  Can we teach innovation to our students?  Maybe, can we give them opportunities to be innovative and to solve problems? Absolutely, but only if we allow them to move beyond the five-paragraph essay and give them some control over the criteria of assignments.

I just sat down to today’s newspaper and found that John Updike has passed away. A number of years ago, I read Rabbit Run as an English major and the book has always stayed with me.  Additionally, I have a signed copy of the book that I received as a gift from a colleague a few years ago that I treasure for two reasons, the fact t

hat Updike signed it and the memory of the school at which I was working when I received it.  Farewell Mr. Updike.

Today was the first day of the Midwest Education Technology Conference in St. Louis, MO.  I’m actually on the board for this conference and really enjoy being a part of the planning process.  The day started with Will Richardson’s keynote.  I’ve always enjoyed Will’s writings and presentations.  Imagine my surprise when he referenced NCTE’s Framework for 21st Century Literacies, a document that I helped to author as a part of NCTE’s Executive Board. After the session I went and introduced myself and had a nice chat before another session.  One thing that he said that I really liked was that his kids were his lens to his involvement in education.  Since my kids will be attending the school district in which I work, I have a similar feeling and a vested interest in the district as a whole. I also presented two sessions today.  The first, “Cool Tool Duel,” was a collaborative effort of 6 technology integrators in which we all presented 2 tools to the audience.  Unfortunately, Animoto chose the time I was presenting and showing their site off to do a little server maintenance.  After I logged in, the site actually said, “Went to get a beer, brb.”  This got lots of laughs and completely lightened up the mood.

My second presentation, “Instructional Strategies for a Digital World,” was one that I’ve presented in the past about my time in the classroom and my efforts to create a “paperless classroom.”  I changed the presentation considerably this time because I wanted to tell a story about my experience rather than just explain the concept and how “I” did it.  I wanted my audience to understand “why” I did it that way.  I think it went well and I enjoyed the session. I ended my day in another of Will Richardson’s sessions and then a brief sharing session with Meg Ormiston.  After dinner and drinks with DEN and some new Twitter friends, I finally braved the snowy roads and made my way home.  School is canceled for tomorrow so after dropping off the kids at childcare, it’s back to another day of METC with one final presentation.