October 2011
2 posts
7 tags
My New "Office"
Over the past few months I’ve been diving into my new job. A small portion of this transition has centered on rethinking the role of learning spaces at my school and beyond. One of my goals has been to start conversations about the power of spaces in improving our teaching and learning. I updated my working space and have used my “office” as a model: an opportunity to...
9 tags
Beauty and Curiosity
I found these two videos today. They are interviews of Richard Feynman, the acclaimed physicist, and both really resonated with me. As educators, we are expected to assist our students as they grow and define themselves. These two videos highlight a few principles that, in my mind, are some of the most important lessons we could ever teach our students. be “madly” curious explore the...
September 2011
1 post
8 tags
We Are All Designers
“We are all designers.” Some may balk at this statement. Some may say that they don’t even actually know what that means. I don’t make that statement lightly. I taught history, am a “techie”, and can’t draw very well (i’m trying though). In the past, I did not consider myself as the creative type. With that in mind, design is not about making logos, building websites, or creating an...
June 2011
1 post
7 tags
My iPhone, Google Voice, & AT&T
Backstory So, I am in the process of starting a new job, which is SUPER exciting. While we are an extremely tech savvy school, because our building is built to withstand five earthquakes simultaneously, only kind of joking, we do not get the best cell reception with AT&T. This is a problem as I have an iPhone. I love my phone, it allows me to not only use my phone but also check up on my...
May 2011
3 posts
4 tags
Mobile Learning is coming but...
I saw a tweet that included the poster shown below. As I scanned the poster I was in agreement with the overarching thesis: YES mobile technologies are here. YES they are transforming how our students learn/interact/think. YES we must be aware of this and think about how we can best incorporate mobile technologies in to our teaching. BUT before we do, let us take a step back and think long and...
6 tags
How Space And Time Can Transform A School
I ran across two sites today. One was about the phenomenon of co-working spaces: ”Office Party? Let’s Tweet It” In an era where more and more people are taking the entrepreneurial spirit and working in coffee shops or in their homes, the idea of a co-working space is something that is quite intriguing from an educational standpoint. What if schools created spaces and...
7 tags
Collective Action
The video below is of Marshall Ganz, an community expert and a key player in developing the 2008 Obama campaign. In his talk, at the Berkman Center in 2008, he spoke about how to create collective action. While he may have been referring to the political world, the same principles apply now when we look at creating action in the world of education. In particular, Ganz focuses on how to use...
April 2011
1 post
5 tags
Using Design to Make Life More Interesting
A really great talk from TEDxSanJose that speaks to the power of design. When we think about our students, we should see it as a similar opportunity to rethink where, how, when, and what we learn. [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rvqcS6-7tNc[/youtube]
March 2011
5 posts
8 tags
Rives and the iPad
Rives is a man of many talents, he is a spoken word poet, emcee, pop-up book writer, and conversationalist. As one of the hosts of TEDxSMU this past October, he was given the chance to show off some of his skills and gave a powerful storytelling performance using an iPad. His four minute “talk”, seen below, is an example of the potential of the iPad, or any tablet for that matter. Far...
7 tags
Learning from Google's Creative Lab
Google’s Creative Lab has been around for a few years but the concept has been a transformative one for the company and a model that schools should consider. The Creative Lab Google, which had been known more for their search than their advertising, has made a large impact in the digital media scene over the past few years. Their multi-disciplinary team in the Creative Lab has been...
6 tags
Education, Play and Design
I found this video by Plikums via @ethanbodnar. It focuses on the intersection of education, play, and design. In my mind, it is a powerful video about real learning that we should all watch and take to heart. ”Education is not learning the system” [vimeo]http://vimeo.com/20949186[/vimeo]
8 tags
Why we need a new conversation
Twitter is full of education hashtags. Those symbols of community bring educators from around the world together. One hashtag in particular is very powerful within the our community. #edchat has become a beacon for many educators. It has connected them, it has enabled them to share ideas, resources, and stories. I believe that hashtags like #edchat are critical to create a sense of community for...
7 tags
Serving Up PD
For the the past few years, I have been exploring the idea of professional development. While the mindset of helping educators has always been the same, the methodology has evolved. There are a number of people out there who are doing the same thing. We are attempting to inspire and connect by using models that include edcamps and TEDx. My first exploration started a few years ago when I ran...
February 2011
1 post
4 tags
Weather? What weather?
From January 31st to February 2nd, Be Playful ran a “Prototype Design Camp” for students in Ohio. For 40 high school juniors and seniors, this was a three day introduction to the process of Design Thinking. The students would be asked to create a solution or “prototype” to a particular problem. The three day design camp was held at an technology conference in Ohio as an...
January 2011
6 posts
6 tags
I'm an educator, I mean designer, I mean...
I had the chance to attend CompostModern this past weekend. It is a conference for designers by designers. As an educator, I was not exactly sure what to expect. I initially felt as though I would be the odd man out. I mean, I was no where near as fashionable as 99% of the attendees and at no point have I or will I pretend to be an artist. Just ask my old students, I was the master of the stick...
4 tags
Next Generation of Makers
This cartoon by @howtoons exemplifies the kind of curiosity and desire to create that can empower students and make them the “life-long learners” we always hear about. When students take ownership of their learning, the game changes. They become passionate about learning. The image also speaks to the idea that students are learning more on YouTube and elsewhere than inside a classroom....
3 tags
Why didn't I think of that?
When it comes to learning and design, the first hurdle is simply looking around and asking yourself, “how could this be better?” For instance, someone applied the design process to a traditional watering can and came up with something much better. So it stands, rather than asking ‘Why didn’t I think of that?”, we should frame the way we approach learning with this...
2 tags
New rules
When I was growing up there were simple rules I was to follow. 1. Be a good person 2. Brush your teeth after you eat 3. Don’t hit your sister In a world that has been forever altered by the age of the Interwebs, these rules are still very much relevant (especially the one about not hitting your sister) but there are some very important rules that we must also understand. We are no longer...
1 tag
Three Ways of Learning
Diana Laufenberg, a friend and teacher at Science Leadership Academy in Philadelphia, PA, gave a great TED Talk that speaks directly to what learning is and what it is not. Specifically, Diana mentions that schools should not be repositories of information but rather opportunities for students to learn in the three ways mentioned above.
3 tags
Design as a mindset. Design as a methodology.
I recently joined the Be Playful team. After a year of transition, I have found an opportunity where I will help others understand the process of Design Thinking in order to engage our students and help them solve problems. The concept of Design Thinking is something that is not necessarily new, rather it is a mindset that enable students to solve problems. When faced with a world where students,...
October 2010
2 posts
4 tags
Just publish
I found the Do Lectures today. Similar to TED, these talks highlight great ideas and bring them to the public via the use of video. Unlike TED, each speaker is required to issue a “Do” statement, requesting that the audience take action. In his “Do” Talk, which can be found below, Craig Mod, focuses on how digital media is giving the publishing world a new life rather than...
3 tags
Thirty Conversations on Design
“Thirty Conversations on Design” documents what some of the most creative professionals think of design. While there were a number of great talks, and I suggest you take a look, there were a few that stood out to me This included a talk by Emily Pilloton, who describes how learning can be reshaped by using design principles. She runs Project H Design, which is dedicated to “the...
July 2010
1 post
4 tags
Requirements for change
The word change has different connotations depending upon who you are. For some, it incites fear. For others, it is thrilling and the focus of their work. In my experience, leadership is about harnessing an ability to be visionary and anticipate change while also being able to understand your colleagues, their predispositions towards change, meet them where they are and be persistent in the...
June 2010
2 posts
1 tag
Time Perspectives and Education
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A3oIiH7BLmg&feature=player_embedded[/youtube] Yesterday I watched this talk given by Phillip Zimbardo, a psychologist and professor at Stanford University. In the talk, he focuses on how cultures are divided by perspectives of time and uses education as a case study. He broke it down the differences into being “past oriented” or “future oriented”....
1 tag
Hacking Secondary Education
A great deal has been written about education reform. It seems as though there are as many approaches to reforming school as there are reformers. This is as true in secondary education as it is in higher education. To a certain degree, the principles behind reforming or “hacking” the educational system are uniform. In an era where technology is completely transforming how we connect, collaborate...
May 2010
1 post
3 tags
Banning social media is a bad call
Last night I found this article. It is about Anthony Orsini, a principal in New Jersey, who is asking parents to ban all social media from their children. In a letter to parents Orsini wrote: Please do the following: sit down with your child (and they are just children still) and tell them that they are not allowed to be a member of any social networking site. Today!Let them know that you will...
April 2010
4 posts
4 tags
Starting with Education Futures
This is a week late but better late than never, right? I am starting the Open Course in Education Futures with George Siemens and Dave Cormier because I am not content with the status quo in education. While I consider myself to be ahead of the curve regarding implementing new practices or technologies in my classroom, I am only one person. In the past, I have worked to help my colleagues to...
3 tags
Driven to Distraction?
Today’s Class I am teaching a unit on “The Impact of New Media”. This week our guiding question is “has the evolution of new media been a detriment?” We watched “Distracted by Everything” a section from Digital Nation, a PBS documentary on how technology is impacting our lives. My Questions After watching the video, I asked my students: “Would you...
1 tag
NUMMI and School Change
I was listening to This American Life last night. It was the show from two weeks ago. The episode focuses on a collaboration between GM and Toyota that began in 1984. Decades leading up to the collaboration, a GM plant in Fremont, CA had been overrun by labor unions. Quantity took precedence over quality and there was no incentive for good work. Employees at the plant did not like their job nor...
1 tag
Learners - In all shapes and sizes
Learners come in all shapes and sizes and there are opportunities for every student to access a learning style that suits his or her individual needs. Whether it’s restructuring curriculum , redesigning classrooms or utilizing online learning there are options that can help reach all learners. It should be our goal to build models that provide options. Schools now have the ability to...
March 2010
4 posts
1 tag
Drive: The Two Questions That Can Change Your Life
In full disclosure, I have yet to read “Drive” by Dan Pink. I know, I know. It’s on my to read list. That being said, @antonioviva made me aware of this video. The two questions are: 1. What one sentence would define you? 2. Was I better today than I was yesterday? These two questions can help us to simplify and define our calling while motivating us to stay on target....
2 tags
Chaos and TEDxNYED
TEDxNYED, which was last weekend, has created a great deal of engagement. Our Twitter hashtag is still being used, there have been a number of blog posts about what happened on Saturday and there is still a strong interest in repeating an event like TEDxNYED. This engagement has also made me think about a few things (ok, a lot of things but i’ll list three here): 1. The critiques of the...
1 tag
TEDxNYED - a look back
After months of planning, TEDxNYED finally happened on Saturday, March 6th. We were filled to capacity with teachers, administrators and those passionate about the future of education. Not only did we have a packed house but through a partnership with Livestream, we were able to stream the entire event and had over 20,000 views. Our hashtag had 2,871 tweets from over 1,100 tweeters and we were...
1 tag
Creative Commons Salon NYC
I will speaking on a panel with a couple of my of K-12 educator peers at a Creative Commons Salon NYC event focusing on Opening Education on March 3rd. We will be a part of a night that will also include the founder of Flat World Knowledge and co-founder of Peer 2 Peer University. The event will last from 7pm to 10pm. Registration information can be found here.
December 2009
3 posts
3 tags
What Matters Now
Seth Godin just published a book called What Matters Now. In his new e-book, which is really more of a pamphlet, Godin and a number of other thinkers examine some important ideas that every educator must ponder and attempt to incorporate into his or her teaching. These are concepts that will cross every industry and will prove to be invaluable for our students as we move into the second decade in...
3 tags
The case for mobile phones in education
Mobile phones are ubiquitous. Whether you like it or not, your students have them and are probably texting or on Facebook while in your class. Some may see these tools as a massive problem for teachers but mobile phones are the one technology that has the most potential to improve education around the world. There are many initiatives to improve educational opportunities for students. Laptop...
1 tag
What is TEDxNYED?
This week the TEDxNYED website went live and the application is now open to all educators or those interested in the future of education. The TEDx event will be hosted in New York City on March 6, 2010. But while you could view the website to learn about the event, I wanted to introduce TEDxNYED and explain what prompted its creation. In the summer of 2009, I came across a tweet about TEDx. TED...
September 2009
2 posts
2 tags
Social Media Workshop
Theory Social Media Revolution New Media Literacies Digital Generation Themes The Digital Generation Themes consist of: Creativity Collaboration Teaching The Power of Social Media The networked student You Tube Activism Practice Tools that promote the themes of collaboration, creativity, and teaching. Twitter Blogging YouTube Flickr FriendFeed (combine all your mediums in one place) Diigo...
1 tag
Blog Workshop
Theory Blogs In Plain English The blog as a writing tool “Why I blog” by Andrew Sullivan Practice How to use a blog The power of blogging lies in providing a public voice for students. How could you use one in your classroom? “Blogs in Education” by Stephen Downes New Literacies by Clive Thompson Hands on What is it? Discuss the variations of a blog and its potential. Do...
May 2009
3 posts
3 tags
Disrupting Education
Lately a lot of people have been talking about disrupting industries. If we want to seriously consider how we can disrupt our current educational model, we need to listen. We need to listen to the likes of Clay Christensen who wrote a book about it, MIT’s New Media Literacies has developed strategy guides to support it, David Wiley and the State of Utah who are opening up classes that will...
3 tags
Education 3.0
No matter matter how much money a school throws at technology, it is all for naught if the use and approach is outdated. The folks over at Education Futures have been writing about this very thing in a series called Designing Education 3.0. There they discuss: The Role of Schools in Education 3.0 The Role of Technology in Education 3.0 The Role of Teachers in Education 3.0 These posts...
10 tags
A Model For Learning
For the past several weeks I have been mulling over the idea of participation, transparency, and connectivism. All ideas that I believe are the corner stones to the next big shift in education. Several people have been influential in helping me reach this point. I have been reading work from the likes of Henry Jenkins from Project New Media Literacies, Mike Wesch from Kansas State, David Wiley...
April 2009
9 posts
1 tag
Writing Tool Belt 2.0
This is a cross-posting for a piece I did for edSocialMedia.com No matter what new tool a carpenter may have at his disposal, he still must master the skills needed to build a house. Those tools may change the way he does his job but he still must learn the basic skills of carpentry. Learning in the 21st century is no different. Our students must learn many of the same skills they had to learn...
4 tags
A Response To The Textbook Debate
This is a cross post from a comment I wrote on Kevin Levin’s blog. He had written a response to my earlier post about textbooks and the role of the Internet. Enjoy. The Internet will only become a larger part of our lives, whether you like it or not. Our responsibility as educators, notice I say educators not teachers, is to prepare our students, we’d all agree on that. But, if we...
2 tags
Scholarly Crowdsourcing: Twitter Does History
Dan Cohen, the Director of the Center for History and New Media at George Mason University, my alma mater, tried an experiment yesterday that really made me think about how we can use social media in our classes. Cohen posted on his blog that he was going to conduct an experiment using his blog and Twitter. He would post an artifact and using a Twitter hashtag, #digdil09, and his Twitter account,...
2 tags
Solving The Time Issue
A few weeks ago I wrote about the issue of time and technology. I had referred to a speech given by Clay Shirky. His argument stated that we have always had the time to investigate technology but we used that time mindlessly watching sitcoms. The other day I read a post by Antonio Viva titled, Who Has Time for Social Media? Mr. Viva states that for the vast majority of people social media is...
6 tags
Students Can Transform Educational Technology
Sylvia Martinez, president of Generation YES, recently penned the blog entry Successful, sustainable strategies for technology integration and tech support in a tough economy. This entry was very timely because our school, like most schools, is trying to cut costs. Some see technology has a financial burden during a recession rather than an opportunity to save some money and create a student...
2 tags
The Switch
As I examine my media habits I realize, like many people, that what and how I consume my information has drastically shifted. In my previous post, Where do we find the time?, I mentioned the role of the Internet and how it can alter how we utilize our time. After I wrote that post I started to think. If I have shifted my media consumption habits from passively watching television to actively...
3 tags
Where Do We Find The Time?
Like most technology integrators, the biggest hurdle I have faced as the Director of Academic Technology has been the issue of faculty buy-in. I consistently hear the “I don’t have enough time” argument. This video of Clay Shirky, author of “Here Comes Everybody”, presents an interesting perspective in regards to the use of time. Are we really lacking the time or do...
2 tags
Google Maps and Writing
Writing is an essential part of what I teach. But no matter how you slice it, the act of writing is evolving. The short story, The 21 Steps by Charles Cumming is a prime example of this evolution. Cumming intertwines Google Maps into his story so that a story now takes a very visual twist. The reader visually follows the protagonist as the story unfolds. Changing The Game With the evolution of...