Ira Socol – educational reformer

Wow. My mind has really been opened to a wider view of learning and educational reform after stumbling onto (via my Twitter network) Ira Socol.

Here are a couple of brilliant quotes, talking out technology and learning:

“The majority of our students do “poorly” in school, do not achieve their potential in school, do not enjoy education. Doing it “the old way,” utilizing the old tools, ensures that they never will.”

“But now it is all about how you learn to find information, how you build your professional and personal networks, how you learn, how to learn – because learning must be continuous. None of this eliminates the need for a base of knowledge – the ability to search, to ask questions, requires a knowledge base, but it dramatically alters both how that knowledge base is developed, and what you need to do with it. This paradigm opens up the ranks of the “educated” in ways inconceivable previously.”

Oh so challenging but so liberating. And confirming what I am experiencing as I work with disengaged youth who have been spat out by the school system. (No disrespect inferred by the teachers and administrators – we are all pawns in the system).

As educators we must challenge the “system” and demand that it be relevant to all learners and bring about the much needed revolution…not reform, as that is just tweaking around the edges of what is inherently a broken system.

Looking forward to reading more and sharing Tweets together.

Grandma and Baby

I am not really into art galleries but I went with my wife to see a local exhibit that has everyone talking with more than 5000 visitors having been to see it.

The Grandma and baby sculpture is absolutely amazing in its realism.

The artist is Sam Jinks and his website display more incredibly realistic work.

Where and when do the best ideas happen?

This Best-Ideas-Poll I found has some very pertinent information for educators. The results found that most people have their best ideas when they are doing something completely different.

Many people said they come up with ideas best while:

Daydreaming Driving Commuting to and from work Doing something that feeds your soul When you least expect it Walking Being in nature Late at night Surfing the internet Traveling Vacationing Showering Having fun Relaxing Working with your hands Reading books outside your field Early in the morning Dreaming (at night) Taking a break Laying awake in bed Just before sleep Just upon waking Exercising On a plane

Waking up in the middle of the night Hanging out with friends Doing nothing Meditating Doing anything mindless Joking with friends Taking a bath Any repetitive physical activity In the bathroom In the kitchen On a train Gardening Jogging or running Just after exercising At a concert On the toilet Riding a bicycle Swimming Brushing your teeth Drinking anything with alcohol Playing a sport Mowing the lawn Shaving In a bar Organizing things

Is it important for our students to have ideas? Of course it is.

So why do we insist that they stay at their desk/table for hours at a time to think, write, answer questions etc? We need to give them time and space for their thinking…even outside the classroom.

The results also showed that most ideas came about when people were on their own or worked with one other. How come we expect students in a classroom of others to generate good thinking or ideas most often as a class group?

If we look at most workplaces the majority of work is done alone or in small groups/teams. With each left alone to do their own job.

So if we want our students to be more productive let’s allow them to daydream, go for a walk, do some doodling, have a drink, take a break, do some origami etc, whatever works for them.

Are we paying attention to ‘Digital Learning’?

This is a real challenge for us all….

Since most of today’s students can appropriately be labeled as “Digital Learners”, why do so many teachers refuse to enter the digital age with their teaching practices?

This presentation was created in an effort to motivate teachers to more effectively use technology in their teaching.

Please see http://t4.jordandistrict.org/payatten… to learn how you can become a better teacher.

Community trumps content

Another really good TED talk that shines the light on the growing power of social networking and Web 2.0. How can we learn to embrace it and factor it into our learning environments rather than excluding it and making it difficult for our students.

Students are realising they can learn more form their community than they can at school!! The revolution is coming…

The power of web video

WOW! This is absolutely brilliant…

It reminded me of two chats I have had with students who both said that they learnt all about how they mastered something by watching YouTube videos. One boy was how he learnt to play the guitar and the other how to do hardstyle dancing…other time it was how to make a taser from a camera!!

I must admit I find myself looking for and watching video to learn how to do something online.

Anyway, watch and enjoy. Here is the blurb first…
TED’s Chris Anderson says the rise of web video is driving a worldwide phenomenon he calls Crowd Accelerated Innovation — a self-fueling cycle of learning that could be as significant as the invention of print. But to tap into its power, organizations will need to embrace radical openness. And for TED, it means the dawn of a whole new chapter …

Ken Robinson – Do schools kill creativity

I have posted this video before, but here it is again. I have watched both these a number of times. This is a must watch for all teachers and educators.

Ken Robinson’s talk at TED was so popular it has been watched millions of times.

Here is his much requested follow up talk at TED, also great viewing.

Autism students – personalised and relevant learning

Here is a wonderful TED video about Temple Grandin. Temple talks about her autism and also how schools can and should be more flexible in their approach to learning. She talks about personalising learning, exposing students to new and wonderful things in and out of the classroom and also internships and mentoring.

Anyone would think she was promoting the Big Picture approach to learning. The fact is she is talking about the importance of making learning relevant so students, whatever their need, can be engaged and inspired.

Children will learn to do, what they want to learn to do!

Here is an amazing video that featured on TED which features the work of an Indian Educator/Academic, Sugata Mitra. Read below from Generation YES blog post…

Two things were said that supports our personalised approach:-

• Children will learn to do, what they want to learn to do!
• He met with Arthur C Clarke who said, “If children have interest then education happens”

Sugata Mitra has done pioneering research with computers, learning and children, especially about learning in parts of the world where, as he says, “good teachers don’t want to go.”

He talks about some of his old concepts, such as the Hole in the Wall project, where computers were placed in walls in the slums of India, and what happened as the children taught themselves and others how to use them. His concept of “Minimally Invasive Education” is based on these experiments, basically giving children fully functional computers and time to explore questions of interest. The results were amazingly consistent — children can achieve basic competency on computers completely on their own, even when the interfaces were in languages they didn’t understand. It calls into question the whole definition of technology literacy and how we traditionally teach it.

Here is another video I found with Sugata talking about the influence of Slumdog Millionaire and some more projects he is wporking on:

One of my passions – Collingwood, Go Pies!

Please indulge me a little while I express a bit of passion for my favourite sport and my favourite team – The Collingwood Magpies who play Aussie Rules football.

I have followed them all my life, so did my dad and his dad before him.

As a young fellow I was a team mascot for my home town football team, the Maryborough Magpies who had a close link to Collingwood.

Here I am as mascot in the team that won the grand final that year.

I love Aussie Rules football and enjoy watching many teams play but I hold my greatest enthusiasm for watching Collingwood.

Collingwood have had a great deal of success winning premierships, not so much recently, but especially in the old days, with 4 in a row from 1927-1930. This I believe made them both much hated and much loved as the Aussie likes to knock down the tall poppy (one who is successful).

Collingwood, the club and its supporters are often the brunt of much derision and put down jokes. Some of which are very funny mind you!

Q. Two Collingwood supporters jump off a cliff. Who wins
A. Society.

Q. If you are driving and you see a Collingwood supporter on a bike, why should you try not to hit him?
A. It might be your bike.

Q. Two Collingwood supporters in a car without any music – who is driving?
A. The policeman!

That’s enough! There are heaps more.

Collingwood finished on top of the ladder and are in the finals this year.

They have won their first finals game and have a very good chance of winning the big one – The Grand Final. They have not won a grand final since 1990.

Also, their best player this year, Dane Swan, is favourite to win the Brownlow Medal which is the AFL’s (Australian Football League’s) best play award.

And I will finish with a wonderful YouTube video of one of my most favourite Collingwood players who played from 1979 – 1993. He was known as the Macedonian Marvel and Mr Magic.

Watch and see why….GO PIES!