For those of you who got the notification about this blog being titled "Random Digressions" only to find that is now "Spaghetti on the Wall", let me explain. Obviously, I don't know what I am doing. Just jumped right in to this blog thing, which is the way I do many things.
In a sense, my life and my thoughts are like the adage- "if you want to know if your spaghetti is done, throw some against the wall and see if it sticks." Well, that is what I do all of the time-- throw things against the wall to see if they stick-- ideas, plans, etc.
As a result, this space will be an amalgamation of thoughts and ideas-- some original, some not. Some I will believe in deeply and others I just throw out to stir the pot. Sometimes you will know where I stand; sometimes I won't give away my position.
What I hope to do is to help you be a life-long learner and develop your own personal learning network. I can see where social networking is good for that to some extent, but I realize now that this format is more effective.
You will see thoughts on business/economics, politics, education, technology, religion, humor, counseling and who knows what. I have recently been introduced to RSS feeds and as I result I am currently following almost 20 bloggers (You can see the list in my profile.) and that list will continue to grow as those people introduce me to more people.
It should be fun. So sit back and think. Let the scrutiny begin.
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Preparing for Who Knows What
I was at a technology conference this week where David Warlick (http://www.davidwarlick.com/) was the guest speaker. This was my second time to hear him in less than a year and each time I have walked away excited and inspired, but also filled with a sense of angst as he talks about technology and its use in the school setting.
The first time I heard him, I had no idea what he was talking about-- Web 2.0, back channels, and more. I was texting my oldest son, Alex, a recent college grad, as fast as I could (I had not figured out T9 then) to get definitions. Didn't dare open my laptop. Was afraid I couldn't figure out how to connect to the local network.
(As an aside, I am part of the generation that grew up doing computer programming with punch cards. I helped install the first computer lab in the College of Education at Texas Tech in the early 80's. We installed Radio Shack TRS-80's, Apples, and Commodore 64's with turtle graphics!)
This time, however, it was different. I knew the direction he was going and this time I was able to sit back and reflect on what he was saying. As a high school counselor and college English instructor, I have been struck both times by Warlick's contention that we are preparing our students for a world that is indescribable. What will the work world look like in the next 10 or 20 years? What will the classroom look like in that same time span?
Textbooks are becoming obsolete and well they should. Science books still tell students that Pluto is a planet. Information is growing at a phenomenal rate and people need access to it. The old ways are dying and many of the people who are teaching the new generation are still bound by tradition. The time has come to move on.
Two elements that Warlick emphasizes are the need to develop life-long learners and personal learning networks. By doing so, we will create a "literacy" that will allow people to explore what’s true, employ information, and express ideas compellingly.
That is the world the youth of today are moving in to-- a world where paper and pencil are not the means of communication, where people do not have phones in their home or desktop computers! But, what that world will look like no one truly knows.
So, what are we preparing our students for? Who knows, but it will be very different from the world I was educated in and the world I am educating students in today.
Change is inevitable, but how to change is a topic for another day.
I will leave you a hint though-- Chip and Dan Heath- Switch
The first time I heard him, I had no idea what he was talking about-- Web 2.0, back channels, and more. I was texting my oldest son, Alex, a recent college grad, as fast as I could (I had not figured out T9 then) to get definitions. Didn't dare open my laptop. Was afraid I couldn't figure out how to connect to the local network.
(As an aside, I am part of the generation that grew up doing computer programming with punch cards. I helped install the first computer lab in the College of Education at Texas Tech in the early 80's. We installed Radio Shack TRS-80's, Apples, and Commodore 64's with turtle graphics!)
This time, however, it was different. I knew the direction he was going and this time I was able to sit back and reflect on what he was saying. As a high school counselor and college English instructor, I have been struck both times by Warlick's contention that we are preparing our students for a world that is indescribable. What will the work world look like in the next 10 or 20 years? What will the classroom look like in that same time span?
Textbooks are becoming obsolete and well they should. Science books still tell students that Pluto is a planet. Information is growing at a phenomenal rate and people need access to it. The old ways are dying and many of the people who are teaching the new generation are still bound by tradition. The time has come to move on.
Two elements that Warlick emphasizes are the need to develop life-long learners and personal learning networks. By doing so, we will create a "literacy" that will allow people to explore what’s true, employ information, and express ideas compellingly.
That is the world the youth of today are moving in to-- a world where paper and pencil are not the means of communication, where people do not have phones in their home or desktop computers! But, what that world will look like no one truly knows.
So, what are we preparing our students for? Who knows, but it will be very different from the world I was educated in and the world I am educating students in today.
Change is inevitable, but how to change is a topic for another day.
I will leave you a hint though-- Chip and Dan Heath- Switch
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
