tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18906266494664035282024-03-18T21:47:30.687-07:00teacher's lore"Nature never appeals to intelligence until habit and instinct are useless."Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger337125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1890626649466403528.post-24954196343864928752012-11-30T14:48:00.001-08:002012-11-30T14:48:57.199-08:00TEFL Faculty Meeting Nov12<div class='posterous_autopost'><div class='p_embed p_file_embed'> <a href="http://teacherslore.posterous.com/tefl-faculty-meeting-nov12"><img alt="" src="http://posterous.com/images/filetypes/pdf.png" /></a> <div class='p_embed_description'> <strong>TEFL Faculty Meeting Nov12.pdf</strong> <a href="http://getfile4.posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/teacherslore/myE6ucs4ObZya16aw3kH0YQfgUpnmVFx1d8KWzJuOnP6NhueytAzWeyftwiG/TEFL_Faculty_Meeting_Nov12.pdf">Download this file</a> </div> </div> <p>Roger</p></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1890626649466403528.post-11817196337052305732012-11-30T10:13:00.001-08:002012-11-30T10:13:59.022-08:00Teachers' Lore Digest (11/30/12) <div class='posterous_autopost'><p> <p> <p><span style="font-size: large;"><strong>No.1</strong></span></p> <p><span style="font-size: large;"><strong>Lessons We Can Learn from Jiro Ono</strong></span></p> <p>by Maximiliano "El Nerdo" Nérdez (via lifehacker.com | Nov 7th 2012 7:00am)<span style=""> </span></p> <p>I have been re-watching the documentary Jiro Dreams of Sushi for the past couple of months. I've seen it at least 10 times, probably more, while writing drafts for this article. I've watched it alone, with my wife, with friends, and I don't tire of it; I've recommended it to everyone I know, and now I'm wholeheartedly recommending it to you. I have watched this film in fascination, trying to extract lessons from this master. What have I learned from him? And what questions do these lessons open up for me?</p> <p>This little gem of a documentary by David Gelb takes a look at the work and life of Jiro Ono, a Michelin three-star sushi chef who, at 85 years of age, continues to work on his craft every day at his tiny restaurant in a Tokyo office building basement opposite a subway station entrance. His colleagues, his country, and at least one very knowledgeable food writer recognize him as perhaps the greatest sushi chef alive.</p> <p>What lessons have I learned from him?</p> <p>You must fall in love with your work</p> <p>"Once you decide on your occupation," says Jiro, "you must immerse yourself in your work. You have to fall in love with your work. Never complain about your job. You must dedicate your life to mastering your skill. That's the secret of success and is the key to being regarded honorably."</p> <p>Jiro himself is enormously happy with his work; he is a blissful craftsman who truly enjoys his work, which keeps him vital in his old age.</p> <p>However, it's crucial to note that he doesn't say "find work that you love," as if suggesting one goes on some romantic quest in search for the perfect job, but rather he tells us to love the work we have chosen.</p> <p>This means to consciously and voluntarily cultivate love, much like we do in a marriage. This is different from a teenage crush whereby one gets struck in the head by a random force and goes temporarily mad, only to wake up to disillusioned weeks or months later. Jiro's path to joyful work requires a lifetime of devotion.</p> <p>This brings to mind a more common conception of work some of us have: We tend to categorize jobs as being either "passion work" or "work just for the money." Then we tell ourselves that passion work is a pipe dream and we must endure a lifetime of mindless toil until the day we retire and begin to enjoy life.</p> <p>What would happen, I wonder, if we consciously and purposefully loved the jobs we feel condemned to do "just for the money"? Could this perhaps completely revolutionize our relationship with work, increase our quality of life, and diminish our hunger for retirement?</p> <p>Specialize, simplify, go deep</p> <p>Sushi is by definition a minimalist food, and Jiro has taken this simplicity to another level, not only in his sushi-making technique, but also in the composition of his menu. Unlike other restaurants of its kind, Jiro's does not serve appetizers. Rather, they create a daily menu of about 20 pieces of sushi per person. He serves sushi only, and no other dishes.</p> <p>Moreover, his restaurant has only 10 seats. This allows the staff to focus on preparing top-quality sushi and serving each client the best possible way, noticing little details like how much they eat or if they are right- or left-handed.</p> <p>Jiro's eldest son, Yoshikazu, who is a sushi chef in his own right but still works with his father as the heir apparent, says that at the restaurant they try to repeat the same thing every day. What's left implied is that mastery results from this constant repetition.</p> <p>This focus goes beyond the confines of work: Jiro repeats the same routine every day, down to standing on the same spot to take the train. He dislikes holidays and wants to return to work as soon as possible.</p> <p>It seems to me that Jiro increases his creativity by going deep, rather than wide—start with an automatic daily routine, pursue a narrow focus at work, and within that narrow focus, the combination of talent and hard work open up a universe for creative exploration.</p> <p>This reminds me of that mad genius William Blake, who wrote in "Auguries of Innocence":</p> <p>To see a world in a grain of sand</p> <p>And a heaven in a wild flower,</p> <p>Hold infinity in the palm of your hand,</p> <p>And eternity in an hour.</p> <p>With happiness like that, who needs vacations?</p> <p>Loving your work requires sacrifice</p> <p>If we stick for a moment with the "passion work" scenario I mentioned earlier, I notice that some people tend to assume that doing work you love is free of difficulties and that everything will be well in your life if you just switch careers. It is not. Doing work you love may cost you dearly, especially in the initial stages, and everyone choosing such a path should be willing to pay the price of admission.</p> <p>In my case, pursuing studies in the humanities and striking out on my own instead of finding a place in academia meant I have to work longer hours and make less money compared with people working in established organizations and with perhaps fewer years of education.</p> <p>I have made peace with that fact because I am doing work that I love, but the trade-off is evident. Today I aim to increase my income to a more comfortable level by cultivating focus and honing my skills, but it's a steep climb. Still, this was a conscious choice that I do not regret.</p> <p>I know this may seem to contradict a little bit what I said earlier about loving the work you've chosen, but I guess what I'm trying to say is that loving your work can at times be difficult, but if you persevere you will find yourself rewarded for it.</p> <p>In the case of Jiro, the demands of his job kept him away from his family while his children were growing up. He also had to struggle against poverty; when he got married he had no money in the bank, and years later his kids had to save for months before they could afford a Coca-Cola.</p> <p>Things have changed today, Jiro shares a good relationship with his children, who learned their craft from their father, but it took years of sacrifice and hard work to get there. Jiro himself had to endure being slapped or kicked during his learning years, but he didn't quit. He's had apprentices, however, who only lasted a day in his kitchen.</p> <p>The point of this, to me, is that the kind of bliss Jiro finds in his daily work can't be achieved through quick solutions and four-hour workweeks. It takes hard, intense, concentrated, and often painful work. Dream jobs don't simply work their magic because you find them; they do because you marry them for life and they reward you for your efforts as years go by.</p> <p>I am not suggesting, of course, that citizens of 21st-century Western democracies with different cultural prejudices put up with unfair or unsafe work conditions, but Jiro's tale is a reminder that love and sacrifice can reward us in transcendental ways that cannot be reduced to quick formulas for easy success. His path may not be for everyone, but I believe it's at least worthy of examination.</p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;">About the author:</span> Maximiliano "El Nerdo" Nérdez has been, at various times, scientist, dishwasher, professor, circus performer, politician, farmer, door-to-door canvasser, and fugitive from justice. He currently makes a living as a freelance artist and small business owner. He is interested in the philosophy and psychology of financial prosperity because (he claims) "it's all in the mind." El Nerdo does *not* live in Portland (OR or ME).</p> <p>Title image illustrated by Dominick Rabrun. You can find his illustrations on his personal web site, or works in progress on his blog.</p> <p>Original Page: <a href="http://lifehacker.com/5958304/lessons-we-can-learn-from-jiro-ono">http://lifehacker.com/5958304/lessons-we-can-learn-from-jiro-ono</a></p> <p> </p> <p><span style="font-size: large;"><strong>No.2</strong></span></p> <p><span style="font-size: large;"><strong>7 Creative Thinking Skills Important for You to Have</strong></span></p> <p>by Mike Brown (via brainzooming.com June 16th 2011)</p> <p>We were on a call recently with an extended creative team generating ideas for client videos. During breaks, I found myself jotting down examples of important creative thinking skills the team was exhibiting. These seven creative thinking skills demonstrated during the call are ones which benefit both those who display them and those working with them too:</p> <p>1. Suspending advocacy of your own idea to push for another person’s concept.</p> <p>It’s helpful to be able to come into a creative situation and demonstrate your willingness to champion another person’s idea. It can open the way to getting others to support your thinking, as well.</p> <p>2. Putting your own idea to the same test you apply to an idea from someone else.</p> <p>When it comes to your own ideas, it’s easy to be a hypocrite and apply all kinds of hurdles to other ideas while letting your own thinking slide by unchallenged in your own mind. Just one thing to remember: don’t become somebody known for doing this!</p> <p>3. Combining two different ideas and making them better (not muddled) as one idea.</p> <p>Often (maybe “almost always”) compromising on creative ideas leads to something nobody likes, recognizes, or thinks satisfies the original objective. Being able to dissect ideas to pull out highlights and put them together as something new, however, is entirely different, and a great skill to have.</p> <p>4. Letting someone else take “ownership” of your idea in order to build support for it.</p> <p>This skill really tests whether you believe so strongly in an idea you’re willing to let someone else step up and take it on as their own idea to see it prevail. The key to seeing your idea win out can be letting somebody else be the vocal proponent for it.</p> <p>5. Displaying the patience to wait for someone else to say what needs to be said so all you have to do is agree.</p> <p>It’s tempting to jump in right away and make all the points you feel necessary in a creative discussion before anyone else talks. At times though, patience and silence are called for when it becomes clear someone can and will express your perspective – and can do it more appropriately than you can.</p> <p>6. Sticking to your guns amid challenges to a creative idea which makes solid strategic sense.</p> <p>There are many creative ideas which, while being really cool, have nothing to do with what you’re trying to achieve and how you should be achieving it. When confronted with others who are passionately arguing for highly creative yet hardly strategic concepts, make and remake your case if the idea you’re advocating is on the mark strategically.</p> <p>7. Always looking for new creative skills to develop in yourself and those around you.</p> <p>Not only do you want to make yourself stronger creatively at every juncture, it’s in your best interests to help improve the creative performance of your overall team. Creative meetings are a great opportunity to spot gaps others labor under as well as seeing your own creative shortcomings. Inventory what you saw (or didn’t see) after a creative meeting and get to work filling the gaps.</p> <p>How are you doing on these 7 creative thinking skills? How about your team? – Mike Brown</p> <p>Original Page: <a href="http://brainzooming.com/7-creative-thinking-skills-important-for-you-to-have/7998/">http://brainzooming.com/7-creative-thinking-skills-important-for-you-to-have/...</a></p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p><span style="font-size: large;"><strong>No.3</strong></span></p> <p><span style="font-size: large;"><strong>You Should Read… (September 30, 2012)</strong></span></p> <p>(by georgecouros.ca | Oct 1st 2012)</p> <p>I missed sharing this post last week as I decided to take a Sunday off from everything and just watch some football There is a ton of great stuff and the article this week really pushed my own thinking about what can be happening in schools right now to push what we do in schools.</p> <p>1. What it might be – As our own school division embarks on the second year of digital portfolio implementation, I really enjoyed this post by my friend Jabiz Raisdana who shares not only some thoughts about student blogging, but shares his own experience with blogging as well. I really believe that if we are to be effective with kids in teaching this skill, we must not have knowledge, but also some experience with it as well. Whether that is in a personal blog or a classroom blog, seeing both the benefits and negatives is powerful.</p> <p>I think back to my own experience blogging and how I started off with the idea of “blog as a portfolio” but really started to fall in love with the writing process. My style has developed over time and now I find that blogging is crucial to my own learning, both personally and professionally.</p> <p>Jabiz ends the post with some great advice for students to get into the flow of blogging:</p> <p>If you want your students to blog effectively, give them the freedom to experiment and write about what interests them. Stay away from portfolios and forced reflections on their learning, at least until they get the hang of it. Wait until they find a voice, find an audience, and become involved in the conversations around ideas, before you push your agenda of meta-cognition and reflective learning. </p> <p>Seriously, read the entire post.</p> <p>2. 5 Critical Mistakes Schools Make with iPads – Too many times, I watch schools/organizations focus on the tool as opposed to the learning. That has led several schools to buy mass amounts of hardware (including iPads) and have many teachers not understand what their purpose is or see it as an add-on. Many school leaders may not think that, but if you talk to their teachers, they may have a different point of view. That is I have found this Edudemic article such a great guide to start for implementation of iPads (or any technology) in a school. The last point in the article is the most important in my opinion:</p> <p>5) Failure to communicate a compelling answer to “Why iPads?”</p> <p>Many school administrators simply fail to communicate to their constituents why they’ve purchased iPads. As a result, many initiatives face resistance from teachers, parents — and even students – who don’t understand why these devices are being introduced into their classrooms. Letting the purchase speak for itself isn’t enough – districts need to explain why they’ve invested in these devices.</p> <p>I encourage you to read this before you implement anything in your school. If you have already done so, still read it and ask yourself, “what have we missed?”</p> <p>3. Learning Today Looks Nothing Like in the Past – Karen Lirenman, a grade one teacher in Surrey, BC, shared some of the things that she is doing in her classroom and when I read her post, my jaw literally dropped. It is amazing what a grade one classroom can look like now but is this the norm? Is it even something that many are aspiring towards?</p> <p>Some of the things that Karen listed in her post that she does…Quad blogging, Skyping, blog for classroom collaboration, high school/elementary school collaboration, global read aloud, and much more. This is in a grade one classroom!</p> <p>So a couple of things popped in my head while reading this.</p> <p>a. When I hear teachers in elementary classrooms say that kids are too young for technology, I can easily send them to this post (and I probably will).</p> <p>b. Many may take Karen’s post as that she is not doing some of the traditional “literacies” in her classroom and think it is technology focused. I saw Yong Zhao this past summer and he said something that stuck out to me.</p> <p>“Reading and writing should be the floor, not the ceiling.”</p> <p>Karen is shooting for a much higher ceiling then she probably has before, probably because of all of her own learning that she has done. A master teacher always grows and Karen is exemplifying that in her work.</p> <p>c. What happens to these students after Karen’s class? What is her admin team doing to ensure that these types of activities are continued after next year with this group of students? What is Karen doing with the teacher’s of the next grade? It has to be a team effort in a school where we must all push each other’s learning to do what is best for kids, not just the sole responsibility of the “admin team”. This is where we go beyond “classroom teacher” to the notion of “school teacher”. Leadership can come from many different avenues in a school.</p> <p>Hopefully you have some food for thought this week from these posts. I know that definitely with these three articles alone, my thinking has been stretched significantly so I hope they have given you some food for thought as well.</p> <p>Just as an “extra” share, I wanted to share this awesome song by The Avett Brothers. I love their music and just started listening to their new album (is that what you call it nowadays?). Below is my favourite song from it.</p> <p>Have a great week!</p> <p>See Video: <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i4ceIHBjozs">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i4ceIHBjozs</a></p> <p>cc licensed ( BY NC SD ) flickr photo shared by gcouros</p> <p>Original Page: <a href="http://georgecouros.ca/blog/archives/3305">http://georgecouros.ca/blog/archives/3305</a></p> <p> </p> <p><span style="font-size: large;"><strong>No.4</strong></span></p> <p><span style="font-size: large;"><strong>Creative Commons explained (video)</strong> </span></p> <p><span style="font-size: small;">by David Hopkins, (dontwasteyourtime.co.uk February 8th 2012)</span></p> <p>Here is a great explanation of the different ‘attribution’ or license elements of Creative Commons:</p> <p>“Creative Commons helps you share your knowledge and creativity with the world. Creative Commons develops, supports, and stewards legal and technical infrastructure that maximizes digital creativity, sharing, and innovation.”</p> <p>See Video: <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AeTlXtEOplA">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AeTlXtEOplA</a></p> <p>(Nod to @jamesclay for showing this on his blog first)</p> <p>This work, unless otherwise expressly stated, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.</p> <p>Tagged with Creative Commons, Video, YouTube.</p> <p>Original Page: <a href="http://www.dontwasteyourtime.co.uk/video/creative-commons-explained-video/">http://www.dontwasteyourtime.co.uk/video/creative-commons-explained-video/</a></p> </p> </p></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1890626649466403528.post-83566584549867391382012-11-10T18:26:00.003-08:002012-11-10T18:26:16.987-08:00Finally, An Image That Puts EdTech in Its Place<div class='posterous_autopost'><p style=""><div class='p_embed p_image_embed'> <img alt="Image" height="350" src="http://getfile9.posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/teacherslore/uhBgJji4MWmGz8EUoXGuqCfUKBG55RnyQSDAd4vXN7eK3DMKxo9zIlPsXamI/image.png" width="600" /> </div> </p><p style=""><em style="">Villemard, 1910 <a href="http://expositions.bnf.fr/utopie/grand/3_95b1.htm" style="text-decoration: none;">À l’ École</a></em></p><p /><br /><span style="">Roger</span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1890626649466403528.post-53440308101622828952012-11-10T18:26:00.001-08:002012-11-10T18:26:14.891-08:00Finally, An Image That Puts EdTech in Its Place<div class='posterous_autopost'><p style=""><div class='p_embed p_image_embed'> <img alt="Image" height="350" src="http://getfile5.posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/teacherslore/ugdSwsSFK9YkDFUdaLUcMcrwI6UJzC3QACdA1JIpJIijdoh8h0uGZ4QRSLC5/image.png" width="600" /> </div> </p><p style=""><em style="">Villemard, 1910 <a href="http://expositions.bnf.fr/utopie/grand/3_95b1.htm" style="text-decoration: none;">À l’ École</a></em></p><p /><br /><span style="">Roger</span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1890626649466403528.post-89456488379724975292012-11-02T11:07:00.001-07:002012-11-02T11:07:29.840-07:00Apple Drained a River<div class='posterous_autopost'><div class='p_embed p_image_embed'> <a href="http://getfile0.posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/teacherslore/9bUiSvRj9vXF21JS7QpEPB8ckp7N4BPntKFt7gh8s5lBsx0jzcuN7Ar5iJgO/image.png.scaled.1000.jpg"><img alt="Image" height="1000" src="http://getfile0.posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/teacherslore/9bUiSvRj9vXF21JS7QpEPB8ckp7N4BPntKFt7gh8s5lBsx0jzcuN7Ar5iJgO/image.png.scaled.1000.jpg" width="750" /></a> </div> <p>Where is the Han River? <p /> Roger</p></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1890626649466403528.post-38445128887968151362012-10-31T11:50:00.001-07:002012-10-31T11:50:36.483-07:00'Paper' by 53 Introduces New Color Mixing<div class='posterous_autopost'><div>I am a huge fan of Paper. Its subtle approach and interface makes it my go to drawing app for my iPad 2 work machine. I draw my Medium Man comic and my presentation slides with Paper. If you want to see these efforts, <a href="http://collectiive.posterous.com">collectiive.posterous.com</a> is the link.</div><p /><div><blockquote type="cite"><b>'Paper' Introduces New Color Mixing Feature and Support for Touch-Sensitive Stylus</b><br /> <a href="http://www.macrumors.com/2012/10/31/paper-introduces-new-color-mixing-feature-and-support-for-touch-sensitive-stylus/">http://www.macrumors.com/2012/10/31/paper-introduces-new-color-mixing-feature-and-support-for-touch-sensitive-stylus/</a><br /></blockquote></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1890626649466403528.post-5959089968283238562012-10-30T22:20:00.001-07:002012-10-30T22:20:10.008-07:00Three Ways I've Simplified My Life Using Pen and Paper Instead of Technology<div class='posterous_autopost'><div><div class='p_embed p_image_embed'> <a href="http://getfile5.posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/teacherslore/3AeNqNCZrwAFBrY5JO1JP04FRspM61P4l718mb4It8rqOUOccZRfmhTKok86/image.png.scaled.1000.jpg"><img alt="Image" height="750" src="http://getfile5.posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/teacherslore/3AeNqNCZrwAFBrY5JO1JP04FRspM61P4l718mb4It8rqOUOccZRfmhTKok86/image.png.scaled.1000.jpg" width="1000" /></a> </div> <br /></div><p /><div>Helps Memory.</div><div>Expandable and Connectable. </div><div>Slows my Thinking Down. </div><div><br /><blockquote type="cite"> <b>Three Ways I've Simplified My Life Using Pen and Paper Instead of Technology</b><br /> <a href="http://lifehacker.com/5955721/three-ways-ive-simplified-my-life-using-pen-and-paper-instead-of-technology">http://lifehacker.com/5955721/three-ways-ive-simplified-my-life-using-pen-and-paper-instead-of-technology</a><p /> </blockquote> ---<br /></div><div>Roger</div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1890626649466403528.post-20504089127970677852012-10-30T08:24:00.001-07:002012-10-30T08:24:13.135-07:00TEFL VS. TESL at UC Irvine<div class='posterous_autopost'><div style="">The difference between TESL and TEFL can be minimal or significant depending on the program and course content offered by a particular school.</div><p /><div style="">At University of California, Irvine: </div><p /><div style="">TEFL is used for teaching language learners in a foreign country context. Since you are teaching English in a foreign country, there would be little or no language support for the TEFL teacher. It would be the task of the TEFL teacher to be skilled in acquiring resources and equipping the EFL students in this resource-poor context. The students also usually are homogeneous, which means they all usually speak the same first language. This is the typical context for foreign language teachers teaching in foreign countries. </div><p /><div style="">On the other hand, TESL is usually taught by teachers who usually have more experience in the English-speaking public/private school context. They are usually more familiar with the policies of public/private school districts towards ESL learners. Teaching ESL requires a slightly different skill set. The students are usually heterogeneous as they come from all over the world. There are many opportunities for language practice outside of the classroom as well. This is the biggest difference for an ESL teaching context. </div><p /><div style="">Granted the core content is very similar. They share the same disciplines, and the same issues and challenges.</div><p /><p /><br />Roger</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1890626649466403528.post-51701963596553658972012-09-24T11:26:00.001-07:002012-09-24T11:26:04.190-07:00Excerpts from the article: Street Photography: 7 Steps to Success by Selena Walker<div class='posterous_autopost'>> Dress For Success- Discretion is the key. Try to blend in with everyone on the street. The plan is to walk around unnoticed. <br />> > Point And Shoot- The first mistake a lot of beginners make is asking a person to act natural. Do not ask for permission. Do not pose people either! Once you do that, the moment is forever gone. Shoot first, ask later. <br />> > Stalk The Shot Not The People- Try shooting from the hip. Position your camera on your hip and shoot, not looking through the viewfinder. Currently on the market, there are many wonderful point and shoot cameras for street photography. One such notable is the Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5. It has a wide 24 mm lens minus the viewfinder. Perfect for street photography! <br />> > Move Your Body, Not Your Lens- Keep an open eye and walk where your eye takes you. Do not use a long lens. Long lenses separate you from people and will prevent you from interacting with the people. Furthermore it will make you feel like you’re spying on someone. <br />> > Emotion- Find something that stirs an emotion or ideas. Use the interactions of people and places to capture a sense of passion and feeling. <br />> > Less is Best- Carry minimal equipment as possible. Choose a camera and lens and leave it at that. Leave the camera bags, backpacks, and vests at home. Remember, you don’t want to look like a photographer! <br />> > Be Patient- Use scenarios that are busy and naturally interesting. Wait for the right shot. You don’t want to miss out on the real action because you were wasting time photographing mediocre ones. <p /> by Selena Walker <br />(via picturecorrect.comNovember 15th 2009) <p /> Roger</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1890626649466403528.post-44805757433525881542012-06-15T07:04:00.001-07:002012-06-15T07:04:16.351-07:00All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten: How to Use Twitter From Kindergarten to College<div class='posterous_autopost'><div> <h1>All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten: How to Use Twitter From Kindergarten to College</h1> <cite>by <a>Christine Cupaiuolo</a>, <a>spotlight.macfound.org</a><span><br />June 13th 2012</span></cite> <br /> <p>See Video: <a><iframe src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/39589735?portrait=0" frameborder="0" height="339" width="600"></iframe></a></p> <p><strong>6.14.12</strong> | As Twitter continues to make more inroads into academic spaces, two recent articles demonstrate its use across the educational spectrum.</p> <p>Both stories—a New York Times SchoolBook inside-look at a <a>tweeting class of kindergarteners</a>, and a ProfHacker column at The Chronicle of Higher Education on <a>Twitter’s use in college classrooms</a>—show not only how educators are using Twitter and social media for a great variety of tasks, but how educators are very aware of how to use them responsibly.</p> <p>At Public School 150, a technologically sophisticated elementary school in TriBeCa, kindergarten teacher Jennifer Aaron engages her class in a group tweeting effort three times a week. Family members of the 2012 class were encouraged to follow her private account, <a>@JensClass</a>, and to respond to student tweets.</p> <p>In the video above, Aaron explains how it works:</p> <blockquote> <p>We tweet as a whole class three times a week so they come to the rug—Twitter is usually on—and they have either at their seats thought of an idea that they want to share, or when they get to the rug I’ll give them a few seconds to think about what they want to share. And they put their thumb up and I call on them.</p> <p>I start typing whatever they say. So if it’s an incomplete sentence, I’ll type the incomplete sentence. And then when we read it back, they’ll tell me, they’ll be like, “What? I don’t understand.”</p> <p>We’ll tend to have a conversation and try to include the kids as much as possible to get them to learn how to edit down—using an ampersand instead of “and,” abbreviating days of the week, and little things like that to get it within the correct count for Twitter. And then they all start shouting “Tweet!” and I click the button.</p> </blockquote> <p>Here’s how an edited message appeared, cut down to fit within the 140-character limit: “We added more days in school stickers. We didn’t have any lame reflections. We had snack outside. Ask us about time.” (Read the <a>full story</a> to learn how that tweet developed.)</p> <p>Kids aren’t the only ones learning from this exercise. A parent in the video describes Twitter as “a very good starter” to conversations with her daughter about her day. She added that tweeting also encourages learning spelling.</p> <p>In a college-level digital humanities course, the focus of the student tweets shifts from sharing and spelling to debating scholarly articles, but as <a>Ryan Cordell at ProfHacker explains</a>, Twitter is also part of a larger plan to encourage conversation in his classes.</p> <p>While Cordell has previously talked about <a>how Twitter enables students</a> to engage with each other and expert practitioners in their field of study, his <a>recent post</a> is more focused on how he allays concerns about privacy that prevent many educators from making social media part of their curriculum.</p> <p>Although they work in very different educational contexts, the ways in which Aaron and Cordell address these concerns with students (and parents, in Aaron’s case) share a logic and simplicity that demonstrate to the rule-makers and other educators that there is no reason to be scared of social media when it is part of a responsible, conscious curriculum.</p> <p>Aaron’s kindergarten class tweets as a group and limits their audience to family members. Cordell wants to open up the world a bit more for his college students, but he still wants students to feel safe in this new academic space, and to have the option of whether to divide or blend their personal and academic personas.</p> <p>Cordell shares his social media assignment, which requires students to be active readers and writers of blogs and Twitter throughout their time in the course. The last part of the assignment asks students to sign up for a Twitter account:</p> <blockquote class="posterous_medium_quote"> <p>You will need a Twitter account for this class, so you can follow the accounts of other scholars. If you have one already that you want to use for class, then go to the next step. If you don’t yet have a Twitter account—or if you prefer not to use your personal account for classroom work—then sign up for a new account. <b>I strongly encourage you to create a disposable account if for any reason you prefer not to share your personal account for classroom activities.</b></p> <p>When we tweet about this course, we will use the hashtag #s12tot.</p> </blockquote> <p>Cordell explains his rationale for his flexibility:</p> <blockquote> <p>I give students explicit permission to keep their personal and academic lives separate, even when we’re using social media in the classroom [...] I like the phrase “disposable account,” which evokes disposable cameras, pre-paid cell phones, and the like—something useful for a purpose and easily discarded once that purpose is fulfilled. Students can use an alternate email to sign up for a class-specific Twitter account (or even sign up for a dummy email address for this purpose), use that account to meet the requirements of the social media assignment, and delete or abandon the account when the semester ends. Students can even create entirely pseudonymous Twitter accounts for class. So long as they tell me which account they’re working under, I do not care if the account reflects any of their personal information. [...]</p> <p>This strategy has worked pretty well in my classes. Some students are active on Twitter and want to use their personal accounts for class, which this setup allows. Other students are active on Twitter and do not want to use their personal accounts (one of my students said, perhaps too honestly, “Professor, if you read what I tweet about you’d probably lose respect for me.”), and this setup allows them to keep their personal and academic personae separate. Finally, some students have no interest in Twitter beyond this class assignment, and this setup respects their preference.</p> </blockquote> <p>The evolution of Twitter—specifically, the practice of tweeting under pseudonyms—has allowed Cordell to bring all the power of social media into his classroom in an undeniably thoughtful and respectful way.</p> <p>The elegantly constructed approaches of Aaron and Cordell prove the old maxim: The simplest solution is often the best. Or, to put it another way, <a>kindergarten really is the source of all knowledge</a>.</p> <img src="http://spotlight.macfound.org/blog/entry/all-i-really-need-to-know-i-learned-in-kindergarten-how-to-use-twitter-from/%3Cimg%20src=" /> <p>Original Page: <a href="http://spotlight.macfound.org/blog/entry/all-i-really-need-to-know-i-learned-in-kindergarten-how-to-use-twitter-from/">http://spotlight.macfound.org/blog/entry/all-i-really-need-to-know-i-learned-in-kindergarten-how-to-use-twitter-from/</a></p><p>Shared from <a href="http://readitlaterlist.com">Pocket</a></p></div><div><p />Roger</div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1890626649466403528.post-37573139843225079722012-06-14T21:39:00.001-07:002012-06-14T21:39:41.724-07:00The Story of Amber<div class='posterous_autopost'><div class='p_embed p_image_embed'> <a href="http://getfile8.posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/teacherslore/U4LX24kVv0snf3iYjlkmd1ikgq8E1U7neLIJt5TLI6X3zfu2FZIQCmMt4APB/photo_1.png"><img alt="Photo_1" height="785.864661654135" src="http://getfile8.posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/teacherslore/U4LX24kVv0snf3iYjlkmd1ikgq8E1U7neLIJt5TLI6X3zfu2FZIQCmMt4APB/photo_1.png" width="600" /></a> <img alt="Photo_2" height="858" src="http://getfile3.posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/teacherslore/n1Hrxfpoz3gT7pRjrOoNjvmfi0JYBNi6jqxg3OWoAGa9Py48x96nlKJLvJTu/photo_2.png" width="590" /> <a href="http://getfile8.posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/teacherslore/wR6XgHKjc8PvE1dMgic9vJHf6LKpvTDDSd0UMcHznfCVV2xIrox3EFyefIKY/photo_3.png"><img alt="Photo_3" height="849.185667752443" src="http://getfile8.posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/teacherslore/wR6XgHKjc8PvE1dMgic9vJHf6LKpvTDDSd0UMcHznfCVV2xIrox3EFyefIKY/photo_3.png" width="600" /></a> <div class='p_see_full_gallery'><a href="http://teacherslore.posterous.com/the-story-of-amber">See the full gallery on Posterous</a></div> </div> <p>Roger</p></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1890626649466403528.post-35387832649437109392012-06-14T08:09:00.001-07:002012-06-14T08:09:22.337-07:00The story of Amber Morena<div class='posterous_autopost'><div class='p_embed p_file_embed'> <a href="http://teacherslore.posterous.com/the-story-of-amber-morena"><img alt="" src="http://posterous.com/images/filetypes/pdf.png" /></a> <div class='p_embed_description'> <strong>The story of Amber Morena.pdf</strong> <a href="http://getfile3.posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/teacherslore/3zhreTD03avV6rCZVRUeB5niZtM39ELKKFEz8fYWl2VDVWcAWW4Jjz3cBagL/The_story_of_Amber_Morena.pdf">Download this file</a> </div> </div> <p>Roger</p></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1890626649466403528.post-2063043717596385292012-06-01T08:19:00.001-07:002012-06-01T08:19:42.893-07:00My Wife's Continuous Gift to our Children<div class='posterous_autopost'><div><div><div style=""><div><div class='p_embed p_image_embed'> <a href="http://getfile9.posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/teacherslore/pspwPWJncj2L9010ZhpDiJI3YPYtduOo5BOnt1mKKhe0aK22rFzIpuASGyG3/image.png.scaled.1000.jpg"><img alt="Image" height="750" src="http://getfile9.posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/teacherslore/pspwPWJncj2L9010ZhpDiJI3YPYtduOo5BOnt1mKKhe0aK22rFzIpuASGyG3/image.png.scaled.1000.jpg" width="1000" /></a> </div> </div></div></div></div><div><div><div style=""><div>Favorite quote from my wife's read-aloud a few nights ago, The Phantom Tollbooth:</div><p /><p /></div></div></div><blockquote type="cite"><div><div><div style=""><blockquote type="cite"><div>"They walked for a while, all silent in their thoughts, until they reached the car and Alec drew a fine telescope from his shirt and handed it to Milo.</div><p /><div><blockquote type="cite">"Carry this with you on your journey," he said softly, "for there is much worth noticing that often escapes the eye. Through it you can see everything from the tender moss in a sidewalk crack to the glow of the farthest star- and, most important of all, you can see things as they really are, not just as they seem to be. It's my gift to you."</blockquote></div></blockquote></div></div></div></blockquote><p /><blockquote type="cite"><p /></blockquote><div><div><div style=""><div><a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Phantom-Tollbooth-Norton-Juster/dp/0394820371">http://www.amazon.com/The-Phantom-Tollbooth-Norton-Juster/dp/0394820371</a></div></div><br />Roger</div></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1890626649466403528.post-13845773704845455882012-05-16T13:12:00.001-07:002012-05-16T13:12:49.060-07:00Cross-Pollination<div class='posterous_autopost'><div><blockquote type="cite"><span style="">"The most creative and fertile game designers working today tend to be the ones who make a point of <i>not</i> focusing too much on other games for inspiration. Creativity comes from cross-pollination, not the reiteration of the same ideas. By making gaming their hobby, game designers are making the echo chamber of their own work. Because of this, it is critical that games be placed in context with the rest of human endeavor so that game designers can feel comfortable venturing outside their field in search of innovative ideas" </span><span style="">-Raph Koster on game design</span></blockquote></div><p /><div><span style="">Always look laterally, and outside of your expertise for patterns, and ideas that can come back and inform your own pedagogical design.</span></div><div><span style=""><br /></span>Roger</div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1890626649466403528.post-58646478952399098862012-05-12T07:01:00.001-07:002012-05-12T07:01:47.807-07:00On Gamification: Language Learners Hiding Behind Avatars is a Good Thing?<div class='posterous_autopost'><p style="margin-top: 15px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px;"><span style=""><div class='p_embed p_image_embed'> <a href="http://getfile7.posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/teacherslore/JDf9KnBw3xSknHCXIAIrjOAfEA83btTFuLdSePwb9JrdhFf0XoALKk0FvtRa/image.png.scaled.1000.jpg"><img alt="Image" height="750" src="http://getfile7.posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/teacherslore/JDf9KnBw3xSknHCXIAIrjOAfEA83btTFuLdSePwb9JrdhFf0XoALKk0FvtRa/image.png.scaled.1000.jpg" width="1000" /></a> </div> </span>"Avatars" in game-design are personas that game-players take on as they immerse themselves in the game. Game-players play the game with this 'fictitious' persona. This persona, normally called a 'player character', can be a warrior, a scientist, a superhero, a spy, an animal, etc. Hiding behind this persona allows the game-player to behave differently than how they would normally behave in real life. They are taking on a role of a character that is usually bigger and greater than themselves. This anonymity, and the license to act 'bigger-than-life" gives them freedom to defeat foes, do heroic acts, fulfill quests, etc. The persona allows them to take greater risks, explore and approach problems that they would not face in real life. For the language classroom, what if a language learner has the ability to hide behind a mask and/or persona? Would the language learner be willing to take risks if his real identity was hidden? To what degree of risk-and more importantly, the increase of associated benefits would a language learner have in if she were operating under this protection?</p><p><br />Roger</p></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1890626649466403528.post-89623328885761766302012-04-14T17:02:00.001-07:002012-04-14T17:02:02.865-07:00Surviving Blogs (Social Media Survival Guide P4)<div class='posterous_autopost'><div class='p_embed p_file_embed'> <a href="http://teacherslore.posterous.com/surviving-blogs-social-media-survival-guide-p-18332"><img alt="" src="http://posterous.com/images/filetypes/pdf.png" /></a> <div class='p_embed_description'> <strong>Surviving Blogs.pdf</strong> <a href="http://getfile8.posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/teacherslore/cNCWloIJzN8fg8zQ5ndjwStvArxGtfwVchoLEPlA7B1OS2AFitl9LKeqzSy8/Surviving_Blogs.pdf">Download this file</a> </div> </div> <p>Roger</p></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1890626649466403528.post-76199197073671518292012-04-14T09:24:00.001-07:002012-04-14T09:24:31.661-07:00Surviving Twitter (Social Media Survival Guide P2)<div class='posterous_autopost'><div class='p_embed p_file_embed'> <a href="http://teacherslore.posterous.com/surviving-twitter-social-media-survival-guide"><img alt="" src="http://posterous.com/images/filetypes/pdf.png" /></a> <div class='p_embed_description'> <strong>Survive Twitter.pdf</strong> <a href="http://getfile1.posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/teacherslore/b6PWL41GoyuPRyzrvsdy9YEUMP2VcRfH05GSU9fkOkPI3CR0JgKhMZGzFiSs/Survive_Twitter.pdf">Download this file</a> </div> </div> <p>Roger</p></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1890626649466403528.post-28159258322539815322012-04-14T09:19:00.001-07:002012-04-14T09:19:57.843-07:00Social Media Survival Intro (Social Media Survival Guide P1)<div class='posterous_autopost'><div class='p_embed p_file_embed'> <a href="http://teacherslore.posterous.com/social-media-survival-intro-social-media-surv"><img alt="" src="http://posterous.com/images/filetypes/pdf.png" /></a> <div class='p_embed_description'> <strong>Social Media Survival Intro.pdf</strong> <a href="http://getfile3.posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/teacherslore/ZcQIy1opDEHdPQiDbHuF1eVIw1TY4Lc8aB9teZv5a8Na7VIj6Y2xWH3bSYwz/Social_Media_Survival_Intro.pdf">Download this file</a> </div> </div> <p>Roger</p></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1890626649466403528.post-70361018660831012742012-04-14T09:15:00.001-07:002012-04-14T09:15:25.176-07:00Surviving Blogs (Social Media Survival Guide P4)<div class='posterous_autopost'><div class='p_embed p_file_embed'> <a href="http://teacherslore.posterous.com/surviving-blogs-social-media-survival-guide-p"><img alt="" src="http://posterous.com/images/filetypes/pdf.png" /></a> <div class='p_embed_description'> <strong>Surviving Blogs.pdf</strong> <a href="http://getfile1.posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/teacherslore/V5MuMiOG1XxwkoMcDoCtghEkIp8gCCwJBXQH6W06cjIIMghZ5zByboSqTXIi/Surviving_Blogs.pdf">Download this file</a> </div> </div> <p>Roger</p></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1890626649466403528.post-59684126334700787322012-04-14T09:14:00.001-07:002012-04-14T09:14:42.946-07:00Surviving Facebook (Social Media Survival Guide P3)<div class='posterous_autopost'><div class='p_embed p_file_embed'> <a href="http://teacherslore.posterous.com/surviving-facebook-social-media-survival-guid"><img alt="" src="http://posterous.com/images/filetypes/pdf.png" /></a> <div class='p_embed_description'> <strong>Survive Facebook.pdf</strong> <a href="http://getfile5.posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/teacherslore/KLLWsSxnkHKO6p5q0Fp9JStkOXxVow26mzpMdSRBVj13RFShsnvRJ2a4PD6R/Survive_Facebook.pdf">Download this file</a> </div> </div> <p>Roger</p></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1890626649466403528.post-27768135335220430652012-04-14T07:55:00.001-07:002012-04-14T07:55:37.564-07:00How to use blogs for teaching<div class='posterous_autopost'><div class='p_embed p_file_embed'> <a href="http://teacherslore.posterous.com/how-to-use-blogs-for-teaching"><img alt="" src="http://posterous.com/images/filetypes/pdf.png" /></a> <div class='p_embed_description'> <strong>How to Posterous.pdf</strong> <a href="http://getfile2.posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/teacherslore/bhXSkxue6vh4axz4UEfHytzhAge4oq1DNPDQDhGC4a2ImYrtPb5ZA9IZMEFN/How_to_Posterous.pdf">Download this file</a> </div> </div> <p>Roger</p></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1890626649466403528.post-959383234189054422012-03-30T06:56:00.001-07:002012-03-30T06:56:22.310-07:00The Speaker-less Session<div class='posterous_autopost'>My first session to attend at the Philadelphia TESOL Conference was on using 'Gamification' to design language lessons. I was really interested in hearing what the speaker had to say. Games and gaming at home and in the mobile space is taking off, and I wanted to hear what clever people had to say. I sat in the front, I got my notes out, I had my coffee nearby within arm's reach. It was 7:32 am (4 o'clock in the morning CA time) and there was no speaker. <p /> No problem. <p /> I would just get up and go to my alternate session. I said something to the guy next to me and we both agreed that the speaker was a no-show. <p /> I gather my stuff and walk out. As I am going down the hall I overhear two guys talking about 'gamification' coming towards me and towards the 'speaker-less' session. I politely interrupt them and inform that the guy didn't show up. There was disappointment on their faces. <p /> I then suggested out-of-the-blue that we should just get together and chat about the topic. We should not wasted the opportunity. We walk back in and still there's no one there. I then went crazy... <p /> I got up and introduced myself to the 40-50 attendees still waiting for the speaker. "I'm not the speaker for this talk," I said, "but if you want, I can facilitate a discussion on gamification, since you are all here vested in this topic." <p /> There was agreement. So, I get my iPad out, use my VGA converter, and open a note-taking application. The large screen responded beautifully! <p /> I asked folks the audience to start sharing. I told them that I'll take notes that would be projected on the screen. And who ever spoke, I would put their contact information in the notes next to their comments. I told the audience that if they wanted a copy of the notes, I would post them online later in the day, and they could email me for the link. <p /> Let the gamification "speaker-less session" begin! <p /> It was a truly amazing hour and a half. People shared their thoughts, concerns and resources. Others would answer their questions, clarify, and share their insights. All I did was take notes, give a few comments, moderate discussions and thank the impromptu contributors. I kept on thinking to myself: 'This is so rich! I am truly engaging with their like-minded educators. I am helping others with concepts, I am not wasting my time!' <p /> I wished at that moment, when we were wrapping up our talk, that more sessions would be like this. A genuine mutual sharing of ideas and practices. We identified unanswered questions that we would need to find answers for. We resourced each other. We encouraged each other and felt that we were not alone. <p /> It really does remind me of how lucky I am. My favorite place at work at UCI is our little kitchen area. I learned so much just chatting with my colleagues. These short (not always short) conversations were again the mutual sharing of ideas, and questions. There was that same feeling of camaraderie. <p /> Why aren't conferences more like this? I really don't think that the rest of the sessions that I plan to attend are going to be as uniquely special as my first one. <p /> The link to the 'Speaker-less Session' is on my blog: <a href="http://tefl.posterous.com">http://tefl.posterous.com</a> <br />Scroll down and look for the Gamification Jam-Session posts (there are 14 individual posts!). <p /> Roger</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1890626649466403528.post-22680368156917605742012-02-16T05:25:00.001-08:002012-02-16T05:25:53.145-08:00Is Formal Teacher-Training Useless?<div class='posterous_autopost'><p><div class='p_embed p_image_embed'> <a href="http://getfile9.posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/teacherslore/hFllxDjmnIilbCtibartDkauakbaBmAmyjFEIrhmywAshBiuDnnuqvcfeeCd/p63.jpg.scaled1000.jpg"><img alt="P63" height="667" src="http://getfile9.posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/teacherslore/hFllxDjmnIilbCtibartDkauakbaBmAmyjFEIrhmywAshBiuDnnuqvcfeeCd/p63.jpg.scaled1000.jpg" width="1000" /></a> </div> </p>Sean Dikkers, guest blogger for the site Dangerously Irrelevant (<a href="http://dangerouslyirrelevant.org/2012/02/are-teacher-preparation-programs-dangerously-irrelevant-guest-post.html)">http://dangerouslyirrelevant.org/2012/02/are-teacher-preparation-programs-dan...</a>, is conducting a 4-part blog post on the 'irrelevancy of teacher training programs'.<p>"Many studies seek to inform practice by examining experts in a field. In this post, I want to share some of the preliminary findings in the 21st Century Teaching Project (21CTP) - a study of teacher professional development trajectories toward the integration of new media technology."</p><p>He further posits this question: "So what does this say to educational leadership? Do we want more 21st century teachers? The most innovative teachers are drawing on experiences and skill sets they developed outside of education."</p></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1890626649466403528.post-58913587365612978752012-01-31T06:22:00.001-08:002012-01-31T06:22:23.147-08:00MITx<div class='posterous_autopost'><p><div class='p_embed p_image_embed'> <a href="http://getfile6.posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/teacherslore/FaxshAyGhDrGAjupqCHobIjzmCqEfjauBeGkCzBIyufbCpbfvjDloBmlobJz/p178.jpg.scaled1000.jpg"><img alt="P178" height="562" src="http://getfile6.posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/teacherslore/FaxshAyGhDrGAjupqCHobIjzmCqEfjauBeGkCzBIyufbCpbfvjDloBmlobJz/p178.jpg.scaled1000.jpg" width="1000" /></a> </div> </p>The link below talks of MIT's bold new educational currency. <p><a href="http://chronicle.com/article/MIT-Mints-a-Valuable-New-Form/130410/">http://chronicle.com/article/MIT-Mints-a-Valuable-New-Form/130410/</a> (Source: <a href="http://twitter.com/briankotts/status/164318097912762368)"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>RT @<a href="https://twitter.com/briankotts">briankotts</a>: MIT Mints a Valuable New Form of Academic Currency <a href="http://t.co/I0GSLvYt" title="http://bit.ly/xr1LpL">bit.ly/xr1LpL</a> /via @<a href="https://twitter.com/chronicle">chronicle</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/search/%2523highered">#highered</a></p>— markwarschauer (@markwarschauer) <a href="https://twitter.com/markwarschauer/status/164318097912762368" data-datetime="2012-01-31T12:04:22+00:00">January 31, 2012</a></blockquote></a> Roger</p></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1890626649466403528.post-17728348288287214612012-01-27T14:09:00.001-08:002012-01-27T14:09:11.757-08:00Are You a Person Who Knows What to Look For?<div class='posterous_autopost'><p><div class='p_embed p_image_embed'> <a href="http://getfile6.posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/teacherslore/hcFekilDzoyFAjglbEtbjwrbohpJnfermCdFlteCIyJgyqzIvzcwezJIgfDr/p51.jpg.scaled1000.jpg"><img alt="P51" height="413" src="http://getfile6.posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/teacherslore/hcFekilDzoyFAjglbEtbjwrbohpJnfermCdFlteCIyJgyqzIvzcwezJIgfDr/p51.jpg.scaled1000.jpg" width="620" /></a> </div> </p>There's this outfit in the UK called Learning Without Frontiers: Learning, Innovation & Society. Learning Without Frontiers "is a global platform for disruptive thinkers, innovators and practitioners to share knowledge, ideas and experiences about new learning." They had a number of notable speakers: Ray Kurzwiel, Sir Ken Robinson, Noam Chomsky just to name a few. Chomsky spoke yesterday on technology. The following is an excerpt from a Wired article by Katie Scott. My thanks to DML central for alerting me to this article. "The MIT professor stated that technology can be compared to a hammer. "It doesn't care if you use it to build a house or crush someone's skull. The Web is valuable if you know what you're looking for, if you have a framework of understanding. But you always have to be willing to question whether your framework is the right one." He compared simply browsing the web for information to pointing a student at the library knowing they had no idea what they were looking for. "Exploring the internet can just be picking up random factoids that don't mean anything", he said. "The person who won the Nobel prize in biology isn't the person who read the most journals. It was the person who knew what to look for," he added." I want to be clear how this helped me articulate my hopes for the Teacher-training program I have been involved in these past six months. The JTEs (Japanese English Teachers) that came here to our International Programs at UC Irvine Extension might have expected to attend just a bunch of lectures. But that was not my goal. My goal was not to fill their heads with static knowledge- "reading the most journals" as Chomsky pointed out The goal was to help them know what to do when they went back to Japan...when they go back into the classroom.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com