All banner artwork by Brady Johnson, college student and (semi-) starving artist.
Thursday, November 26, 2009 at 06:00AM I see by your outfit that you are a cowboy
"Streets of Larado" song lyric
On this family holiday, a reflection in pictures...
1959 - ish
1989 -ish
2009
A long line of cowpokes in our family.
Happy Turkey Day to all Blue Skunk Readers. Enjoy those families and folks close
to you - even when they take the last piece of pie!
Monday, November 23, 2009 at 05:46PM All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as being self-evident. - Arthur Schopenhauer
There are some educational "truths" that we can't change, even if we wanted to. These educational technology resources, annoyances, and condiions are here to stay despite some educators denial, resistance and fast grip on the status quo. The sooner educators, especially tech directors and administrators, accept that these things are a permanent part of the educational landscape, the sooner attention will be paid to using them positively and productively.
Here is my short list of things that just are not going to go away...
These horses are gone, boys and girls, and there's no putting them back in the barn.
Get over it.
Figure out ways to saddle the horse and ride it.
Monday, November 23, 2009 at 05:16PM In the very kind essay Living in Constant Fear, Miguel Guhlin reflects on my last post and the difficulty of making changes in education. Read it now. It's OK, I'll wait...
At the end of the post, Miguel suggests:
While Doug is writing about the challenges he faces, I'd like to see him write about how he created the sense of urgency to bring about the changes he's referring to. . .
I don't like being the bearer of bad tidings, Miguel, but I am rarely able to bring a sense of urgency to technology-related projects in the district. I can't think of any pedagogical changes* that have ever risen to the level of urgent in our schools - including those involving technology.
We are putting out no fires with either IWBs or GoogleApps.
In fact our district, like many, suffers from the "good standing in the way of the great" syndrome. We are good enough. We graduate enough kids, satisfy enough parents, make AYP in enough of our schools. We are prudent, traditional and safe. We neither soar to great heights nor dip to great lows. No one is in jeopardy of losing his or her job because of poor student performance.
Most of the projects I undertake would fall under Quadrant II - Important, Not Urgent in Stephen Covey's Time Management Matrix:
And the "not urgent" bit makes them difficult to accomplish. A collaborative writing tool? Interesting, but we've gone for years without one. Engagement with an interactive program on the white board? Nice gimmick, I suspect.
I sense little "urgency" in any facet of public education:
About the only "urgent" thing in most schools is getting rid of those damn trouble makers who advocate for change - or make the rest of staff look bad when the kids are engaged and enjoying learning.
Sorry, Miguel. This turned out a little more cynical than I wanted. But don't count on "urgency" as a mover in educational change. I suspect were a kid's hair on fire, for most educators it would take at least a couple studies, a few Education Week op-eds, and maybe a Ning discussion or two before they are firmly convinced that while something needs to be done, there is no consensus on just what it ought to be...
* Administrative changes, usually brought about by state or national testing/reporting mandates, are often urgent. This is why I've long argued for state/national requirements ala NCLB for information/technology literacy.
