The Pig with the Wooden Leg

A fable, if you will:

A manure spreader salesmen was driving past a farmyard here in southern Minnesota when he spotted a pig with a wooden leg. His curiosity aroused, he pulled in the driveway and over to where Ole was repairing the corn crib.

"Say, Ole," says the salesman, "that's an interesting pig you got there. How'd he get the wooden leg?"

"Oh, yah," says Ole, "that's some pig. Once when the old barn caught fire, that pig rushed into the flames and let all the animals out of their pens so they could run to safety.

"Anudder time when the river flooded, our whole family was on the roof of the house and about to be swept away when that pig swam to the neighbor's house and swam back towing a fishing boat to rescue us.

" And just last summer when a tornado was coming right at the farm, that pig rounded up all the kids and got them into the storm cellar. The house was a goner, but the kids were OK."

The salesman was amazed. "Wow, that is quite the pig, Ole," says he. "So then, during which adventure was it he lost the leg?"

"Oh, he didn't lose the leg," replied Ole. "It's just that you don't eat a pig that good all at one time."

I've been soliciting volunteers to help with different tasks in our state's school library and technology organization. Little things like serving on committees for the upcoming state conference, writing short articles for the newsletter, and taking part in legislative activities.

What percentage of our 600 member "volunteer" organization steps forward? I'd say we have fewer than 50 people who ever take more than a completely passive role. 8%. And of that 50, maybe 20 who are dedicated. 3%.

Why is this? Why can some people with the same 24 hours in a day, same commitments to family and work, same need for leisure still work on volunteer basis while others simply refuse to participate. I am not condemning anyone since I am absolutely certain everyone has a great reason for doing what they do. And god bless every volunteer effort no matter how seemingly small.

Is it something we current active members are doing? Are we too set in our ways? Too clubby? Too poor at communicating the organization's needs?

Here's my fear. I am afraid like the pig with the wooden leg that we may be eating our best people alive. That at some point they will simply say "I've done my bit, served my debt to society the organization, and I am retiring as a volunteer." And the organization loses a wealth of information and experience and talent.

What is your perspective on this? Does the same active vs. inactive ratio apply in the volunteer organizations to which you belong? And what can we do about it?

ISTE and OLPC

Cranky person, Gary Stager, criticizes ISTE for not doing more to promote the OLPC project:

Since ISTE seeks to be the premiere educational technology advocacy group in the world, it seems curious they have done nothing whatsoerver to promote the efforts of One Laptop Per Child or the Give One, Get One promotion ending at the end of the year.

Why not take a minute to contact some of the folks listed here on the ISTE web site or its Board of Directors and ask them why the International Society for Technology in Education is silent on connecting the world's poorest children to the 21st Century?

My response left on Gary's blog:

Hi Gary,

I can't let this one slip by unchallenged.

While I am no longer an ISTE board member, I do know that during my tenure on the board, our organization invited Nicholas Negroponte to be a Keynote at NECC – one of the most visible live speaking opportunities there is in the global ed tech community – to talk about the OLPC initiative. NECC has also had full labs of the OLPC computers available for people to use in workshop settings. ISTE has actually done a tremendous amount through NECC to support this initiative.

May I ask you in return what you have done to work with ISTE on getting the word out? Or is your only role criticizing the work of others?

Doug

Somehow I don't think the world will be made a better place by writing snarky blog posts - no matter how many XOs are floating around.

Oh, I will agree with Gary about one thing. Please DO contact your ISTE board members and executive officers if there is an issue that concerns you. I've always been proud that ISTE is an organization that listens and responds to its members.

Cranky person Doug's XO that he got last year as a part of the Give One, Get One Program

AASL Standards - don't lose your right to grumble

OK, school library media specialists who had issues regarding the new AASL Student Standards. Here is your chance to have your voice heard:

The AASL Learning Standards Indicators and Assessment Task Force invites you to review and critique the first draft of Standards for the 21st Century Learner in Action at
http://www.ala.org/ala/aasl/aaslproftools/standardsinaction/standardsinaction.cfm

After releasing Standards for the 21st Century Learner in October 2007, AASL charged the task force "to develop a document to expand and support the new learning standards" with "indicators, benchmarks, model examples, and assessments." Standards for the 21st Century Learner in Action provides support for school library media specialists and other educators in teaching the essential learning skills defined in Standards for the 21st Century Learner. It presents  Examples for putting Standard 1: Inquire, think critically, and gain knowledge, into practice in Benchmark Grades 2, 5, 8, 10 and 12+.

This is the first draft of Standards for the 21st Century Learner in Action. It will be revised based on input from AASL members.  A second draft, expected to be posted for comment in September 2008, will include Benchmarks and Action Examples for Standards 2, 3 and 4. You are encouraged to thoroughly examine and critique the contents of this document. Please email your comments to StandardsInAction@ala.org, with "Comments" in the subject line, before June 6, 2008.

If you are attending the ALA Annual Conference in Anaheim, plan to attend the Open Forum on Saturday, June 28 at 9am to provide your input to the task force members in person.

You are also invited to contribute to Standards for the 21st Century Learner in Action by completing the blank template included in thedraft with your own sample tasks and assessments. Examples you provide will be considered for inclusion in the final publication of Standards for the 21st Century Learner in Action. Please email your completed template(s) to StandardsInAction@ala.org, with "Sample Tasks" in the subject line.

We encourage you to forward this invitation to your school library colleagues and to distribute it widely through your state and local school library listservs and blogs.

We look forward to reading your comments!

AASL Learning Standards Indicators & Assessment Task Force:

• Katherine Lowe, Chair, Massachusetts School Library Association
• Cassandra G. Barnett, Fayetteville High School Library, AR
• Melissa P. Johnston, Silver City Elementary, Cumming, GA
• Barbara K. Stripling, New York City Department of Education
• Dr. Violet H. Harada, University of Hawaii
• Frances Glick, Baltimore County Public Schools, Maryland

Here's the deal... If you don't take the time to read and comment on this first draft, YOU LOSE ALL YOUR WHINING RIGHTS about the standards. This task force is comprised of the very best thinkers our field has to offer, but none of them, as far as I know, are mind-readers.

 
Go for it...