Friday, August 13, 2010

convos






curiosity is a natural and beautiful phenomena.
when generously facilitated, learning how to learn becomes the most basic, the most simple, and the most vital of all skills.
unfortunately, in public ed, as we have sought knowledge during an age where that suited us, we find ourselves bound by the very system that we ourselves manufactured to give us opportunity.
now that the ability to facilitate natural curiosity in a public school setting via individualization to infinity per passion/curiosity is possible, most of us are unable to tap into it.
it seems we need a manufactured short term detox/rehabilitation for any that have been through formal schooling, to get us back to the state of and believing in our natural curiosity.
nclb = absolutely
achievement gap = misnomer ..


i did what you said... read or talked to no one before.
wrote the above.
then - as per usual... read some things, including Seth’s post.
There are huge opportunities for (educators) seeking to upend traditions that have outlived their usefulness. One by one, traditions that supported technology are falling as the technology changes.
Everyone has different needs and expectations and resources. The internet lets you tell people apart and give them what they need.

CoCreatr @monk51295 !! This _____ underscores (symbolic pun) the need to subtract from education what is only there because of bygone technology.

don’t forget to add Bernd’ sex tweets..

so after my run... the stream that i fear i won’t remember - and have secretly wished for some tech to jot down my thinking as i run... and no i can’t talk while i run...legibly - but that James convinces me if i don’t remember it didn’t matter...


the web is allowing us to go to unheard of places in our world and beyond. we all get at least a glimmer of that. i think what most might be missing - is that the web is also allowing us to strip down to our very selves. it’s allowing us to come out from behind the labels and rules and ... that are currently binding us. we all hunger for that simplicity. and it’s ironic that the unlimited data/knowledge the web provides is what is (or will be) pushing us over the edge to realize that. the vast complexity is making the way for simplicity.

50 years ago when a 5-6 year old entered public school, they were greeted by a loving, caring teacher that sought to shape that child into the best citizen deemed by society.
today when a 5-6 year old enters public school, we now have the means to be a loving, caring facilitator seeking to allow that child to become the best producer of civic value (or citizen) deemed by their own passion/curiosity.

today we have (in beta nonpublic form kbeanst) twitter, which i believe is the most incredible tool for learning ever invented. one that i haven’t even begun to tap into.
why do i put such stock in something deemed by so many as ridiculous? twitter provides 24/7 conversation with anyone in the world and can be made public or private with the click of a mouse.  content is no longer king - community is now our curriculum - so conversation rules. spoken and/or written.
ie: if a person is using twitter efficiently as a tool of communication and learning... a person’s ability to write will greatly improve because the product of rich communication is soul. the person’s content knowledge will greatly improve because of the serendipitous relationships that perpetually feed a passion to work harder, dig deepter.

we often feel we have no time for communication. the cool part is.. well now we do. with mandates stripped... conversations of noticings, ponderings, etc continually form our being and spur us into doing.

in ed - good teachers, ones who are truly following a passion and not a self or society imposed mandate - will just keep doing what they are doing - the only diff - the kids coming to see them will be choosing to do so.
the age of “class discipline” will be no more.

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