Give it Away Now

In surveying blogs, RSS feeds, #edchat, and other educational sources a common phrase I keep coming upon is technology being referred to as a tool. Which made me think of the following: 

Thirty spokes meet at a nave;
Because of the hole we may use the wheel.
Clay is moulded into a vessel;
Because of the hollow we may use the cup.
Walls are built around a hearth;
Because of the doors we may use the house.
Thus tools come from what exists,
But use from what does not.

 

via TaoTeChing.org 

As the month of August is nearly upon us, learners and students alike, I start to think about how I'll begin the year. The questions of what my students will be like, reviewing last year's reflections, the dreams about being unprepared, it all starts to come back. But so do the words of my friend and mentor Don Hovland on the one thing I needed to learn about education:  

Give the power, take the blame. 

So in order to keep my process transparent I'm going to give the tool Wallwisher a try at mapping out the first weeks. But I also think that I'll create an open 'wall' to let other educators chime in, give push-back, and generally test the bounds of Wallwisher as a tool. So look for the #1stweekplans tag or this link to access the wall. Give knowledge from what does not exist, at least not yet. 

I Believe...

“I Believe” Then and Now

As a lowly graduate student in a teacher education program this writer had to, along with all other students in the program, complete a list of “I believe” statements regarding education. These statements were hashed out in groups, the subject of discussions, and ultimately typed up and put into a portfolio.

At the time the exercise felt great in terms of the planning and pre-writing; the completed product was something that was reflected upon during the job hunt. This focus promptly was redistributed to the classroom of students that came with said job. But in the midst of getting up the nerve to start this blog these statements came up again. In the spirit of the blog and a sense of transparency of learning both the original “pre-teaching career” statements are followed by a revised version.

I Believe That...

All human beings can learn.

Education is a noble and challenging calling.

Change is not to be feared; only stagnation. 

Students must use knowledge more than merely possess it. 

The answers to all the really interesting questions lie somewhere between the confines of black and white.

Praise is a public matter while personal criticism is a private one. 

Motivation in the classroom is a symbiotic relationship. 

The expression of the human condition is not limited to one form or text. 

Students will not love me all of the time; nor are they required to in order to learn.

This list will always require revision.

It was nice of me to leave an “out” for myself there at the end wasn’t it?

The Revised “I Believe” Statements for the ‘10/11 School Year

Prufrock at the Moulin Rouge.

And then, one not-so-very special day, I went to my typewriter, I sat down, and I wrote our story.

Christian ~ "Moulin Rouge!"

So here it it is, everything changes; or everything is change. After a lifetime of consuming media it is time to add a verse to the powerful play going on all around. It is time to dare to disturb the universe. Later posts will deal beliefs, learning, writing, and media. But for now, this is a beginning.