Left Lane Ends

The Beirut Spring writes about controversy over a public school named after a Lebanese poet. This is a great example of an issue where students can take/argue sides and then also look at how both sides are spewing inaccuracies. Local connections immediately come to mind, curriculum connections are a-plenty.

This is yet another piece of reading provided by Global Voices, and yet another example of issues that I think would get our kids riled up about learning.

Because I am a full-out geek, I watch ‘How It’s Made’ on the Science channel (thank you, Chris, for getting me hooked).  So, I record it on the DVR and paruse the episodes when I watch the little TV that I do sit down for.

The other night, I came across an episode about how milk is produced. Being a born/raised Kansas boy, I though - hmph - I know THAT already. But, OH, how times have changed! You’ll see the episode below from YouTube (don’t know how long it will be there) and there are a few other episodes on the How It’s Made website.

It hit me last night, for one reason or another, that these cow’s actually have more choice and self management than what we give many of our students. AND, on top of that, it is entirely thanks to the technology involved. I’ll stop there and let you make the rest of the connections … let’s start treating our students less like kids and more like cows.

Being on a campus for the first day of school is flat out refreshing. There is so much excitement, anticipation, newness from students, parents and teachers alike. Sure, the daily rigor will set in as we progress through the first six weeks, but today is special. With most schools starting on the 27th in Texas, I wish you an exciting first day of school as well… This picture shows a glimpse into a classroom just shortly after the students settled into their new room for the first time this year.

Parents and students wait outside of this elementary campus for the doors to open at 7:30am. My next stop will be the Academy of Irving ISD where I plan to grab some footage of first day ‘classroom management’ in a 1:1 setting. Who said Monday’s aren’t great?!

Radio Lab is by FAR my favorite thing to listen to on our local public radio station. Unlike any other broadcasted program I have ever listened to, it comes off like a conversation might happen in my mind. Sounds are layered on top of the concepts that are being discussed, intriguing repetition is embedded into the show and my attention is simply captured (NOT an easy task). There is always an over arcing theme, but that constant is paralleled with a feeling of natural, random conversation. Detective Stories, show #201, was a favorite of mine with the following description giving you a glimpse at the design of the show:

Forensics, archeology, genealogy, and genetics are devoted to figuring out what really happened. In this hour, we hear surprising stories of playing detective and finding that what really happened in the past is not at all what you’d expected. We start at a trash dump in Egypt, where we find Jesus, Satan, sissies, and porn. Next, the mystery of why hundreds of old letters written to the same woman were discovered on the side of Route 101. And lastly, a blood sampling tour of Asia reveals a prolific baby-maker and potentially a world conqueror.

Wrapping your mind around the concept of how mine functions is not the easiest thing for me to communicate/conceptualize. The best way to describe it, I guess, is through the example of this CMAP Mind Mapping software. You see, I HATE taking notes. The only time I have EVER taken notes is when I knew I’d get in trouble if I didn’t. So the first time I used this software, I was blown away. I could visually see the concepts and how they connected to one another, concepts were noted in brief and reviewing the content the next day/week actually helped. I realized that this visual representation of concepts and their connections was a pretty good parallel to how my mind (and conversations in my mind) work. For me, Radio Lab takes that visual and turns it into audio format.

As I tossed around what makes this broadcast so effective, I ran across a post on Crucial Thought (a while back) titled ‘Do we pay enough attention to conversation?’. A sixth grade language teacher, Christopher Craft reflects on his observation at a university campus:

Not only did students not talk to one another following class time, they all pulled out cell phones and began dialing. This blew me away!

They wanted familiar connections, not new ones.

They wanted connections made in the context of fun, not class.

They didn’t want to connect with me.

I’m a talker. I love to have long conversations where both parties get to wax rhetoric about deeply philosophical topics, ranging anywhere from existentialism to education. Nothing lights up my day like a conversation with someone who challenges my thinking. I like it when my thinking is rocked, because it either changes or is strengthened.

I, too, love conversation. Exchanging and interchanging ideas is just flat out fun and I think it can be a driving catalyst in our classrooms. Radio Lab models that conversation so well (and in a way that starts my mind rolling) - to the point that I want to continue the conversation with others. I guess while I see digital tools as having the potential to isolate, I also see the huge potential for them to open up doors, experiences and conversation for our students. Whether it is a lesson in class or pointing our students to a Radio Lab broadcast that strikes a small spark, we just have to trigger the conversation that opens the door for their engagement.

So, I took on the task of putting together some, for lack of a better description, ice breakers to use in a session that we offered for our brand new Instructional Technology Specialists. To start with, I did not want to make people get out of their seats, but did want to give them the opportunity to introduce themselves and be expressive in how they did that. Each person ended up creating their own ‘vanity license plate’ using some junk filing folders and markers. They had fun and really put personality into their creations/phrases they put on their plates.

I wouldn’t have even posted this, though, if a colleague hadn’t just shown me the ImageChef website. Nothing fancy, but you can create your own quick/easy personalized images. The license plate on their homepage jumped out at me, so I figured I’d share the one I created. Simple, no fancy graphics, bring it on. I like the digital version better…

I would be remiss to not mention the way that the Academy of Irving ISD has laid out their campus training the week before school starts. I’ve seen so many of these weeks that are ineffective that it is actually not funny. Time wasted, teachers with eyes glazed over and sessions that are so lacking in focus that not even an appropriate prescription can provide a reasonable fix.

Angela Stevens, ITS at the Academy writes:

Last week I ranted a bit (and a little bit more) about some of the recent staff development sessions I participated in (and by participate I mean sat through), so when planning our campus days I wanted to do just the opposite.

When planning staff development I think it is important to collaborate with others, get various perspectives, give participants choices and allow participants time to work hands-on, discuss and reflect — so, this is what we had in mind when laying out our staff development framework. We decided to use a wiki again because we got such positive feedback from our new teacher training.

I had the chance to drop by briefly and had hoped to grab a little bit of footage - only to get pulled away by blood borne pathogens (figure THAT out without context!). Needless to say, I would encourage you to check out the wiki that they created, browse the content and see what you think about this campus created staff development. Ineffective staff development REALLY irritates me, so it is refreshing to see it done well.

I have been using Netvibes as my aggregator since it came available, and have loved it since day one. However, when Google rolled out iGoogle, I figured it required a look. So, I looked. Briefly.

First, you may or may not recall this post of mine about Google. Despite my continued wariness about their data mining, I still use them. But, I’m also still wary. Just be sure that you are aware of all the data they are collecting about you as you surf, read and aggregate.

Second, Netvibes’ preview interface beats iGoogle hands down. I love being able to read as little or as much as I want in a variety of different ways (mouse over, pop up, etc). Additionally, they just released an iPhone geared site. Very nice.

So, explore, compare, do as you please… I’ll be sticking with Netvibes for now. Until they get bought by Google, that is.

I love WordPress. It is a great blogging tool, fun to play around with, easy to implement, etc, etc. I’ll paruse the myriad of plugins from time to time and ran across this one:

This WordPress plugin allows your readers to donate money to you via PayPal. The plugin is widget enabled.

The plugin adds a “Buy Me a Beer” button to

1. The sidebar

2. At the bottom of all posts

When your readers click on that button, they are taken to the secure PayPal page from where they can donate money to you.

Why add a “Buy Me a Beer” button instead of a simple “Donate Money” button?

Past experience shows me that asking people to donate money by giving them a specific reason increases donations by 200%! (Read more in the “power of specific phrasing…“)

Tempting, I must admit… Some of you know that I could certainly use a cold frosty after work these days! So, keep your eyes peeled - I’ll never advertise on my blog, but you just may see a little link pop up at the bottom of my posts down the road.

Whether you’re out there where the left lane ends, or cruising down the highway… maybe you’ll at least get a little chuckle out of this one like I did.

Informed Comment Global Affairs writes:

There are three main rumors about the causes of crime [in Herat]: (1) the followers of ousted governor Ismail Khan (the former commander who is now Minister of Energy and Water in Kabul), who burned the UN office (right) in September 2004 when their chief was removed, are staging crimes to show that Herat is not secure without Ismail Khan; (2) because the justice system is so corrupt and there is no rule of law, personal and family disputes frequently escalate into violence; and (3) the police, who have become part of the same criminal network as drug traffickers and smugglers (oil smugglers at Islam Qala on the right), are responsible for most of the crime. These hypotheses are not mutually exclusive.

Adding perspective to ones own world is not easy - it requires a willingness to evaluate and change foundational principals and beliefs at times. One of my daily (ok, probably more weekly) reads is Global Voices, a site that brings together blogger voices from around the world. I have a rather passionate dislike for American media (even NPR ticks me off at times ). I guess this is my meager attempt to listen to stories from somebody elses view point. At any rate, my trips to the Global Voices site are always eye opening and insightful!

Vicki writes (and gave me a smile in the process):

I think teachers who waste time at the beginning of class don’t take their job seriously. (I say start quickly, get it done, and then enjoy the teachable moments at the end of class. But if you’re stressing about getting your objectives done at the end of the class, you miss the valuable time at the end when you really have breakthroughs with your students.)

This is a great line that, I believe, can apply to more than just our classrooms. Hit it hard, hit it fast. Focus on the content and the discipline becomes a non-issue. Focus on quality teaching and engagement will follow. Just start quickly.