History, Hope, and Healing

What a moment to watch history, hope, and healing unfold! I'm sitting here in a Crowne Plaza hotel room in Atlanta, Georgia. My friend and co-worker, Mike and I have been following a number of media sources (both web-based and television) throughout the evening. Regardless of who won the election we both agreed that we and all of our fellow citizens need to put politics aside and get to work making our country the kind of nation where ALL children can grow up safe, smart, strong, and sure of hope and liberty. We need to be more than Democrats and Republicans. First and foremost, we need to be Americans.

Americans--real Americans--can and do rise above their differences to unite. Those who love this country may disagree. However, they are steadfast in their unwaivering dedication to the belief that everyone...everyone...has the opportunity to pursue a a better life. Americans, real, true patriotic Americans work together to build, maintain, and sustain a government of the people, by the people, for the people.

Obama's victory speech:


McCain's gracious concession speech:

"Whatever our differences, we are fellow Americans,"--John McCain


I went to sleep with the hope that made America famous.
I had the kind of a dream that maybe they're still trying to teach in school.
Of the America that made America famous...and
Of the people who just might understand
That how together yes we can
Create a country better than
The one we have made of this land...

What Made America Famous
by Harry Chapin

Seeing What Makes Politics Tick

I know it's going to be an interesting day.

For starters, I'm attending and presenting at GAETC 2008. When I'm not visiting with old friends and doing a little networking today, I'll be earnestly conducting a session where the participants explore tech resources designed to help students visualize instructional concepts. Preparing for the session (and another centered on digital video-editing) has consumed most of time during the last few weeks. I want the attendees to leave with new and useful ideas about how they can make learning more engaging, efficient, and effective.

In the midst of all this conference excitement there's a presidential election in progress. I'm so glad I voted early. That said, I'll probably be visiting Election 2008 powered by Twitter as well as the following sites:

• CNN's Election Center 2008
• Electoral College--What it is and how it works
  
• Electoral-Vote.com
• Federal Election Commission (which, by the way, has information related to Finance Reports and Data )
  
• FiveThirtyEight
• Google 2008 U.S. Election
  
• Google News and it's stories related to Elections
• Pollster.com
• PollTrack
  
• Yahoo's Political Dashboard

Related links:

• The internet offers politically-minded individuals many opportunities to critically examine the demographic forces in play that may be influencing decision-making. Dropping by a site such as Census.gov allows informed and novice voters to explore population statistics that bring context to political debates
• Presidential Watch 08 is a site that generates a map of the political blogosphere.
  
• For the curious, digitized voting guides via TheBallot.org. If the offerings housed at the site are found wanting, users may apply for an account and create their own.
  
• Sponsored by the League of Women Voters Education Fund, the site known as Vote411 provides all manner of facts regarding voting in the United States of America and worth visiting.
• Since it's a pretty good bet that money plays such a major role in politics , the information at OpenSecrets should be required reading for voters.
  

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Know Your Rights: Constitution Day

On September 17th, 1787, attendees at the U.S. Constitutional Convention made history by signing the one of the most important documents in the world. Now, some 221 years later, America proudly recognizes the ratification of the United States Constitution (as well as all individuals who've become citizens by either coming of age or through the process of naturalization). Today is Constitution Day. Does this matter to your students? Do they know their rights? How informed are they about their liberties? Integrate a little technology: listen to a digital audio recitation of the Constitution as read by David P. Currie, the Edward H. Levi Distinguished Service Professor Emeritus of University of Chicago Law School.

Essential questions related to this topic:

• What's the best/worst way to interpret the Constitution?
• Is the Constitution the best means of resolving the struggle between security and liberty?
• What (if anything) is the most important reason to understand or support the continued use of the Constitution?
• How can the Constitution be improved?
• What's the best evidence of the power of the Constitution?
• What is the most good the Constitution has done for any individual in the history of our nation?
• What is the weakest part of the Constitution?
• What is the single, most important right insured by the Constitution?
• What is the most compelling reason to deny and/or suspend an individual's or group's rights as guaranteed by the Constitution? Should these rights ever be suspended?
  
• Which individual is the epitome of the ideals expressed in the Constitution (i.e., who is a role model for the ideals expressed in the document)?
• How can/could the Constitution be reworded so as to express the same (or even more noble) ideals for a larger audience?
  

Related links:

• Explore vital events and themes in our nation’s history with We the People.
• Take a very detailed tour through the U.S. Constitution Online.

All Together Now: International Day of Democracy

By combining a couple of Greek root words (demos meaning "the people," and kratein which means "to rule") we get a vocabulary term that describes an idea that originated in the Aegean world. That term is democracy. Government by the people was (and, in some places, continues to be) viewed as a revolutionary idea. Acknowledging the resilience and universality of the principles of democracy, the United Nations has declared today-- the 15th of September--the International Day of Democracy.

Essential questions (as described by Grant P. Wiggins and Jay McTighe in their book Understanding by Design) are the "big ideas" wrapped up in questions that humans continue to ponder over the course of a lifetime. Such questions lack easy answers. They can be used to engage students and encourage them to seriously ponder the core or the essence of a topic being studied. Essential questions are extremely useful in revealing what pupils think about a topic. A few such questions related to the topic of democracy are listed below. What follows is by no means an exhaustive list.

• Why do we need government?
• Why can't we just all agree?
  
• What gives anyone--whether a person or group--the authority to decide for others?
  
• What is the absolute best/worst form of government?
• Will humans ever design a sustainable, humane form of government? If so, why, how, where or when?
• What are the most important factors to consider when constructing any form of government?
  
• Who is most qualified to be our leader?
• What is the best (i.e., equitable, efficient, effective, lasting, et cetera) way to improve democracy (or other forms of government)?
• Should there be one form of government that all humans should abide by?
• Is a lack of government (i.e., peaceful anarchy) possible?
• When do (or should) the needs of the many trump the rights of the individual?
• What are the characteristics of an active citizen?
• How is it possible for everyone in a society to retain the greatest amount of autonomy (individual freedom) and still enjoy the benefits of government?
  
• What methods of political action promote or inhibit change?
  
• Is democracy the best form of government or an outdated idea?
  

Related links:

• The Institute for Public Administration (in cooperation with the School of Urban Affairs & Public Policy at the University of Delaware) has a program designed to "promote the teaching of civics as well as citizenship among young people" through The Democracy Project.
• The U.S. Department of State's Bureau of International Information Programs offers its definition of democracy along with the pillars that support it.
• Although not many people realize it, democracy apparently comes in an assortment of "flavors" as evidenced by "small d" democracy and "Big D" democracy.
• Check out Susan Crawford's explanation of Small "d" democracy and its importance. This idea permeates the Reboot America site.
  
• Interested in the culture that spawned democracy? The Center for Neo-Hellenic Studies is sponsored by a non-profit organization, promotes Modern Greek Literature and Culture, both in Greece and abroad.