There are None So Blind...

Yes, I know that my posts have been, at best, infrequent. I apologize. Though it's my desire to share ideas and resources on a daily basis, the last few weeks have been rather crazy for me. In addition to maintaining this blog--something I do when I'm not at work--I try to support the efforts of a number of different teachers at a number of different schools, in a number of different school districts. Some of the school districts are more progressive than others. Sadly, the bulk of the systems are regressing. They are losing ground because they have not decided to move into the 21st Century. It seems as if no matter how hard I try, these districts become even more mired in complacency or behaviors that are the complete antithesis of what 21st Century learning is about.

This state of affairs literally wears me out.

I'm working in schools where internet filtering has been carried to such extremes that web access is practically non-existent. It's safe to say that many of my readers won't or can't be able to get to my posts until they leave school and or get home. As if web-filtering didn't hobble them enough, many of the teachers in my schools also have to deal with other draconian ordeals that make using technology a pain in the backside. Prohibitions against right-mouse clicking (yes, right-mouse clicking!), USB drives, and shared folders on a network make it difficult if not virtually impossible for students or educators to do anything useful with technology let alone collaborate.

To mitigate these circumstances, I redouble my efforts and try, each day, to find workarounds. I end up working on work at home. This eats into the time I allocate for composing and posting content here. After recently slogging through some particularly maddening bureaucratic practices and administrative balderdash, a pal at work shared the following picture with me. I laughed that silly, yet frightening laugh that people who are too close to the edge laugh when they have an epiphany. You know, a kind of it's so obvious laugh that makes you worry about whether or not sanity is about to give way to complete madness.


You can find this powerful image and other rich content and ideas at a great blog called Dangerously Irrelevant. Check it out immediately. In the mean time, I'll get my act together and step away from the ledge.

What do you think? How can we address or help the people in charge?

Time (is Running) Out

Students in different countries all over the globe are equal in one respect--they spend a great deal of their time in high school. They have to do that. That said, what do they gain for their efforts? Do these young people end up with the same prospects? What will they eventually contribute to the global economy, industry, and society?



Strong American Schools, a project of Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, a nonpartisan campaign supported by The Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation investigates these and other, related questions over at ED in '08. Parents who want their kids to live a good life will want to visit the site. I don't expect many high schools to even know about this. Why? Considering that many of the schools I serve regularly block blogs. I doubt that this resource is even on their radar.



What are your thoughts? Are the schools that our children attend meeting their needs? Are our children prepared to make the world a better place? Will they have the skills to succeed and survive?

NECC 2008: The Post That Almost Wasn't

I'm attending the closing keynote speech here at NECC. It's being delivered by Dr. Idit Harel Caperton, PhD. I'm blogging away when I discover that my NECC net connection has just up and disappeared. Thank goodness I brought my own Verizon wireless internet access card.

I'm delighted that I can still blog because now I can brag on my friends from Vestavia Hills Elementary Cahaba Heights in Birmingham, Alabama. I've had the great pleasure of working with Pam and Sharon for a couple of years now. Their school's international project was highlighted in the keynote speech. I was so proud of them! Sharon's class has been doing some amazing things. Her students have been working with students in Singapore at Canberra Primary School.

:-)

NECC 2008: From Trash to Treasure...Dell's Techknow Program

At one time, Dell implemented an innovative approach to dealing with its old PCs. It was a shrewd and elegant decision. With Dell's assistance, some schools took older Dell PCs that might have otherwise been heading toward surplus warehouses or junkyards and did something extremely creative. The schools turned the clunker computers over to middle school (and in some cases, elementary) pupils. What was the catch? Simple: if the students properly refurbished the old computers they got to keep them. Dell's taking a new approach at this point. The company is focusing its efforts on convincing older students (i.e., high school pupils) to get involved in a similar effort. Check out the details at the following site: Dell Techknow 2.0.

The Change We Want to See

Today, I'm sitting in the San Jose International Airport where, I am delighted to report, the wi-fi is free to anyone and greatly appreciated. I wonder why can't Atlanta Hartsfield Jackson International Airport hasn't done the same? At any rate, traveling geeks like having the internet nearby and airports that cater to us are held in high esteem.

Yesterday, I was fortunate enough to be a candidate in the Google Teacher Academy. Fifty-five other people from places all over the earth and I spent a goodly portion of the day exploring Google's ever-growing collection of tools. Aside from the fact that I was actually there and not dreaming, I was very interested to know how my GTA peers integrate technology in their respective environments. I was intrigued because I want to share what's going on in places other than my corner of the world in southeastern Georgia. What I learned was that my friends have been

• teaching their students how to make better use of RSS feeds (via Google Reader),
• helping their schools and systems make use of robust online resources (i.e., Google Docs and Spreadsheets via Google Apps accounts that are free for educational institutions), and
• diligently working to assist other teachers and administrators as they make constructive changes to the way instruction is delivered.

In addition to doing absorbing as much as I could from the GTA participants, I also kept my eyes and mind open as our group was given a tour of the Googleplex so we could all see, first hand, how Google structured its working environment so as to foster innovation. To say that our trip through the Willy Wonkaesque cognitive workshop was enlightening is an understatement. The experience was akin to having our mental batteries recharged...and then some! Everywhere we went we observed surroundings that superbly meet the needs of those who pass through its boundaries. Walking into Google is like crossing over into a parallel universe where things have somehow, suddenly gone right. While it's not Utopia, it's pretty darned inspiring.

Those fortunate enough to be employed at Google have a work environment that, while demanding, is simultaneously humane. Great things are expected of the folks who power Google. At the same time, the company recognizes the value of its employees and does all it can to make their work a joy rather than drudgery. The company has a set of values that drives its decision-making. Education would do well to take them to heart. These values are:

1. Focus on the end user and all else will follow.
2. It's best to do one thing really, really well.
3. Faster is better than slow.
4. Democracy on the web works.
5. You don't need to be at your desk to need an answer.
6. You can make money without doing evil.
7. There's always more information out there.
8. The need for information crosses all borders.
9. You can be serious without a wearing suit.
10. Great just isn't good enough.

Before we left Google, our group was charged with the mission to go forth and be the change we want to see in the world. I've been thinking about that. What I would like to see is a world where anyone can learn in environments not unlike that of the Googleplex, places that are fun and fundamental in solving the complex issues that challenge all of us. If Google can do it, so can we.

Even More from Google

Like Google? It's got a ton of tools for innovators. Check this out:

• Go to the Google landing page.
• Type in the phrase even more.
• Click the I'm Feeling Lucky button.

Knock yourself out!

Live from the Googleplex

Today I'm in Mountain View, California attending the Google Teacher Academy. I think it's going to be a blast. There's a decidedly diverse gathering here, educators and innovators from all corners of the earth. I've already met teachers from Maine, Louisiana, California, Arizona, and many other places. One extra surprise that thrilled me: Vicki Davis of Cool Cat Teacher blog is the keynote speaker!