The Research
This is where we listen to the experts. I love this video! How do all the hours spent on Social media impact our kids, ourselves and the world we live in. How do we support kids engagement in this space. Listen carefully as she arrives seconds before the 4 minute mark. This is the vision of Winding Creek and my vision for our schools and the educators that are part of today's dynamic learning environment.
What opportunities do we miss? How do we integrate our own concerns and fears into the day-to-day educational experience in our schools. This shared space where classroom intimacy and social networking grows needs to be nurtured. Join me in developing a vision and curriculum for our schools?
You'll find this video in Vialogues and there isn't a discussion around as of this writing. Join me in commenting on how we can meet and exceed our wildest dreams for our students.
The beginning of the case...
For the last nine months I've been researching and developing a plan to reload my nonprofit that's been dormant while I journeyed back into the classroom as I wound down my teaching career. The experience I gained reached beyond my wildest expectation. The kid's in my classroom were amazing people faced with some things I completely understood and others that were beyond my imagination.
I'm a tech guy. If you know me, you know that I love gadgets and the promise of technology for education. What I've witnessed first hand is a promise and a problem. The video I'm going to share was created nearly 6 years ago. The data they forecast was limited to 2013. Yet it still rings true. I ask you to watch the video and think how you'd function in a world that is so dynamic, so full of information and so scary for many. How do we prepare our kids in our classrooms?
This is posted in Vialogues. It was created and developed by a dedicated team of educators, researchers, and engineers from EdLab at Teachers College Columbia University. Check it out sometime.
Tangled Lights
You can get tangled in so many ways...
- some of my friends might feel similar to the lights put away in a rush. (I am blessed to see you once in a blue moon, but I hold your friendship dear to me. We keep each other in our thoughts and prayers, even though we see each other mostly on social media)
- some might see me as too "conservative" for them because of position or impression. (these friends put me on a pedestal and I wish I could be more tangled for them so they could see how completely messed up I am, possibly even more than they could imagine)
- some are totally different than I am. They come from diversity, ethnicity, or some other ...ity. I love them dearly and appreciate their gifts to my life. (My other friends see them as tangled and are confused to why I need these people in my life, because they may not fit into theirs)
- the last group, the most important -- not because they are last, but because they are -- are those people that simply put up with me because of my "tangledness." I'm not easy to understand, be with, care about or like. Bruised to the bone and beyond, if discovered you lose a sense of hope over time. I have been there and I still am...there.
I love tangled lights and the challenge of stretching them to their potential after being knotted into an impossible knot. I can appreciate how they go there and how they are going to get out of there. I love the tangle.
What I don't like is the burnt out, dead bulb that refuses to light. Even if the light is dim and weakened it's still doing something. Trying to be a bright light even if can only muster a small weak glow. That's another topic for another time.
Signs of the time
On my way home a few days ago I spotted the very flashy sign on the local UCC church. It was something that caught my eye, but it wasn't the sign that I really have a question about it was the words.
"Christmas Eve Service 4pm December 24"
When is Christmas Eve not December 24th? Just saying.
Coming Back
When I first started blogging about 10 years ago I created a few websites to share my opinion on things. I figured that no one would really care what I had to say. And I found out I was pretty accurate in that assumption. In the end I needed to do this for me.
So now that I'm back after a few years this is just for me. It's a place where I can share a little about who I am, what I might think and how much patience I have to keep this up. This first post won't be long and yet it might be important. I'm days removed from the Cubs winning the World Series, yes the WORLD SERIES! And just a few days away from the election.
I'm siding with Forrest Gump, "I'm not sure I wanna talk about that."