Comments on: Fear and Loathing at FETC http://weblogg-ed.com/2006/fear-and-loathing-at-fetc/ Learning with the Read/Write Web Tue, 19 Jul 2011 20:36:16 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Wesley Fryer http://weblogg-ed.com/2006/fear-and-loathing-at-fetc/comment-page-1/#comment-2275 Wesley Fryer Sat, 01 Apr 2006 01:58:13 +0000 http://weblogg-ed.com/2006/fear-and-loathing-at-fetc/#comment-2275 <a></a>When you all talk of fear, I think of testing, which is the season we are now entering in Texas schools. I read somewhere (I know I should have this citation but I don't) that kids' fear of testing is close or actually exceeds their fear of losing a parent. There is a LOT of fear out there, and cultures of fear are not happy places where people tend to feel validated and empowered to thrive. Generally, they feel motivated to escape. That's not the climate we want in our schools. I have been thinking quite a bit since FETC about this observation of Will's. I did not see Daggett present at FETC, but did see him at TCEA a year or two ago. I am thinking that the "fear frame" is something I will neither buy nor sell in my own presentations. I agree with David that there is a belief out there that fear sells, and it clearly does for edtech conference keynotes these days, but I think we need to frame the debate differently. Isn't it amazing to think that the United States sent men to the moon with computers only as powerful as today's two dollar calculators? We have such creativity and vision in this nation, that I don't think we need to try and scare everyone to get them to change. I also have a problem with the contention that we should be so focused on "beating" everyone else. Since when did maintaining US world hegemony become the driving motivator for our educational system? Give me a break. We live in a global, interconnected society where outcomes are not zero sum. Our loss of jobs to India or anywhere else for outsourcing does not necessarily have to equate to a loss in financial or human capital terms. Look at the transformation we've seen in the agricultural sector since before WWII. I wonder why no one seems to be questioning the ethnocentric assumptions of Daggett and others, who seem to take for granted that the US educational system can be nobly employed to perpetuate US economic, military, and cultural hegemony. Perhaps I am being a bit too "critical" here, but I think it is interesting these ideas don't seem to be on the radar screen for most folks. Everyone is content to listen to fear-mongers holding Friedman's book in one hand like revival preachers of the 1800s, doing a Jonathan Edwards style speech (Sinners in the hands of an Angry God, I think) but couching it all in the terms of educational technology and economic needs. When you all talk of fear, I think of testing, which is the season we are now entering in Texas schools. I read somewhere (I know I should have this citation but I don’t) that kids’ fear of testing is close or actually exceeds their fear of losing a parent. There is a LOT of fear out there, and cultures of fear are not happy places where people tend to feel validated and empowered to thrive. Generally, they feel motivated to escape. That’s not the climate we want in our schools.

I have been thinking quite a bit since FETC about this observation of Will’s. I did not see Daggett present at FETC, but did see him at TCEA a year or two ago. I am thinking that the “fear frame” is something I will neither buy nor sell in my own presentations. I agree with David that there is a belief out there that fear sells, and it clearly does for edtech conference keynotes these days, but I think we need to frame the debate differently. Isn’t it amazing to think that the United States sent men to the moon with computers only as powerful as today’s two dollar calculators? We have such creativity and vision in this nation, that I don’t think we need to try and scare everyone to get them to change.

I also have a problem with the contention that we should be so focused on “beating” everyone else. Since when did maintaining US world hegemony become the driving motivator for our educational system? Give me a break. We live in a global, interconnected society where outcomes are not zero sum. Our loss of jobs to India or anywhere else for outsourcing does not necessarily have to equate to a loss in financial or human capital terms. Look at the transformation we’ve seen in the agricultural sector since before WWII. I wonder why no one seems to be questioning the ethnocentric assumptions of Daggett and others, who seem to take for granted that the US educational system can be nobly employed to perpetuate US economic, military, and cultural hegemony.

Perhaps I am being a bit too “critical” here, but I think it is interesting these ideas don’t seem to be on the radar screen for most folks. Everyone is content to listen to fear-mongers holding Friedman’s book in one hand like revival preachers of the 1800s, doing a Jonathan Edwards style speech (Sinners in the hands of an Angry God, I think) but couching it all in the terms of educational technology and economic needs.

]]> By: David Warlick http://weblogg-ed.com/2006/fear-and-loathing-at-fetc/comment-page-1/#comment-2274 David Warlick Sat, 25 Mar 2006 10:07:15 +0000 http://weblogg-ed.com/2006/fear-and-loathing-at-fetc/#comment-2274 <a></a>Will, I think that there is a logical belief out there that fear motivates, and I suspect that it does to some degree. But I read a report fairly recently (but not too recently to remember where it was), about a study that looked at people who had undergone by-pass surgery. Statistic, according to the report, show that most by-pass patients suffer continuing heart attacks after a couple of years, because they do not alther their life habits. The conclusion was that the fear of death was not enough to cause them to change. However, they some of the subjects underwent special theropies that were designed to affect the patients on an emotional level, and the rate of continuing heart attachs were substantially lower for this group. Bottom line, perhaps we need to be aiming at people's emotions, along with other logical rationales. Hey, it's for the sake of our children. Will,

I think that there is a logical belief out there that fear motivates, and I suspect that it does to some degree. But I read a report fairly recently (but not too recently to remember where it was), about a study that looked at people who had undergone by-pass surgery. Statistic, according to the report, show that most by-pass patients suffer continuing heart attacks after a couple of years, because they do not alther their life habits. The conclusion was that the fear of death was not enough to cause them to change.

However, they some of the subjects underwent special theropies that were designed to affect the patients on an emotional level, and the rate of continuing heart attachs were substantially lower for this group.

Bottom line, perhaps we need to be aiming at people’s emotions, along with other logical rationales. Hey, it’s for the sake of our children.

]]> By: Will Richardson http://weblogg-ed.com/2006/fear-and-loathing-at-fetc/comment-page-1/#comment-2273 Will Richardson Sat, 25 Mar 2006 08:18:48 +0000 http://weblogg-ed.com/2006/fear-and-loathing-at-fetc/#comment-2273 <a></a>Hi Robert...thanks for the comment. I don't think 21st Century Teaching needs to be scary at all. And I didn't get the sense that any of these speakers were focusing on one small idea as much as the big picture, and their motivation for reaching the big picture was not because we should do it to implement good teaching and learning but because if we don't we're toast. I just found it weird. Hi Robert…thanks for the comment. I don’t think 21st Century Teaching needs to be scary at all. And I didn’t get the sense that any of these speakers were focusing on one small idea as much as the big picture, and their motivation for reaching the big picture was not because we should do it to implement good teaching and learning but because if we don’t we’re toast. I just found it weird.

]]> By: Robert Banning http://weblogg-ed.com/2006/fear-and-loathing-at-fetc/comment-page-1/#comment-2272 Robert Banning Fri, 24 Mar 2006 18:54:45 +0000 http://weblogg-ed.com/2006/fear-and-loathing-at-fetc/#comment-2272 <a></a>Will, I was struck by something I heard from the SXSW (south by southwest) conference where the founders of 37signals were talking about Web 2.0 site development. They approach the issue by focusing on one small problem and solving it really well. The vision of 21st Century Teaching can be scary and daunting, but by allowing us to focus on a small part of the story today, we will be in a better place to make more progress next year. Will, I was struck by something I heard from the SXSW (south by southwest) conference where the founders of 37signals were talking about Web 2.0 site development. They approach the issue by focusing on one small problem and solving it really well.

The vision of 21st Century Teaching can be scary and daunting, but by allowing us to focus on a small part of the story today, we will be in a better place to make more progress next year.

]]> By: David Warlick http://weblogg-ed.com/2006/fear-and-loathing-at-fetc/comment-page-1/#comment-2271 David Warlick Fri, 24 Mar 2006 08:06:14 +0000 http://weblogg-ed.com/2006/fear-and-loathing-at-fetc/#comment-2271 <a></a>Will, it was great to spend some time with you at the conference, and to have my ideas banged around by some really smart people. To be fair, there are a lot of people out there who really need the shock treatment. It's part of the story. But I agree with you whole heartedly, that to merely scare people, and offer no direction, just creates headless chickens. The story has to offer a vision that makes so much sense and looks so compelling, that people just forget about the old ways. Pretty tall order! Happy travels to you... Will, it was great to spend some time with you at the conference, and to have my ideas banged around by some really smart people. To be fair, there are a lot of people out there who really need the shock treatment. It’s part of the story. But I agree with you whole heartedly, that to merely scare people, and offer no direction, just creates headless chickens. The story has to offer a vision that makes so much sense and looks so compelling, that people just forget about the old ways.

Pretty tall order!

Happy travels to you…

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