Comments on: Dispatches from the (Family) Front Lines http://weblogg-ed.com/2008/dispatches-from-the-family-front-lines/ Learning with the Read/Write Web Tue, 19 Jul 2011 20:36:16 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Paul Bogush http://weblogg-ed.com/2008/dispatches-from-the-family-front-lines/comment-page-1/#comment-62140 Paul Bogush Thu, 11 Dec 2008 16:57:15 +0000 http://weblogg-ed.com/?p=2952#comment-62140 @Jeff Wasserman Here is an invitation to fly under the "radar" with me. My kids love to create and collaborate with other schools. I have not been able to find another CT school to work with! Easier to find a school in Australia than CT. Doesn't matter the age of your kids or subject--we could work something out. Opps..should be leaving this on Jeff's blog but if any other reader want to step into a collaborative project focused on 21st Century skills and tools just let me know! @Jeff Wasserman
Here is an invitation to fly under the “radar” with me. My kids love to create and collaborate with other schools. I have not been able to find another CT school to work with! Easier to find a school in Australia than CT. Doesn’t matter the age of your kids or subject–we could work something out. Opps..should be leaving this on Jeff’s blog but if any other reader want to step into a collaborative project focused on 21st Century skills and tools just let me know!

]]> By: Kate http://weblogg-ed.com/2008/dispatches-from-the-family-front-lines/comment-page-1/#comment-61861 Kate Thu, 04 Dec 2008 10:03:22 +0000 http://weblogg-ed.com/?p=2952#comment-61861 I recently came accross your blog and have been reading along. I thought I would leave my first comment. I dont know what to say except that I have enjoyed reading. Nice blog. I will keep visiting this blog very often. Kate http://educationonline-101.com I recently came accross your blog and have been reading along. I thought I would leave my first comment. I dont know what to say except that I have enjoyed reading. Nice blog. I will keep visiting this blog very often.

Kate

http://educationonline-101.com

]]> By: Mr. P’s Page » Oh Connecticut… http://weblogg-ed.com/2008/dispatches-from-the-family-front-lines/comment-page-1/#comment-61856 Mr. P’s Page » Oh Connecticut… Thu, 04 Dec 2008 03:28:29 +0000 http://weblogg-ed.com/?p=2952#comment-61856 [...] I was trolling my Google reader and came across this post from Will Richardson’s blog.  The article he mentions provides a list of the “top [...] [...] I was trolling my Google reader and came across this post from Will Richardson’s blog.  The article he mentions provides a list of the “top [...]

]]> By: Sean Nash http://weblogg-ed.com/2008/dispatches-from-the-family-front-lines/comment-page-1/#comment-61839 Sean Nash Wed, 03 Dec 2008 05:19:09 +0000 http://weblogg-ed.com/?p=2952#comment-61839 What is it about tonight? Over 80% of all blog posts I have read in the past two hours have been pretty darn sour, like this one... not that this is an fault of the *reporter* here. Wow. I think I need to troll on over to YouTube to find something to laugh at. In regard this this comment: "...all of it is being done pretty much under the radar with very little discussion, investment or support of technology of any kind in the classroom..." Here I find my one piece of hope this evening and cling to the fact that the administration in my building has bought in to the level that we have full support for our first cohort (20 members) toward tech immersion/integration... with our entire faculty (70 more members total) coming online next year. Only when the top levels of leadership down buy-in... can do you much of anything. Anything above the level of buy-in is simply not "in." Sean What is it about tonight? Over 80% of all blog posts I have read in the past two hours have been pretty darn sour, like this one…

not that this is an fault of the *reporter* here.

Wow. I think I need to troll on over to YouTube to find something to laugh at.

In regard this this comment:
“…all of it is being done pretty much under the radar with very little discussion, investment or support of technology of any kind in the classroom…”

Here I find my one piece of hope this evening and cling to the fact that the administration in my building has bought in to the level that we have full support for our first cohort (20 members) toward tech immersion/integration… with our entire faculty (70 more members total) coming online next year.

Only when the top levels of leadership down buy-in… can do you much of anything. Anything above the level of buy-in is simply not “in.”

Sean

]]> By: Doug DeWitt http://weblogg-ed.com/2008/dispatches-from-the-family-front-lines/comment-page-1/#comment-61838 Doug DeWitt Wed, 03 Dec 2008 03:57:31 +0000 http://weblogg-ed.com/?p=2952#comment-61838 Regarding the third grader, let us all hope that the pendulum is beginning to swing back away from the punitive nature of high stakes testing for the sake of high stakes testing. Without beating a dead horse, we need that light at the end of the tunnel! Regarding the third grader, let us all hope that the pendulum is beginning to swing back away from the punitive nature of high stakes testing for the sake of high stakes testing. Without beating a dead horse, we need that light at the end of the tunnel!

]]> By: Gary Christenson http://weblogg-ed.com/2008/dispatches-from-the-family-front-lines/comment-page-1/#comment-61836 Gary Christenson Wed, 03 Dec 2008 00:53:33 +0000 http://weblogg-ed.com/?p=2952#comment-61836 Having been married to a grade school teacher once, I do know that teachers in her district got tired of parents lamenting that their children had no homework, that busy work was somehow a measure of learning. Thus, teachers laid it on thick, but it's the kids who suffer. I'm a proponent of lots of idle time for kids, much like I had in the 50s and 60s. A kid needs time to daydream, throw rocks, study clouds, just encounter the world he inhabits. There's much learning from that, I believe, that can't be measured. Having been married to a grade school teacher once, I do know that teachers in her district got tired of parents lamenting that their children had no homework, that busy work was somehow a measure of learning. Thus, teachers laid it on thick, but it’s the kids who suffer. I’m a proponent of lots of idle time for kids, much like I had in the 50s and 60s. A kid needs time to daydream, throw rocks, study clouds, just encounter the world he inhabits. There’s much learning from that, I believe, that can’t be measured.

]]> By: Jeff Wasserman http://weblogg-ed.com/2008/dispatches-from-the-family-front-lines/comment-page-1/#comment-61823 Jeff Wasserman Tue, 02 Dec 2008 14:57:40 +0000 http://weblogg-ed.com/?p=2952#comment-61823 Will, I teach at that first school, and I think it's even worse than what you describe. It's not that we don't talk about 21st century skills--they were the subject of our opening day keynote address a couple of years ago--but that, like every other new idea that's been brought up, the prevailing move here seems to be to tell the staff about it, hold a couple of "professional development" sessions about it, and then move on to something else. There's no chance to examine an idea deeply, debate its merits and/or weaknesses, or try it out in any sort of organized or supported way. It seems to me that at some level of the administration, we're getting together so that they can report to the town that we're all well-versed in the latest best practices, as determined by the amount of money it costs to bring in the experts to tell us about stuff we already know. Will, I teach at that first school, and I think it’s even worse than what you describe. It’s not that we don’t talk about 21st century skills–they were the subject of our opening day keynote address a couple of years ago–but that, like every other new idea that’s been brought up, the prevailing move here seems to be to tell the staff about it, hold a couple of “professional development” sessions about it, and then move on to something else.

There’s no chance to examine an idea deeply, debate its merits and/or weaknesses, or try it out in any sort of organized or supported way. It seems to me that at some level of the administration, we’re getting together so that they can report to the town that we’re all well-versed in the latest best practices, as determined by the amount of money it costs to bring in the experts to tell us about stuff we already know.

]]> By: Tom Kennedy http://weblogg-ed.com/2008/dispatches-from-the-family-front-lines/comment-page-1/#comment-61818 Tom Kennedy Tue, 02 Dec 2008 12:00:16 +0000 http://weblogg-ed.com/?p=2952#comment-61818 Will, both cases you cite speak to the difficulties we have in reconciling what we know to be best practice, ie. project-based learning augmented with technological tools, with the dictates of politicians and a small segment of the business community invested in test-prep and administration. It is at times very demoralizing, trying to spearhead change that will only come about when the education community decides we have had enough. Amy, it is broke...we have to find a way to introduce 21st century skills like those described by Tony Wagner in "The Global Achievement Gap." While I am willing to push for change a few teachers at a time, I don't think that it can come about incrementally. It has to be systemic, radical, and total. Start over, keep the best, toss the worst. Re-invent education. Nothing else will suffice. Will, both cases you cite speak to the difficulties we have in reconciling what we know to be best practice, ie. project-based learning augmented with technological tools, with the dictates of politicians and a small segment of the business community invested in test-prep and administration.

It is at times very demoralizing, trying to spearhead change that will only come about when the education community decides we have had enough.

Amy, it is broke…we have to find a way to introduce 21st century skills like those described by Tony Wagner in “The Global Achievement Gap.”

While I am willing to push for change a few teachers at a time, I don’t think that it can come about incrementally. It has to be systemic, radical, and total. Start over, keep the best, toss the worst. Re-invent education. Nothing else will suffice.

]]> By: Amy Melchior http://weblogg-ed.com/2008/dispatches-from-the-family-front-lines/comment-page-1/#comment-61811 Amy Melchior Tue, 02 Dec 2008 05:48:58 +0000 http://weblogg-ed.com/?p=2952#comment-61811 I think this goes both ways. I think teachers have taken opportunities to change the way they teach their students whether granted by their districts or their taking advantage of opportunities. That gives me hope. On the other hand, I think change is hard. I think it is so easy to settle into the, "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" mentality whether it be in a classroom or in a company. Any time you change, people squack and discuss how new methods will fail. The squacking will quiet down when they realize the benefit of the change. . . maybe I'm just being "wishful" as well. I think this goes both ways. I think teachers have taken opportunities to change the way they teach their students whether granted by their districts or their taking advantage of opportunities. That gives me hope.

On the other hand, I think change is hard. I think it is so easy to settle into the, “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” mentality whether it be in a classroom or in a company. Any time you change, people squack and discuss how new methods will fail. The squacking will quiet down when they realize the benefit of the change. . . maybe I’m just being “wishful” as well.

]]> By: CAthy Nelson http://weblogg-ed.com/2008/dispatches-from-the-family-front-lines/comment-page-1/#comment-61804 CAthy Nelson Tue, 02 Dec 2008 00:14:17 +0000 http://weblogg-ed.com/?p=2952#comment-61804 I want to believe (wishful thinking?) that maybe that red book is homework so that the classroom can be a place where engaged, project-based learning that includes authentic, real world, and challenging thinking outside the box-type work can happen. Too often "parents" get upset when they "don't" see such assignments. Why do you think the text book industry is such a valuable industry? Part of it is because parents want--no demand--them. Many public schools today issue a set of textbooks to be taken home and left there...the classes have a class set to use when needed at school. I hope this is not just "wishful" thinking on my part. I can say I've experienced some degree of this through my own two kids, one now in college, the other a high school senior. I want to believe (wishful thinking?) that maybe that red book is homework so that the classroom can be a place where engaged, project-based learning that includes authentic, real world, and challenging thinking outside the box-type work can happen. Too often “parents” get upset when they “don’t” see such assignments. Why do you think the text book industry is such a valuable industry? Part of it is because parents want–no demand–them. Many public schools today issue a set of textbooks to be taken home and left there…the classes have a class set to use when needed at school. I hope this is not just “wishful” thinking on my part. I can say I’ve experienced some degree of this through my own two kids, one now in college, the other a high school senior.

]]> By: AllanahK http://weblogg-ed.com/2008/dispatches-from-the-family-front-lines/comment-page-1/#comment-61799 AllanahK Mon, 01 Dec 2008 21:16:23 +0000 http://weblogg-ed.com/?p=2952#comment-61799 I do fear that we may go down that same track and all the good work done over the last while will become unstuck with a change of the NZ government. Imagine the pressure on one so young to 'perform'. If nothing else I wonder where kids's childhoods are going if they have to spend weekends slaving over maths workbooks. They should be out and about playing, running, exploring, being friends, falling over, getting back up. It would be hard not to write a comment (give feedback) in the child's book. I do fear that we may go down that same track and all the good work done over the last while will become unstuck with a change of the NZ government.

Imagine the pressure on one so young to ‘perform’. If nothing else I wonder where kids’s childhoods are going if they have to spend weekends slaving over maths workbooks.

They should be out and about playing, running, exploring, being friends, falling over, getting back up.

It would be hard not to write a comment (give feedback) in the child’s book.

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