Tuesday, November 18, 2014

Snow Days - Good for the Soul

The white death hit Cincinnati yesterday with a 4.7 inch fury! It broke an 84 year old record for snowfall on November 17, and many of the schools were shut down for the day.  I don't remember ever having a snow day before Thanksgiving, unless you want to count last year's "whooping cough day."

My daughter was literally jumping on her bed at the thought of playing in the snow, but at the time I only had a delay.  Fortunately, I got the cancel call before I hopped in the car, and we did the Snow Day Dance together in the living room.  Our morning was full of sledding, snowballs, snowmen, and general tomfoolery.  When we got cold, wet, and tired, it was time to go inside for the hot chocolate and popcorn my wife got ready for us, while we all settled in for some Cinderella

I love snow days! I think more than anything else, I love the license to put aside the constraints of adulthood and spend some time being a kid again. I can play and relax with no real feeling I need to work on this or do that.  Just enjoy my family and play till my heart's content.

I recognize there is a dark side to snow days.  Many families need to scramble to figure out childcare. Teacher plans get screwed up. There is always that threat of going to school deep into July.  But for one day, I get to enjoy this! 


and this..


What do you enjoy about snow days?

Friday, November 7, 2014

EdTech: The Balance

The other day, a friend and I got into a discussion about young children using technology. As a dad of a little one he was genuinely interested in my research on tech use and was asking tons of questions. I've come to realize that my blog has turned introspective of the entire edtech movement, trying to divine how we can navigate the murky waters we find ourselves in.


And that led to this three-part blog series: The Good, the Bad, and the Balance.


November 5: The Good
November 6: The Bad
November 7: The Balance


Having looked at the benefits and the dangers of technology in society and education, today I want to look out how teachers and parents can balance technology use so we can help produce healthy members of society.  Here are my top five balancing acts.


  1. Limit screentime. I do a great job of applying this to my daughter’s life. She is only allowed to be in front of a screen (TV, iPad, LeapPad, laptop) at specified times of the day.  I’m not so good at doing this myself. You may be interested in this article about tech execs who have very low-tech homes.
  2. Get outside. Breathe fresh air. Do something adventurous. I am amazed at how many kids complain about being bored during outdoor recess. Apparently, there’s nothing fun to do. Lately one of my most cherished times is walking my dog at 5:30 AM. I find myself free of distraction (unless she sees a bunny) and have the ability to think, pray, and process. You gotta try it!
  3. Digital Sabbath. There are all sorts of examples on the Web of people who are breaking free from their devices. One day a year, one day a week, one week a year? Whatever your choice, break free and enjoy yourself. Get your hands dirty.  Paint something. Build something. Play with dirt. It’s OK. We can always wash them. (And Mom can save the moment on Instagram.)
  4. Be very aware. I’m not interesting in telling you how to be a parent. I have a hard enough time with my parenting skills. However, I’m very aware of what my daughter is doing digitally. I no longer hover over her, but I do know the apps and software she is allowed to mess around with.  Parents, regardless of children’s ages, should have an idea of what is going on with their kids.
  5. Teach students and parents about digital citizenship, including The Good, The Bad, and The Balance.  We will only sound like fools to the ears of the students if we aren't saying the same thing the parents are saying.  Educating both groups will go a long way.


Honorable Mentions: Get standing desks at school, so students and teachers do not sit all day. Focus on creativity not consumption when it comes to tech use.


My father will not be on this earth much longer. As I look back on a lifetime of memories, the ones that rise to the top have nothing to do with digital media.  (OK, there is the funny time he mistook the credit card reader for the U-scan machine.)  What I will remember of Dad is how he coached me in basketball and took up distance running to support my brother and me when we were cross country runners. I will remember hiking in the mountains and swimming in the ocean.  His love for Angry Birds probably won’t make it to the hit list.


While I want my daughter to be tech savvy and have all the benefits of growing up in this tech world, I also don’t want her to remember me by how much my face was pointed at a glowing screen instead of at something beautiful - like a mountain, my wife, or her.


How do you balance technology in your class and in your family?

Thursday, November 6, 2014

EdTech: The Bad

The other day, a friend and I got into a discussion about young children using technology. As a dad of a little one he was genuinely interested in my research on tech use and was asking tons of questions. I’ve come to realize that my blog has turned introspective of the entire edtech movement, trying to divine how we can navigate the murky waters we find ourselves in.


And that led to this three-part blog series: The Good, the Bad, and the Balance.


November 5: The Good
November 6: The Bad
November 7: The Balance


As much as I am a proponent of using educational technology, I see some major potholes for our society that is so bound to our devices.  These are things not just issues for young kids but us adults too. In my opinion, here are the five biggest concerns we should have about running blind into the world of technology.

  1. Lack of social skills. You've seen it before.  You've probably done it before. I know I have. When I have a glowing screen in my hand I have to look at it.  It doesn't matter that there is a living, breathing human being wanting to talk to me. I have to look at the screen, and my people skills slowly wither and die.  
  2. Obesity. I sit a lot more than I used to, and with all that sitting my old and beat up body constantly struggles with aches and pains and keeping my waistline where it was a few years ago. I can’t imagine that our love society’s love for screens is keeping us healthy.
  3. Invaded privacy.  When we get on the social media train, we tend to share a lot of information about ourselves and our children.  According to this article, 92% of two year olds have a digital footprint. And it only increases from there. My daughter is 5. When I typed her name into Google, 3 of the first 16 pictures were hers. I’m not sure I like that idea.
  4. Inexplicable sense of accomplishment. In a recent post about SnapChat, I mentioned Jerome Jarre, who is famous apparently for his social media prowess.  He has 7 million followers on SnapChat alone -- plus tons on Vine, Twitter, and others. How many of our students are aiming to walk in his footsteps rather than a Steve Jobs or Howard Schultz? While our kids can do amazing things on their devices, many of them just feel accomplishment for the ability to take a good selfie.
  5. Inability to think deeply. The quick and easy access to all sorts of information should free up our minds and time for more deep thinking. Instead, it’s all too easy to help us skim the knowledge base on many topics. As this article explains, if we aren't careful we can lose our ability to focus for long periods of time. 

    One article I read today says, “Teaching is a human experience. Technology is a distraction when we need literacy, numeracy and critical thinking.” Please don’t read this post as a plea to end all use of technology, but as a warning to stop and think about the direction we are heading as a society.  Tomorrow, we will look at how to have balance in our approach to technology in our lives. 

    This video sums things up nicely, but I like how it wraps up with a balance, some unplugging is necessary to get some moderation in our lives. Your thoughts? 




    What dangers do you see in technology today?

    Wednesday, November 5, 2014

    EdTech: The Good

    The other day, a friend and I got into a discussion about young children using technology. As a dad of a little one he was genuinely interested in my research on tech use and was asking tons of questions. I’ve come to realize that my blog has turned introspective of the entire edtech movement, trying to divine how we can navigate the murky waters we find ourselves in.


    And that led to this three-part blog series: The Good, the Bad, and the Balance.


    November 5: The Good
    November 6: The Bad
    November 7: The Balance


    This may seem to be an exercise in the obvious, but it’s important to recognize why we are working so hard to bring technology to our students.  Here are five reasons why I believe it’s important to delve into educational technology.

    1. Technology isn't going away anytime soon. From money management to ordering a sub, if you’re not on the technology bandwagon it will be harder to maintain any sort of lifestyle in America.
    2. Jobs are becoming more technical. I remember back in the day when I wrote in a grade book and figured report card grades via calculator. Those days are history in education, but all jobs are going high tech as well. As one someone in the banking field told me, having a basic IT education would reduce helpdesk requests manifold in companies and save lots of money.
    3. Facts are at our fingertips. Remember when we had to go to a bookshelf or a library to find information? Remember what it was like to look up a word in a dictionary?  Now we can find answers to anything we want in seconds with a few taps on the screen.
    4. Technology allows collaboration like never before. We have the ability to connect with people from all around the globe and thereby gain knowledge and expertise. Plus, by publishing our work online, we can get global recognition and feedback.
    5. Innovation, creativity, and coding are wonderful things.  If you can combine all three of these things in your life, you have some major tools for a successful career.

    What do you think are some of the benefits of teaching technology in schools?

    Tuesday, November 4, 2014

    Book Review: A More Beautiful Question

    Title: A More Beautiful Question
    Author: Warren Berger (Website and blog)
    Review:

    Why should you read this book?
    Because most American classrooms are a place to find answers not questions.

    Why are questions important?
    Because innovation doesn't happen without first starting out as a question. 

    Why should we be concerned about innovation in schools?
    If we can teach questioning and an innovative spirit in schools we can help our students flourish in a world cloaked in change.

    Yes, but why is that so important in K-12 schools?
    If a 15 year old can figure out how to screen for pancreatic cancer accurately and inexpensively, there is no reason to wait till someone graduates from our ranks to wait for good things to happen.

    Why haven't I heard of this book before?
    I have no idea.


    I highly recommend this book to anyone in education, especially those in the Genius Hour movement.  Berger tracks recent innovations back to questions asked by those innovators -- some out of necessity, some out of general inquisitiveness.  He explores how the pursuit of these questions grew into things we may take for granted today.  

    Sadly, our current education system is not geared toward questions.  Who asks the questions in your classroom?  Odds are, it's you.  And those questions aren't to pique curiosity but to judge knowledge. How do we flip that? 

    So, in the spirit of A More Beautiful Question, I leave you with a Why-What If-How? trilogy of questions. 

    Why is important to teach forming good questions and pursuing those questions in your school?
    What if you implemented these questioning techniques into a Genius Hour project in your class?
    How do we redefine what a student "needs to" learn?