Book Review: The Circle

Title: The Circle
Author: Dave Eggers

I have only been doing book reviews on non-fiction, but this novel was compelling enough for me to do a quickie synopsis here. I couldn't put it down.

Review:
Ever wonder what it's like to work at one of those big tech companies?  You've heard about the sprawling campuses with up-to-date facilities, free amenities to employees, and general happiness amok among the workers -- a regular utopia of employment.  This is what greeted Mae when she arrived for her first day of work at The Circle (a fictional tech giant that reminded me a lot of Google, at least at first).

While Mae's first priority is her work in Customer Experience, she is quickly called on the carpet for not sharing more on social media, both within the company and with the public in general.  As I read I wanted to scream, "SOME THINGS ARE JUST PERSONAL!" However, the argument quickly came back in my face, "Nothing should be personal. There is no need to keep secrets."

No more spoilers. However, this book raises some interesting questions about the potentially scary road we are traveling down with technology. What should we choose to share online? Who should own information that is online? Who should be allowed to have access to this information?  Can we really trust these people to "do no evil"?

Applications for Education:
The most obvious thing here is to be careful.  Always evaluate what you share, who you share it with, and to separate yourself from technology once in a while.  And pass that message along to your students.

I'd love to hear what you think of the book. Drop me a line and give me your thoughts!

Book Review: Brain Rules

Title: Brain Rules: 12 Principles for Surviving and Thriving at Work, Home, and School
Author: John Medina
Review:

Should classrooms come complete with treadmills?
Should the school day include nap time?
Should students have the same class three times in the same day to optimize content review?
Should I spray the walls of my classroom with Brute?
Should I delete any PowerPoint presentation I see with words on it?
Should our core content classes be taught in single gender classes?

John Medina is a molecular biologist who is intimately aware of decades of brain research.  More importantly, he is able to take that information and put it into laymen's terms that everyone can understand (most of the time).  Knowing how the brain works (what helps and hinders learning) can help us teach students effectively.

Medina's ideas based on this research are interesting to say the least. Some of them are simple to implement. Others would takes some major idea wrangling to get accomplished.  The bottom line is this book shows us everything we've been doing wrong in education for years and years.

You can read more about the book (and its companions) at www.brainrules.net.

Final Innovation Project

Yesterday was my last Tools for Tech class with my middle schoolers.  Since this class won't be happening next year, it may be my last Innovation Project for a while.  I was really proud of these projects.  The kids put in a lot of hard work and turned in some awesome final products.  Please check them out and let me know what you think.

Connor showed us how to earn staffs in Black Ops 2.



Jacob and Cooper created their own MineCraft world and player versus player game. Watch their split screen video as they play against each other!


Daniel, Matthew, and Waite created a video story in which you decide the course of the story.


Kate continued her Revolutionary War Blog from last quarter.
Justin figured out how to fix his Empire State Building on MineCraft, but he didn't share his presentation with the world. Bummer!
Dominic created a web site about Dominque Wilkins.
Drew and Sam created a castle in MineCraft that has a disco room! Sadly, they didn't make their presentation available to share.

Tourism Projects: What is there to do out there?

Here's a fun way to end the semester with my middle school students. I give them a list of the top ten most populated cities in the world and let them pick one.

Their task is to pretend they are travel agents, trying to show us all the great things they can do in that city.  With only about a week to put something together, it's a frantic pace to find the best of the city -- hotels, restaurants, stuff for kids, and such -- and put together a presentation for us.  Not only do they need to create something technological, but there is a non-techie requirement too.  (That mostly took on the form of food, which is always a great idea when I'm in the mix.)

Here are three of the projects that rolled in for us.  I love how these web sites look -- almost like someone took a visual design class when I wasn't looking.

Delhi, India
Mumbai, India
Shanghai, China

Tech ABC

What are the ABCs of Technology? Here are the alphabets my students came up with.


Waite
Connor
Daniel

Drew:


Dom:

Wrapping Up 20 Years: Advice From an Old Guy

The final curtain went down on our family's first ever dance recital.  Hands hurt from clapping, eyes were moist, and there was an excited buzz about the auditorium. I'd like to tell you that my daughter was the star of the show, but she was merely on stage for about four minutes of a two hour long performance.  However, there were quite a few familiar faces up there with some roles a bit more major than my little one.

"He acts like he doesn't know us when he sees us in public, but I secretly think he likes it when I say hi to him," I explained to my mother-in-law later in the lobby about one such performer. "He was the kinda the class clown back when he was in our classes. But he found drama and everything changed." After a moment of quiet contemplation, I added, "If I knew then what I know now, I would have been a much better teacher 15 or 20 years ago."

Tomorrow is the final school day of my 20th year of teaching. In this year, I have had a blast reconnecting with many of those kids who were dragged kicking and screaming under my tutelage. I've laughed at great memories, been quietly surprised by others, and have grieved missed opportunities.  I wish you heard all the stories, and I still have hopes that some will be told through the summer.

Hats off to the roughly 1000 kids who I have had the blessing to call "one of my kids!" You have made my job a true joy.*

Wrapping this series up, I have some advice to those of you who are still youngins... and maybe to some of you old curmudgeons like me. 

That student is more than what you see in the moment. That behavior you see, that paper you just graded...they are just small (and sometimes inaccurate) pieces of the entire puzzle.

Here's what I learned through these conversations:

• Find that hidden love of drama (or science or writing or coding) in a kid and try to pull that out.
• Get to know that child beyond his ability to spell or multiply double digits.
• Think outside the box. Don't just create a bigger box than the teacher down the hall. Spend so much time outside the box that you sometimes forget where you put the box.
• Don't get me wrong. Teach those rote skills too because they are the building blocks for something more spectacular.
• Your relationship with that student does not end when you wish her a wonderful summer. Some might say that is merely the beginning. 
• If you don't mind me quoting the Bible, here is a great verse to ponder. "If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal." (1 Corinthians 13:1) Your greatest lesson will be just a clanging cymbal if the kid in the seat doesn't feel your love.

Thanks for following my 20th year journey! It's been an amazing adventure!



*Before I get too sentimental, let me add this footnote. Not every moment has been a true joy. Some of students/parents/colleagues have made my life miserable in the moment.  I figure it's been a fair trade since I've probably added some misery to your life too. In general, the first 20 years of my career have been awesome and I'm hoping the next 20 are even better.

Why I Love Twitter (Tweet #7000)

I love getting to collaborate with these people (and others). They teach me new things, challenge my thinking, and even make me laugh. Thanks for making social media awesome for me!

https://twitter.com/theipodteacher	https://twitter.com/LLacrosse
https://twitter.com/sig225	https://twitter.com/jaymelinton
https://twitter.com/edrethink	https://twitter.com/mdroush
https://twitter.com/allthejenkins	https://twitter.com/MrCsays
https://twitter.com/MrMacRaild	https://twitter.com/mrsbothk

Aside from one dinner at Jimmy John's in Deerfield, OH, I've not met any of these people face to face, but they have been instrumental in my leap into the 21st Century.  Thank you!