Slow Food

I’d like to change the pace a little and write about one of my Reader subscriptions called “KCRW Good Food” .

KCRW is an FM radio station that provides lots of podcasts, and the podcast (this is a very large file and will take a while to open) I got from the reader is a 50 minute segment that had a lot to do with Memorial Day events and other fun food things. Part of the episode deals with a new movement called “Slow Food”. There is now an international organization that not only rates, publishes, awards, and even blogs about wonderful establishments who pride themselves on providing affordable ambiance, and a relaxing meal rather than the standard of the Fast Food Industry. Another segment of this podcast dealt with one of my Food Channel favorites, Alton Brown, and his show that highlights some of the out of the way places along the Mississippi River. Lastly, there are some interviews with folks about the southern classic, Memorial Day or not, about barbecued chicken. Can you smell the smoky flavor of the grill?

In general, blog writing for the classroom provides a great deal of directed interaction both in the form of student to student and teacher to student. Replies can be made by students even though they may be in distant locations, whole groups can see and interact with the postings of the members of the group, and great models of expectation by the teacher can be set up to get information on the correct track and tone.

I was very impressed with the way Darren Kuropatwa has engaged his students.

The idea of challenging the students to excel in their blogs via the “Hall of Fame” creates an incredible incentive for them to really dig into the content as well as display their creative abilities. You can tell from the student reactions that they both appreciate and embrace the work of each other. I have to raise the issue of “time”. I don’t know how long it takes to create a page of this much detail and specificity both on the part of the student and the teacher. Should students spend all of their time trying to earn a “Hall of Fame” math recognition, what happens to all of the other work they must do?

Our students are really challenged across the board, and time management to accomplish their nightly work demands focus and a schedule; how they accomplish so much is a question worth visiting.

Anne Davis creates a compelling argument for blogging at an early age and Mark Ahlness suggests the rationale should be read by and adopted by classes at all levels.

Any time you get individuals to critique, reflect on, and reply to content, you are developing and expanding the critical thinking process. When students get excited about not only seeing what others are saying, but are internalizing and responding to the thoughts of others, that process is being developed. One of the keys to this being successful surely lies in the hands of the teacher in terms of establishing guidelines and responsibilities required of the students. When coupled with the overview stated by Kris Badburn in “How to Prevent another Leonardo DaVinci” it creates a compelling challenge for the classroom teacher, should we want our students to evolve in that direction.

We have to remember though, that DaVinci was a considered to be a genius and multifaceted man.  I don’t know what the schools were like in his day, he may not even have gone to one and been a self learner.  That doesn’t fit too well into our educational framework for organized schools.

In many ways, I consider myself to be a “digital explorer” within the faculty and culture of Bolles, sailing off to places I’ve heard about…. full of the “spices, exotic trinkets, and gold” of the digital world.  I made a longer voyage of this type as a crewman in a team bound for Atlanta.  We too had heard of the fabulous bounty that awaited our landing and the cultivation of the resources, and of all the wonderful riches we would be able to share with our students and faculty. That ship skirted the rocks of lack of time, missed directions, and too much food for thought.

I’m confident this 2nd voyage will be filled with crew that become the messengers of the benefits of Web 2.0, eagerly sharing their visions and voyage maps with others.

I must admit I was completely astounded by David Warlick’s “a day in the life of Web 2.0″; the school he described seemed much more like something out of science fiction.  Reading about  teachers, students and administrators all using each others content and ideas, building something electronic that engaged and excited everyone in the community, was incredible.  It’s so far removed from my school culture of autonomy, territoriality, and independence that it seems unattainable.  Our traditions, academic successes, and classroom conservatism makes the bridge to Warlick’s school miles long, so long that I wonder if our digital natives will ever feel comfortable and able to bring their world to ours.  I think not as their GPA’s, AP scores, and the colleges they get admitted to will keep that demon at bay. I’ve pondered at great length wondering if our students will ever find their culture so out of place here they won’t want to enroll and choose to go somewhere else.   Will they become engaged and excited learners?  Will the world in real time become part of their classroom experience?  Will they ever get past the powerpoint presentation and be able to experience the value and vibrance of sharing their ideas with students round the world?  Or is all that going to happen only on their social networking pages the school restricts?  Time will tell, and we will be the carriers of that change.

Web 2.0 tools have changed my professional practices.  This year I created several wikis designed to elicit information and collaboration from teachers on different campuses, or students who didn’t have free time within their day to attend meetings.  Part of my purpose was to find more efficient ways for groups to communicate, part was to expose others to a tool that they might find useful.

These tools can support my own learning because I know there is too much information out there for me to search for it.  These tools allow me to let the information come to me, working non-stop if I can ask the right questions.

Lifelong learning is what keeps us thinking “young” and mentally sharp.  I find it difficult not to want to keep developing my mind.  I’ve know a few folks who so looked forward to retirement so they could “sit back and do nothing” and watched them deterioriate right before my eyes both mentally and physically.  Maybe there’s more to the lifelong learning thing that simply alliteration…

The habits most challenging to me are:

• beginning with the end in mind
• create your own learning toolbox

There are times when I do have an end in mind,  when the “just in time” mode kicks in, but I often find that my curiosity and “I wonder why or how” thoughts get me going in a learning direction that is not based on getting somewhere, but more about expanding my abilities for when I’ll need them, with no concrete, specific end as a focus.  I can see where that is dibilitating though, as not having a goal sometimes leads to not digging deeply enough into the learning process to master it or letting go of the learning stream since it isn’t a passionate focus. 

If I had a “goal” or end in mind regarding improving at golf, let’s say consistently shooting in the 80’s, I would likely be more purposeful (given enough time to work on improving) and focused in my specific practice about the shots I don’t hit well, to maybe accomplish that.  Instead, I’m much more willing to just go out and play, trying to hit shots I can’t, and not worrying about the final score. 

Challenge 2: Creating a learning toolbox

The difficulty I have here is deciding what tools need to fill the toolbox.  I know of hundreds, and just the few days I’ve spent with this content have given me exposure to more new tools, and deciding which need to really be developed and which need to be discarded is difficult.  Given the overarching knowledge that tech tools will be replaced with newer and greater in a very short period of time, make it even more difficult.  I’ve got to learn that the permanence of my trusty hammer and screwdriver have gone the way of the dodo.  Those tools do the same task now that they did 30 years ago.  What tools do I really need in my tech toolbox?  Are they just a short term bridge until the next generation of software, hardware and functionality improvements come round the bend?  You betch a…

The habits most easy for me are:

• viewing problems as challenges
• teach/mentor others

I’m good at teaching/mentoring others. I’m interested in other people, appreciate them, and want to help them become more confident in their tech skills and comfort zone.  I’m patient and don’t look down on the issues they may be having that I have had the time and opportunity to learn about.  It feels good to see them empowered with their new found abilities.

Viewing problems as challenges dovetails well with that for me because I am a positive person and know there are others out there much smarter than me that have already mastered the problem.  My challenge is to simply find that person, or their skillset, and work from there.

 Most Important:

Accepting responsibility for my own learning falls in this category as the accelerated timetable of this initiative demands a great deal of time each day.  Given the other responsibilities and deadlines I have within my daily job will add some pressure to staying focused on the tasks at hand in this curriculum.  Time isn’t unlimited, goals are in view, and management of both is vital.

The second item of most importance is to use technology to my advantage.  The learning phases of this project won’t allow that habit to become streamlined immediately.  I recognize that the “tease” of some of these tools that I’ve had exposure to can create enormous benefits in the long run; but making them a part of my routines and habits will be filled, I’m sure, with false steps, questions about the “why’, #$(*& at times, before I can make them advantageous