Project 365 Month 1

31. January 2011 · Write a comment · Categories: Uncategorized · Tags: ,

So far, so good.  I’ve taken at least one picture a day for the last 31 days.  Some days I do take one just for the project, but some days I just take photos and pick one.  The Daily Shoot is a big help with ideas for taking photos.  It helps me keep my eyes open for interesting things.  I don’t always do the suggested photo, but some days I need the inspiration.

1. Day 1: Dog tired, 2. Day 2: A Room with a View, 3. Day 3: Robot Greeter, 4. Day 4: Morning Sky, 5. Day 5: Faculty Lounge Mugs, 6. Day 6: Watching Priscilla Ahn, 7. Day 7: Morning snowfall, 8. Day 8: Scarf, 9. Day 9: In the shadows, 10. Day 10: Ukulele Rhythm, 11. Day 11: Mason Jar of Oil, 12. Day 12: Bow, 13. Day 13: Tags, 14. Day 14: Dog vs. Rope, 15. Day 15: Reading, 16. Day 16: Blue Sky through the Window, 17. Day 17: Fuzz Head, 18. Day 18: Triangles, 19. Day 19: Funky Moon Shot, 20. Day 20: Dog feet from below, 21. Day 21: Path in Black & White, 22. Day 22: Sunset in Boston, 23. Day 23: Light-up Wall, 24. Day 24: Just the shadows, 25. Day 25: Plug n Play, 26. Day 26: Home is where your hat is, 27. Day 27: Many Mini Snowpeople, 28. Day 28: Red Door, 29. Day 29: Beginning the Conversation, 30. Day 30: Long shadow, 31. Day 31: Downstairs repetition

I really like the first photo of the year. And another favorite is Funky Moon Shot. Click the links to see up close.

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Educon 2.3

30. January 2011 · Write a comment · Categories: Uncategorized · Tags: , ,

Educon 2.3 is over.   Last year was my first year attending.  I enjoyed it more this year than I did last.  In part, this had to do with my being firmly entrenched in K-12.  Though I got a lot out of the sessions last year, this year, they meant a lot more and I felt like I could take back some of the things I learned and apply them.  I could also bring some of my own experiences and expertise to the conversation.  Despite not being in K-12 for that long, I’m recognizing that my previous experience as a college-level teacher has not only helped me but is also valuable experience to share.

Some of my favorite sessions included Shifted Learning, a conversation about communities of learners, which looked at concepts such as PLN, PLC, and guild.  We used a lot gaming terminology and gaming experiences to frame our conversation, so I felt right at home.

Another of my favorite sessions was Diversify your Rolodex, a conversation about the lack of women as leaders in educational technology.  It was a fascinating conversation, one we keep visiting in the world of blogs, twitter, technology more broadly.  We keep asking where are the women?  I think they’re here.  I’m here, but I think they’re not here as prolifically as men are.  That’s not something that specifically came up in our conversation, but it’s a phenomenon I’ve noticed before.  The male “thought leaders” in this field (in many fields) tweet more and blog more than many of the women out there.  So they’re more likely to be noticed.  Those same men often comment on each other’s posts, retweet each other, retweet each other’s work, etc.  So again, more attention to those particular people.  I don’t think anyone has done a full on study of this, but they have for political blogs and I suspect similar patterns hold true.  The thing is, it takes some work to pay attention to people you don’t know and/or who are very different from you racially, gender-wise, etc.  I probably am more likely to tweet or comment on posts by middle-age moms than I am other things.  But I try to get outside my own demographic.  So, I’d say to those of you out there who are considered “thought leaders” in ed tech.  Make a point of looking beyond your usual suspects.  See what you find.

I also got a lot out of a panel on The Future of the Book and about Is the Internet Making us Stupid, where I argued that we shouldn’t adapt to our tools, but build the tools we need through Computer Science.   Of course!

Besides all the great scheduled conversations, I had many wonderful spontaneous conversations.  I met a lot of new colleagues, including finally meeting Audrey Watters of Hack Education and ReadWriteWeb.  I also got to catch up with old friends from UMW.  I’m looking forward to future conferences to share more with new and old friends alike.

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Computing Creatively

24. January 2011 · 1 comment · Categories: Uncategorized · Tags: , , ,

Yesterday, I had the wonderful opportunity to attend a reunion of the workshop I attended at MIT this past summer on Creative Computing.  A lot came out of that original workshop for me.  I adopted Scratch for my 8th grade technology classes.  Inspired by the fabric-oriented high-low tech lab, I am doing a soft-circuit project with middle schoolers as part of a special project week we have in the spring.  I also solidfied much of my basic knowledge about programming and because of that, was able to forge ahead to learn more complex programming concepts.  So, it was a very productive 3 days that have had a lasting impact.

In a single day, I got almost as much out as I did before.  One thing that was nice about this go around was that I now had actually been in my classroom so I knew more about what I was looking for, what questions to ask, etc.  The advice people offered made more sense than it did back in July when I hadn’t even started my position yet.  Now, I’m ready to explore  a wide variety of things, including using Pico boards with Scratch and using Scratch in my Upper School animation class, something I was inclined to do before, but after seeing some animations demonstrated yesterday, I am now thoroughly convinced.  I’m thinking about using Pico boards with the soft-circuit project I’m doing with the middle schoolers and may explore using them next year in 8th grade, especially for students who have some experience with Scratch.  And I saw some really cool projects from non-computer science classes that have inspired me to plan a workshop/demo on Scratch that highlights some things that Scratch might be used for outside of CS/Technology classes.

Besides all the great Scratch info, I also got some ideas for arduino boards as one of the graduate students there pointed out a programming environment for them that is “drag-and-drop.”  And I found out about a project–which I ran into spontaneously again this morning–where one can build blocks for Scratch, essentially taking it to another level.

And, of course, it was really fun to see people I’d seen this summer, including another Laura with whom I did not get a chance to talk much last time and with whom I have a lot in common.  She is three years ahead of me in a similar position to mine, so it was lovely to get some advice from her and to see where I might be in a few years’ time.

The last week or so has been really productive for me as I’ve worked on several different projects and got many plans in place.  Going to this reunion really helped keep that productivity streak going.

What a Wacky Technology Family We Are

18. January 2011 · 2 comments · Categories: Uncategorized

A little while ago, I had a craving for a cup of hot apple cider.  I had asked Geeky Boy to bring me some.  A half-hour later, no cider.  I had snuggled into bed with my laptop and was catching up on some blog reading when I decided I needed my cider.  I tried yelling for him, but he had his headphones on and couldn’t hear me.  Of the many tabs I had open were gmail, Facebook, Twitter.   I checked Gmail–not logged on.  Ditto Facebook.  And he doesn’t have a Twitter account.  I was about to get out of bed and either get my own cider or pitifully ask again.  That’s when I remembered: Skype.  I logged in and sure enough, there he was.  I sent him a message: I really need some cider. :) Then he called me, laughing hysterically, and said, Coming right up.

Parenting: Ur Doing it Wrong

18. January 2011 · 3 comments · Categories: Uncategorized · Tags: ,

Lots of brouhaha over parenting this week in the blogosphere.  The loudest complaints coming from arguments about “Chinese mothers” vs. American ones.  Go find the articles.  You’ve read them or heard about them.  The basic argument is that we Americans are too permissive and soft as parents and that only Asian parents, who insist on violin lessons, science fairs, and no social life will have successful kids.

The sucky thing about parenting is that you never know if you’re doing it right until you get to the end. And even then, you might not really know.  Oh, sure, sometimes you see your kid go off the rails in the teenage years (I’m there, people), and you wonder if it’s your fault.  Did you not read to them enough? Did working full time harm them in some way? Should you have insisted on that science camp back in 7th grade?  I personally don’t see permissive parenting happening around me.  I see a lot of anxiety among parents and kids about doing it right–mostly for the golden ticket into the “right” college.  I get it.  Getting into the “right” college seems to be the ticket to success.

At least that’s the line we’ve all been fed around here.  And yes, some of it is true.  But what is the right college? And for that matter, what is success?  Being around high achievers, which many of us in education (higher and otherwise) are, makes one define success fairly narrowly.  And that’s not really fair.  It’s not fair to our kids and it’s anxiety-producing for most of us as parents.

I had to redefine success for myself as I rejected the typical path for a person with a Ph.D., and I’ve had to step back and let my kids define success for themselves.  It’s a harder thing than one might think.  I, like many parents, had an idea of what my kids would be like.  But they haven’t turned out that way.  They’ve surprised me.  At first, I found that surprise unpleasant, but now, I’m delighted.  As a parent, I’ve simply tried to provide the scaffolding and support for the success my kids are starting to define.  And yes, that sometimes means lessons and insisting on certain grades.  But I’ve learned there’s only so much I can do as a parent.  At a certain point, it’s up to my kids, and I just have to wait and see.  And yes, the waiting is killing me.

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MLK

17. January 2011 · Write a comment · Categories: Uncategorized

I had a long post about MLK Day and my relationship to it, but it seemed kind of selfish and silly, so I deleted it.  Let us all remember King’s work and how brave he and his supporters were to stand up for what they believed in, and what they felt was right.  We should all be so brave.

Tired of Winter

16. January 2011 · Write a comment · Categories: Uncategorized · Tags: ,

And it’s only January.  This is not good.  I don’t really like the cold.  Snow is okay for a while, but hanging around for days on end, not so nice.  I can’t muster the energy to leave the house and then I start to go stir crazy.  It’s just not good.  I think it’s going to be necessary to move somewhere warmer once I retire.  It doesn’t help that I’ve also had a cold.

I can’t even get myself going to do some work around the house.  I’ve managed grocery shopping and meals, but the laundry lingering around, not so much.

Spring, hurry up and get here.

Snow Day: Pausing

12. January 2011 · 1 comment · Categories: Uncategorized · Tags: , , ,

We got our hoped-for snow day today.  For Upper School, the semester is winding down.  Final projects are due.  Exams are around the corner.  I have many tasks, large and small to work on over the next month or so, much of it related to recruiting new students.  I can’t tell you how thrilled I am to be able to support the broader efforts of the school.  It’s a lot of work, but it’s so worth it. And, of course, my efforts benefit me as well.  I hope not just to recruit students to the school as a whole, but to recruit students to my classes.  Since my classes at the upper school level are electives, I have to convince people to make room in their schedule for it.

Since I returned from winter break, I hadn’t felt completely geared up for school even though I have much on my plate.  Having the snow day, I think, will help me collect myself a bit.  We’ve started an addition on our house, which hasn’t been terribly disruptive, but it prevented me from doing laundry for a while.  I even had to make a trip to the laundromat.  Soon, it will cause more disruption as we lose a bathroom for a while, and part of the master bedroom.  We’ve already rearranged the bedroom in preparation for the walls coming down and a new one being put up.  It’s nice to have the day to catch up on some of the household turmoil.  I did bring home some work, but I’m guessing I won’t do much, if any.  I might plan out what I want to accomplish when I get back, but not much more than that.

I hope everyone else loaded down with snow takes a moment to pause.  It’s a rare opportunity to not do anything.

Cleaning the digital cobwebs

06. January 2011 · 4 comments · Categories: Uncategorized · Tags: , , , ,

Regular readers of this blog know that I’ve gradually retreated from the kind of gung-ho online enthusiasm I had previously engaged in.  I still find much of value online, but I find myself either easily overwhelmed in spaces like Twitter or Facebook, and now, Quora, or not stimulated enough by blogs and other longer form digital media.  When I started considering a move to K-12, I expanded the number of K-12 oriented blogs and Twitter users I followed and I gradually reduced the number of Higher Ed media I follow.  I no longer read IHE or the Chronicle, and I’ve dropped many Higher Ed bloggers who write primarily about their lives as faculty and complain about various issues in Higher Ed.  I’m no longer interested (sorry folks).  There are a handful of people in that category that are interesting enough writers to keep me reading or write on a variety of different topics.

But there’s still some culling I need to do, and I’m going to look seriously at the Twitter and Facebook friends I have.  The benefit of Facebook, for me, is keeping up with far-flung high school, college, and graduate school friends, many of whose lives I’m interested in not just for personal reasons but for professional ones.  Amazingly, I have many friends involved in technology even when they started out as poets or history majors.  But I don’t need 350 people.  My feed gets clogged really quickly.

Twitter offers a lot of interesting ideas and links, but there, too, I have too many people I’m following.  Now that I know what I really benefit from the most, I can eliminate the people who post things of little value to me.  I do like to be diverse in the kinds of people I follow, but I don’t want to have to cull through tons of unimportant or uninteresting tweets to find the good stuff.

I think a lot of this, too, comes from having less time.  I have 15-20 minutes increments where I can pop in and check my reader or Twitter.  I’m always looking for things that I can use in my own teaching as well as things I can share with my teachers.  I can’t waste the limited time I have.

I’m also trying to streamline many of my online practices.  The reason I liked delicious so much was that I had an easy way, via my browser, to save a link and then I had an RSS feed going to a page I curate for my teachers and the links also went to Twitter.   Some of that was, of course, for self-promotional purposes, back when I was trying to be a consultant, but now it’s so I can provide information to my colleagues quickly and easily.  I looked around the other day for an alternative to delicious and frankly, there isn’t anything I want to use.  Delicious is clean and easy, so until I get the word that it’s going to go down completely, I’m sticking with it.

But other accounts, I’m getting rid of.  I used to join every new Web 2.0 site that came down the pike.  Now, I wait to see if it’s worth it. 

Clearly, I’m keeping the blog, even if I read fewer blogs than before.  Unlike Twitter and Facebook, which have become like giant parties where half the people are drunk and half the people are people I don’t know, the blog feels like a quiet dinner party I’m hosting at my house where friends I’ve invited are here and a few random folks drop by to say hello.  I need that intimate feel more than ever now.  So here I go, off to reduce my connections, maybe down to the Dunbar number.

Being limited to teaching what you know

04. January 2011 · 2 comments · Categories: Uncategorized · Tags: ,

One of the things I’m coming to grips with is my own limitations in my field.  As I learn more, I’m more aware than ever of how much there is to know.   There are literally hundreds of programming languages and there are probably ten or so that are used on a regular basis “out there.”  And then, if you have to incorporate the even broader field of IT/general technology, there are thousands of applications, concepts, etc.  Maybe millions.  There’s no way to know all of it.  Some of it is very specialized, used only in particular contexts.  There’s no reason to know how to use some things or use some languages unless you do some particular thing.  I try to focus on foundations, on concepts, as opposed to learning a particular language or application (though I do often teach those concepts through a particular language or application).

 Today I met with my “Creative Computing” club.  We spent the first part of the year working with a student from a nearby college learning how to program robots.  We only had about 6 weeks of that (we meet every other week), and it looks like we might be without our student for the spring semester.  So I asked the students what they wanted the rest of their year to look like.

Now, my agenda for this club is to introduct students to computer science concepts very early on.  They get some programming in 8th grade, but this is an opportunity to explore different types of programming and/or programming in a different context and without a grade hanging over your head.  I could have come up with a plan, but this is a club, after all, and so I thought student input would be good.  I got everything from Lego Robots to Maya to Photoshop to animation.  Half of what they brought up was a) not really computer science-y and b) stuff I knew nothing about.

It kind of gave me pause when I thought about all that I’m sort of semi-expected to know.  3-D modelling? the ins and outs of image editing? building robots?  Some of it I want to know more about, but some it, I just have no desire to learn (3-D modelling, for instance).  Mainly, it’s because I have no desire to know 50 different things, but not be able to do any of them well.  I’d like to know maybe 5 things pretty darn well.  I’m always willing to learn new things, but I have my limits.

I have to teach what I know, and just keep learning, figuring out what I need to know and need to pass on to my students.

As for my current students, I’m figuring out a way to mush their interests in with what I know–it should work out well.  One thing we all agreed on was that we wanted to create a web site, maybe even a blog.  Now that’s something I know how to do (and teach).

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