TSL Educator Blog

There has been some dead time since my last post, but I haven’t been dead and my time has been busy!!

To the topic: Technology.

Teaching today is largely the same as it was twenty years ago, except for technology. There are so many tools that can be used, but what to do with them?

Here is your opportunity: Tell me what you would want to use and what you want to use it for!!

www.twitter.com/awillems9

Students, Alumni, and Parents,

When you or your child graduate from TSL, what should they know about the United States, Wisconsin, World Geography, Economics, and the like? Please be broad in your scope–not, “Name the seven continents”, but, “Be able to explain the difference between Democracies, Republics, and Socialist governments.”

I look forward to any and all comments!

www.twitter.com/awillems9

To quote a famous phrase (famous but old!)…We aren’t in Kansas anymore Toto!

And education just isn’t the same any more. Gone are the days of a student needing to be trained for the industrial revolution. Gone are the days of bells to signal a workers break time, start time, end time, and lunch time. I live across the street from a factor. Right now cars are entering the parking lot for the start of the first (and only) shift which begins at 6:00am and is done by 2:30pm. That is not the “normal” American way of life any more. Increasingly people are up at 5:00am (like me!) They get some computer work in, catch up on various forms of communication, and then head out into the cyber world to conduct business and commerce.

More and more people are entrepreneurs. They have business freedom in America and with technology even more freedom to make their way as they choose. Even if they work for big companies they increasingly work at home more often. No boss watches over them each and every day. They are free to take a break when they need to and they are free to work longer and longer hours especially if they work on commission or own their own business where more work truly is more money for the family.

So what are some literacys that schools now need to teach? What are skills people will need to work at jobs that haven’t even been invented yet? I propose to examine the following taken from the book “Literacy in the Digital Age” by R.W. Burniske:

* Use language critically and tactfully
* Assess visual content on the Web
* Critically evaluate Web sites for validity and reliability
* Practice ethics and etiquette on the Internet
* Analyze online information for credibility, logic, and embedded emotional content

Each of the next five weeks will be an exploration and explanation of each topic. Follow along, respond, interact, and enjoy!!

Andrew Willems
www.twitter.com/awillems9

In my last post the word educate was examined. The next step today is what will we use to educate? Let’s examine the possibilities.

1. Textbooks–are commonly the thing thought of first when you talk about, “What are you teaching?” Why? Because it is easy. It is easy to have someone else write content, write a worksheet, make a scope and sequence of what to teach, and tell you exactly what information is important.

2. Classic Literature–Dr. Suess, Irene Hunt, E. B. White, Hans Christian Anderson, Johanna Spyri, Kenneth Grahame. These are just a fraction of the authors. Picking classic literature will give you lessons, or morals, that the students will learn from. Seems like a ton of work.

3. On-line Sources–web sites, pod casts, streaming media, digital story telling, blogging. Again, just a fraction of things that are available. Again, sounds like a lot of work. Nothing is to well organized and there is just a ton of information that is available.

4. Simulations–mostly that word today means digital games/videos. However, a simulation is a shortened or brief form of a real world experience. Remember in 1st grade you had a “store” in your classroom where you could “shop”. The store wasn’t to teach you to clip coupons, though, it was to get you comfortable with money, making change, and place values in real life.

Now look at these four possibilities. Why is number one used more frequently? What would preclude a teacher from using number two, or three, or four? Which ones would you prefer to be taught by? Which would you like for your children?

Next week–What should be used to educate?

www.twitter.com/awillems9
awillems.edublogs.com

“Great things are not done by impulse, but by a series of small things brought together.” Vincent Van Gogh

In America today we have the mistaken assumption that teachers educate you. The only one who can educate is YOU!

The word educate comes from Latin and means “to draw out”. The word in Latin is “ducare”, that is “to lead” and “e” is the prefix for “out”.

Educate in today’s understanding often means to impart knowledge. To fill an empty mind with information. That is a fallacy!!

I had to fill my mind with information. I needed to see information as relevant to my life and the life changing capability of such information.

I am not placed on Earth by God to make children smarter. I am not placed on Earth by God to bless all with the information in my head. No, my job is much harder than that. I am here to show information as being relevant to your life. I am here to show you information can change your life. I am here to show you how to find information, evaluate information, and apply it to your life…maybe even not your life today, but for your future.

As Michael Angelo said when people praised his statue, “The sculpture had always been there I just chipped away the pieces.”

In closing, I will post a Youtube video that makes us stop and think about education, “to draw out” of students. ENJOY! IT’S AWESOME!

Andrew Willems
www.twitter.com/awillems9

I originally had my thoughts organized and ready to go a few weeks ago on this topic. Then I read, “A Thomas Jefferson Education” by Oliver DeMille (2009). This could be required reading for any one who is concerned with education…teachers, administrators, parents, students!! Really, go get it. It’s what to read.

Any way, depending on the current level of your reading now, what to read can be different.

If you do not read anything now, read something, anything!!! Make 15 minutes to read every day into your schedule. It takes about 21 days of repetitious activity to make a new habit, so don’t be frustrated. Find something on a topic you enjoy and read it. DeMille makes the point in his book, and you probably know this already, too, that you want to learn those things that are interesting for you. Take a magazine, take a newspaper, take a comic book; just start reading. Once you have a habit of reading every day for 15 minutes, you will have the desire to delve into deeper material and you will move up into informative information like news magazines, book, or even novels for entertainment.

If you currently read only occasionally, or what I like to call, a social reader, make time every day for 15 minutes to read. What works best for you? 15 minutes before bed is what many people do. I fall asleep if I do that so I read for 15 minutes first thing in the morning (more on that later). Again, make it a habit and you won’t regret it. Be absorbed in a story, be involved in learning and it will change your entire outlook on your day, those around you, and your life.

If you have read before, but nothing interests you right now to continue reading, try self-help, type books. I don’t know what to call them, but if you like airplanes, read magazines and books that will TEACH you more about airplanes. If you have children read books about raising children and their personalities. If you are married, read a relationship book (yes men, you too!). You will find that when you learn something and can APPLY it to your immediate life, there is more enjoyment to what you read because it has immediate benefit to you. That will become your motivation to read: what can reading do for me?

Back to “A Thomas Jefferson Education”. DeMille’s purpose in writing the book is to say that we have no great leaders among us today because we are not educating them to be leaders. Now, whether you care about leadership education or not, he gives you some interesting things to read–the classics!! What are the classics? I’m glad you asked!! Classics were created by great teachers to be experienced. They will be inspiring to you and you will be motivated to learn; to learn anything. The classics have us looking into great minds. They have us comparing their situation to ours. The classics enlighten our minds to new ideas. The classics make us think for ourselves while we read.

Great! Classics? Too hard; too long; too boring!!! Well, try these on for size, my fellow educators. Then watch your Golden Age of Education come alive!!
The Bible; The Declaration of Independence; The Constitution of the United States of America; Aesop’s Fables; “Casey at the Bat”; A Christmas Carol; Dr. Seuss Series; The Emporer’s new Clothes; The Gift of the Magi; “Lincoln, the Man of the People”; The Little Engine that Could; “Paul Revere’s Ride”; The Song of Hiawatha; The Ugly Duckling. Of course, these are some easier books. Graduate into a harder level by reading these.
Animal Farm; the Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin; The Deerslayer; “In Flanders Fields”; Gulliver’s Travels; Hamlet; Island of the Blue Dolphins; Little Men; Little Women; “O Captain, My Captain”; The Phantom Tollbooth; The Real Thomas Jefferson; Stuart Little; “Ulysses”.

ENJOY!!!!

First off I would like to apologize to any teachers and professors to whom I lied to. Sorry

My personality is of such that if you tell me to do something, I won’t do it. I guess I always figured that if I was told to do something that the other person would benefit and I wouldn’t. They would get work out of me and I’d be tired. Or, worse yet, they would tell me to do something and it would be of no benefit to anyone–especially me!! Plus, do they really know what they are talking about??

Parenthetical paragraph is inserted here: I guess that is one reason why I became a teacher. Useless, repetitive, pointless homework assignments just had to stop!! Or at least I would tell my students why it was beneficial for them in the short term or the long run. If any students are reading this I hope you have seen my point as I taught you and piled on the homework over the years.

So anyway, I remember doing SRA reading in grade school. Fun stories, but nothing memorable. One day in 5th grade I was goofing around in class and the teacher (Thanks Mr. Grant!) told me to go to the library. Why do I remember this? It made an impact!! I had recently become enthralled with all things World War II. Now here was my opportunity to CHOOSE what I WANTED to read. I was haphazardly skimming through the shelves and came upon the book by Ian Serraillier Escape from Warsaw. I believe I searched for years and years to find a book as good as that–good story–plot I enjoyed–EDUCATIONAL–entertaining.

Than came high school. Well, I was ambitiously lazy. I tried everything to get out of doing work. I talked with my classmates to learn about books and stories we were to read. I read and traded “Cliff’s Notes”. I carefully chose my way through true and false tests and multiple guess questions. But I was not MOTIVATED to read. You couldn’t make me read. I wasn’t going to read. By the way, I developed my auditory learning skills very well at this time. I also dabbled with visual learning skills by watching the movie version of the book or novel.

Then came college. I had to read some stuff, I’m sure. There is no way to get through Children’s Literature class or American Literature class without it. But I don’t remember reading much of anything. If I did, I’m sure I skimmed and read enough to at least pass. But I don’t remember what I read.

Than one day, a guy I barely knew, someone who I had met and talked to for only an hour, gave me a book to read. “This book is different information. You’ll love it. I know it woke me up. I was never TAUGHT this kind of stuff before!”, said Dave. So I did. I read Paul Zane Pilzer’s The Next Millionaires. It became the first book, probably since 5th grade, that I read cover to cover. The information in there was incredible. Things I never new. I researched that information on-line to verify it, I discussed them with other people, and wonder of wonders–I recommended it to someone else.

Now to recap: why read? I read for information. I get educated. As I always say; “What is the difference between those who can’t read and those who won’t read? NOTHING!!! If experience is the best teacher than someone else’s experience is an even better teacher!

What does this information get me? Does it make me rich? Does it make me a better person? Which one is more valuable? Self-improvement is the goal. When I become better I am using God’s blessings to the fullest. I can make someone’s life better. I will make a room better with my entrance than with my exit (mull that one over a second). I have increase my influence. I have uncovered a part of God’s purpose for my life!! I can leave a legacy.

Now the keys to reading (review the bold words above): Interest–something I wanted to read about; Edification–why the book is good; why someone might think I would like it; Education–Don’t waste my time with enjoyment; what can it teach me; Motivation–what will it teach me? Is it new? How will this make me a better person?

If experience is the best teacher in life, than someone else’s experience is even better. John Wooden was 92 years old when he wrote his book, “Wooden”. Being ambitiously lazy, I can take a 92 year short cut to his goal of success. Yes, John Wooden is more successful than me. What a shock. I know, I didn’t believe it either But here is the point; he is successful as a better person. A man I could strive to be like. Oh, he is not Jesus, but he is someone who has lived on this earth and made himself a better person to make others better and make the world better. That is influence. That is legacy.

As an educator, I will tell you that the key to life is reading…but I never really believed it. When I was a child I didn’t like to read (you don’t know what you don’t know!).

I grew up in the 70′s where this new medium, television, was just going main stream. I loved the visual aspect of a television. I like to hear sounds and see color pictures move. I remember that type of information easily so it was more fun to me. The problem was this: there was a new media in the main stream but no one used it educationally. Then the early 80′s hit and movies became more visually awesome!! Yes, the original Star Wars episode had, by today’s standards, bad special effects. But boy, compared to other movies of the day, it was AWESOME!! In fact, it was so awesome, that is the only movie I remember going to see when I was young with my entire family!!! I believe we had five of my six brothers and sisters born at the time, we were on food-stamps I’m sure, too, but it was a big enough idea that my entire family went!!! Very memorable to me. Yet again a new media in the main stream but no one used it educationally. Next were video games. “Pong” was simply captivating to me. So much so, that I made friends who had video arcade systems so I could go and play the games. My family had none for a few years and then it was the old ones that were already cheaper to buy because they were out of date!! I loved color, motion, and sound. It was easy to be drawn in and captivated by the media. However, again a new media in the main stream but no one used it educationally. Today the graphics in video games, movies and television are outstanding!! Music, video…all digitized. It is hard to see what is real and what is computer generated. These are not new media, but again, is anyone using it educationally? Today we have Twitter accounts, Facebook accounts, and the like where social networking is dominating the media of today. Still again (do you sense a pattern here?) a new media in the main stream but no one is using it educationally.

The one constant through all of this? Books.

Later, my story with books and why I wanted to read. Then what can reading do for you. Finally, how can we use the new media in the main stream today in an educational setting.

I read a quote the last few days: “What is the difference between a man who can’t read and a man who won’t read? NOTHING!!”

The next series of blogs will be a discussion on reading: what to read, how can reading be beneficial, why should you read.

Students, welcome to my blog! As you can see, no one visits me. So I can blog individually, secretly, and delete my bad writing without anyone knowing

Question for you to reply to: How would you like to use technology in your classes?

Write a little, write a lot (don’t tell Mr. Maurice I used the word he loves so much).