Confession: I’ve only flirted with Open Course learning.

Tags

distance learning, e-learning, instructional design, MIT, OCW, online learning, OpenCourseWare

This is my third post in a series for my graduate course on distance learning. This week, we are tasked with understanding the planning and design decisions required to build quality distance learning  (usually synonymous with “online learning” these days) experiences. A few highlights from our learning this week are the following:

• Planning carefully and systematically is essential for any instruction. Although some believe online learning to merely be an alternative delivery mode, it requires special considerations, additional training, and often more attention to the planning stage than traditional face-to-face (F2F) classroom courses.

• When planning distance learning, choose technology carefully. Only choose technology tools that (1) meet the instructional goals, (2) are accessible by all learners, and (3) enhance the learning directly. Some instructional designers or online courses fail to consider potential bandwidth and technology access issues that will arise for some learners. Our professor this week cited an article by Wayne (2010) that highlights this digital divide: “In both their access to and use of the Internet and a suite of other technological devices and applications, households earning more than $75,000 a year significantly outpace lower-earning households, particularly those making less than $30,000 a year” (as cited in Dawson, 2011).

• Engage the learner in active participation with both an instructor and peers. Our textbook lists states this idea as “Interaction is essential” (Simonson, Smaldino, Albright, & Zvacek, 2009, p.147), and expounds citing another source of distance learning criteria that states “Quality distance learning programs…emphasize the involvement of the learner in all facets of program development and delivery…[and] allow frequent opportunities for participants to engage in a dialogue with subject-matter experts [SMEs] and other learners” (Simonson et al., 2009, p.148). Courses that do not require interaction among learners and between instructors and learners are likely to not be respected as quality learning environments because best practice suggests that interaction is essential for quality learning.

With these essential ideas in mind (along with a plethora of other guidelines for best practice) I am to choose an open course site to review. I have had previous encounters with Open Courseware before–but as sometimes happens, I have not revisited it for lack of time and a plethora of other distractions. I recognize it as a valuable tool for both my learning and possibly as a powerful resource for my classroom, but sometimes the availability of cool tools and amazing information becomes overwhelming. With this realization rattling around my brain, I was excited to have our assignment this week force me to return to an exploration of free university lectures, materials and classes.

After reviewing both  Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Open Culture, I choose MIT to be the focus. According to their own “About OCW” page, MIT describes their OpenCourseWare (OCW) as

…A web-based publication of virtually all MIT course content. MIT OpenCourseWare is a free publication of MIT course materials that reflects almost all the undergraduate and graduate subjects taught at MIT. OCW is open and available to the world…

Generally, all Open Course sites provide learning through lectures (via video or podcast), presentations, and materials for free online. Anyone can access this knowledge as long as they are motivated to learn independently. Individuals do not receive official college credit or degrees, but this hasn’t stopped the genre from growing, according to this graph provided by Gregory Gomer in his article about MIT’s Open Courseware.

Does the course appear to be carefully pre-planned and designed for a distance learning environment? How so?

MIT OCW does appear to be carefully planned for the distance learner. From their easy-to-use interface with clear navigation and FAQ, even a novice internet user could find his/her way through the site with ease. The home page offers an immediate Table of Contents for courses organized by discipline, so the user can quickly find the course he/she is looking for.

I chose “Reading Fiction” as my course to explore. Finding a the course was easy, and again, intuitive navigation bars appeared both on the left-hand side of the window and at the top of the course homepage. Those looking to access materials via the internet did not have a difficult time finding the essential information. The permanent tool bar at the top provides quick links to the site’s “Help” page for learners who may need more  assistance navigating the technology tools or requirements.

Does the course follow the recommendations for online instruction as listed in your course textbook?

On the course homepage, important information appears clearly at the top of the page (i.e. the instructor’s name and when the course was originally taught). Beneath this, a brief description of the course  appears with a hyperlink to sample assignments completed by students in the course as well as the instructor’s requirements for the assignments. On the left navigation panel, the course syllabus intuitively appear below the link for the homepage and provides further detailed information about the course goals, the expectations of time, the course readings, the breakdown of percentages for graded assignments, and a calendar for the course content and deadlines. This detailed information follows the advice given by this week’s distance learning expert, Dr. Piskurich, who states that quality instruction provides the learner right away with a detailed syllabus to clearly outline the learning goals, expectations (both time and academic), and resources (n.d.). Additionally, our course textbook highlights the need for the course organization, activities and expectations to be as clear as possible because “students need this kind of structure and detail to help them stay organized and on task”(Simonson et al., 2009, p.249).

Our course text also highlights the need for the assignment instructions to be detailed and include the following:

• purpose of assignment
• target audience
• grading criteria
• point value
• examples of acceptable and unacceptable work (Simonson et al., 2009).

The link to list of assignments does follow all of these criteria which would prepare a learner with clear expectations. Additionally, the assignments require higher-level thinking and analysis rather than “rote memory” demonstrating that the students are completing task using more than simply the lower levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy (Simonson et al, 2009).

Another benefit of MIT’s OCW offering of this course is the hyperlinked list of resources available for purchase through Amazon.com or available through a free download through other websites. This easy-to-access list demonstrates a thoughtfulness about the potential learners as it considers the learner who may be restricted financially, by providing him/her with access to the course text for free. Often, texts are also offered in an audio version which is linked on the “Readings” page as well. This considers diverse learners with varied learning styles and physical abilities, and demonstrates a particular thoughtfulness in planning.

A few ways a learner could be disadvantaged by the course are the following:

• language–the course materials and navigation are completely in English. However, on their “FAQ: Using OCW Materials” page, information is provided that allows the site and materials to be translated as long as the provided disclaimer is used. Additionally, the MIT OCW homepage offers a link to “Translated Courses” which provides links to materials offered in a few different languages.
• technology–learner needs to have the capability to download and unzip the course material documents. This requires proper software and access to a relatively fast bandwidth. However, to mitigate this problem, the materials are in one download which allows learners with infrequent access to internet to still participate. Additionally, a link to a help page appears beneath the download “button” which begins the process of accessing the course materials.

Did the course designer implement course activities that maximize active learning for the students?

Because this course is posted after the date of its initial offering, it is not an active course with an available instructor. In fact, this is the one huge drawback of all MIT OCW courses–learners do not have access to faculty members (About OCW, 2011). This disclaimer is posted on their FAQ page:

MIT OpenCourseWare is intended as a publication of MIT course materials, not as an interactive experience with MIT faculty. MIT OpenCourseWare does not offer users the opportunity for direct contact with MIT faculty. It provides the content of – but is not a substitute for – an MIT education. Inquiries related to specific course materials will be forwarded to the MIT faculty member associated with that course for their consideration. However due to the tremendous volume of email inquiries received it is unlikely he or she will be able to respond personally.

Additionally, learners do not have direct access to other learners choosing to take the same course. However, if a learner takes enough initiative, he/she may find other learners using the social media buttons provided on the home page of each course. Posting this course to Facebook, Twitter or Google + may allow isolated learners to connect with others who are interested in the same course. Because of its open and free nature, a learner could organize his/her own learning cohort to gain the valuable learning of discussion and interaction with other learners.

References

MITOpenCourseWare. (2011) Accessed through http://ocw.mit.edu/index.htm

Pizkurich, G. (n.d.). Planning and designing online courses. [Video Program]. Laureate Education Inc.

Simonson, M., Smaldino, S., Albright, M., & Zvacek, S. (2009). Teaching and learning at a distance: Foundations of distance education (4th ed.) Boston, MA: Pearson.

Vaeth, Kimberly. 21L.003 Reading Fiction, Fall 2008. (Massachusetts Institute of  Technology: MIT OpenCourseWare), http://ocw.mit.edu (Accessed 04 Dec, 2011). License: Creative Commons BY-NC-SA

Confession: This is my second post for my distance learning grad class.

Tags

Camtasia Studio, Distance education, Education, Google, Google Docs, instructional design, Instructional technology, Simonson, YouTube

The assignment

Pretend that the following is your hypothetical situation as a distance educator:

A new automated staff information system was recently purchased by a major corporation and needs to be implemented in six regional offices. Unfortunately, the staff is located throughout all the different offices and cannot meet at the same time or in the same location. As an instructional designer for the corporation, you have been charged with implementing a training workshop for these offices. As part of the training, you were advised how imperative it is that the staff members share information, in the form of screen captures and documents, and participate in ongoing collaboration.

With this situation in mind, I am to “consider the needs and requirements of the learning context presented and which technologies could provide solutions in each situation” and “identify one to two distance learning technologies [I] think provide the best solution for the given challenge.” Additionally, I am asked to “provide examples of the use of these technologies…that showcase how these technologies have been successfully used in distance learning.” (Walden Course Project Assignment).

Tackling the Problem

In our textbook this week, Simonson, Smaldino, Albright and Zvacek break down the process of choosing technology for a distance instructional situation into the following steps.

Step 1: Assess available instructional technologies.

Being somewhat of a technology-geek educator, I have a plethora of technologies swirling through my head at this point. But before I begin spitting out my favorite web 2.0 tools, let’s reassess the details of this situation. This is a “major corporation” and not a struggling public school or nonprofit, therefore they may be willing to purchase software to ensure a quality and consistent product rather than deal with the inevitable glitches of free web software. However, this business will likely want to use technology that has been proven effective in business environment, and will not be costly to implement. Furthermore, as the client has mentioned use of “screen captures,” I feel safe making the assumption that each office and possibly each individual has a computer with up-to-date hardware capabilities as well as a broadband internet connection.

Simonson et. al break down instructional technologies into telecommunication technologies and instructional technologies, and further explain the theory of Edgar Dale who posits through his cone of experience that there is a tension between efficiency and effectiveness when designing instruction; a designer should pick learning experiences that “are no more realistic than necessary in order for the outcomes to be achieved” (Simonson et. al, 2009, p.115). Therefore when considering the best tools for this training on the new automated staff system, I should choose the tools that will allow for the most efficient use of time–avoid having one trainer visit each office to train employees in person–but also provide as realistic experience with the learning as possible– don’t simply create a manual for each employee to read and then somehow figure out the system from that abstract experience.

Step 2: Determine the learning outcomes

This step is important for choosing the appropriate technology tool. Simonson et. al define learning outcomes as “those observable, measurable behaviors that are a consequence of online instruction” (Simonson et. al, 2009, p.116). In this scenario the learning outcomes would be the following:

1. Employees demonstrate proficiency in using the new automated staff information system in daily tasks to collaborate with other employees on relevant projects.
2. Employees demonstrate proficiency in using screen capture and collaboration software to enhance collaboration through the staff information system.

Step 3: Identify learning experiences and match each to the most appropriate available technology.

The scanario clearly states that employees participating in this training should not be passive learners, but rather actively engaging in sharing documents and presentations to convey information to each others. The learning experience desired seems to necessitate a constructivist approach in which the learning experience is highly differentiated (students are working on different tasks), highly autonomous (students have choices), grouped by task rather than ability, and assessed on individual progress and mastery with varied time lines according to student needs (Ormrod, Schunk & Gredler, 2008).

Another aspect of this learning experience is that it needs to accommodate for physical distance, time distance and a high transactional distance between the students and instructor. Discussions need to be conducted asynchronously and virtually rather than through a video chat or conference call.

The two technology tools that I believe will best match the learning objectives, the learning experience, and the available technology are Google Docs and Camtasia Studio.

Google Apps

Google Apps is a free software suite built for collaboration and sharing on a variety of information platforms. The Apps suite includes email, calendars, website hosting, and the docs collaboration set. For the purposes of this scenario, I’m going to focus on the Google doc capabilities. See the video below for a brief explanation of its collaboration capabilities.

In the Google docs suite, collaborators can work synchronously and asynchronously from any geographic location on a variety of documents and presentations. By visiting this YouTube channel, one can see a brief overview of Google docs, presentations, forms, drawings and spreadsheets. Virtually any way an individual would want to organize and communicate information could be done through the variety of offerings through Google apps with the minimal requirements of a computer with internet access as well as a unique username and password for the account.

The interface is user friendly, and allows great autonomy for learners to choose the way in which they want to participate and communicate their ideas and information.  In this particular scenario, Google docs would allow for continuous collaboration among all six regional offices. The trainer could post instructional materials in a variety of ways that the learners could then interact with and discuss among themselves. The cost is appealing to a company who is looking for efficient training with a low impact to their overall profitability. But, as I mentioned earlier, companies want to know that they are choosing a proven and highly regarded tool. The following videos offer insight into how companies are using Google Apps in their workplace for collaboration and training and educators are using Google Apps in distance learning.

Camtasia Studio: Screen Capture Software

My second technology recommendation is not free, but is a powerful tool for collaboration and training. Trainers can record video presentations by capturing both the instructor and the presentation slides, documents or web resources and allowing this video to be shared in a variety of formats. Learners can view these videos multiple times for understanding, and watch them at any time that is convenient to them. In this way, Camtasia offers the asynchronous training opportunity that also saves time and money by allowing one trainer to deliver the same message to all employees. Additionally, the materials follow the constructivist learning environment that this company seems to want for its employees: learners have autonomy through viewing materials individually, at their own pace and in their own environment; learners have differentiation by viewing as many training modules as necessary and reviewing the presentations at whatever pace is best for their learning style; and learners will be evaluated on their ability to use the information presented in a relevant and individual outcome rather than a public performance.

Camtasia screen-captures also provide as real of an experience as possible without wasting the resources of time, travel expense, and equipment for a trainer to provide instruction in a physical space. Overall, this technology tool seems to perfectly match the learning objectives and environment.

This Camtasia Homepage provides a variety of resources to not only explain the product (better than I ever could!) but also provide testimonials and ideas for its use in both business and education. The images below provide a glimpse of what this screen capture software can provide for the learner.

In this image, the screen capture is instructing a student using annotation boxes (peach) and a split screen between two excel spreadsheets.

In this screen capture, a blogger demonstrates how Camtasia Studio software can be used to instruct on building a website

This image demonstrates how both the screen content and the instructor are present in a screen capture.

Resources and References

Ormond, J., Schunk, D., Gredler, M. (2009). Learning theories and instruction (Custom ed.) New York, New York: Laureate.

Simonson, M., Smaldino, S., Albright, M., & Zvacek, S. (2009). Teaching and learning at a distance: Foundations of distance education (4th ed.) Boston, MA: Pearson.

Confession: This is a simple celebration.

Today was the first day in a while I felt successful. I am just coming out of a few weeks of feeling lost, overwhelmed and defeated, but today I felt like I had new direction, renewed purpose, and engagement with my students and colleagues.

Do you ever have those days? They feel like a breath of fresh air, and they give you the necessary energy to push forward, make changes, and realize the good again.

I know this post is a self-serving celebration that may not mean much to the 10 people who may read my lines of exuberance, but sometimes, you just have to share a good day and try to spread a digital smile.

Confession: I Drooled a Little…

Tags

future of books, Google Reader, IDEO, interactive reading, iPad, literacy

I have to admit that when I watched this I had three distinct reactions:

1. Holy mother, I need an iPad!
2. Oh my gosh how amazing would this be as an addition to my obsession with Google Reader!
3. That Alice program is a little creepy to me…I feel like I would lose touch with reality with characters texting me.

Confession: This Post is for a Graduate Class Assignment

Tags

21st century learning, distance learning, e-learning, Education, instructional design, technology tools, web learning

Just wanted to provide full disclosure on why I’m all of a sudden writing about distance learning. This is my first week in the course titled “Foundations of Distance Learning,” and for our Sunday project assignment, I was asked to discuss my definition of distance learning and how that definition has evolved through interacting with our course resources.

This course is interesting in that we seem to be doing a bit of form follows function. As we learn through a distance learning course, we examine the practice of distance learning as well as the research, theory, and future of it as an educational model. I entered this course with mixed feelings about distance learning. Walden’s graduate program was my first experience with any kind of online class, and I have found that although I love the convenience of doing my work when it fits into my schedule (I wish it was actually as easy as that sounds–I find myself saying “no” to a lot more these days to sit in front of my computer and pound out discussion posts and projects), I also terribly miss the animated and instant discussions that can happen in a face to face class. I miss knowing professors and classmates beyond their sentence structure, syntax and grammatical errors (hey–we all have them!), and most of all, I miss having more to class than reading and writing…even though I feel fortunate to be an English teacher in this type of grading scale!

My Definition

Anyway, here is my definition of distance learning upon entering the course on Monday:

Distance learning is a mode of education which uses technology to deliver instruction to learners who are not confined to one geographical region, but rather are grouped according to their educational interest. Traditional structures like discussion and feedback take place in non-traditional and asynchronous ways, but still have the structure of a percentage-based system of assessment as well as defined deadlines. Distance learning may use video or audio podcasts to deliver instruction, and often uses Web 2.0 tools as instructional strategies. Learners have the flexibility to complete assignments when the learning best fits into their schedule; therefore, distance education is often a popular option among working professionals, parents, and/or other non-traditional students.

Distance learning is also expanding from post-secondary education to high schools and even elementary schools. In these environments, distance learning is often used to reach students who for one reason or another don’t feel successful or comfortable in a bricks-and-mortar classroom. With the dramatic growth of private charter schools, distance learning has been more recently used to compete with public school districts in raising graduation and test scores–this movement has had an extreme mix of results in these two goals. High school and elementary students involved in distance learning are often students who are heavily committed in another area that prevents them from fitting into the inflexible schedule of traditional K-12 schooling. Some choose distance learning because of a physical, mental or social disability, often times causing the individual to become a target of bullying. Other students are in distance learning because their parents have strong religious beliefs, and hope that by keeping their children at home, they can monitor the content and instruction more closely. *

What I’ve learned this week

Now, here’s some things I have learned this week that change or expand my previous understanding of distance learning. I will summarize the points I found most interesting or relevant to my personal understanding and experience:

• Distance learning is not a new phenomenon. In fact, distance learning has been around since the early 1800′s in the form of mail correspondence. As technology evolved, distance learning made use of new tools to further non-traditional educational and training modules. For instance, Penn State College used a radio to broadcast courses for the first time in 1922! (Distance Learning Timeline Continuum). I actually feel a bit silly for saying that I did not know this when in fact my entire education in 6th grade was watching a classroom in Florida via VHS tapes. Yes, I was home-schooled for three years and survived to tell about it

• Distance learning is not the magic bullet or quick fix for all our educational woes. Ok, this is definitely not something that surprised me, but I was comforted to read that in black-and-white and backed by research. The authors of an interesting three-part study titled “The Evolution of Distance Education” claim that “rushing to adopt distance education, or any new technology, to avoid being seen as out of touch or outdated certainly is as ephemeral as most fads” and “We need to choose to view e-learning as the question rather than the answer” (Huett, Moller, Foshay, & Coleman, 2008, p.66). Basically, I find myself noting that the research does NOT support the idea that just because distance learning uses new and exciting forms of technology that it has in any conclusive way been proven to solve some of our most intractable educational problems. Instead, it merely provides another set of tools, albeit powerful ones, to our practice to reach more learners in more diverse ways.
  

• Distance learning has gotten a bad reputation in the world of work-place training and secondary education. Again, no surprise here. I remember the days of getting a job at a restaurant and mindlessly clicking through screens just to get to the ridiculously easy assessment and earn whatever certificate or badge that was required–even though neither my manager or I gave much credit to this whole ordeal actually improving my job performance. But with this week’s reading, I add to my definition that distance learning has a mixed review within the instructional design and training communities. Moller, Foshay and Huett, cite three reasons for the tenuous reputation between e-learning and relevant, quality learning:

1. Managers and/or customers care more about the appearance of training rather than effect on job performance or any other objective indicators.
2. Evaluation, need-analysis and other sound principles of effective instructional design are not valued and/or rushed because of a lack of time, money or professionalism.
3. The demand for e-learning modules out-paces the supply of quality, trained instructional designers, so distance or web-based learning is being developed by people who may not be aware of the process for designing quality instruction and tracking its results in any meaningful way. (Moller, Foshay & Huett, 2008)

To cite some criticisms in another sector of distance learning education, high schools often use distance learning as a credit-recovery process which most view as an “easier” credit than those earned through traditional methods. This can also be true of post-secondary degrees earned via distance learning programs. My own principal scoffed when he heard about my program at Walden, saying something to the effect of that’s not a real school. Man, that burned me up as I was working my butt off to plow through the coursework. So in building my definition of distance learning, I acknowledge the challenges it faces in gaining credibility and reliability.

What’s the future of distance learning?

Distance learning is not going away. In fact, it’s growing exponentially as the demands for a more educated and more mobile workforce demand that education become more flexible and accessible. Just as McLeod and Fisch demonstrate so powerfully in their YouTube video Shift Happens 3.0, our current educational system is preparing students for jobs that don’t yet exist and a world in which future graduates will have 10-14 jobs by the age of 38. Educators, students, and society need to begin viewing distance learning as an inevitable future component of nearly every educational experience, whether through on-site learning in a physical space with others or in a blended learning environment or in a strictly online, virtual space. Instructional Design professionals need to apply good theory and practice to improve the quality and reputation of distance learning, and post-secondary educational institutions need to build their programs to support the need for professionals who can meet these demands.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

* I have learned much of this from a friend who teaches at a distance-learning charter school and not from my own experience.

Huett, J., Moller, L., Foshay, W., & Coleman, C. (2008). ”The evolution of distance education: Implications for instructional design on the potential of the web” (Part 3: K12). TechTrends, 52(5), 63–67.

McCloud, S., Fisch, K., & Brenman, J. (2010). Did You Know? 3.0 accessible through YouTube.

Moller, L., Foshay, W., & Huett, J. (2008). “The evolution of distance education: Implications for instructional design on the potential of the web” (Part 1: Training and development). TechTrends, 52(3), 70–75.

Confession: I read teacher-related blogs on my Saturday afternoon.

Tags

21st century learning, ambiguity, Education, Learning, scaffolding, Student, teaching

As I was browsing my Google Reader and Diigo Education Group links today, I felt myself inspired by a number of ideas from some educational bloggers. Here’s just one of them in a weekend round-up of some fascinating perspectives and ideas.

Teachers, Have the Courage to be Less Helpful: In this blog entry by educational consultant Peter Pappas, he makes the case for a less teacher-controlled, highly structured learning environment, or, for those of us in the educational world, less spoon-feeding. (Side note, I work with a wonderful group of colleagues, one of whom is famous for walking around with a wooden spoon and when students ask questions to avoid thinking for themselves, she comes over and asks them “Do I need to spoon feed you this answer or are you going to use your brain to come up with your own?” Love it!). Pappas makes the case that our students are constantly working in tightly controlled environments where tasks are sequenced in small steps for students and they are given rubrics with a definitive end product–little is left to creativity, problem-solving or uncertain outcomes. While this allows our students to feel in control and successful to some extent, Pappas begs the question: Does this environment prepare our students for a rapidly changing, unstable and evolving world?

This entry struck me particularly today as I had a personal experience in my classroom this week that shook me. I teach two sections of a junior English class in which my students are not necessarily college-bound. Many have IEP‘s (individual education plans–usually this is created for a learning or physical/mental disability or challenge like autism, dyslexia or another processing issue) and many are unmotivated students for a variety of reasons. I love this kids. In some ways they are more in touch with the “real world” than their sheltered peers, but in many ways unfortunately they are actually less prepared to be successful in that same world. My heart sometimes aches for the challenges they face post-high school. Many times; however, they make me feel as though I am beating my head against a wall. They simply don’t care about the learning I’m offering, and they actually work against themselves and me constantly.

Anyway, my smaller section of students and I got into a discussion about the class, and one of them said “You make this so easy for us.” Wow. Um, do you know me? I have NEVER had a student say I make ANYTHING easy. In fact, I’m known as a bit of a hard-ass with occasionally far-reaching expectations. I was shaken. Was I “dumbing” this down? Was I providing too much scaffolding? Was I going too slowly? This didn’t seem possible as so many of them still didn’t seem to understand a word they were reading of our current excerpt of Frederick Douglass‘ My Bondage My Freedom. Yet, when I thought about it, I could see how this class may be perceived as “easy.” I slowed down when I felt like I was losing them; I provided up-front vocabulary lessons with pictures and review; I read out-loud to them to hopefully boost their understanding because I would keep the fluency and inflection correct…was I simply doing too much work and not forcing them to take their fair share? But when they weren’t even turning in the assignments I already assigned, how could I raise the expectations? I was flummoxed, frustrated, and feeling more than a little out-of-my-league.

Reading Pappas’ article, I am challenged again to re-think my expectations for myself, my students, and my learning environment. Can I allow myself to create an environment that embraces a certain degree of frustration, calling it “cognitive dissidence” instead? To what degree do my students need the security of clearly worded learning goal and expectations and to what degree do I need to build in some intentional ambiguity? Much to think about.

This entry rolled a bit longer than I expected. I’ll save the next idea for the next entry. What do you think about this proposal of less structure and scaffolding? Even if you aren’t in education, all of you were a student at some point, and many of you are immersed in your own “real-world” careers now? What level of uncertainty and ambiguity would be healthy for current high school students to prepare them for our uncertain and changing world?

Confession: I think this post was sent by God to my inbox.

Tags

Diigo, Education, educational environment, edutopia, professionalism, school culture, school improvement

While browsing my daily educational links (sent by the Diigo educator sharing group), I came across this gem. A list of 20 ways to improve school culture, efficiency and collaborative environment. It truly felt like a breath of fresh air as many of these points have been on my mind lately. Another plus–it allowed me to see some ways my work environment is already “doing the right thing.” I found myself reading the list thinking “Psssht, wouldn’t that be nice….oh, yeah that too…hmm, we actually do have that…and that…oh, but this category is SO NEEDED.” I invite you to click on the link and do the same. Here are a few to pique your curiosity:

1. Time for kudos Educators move from lesson to student to phone to meeting to class all day, some even eat standing up at their desks. Spend the first 5 minutes of faculty meeting with an open floor for anyone to compliment a colleague and the entire room will shift in a positive direction. A thanks for covering lunch duty, recognition of a powerful teaching moment, even a self-congratulatory announcement can create a space for people to smile.

5. Share facilitator responsibilities The meeting needs to be managed, not dictated. Take turns leading and everyone will have a chance to participate.

8. Get a handle on gossip Unify the team and work through any disagreements face-to-face. Some faculty rooms can become uninviting because of the negative conversations. Claim the space as a retreat from the bustle of school and set a high standard for decent interaction. This includes negative comments about students.

12.  Face-to-face check in Administrators and faculty sometimes let the efficiency of digital communication get in the way of a real connection. Take a few minutes a day to look a colleague in the eye and get beyond any reflexive answers to “How are you?”

Here’s the link again. Click away! 20 Ways to Create a Healthy Faculty Environment

Confession: Innovation is my high. (Along with chocolate)

Tags

Coco Chanel, Henry Ford, ideas, Innovation, public education, Steve Jobs, Tall poppy syndrome

Here’s the thing. I want to be immersed in a community of peers who can’t wait to get to work and share new ideas with whomever will listen. I want to look up to leaders who value transparency and rapport with their faculty as much as they value their next pay check. I want to spend the better part of each day working in a hot-bed of innovation where flexibility is the norm, and few structures remain unquestioned. I want an educational utopia where the glass ceiling of what is possible has been blown to smithereens. Is that too much to ask?

Ok, so I acknowledge that my perfectionist, driven nature can tend to create unrealistic expectations for myself and others. And I also acknowledge that at some point, life will never be perfect and systems will still be run by us fallible humans who will inevitably screw it up in every way possible. But should that be an excuse to be content with status quo? Did Steve Jobs, Henry Ford, Margret Sanger, or Coco Chanel say to themselves “You are already blessed with an amazing life–why rock the boat? Why strive so hard for more? Why try to improve upon good?” These individuals were driven by an idea bigger than the current boxes that surrounded them. Instead of looking for a platform to elevate their ideas, they built a second floor and invited people to join them in building the third, fourth and fifth.

I don’t get frustrated with people who are content, comfortable or don’t have the desire to live in a constant state of change. This world needs the calming presence and stability of those who have found the rare gift of contentment. I value the balance of people in my life who have learned to be happy in spite of the inefficiencies or less-than-ideal systems in which  they find themselves. Some days, I wish I could get ride of this drive and enjoy more afternoons sitting under a tree, sipping a glass of wine, and talking about nothing more than the beauty of the changing leaves.

What frustrates me are the systems that not only stifle innovation but actively work to maintain the status quo or only incremental deviations from that standard. The Aussies call this “tall-poppy syndrome.” When one rises above, they make the others look short; therefore, the tall poppy should remember that its place is with those below it and return before its legs (stalk?) are taken out. In these systems, those who strive for excellence are called over-achievers; those who ask critical questions are labeled as whiners; and those who have big ideas are told to remember their place. Oh, and don’t forget the ever-present reminder about “how good we all have it” so who are you to mention the ways in which it could be improved?

Sometimes, I feel like public education across our great nation falls into this latter category, and it frustrates me. To. No. End. I’ve discovered that ideas and innovation are my crack–the more I get, the more I want, and the more I want, the more I seek, and the more I seek, the more ideas I have, and the cycle continues. When I read about our current discussions in education, and when I hear the ignorance that permeates our society, and when I see the marginalization of learning in a society that worships entertainment, I can’t help by look at our current system and see its inadequacies. I can’t help by broaden my gaze to our current culture and see how its values have contributed to these inadequacies. And then, I can’t help but begin to brainstorm how to fix all of them…one idea at a time.

Confession: I’m Scared of Waking Up.

Tags

4 Hour Body, Alarm clock, health, sleep, Timothy Ferriss

After three months of trying desperately to sleep, sleep, sleep (while I can), I am starting to feel the creeping dread of waking up before dawn and gulping my coffee to jump-start my body to be “on” in my classroom for the first four hours of the morning. My dread comes from knowing that my alarm will go off, and I will hit the snooze three times before coming to terms with the inevitable—even though my body is craving AT LEAST two more hours of sleep, if I don’t get up RIGHT NOW I will not be able to do one of the following: eat breakfast, pack my lunch, put on make-up or feed my cats—none of these options are acceptable.

This frenetic morning routine is one of the most detested aspects of my job, and my life, for 9 months out of the year, so during the summer I tell myself to “live it up” and sleep as much as I possibly can. I ignore bed time until I can’t stay up any longer, I don’t set an alarm in the morning (or if I do, I ignore it), and I sleep until my body naturally signals that it has had enough sleep (for once). Here’s the weird thing that I’ve discovered: my body seemingly CAN’T get enough sleep. Even if I sleep until 10 a.m., I still wake up groggy and lacking that refreshed-birds-are-singing-sun-is-shining feeling. What is up with that?! No matter how much sleep I get, I can’t seem to get my brain and body jump-started until I’ve had some caffeine input. Unlike my husband, this bothers me. I don’t like knowing that I can’t do something as natural as sleeping and waking up without an absolute dependence on an outside substance (coffee) being put into my body.

The other issue affecting my sleep is my husband. Unlike me, he hates sleep in general and does whatever he can to exist on as little as possible. He’s a self-professed night owl, and seems to be able to exist quite well on 5-6 hours of sleep. Needless to say, this small fact has caused me, on occasion, to feel something akin to irrational rage and loathing toward him. My body would just up and shut down if I gave it less than 7 hours on a regular basis—how is it fair that he gets 1-2 extra hours in a day!? I’m would like to take this issue up with whomever is responsible.

So I decided to research this concept of sleep a bit so see what tips and suggestions I could find for getting better sleep and making the morning wake-up less traumatic and more inspiring. The following are a list of things that I will attempt in order to make my morning transition just a bit hellish..or, hey, who knows, possibly pleasant!

*Disclaimer: This research was done over two days and represents neither a breadth nor depth of material. I just skimmed ideas from a couple of  Google searches and books.*

(1) Establish a CONSISTENT bedtime and wake-up. This is something I’ve been terrible at during the summer, and in spite of loving the freedom from such a strictly structured life (i.e. high school bell schedule—HATE!) I think that my freedom has also been my downfall. If I would discipline myself to have a bedtime hour and a wake-up hour I could have some flexibility, but also a consistency for my body to become accustom.

(2) Figure out how much sleep your body REALLY needs by adjusting your bedtime by 15 min. each night until you wake up BEFORE your alarm clock. Once I have a routine established, I need to perform this little experiment to find out my sleep sweet spot. Maybe, like my mother and sister, I’m a 9-hour sleeper (horrors!), or maybe, with some routine, I can feel refreshed after only 7 hours. I’m crossing my fingers for the latter.

(3) Don’t drink caffeine OR ALCOHOL before bed, but try a bit of ALMOND BUTTER before bed. This point has been gathered from various sources. Tim Ferriss, author of The 4 Hour Body, suggests that some people wake up feeling lethargic because of low blood sugar. To combat this, eat 2 tbsp. of almond butter before sleeping to even this out. My neighbor also swears by decaf green tea with a splash of milk to relax. I plan on trying both of these suggestions. I definitely avoid caffeine already, but I will have to work on avoiding the alcohol. I have found, however, that the verdict is out on the alcohol. Ferriss, states that it can help us have deeper sleep while others suggest it inhibits sleep. Whatever, Joel will continue his wine regimen, and I will try the tea. We’ll see.

*Disclaimer about this video–the part about sleep comes in around 3:00 and the first part is about Tim’s philosophy on improving sex–which he also covers in his book. I tried to clip out just the relevant section, but my Real Player wasn’t downloading it and I don’t have the tech savvy to try other options. So, this clip is a preview of his whole book. Enjoy!*

(4) Regulate the TEMPERATURE of the bedroom. Racy jokes aside (I know they are running through your brain…), keeping the bedroom cooler, may help you to sleep deeper. Anecdotally, my German brother and sister-in-law (ok, brother-in-law is American, sister-in-law German citizen) keep their bedroom window cracked even in the winter, and claim that the fresh air helps their immune system and their sleep. Initially, this sounded like a crazy German wives’ tale, but after my quick research, I found some science to support this. I may pay more attention to keeping my room uncomfortably cool in order to have the perfect temperature when under the covers for sleep.

(5) Considering buying a gadget. I’m thinking about this. In addition to helping my SAD (seasonal affective disorder), this light may make those winter pre-dawn wake ups feel more natural. Plus,  I feel like adding a gadget to this new sleep lifestyle might be fun, and might pull Joel on board (just add electronics and suddenly a lifestyle change looks more appealing to a guy).  The reviews are pretty good for this model, and Ferriss also recommends this device in his book. I’m also considering this device (also Phillips) as an alternative.

Now that I have some ideas, the hard part of actually establishing the routine and being intentional about what to consume and avoid begins. Hopefully, I’ll get this right before I’m standing in front of a roomful of 25 freshman at 7:40 a.m. trying to convince them that we all have enough energy to organize a persuasive speech. *Deep Breath*

Resources:

The Daily Mind Blog

Lilfehacker: How To Reboot your Sleep Cycle…

Ferriss, T. (2010) The 4-Hour Body: An uncommon guide to rapid fat-loss, incredible sex, and becoming superhuman. website here.

“Seasonal Affective Disorder.” Wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seasonal_affective_disorder

Confession: Birds Creep Me Out.

Tags

Bird, creepy birds, Daphne du Maurier, Hitchock's Birds, The Birds, whomping willow

Birds creep me out. Don’t get me wrong—Joel has a very manly looking bird feeder outside our dining room window which I am lusting to replace with this update

so that I can enjoy the little birds flitting from the window to the tree. Actually, I really enjoy watching the showdown between them and Bella Luna in the spring when the windows are open and Bella can stalk the birds from the floor only to spring into the window sill and scare the living daylights out of them. I imagine her cursing the screen standing between her and victory and it makes me smile. Anyway, birds do have some entertainment value, and I’ve been known to point out with some measure of child-like glee when I see a cardinal, blue jay or hummingbird in the trees surrounding our home. I saw an owl earlier this spring and it took my breath away—those guys are the bomb (nice 90’s lingo there—you like?). But when I say birds creep me out, I mean flocks of birds. Even harmless little sparrows turn inexplicably creepy when joined by fifty or more of their little friends.

Have you ever seen Hitchcock’s Birds? Or read Daphne du Maurier’s short story by the same name? If not, allow me to enlighten you with the following clip and passage

The birds were circling still, above the fields. Mostly herring gull, the black-backed gull amongst them. Usually they kept apart. Now they were united. Some bond had brought them together. It was the black-backed gull that attacked the smaller birds, and even newborn lambs, so he’d heard. He’d never seen it done. He remembered this now, though, looking above him in the sky. They were coming in towards the farm. They were circling lower in the sky, and the black-backed gulls were to the front, the black-backed gulls were leading.

Ok, so obviously these are hyperbolic, but there is a strain of truth to their characterization of our feathered friends. Growing up, I was blessed to have two things every kid (or at least every kid of the 90’s) dreams of—a big yard and a huge trampoline. My sisters would beg our parents and our friend’s parents to let us have sleepovers on that trampoline on summer nights when it didn’t matter if we got two hours of sleep or four. Aside from the shear novelty of sleeping somewhere other than our comfortable beds, the trampoline was great for late night entertainment through observing the nocturnal wildlife. Bats, possums, raccoons—we saw them all rustling, swooping and slinking. But what inspired ghost stories and musings for future horror movies was neither the reflective eyes of the possum nor the startling whooshes of the bats. We were morbidly fixated on The Bird Tree. Located four houses down and on the corner of the alley dividing our block, stood an old, knurled tree. Think Harry Potter: Chamber of Secrets Whomping Willow. In daylight the tree was a bit more than imposing but a bit less than horrifying. At night, however, the birds brought this tree to life in ways that made us quiver in our sleeping bags. Swooping, cawing, and clamoring, hundreds of birds flocked to this tree around midnight. Our best guess to this creepy mystery was that the birds were convening a secret meeting to decide the next stage in their coup of our unsuspecting neighborhood. The Bird Tree was the talk of many a girly sleep over—sandwiched between talk boys and what kind of pancakes we would make in the morning.

Owls are creepy in different ways—their eyes seem to read your soul instantly. I feel an immediate respect for owls that fascinated me, but also keeps me from perusing them at a close range. Fortunately I have never seen an entire parliament (that’s the word for a flock of owls—I love weird animal group terms. Did you know a group of rhinos is called a “crash?”), so I have never had my awe turn to an unsettling dread over their presence.

Currently, I am sitting in my temporary bedroom: a carpeted sunroom with a pull-out futon. As it is August, every window is open and the sunroom is surrounded by a plethora of over-grown rhododendron as well as  little bird feeders my mother-in-law has provided for her feathery friends. This morning, I was awakened to a massive WHOOOSH—the kind that makes you think the heavens have opened and a sheet of rain is pounding to earth. Or the kind that brings to mind a passing MAC truck—impossible in this 30-house town surrounded by the mountains of PA state games lands. Gathering my senses, I realized that this repeated WHOOOSH is the fluttering of at least 30 pairs of wings relocating their hosts from one rhododendron to another or from one gutter to the next. Unnerving and creepy. In addition to the weird wing Whooshing, another bird took it upon himself to begin building a nest on the sunroom roof, causing scratching, pecking along other unexplainable sounds to join the cacophony of wings for my morning alarm.

When I exit to join the rest of the family for breakfast, my mother-in-law kindly asks, “Did you hear the birds this morning?” To which my face must react by twisting into a mixture of annoyance and fear. Before I can spit out my verbal response to match my expression she continues with something like “Isn’t it so neat to have them wake you up in the morning? We just have so many birds here.” Swallowing my condemnation of these morning creepers, I quickly flatten my expression and mumble something akin to “yeah, they’re real neat” before quickly taking my place at the crowded table. She has welcomed them in droves and loves their disturbing group movements as well as their quirky fluttering and clattering.  When I feel Joel out to see it he has even taken notice of our creeper companions, his response is a muted “yeah, I guess.”

So I’m alone with my remembrance of The Bird Tree, my flashbacks to the only slightly fictionalized tales of Hitchcock and Daphne du Maurier, and the eerie sense that these birds are going to make it through these screens and prove my mother-in-law’s admiration misplaced.