So you may have noticed things have been a bit quiet on this Eduspaces site as of late. I just came back from a much needed vacation and am feeling renewed, refreshed, and revived (the ocean air can do that for you).
I am starting out a new school year teaching two sections of an undergraduate education course titled Integrating Technology into the Secondary Curriculum. The course is a requirement for those students minoring in education and who are thinking about teaching students at the secondary level (US grades 6-12; ages 11-18). As I work through putting together a meaningful experience for all involved, I will be sharing ideas, observations and reflections about the course, the students, and other items as they arise.
One item I am keen on sharing is a new weblog I've been working on. I have always wanted to write a book about metaphors associated with learning and teaching. The catch is, I didn't want to write it in the conventional sense. I wanted "the book" to be a jumping off point, a picture book, designed to spark conversation, reflection, and debate. I wanted the book to be fluid, dynamic, editable on the fly, allowing me to add images as I find them. Perhaps a wiki might be a better option in terms of organizing content in a more user friendly way. On the other hand, I like the notion of simply browsing and viewing images at random. Please let me know what you think.
Finally, I am happy to announce that I have outlined my dissertation and have begun the blissful task of writing up the first complete draft. I should have this completed in about six week. I am standing here beside myself with happiness and cannot wait to share the results with you. Stay tuned!
Image: play station
Comments
I too have a passion for metaphors as learning tools... and if I ever dared to further my education I'd be looking in that direction for a dissertation... that said, I'm not sure I'll ever make that leap and my hat is off to you for your current and future efforts!
Here are some 'metaphors to learn by' that I've collected: http://eduspaces.net/dtruss/files/1748
I love the idea of your new blog and look forward to following its' progress.
While the origin of the association may (or may not; no one seems to be sure) be as simple as students' gifts of food to poorly-paid instructors, it's interesting how the apple carries another traditional (though, in this case, mistaken) identification: with the forbidden fruit from the biblical Garden of Eden. In the story, the fruit represents knowledge, the "knowledge of good and evil." This is a strikingly appropriate image for the sort of edgy ambivalence toward education--especially public education--Americans seem to have. There's a distinct tension between love of and respect for knowledge (especially science, closely associated with love of technology) and fear of going too far, of ruining the innocence and natural wholesomeness of childhood with book-learnin' and newfangled notions.
I'm sure there could be much more written on similar semniotic knicknacks in ed; it'd be interesting to see an able writer like yourself give it a go.