Moses went up a mountain and sat still.
Gautama went into the forest and sat still.
Jesus went out into the desert and sat still.
And their minds were opened up.

-- pudgala 2 in the e-sangha Buddhist Forum

Time In, Time Out

In class last night a young doctoral student observed how the teachers she observes are always running around attending to hundreds of details and never have time to reflect on themselves or their practice.

Hargreaves (1994) notes that teacher time is most often administratively driven, monochronic, objective, technical-rational and founded on the notion of efficiency.

This conception of time tends to run counter to actual teaching practice which is polychronic, emphasizing relationships over things, where flexibility is required to manage the simultaneous demands in a densely packed world of the classroom.

Managing learning among a group of individuals is vastly different than managing bureaucratic processes. Hargreaves suggests that “[t]he solution to this impasse” involves giving “more responsibility and flexibility to teachers in the management and allocation of their time, and to offer them more control over what is to be developed within that time…. In doing this, we would be recognizing that teacher development is ultimately incompatible with confining teachers to the role of merely implementing curriculum guidelines. We would be recognizing that teacher development and curriculum development are closely intertwined” (p. 114).

Hargreaves is implying how important time is to teachers. By giving it back, time can become a supportive companion as opposed to an enemy of freedom.

Extraordinary Vision

This connects to another important point regarding managing teachers. It is critical for administrators to recognize the role of supervision in teaching and learning environments. Supervision is often confused with evaluation. Supervision often involves forms of evaluation, but at its core supervision is about supporting the development of the individual. Sergiovanni and Starratt (2002) argue that “the purpose of supervision is to help increase the opportunity and the capacity of schools to contribute more effectively to students’ academic success” (authors' emphasis p. 6). In other words, supervision involves extraordinary vision; it’s more than about organizing teacher work schedules -- it’s about designing opportunities for teachers to continuously expand their capacity to learn, to care, to help each other, and to teach more effectively.

I feel the deeper issue here is the how and when – how and when does this supervision take place given the bureaucratic structures that continuously strip teachers of their ability to collaborate, cooperate, critically reflect, or simply sit still?

Sitting still

I discovered meditation, specifically sitting meditation (also known as zazen), about 15 years ago. I found that sitting still allowed me to be open to the many thoughts and feelings swirling around in my head. I began to realize that thoughts and feelings come and go and that the longer I sat, the stiller my mind would become. This stillness allowed me to see what was really important in my life; it left me feeling freer, more conscious of my thoughts, feelings, and actions. With time and effort, I was able to carry this consciousness into my non-sitting world.

I have often wondered how to incorporate stillness into the daily life of teachers. I find blogging requires a certain level of stillness as well; time to sit with my thoughts and reflect without distraction. Perhaps the act of reflective blogging could be a step that teachers can take to begin to still their mind and distill their thoughts and feelings. If blogging is introduced to teachers as yet one more thing to add to their list of duties, I believe it will fall flat. How might blogging be framed for teachers so that it is seen as meaningful? If we framed blogging as a professional development activity (a la Jeff Utecht’s 25% PD), would it then seem more sensible?


So how is it with you?

I am curious to know if blogging serves as a time-out for you, a chance to reflect on your thoughts or even the thoughts of others? Or is blogging a challenge, a chore, something that has to be done.

Perhaps I’m framing the issue too narrowly or missing the point. You tell me. I’d be curious to know.



References:

Hargreaves, A. (1994). Changing teachers, changing times: Teachers’ work and culture in the postmodern age. New York: Teachers College Press.

Sergiovanni, T.J. & Starratt, R.J. (2002). Supervision: A redefinition. Boston: McGraw Hill.

Holy sheep dip! I cannot believe I was nominated for Best Individual Blog in the 2006 Edublog Awards.

First, I must say I feel absolutely humbled by the nomination. I never expected to be in such company as David Warlick, Barbara Ganley, Alexander Hayes, and Anne Galloway. These are the bloggers that I read and follow, the bloggers that inspire me, that motivate me.

 
Motivation

Speaking of motivation, I recently had an opportunity to interview two poets, William Logan & Debora Greger, who I studied under and found to be completely inspiring. My daughter Zoe is sixteen and is considering pursuing writing as a career. I thought it might be fun to take her around to some of the writers here at my uni and engage them in a conversation about the writing life.

After several warm up questions, I asked William and Debora about their motivation: What motivates you to write? What inspires you?

Their answer caught me by surprise, but upon reflection, made complete sense. William and Debora talked about reading other writers, other poets, and thinking: “That was brilliant! I am completely jealous. I want to write something that good, that original, that compelling.”

I sat back, looked at Zoe, and I said to myself, “I think they’re on to something.” I never realized how motivated I was by being jealous of another person’s work.

But it’s true.

As a writer, when I read something I find brilliant, or hear a song I find inspiring, I often think to myself, I wish I could have written that piece. I’ve learned over the years not to feel outwitted or outmatched. Instead, I find myself working harder to reach a level that I feel is relatively equal.

 
Further

Barbara Ganley is a good example. I have been following her writing for over a couple of years and I find her work with students to be compelling, her writing concise and meaningful. Reading her weblog, I feel like I know her well.

At first I was jealous whenever I read her posts. Now I find her work motivating, it pushes me further, it makes me feel that much more knowledgeable about teaching, learning, and about myself. Ulises Mejias is another edublogger (nominated for Best Research Paper) who first intimidated the hell out of me with his intellect and creativity. Soon I became inspired by his work and reference him often. Both Ulises and Barbara have since become allies, people I can turn to with a question or seek advice.

There are a number of edubloggers that I have come to know and admire that I feel connected to via their work who inspire me on a daily basis (see my Blog Roll). I have since learned to channel what once caused me to feel jealous into personal motivation. And I thank you all for your hard work and dedication.

Thank You

I want to thank those who nominated me for an Edublog Award. I feel honored, privileged, and proud to be a small part of your world. Please check out all of the categories and nominees and be sure to vote by December 16.

 

Finally, here’s an over-the-top advertisement about inspiration, teaching, and learning that you might enjoy...

Here’s another take on the meme “changing teachers, changing minds.”

In a recent interview futurist Alvin Toffler talks about de-synchronization, that is, the disconnect between the rapid pace of technological change and the slow pace at which people and institutions adapt.

Toffler notes:
Changing the social structure is much more complicated than developing new bits of software. Bits and bytes don’t have vested interests, but people do.

He goes on argue that if this gap between technological and social change is not closed sooner than later, we will witness “institutional Katrinas – or, rather, equivalents to the tragic response to Hurricane Katrina… in every conceivable field.”

While not an optimistic view, Toffler’s critique offers a dose of realism (mixed with the sounds of Gabriel’s horn) that is often overlooked by institutional managers and administrators.

Part of this issue of de-synchronization can be associated with the narrow range of alternative organizational forms that those in power tend to be ignorant. Toffler suggests that there are an infinite number of ways that human beings can organize themselves for collective behavior and that we should be brainstorming and designing these alternatives sooner than later.

Sounds reasonable enough. So what next?

Toffler argues, to some degree, that this de-synchronous-ness can be addressed through the current nonmoney DIY (do it yourself) economy that has been promulgated by advancing digital technologies (Can you say Web 2.0?) and the advent of the prosumer – the producer and consumer of products and services outside the monetary economy. Toffler suggests that the interaction between the nonmoney, prosumer economy and the conventional money economy are two parts to the “wealth system” which pass value back and forth. For example, blogs and open source technologies add significant value to the money economy, and as such, this new cyberculture permits “prosumers to create value and rapidly disseminate it across the globe, where others find ways to commercialize it.” Think Yahoo, Google, Facebook, MySpace, and FedEx. Of course, the prosumer economy has its limits, but it does offer people a means for adopting ideas and actions to better suit their situation. Think EduGlu, mash-ups, OpenOffice, Moodle, or Linux.

Much of how organizations are managed is through what Toffler calls “obsoledge” – ideas and assumptions that are out dated and no longer appropriate. Many businesses, schools, and educational institutions are prime examples of obsoledge management and thus continue to lead us into the de-synchronous abyss so familiar agents of change.

As such there is a certain feeling of an impending implosion. We are familiar with school teachers struggling to retain relevancy, working from dated textbooks, while students Google from their cell phones. Toffler notes that while this just-in-time delivery and access to knowledge is important, it also means that “the temporal tolerances get smaller. It makes the system more sensitive to disruption.” And again, we can easily see and feel the de-synchronization when recounting stories of educators “not getting it,” that is, understanding the value of experimenting and adopting web technologies.

Time and Knowledge

On a similar note, Toffler remarks that time and knowledge are two areas that are under-studied and poorly conceived in both business and education:

Knowledge differs dramatically from any other resource that we’re accustomed to working with. For example, it is inherently non-rival. You and a million other people can use the same chunk of knowledge without diminishing it. It is nonlinear. Tiny insights can yield huge outputs…. Knowledge is promiscuous. It mates with other knowledge. And the more there is, the more numerous and varied the possible useful combinations. And it can be stored in smaller and smaller spaces” (my emphasis).

These subtle observations have far reaching implications that are overlooked in many ways, especially in the field of education. In my experience I have seen many educators spend more time concentrating on facts and figures (i.e., forms) without spending much time looking at how knowledge actually works (i.e., its functions). Finding the balance, the appropriate mix between form and function, seems to be a reasonable goal that should be negotiated by all members of a particular community. However, changing the social structure of teaching and learning, like changing the structure of businesses in general, is much easier said than done.

Beyond sounding the trumpets, what can we do to affect positive changes in our schools?

While de-synchronization may seem to be a pessimistic way to view our collective situation, perhaps such dissonance provides a starting point for us to explore and address the social and technological gap. My main concern is that without good information and strong leadership such dissonance can push people in the wrong direction leading to quick fixes, rushed decisions, and jumping from the frying pan into the fire (Think the four blind men and the elephant).

 
Time Out

As I mentioned in an earlier post, perhaps what educational institutions need is a time out, time to reflect on where they are and where they want to go to maintain relevancy in an economy where the value of many institutions is simply accreditation. I’ve never met an active educator who said that she or he had enough time to do what needed to be done. What does that say about the focus of our educational institutions? What does that say about our priorities? Are the activities being promulgated by schools authentic or are they simply busy work? (Is busy work authentic? That is, is asking people to do repetitive, mindless work in school similar to what many adults do for a living?)

The notion of the educational prosumer is worth exploring in more detail. The Flat Classroom Project, telling the new story of education, and alternative educational enterprises are clearly a step in the right direction in taking advantage of new ways of thinking about teaching and learning. The transformation is far from complete, but at least people are heading in the right direction.

I have spent the last several months looking at alternative ways for educators to work together to re-assess their practice. I am planning on sharing this research soon as a means of providing alternative organizational forms that can address social and technological gaps in teaching and learning. Of course, no new form can make a difference unless educators are willing to reflect upon their practice both critically and honestly. Perhaps only “institutional Katrinas” are the only way change will come about.

Your thoughts and comments are welcome.

This skit has always been one of my favorites in its attempt to question the status quo. Throughout history, artists and writers have been able to address many perplexing and troubling social issues in the guise of comedy (Shakespeare’s fools always spoke the truth).

I chose this video to give you a taste of the work of Michel Gondry, director of The Science of Sleep (2006), Dave Chappelle’s Block Party (2005), Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004). Here Lego building blocks serve as the canvas to showcase a pop tune. Legos! This is truly genius.

Here’s Cash singing a song originally composed by industrial noisemaker Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails fame. Cash makes this his swan song. It is quite powerful given Cash’s age and health when he recorded it. I’ve included it here as a testament to his creative spirit wherein he continued to explore different song writers, different genres, all the way until the end.

David Byrne is famous for pushing the boundaries of art and pop music.  This song, from the Talking Heads album Fear of Music (1979) is all about finding some way or some thing to change one’s mind in a culture cluttered with lots of competing messages. Here’s a link to the lyrics.

While this text was rumored to be written by Kurt Vonnegut, it was actually composed by Mary Schmich. Here’s a link to the back story.

I tried sharing this with an auditorium of middle schoolers once; however, they didn’t seem to be paying too much attention. That’s okay though. I think they only spoke Dutch.

In celebration of the publication of Chris Anderson's book, "The Long Tail." The old world of media faces an invasion from another dimension. The audience is up to something.

I have my reservations about this video clip. I like the ideas shared, but the child (Linux?) is framed as the tabula rasa where the “great minds” then write their words upon him. Are their words being understood? Is any of it sinking in? What if the boy only speaks Dutch? I’m confused.

Sometimes it’s important to be obvious, which this song is. Dylan’s tune is timeless; it’s message continuously relevant. Here’s a link to the lyrics.

Gjertsen has a series of videos where he mashes up his own video recordings. A very creative approach to composing music.

What happens when we use our conventional lens’ to look at children’s work? What are we missing? There are so many discussion points associated with this video which nearly always brings a tear.

You can’t ignore the “crazy ones” because they change things.

Here’s some thoughts on creativity and change I’ve assembled from YouTube.

The ideas presented are not necessarily representative of my own beliefs, but I think they offer a point of departure for further consideration, discussion, and reflection.

I’m obviously leaving out many other wonderful movie clips, skits, and songs that address the notions of creativity and change. Feel free to comment and suggest your favorites.  

[Note: I couldn't figure out how to post all the clips in one post (d'oh!), so I ended up creating a series of posts. Please enjoy.]

Image: Jasper Johns, Flashlight , 1960
bronze, glass
Collection Walker Art Center, Gift of Judy and Kenneth Dayton, 1998 © Jasper Johns / VAGA, New York, NY

Videoblogger Ze Frank offers an interesting perspective on social networks and internet safety. Watch the video.

Along similar lines, Chris Lehman offers a real-life example of the pros and cons associated with "empowered students." What is most encouraging about Lehman's post is that the adults within the school were equally empowered and negotiated a solution that did not disenfranchise the students.

Lehman's post underscores an important lesson in leadership. Good leaders are good learners. They don't react unconsciously. They gather the facts, they listen and reflect upon alternative perspectives and solutions, and they make decisions based on what's best for the entire community. Not an easy task by any stretch.

In order to make this world a more humane and safer place, we need to realize how interdependent we are and be responsible for one another. We do not need to be religious or spiritual to appreciate this reality and act accordingly.

The world's religions all have in common an emphasis on developing qualities such as ethics, tolerance and compassion. Ethical attitudes are core to the operation of social activity, and as such, the quality of all our actions depends on our motivation. In all fields of human activity, if you have a good motivation and seek to contribute to a better human society, you will be a good and honest person, the kind of person others will want to follow.

That's the kind of leadership required in schools today. Truly a lesson in practical theory, Mr. Lehman.

I feel a very unusual sensation - if it is not indigestion, I think it must be gratitude.  ~Benjamin Disraeli


I want to thank every body involved with this year’s Edublog Awards from the convener, to the nominees, and to the winners. The edublogger community has grown in many ways over the last couple of years making it richer, more vibrant. I am quite proud to receive your votes and encouragement for the 2006 Best Individual Blog Award. While I feel far from being the best, I do want you to thank all of you for taking the time to visit. I do try to do my best, but it never feels like it is quite enough.

I especially want to thank those edubloggers who have made a deep impact on me and my thinking about teaching, learning, and computing. Without them leading the way, our community would not be what it is today:

Stephen Downes – Stephen’s impact on me and the elearning community is beyond reproach. A colleague pointed me to his site over three years ago and I’ve been hooked ever since. Stephen’s site serves as a clearinghouse for a wide range of perspectives on elearning and introduced me to a world of writers, thinkers, academicians, and researchers, that continues to shape my thinking and writing to this day. Without his dedication and intellect, I often wonder if I would be writing today. Stephen has been my bridge to blogging. He introduced me to practically every edublogger I have ever read or followed.

David Warlick – The first post I ever wrote was a response to something I read on his two cents worth weblog. David introduced me to the notion of a weblog as a place to reflect aloud on all things associated with educational technology. David speaks from his heart and his passion for supporting educators and learners of all shapes and sizes continues to inspire me.

Will Richardson – I believe the second post I ever wrote was a response to a piece authored by Will. Like David, Will’s passion for supporting teaching and learning spurs me forward. Will also writes from his heart that shines through on every post.

Barbara Ganley – I’ve written before about how important Barbara has been to me as a writer, thinker, and instructor. I love the way Barbara writes and reflects on her own processes as an educator. She never appears to be afraid to share her thoughts about her work with students and her own fears and apprehensions about her role as both an educator and as a human being. Although she does not write as frequently as others, I always look forward to reading her posts and hope to meet her in person someday.

Anne Davis – Anne is another role model for me whom I’ve followed for several years now. Her passion for teaching and learning is also evident in each of her posts. She was one of the first bloggers I followed who like Dave and Will worked tirelessly engaging students and teachers in social softwares and spreading the gospel, if you will, into classrooms around the world.

“Individually, we are one drop. Together, we are an ocean.” -- Ryunosuke Satoro

Other edubloggers I would like to thank include Josie, Darren, Miguel, D’Arcy, Brian, Terry, Terry, Terry, Vicki, Mark, George, Ewan, Joan, Tony, Jay, Bud, Wesley, Scott, Ulises, Lilia, Nancy, Miles, Clarence, Jo, Quintin, Doug, Chris, Christian, Leigh, Jeremy, Paul, EdTechTalk, and the TALO community. These are the weblogs and people I read as often as I can. They have all had an affect on me and I just wanted to say a quick thank you to you all. I apologize if I’ve omitted anyone. My list continues to grow each day.

I would like to thank Lynn, Duncan, Zoe, and Samuel for their love and support.

I would especially like to thank Dave and Ben (aka - the boys in the band) at Elgg.net for their generosity, support, and commitment to the opening source movement, teaching, and learning. They have supported me throughout my blogging endeavors and have been wonderfully subversive comrades. The Elgg community provided me a great place to start and the connections I've made have been truly meaningful.

And finally, I want to thank you who visit this site and who aren’t terribly disappointed. I hope you find most of what you encounter here worthwhile. If not, I understand; yet thanks for stopping by.

2006 has been an incredible year for me and I imagine 2007 will be equally thrilling, if not more so. Thank you again to all who nominated me and/or took the time to vote.

 

 

Fast Company writers David Teten and Scott Allen offer a brief treatise titled 10 cultural implications of social software. This article attempts to “look at the broader cultural implications of social software” starting with a definition of social software as follows:

“Web sites and software tools which allow you to discover, extend, manage, enable communication in, and/or leverage your social network. We include blogs, social network sites, virtual communities, relationship capital management software, contact management software, and so on."

They go on to suggest that “[s]ocial software is a subset of the broader set of technologies often called "Web 2.0." Traditionally, the Web (1.0) was comprised of simple HTML pages. Web 2.0 is a read AND a write medium. Because Internet literacy is now so widespread; because so many people have become comfortable with virtual interactions; and because of the penetration of broadband, the Web has become a social medium. Web 2.0 applications take advantage of that evolution. Quoting danah boyd, "The advances of social software are neither cleanly social nor technological, but a product of both."

While I have no argument with their definition, I think they have left out two important facets of social software. First, Mejias (2005) suggests that social software’s

“true potential lies in helping us figure out how to integrate our online and offline social experiences. Thus, social software must live up to its name by relating to the individual's everyday social practices, which include interacting with people online as well as people without access to these technologies.”

In this sense, social software serves as a conduit between virtual and physical realities, a point commonly overlooked.

Secondly, the audience described by the authors, i.e., people “comfortable with virtual interactions” are not the majority of educators practicing around the globe.

Nevertheless, here is a synopsis of Teten and Allen’s findings:

Individual Implications:

1. Basic computer skills really matter. . . and fortunately the next generation is much more technologically skilled than the current generation.

2. Communication skills really matter. . . but they're not improving as fast as we would like.

3. Your professional competence will be more and more visible.

4. Your personal life will also be more and more visible.

5. People will become more effective and more thoughtful in building their personal networks.

Business Implications:

6. Businesses can't control the dialogue, but business will attempt to "own the frame".

7. The Pro-Am Revolution: more amateurs are pursuing their part-time activities to a very high, even professional standard.

8. Companies will ship more often and fix more often.

9. The prosumer is always right. [?]

10. More and more value will rest in the long tail.

I believe Teten and Allen are on to something that needs a bit more fleshing out as it relates to learning and teaching.

In terms of the individual implications as they relate to educational professionals, I regularly see a disconnect between practitioners and basic computer skills. When introducing a piece of software like Blogger or Del.icio.us, I have seen teachers absolutely panic over having to learn how an application works (unlike their students who willingly push buttons to see what happens) rather than looking ahead to see how such a medium might be useful. This simple barrier (i.e., lack of confidence in playing with software) seems to be a large stumbling block to adopting technologies like social networking tools.

The second barrier I’ve witnessed time and time again is related to communication skills. Here again, I work with many skilled practitioners who fear sharing their thoughts and feelings through writing and digital media (i.e., pictures, video or audio recordings). The fear of sending the wrong message, uninvited criticism, or lack of confidence in their communication skills will prevent many practitioners from adopting social software.

The double-edged sword of social software is what makes it so attractive to many of us; namely, what it often affords most (the ability to communicate, aggregate, create, and connect with others) may be precisely what many practitioners are afraid of. Social software serves as a medium that exposes one’s thoughts, feelings, ideas or the lack thereof. It can allow others access to your professional competence and your personal or individual points of view which in turn potentially exposes you to comments and criticism. For those of us who enjoy receiving feedback from others, this is why we love social software. For people who prefer not to receive advice or have their work critiqued, then social software poses a threat to their esteem and possibly their livelihood.

Perhaps I’m being a bit overdramatic. Yet, within my own experience of working with educators in an open community of practice, I’ve watched more than half a participant group shy away from engaging in dialogue because they were afraid of exposing themselves and their practice to others.

So what can be done to address these barriers?

Is it possible or realistic to expect teachers who do not want to enhance their basic computer skills to be compelled to do so without any incentives? What’s in it for them? What will social software, blogs and wikis, provide them? Will a blog or wiki lead to higher student achievement? More free time? Better job satisfaction? Possibly.

Research suggests that one-off training sessions are not as effective as sustained, integrated approaches to professional development (RAND Report 1995). As such, here are some thoughts to consider:
 
Social software should be used to advance a new kind of school culture supporting a new kind of professional/personal development.

Social software needs to be integrated into every part of school life so that the curriculum and the learner’s needs drive technology, not the reverse.
 
Educators need to be shown how, if designed appropriately, social software could end “teacher isolation” by building networks within (as well as outside) the school infrastructure between teachers, students, parents, principals, school boards, and district personnel.

Advancing the adoption and use of social software in schools requires the three C’s—comfort, confidence, and creativity. For example, year one, teachers get comfortable using the technology, year two they develop confidence using it, and year three teachers become creative users of technology, embedding social software usage into their curriculum.

Perhaps most importantly, social software stands the highest chance of being adopted if it is demanded by the educators, not demanded by their administration. Teachers want ownership of their professional development. They want assistance that will allow them to advance personally, professionally and intellectually, yet it must be offered in such a way that takes their time demands into consideration.

Finally, I thought I would end with a quote from Joan Vinall-Cox, an experienced educator, who notes:

“[E]ven when many of the new teachers are digital natives, that is no guarantee that they will change [technophobic] pattern[s]. A lot of teaching is people replicating what was done to/with them. And many students have kind of silos of computer knowledge. They know how to use some programs well, and how to socialize or play, but they don't seem to make some of the connections. Plus, in education and in our society, we have to move from seeing computer work as technical to seeing it as communicative. That's the value I see in Web 2.0.

“I believe the fast development of Web 2.0 has created a situation where many of the powers-that-be have no idea that such possibilities exist. They also look for people with technical skills rather than those with communications and pedagogical backgrounds to teach in these areas. As someone with a communications background rather than a technical background, I find that shortsighted. And personally inconvenient ;->”

While getting social software adopted in meaningful ways within schools will be our challenge for the next thirty years, the change will not happen if we don’t begin making the effort.

So what is your plan for making meaningful social software adoption part of your school culture? Your thoughts and ideas are encouraged.

Here are some edubloggers who are hard at it, if you need some examples to fuel your imagination:

A Difference

Polar Science

Flat Classroom Project

Teaching Mr. Belshaw

Remote Access

Digital Chalkie

Infinite Thinking

Teachers Teaching Teachers

The Fischbowl

Absolutely Intercultural

Classroom Displays

iHistory Podcast Project

Talking VTE

Borderland

Teaching Generation Z

MITE 6323

Support Blogging

CoLearners Wiki

Cool Cat Teacher


References:

Mejias, U. A. (2005).  A nomad’s guide to learning and social software. The Knowledge Tree: An e-journal of learning innovation. Retrieved 16 July 2006 from http://knowledgetree.flexiblelearning.net.au/edition07/html/la_mejias.html.

Harvey, J. & Purnell, S. (Eds.) (1995). Technology and teacher development. Santa Monica: RAND Corporation.

Teten, D. & Allen, S. (2006). 10 cultural implications of social software. rediff news. Retrieved 16 December 2006 from http://inhome.rediff.com/money/2006/dec/13fast.htm.


Artwork:

Brice Marden. Cold Mountain 3, 1988-91, oil on linen, 9' x 12'.

Giacomo Balla. (Italian, 1871-1958). Street Light. c. 1910-11 (dated on painting 1909). Oil on canvas, 68 3/4 x 45 1/4" (174.7 x 114.7 cm).

František Kupka. (Czech, 1871-1957). The First Step. 1910-13? (dated on painting 1909). Oil on canvas, 53 3/8 x 33 5/8" (83.2 x 129.6 cm).

Paul Klee. (German, born Switzerland. 1879-1940). Letter Ghost. (1937). Pigmented paste on newspaper, 13 x 19 1/8" (33 x 48.6 cm).

Giorgio de Chirico. (Italian, born Greece. 1888-1978). The Anxious Journey. Paris, spring-summer 1913. Oil on canvas, 29 1/4 x 42" (74.3 x 106.7 cm).

Joan Miró. (Spanish, 1893-1983). Portrait of Enric Cristòfol Ricart. Winter or early spring 1917. Oil and pasted paper on canvas, 32 1/8 x 25 7/8" (81.6 x 65.7 cm).

Georgia O'Keeffe. (American, 1887-1986). Lake George, Coat and Red. 1919. Oil on canvas, 27 3/8 x 23 1/4" (69.6 x 59 cm).

Marcel Duchamp. (American, born France. 1887-1968). Fresh Widow. New York 1920. Miniature French window, painted wood frame, and panes of glass covered with black leather, 30 1/2 x 17 5/8" (77.5 x 44.8 cm), on wood sill 3/4 x 21 x 4" (1.9 x 53.4 x 10.2 cm).

Albert Ip and Mark Oehlert tagged me on the “5 little-known facts about me” meme. Since I am a people person and amateur sociologist, I am happy to participate and spread the love.

When most people meet me in person, they would never guess that I served in the U.S. Army. I enlisted after I graduated college in a panic when I learned that Lynn was pregnant. I held a degree in literature and had no prospects for decent employment, insurance, and the resources necessary to support a wife and child. I figured that with a degree I would enter officer school, get a cushy assignment, and play golf with the boys on the weekends. Boy was I wrong! I signed on as an infantryman (there was a $8,000 signing bonus), trained at Ft. Benning, Georgia, then was promptly stationed with the 1st Infantry Division (forward) in Boblingen, Germany right outside Stuttgart. The Berlin wall came down while I was in basic training and when I got to Germany, my commander told us that our families could not join us as all housing was being prioritized for German citizens emigrating from the East. So there I was, a new father and spouse, and could not see my family until I was granted leave once a year. You could say I developed quite an “attitude” toward my superiors. Then, the U.S. invaded Kuwait…. Luckily, the Gulf War was short-lived and I exited-tango-suitcase as quickly as I could. While I have no regrets about the experience, I would not do it again, nor would I recommend joining the Army if you have a passion for all living things. I learned a lot about myself and human nature serving in the military. If you want to really understand what it means to be “free,” join the military.

When my oldest son Duncan turned 13, he began hanging around a local bicycle shop. The mechanics “took him in” and he learned his way around wrenches, shifters, single-speeds, and disc brakes. He asked me if he could join the shop’s cross-country race team which required us to travel around the state to participate in events. I quickly became jealous and asked if I could join too. I bought myself a beautiful Specialized Stumpjumper and started racing mountain bikes with him. My first season was especially painful as I learned how to race on courses built inside old limestone quarries. My second season proved to be more successful as I finished 8th in my division in the state. It’s not that I was especially skilled or fast; I simply showed up at every event, placed in the top twenty, and was awarded enough points (by showing up and completing the race) to place relatively high in the state standings. Mountain biking or cross-country racing is intense, grueling, painful, and exhilarating all at the same time. As I started gaining more confidence and skill, I started pushing the envelope and putting myself in harm’s way. After nearly crushing my shin on a fast, steep descent, I decided that I better take it easy if I wanted to live to see my next birthday. Now I cycle more for pleasure. Today, Duncan works at two bike shops while attending classes at our local college. He also owns twelve bicycles of various shapes, sizes, and speeds. His apprenticeship taught him how to solve problems creatively which has served him well these last few years. Bicycling is a great way to have fun, stay in shape, preserve the environment, and see the world.

When you visit my house, the first thing you’ll see when you enter (besides the paintings by Lynn and Zoë) is probably the drum kit and amplifiers. Lynn and I decided to move our respective studios into the main living space because firstly, it is a warm and inviting place, and secondly, because we wanted our children to not only see us “play” but to encourage them to join us. I have been playing guitar since the age of nine and picked up the drums in college. Gainesville is home to many talented musicians and one of the only ways I could participate in the music community was to play drums (good guitar players are a dime a dozen around here). I still gig occasionally outside the home, however, doctoral work has limited my time to rehearse with others. I’ve played in punk bands (Yucky Spit), alternative bands (Die Trying, the Pranes), country bands (The Willies), jam bands (The Bill Perry Orchestra), and pop rock bands (The Vibe Merchants, Smart Bomb, The Tonewelders). I tend to gravitate towards musicians who write their own material or cover other people’s songs in interesting ways. Music is my savior. It has gotten my through the good times, the not so good times, and all points in between. Zoë has picked up the drums, the bass, and plays the guitar when prompted. Once I finish my doctorate, I plan on recording a number of tunes and releasing them into the wild, so stay tuned!

After much prodding and half a bottle of wine, I was able to learn from my mother the origin of my first name, Christopher. It turns out I was named after a character in A.A. Milne’s series of books about Winnie the Pooh. Can you guess which one?

The first job was working as a mechanics assistant when I was ten. My father worked at a motorcycle shop where he turned wrenches for a living. On Saturdays he would bring me in and I would work next to him gunking off dirty parts, draining oil pans, removing valve caps, holding the timing light, tightening spark plugs. The shop owner was always supportive and at the end of the day, he would let me take one of the small 50cc dirt bikes out and race it around the test track out back. Good times! It ended when I was eleven when a local judge came by to see how progress was coming on his GoldWing. He looked in an saw me tightening the valve caps on his bike and literally blew a gasket. My father and the owner had to calm him down and assure him that my father double-checked all of my work. The judge finally relented after being promised a free tune-up for life and a new saddle.

So, there you have it -- five little known facts about me. In the meantime, I’m going to tag five other edubloggers to see how they might respond.

Tag!
Ewan McIntosh
Leigh Blackhall
Joan Vinall-Cox
Jeff Utecht
and my long shot
Lilia Efimova.

Of these people I’ve tagged, I have met Ewan in person – a really sharp fellow. I have corresponded with (Kiwi) Leigh and (Canadian) Joan, and have been enjoying Jeff’s blog (The Thinking Stick) for a year or so. I have written Lilia of Mathemagenic fame once but never received a reply. Her site is a rich academic resource that focuses on knowledge management and blogging. Hopefully all five will play along.

If you haven’t been tagged and want to play along, by all means do so. The chain letter effect can seem a bit exclusive, but I don’t feel that that is the spirit in which it was intended. Remember, we’re all in this together.