Kelly Christopherson :: Blog

I’ve been looking at my blogroll and realize that it hasn’t changed since I first began blogging. I have spent time getting things organized on the blog and trying to find a voice for myself. I know that I often scan the blogroll of other bloggers but I just didn’t give much thought to my own. Tonight, I’ve been visiting different blogs and scanning their blogrolls. What impressed me was that on many of the blogs, the contents of the rolls are no longer just educators or those speaking on educational matters but people from all walks of life. This made me wonder if, as educators, we have reached a new step in our “learning”, beginning to expand beyond what we do and looking for people who have the same interests and hobbies or who catch our attention beyond our teaching.

missprofe has a very interesting post on when she begins to get back to the “groove” for school. I know that I posted my thoughts earlier this summer but I’ve found that those thoughts didn’t quite go as planned.

As a school principal, I have come to realize that summer holidays is just a time when students are not present. I’m not doing the paperwork or the other things that are connected with school administration. Instead, I find myself doing things that will allow us to achieve our goals for the upcoming year, planning out our staff pd times dealing with goals and looking at what we might be able to do for those students that are not engaged by school.

As the third week of holidays come to a close, I’ve spent very little time actually at the school, other than to check in to see how the renovations are going and to discuss getting our football field seeded and watered. Otherwise, I’ve been occupied do construction. This doesn’t mean I haven’t been thinking about school or, when I have the chance, doing some reading. But, it wasn’t how I actually saw my summer going. I was going to take time to do a bit of planning, focus on some key areas and slowly work through them, using the tools I’ve found to assist me in doing this. I was hoping to begin using my flickr much more and begin to build a catelogue of pics to use along the way. It hasn’t happened.

This is like my blogroll. I did plan to add to it and keep it up to date. I thought it would be a great idea to add new blogs and remove those that I don’t really visit anymore. However, like so many well made plans, life seemed to get in the way of such things and, on the importance scale, it soon fell off. Now, it’s not like my planning for next year isn’t important but I realized that there were other things to do this summer and, with all the time I put into various initiatives during the year, I just found that it wasn’t important at the time. As administrators and leaders, it is sometimes difficult to remember that we, too, need time for other things outside of education. That is why I was so impressed with the non-educational blogs that I’ve run across throughout my reading. They were refreshing king of like the people I’ve been working with these past three weeks. They’re non-educators and have reminded me that there is a world outside of education that isn’t necessarily caught up or even interested in school change. They see that things are changing but don’t necessarily see an immediacy to change what is going on in schools. They’ve been teaching me a great deal these past three weeks!

With this, I’ve decided that I should update my blogroll - it won’t be tonight or tomorrow so don’t be looking right now. It will take some time as I decide which blogs are on the “essential” list and which, although good, can be removed or maybe recategorized. Maybe I’ll have to do a bit more “research” to see how others are dealing with this. If you have any ideas or thoughts about the whole blogroll thing, I’d like to hear from you.

Douglas B. Reeves in his book The Learning Leader discusses The Law of Initiative Fatigue.

The Law of Initiative Fatigue is my adaptation from the term originally used in the Harvard Business Review. The law states - When resources of time, money and emotional energy are held constant while the number of old, continuing and new initiatives rises, organizational implosion is inevitable.

Reeve goes on to state that:

When leaders cling to previous initiatives while attempting to add new ones, they can experience some apparent early success. … [but] enthusiasm gives way to organizational overload, which is precipitously followed by burnout. Not only will the new initiatives fail under such circumstances, but the energy and resources available to old and continuing initiatives are dangerously compromised as well.

Reeve gives some great examples of ways that schools can reclaim time within the building. What struck me about this whole part was that, as leaders, we sometimes fail to see that we are living examples of this law in action. For me, I have noticed that I have taken on many new initiatives without taking time to reassess what I am doing, parring back and deciding what is vitally important and what can be 1) eliminated 2) given to others to do 3) rolled into a new initiative so no new workload is added.

I don’t know about anyone else but, as a leader, I sometimes become so enthused about new initiatives and ideas and add them to what I already doing because I see the potential they will have for the students. In particular, I have noticed that in the last six months or so, I have added many new technology tools and strategies to my repertoire but have not taken the time to fully incorporate them in my teaching and so I was trying to do more in the same amount of time. I have added new methods of supervision but I have not taken the time to completely incorporate a new method of reporting back and talking with teachers. I have taken on new roles within the school division without fully reflecting on what each role will mean to my time commitments. I have begun new projects with the School Community Council without, again, reflecting on what they add to my time commitments. There are a number of books that I want to read and articles that have peeked my interest that I have yet to get to even though summer is here. I have joined a number of networks (Ning, Facebook, MySpace) that all take time. Besides these, the school division is focusing on a number of initiatives that require my being a leader for my staff in a number of areas. None of this includes the extra-curricular that I coach or time with my family. By the end of school, I was feeling extremely drained. However it was not until I did a principal evaluation with my staff at the end of the year, did I see, through a few comments from teachers in my building (who are very perceptive) that I was taking on too much. Each of the things I was doing seemed to be important and, when I looked at my calendar, were doable.

As I’ve been working through the first two weeks and reflecting on what Reeves is saying, I’ve realized that the Law of Initiative Fatigue is, in fact, very real and has affected my ability to be an effective leader. This means that in order to reduce the number of demands on my time and focus on the areas that will bring the greatest development, I will have to sort through what I “NEED” to do and what, although it might be important, can be delegated to someone else or needs to eliminated. So how do I go about this?

I’ve decided that I needed to choose areas that will reduce my time and prepare to focus on key areas.

Area 1 - School division focus

The school division has chosen to focus on reading and math curricula and PLC’s for staff development. As I have mentioned, I have a number of areas that I have been focusing upon but I have decided that these three educational areas will be where I concentrate and focus my energy. That will entail me helping teachers to make sense of the data when it arrives, working to identify key areas of concentration, comparing it to our last set of data and celebrating what we have been able to do well. I will continue to build my understanding of PLC’s as they relate to our school and look for ways to involve community in building links to what we are doing within the school.

Area 2 - Professional Development

The first thing that I am going to do is work on a daily journal. This way I will track what exactly I am doing. This will allow me to see where my time and energy is going and will help me to focus on the areas that I have identified. It will also give me a chance to reflect on how I spend my time each day. Not that every moment needs to be full and accounted but to ensure that I’m remaining focused. I do have a tendency to become “focused” on one thing at the expense of others. This, I believe, will help me to manage my precious time.

I will continue to blog and discuss what I am doing and what I see as being important in education. I find that the feedback and discussion that takes place is incredibly helpful and challenges me to “stay the course”. Besides that, the ideas and insights that I come across help me to grow and learn which is essential to me being an effective leader.

Reading - I have decided that, although there are hundreds of great books that I could read, I don’t have the time. I will focus my reading on leadership growth and development, PLC’s and staff development in the areas of reading and math. As the educational leader, I want to be a help to my staff and assist them in their growth and development and focus on improving the learning in the school.

Conferences - I’m not sure what I will do here but I know that I will again focus on the areas of learning that are central to the division initiatives.

Mentoring - I have been working with my Superintendent, using my Administrator’s evaluation, to key in on particular areas that were identified by the staff. Reeves points out that:

Leaders need not, indeed they cannot, be every dimension themselves, but they can and must ensure that every leadership dimension is provided by some member of the leadership team. [these dimensions are described later in the chapter]

At present I am the official leadership team but I know that there are particular people within my school whom will be able to fill various dimensions within the context of the school community. That is why I chose to have the Admin evaluation completed by my staff. They are the people who will be able to give me the clearest picture of where I have strengths and where I need to grow and look for others who have that strength.

I am mentoring our Teacher Association President this year. Being vice-president, I will be able to assist her and offer her some insights from my tenure in various local and provincial positions. My goal here is to assist her to become the leader she can be and be able to look for people who will be able to fill the roles that she needs.

There you have the first two areas I will be concentrating on this year. My next post will look at the areas of School, School Community Council, Teaching (my own) and Supervision. As I have done here, I will outline what I plan to do to bring focus for myself this year in these areas. If you have any comments, feedback or ideas, feel free to drop them off. I’m open to suggestions or critiques (as long as they are progressive with a focus on growth!)

I’ve just enjoyed a fresh glass of lemonade. The summer has been a very hectic one. I’m doing way more work building houses that I thought I would be and this has really cut into the time I was expecting to be doing other things. I have not been keeping up with my reading or my writing as I had planned but, I’ve learned, that’s sometimes how it goes. See, in a life before education, I worked in the construction sector as a painter. It evolved from a summer job to a company with 20 employees then back to a two man operation. Since entering the education field, I’ve kept up my skills, redecorating and remodeling each house that we have moved into each time we move. Since moving to our present community, I have done some work in town which has led to the present situation in which I am building houses that, eventually, I will be painting. I really didn’t plan that this “2nd” job would take up so much time.  With the heat and the days being rather long, I’m usually wiped by the end of the day which means very little online activity and absolutely no blog posting.

However, one of the benefits of this is that I’m learning all sorts of new skills that will help me along the way. I get to work with my hands and work in a totally different environment. It has removed me from the educational world that I spend so much time in throughout the year and gives me a different perspective on how things look according to the people with whom I work. I also found this was the same when I was painting, working in various new building projects where the individuals had a different perspective on how things looked given their background and what they did. I often worked with people who were immigrants and their stories and views were very interesting.  These people were very good at what they did - good enough to make a living. I knew that I could make a very good living doing this but it wasn’t challenging me intellectually. I wasn’t being pushed to think and try new things or experience new ways of doing things. The money was very good, probably what I make now but the hours were long and I just didn’t think it was where I belonged.

Now, 17 years later, I know that I made the right decision. I am constantly learning new things and getting to experience life through a great number of different avenues. It has allowed me to stay connected to what is going on in technology and how technology is shaping and affecting people’s lives. It has allowed me to move to different locations and experience the different areas of this great province, Saskatchewan and meet and make some great friends along the way. However, it’s always good to get back to do some work and get out of the educational environment and realize that, for the vast majority of people, how I see the world is not how other people see the world. In fact, in the past two weeks, I have been reminded on a number of occasions that what surrounds me daily and is the world in which I live isn’t the reality of other adults.  They work with other adults and their is a structured hierachy, however loosely structured it might be. So, as I work with the crew, they remind me that here, I’m the student and the results are immediate, observable and have consequences. Like, who knew that 1/4 inch could be so important! It’s just a 1/4 inch!

What we do in schools is so far removed from what I’m now doing every day. Although our students need to learn how to read, write and do math, they also must learn to work in an environment that is totally opposite to what they are doing now. On the job site, everyday is a collaborative effort to get things done. Without knowing who does what job and accepting that role, things take twice as long to complete and there is often things that go wrong. (note 1/4 inch is a big deal!) So what does this have to do with school?

Everything! We continue to discuss and talk about how we want to see schools change and move away from the current model but, as I’ve been reading, I wondering what model will replace it? What will we do in schools that is going to radically change how our students are educated that will introduce them to the skills that they will need? How will they learn to work collaboratively using new technology. (Like how to run a power nailer without nailing your shoe to the floor!) Will they have the ability to ask questions and listen so that mistakes, when they happen, build their experience and take it to the next “level”?  How do we teach them to problem solve in a dynamic manner so that they can use previous skills to solve problems and apply previous knowledge to new and unique situations?  Our present system does not do this as it is focused on knowledge retention for the sake of testing. We add new ideas to the present system like PLC’s or other such things but we continue with the same system, just with a new paint job. The underlying foundation is still the same and it needs to be changed.
Like Greg Farr, I believe that it is time to for action. After having many conversations the young men with whom I am working one of which is still going to school, I’ve learned many things  about school and what they have found lacking - and what was good. But, I’ve also learned that school is not providing them with the skills that they will need after they leave school - new technologies being just one of these. To wait any longer is just to prolong the current situation. Like Greg, I’ve been thinking about how I, as the school leader, will be required to move away from the status quo, helping teachers to broaden their experiences and look at school and education in a different manner. Really, this post is the prelude to my next few posts as I establish what I, as the educational leader in the school, will need to do to bring about changes that will directly impact student learning and not just for tests.

I’m off to reread Greg’s and do a bit of reflecting.  Maye I’ll just pour myself another tall cool glass of lemonade before I begin. After all, it is summer!

Human relations are so important as an educator. Each day we are required to interact with many different people in a variety of different ways. As an administrator, I've learned that what I say is not always what the other person hears and, I am responsible for what it is I have said/written. If I offend someone, I have two choices. This entry is about this very fact.

 This week, while my edublogs account was down, I've been involved in a heated discussion about the role tv in an educators life. It all started when I visited Chris's blog Crucial Thought where an interesting discussion about tv was taking place. What caught my attention right off the bat was Chris's opening comment:

       So Dan Meyer has got me on the defensive a bit.

So I read on with interest and then followed the comments. Wow. Dan sure had some "interesting" things to say about this topic and other bloggers. This led to a comment there and things evolved to where I write this post. 

First off, I must apologize to Dean Shareski as he ended up taking a bit more of a rant from me than he deserved. Dean is a wonderful person who demonstrated that he understood that he needed to clarify his comments which really showed me how much he understands about human relationships and people. After a cool down, I totally accept his explanation and his stance, with which I agree.

Dan Meyer, he doesn't get it at all. Now, Dan has made a few bold statements about tv, teachers and ability to engage students. I won't go into details, you can check them out. Now, what he doesn't get is that it doesn't matter what you intended - it matters what you actually say and how what you say is interpreted.  I believe that the saying is "The road to hell is paved with good intentions." Now there were a few things that began to concern me about what was happening with this. First, the comment Dan left about another commentor over at Chris's site. 

 Durff is a teacher I have got to know over the past several months through Classroom2.0, The Horizon Project, where she worked with Vicki Davis and her own blog. Now, she left a comment on Chris' post about tv. A comment to which Dan replied with a somewhat sarcastic and demeaning tone to it. That piqued my interest. So I went reading to see what exactly was the take with this whole thing. 

        But in the classroom, I worry about any teacher who just casts off t.v. as blithely as both Chris and Mrs. Durff do in their personal lives. When Mrs. Durff drops the double exclamation point after “I don’t even own a tv,” I read it exactly the same as:

“I don’t even own a DVD player!!”
“I don’t even own an iPod!!”
“I don’t even own a computer!!”

Dan posted two posts about tv. The first was really neutral. The second, however, was not. Now, what Dan just doesn't get is that when you offend someone with what you say, it doesn't matter what your intent was or what you thought you had said. You are the one responsible for what you said. If someone is offeneded, you have but two choices: try to figure out why they are offended and work toward a solution or brush off the person because you consider them igonorant.

In my work as an administrator, I don't know how many times what I intended is not what was received and to brush off the other person as not worth the time just isn't an option. I've done this in a few situations early in my career. For example, when discussing working and dealing with students, I made the comment that you really can't know and teach kids until you actually have some of your own. Well, in our group were four people who were either single or married and without children.  I offended them. I tried to explain that it wasn't them, that it wasn't their lifestyle, that it wasn't what I meant. Didn't matter. It wasn't until I realized that I had offended them because I had disregarded their lifestyle choices and their life experiences and reduced teaching to a one dimensional act. Now, One was a elementary principal who had 28 years of experience, another was our Special Education Consultant, the third a very superb teacher of about 15 years and the last a married teacher who was one of the few men I know who taught lower level elementary and was awesome.  Now, in my youthful ignorance, I believed I was right and, thankfully, they didn't hold it against me. Which allowed me to work through the incident, realize my error and humbly seek their forgiveness for my ignorance, my error in judgement and my need to consider what I say and then be responsible for what it is I said.

In a world filled with a variety of lifestyle choices, it is okay to voice your opinion about what you believe. It is great when people challenge us about our beliefs because it allows us to strengthen our beliefs while being exposed to new ideas and thoughts. With Dan's first post, that was the case. I saw it as a challenge to explain that one could be a great teacher, engage students in a lively discussion and really push students to examine their own thoughts and ideas given a different viewpoint. In fact, from Dan's last set of comments Tony Lucchese uses my drug analogy to say the following:

Some of the most successful programs to keep kids off drugs are run by or involve people whose own lives have been severely affected by drugs. Their experience gives them a certain credibility and makes them better, oh what’s the word, teachers.

So, being someone who has successfully gone without television, wouldn't that give me some credibility and make me better at, oh, teaching! You see, it's easy to say "You have to be able to talk kids about tv and to be credible, you have to watch the same programs so you can have meaningful conversation." but to actually say, "You know, you don't need tv as much as you watch as there many different things for you to do." and actually provide the options for the students to do instead of watching tv. So, if you're walking the talk and living the life, you have to provide the options. To do that, you have participate in your community, push people to listen to the youth and the options that they would like in order to get away from the tv, seek and organize things for them to do and give up your time so that there are the options for the students. That's what I do. I don't want recognition or fame or fortune from this. I want youth to avoid the pitfalls of a lifestyle that is now causing concern among many social groups; obesity among the youth. You're right, Tony, tv is not the direct cause of problems like drugs but it is a cause, along with other lifestyle choices, that is creating a huge medical concern across age groups, adults included. Sedintary lifestyle choices, of which tv viewing is one, is a leading concern regarding type II diabetes and heart disease and, if what I gather from reading and listening to interviews, is almost an epidemic in our Western civilization. 

Now, if you had read my comments and my last post carefully, you would have know that, as an administrator of a school, I take seriously my professional obligations to my parents, students and staff. I continue to grow and look for ways to improve what I do as a professional. However, when the following is said:

    This whole t.v. thing felt like a one-off, one last digression before the start of summer, but it's offered up a nifty personality test for teachers. From my vantage point, this thing really defines you.  blog

Two things bothered me with this. First, how is the world is this a personality test? Secondly, isn't the whole statement "From my vantage point, this thing really defines you." personal? I mean, if my decision about tv defines me, isn't that a comment that my personal lifestyle choices affect my abilities as a professional? In taking exception, I asked for clarification of the above in two comments and my own post only to be told: 

 I’m not belittling or insulting anyone. It concerns me that teachers think this way. (And, really, it’s impossible for me to know what you or anyone else thinks. Speculation has been pretty easy in some cases, though.) This issue isn’t a career-breaker but I do think it’s a poor way to go about this job.

and finally ends with the last comment on my blog:

The point which eludes you, the point which I’ve repeated so often that I’m bored with it is that, yes, you can talk about a medium you don’t personally engage but it’s difficult — nigh impossible — to have any meaningful discussion about moderation & discernment (to speak nothing about more proactive approaches to television) if, in the back of your head, all you’d really like to see is the extermination of the medium. Essentially, this comes down to the underlying motivations for your lifestyle choice and not the lifestyle choice itself.

Really interesting, so now it's the underlying motivations for a lifestyle choice and not the lifestyle choice that define you. Then, finally Dan puts the icing on the cake, something that I've seen done by many a person who don't understand that, having been offended by your remark, regardless of what lifestyle choice I am making, it is not my responsibility to change my lifestyle or say sorry because I am offended. 

    After every comment you’ve left me, I’ve tracked back here, opened your “All About Me” page, and become alarmed all over again that this intellectually inflexible position, that these digressive, dismissive, and snide posts, come not just from a teacher, but from a principal.

Yours has not been a proud moment for blogging. But what’s utterly great and completely poignant about this situation is, just as there are edifying & unedifying blogs on the Internet, so there are unedifying & edifying books, songs, movies, speech, and t.v. These empty vessels are what we make of them. As teachers, we’ve been graanted more control over that process than the average citizen. That’s really special. That’s not a privilige I’ll ever take lightly.

What struck me here is that Dan didn't figure out I was an administrator until he came here even though there were references to my position on my comments and posts. How did that happen? Now, for the rest, this is the usual progression you see from someone who has offended another and then blames them for being "intellectually inflexible" (I was only joking when I comment about her breasts. Well, his eyes are slanted. Well, having kids does make you a better teacher. Well, watching tv does make you better at talking about it. Well, doing drugs will make you able to understand them  better.) I could continue but it is not the responsibility of the person offended. I've asked Dan, over and over, to clarify himself about what he means. Instead 

The point which eludes you, the point which I’ve repeated so often that I’m bored with it is that, yes, you can talk about a medium you don’t personally engage but it’s difficult — nigh impossible — to have any meaningful discussion about moderation & discernment (to speak nothing about more proactive approaches to television)

Dan's grown bored. He's upset 

I’m done with this conversation on my blog. You’ve become flagrantly abusive there (but just in a teasing way, right?) and I refuse to host a meleé. This is also my last reply to you here.

Well, this just made me laugh. Obviously, the blog he had referred to as part of his defence, he has not visited again otherwise he'd get the reference to "in a teasing way" much like he'd have know to make comments like:

But in the classroom, I worry about any teacher who just casts off t.v. as blithely as both Chris and Mrs. Durff do in their personal lives. When Mrs. Durff drops the double exclamation point after “I don’t even own a tv,” I read it exactly the same as:

“I don’t even own a DVD player!!”
“I don’t even own an iPod!!”
“I don’t even own a computer!!” 

is, I don't even know what to call it. 

Dean made a very good point on his blog.

I don’t believe you have to watch tv or that if you don’t you’re missing out.  You don’t need tv to be a well educated person.  What television does best is tell good stories (movies, sit-coms, dramas) , showcase live events (news and sports) and inform (discovery channel, how to shows, etc….)  You can get all these things in other formats but television provides a good format for this type of media.

from what I’ve read of your view, it’s not that you think it’s bad. But many do. Many view TV as destroying our kids minds just as they view video games doing the same thing and my point is that it’s about choice and not to blame the medium. These are the snobs. Those that think all TV is bad and they proudly brag to others about how “enlighten” they are because they do not succumb to the level of TV watching but spend time reading great literature. I have met people who when you admit you watch “Survivor” they look at you like you must only have a grade 8 education. These are the ones I’m addressing. I’m challenging that attitude.

Darn right, that needs to be challenged. I play video games, as Dean says. I take time to indulge myself in various otherworld dramas and challenges. I visit SL, not as much as I'd like and am interested in its development as an educational tool. However, I do not think that either of these

offered up a nifty personality test for teachers. From my vantage point, this thing really defines you.

I could but I realize that what some people view as a waste of time, others find quite educational and enthralling. I don't believe that any of these are "nifty peronality tests for teachers." or "really defines you." or me or anyone else and to draw conclusions about "personality and you" as a person really, really offends me. I want a rationale or explanation  but continued with the "That's not what I meant mantra." which does not cut the mustard. I know you're bored with the whole thing just as I'm tired of asking the questions only to be brushed off.

Why did I spend time on this whole thing again? Well, because the comment of Andrew Keen continues to hang in the back of my head. To offend someone and then dismiss their objections is unexcuseable. I doubt I will ever get a more of a response than I have. I  have been rather caustic and indignant which can't be excused just because someone has offended me. However, to even suggest that in any way I am less able to do my job as a teacher or a principal - that it "defines me" or is a "personality test"  and, because I won't give up and go along with you is, is, is ....

is a sad day in blogging as Dan suggested. Several retorts flew through my head. However, the only thing that I can say is that I'm saddened by how I've been dismissed as intellectually inflexible and other people who have great reputations as educators  have been dismissed and degraded for their thoughts while support was garnered by linking to someone who, after a careful read, doesn't have the same beliefs. My hope is that, in time and through experience, you get it. This time, well,  .....

 

Well, as Dan points out, this tv thing has sure been a real discussion maker. Now, a few weeks ago, I wrote about Andrew Keen and his comments about the internet, professional media and monkeys. It was picked up by Vicki Davis who did a wonderful job in her post. Now, the one thing that struck me was her comment:

Insults do not accomplish anything, nor does stopping your ears

I am a teacher, and we teach that we do not call names. I would put Andrew Keen in the corner for calling me or anyone else who disagrees with him, a monkey.

Additionally, I think that his blanket, inaccurate statements could result in many people simply covering their ears and saying "Na na na na, I can't hear you" like the obstinate brother trying to drown out the sound of his sister singing tiptoe through the tulips.

It also reminds me of those who would stop their ears as they rushed to burn heretics at the stake. Listening to the opinions of others (yes, even Keen's) is a good thing. Listening to only one side is not.

So far, in various posts, I've been referred to as a hypocrite and a tv snob (in a good natured, teasing way.)

Let's put the names away. There is no place for this when having a discussion or debate about something. 

On that note, I took exception to Dan's comment that this is a

nifty personality test for teachers. From my vantage point, this thing really defines you.

Now, as I replied to Dan, I wonder if he is really that shallow (in a teasing kind of way). I wonder how my thoughts or stance on a particular media can define me as a teacher, administrator and educator or be a test of my personality? I'm curious about this.

As a leader, I work very hard not to do such things to the teachers I work with or the students in the hallow halls of our school. I don't dismiss parents ideas or points of view even when I dont' agree with them. As many of you know, I have used these points as reflection moments for me on a topic - seeing where they are coming from and trying to find solutions for what is going on. This topic is no different, kinda.

See, I've had 13 years to reflect and think about this and look at the different sides. I don't wear this a badge of honour, it's a lifestyle choice just like eating organically or exercising or smoking or drinking or... However, for the first time, it has been suggested that this decision makes my professional integrity and my ability as an educator questionable. Whoa!

Now, I've had many a thing said because my family doesn't have commercial tv but to make the leap to question my entire personality and professional integrity is a first.  Dan goes on to quote Michael K who left a comment from which I borrow:

To blindly eliminate television from ones environment isn’t a stand against television at all, it’s an admission that one cannot exist - simultaneously and in moderation - with an inanimate device; it isn’t a statement of intelligence, but an admission of ignorance.

So Dan, I do wonder at the shallow (again, in a teasing kind a way) suggestion that this defines me as a person or in any way has any reflection on me as a teacher. I hope you really don't mean that, by not viewing a particular medium, I'm less professional or less able to do my work as an educator than you. That, in some way I'm ignorant because of a lifestyle decision. That in your desire to prove you point, you misrepresented yourself. As Vicki Davis summizes: 

Listening to the opinions of others (yes, even Keen's) is a good thing. Listening to only one side is not.

My discussion goes much beyond just the physcological effects of tv. I look at the physiological and physical effects and how that is impacting our society. I examine how such shows as Ultimate Fight have influenced events that have seriously affected the community in which I live.  I've watched how particular viewing habits of a spouse have had detrimental effects on a marriage, particularly two which were very close to me. 

Also, I have 7 children, 5 of which go to the school in which I am a principal. You know what. They fit in and, gasp, aren't freaks. Now, curiuosly, many of their friends "hang" at our house and one of the reasons is the activities that take place. So, besides just my children's viewing habits, I get to hear what is going on with the viewing habits of other kids their age and we discuss everything from Pokemon to  Big Brother, American Idol, Sweet Sixteen plus a whole host of others.  I get to discuss and question and all those wonderful things that take place when discussions are lively. So, Dan, I probably get to discuss tv and programming much more than most teachers, to hear the reasons for viewing habits. And because I teach Communication Prodcution Technology, I have the students study the impact of radio, television, music, internet and other communication medium on society and on the individuals in my class. Blanket statements of "hypocracy reeking" need to be made when you are positive that your blanket will cover the whole. I'm disappointed that you would suggest such a thing about professionalism based on someone not agreeing with you. I don't illegal do drugs but I discuss and will continue to discuss the harmful effects of their use on the body, even my use of legal drugs like caffeine and painkillers. I don't understand NASCAR watching but I have a very good friend who has been to Indy twice. I can, however, appreciate the skill of the drivers and the wonder of the cars and have, in past garage discussions, been able to partake in discussions about NASCAR because of my own experience with cars. I'm not a historian nor have I been to Rome but I do a pretty good job of teaching the fall of the Roman Empire, the aftermath. Oh, I do game - the fall of Rome and my students will hopefully be doing that next year. 

I could continue but the point is I don't buy your comment that

• As teachers, whether we read blogs or read books or watch t.v. or listen to music or not, we can help students sort through a given medium's good & bad.  (Reading and watching and listening tends to help, though.)
• But we cannot do that — truly we cannot engage our students in a discussion of why a particular show is worth our time or whether we are spending too much time engaged by a particular medium — if, in the backs of our heads, we're muttering to ourselves, "T.V. is just wrecking these kids," if we don't share their curiosity or their tuning to the potential of things. Really we can't. That kind of disgenuousness is blatant and hypocrisy reeks.

 You comment that 

my input on the matter has devolved frustratingly into a series of "that isn't what I said," comments. 

Well, you did say the above. I don't agree. I will stand that the ill effects of television are causing problems in our society that go beyond just the psychological. I do not believe that I have to "do" in order to be able to comment or actually have an informed opinion. To question my professionalism and suggest that a single action defines my personality is, well, shallow. As with other discussions,  I know that to continue will do no good, listening has stopped.

I usually temper my comments and posts but am offended at your suggestions, especially when you make yourself out to be standard of professionalism at my expense. As a next-gen administrator and superintendent, I'm looking for people who can appreciate other's views without demeaning them as being less than.  You fippantly toss free-speech into the mix yet suggest that those who don't agree with you are less than professional, of which you are the epitome. 

Dean, it's okay that you suggest the snob thing. I've read your posts and I think that a compromise can be reach on the grounds that this is not personal. You don't really think I'm a snob - really.  I guess that, because I am involved in so many things and my children partake in a number of activities, tv is not a priority and, instead of watching tv, we do other things as a family. Also, I would suggest that my use of other media and web2.0 tools gives me a bit different of a perspective. I don't think that the moderate use of television is bad. In fact, as you state :

but it’s been proven that tv makes you smarter

Okay. So does gaming but you've stated

I don’t do video games. 

 You don't wear it as a badge but you comment on their use in education. Neither do I wear a "We don't have tv badge." but I don't shrink when challenged much the same way as I don't when challenged about my faith, my wife's and my decision to have more than 2 children or a number of things that people have raised their eyebrows at. After a while, you begin to see that people's prejudices are coming through their comments. I usually shrug and not bother.

This time, however, my professionalism and integrity as a teacher is being questioned. So, let's turn the tables - what makes you or anyone else who watches television an expert in human relations and the ability to discuss the effects of television on students. What does watching television have to do with intelligence or professional integrity or personality? Please verify you have some data or proof that makes television watchers more professional and personably more capable to conduct their jobs in the educational field. Please also verify that in order to comment on any subject you actually have to have first hand knowledge of the subject. (Note - we can throw out most of what happens in schools because I would bet most teachers do not have actual experience.)  I have 5 plus subjects that I discuss this with regularly and who question my decision making at almost every turn. They push me to support myself and look for any weakness in my arguement. This not only goes for television but for music, the inernet and its use, movies, books and other forms of media. As an English teacher, I've discussed at length the reading of various magazines and their impact on the young women in society. I've even had papers written on them. And on tv watching. As you can tell, this has hit a sore spot with me. The absolute absurdness of what has been said because I think that there are more negatives with television than positives is in fact the exact closed mindedness that is being denounced.  

"Sigh" - it is not easy to disagree with the popular societal thought. I guess that's one reason being an educator is so tough. It is our duty to help students question popular societal beliefs. As an administrator, I've had to stand by my decisions despite them not being popular. I've had to call students assumptions despite my own personal beliefs. That's what lifelong learning is all about and that's being a teacher. 

Well, I've gone on long enough. I hope that I've clarified this whole question of personal lifestyle vs professionalism and having to do in order to have informed discussions. If not, guess I'd better get around to smokin' a doobie, doing a line and buying a 24 so I can discuss the ill affects of drugs and alcohol. Wonder if I can get a flight to Rome and find some German immigrants?

My name is Kelly. I've been free of commercial television for 13 years now. Well, that's not true. Every Christmas while staying at the hotel with my wife's family, I can't help but watch a few Star Trek and CSI.

There is a great discussion going on at Crucial Thought  about television - with Dan Meyers and Dean Shareski commenting for television and Mrs Durff commenting against. Well, as you can tell, I'm a non-tv person and better for it I think. 

My wife and I first emptied our house of a television 13 years ago when my oldest daughter, then 2 years old, wouldn't go to bed because a video she liked wasn't finished. Now after a temper tantrum of 7.5 on the Richter scale, we were able to get her to her room and in bed. Hey, we were young parents then! We went upstairs. A while later I could hear the tv and wondered "Didn't I shut that off?" Off I went to check it out.

There she sat. Tv on, video in and watching. She had turned it on, with the remote because the power button was broken, set the channel and loaded the video and hit play. 2. Maybe I should have been happy or impressed with what she was able to accomplish at that age. Instead I was horrified that she could already do that to get what she wanted. I got rid of the tv the next day. 

Well, 13 years later,  we do have a tv but no commercial channels. We haven't had any commercial tv in all that time except for a few months here or there when we moved and it was still connected. Now, I've heard everything about how it will rob my children of a normal life (how will they know what the other kids are talking about?) to we'll be out of touch with the world and world events (surprisingly, my children are as well as, if not more, informed because they have to actively pursue the information.) I've heard that it is hypocritical as a teacher who should be open to using all media to teach (I do use specific programs and segments. What I've found, however, is that most teachers break all kinds of copyright laws and, if they needed to follow the laws more closely, they wouldn't use as much television.) 

My observations as a teacher and a parent are isolated to my own children - all 7 of them - and their interactions with their friends. Through the years they have had a different level of exposure to television and it has had an effect on their learning, I believe. Also, my wife and I, both teachers, have a very unique family dynamic in that we have 4 girls and 3 boys with a 4 year separation between the youngest girls and oldest boy. We have monitored the effect of television on both groups and seen that, yes, it does have an effect depending on what they watch.  

As I have stated, I have heard so many arguements for having tv.  I don't try to impose our decision on others. However, I don't buy that by not having television my children or I are somehow missing out on the world and we are  not normal or whatever. We choose to use our time differently, that's all. So, instead of watching tv or a movie, we play games with our children. On Friday and Saturdays, especially during the winter, we play games both nights. During the summer, only one night. What's interesting is that we usually have a number of kids over at our house on one of those two nights to play games because they don't at home. I've learned more about my kids friends from those nights than you can imagine. We laugh, joke, eat popcorn and have all kinds of fun. My wife and I have worked hard to keep this time for our children. Much harder than if we had just watched tv. 

My children are also very involved in many different activities, as am I and, really, none of us have time to spend sitting on a couch watching shows with all that we have to do.  So how do we relax and unwind? Well, we all read. We have access to the internet where, recently, we have accessed a few shows and viewed them. However, they have been viewed in 35 minutes and not an hour and there are no commercials. Very different and we pick and choose. We listen to music and the radio. I have made use of my nano and listened to podcasts from a variety of different educators and thinkers who post on a regular basis. (Doing it now as I write this - Coming of age.) We do a variety of sports and family activities. 

Now, Dan has stated: 

       
But in the classroom, I worry about any teacher who just casts off t.v. as blithely as both Chris and Mrs. Durff do in their personal lives. When Mrs. Durff drops the double exclamation point after “I don’t even own a tv,” I read it exactly the same as:

“I don’t even own a DVD player!!”
“I don’t even own an iPod!!”
“I don’t even own a computer!!”

Each of those spews out horrendous immoral crap.

But one of our most basic charges as teachers is to help kids make sense of the world around them, which includes the media that engages them. The same discerning, wheat-and-chaff-separating stance we take towards blogs in the classroom must be identical to the one we take towards t.v. Anything less is hypocritical, I’m afraid.

Sorry Dan. I'm not hypocritical because I know what good programming is and what isn't just as I haven't visited every website, I can still tell the difference between good information and garbage. I can separate the wheat from the chaff by discussing various television programs and, through having children describe them, explain them, defend them and question them, chaff and wheat are separated. I don't have to have a particular item in my house to do a good job of helping students learn to discern what is and isn't good information.

Personal aside: Question, Dan, do you have a truck? If not, does that mean you don't have a car? Bike? Scooter? Motorbike? All are modes of transportation just as tv is a method of communication. Not having one doesn't preclude not having another and doing so is like concluding that because you don't wear glasses you can see well.

Dean then adds that    

Broadcast TV is changing and I think considering Television to be bad is akin to saying the internet is bad just because there’s bad stuff on it.

The biggest difference I see is that I choose where I am going on the internet, I'm not constantly bombarded by advertising (although this is changing) and it is at my time not a prescheduled time. So, you are right, there are good programs on but, alas, most are not on when my family and I want to watch them so we find other things to do.

In the past 13 years, we've had numerous people wonder about us not having tv "What do you do?" (With 7 children one of my uncles has suggested he get us cable so we'll find something else to do )  I've heard so many arguements in relation to tv yet none have proved to be true for myself or any of my children. Are we different? You bet but it's a good different. My children read, are involved in a multitude of sports, can play for hours with a cardboard box and have friends who come over to play games. In time, my wife and I will have to bow out but I'm hoping they'll keep coming back. Dean and Dan, sorry, but I'm with the others who don't have tv and you will really have to work to convince me that the decision my wife and I made 13 years ago was not a good decision. With the many different options for youth today, eliminating one has made it a bit easier for my children - they don't have to try and fit in "their favourite show" or "I can't, my show is on at that time" or all the other things I've heard. Best of all, no fights for the remote and what we'll watch next. That has been worth it all 

As I was driving home today, I was listening to CBC radio. Now, my drive home is, oh, about 5 minutes and I really should walk more but I was running behind today and it looked like it might rain. I just happened to tune in when a guest columnist from the Globe and Mail was talking about the world obsession with sports, particularly North America. As he highlighted several new trends in sports, it became apparent that, for most people, we would rather sit on something and watch someone else be active than actually do all that sweating for ourselves.

Now this whole phenomena has been well documented in our media as we fight an ever increasing growth at the mid-section in all age groups. Now the one thing that was apparent in the program was that if you could make the sport professional or part of the Olympics or some other international sporting event, then people would get active. So, after reading Dave Sherman’s post at LeaderTalk, I began thinking that maybe we could combine what we are doing with technology and help our kids get in shape at the same time.

That’s were Kick the Can comes in. You see, any child can play kick the can. What we need to do is convince someone that this is a plausible idea, that it would be good for the health of our students, would be of little cost for equipment (of course it would depend on the type of can we chose as the official KTC can.) Now, in order to make this a worthwhile endeavour, we would use technology to make contacts throughout the world with schools who would compete in the international KTC league. Schools in local areas could compete against one another, moving on to the international event. Just think, a fun game that would get our kids back in shape and introduce a bit of technology along the way. Can’t you see it? Schools sponsored by Nike or other companies to train and get in shape. Students would be motivated to eat healthy and keep in shape as there would be international recognition on the line. Parents would be pumped to have their children getting healthy. To add some excitement, parents from the school would have to compete and there would be a special category for those schools whose parents and students advanced. We could even widen it to include teachers.

If you’re wondering if I’ve lost my mind, well, that is questionable. But, as I was listening to the blurb, I really wondered why we have to have more studies from yet more experts who continue to tell us we’re getting obese. My belt is telling me that! However, no matter how much we are told, it seems we cannot change what we have been doing because it is hard. Not impossible, but hard. Not insurmountable but very, very difficult. Really, getting off the couch to actually play ball is a lot tougher than watching the Blue Jays or whatever team play their games. And, well, their much better at it and I could never play at that level so I’ll just watch continuing with my lifestyle even though the watching and eating is leading me to certain health problems. I know. I’m intelligent. I’m a teacher.

Does this sound familiar?

It does not sound much different from the conversations people are having about what is going on in schools. Yeah, we know that they should change but we’re really too comfortable with how they are even though they aren’t really good for the students and may cause them certain problems down the road. Yeah, we know that the students have changed, just as we know that the food we eat has changed but, in both cases, we just can’t accept that we really have to change our habits. Maybe they’ll find a chemical way to shed the pounds or settle the kids. It’s not that teachers and the rest of society doesn’t work hard but there is an unwillingness to accept that life is changing in all facets and if we don’t make changes in how our society functions, we’re going to be in such serious trouble that KTC leagues may not seem that outlandish.

So what do we do as we watch so many around us continue to do what they have done even though it is really unhealthy? Well, what methods are being used to get the message out that we’re eating unhealthy, too inactive and we need to stop? Maybe we have to take a look at what other areas of society are doing to see how they are trying to inform the public regarding something that is serious for many but not enough people directly influencing the children are doing something to curb the problem. How many of us see whole families that need to change their habits? Is it up to us to say something? While we debate that issue, we should really look at what is happening under our roofs and decide “Is there a problem? If so, what do we need to do about it? As I’ve been thinking about the PD for teachers next year, some of it I have to plan, I’ve been twirling around this idea of combining technology to get the message out about Healthy Living and Healthy Lifestyles. Using this as a theme with our Reading Goals to have students more aware of healthy lifestyles and living. I’ll keep building with my wiki and let you see how things are a bit later in the summer!

W e do need to collaborate, both locally and internationally, in order the build a critical mass of teachers that will bring this to the forefront and move it into the mainstream discussions. As it is, I hear to many people comment about how it is not. One of the Horizon Project teachers, Julie Lindsay, was telling me about her new assignment:

 My challenge next year (August) is walking into a new school as Head of IT where it seems the IT skills are low and Web 2.0 skills are almost non-existent. What do I do? What approach should we be taking as a school? Can we fast track somehow?

I’ve heard this from a number of people. Maybe, by combining our efforts, internationally, we can bring a focus on a few different topics: poverty, child suffering, obesity and other such disorders ….. I guess the trick would be to have a focus that, with students working together, we could impact society in a real manner, bringing light to some of the problems that we are facing. Now, I’m not suggesting we provide definitive answers but, much like the work of Vicki Davis, Julie Lindsay, Clarence Fisher and other teachers involved in international learning projects, we can present information that will be viewed by the public - bring it more mainstream. Try to get various other partners involved who could support the learning of the students. Technology use would just be the vehicle and the means and not the focus. What do you think?  Or, we could start to organize the KTC teams!

Over the past few weeks, I’ve noticed a few themes that have caught my attention. Now, a few of them are very positive, like the Future of Education that is being hosted by George Siemens over at University of Manitoba. Another is planning, especially for the summer months as many teachers prepare for some time off and away from the school. Now, I would have thought that many more positive ventures regarding education and technological tools would be blossoming forth given the onset of the summer. Instead, we still seem to be up against a social resistance to using technology in schools because of what might happen. More recently is the suggestion that the internet is “dumbing down” society and we’re now set to live in mediocrity, this according to Andrew Keen.

First, I thank Vicki Davis for her post on the subject of mediocrity and the response from Brian Grenier and his awesome pic. I believe that Vicki sums up the thoughts of many who are working to make the internet a better place when she says

I am a teacher, and we teach that we do not call names. I would put Andrew Keen in the corner for calling me or anyone else who disagrees with him, a monkey.

Additionally, I think that his blanket, inaccurate statements could result in many people simply covering their ears and saying “Na na na na, I can’t hear you” like the obstinate brother trying to drown out the sound of his sister singing tiptoe through the tulips.

It also reminds me of those who would stop their ears as they rushed to burn heretics at the stake. Listening to the opinions of others (yes, even Keen’s) is a good thing. Listening to only one side is not.

As always, Vicki gets to the heart of the matter. Her comment on my post further explores this whole idea.

Now, combined with this, there seems to be this continuation of a native/immigrant divide that just won’t go away. Karyn over at Karyn’s erratic journey begins a very good discussion about this whole idea.

The speaker was talking about digital natives, and the concept had the chat channel buzzing. Is it relevant? Valid? Will people who were born into the era of the computer be noticeably different from those who had to “migrate” to the technology?

Now, anyone who has read my writing over the past few months knows that I do not agree with this whole idea on several levels. I don’t think that putting people on sides and then giving a description to those sides helps build bridges. In fact, one of the greatest problems we face as educators is that many in society are seeing only the negative of the internet as reported by the media. Instead of the great projects like Vicki and Julie’s Horizon Project being celebrated in the media, we are continually be exposed to the negatives that occasionally happen. The media, from which Andrew Keen seems to have taken his cue, continues to malign the internet as a sinister place where bad people roam searching for the souls of the youth to corrupt them or where the mediocre live, dispensing their ideas as grand. This is further hindered because there is little hope of an immigrant really understanding the world of the native so it can be dismissed without “educated society” really trying to see how the two fit together.

Now, Marc Prensky, the person behind the digital native/immigrant idea, does say that an immigrant may enter the world of the native but will always be an immigrant. However, as Karyn points out, that would mean that anyone alive before that advent of a societal shift in technology would be an immigrant - like telephone immigrants or cellphone immigrants or , or, or. We’d just continue to create immigrant/native divides, looking at when you were born instead of what you can do. Does this make any sense? So what will the next group be called - you know the one’s born when all this is wireless and there is greater open source production, when each house has unlimited access to internet through highspeed and we’re all connected? If people born before are immigrants then will the natives become immigrants and those later become the natives with now two classes of immigrants and natives? I actually thought this was suppose to bring things together not separate them out! So maybe we need to just dispel this whole idea of immigrant/native and move to a continuum of learning where we have early adopters through to novice learners and as you learn how to use different technologies and bring together different tools, you move up the continuum.

With this in mind, we might be able to work at dispelling the myth that the internet is “evil” and, with immersion and education, it can become a place of great intellectual action while at the same time allowing that not everyone wants to be involved in the pursuit of knowledge - some people want to rant about the refereeing during the NHL playoffs or post comments about the two-tiered system that appears to allow for the rich and famous to get special treatment.

This is also where we need to emphasize that what schools are doing with these tools is a bit different than what is happening on Facebook and MySpace and other social websites. Schools are looking at using the tools in a learning environment. This means they are looking at creating something that will demonstrate their understanding of a topic or idea using the tools and the various information gathering items that are available via the internet. Schools do not want to create “safe” MySpaces where kids chat about whatever they like in a safe manner. Schools are looking to create projects that allow student to interact globally under the supervision of teachers, where there are learning goals that specifically define what they are to do. The best example I’ve seen of this is the Horizon Project. Can you imagine the unofficial learning objectives that were fulfilled (global citizenship, cultural integration) never mind the actual ones. Unfortunately the media does not seem to want anything to do with such things - it is positive and all.

My last week was very busy so I didn’t have time to take in many of the Future of Education discussions or presentations. What hasn’t escaped my attention is that there is absolutely no mention of this convention in the mainstream media despite the fact that this is a huge thing for education. Why is that? My hunch is that media wants to continue to show the face of the internet and education being less than stellar. Highlight the teacher with kiddie porn but not the people working diligently to better education using the tools that, in the near future, will become the dominant tools of teaching. Leave the nagging suspicion that the teen who goes on a shooting rampage was somehow linked to evil through the internet but don’t highlight those students who are reaching out to other students to offer assistance and help.

This, to me, is the whole crux of why those of us working to bring this forward are struggling and seem almost stalled. We still live under this “immigrant/native” banner that has, unfortunately, created a divide that people are accepting. Given this acceptance, is it a wonder that adults are kind of dismissing this mode of interaction as another “teenage fad”. They are uncomfortable with how the youth are changing their habits of communication and interaction. So, instead of trying to make sense of this, adopting parts that lend themselves to building better social systems, they are continuing to adhere to the past structures especially in schools where they, as adults, want to feel comfortable with what is happening. So, instead of being open to changes, we are seeing resistance to adopting these tools because people are too easily convinced by the media that the social networks of the youth will breed evil when in fact schools aren’t wanting to recreate these networks but want access to the growing number of opensource tools that will allow the students to demonstrate their understanding through what they create and through their collaboration with other youth across the country and around the globe.

Maybe it’s time to reframe the conversation around a learning continuum, highlighting that we may in fact be encountering at a type of intelligence, digital intelligence, which lends itself to a way of learning through digital mediums and is growing as we have more children entering school who have been exposed to this way of communication and interaction. We need to continue to focus on the facts about internet safety, putting forth our case while not ignoring that, yes, sometimes students will access inappropriate material. But haven’t they always? Check out Dean Shareski’s posts about this topic for a good understanding of how the general public is being misled.

With about three weeks left in school, I’m looking forward to this summer. I’m looking forward to the time to recharge myself, get some rest and have fun with my children. I’m looking forward to evenings on the deck sipping iced tea and listening to birds. But, I’m also looking forward to some uninterrupted time to plan how this upcoming year will be a year where the school where I am administrator will move forward technologically. Where we will look at a continuum of learning for teachers and students. Where learning will become something for all - something fun that we can be proud of and display for others and where parents will be included in our learning - some of them need to know more about what is happening - to become informed. I don’t know how this will happen yet but I have a whole summer to plan things out.

was going to write a post about some of my latest work with online desktops. However, I came across a post by Tim Stahmer over at Assorted Stuff that was very interesting. Now, I had to take some time to listen to the podcast that Tim refers to in his post so that I could better write this post.

I listened to Jon Gordon’s interview of Andrew Keen about his book The Cult of the Amateur: How Today’s Internet is Killing Our Culture and was, well, bewildered. Now, Tim highlights the following quotes from the interview.

Former Silicon Valley entrepreneur Andrew Keen says web 2.0, which is shorthand for user-generated content like blogs, internet video, wikis and podcasts, is a mass of poorly produced, uninformed materials that’s eroding the pillars of society by replacing professional media.

In his new book Andrew Keen compares internet users who make blogs, wikis, and internet video to monkeys banging away on a keyboard.

“The problems that the music business is having, the problems that the newspaper business is having is intimately, profoundly connected with the rise of user generated content media.”

“One of the problems is that the internet allows people to steal things.”

“I would be thrilled if people were reading mainstream, reliable newspapers and then wandering around the blogosphere to supplement their reading. What concerns me is when blogs become the primary source of information. The problem with that is it’s so unreliable. They’re so vulnerable to corruption. They’re often written anonymously. They often have interests, economically, politically or ideologically behind them that we’re not able to acknowledge.

Now, some of the things that Keen says are true. There are many things being stolen and used by others on th net and it is a problem. We are also seeing that there are those who are using the anonymity of the internet as a way to do things that they would be unable to do in a face-to-face situation. And, the music industry has taken a hit with the proliferation of mp3 downloading. However, what really struck me was the comparison of

internet users who make blogs, wikis, and internet video to monkeys banging away on a keyboard.

Right off, it struck me because I write a blog and don’t consider myself a monkey (although I know there are people out there who would agree with this comparison or probably worse ) I then began to think about all the blogs I read and the information that is hosted in these blogs. Now, I may be a monkey but I surely don’t consider the likes of Stephen Downes, Chris Long, Christopher Sessums, Vicki Davis or Scott McLeod to be monkeys. They are very educated and knowledgeable people whose ideas and thoughts are not just bangings on a keyboard.

I find this to be another case of someone, in this case Keen, who is struggling with the incredible changes that are taking place in our ability to access information and desperately trying to maintain that there is a truth and that the professional newsreporters are the ones who have it.

They’re so vulnerable to corruption. They’re often written anonymously. They often have interests, economically, politically or ideologically behind them that we’re not able to acknowledge.

Sorry, that quote is describing the bloggers not the reporters but, in my experience, this can be said of some of the information that one gets in the newspaper and on tv. I know that reporters are suppose to deliver unbiased information. However, the unbiased opinion depends on what one believes about the subject. Take this whole post. I am biased towards blogs and therefore am ready to defend my use of them and my using them to gather information for myself. Why? Because I consider myself able to read through information and detect bias and then, depending on the level that I see, either accept that it doesn’t get in the way of the rest of the information or disregard the information because the bias too heavily interferes with the information. And that is what really bothers me about this whole idea.

Yes, there are things on the blogosphere with which I don’t agree but then I need to determine whether I just let it pass or I do some more looking to see if it is my understanding that needs to change in some way. This is where our schools and what we do there is so critical. With the changes taking place in information access, information exchange and how people view “truth”, we need to help our students determine fact from fiction and develop the critical thinking skills that will question things that do not seem to be right. This will mean questioning the major news providers, seeking to determine if in fact they are providing us with unbiased reporting. Learning to exchange ideas and create new understanding from old is an essential skill that our young people will need. Relying on “experts” to continue to tell us how to think and what to do may not be the saving grace that Keen suggests. In fact, I would say that many of our problems as a society, stem not from individual questioning of what is presented to us but, instead, a mass of people who do not critically question what they are presented. Could this not be the reason we are facing an obesity crisis in North America and, if the “experts” are to be believed, a future diabetes and heart problem crisis in the near future.

I don’t think that people are suddenly running amok, banging on keyboards just to contradict what is being presented in the newspapers or on television. In fact, much of what I read is really discussion and reflection of a book or an article. I would suggest to Mr. Keen that the take some more time to look at what is on the web a bit more closely. Yes, you run across many self-indulgent egoists that really know nothing of what they are writing about but use the shock value to get press. But, I find that in the papers in some of the columnists. I just have to be more selective in what I read. And more discerning. And more critical. It makes me think in new ways and imagine possibilities that were not there before.

As for Keen, I really see someone who is seeing a way of life slip through his clenched fists and this is his way of railing against the injustices he observes. Quite frankly, it brings the elite in contact with the general public, something they have never been happy about. Only this time, it may be that climbing back up to the elite status may mean something totally different and that really scares people like Keen. For us monkeys, such a book that is so doomsdayish can only mean that the shift is happening, albeit slowly. We still have many things to do and there are plenty of others who will continue to malign what is happening on the internet and point out only the negative. But, as I have seen and been part of, there is so much good that is also going on that we continue. The negative factors have always been there and the net just gives them a place to gather more quickly but, if we realize this, positive pressures can be brought to bare on them. In much the same manner that we have had to streetproof our children because of the changes that society has seen, well now we must netproof our children and part of that will be to help them discover how to distinguish the good from the garbage. It’s the least we can do!

For a more indepth look at the book (Can you tell what the author thinks?) see here.  Also, see Andrw Keen’s site where he’s promoting his book. A blog no less!

Well, I’ve been tagged by Brian over at Snacks and Staff Meetings about my best productivity tips. It’s taken me a while to get to this one so maybe my tips aren’t really that effective. But, I’ll throw them out there and you can see if they might work for you.

Tip #1 - Find an all-in-one organizer and stick with it. This took me some time but I really like the Zoho planner and now it stays open on my laptop all the time. I just like how it works. Now, when I am not able to access it, which sometimes happens, I use simpleDays 3.1. I have learned to organize my items and deal with them right away. That has been my key to productivity. Like Brian, I try to deal with whatever is going on right away. So, I plan my day and give myself time in the morning to do different “office” items before the day begins. I then return my first set of emails, add to my phone call list and eliminate the things I have finished. I have one section for tomorrow and this week. Beyond that, I add it to the calendar with a reminder. That way it is not sitting around for too long and I can focus on what needs to be done.

Tip#2 - I’ve learned to use my computer to reduce my workload. I add to my contacts, use phone lists, mail lists and other such items. My RSS produces a plethora of things to read - I pick 10 to read and respond to each day and copy the URL’s into my Notebook (Zoho again) and access them at different times during the day. I read and then quickly respond. Once the RSS has been read, I mark them “ALL READ” and move on.

Tip#3 - I use my wikis for planning and communicating with people. This way, I can access them from anywhere. I have also had the staff begin using a wiki to communicate various things so that things are not coming as a surprise. We are slowly getting better at this which has information disseminating at a quicker rate.

Well that’s my three tips. I hope they help someone. My next step is to purchase a PDA to sync with my laptop to keep my days and meetings with me so I don’t end up double-booking myself. Maybe next Father’s Day!