I think one of the key skills that humans have developed is the ability to re-imagine something. I think of Steve Jobs. What would our lives be like if he hadn't re-imagined how we listened to music. I for one am glad I don't walk around with a bulky Walkman anymore and waste hundreds of dollars every month on cassettes. Thanks to my iPod and iTunes, I select whatever song I want and purchase it that way. Then I put it on my iPod classic (about the size of a pack of cards) and take it wherever I go.
Of course, Jobs wasn't done there. He re-imagined how we used phones. Then he combined the iPod, personal computer, and phone into the iPhone.
That' sone reason I found this story interesting. Here are different "interpretations" or re-imaginings of the classic tricycle design.
I am going to dream up an assignment like this for class next year. Where does invention lie? In re-imagining.
Here is one take on how to deal with the dreaded last day of school. Now I say dreaded because how can one maximize it? I've tried and failed miserable.
Years ago, we used to have a school wide series of activities where teachers supervised students in a series of activities: skate boarding, watching movies, playing poker, playing Rock Band, and so on. Then the day ended with everyone gathering in the gymnasium for prize drawings (I remember an iPod being given away). The only problem: most students skipped out. In fact, this was so poorly attended that it only lasted a couple years.
Personally, I'd like to see us go to school-wide finals week. Just like in college. I mean exactly like in college. Every student has one final per class the last week of the semester. They only have that one test per class that entire week. The rest of the time can be spent studying for the test. For teachers, that means the rest of their time can be spent grading those tests.
I'd also like to see this catch: our scores are kept and examined. As are the tests. I would do this to ensure that there is rigor put into these final tests. Maybe there would even be common assessment requirements that we'd have to meet: no more than 50 multiple choice questions, at least 50 points worth of essay questions, the test must be cumulative, and so on.
I think this would be a great prep for kids for college, and it would make the last day of the semester (especially the last day of school) important.
This year, here is how I'll spend my last day:
College Comp 1: I'll try like a madman to have their final research papers done and returned to them. If not, I'll use it to prep the seniors for college and prep my juniors for College Comp II. They will also complete an anonymous zoomerang survey evaluating my course and me. Then I share the results with the administration. (I have to admit that I stole this idea from Coach Mumm. He always had his players and parents fill out a survey. Then he sent the results to the superintendent).
College Comp 2: I'll share with them their Digi-Key interview results and return their resumes and college-career papers. I'll also give them their senior letters.
Lit & Lang 9: We will take a final test on Kaffir Boy.
Grit is more important than Talent
A few years ago, I listened to a podcast in which the psychologist Philip Zimbardo (he of the Stanford Prison Experiments) talked about a marshmallow experiment in which children were set down in front of a treat (in this case a marshmallow). The psychologist said the children were free to eat the treat, but if they waited 15 minutes, they could have two.
Of course, most gobbled them up. Some tried to wait, but gave in. Only a few had the discipline to wait.
Then the psychologist studied them over the next dozen years. Those who delayed their gratification had markedly higher SAT scores and academic measures.
A coincidence? I don't know. I'd have gobbled up that damn marshmallow in one second.
But I like this article's point that the ability to practice self-discipline is vital in the work force. How you practice that is up to you. In a recent re-enactment of the marshmallow experiment, psychologists noted how many children were able to pass the 15 minutes and get a second treat. Many put their hands over their eyes so they wouldn't see the treat. Some hid under that table. Others sang songs to distract them.
These are habits and tactics that can be used in the work place to make us more effective. Okay, maybe the tactics the kids above used won't work in the work place. But we can develop our own strategies to make us more effective.
Here is one of my favorite quotes from the article:
Here is what one researcher found to be a key indicator of achievement
1. The tendency not to abandon tasks from mere changeability. Not seeking something because of novelty. Not "looking for a change."
2. The tendency not to abandon tasks in the face of obstacles. Perseverance, tenacity, doggedness.
These two factors can be summed up in one word: "grit."
Speaking of grit. Here is an excellent example:
It took him 12 years of balancing classes with his fulltime job as a janitor but Gac Filipaj, an immigrant from the former Yugoslavia, is graduating from Columbia University with honors.
Oh what our students could learn from this man's 'grit.' In fact, we all can learn something from him.
Here is a video of the story
The "myth" of the Digital Native.
If I'm not mistake the term Digital Native was coined by Marc Prensky. This blog post posits that the digital native is a myth.
I agree with this post in a few aspects. Of course, children aren't born with the ability to innately know how to work an iPhone or work an iPad, but they are born without fear. Digital Immigrants, us older folks, have plenty of that.
Don't believe me? Try reprogramming your remote the next time the power is cut off for an extended period of time. Or just wait until you have to upgrade your cell phone. Or your employer updates the computer system. Then you'll see what I mean.
Now, the next time the power is cut out, hand that remote to the youngest person you know. See how long it takes them to program it. They don't get discouraged or frustrated nearly as easily as digital immigrants do.
As Don Tapscott asks, "Who does the systems administration in your house?"
I know when the wifi went out, I always asked Casey to help me. In one instance last year, he tried downloading a video he created to his PC. It worked but the sound files didn't transfer. Using Google and a desire to figure it out, he did. Me? I still have a film I try to transfer from one computer to the next and the sound doesn't transfer with it. But I don't have the patience to figure it out.
Digital Native vs. Digital Immigrant.
I find the crux of this blog post obvious and untrue:
Children who have little to no access to technology and are discouraged from using it (usually out of fear and ignorance on behalf of the adults) grow up to be adults who feel uncomfortable and incompetent around technology.
All this has nothing to do with their DNA and everything to do with opportunity and affluence.
Duh. Children who had access to affluence and opportunity probably didn't exhibit the same thrift and work ethic that made Brokaw's "The Greatest Generation" so great either.
Humans adapt. When the kids are raised with technology, they adapt to their environment. Duh.
My point is this: when I grew up in the 1980's, the technology I was exposed to most often was the TV and my Walkman.
Contrast that with the technology that most kids are exposed to today.
Still not buying it?
Here are two examples of what digital natives did in my class this year -
and and
The Essence of Connected Learning from DML Research Hub on Vimeo.
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