Tribes

For class this week we listened to the audio book version of Tribes by Seth Godin and tweeted out quotes that either defined a tribe according to the author or that resonated with us (#usdedutribes). Let me start by saying that the last time I listened to an audio book was as a young child, trudging through The Lord of the Rings on tape during one of our many long car trips with my dad. That experience, while awesome in retrospect, had biased me with a fairly negative view of books on tape. After all, LOTR does not exactly top most children's list of fun things to do on road trips--at that time I was much more interested in playing "I Spy" or beating up my brother :)

Listening to the Audible version of Godin's book this time around was definitely a different experience. For the most part I enjoyed the book-on-tape assignment--I'm a big multi-tasker so the audio version allowed me to check email, clean up around the apartment, and even do some of my listening with my eyes closed on the beach. I enjoyed hearing the author's voice inflection as he read and felt that his reading definitely gave it a more authentic feel than if I had read it on my own. I did struggle with not being able to see the text itself though--I had to listen & relisten multiple times to catch the quote I liked correctly and I didn't have the visual reinforcement of the text that often helps me remember material better. I was also a little worried about bombarding my Twitter feed with 20+ quotes, but I think that goes along with Stephanie's post idea of who really wants to get to know me & who really cares what quotes/ideas are important to me?

With all that said, I thought that Godin had some great insights into our world today and influence that each of us has if we choose to use it, if we choose to lead. I feel like as teachers we are automatically leaders whether we want to be or not, so we really need to use that opportunity to make the biggest difference in the world today that we can. I really loved the section where he talked about working on his vacation and how there was nothing else he'd rather be doing at that moment. Imagine how different things could be if all people had this kind of passion about their work rather than just fulfilling their role as walking sheep?
And though I only tweeted out one or two quotes from the section, I really liked his analysis of faith and religion--both in the Religious sense as well as the secular/everyday sense. I would really love to get a tangible copy of the book and go back to that section to analyze/process out further.

The biggest take-away I have from the book is that leading can be difficult and change will always be met with resistance, but if it's something you believe in then there's no better time than now to step out of your comfort zone and do it--all of the best ideas and greatest impacts have started the same way.
What's holding you back from leading? From trying that new idea in your classroom or sharing your insight with the world?

Learning in New Media Environments

What does this mean for me: as a person, an educator, and a leader?

There were a lot of little things that resonated & made me think while watching this video. It's amazing to see how much even a simple media like a fixed census book can change people and a whole society. Wesch's statement about how even when we use media it can sometimes end up using us is quite powerful. I think that is something to remember as we begin using an integrating these new technologies into our lives. Along that same note, he stated that there is no opting out of these new media--that the media changes society as a whole and we cannot avoid it. As both a teacher and an individual I think that is important to recognize. We are doing ourselves and our students a disservice if we do not become familiar with the tools that are shaping our society today. It's hard (read: nearly impossible) to predict where we will be or what tools we will be using even one year from now let alone five, but if we begin opening our eyes to what's out there we (and our students) will be better prepared for what there is to come.

As a teacher I also find his comment on student's questions to be very important. Are my students asking questions that provoke learning or are they looking for the limits of their learning? ("Will this be on the test?") I can see myself using this method of thinking as a litmus test to gauge where my students are mentally during a class. Trying to get students (and myself, to be honest) to step away from this traditional limited thinking is going to be really challenging at first, but I can definitely see a great value in the benefits that can come because of it. I like the idea of doing something as simple as stepping outside of the confinements of the classroom and allowing students to guide (and sometimes lead) in their learning.

 

Visitors & Residents

I watched Dr. David White's video today about the Visitors & Residents principle regarding online engagement and found it really interesting. In his presentation Dr. White proposes that people can be categorized as being an online visitor, a resident, or somewhere on the continuum in between (but almost always leaning more toward one than the other).

One comparison that he used that helped me visualize these concepts is this: 

A visitor is considered someone who uses the internet like a collection of tools in a toolbox--looking for what they need, using it, and putting it back without leaving a trace that they were there. 

A resident, however, sees the internet more like a space to move around in--to socialize, network, and enjoy (like a gathering in the park). 

As I listened to his definitions and examples I definitely began to identify myself as both a visitor and a resident for different reasons. I relate to the visitor mindset in that I like using the internet a tool--to find what I want, have it serve my purpose, and then leave it be. On the other hand I consider myself a resident at times because I enjoy some of the social, communal parts of the internet like Facebook or reading other people's blogs. 

If I had to put myself somewhere on the continuum, 1 being a pure visitor and 10 being a pure resident, I would give myself a 6.5 or 7. As I'm becoming more aware of the professional learning/networking possibilities in things like Twitter, Edmodo, and blogging, I find myself wanting to spend more time interacting  with others to see what else is out there. The recent involvement in blogging for class has made me want to develop a personal one to allow more communication with friends and family.

In the future I can see myself moving even more towards the resident side of the continuum both professionally and personally as I continue to interact and discover what's out there, but I don't know if some of my visitor tendencies will ever fully disappear. I'd like to revisit this topic at the end of the semester or the end of the year (if I remember)--it would be interesting to see if my initial reactions and predictions hold true or if I end up doing something completely different.

Quotes to motivate this educational journey

"Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire."
-William Butler Yeats

"The principle goal of education is to create men and women who are capable of doing new things, not simple repeating what other generations have done."
-Jean Piaget

“All great changes are preceded by chaos.” 
-Deepak Chopra

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the one’s you did. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” 
-(attributed to) Mark Twain