A Hammer or a Nail Gun

I had a parent tell me that he couldn't believe we gave our students computers. What were we thinking? He compared it to handing out "handguns" to children. Wow, what a comment. As quickly as I could, I came back with continuing the metaphor, "if students were going to use handguns in life everyday, wouldn't you want them thoroughly trained in how to use them properly?"

That's the best I could do. I'm not that spontaneous.

To change the subject, slightly, what about comparing a Nail Gun and a Computer. I like to build things. I have built a few decks in my time. I've framed, drywalled, and hammered my share of nails. I love to do my own maintenance on my Harley. When ever I have a chance, I talk my wife into buying me the latest and greatest tools. Last year I got an air gun. Now when I take bolts off the Harley or tires off the truck, it sounds like a NASCAR garage. A ratchet will still work, but I can get so much more done with the air gun. I use a high quality torque wrench instead of guessing. I use the right tool for the job. If it's better to use a claw hammer, I use it. If it calls for a Nail Gun, I want to use that instead.

Several years ago, I built a HUGE deck on my house. That was long before I had any cool "High Tech" tools. Yep, I did a great job. It took me all summer and my forearms were like concrete when I finished. Since that time I have seen quite a few houses built. Nearly all construction crews use Nail Guns. Very rarely do you see real hammers doing the big jobs. I'm sure there are some purists who would believe you CAN'T build a house or put on a new roof without an old fashioned hammer. A hammer is still a good tool. You have to have one.  A Nail Gun is much more efficient and effective, if used properly, in the right situations.

I just don't understand all the resistance to technology in the classroom. I hear so many "purists" say we don't need all this technology. I hear so many say the computer can never replace a good teacher. AMEN TO THAT! These "PURISTS" miss the  point of technology in the classroom. They can't vision its real value. Just because someone is touting Khan Academy, doesn't mean they are plotting to eliminate teachers. I've done a lot of research about the 21st Century Classroom and Technology. I have NOT found ANYONE who is advocating elimination of teachers with technology. I have heard many say computers/technology can certainly help to provide differentiated learning better than a teacher. I have heard tech solutions so teachers can spend more time helping those who struggle. I have heard them say technology can help increase engagement. Technology might redefine the teacher, but it will not eliminate then. I heard Will Richardson speak at an IAPSS meeting and I think he hit the nail on the head, (sorry about the pun).

 "IF OUR  VALUE   IS TO GET OUR STUDENTS TO PASS THE TEST, WE'RE TOAST. WE NEED TO CHANGE THE PERCEPTION OF OUR VALUE."

Computers can deliver content. "Drill and Kill" is better taught electronically. Is my value as a teacher only to deliver content?  Or is it to fuel IMAGINATION, CREATIVITY, CRITICAL THINKING, COLLABORATION, and COMMUNICATION? Is it to ASSIGN WORKSHEETS, or is it to ASK THE BIG QUESTIONS and let students learn by doing? Is it to teach disconnected lessons or help students explore REAL LIFE lessons through Challenge Based Learning? I don't want to be known as a great lecturer. I want to be known as a teacher who gets students excited about learning and exploring. I want to be known as a teacher who prepares students for their future, not my past!

Technology is the enabler and the tool to be able to teach these HIGHER ORDER skills. We couldn't teach like that before technology. I love using a hammer, it feels good. But, when I really want to get things done, the NAIL GUN, the power tool is the tool of choice.  I can use a screw driver or my DeWalt power gun. I could still be riding a horse, but I sure like my CHEVY CRUZE.  It's time to embrace technology and explore the world of learning from a completely new and wonderful perspective.

Invigorate your teaching!

My trip back to the classroom is full steam ahead. I have been spending a lot of time in professional development. All of it has been via the Internet. It has been exhilarating. I feel like I'm an educator again. It's funny that the more I get into learning, the more I feel like an educator. I wonder how many teachers have lost the passion for education because they have lost the desire to learn. In the past, learning meant going to a local university, doling out hundreds of dollars, and spending valuable time away from home. Now PD is right in your home and virtually costs nothing.  My PLN (Personal Learning Network) is growing in leaps and bounds.  Education around the world is changing and I am on the front lines. Not because I am cutting edge. I am on the front lines because I am learning from those who are.

I have connected with great professionals like @willrich45, @stumpteacher, @ddmeyer, @toddwhitaker, @globeprogram, @usembassykl (Embassy in Kuala, Lumpur), @robertjmarzano, and many other great professionals. These educational leaders, and many others, have filled my electronic files with great ideas for my classroom and training.

Building a PLN is easy via twitter. I also use Zite. Zite is a personal magazine that is built by the subscriber, for the subscriber. One of our High School Teachers (Beth Leitch) recommended it . Wow is it great. You choose the sections you are interested and then as you read and rate articles, your magazine is built around your interests. I have gotten great PBL lessons, Professional Development ideas, and Staff Tech Training ideas.

I also use Google Reader to follow some of my favorite bloggers.

Between Twitter, Zite, and my Google Reader, I am a completely connected professional.

Do you want to invigorate your teaching? Do you want to update your teaching toolbox to include 21st Century Skills? Becoming a connected Educator is the first step.

What are we here for?

I just got through reading "Inevitable". This is a great book that HOPEFULLY will help us, Educators, get back to the real reason why we're here. The bureaucracy we call education has lost it's focus. It's not our fault, we are not really in control of what we teach and students aren't in control of what they learn. The book asks a great question, What's our purpose? Are we here to prepare our students for more education or prepare them for life? Unfortunately, I think my focus, as a Math teacher, has always been to prepare them for more Math! I'm not talking about preparing them for using Math. I'm saying I have always focused on teaching Math so Students can be ready for the next Math Class. I taught Pre-Algebra to get them ready for Algebra. I taught Algebra to get them ready to take Geometry. I taught Geometry to get them ready for Algebra II, then Pre-Calculus, and then Calculus. The only reason Calculus was the last class is we ran out of time. But, is that our real goal? Is it our only goal? Or can we do both? Can I prepare students for higher math AND teach them REAL LIFE MATH at the same time?

Do you know the most popular student question in High School Math??????? "When am I ever going to use this?"  I can't remember where, but some blog I read the other day addressed this very question. Do you know what most teachers answered? "Because you need it to pass the test." How sad! Do you know MY most frequent answer? -- "It teaches you critical thinking skills."  Great answer, right? Well, not really. Most brain research shows the pathways created during "Math Education" is only good for specifically doing "Math Education". I thought I had a great response, when in fact my response was no better than "You need it for the test." We need to make Math real for our students. We need to strip down what we teach so we can focus on it's real life applications. We can't do that in the present system. That's where the book "Inevitable" and Mass Customized Learning (MCL) comes in to play.

The other day I was going through the Common Core Standards and one topic struck me as "Why do we teach this?" -- Complex Numbers. When I taught students about complex numbers, students hated it. They certainly had no idea where we would ever use this. (To be honest - neither did I.) They would say, "Mr. Rhoades, why  do I need to know this? When I put the square root of -1 in my calculator it just gives me an error." But, I always  trudged forward. Do you know where you use complex numbers in real life? Google it, I did. I actually learned something. The University of Toronto has a question corner / discussion area that answers the question:


 "In electronics, the state of a circuit element is described by two real numbers (the voltage V across it and the current I flowing through it). A circuit element also may possess a capacitance C and an inductance L that (in simplistic terms) describe its tendency to resist changes in voltage and current respectively.
These are much better described by complex numbers."


I think complex numbers are fun to teach, but if we're going to teach it, why don't we teach it with the application in mind?  I know why. We don't teach it, in depth, because we don't have time. We also don't apply complex numbers because MOST of our students WILL NEVER USE IT.  If we go to a MCL (Mass Customized Learning) system, this topic (complex numbers) would still be taught. But those students interested in Electrical Engineering could CHOOSE to explore it with other students who are also interested in it. They also might CHOOSE to do it on their own or with a REAL ELECTRICAL ENGINEER. Our current system just doesn't allow for that type of IN DEPTH learning. We just touch things on the surface and move on. In our current system, we rarely address the question, when am I ever going to use this because that answer doesn't apply to ALL our STUDENTS and it takes time.

With MCL , we can change our Math Curriculum to meet the needs of the learner not force the learner to fit into the curriculum.

My head's going to Explode!

It's been less than a month since the announcement that I'm going back to the classroom. Call me nuts, but I'm pumped. I know those of you that haven't had an 11 year hiatus are saying, "Wait 'til he gets back in the trenches, then let's see how excited he is." A lot has changed in the past 11 years. In my own positive view point, so much of it's for the best. Here is a list:

1. Technology -- OK most of what's new is connected to this. So, it has to be number one. GKB is 1-1. It is so amazing that all the teachers have a school supplied laptop, an IPAD supplied by the school, and many HS teachers (soon to be all) have SMARTBoards in their classrooms (This isn't new. More than 11 years ago I was the first GKB teacher to have and use a SMARTBoard in the classroom). But, to take that one step further, we now give our students their own laptop. What an amazing 11 years for education.

2. Resources -- Just in the past 2 months, I've been able to connect with some of the most amazing teachers across this country. With all the information now being packed into my brain, I feel like it's going to explode. Eleven years ago, I remember getting my new textbooks with it's "supplemental" material and being excited about all the possibilities. Now with the world at my fingertips, I realize how narrow my view was of good teaching. I have to apologize to my former students. Now, I have an amazing PLN, Personal Learning Network. Now I am just as much a learner as my students. Eleven years ago my only Professional Development was my mandatory 6 credit hours every 5 years. With the help of twitter and many blogs, I am growing professionally at an exponential rate every single day. (I just had to throw that in there, Math is great!)

3. Textbooks -- This is closely tied to the first two. Textbooks are going the way of the dinosaur. Textbook publishers have always given us the impression we couldn't live without them. They were in complete control of education. Now I can be in control of my classroom. I have so much freedom to concentrate on what my students want and need. I'm not tied to a chapter. I'm not tied to a boring, repetitive grind. I can even create my own textbook. I can completely design my own classroom or I can look to others who are the REAL PROFESSIONALS, the teachers who have come up with great lessons that have been successful in their classroom. I'm not tied to worksheets. I'm not tied to the odd answers in the back of the book. Yippee!

4. Cell Phones -- Ok, this is just like number one. BUT, the cell phone and the mobility of information and connectedness is great for education. Our students have more powerful computers in their pockets, hidden because they can't have them out at school, than the computer I had 11 years ago. They can use this technology and run circles around me. I am excited about having them teach me a thing or two!

5. Vision -- I know most teachers fight change. Really, just about everybody fights change. We want to teach the way we were taught. That's natural, but the voice of change in education is picking up speed and I think it's fantastic. I'm seeing a vision from great leaders across this country to change our outdated, broken model and replace it with a new updated Ferrari. For years we've heard, we're here for the kids. In fact, our students have changed and we have not. We've fought testing, we've fought technology, we've fought testing, and we've fought accountability. We've complained about everything from school vouchers, to lack of parent support, to wages and benefits. This is true of our entire profession, administrators, teachers, and staff members. But, I sense even more change! I'm now seeing and connecting with people who see the glass as half full. Many educational professionals are finding great things happening in education. We are getting to hear first hand about changes that work. We get to hear them straight from the students. We can actually witness it via Skype and other great web tools. Many education professionals are looking OUTSIDE the box to help improve and get past the negative view of schools in America. A great vision is growing.

6. Competition -- I've been an Athletic Director for 11 years. I love competition. I believe competition forces us to grow, even when we don't want to. Even as AD, I have complained about Private Schools and their unfair advantage. But, all my teams have worked extra hard to compete with them. I hate to admit it, but the Private schools have forced us to get better athletically. Now the same is true academically. Vouchers, charter schools, home schools and standardized testing have forced us in to a very competitive time for education. Like I said, I love competition. I love a challenge. I love the idea that I'm going to be judged and paid on the quality teacher I am. Call me arrogant or cocky, but I welcome the competition. Just like athletics, the playing field is not always level. I guess I'll just have to outwork the other guy. I hate losing and I'm not about to let GKB lose to a bunch of private or charter schools. Competition is good for education. It's driving the changes. It's getting us to look deeper at what we're doing. How can that be bad? What do we have to be afraid of? Bring it on. GKB is a better school corporation than most. We have some of the best professionals anywhere? I'm confident we can stack up with any school, anywhere, anytime. Bring it on!

A lot has changed in 11 years. Our profession is growing and changing. Our students will benefit from that change. Perspective is everything. I chose to look at all the great things going on in a positive and exciting way. The glass IS half full and my Brain is going to explode imagining the possibilities!

Blogging Links and Tips

Here are some blogs and websites with information on Blogging:

Steven W. Anderson (@web20classroom) 2/2/12 4:48 AM 10 Things You Should Know About Blogging: bit.ly/gOwG9X

Jerry Blumengarten (@cybraryman1) 1/29/12 7:18 AM Five Steps to Starting a Class Blog in 2012 zite.to/wAee5Z via @zite My Class Blogs pg bit.ly/dYRf6l#edchat #elemchat

Steven W. Anderson (@web20classroom) 1/23/12 3:48 PM 14 Steps To Meaningful Student Blogging: bit.ly/iOxery

Steven W. Anderson (@web20classroom) 1/18/12 8:35 PM New Blog Post: So...You Wanna Be A Blogger bit.ly/xZvXSX

http://larryferlazzo.edublogs.org/2008/12/26/the-best-sources-for-advice-on-student-blogging/

Steven W. Anderson (@web20classroom) 1/4/12 11:48 AM One Of The Largest #edtech Blog Collections Around: bit.ly/gj0AXT

Blog examples

Steve Rhoades (@stvrhoades) 2/6/12 8:48 PM Teaching Mr. Love teaching-mr-love.blogspot.com/?spref=tw

Steven W. Anderson (@web20classroom) 2/6/12 10:48 AM This Blog From @gcouros Is A Great Example More Admin And Districts Need To Follow: bit.ly/Ayhafj

Steven W. Anderson (@web20classroom) 1/4/12 11:48 AM One Of The Largest #edtech Blog Collections Around: bit.ly/gj0AXT

Jeffrey Bradbury (@TeacherCast) 2/6/12 10:33 PM @TeacherCast has served over 25,000 teachers in 165 countries… Take TeacherCast with you wherever you are … itunes.apple.com/us/app/teacher… #edchat Blog: Real teaching means real learning  Post: Angry Birds and calculus:  Link:http://realteachingmeansreallearning.blogspot.com/2012/02/angry-birds-and-calculus.html