Comments on: Dear School 2.0: Keep going.

By: dan

dan — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 07:08:14 +0000

Patrick, I've got nothing if I don't have my energy. What I don't always have are good outlets for my OCD, ADHD, and a host of yet-to-be-diagnosed acronyms. I've tossed your blog in my feedreader for reasons of curiosity. If you've got worthy outlets, I hope you'll blog them there or comment them here. Scott & Christian, thanks for your involvement from the onset of this discussion.

By: Patrick

Patrick — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 04:01:38 +0000

Dan,

I have been reading you for quite a while now, each time with greater appreciation for the energy you bring to your students. Personally, I feel the shift from being obsessed with the “tools” to being obsessed with teaching with these tools is upon us. As you point out, there are more of them out there than any of us can keep up with.

So what will tie them all together in a coherent manner? It will be those of us who can find patterns, make sense of them, and use them to tell a compelling story to our students.

My greatest concern regarding Web 2.0 is finding teachers who are willing to spend the time to find the newest, “pointiest,” and shiniest, and pull them into their pedagogy.

By: Scott Elias

Scott Elias — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 03:42:35 +0000

This one’s been bugging me all day! I’m reminded of Stephen Covey: “Seek first to understand, then to be understood.” Maybe I jumped into the fray too soon. But regardless, I got this out of it:

http://tinyurl.com/2rts5f

Felt good to actually have enough clarity to write that down.

Thanks, Dan!

By: Christian

Christian — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 03:21:55 +0000

Dan — First, you continue to up the ante on all fronts. Well done. Appreciate the chance to learn from both sides of the table, although I think it’s a curved surface and we’ll find out that we all sit on the same side eventually: “working hard for the kids”.

Truly appreciated your comment re: tools as “pointy” and with down-sides. And most importantly, the point about “being empathetic about classroom environments” that can’t push beyond the conventional for reasons that are countless.

Most of my work the last few years has been with districts and schools and communities that couldn’t have taken even 1% of the School 2.0 concept to bear “come Monday”. We always talked about the inner-change, the “1 thing” if you are a “City Slickers” fan. I think you would have been a tremendous ally to all of them!

Keep it up, Dan. Without apology.
Cheers,
Christian

By: dan

dan — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 03:15:01 +0000

To be honest, my best tutor for lecturing, which, yes, absolutely must have absorb theatricality, has been my relentless consumption of television and film.

Where to pause in the middle of a compound development, when to set up a premise, how long to let it hang, how to use your hands, how to open your learning moments big, how to close ’em huge, how to give your “audience” time to process, digest, and come off the high …

… all of those are tricky dials which I calibrate every time I watch even the dumbest sitcom. TV useless? *smacks forehead*

By: Tony Lucchese

Tony Lucchese — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 02:44:44 +0000

The best lecturers I ever had were part storyteller, part stand-up comedian. I honestly feel that there must be a strong theatrical element to it. You have to be able to read your audience. It really is a kind of performance. You must be a pied-piper, gently leading rather than dragging. I’d start by watching some Richard Feynman lectures.