Month: November 2006

A Different View of the Role of Teacher

Just a few additional comments related to the school visits. Schools take great pride in school accomplishments and share such information in ways that I would not have expected. For example, I would not have assumed that middle or high schools would develop elaborate glossy pamphlets to promote the special qualities of that school.

On those special occasions when visitors are present, the commitment to teaching and the skills of both students and teachers are showcased. Visualize a demonstration classroom with ample room around the walls so that chairs could be added for visitors. A special camera focused on the teacher’s work surface displays this surface on a large monitor so that vistors could get a good view of the lesson materials the teacher is using (the visiting teachers who saw this described it as something like watching a cooking demonstration using technology so viewers could get a close look at what the chef was doing – I am guessing it was a document camera).

Visualize the last time you were in a middle school for some type of open house. You would likely have viewed samples of student work and perhaps special musical performances offered by the students. The teachers may have introduced or directed the presentations of the students. How about a ballroom dancing exhibition provided by the teachers? How about a runway fashion show set to music presented by the male teachers?

It is the last example that gets me. Can you imagine a building administrator addressing the staff and explaining that it would be really great if the male teachers would put together a fashion show and that they might want to start early so they could select some cool music and practice their cat walk routines? I would love to see the looks on people’s faces.

I have been trying to figure out what this type of approach is about. Perhaps it has something to do with valuing learners and showing a commitment to the content. We might promote dancing as a form of physical education, but what about getting in there to develop and then demonstrate a commitment to the same skills. Perhaps it is also about sharing something personal about yourself with your students and their parents. I think it is an interesting idea, but under no circumstances that I can imagine could I see myself in a fashion show.

We visited the Temple of Heaven today. These special areas appear to serve as gathering places for the elderly who meet and engage in a wide variety of recreational activities – etc. cards, Tai Chi, dancing. The activity that caught my attention was the group of individuals practicing the writing (calligraphy) of the formal Chinese “characters”. They use water to write these characters on the concrete. The guide told us how many characters there are (10,000 of which most know about 4000 if I remember correctly). I love the following image and have been attempting to generate a suitable title (e.g., Life long learning, No one cares if I peak at the answers now).

Old Man

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Day 2 in Beijing

A couple of today’s headlines from the China Daily (English edition):

  • Yao about that: Yao wins match-up with O’Neil
  • Friedman: Nothing girly about being green (Friedman is in Beijing to promote new book – Green is the New Red, White, Blue). The core message from the “World is Flat” is well received here.

We are back in our room after another late night. This evening we watched Kung Fu Theater – The legend of Chun Yi. This was a very impressive production, but our evening activities allow me access to the Internet at a late hour. The size of Beijing and the traffic require lengthy and long bus rides even though we do not leave the city.

The delegates visited schools today. Cindy visited Huiwen high school. This school has achieved the status of “Model High School”. It is a public school but students are admitted based on competitive examinations. It seems impossible to escape the system which grooms the best and the brightest through intense competition and examinations. It may seem a harsh system to us, but I assume the logic is that this focus is the most practical way to move the country forward with the limited resources available.

The technology facilities were impressive.

Computer Lag

I thought I a would add the following image. This is the Bird’s Nest – the stadium being built for the next olympic games. This facility will provide the venue for the opening and closing ceremonies.

Bird's Nest

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Positive Thinking

This entry will be brief because I am tired. If possible, I did want to generate one entry during each day of our visit. We had dinner this evening in the Great Hall of the People. It was a unique experience, but we got back to our hotel late. Cindy updates her blog when she travels and she did her entry first. Now it is my turn and things are starting to get a bit fuzzy.

One initial observation – among the people who talk with us here, there seems to be an interesting ability to focus on positive things and avoid processing contrary information. We are staying in an upscale hotel and must be reminded not to drink the water. It strikes me as strange that I have great high speed Internet access and have to remember not to pick up the glass and fill it from the tap.

Dont't Drink Sign

The smog which I assume is one by-product of a tremendous economic up turn must also be a significant health hazard.

Smog

I am thinking that the opportunity allowed some to exercise greater personal economic freedom is the reason for the perspective that much more is now possible. By the way, there is a plan to fix the smog problem in time for the olympic games. I was trying to imagine what it would like to run a distance in today’s conditions. The solution is simple – move the large industries that produce pollution out of the city. Not simple to accomplish, but they think on a grand scale here.

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MSP to LAX

I am not a fan of long, long flights. It is a combination of my size and stiff joints. Even getting to a coast can be an issue. On the flight from Minneapolis to Los Angeles I took a few pictures of the terrain, read about half of Prensky’s “Don’t bother me mom, I’m learning” and listened to jazz. I can listen to jazz or classical while I read. This should be one of Pensky’s tests – You are a digital immigrant IF – you have prefer editing hard copy, you listen to jazz while reading. It turned out to be a 35 tune trip.

I recharged in the airport before getting on the plane for Hong Kong. I think it is time to switch to audiobooks and podcasts. I( think my input capacity is maxed for the day.

Rockies From Plane

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Sloan Report on Online Learning – Current (?) Statistics

I keep track of sources that cover statistical trends in educational technology. Here is one resource I am adding to my list. The Sloan Foundation has been following trends in online higher education and has been offering an annual report for several years.

The 2006 report offers the following highlights:

  • 3.2 million college students took at least one online course (Fall semester 2005) – this was up from 2.3 million the previous year.
  • 96 percent of the very largest institutions (more than 15,000 total enrollments) have some online offerings. This type of institution is more likely involved than smaller, private institutions.
  • CAOs (Chief Academic Officers – must be admin-speak – VPAAs?) hold an increasingly positive opinion of the quality of online experiences.
  • Faculty members recognize that online teaching requires greater time and effort.

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Riverdeep and Houghton

I probably know more than I care to know about the publishing industry. Issues like book buy backs and company mergers fight their way into your attention even when the only thing you really want is to have your book continue as a product.

I guess my interest does have a positive and proactive component. I have become interested in the connection between the text book industry and technology. As an author of a book that attempts to prepare teachers to use technology, it seems critical that the preparatory experiences would include more than a book. At this point, it would seem possible to create a more participatory approach allowing learners, instructors, and authors to communicate more directly.

Our publisher, Houghton-Mifflin, was sold several years ago to Vivendi – a French multimedia corporation (I used to think of Vivendi as something like AOL-Time Warner). Vivendi fell on hard times and sold Houghton-Mifflin to a holding company. Now, the rumor is that Houghton-Mifflin is being sold to Riverdeep. Yep – the same Riverdeep that sells Reader Rabbit. No official comment at this point from either company.

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Now What?

While I was pleased by the changes brought about by yesterday’s elections, I have no idea what the changes mean for the more specific causes that interest me. The analyses following the returns seemed to be focused on attitude, the distinction between the war in Iraq and the war on terror, and ethics. Clearly, these are significant issues that concern the public, but those elected based on such issues (and others that are significant locally) will also shape potential changes in educational policy.

I hope that NCLB will be reconsidered with an eye to those consequences that determine what happens in classrooms. I hope testing continues, but in a way that informs education in a less judgmental manner and with better insight into the circumstances faced by some teachers and some schools. I would hope that assessment would be expanded, because the present focus tends to discourage attention directed toward some content areas and the message is that such content areas are less important. How could it be a good thing that language arts and math in elementary schools receive more attention and science and social studies less simply because only certain areas are the focus of the evaluation that is used to judge schools.

I would also hope that the objectives of such testing be more carefully considered. For example, the logic of arguing that the “failings of American schools” are a concern because low performance decreases the potential for the country to compete economically can be traced to “A Nation at Risk.” The policy of holding schools responsible for the capability of all students to meet minimum standards does not necessarily follow logically from the expectation that schools develop the innovators of tomorrow. How about a substitute goal of helping all students achieve according to their potential? What about the goal of providing all students a quality education in the wide range of areas that will contribute to economic development and personal fullfillment? What about the goal of developing those with special talents who are perhaps those individuals most likely to be the innovators?

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