Articles Posted in Culture

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NFImageImportHere is some food for thought from Seth Godin on how social networking can help us organize. His main point – the side in an argument that is better organized usually wins. Whether your issue is education reform, textbook and software adoption, privatization, highly qualified teachers, NCLB, or any of the other issues of the day there is a worthy nugget of wisdom in his thinking.

What Happens When We Organize?

As Seth points out these tools upset the power dynamic and if harnessed can lead to positive change.

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A family member – who works in a Texas middle school – forwarded this bit of wit and wisdom to me today.

A teacher dies and goes to Heaven. When she gets there, she meets Peter at the pearly white gates.

Peter says to her, ‘Welcome to Heaven. Let me give you an orientation first.’

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976838_palayAn instructional monoculture is a world where all children are expected to learn the same things, the same way, at the same time.

Are we building instructional monocultures in our schools? By we I mean publishers, policy makers, and district level decision makers. The forces of conformity are driving hard against the need for instructional diversity.

More importantly in the Web 2.0 world is it even possible to assert this level of control? Is it an effort doomed to failure as Citizen Marketers invade traditional publishing and turn it on it’s ear.

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Tom Chapin’s satirical song “Its Not On The Test” is worth a look. Even if you are a fan of No Child Left Behind this issues he raises need an answer.

I particularly like the jab at shout TV which reduces all discourse to name calling. Education reform is a deep and important topic and our current confrontational political culture isn’t serving us well in this – or many other – areas.

He has a web site with good links and more information at Its Not On the Test.

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88091_star_light_rail_transitIn Japan novels are serialized for cell phone delivery and published as dead tree editions only after they are hits. John Rice has a great post on on this at his Educational Games Research blog.

While this works because of Japan’s rather unique commuting environment the central point that any reading helps build fluency is well taken. Here is the money quote:

“It boils down to literacy events in the life of a child. The exposure to text, in whatever venue, increases the reading and writing skills of children. If children read a book, a comic book, or the story line in a videogame, they are reading. And that makes all the difference.”

This novel approach hits on two interesting themes. First, it takes advantage of the new format rather than trying to shoehorn the old way of doing things into the new platform. Publishers have worked hard to recreate the book experience on-line with very limited success. I would argue that this innovation is the reverse – making an on-line experience into a book, which is why it works.

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A retired construction worker has solved the mystery of how Stonehenge could have been constructed using wood, sand, and gravity as his only tools.

I’m a nerd for this kind of stuff – I think this is so cool. One man, an obscure passion for moving heavy things, and an age old riddle is solved.

If you ever need a great example of lifelong learning at work share this.

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Every 2-3 months I share the new (to me) tunes that have been getting heavy rotation on my iPod.

This mix has a bit of everything – Dylanesque folk from Old Crow Medicine Show, the tube amplifier hum of Eels, Guy Forsyth grinding out blues, Linkin Park speaking out, Johnny Cash on the book of Revalations, Regina Spektor singing from the heart, Ozomatli with their Mexi-Rap, and Lyle Lovett swinging it.

Enjoy.

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I’m thankful that I get to work in a business that actually means something in this world. When we do our jobs well good things happen for teachers and kids. Thanks to my friend and mentor Peter Lycurgus for giving me the nudge in this direction 18 years ago.

I’m grateful for boundless curiosity, mans drive to overcome ignorance. It is the engine that drives learning. I’m also thankful for the endless pool of ignorance out there – without it we wouldn’t have a market.

do your jobWith gratitude I think of all the wonderful people I’ve met over the years in education. From the pinnacle of power in DC to a 1 building district in rural Washington state it has been a privilege to know people who care passionately about our children and their future.

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Busking teaches fundamental business concepts. As a young man I saw the world by tossing open my banjo case and belting out a few tunes. I played in Boston, Montreal, Tokyo, New York, Paris, San Francisco, Seville, New Orleans, and Amsterdam to name just a few spots.

Along the way I absorbed some interesting lessons that have helped me be more effective in the business world.

1 – Make people feel something. People respond to musicians who make an emotional investment in their performance. Laugh, sigh, get that ache in your voice, and share your joy.

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Information Overload is a serious problem in our culture today. People are frustrated and overwhelmed by the fire hose of information they are trying to absorb. But, as the American Philosopher Ann Landers was fond of saying:

“No one can take advantage of you without your permission.”In summary:618617_firemen_hose_practice

  • Personally we need to take control of our information diet. We need to discard our old paradigms and seek information only when we need it.
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