Good Bye to the Old Horse

After spending the last however long blogging on Bronco Bits, it is now time to close the door on my original blog:  Beating the Dead Horse.  Although the time I spent on that blog was equally enjoyable, and there were a few good discussions/arguments, it is just something that I have not kept current.  So, to that one reader somewhere in France that has checked in a couple of times in the last month, including today:  Farewell.  All of the articles that were written there have been uploaded (or is it downloaded in this case?) to Bronco Bits, so there is still a bit of the "Old Horse" in the "New Bronco" I guess.  If you are extremely bored and just are wondering how to spend those last few minutes of precious time this evening, feel free to look back at the 2010 and before posts that you may not have caught on Bronco Bits.  If it doesn't get your head thinking, maybe it will cause you to drift off into a dream-filled slumber.  Good Night, Readers.  Good Night, John boy.  Good Night, Horse.

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Role of K-12 Technology

Many of you know that I love the concept of using technology to overcome the shortfalls of what schools can offer.  With that in mind, I am about to offend many of you that think similarly to me.  So my caveat is simply this, "these are my thoughts, my beliefs, and you may not agree...get over it...or better yet, weigh in on the topic."  Yes, that's a challenge and a hope to get some energy going here on a topic that can really have an impact on the future of schools.

I just read a pretty decent article in the Mason City Globe Gazette on how technology can play into the future of schools.  My concern is definitely not the use of on-line learning.  I believe this is essential in supporting the needs of our students.  I do not, however, have confidence in those that are promoting fully digitized learning that would evade the necessity of face-to-face learning in a brick-and-mortar setting.  Often these are used as punchlines for the digital progress crowd, indicating that these concepts are outdated and a useless waste of time.  My argument is just the opposite.  I believe that we are dangerously close to losing the skill set necessary to survive in the real world.  Exactly what the real world is has even come under fire, so I'm here to give you the "Marshall Lewis definition" of what it is.  Yes, soon to be fully understood by all, the real world is a combination of digital communication, interpersonal socialization, access to information, trust and team building, understanding of interdependence, and a respect of the skills of each person on the planet.  So that is a smattering of what the real world actually is, but what is missing?  The bottom line is we can neither ignore and avoid technology, but we also must realize that we are social creatures.  Much of our life - whether work, family, religion, friends, or anything else - is not based in technology.

I can hold off for now expanding this concept into how it could/would create havoc and disarray (the opposite goal of technology) in our school system.  Those that are pushing to become totally digital are risking more than that.  They are risking personal identities that are so important to the human race.  So much is required of schools that are not stated in terms of NCLB or test scores.  How many times have you heard that schools are asked to raise our children.  Although that is too simply stated, the concept is accurate - social skills are developed in our school systems.  Those that don't do this create future adults that are less likely to be productive in our global society.  I believe that is why you see the prediction from Stanford University's Terry Moe of a "hybrid school" at the end of the article noted above.  Maybe he's right...that's one I can live with.

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Return of the Snow

Yes, it is December in Iowa.  We have received a small amount of snow in Belmond, but it is that heavy, sticky, road icing stuff that makes three inches of the white stuff seem like a foot.  In my second year as a superintendent, I simply hope to get as lucky as I did last year.  There is no "victory" in making snow calls.  Each one is inevitibly "wrong" as this is clearly a place where safety and education are at odds.  In order to enhance education, I try my best to preserve as much time in a school day as possible.  On the other hand, I'm not even able to consider how I would feel if there was a loss of life on a snowy road.  In any of these circumstances, it is easy to see how every call is a "loss" in advance.  It is only after the fact that any call can be considered a positive outcome.  When the best of all things come together, we have a full day of school filled with learning, and each of our students returns to their home safely.

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