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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I LIKE STRESS

Much like that famous quote from the movie Wallstreet, "Greed, for lack of a better word, is good,"  I think I like stress.  Taken alone and out of context, it really appears to be one of the worst concepts imaginable, like greed being good.  I have to admit, though, that when I'm stressed, I do better.  When lots of things are happening, I get focused.  When pandamonium erupts, I become effective.  When things look the most bleak, I personally find some hope and energy.  That must mean that, "stress, for lack of a better word, is a motivator".  I think you can/should quote me on that.  So, should I go looking for more stress in my life?  Do I need to sit down and create a list of wants that I don't really need so that my greed can increase?  Can I find ways to worry about how to get what I need to provide what I want?  That seems like the ultimate compilation of stress and greed, so it must be perfect!  Of course that sounds ludicrous, but it also seems like there has got to be a thread of truth in there too.  Somehow, somewhere stress is serving a function, and I think I LIKE IT.

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Ready for 1 to 1?

In the geographic area of Iowa there has been a lot of conversation over the past few years about 1 to 1 technology in schools.  Apple has done a nice job of getting their foot in the door and creating opportunities for several school districts to make the move to having a computer in the hands of each student that enters their door.  Now that the PC revolution has followed suit with making notebooks inexpensive enough to be considered, the race is on.  Moving to 1 to 1 status is more than a financial outlay and setting up simple policies for care of the computer and access to the internet both at school and at home, however.  It is about a new way of thinking in the classroom and teaching and learning at an incredible pace.  It is about letting down the guard to some level and yet protecting students.  It is about finding the balance of safety and learning.  It is about being comfortable with something that may be foreign.  It is about students being more familiar and expert at the tools than those charged with leading the learning.  It is about finding a wealth of tools available and at our disposal that weren't there before.  It is about collaboration.  It is about stretch learning.  It is about 21st Century learning.  It is about shared learning.  It is about learning...for all.

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What Really is Important?

Currently there is a lot of good discussion about assessment of learning in our schools, and I would think it is with very good cause.  One part of this discussion is based on determining what information is truly valuable to assess - that educators should assess what is critical for long term retention and not worry about assessing that information that is more supportive and/or readily available.  It's a conversation that I've had many times and in many different ways, but copied below is one of the most recent I've had regarding the concept of whether a teacher should assess students on remembering the parts of a neuron as was originally posted on Dangerously Irrelevant.  The time and date are noted from Skype, and this is posted with the permission of my colleague.

[1/16/2010 3:30:48 PM] Marshall: I've been thinking on that Neurons one too. I have long said that we attend school through HS for the purpose of learning how we learn much more than the exact information.


[1/16/2010 3:33:29 PM] Colleague: I agree and disagree. I have lots of useless information that I can retain but for some reason labeling neurons and remembering exact dates and stuff were not my thing, but I do get the big picture most of the time and think that is the most important thing. But I do remember a discussion you had with me about calculators versus retained knowledge and see that side also.


[1/16/2010 3:35:36 PM] Marshall: We obviously do learn some things, and that is important. We'll keep what we use and the facts will fade when not used. Once leaving HS, though, the training becomes more geared toward what you will be doing every day and therefore re-enforcing in your own mind. That information will be necessary and applicable over time, unlike neurons will be to the majority of us.
 
The calculator discussion that was referenced above is basically an application of knowledge vs. technology supported application.  Essentially the question asked is:  Given a set of directions and outcomes necessary, would the individual with much knowledge retention be more or less effective and efficient (better employee, producer, worker, etc.) than a counterpart with less retention but strong technology skills?  I've not personally tried it, but I wonder what the outcome could be...hmmm...but I have digressed from the key questions which are being asked.

So ultimately are we able to say today (as we have said in the past) that knowledge is power?  Does that phrase need to be modified to reflect the fact that so much of what we consider knowledge is available with relative ease and speed?  Does having that knowledge (whether in memory or accessible through a computer) provide "power" for us?  Is knowledge now something that is simply expected to be provided to us for use in whatever manner we see fit?  Is there a minimum level of knowledge needed for all of us to know?  For some of us to know?  Does it depend on our specific culture, our political society, and/or our employment?

So, once again:  What really is important?

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