Awake & Curious

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Well I have been participating in the K12 Online conference.On and off I am presently listening/watching the movie
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I am trying to think of what I like best about this conference, well I though David Warlick was very engaging, not mindblowing at first. But I watched his presentation twice and I have reflected again and again on things he talked about.

I listened/watched David Warlick’s Keynote this morning. Without a doubt it is like no other conference. I had a similar kind of experience at Alan Novmember’s bash in July. I have gone back and re-listened to some of the workshops I attended. Which is the beauty of a conference such as this that is not time-constrained. I choose when I learn. Not new. Tivo for students,but really radical in many ways.

To make a point of these observations. I think I got so much more reviewing the workshops

I attended at Novmeber in the privacy/comfort of my own bedroom. The fact that I can 

go back to this again and revisit, get a

new perspective, when I am relaxed or the mood strikes me is a tremendously powerful teaching tool.

Leads me to 2 points, about online learning in general. Point one, anyone can learn, because you can rewind it as many times as you like so to speak and ” get it right” in your own time frame. Secondly, the “teacher” better have something solid and relevant to share, fluff and druff will not do. Online learning will exist for a long time, so if you have said nothing, you may fool some of the people the first time, but chances are you might not fool them the 2nd time they view it. Wow very difficult for a presenter/teacher, makes you feel a little vulnerable I imagine.

I want to make a few other observations, “the sidetrips” David speaks of is where the true learning has always been, good or maybe the word I am looking for is “great” teachers have always known this. The thing is the internet/information/digital tools, just put this concept of “sidetrips’ into over drive. What it reminds me of is the way scientists work, sure they have a rail, in fact they know every inch of the rail, it is branded into their brains, but that is not “learning” that is memorization, the regurgitation of facts or principles is not learning. Real learning takes place on these “sidetrips” when a teacher/coach says something like okay so you know this. or you have these set of facts at your disposal, now where can you, or do you want them to take you? I had a great teacher who used to say about questions of ethics/history/etc..”who is to say?”, Just who is the “Expert” and then he would bellow,(for a very quiet man) “You, you are to say”. It is your job to go find the truth and be the “expert” This information age we are in or entering is allowing this to happen. Here I am sharing my thoughts with everyone who cares to read. Astoundingly powerful stuff.I am getting ready meanwhile for my schools, mock election one

I have not put the time into this blog and I feel rather guilty about that. So I make a commitment to post at least 3 times a week.

Wait this is beginning to sound like one of those pathetic New Years Resolutions to lose weight or stop fighting with your wife. You know you say it, write it and then you just go on doing as you please.

So why don’t I teacher-blog? Well part of it is because I spend a lot of time on my student blog. That is not the real reason. The real reason is I just don’t make the time for here.

The same reason I am 20 pounds overweight. I don’t make the commitment. So I don’t achieve the goal.

Really that is such a simple principle in education and in life, either you make the commitment or not. No excuses.

I really think the Buddhists put this idea out best in some of the Thai forest Theravada texts. Particularly from the teaching of a wonderful monk from this tradition, Ajaan Chah. I remember one story I always liked that to me made the idea of either you do something or not very clear.

Some westerners if my memory serves me were staying at his forest monetary, the conditions were a little rugged to say the least and they were sweeping around their huts in the sweltering heat and bugs of Southeast Asia.

The point of traveling from Harvard, which is where these gentlemen were from, was I think to get less attached. Thereby freeing up the body and mind to ” have a moment that belonged entirely to itself, not memory, not desire, not physical/mental comfort, or pain for that matter.” A moment in the moment so to speak”.
I don’t know If the venerable Ajaan Chah would agree with my summation of what a forest retreat was “supposed to achieve”, and since he is dead since 1992, I suppose there is no way to really know.

Anyway that is what I think the goal was, less attached to everything, (if it can be said Buddhist monks “have goals”.)

One PHD from Harvard I believe was very distressed sweeping in the heat and suffering obviously. This joyful old monk came up behind the man, smiling, really beaming and said with utter delight, “suffering much? Paused and then broke out in laughter and said ” too bad, too attached”.

And there you have it. Either you work toward your goal, or you don’t.

Not a warm, fuzzy fact but an inevitable one. It seems to me with the amazing inventions the information age offers in full swing, and the freedoms that virtual life offers, that some educators/ students would think maybe things would get easier.

Now this seem like as Homer Simpson would “crazy talk” if you think how the invention of the horseless carriage complicated life for the folk of the last century. Yes the car made more things possible, but it did not make “life easier” if anything I think it made it more difficult.

So there you have it, either I commit to this blog and actually reflect on what I am doing my class or I don’t. You really want something you do it, you may fail, but you do it. Or you don’t.

I think the question I have to answer is the one everyone has to answer, including the PhD’s from Harvard being eaten alive by bugs in the forest, what do you want?
Do I want to self reflect on teaching in this new world or not and share my experiences, as this “sharing” seems to be the greatest good” in this “ delicious/myspace/youtube/google-zon” world.
(Is my ambivalence about all this obvious? I am not completely convinced blogging for bloggings sake is that vital to education, though super-edu-bloggers like Will Rich David Warlick,Alan November or my hands down personal favorite, Stephen Downes, make me think perhaps it is, as I learn so damn much at their digs.)
Well stay tuned, if there is something to stay tuned to, and what I “really want” will be revealed in my action or lack of.