The first people I followed on twitter…

I have been tweeting for two years.

I know many of you have been on twitter for much longer but it is amazing to think how fundamental to my day social media, especially twitter, has become in this relatively short period of time.

The first person I followed was @mpesce who presented an interesting talk at an education.au conference and was very convincing about the potential of this newish microblogging site.

I came home and joined, telling Kelli McGraw, a NSW DET and ETA colleague about twitter. Kelli joined and became the second person I followed.

Some of the other firsts included Barack Obama, Tom Massarella my brilliant techie colleague from school, Howard Rheingold, danah boyd, Jimmy Wales, Mike Wesch, Ward Cunningham & Steven Johnson. I admire all of these people greatly and feel more closely connected to their ideas and work because of twitter.

I found it terribly exciting to start finding people admired for their books, innovations, educational brilliance and significance to our online, hyperconnected world. I bet it was the same for you. I still find it amazing that colleagues from work, friends and teachers mingle with so many (international) others who are all striving and sharing.

In the weeks that followed my first tweets, so many of the people who I hear from daily came into my life via there tweetstreams and blogs. Nowadays, many of my NSW DET colleagues are on twitter too, sharing and collaborating.

What was your experience? How were you introduced to microblogging?

Who were the first people you followed on twitter?

Things You Learn

Things You Learn  is a new online magazine that draws together stories exploring how learning influences our lives, how we strive for change and the outcomes it can bring about.

I really like this idea/rationale.

Metacognitive skills, like reflection, are such an important part of learning. Hearing stories on others’ reflections is important for students but too often adults do not have the time, or opportunity, to publicly share their many learning journeys.

I’d like to thank Martin Jorgenson for asking me to write an article for the first edition. I really enjoyed reflecting on my passion for photography; you can read ‘Learning to be a Shooter’ here.

There are articles by Dean Groom, Wendy Orr, Penni Russon, Royan Lee, Alain de Botton and Martin that I enjoyed and recommend you read.

You may wish to consider submitting an article here or follow the site via twitter.

Hope you choose to set up an RSS feed from Things You Learn. I am certainly looking forward to the next issue.

Stick in the Sand

Thanks to Monika Hardy for posting this video.

more about “Stick in the Sand“, posted with vodpod

 

The Genius in All of Us: Part II

Now, having finished David Shenk’s, The Genius in All of Us, I’d like to continue my reflection on the importance of this work to educators, students and parents.

 

The notes I made while reading, using that function on my Kindle, highlight that our quintessential thinkers, in Western civilisation, have always suspected that giftedness’ was a ‘process’. For example, Nietzsche described ‘great artists as being tireless participants in that process’ while Einstein claimed that it was not that he was ‘smart’ but that he stayed ‘with a problem longer’.

 

Is Shenk broadly correct when he says that ‘persistence can be nurtured parents and mentors’? The answer to this question is the heart of his thesis: that everything we have thought about genetics, talent and IQ is incorrect. Some have argued that persistence is an ‘inborn biological component’ but I prefer to pursue Shenk’s ideas as the potential for us all to (believe we can) grow is more than just merely important, it is essential!

 

Shenk says, ‘in the end, persistence is the difference between mediocrity and enormous success’. I’d suggest what many would call ‘luck’ is also a player though, in a number of guises.

 

A note made while reading, that is particularly important to my value system as an educator, relates to a study Shenk cites about teacher ‘praise’. One group were praised for their hard work and diligence, the other for their inborn intelligence. In follow-up tests these groups were asked to extend themselves with a choice of puzzles. More than 90% of the group praised for hard work chose the most difficult puzzles, while less than half of the ‘intelligent’ group chose to take the most challenging option.

 

I often say to my HSC classes, over the years I have noticed students who are ’hardworking’ do much better than those who are merely ‘smart’. Striving is a core competency and skill.

 

Shenk imparts much wisdom during the course of the book. I particularly liked the notion, ‘set high expectations, but also show compassion, creativity, and patience’ as this is a set of principles that works well in any area of our culture and society. A fine sentiment, indeed!

Illustration by Matthew Richardson

The most annoying thing about the book is more to do with the format, as much as I like the eReader. The Kindle does not have page numbers but percentages read. There were many notes in this book and it led one to believe there was much more to read as it was only at about 40%, from memory, when concluded, as the footnotes were so extensive. 

The New York Times review  hit the proverbial on the head by saying, in conclusion, that Shenk’s: 

…efforts have resulted in a deeply interesting and important book. David Shenk may not be a genius yet, but give him time.

The Genius in All of Us: Why Everything You’ve Been Told About Genetics, Talent, and IQ Is Wrong

‘Intelligence is not an innate aptitude…’

It is difficult to shift paradigms and I have just started a book that may assist us to change perceptions about the potential of all our students – and ourselves.

Steven Johnson, one of my favourite authors and thinkers, recommended via twitter last week, The Genius in All of Us: Why Everything You’ve Been Told About Genetics, Talent, and IQ Is Wrong by David Shenk. I have now read half this excellent tome, days after release in the US, as, I am pleased to say, it is available for your Kindle.

You can follow David Shenk on twitter too.

David Shenk

Too many people still believe that some are born with innate ability and that ‘giftedness’ is more predetermined than earnt through hard work and dedication. Shenk dispels this in his highly readable work, opening with a story about a baseballer, Ted Williams, whose purportedly “laser-like eyesight” made him virtually “superhuman”, at least as portrayed by the media of the day. Shenk goes on to relate that Williams trained obsessively from an early age and his determination to be a ‘hitter’ was what was extraordinary, rather than any innate giftedness. Williams himself said all the media hype was “a lot of bull” and that his achievements were the “sum” of what he had put into his game over many years.

This made me think of our equivalent, Don Bradman. Most Australians know that ‘The Don’, with his near perfect batting average of 99.94, spent countless hours throwing a golf ball against a corrugated rainwater tank, using a cricket stump to practise hitting, rather than a bat to hone his ‘eye’. I still remember my second class teacher telling me that Bradman saw the ball faster than anyone else and he was ‘a natural’.

Much of this reminds me of the 10 000 hours theory I read about in the recent book by Sir Ken Robinson, The Element. Williams and Bradman may have been born with some unique advantages but both spent far longer practising than most, I’m sure. Shenk argues that few are biologically restricted from success, at the highest levels, in any or all endeavours.

It is not that our genes are unimportant but more that, as interactionists would explain, ”your life is interacting with your genes”. Shenk relays how we need to replace the idea of nature/nurture with that of “dynamic development”. What educators need to take to heart is that “genes influence everything but determine very little”.

The ideas Shenk explores have been more exciting, intellectually, than any of those lessons in Science about Gregor Mendel’s peas. Please try and get your hands on a copy. I’d love every teacher, student and more importantly parent to read Shenk’s book. I will post a Part II, with any concerns or criticisms of Shenk’s work when I have a chance to complete the book, probably in a few days time.

As an aside: I do wonder what proponents of ‘streaming’ in schools would make of this book. Would it change their minds?

Part II is here.

11 more Australian Educators to follow on twitter

A year ago I posted 10 Australian Educators to follow on twitter and it is time to update that list with some more excellent tweeple.

All of these learning professionals share their skills knowledge, contacts and enthusiasms generously. They have expertise between them in edtech, technology, leadership, librarianship, primary, English and Maths teaching 

In alphabetical order:

Simon Borgert

Jan Green

Shani Hartley

Stu Hasic

Bianca Hewes

Ben Jones

Victoria Keech

Jenny Luca

Paula Madigan

Jo McLeay

Roger Pryor

Mitch Squires

Make that ’12′

Why don’t you follow them and tweet hello today.

BTW You may find the The twitter handbook for teachers and Learning Professionals to Follow on twitter useful too.

Fianally, please post your suggestions for Australian educators to follow on twitter when commenting.

Brain Rules

Brain Rules: 12 Principles for Thriving and Surviving at Work, Home and School by John Medina is an excellent, must-read for book teachers, parents and students. I am listening to the audiobook version, read by the author, at the moment and am finding it both informative and entertaining.

I am considering releasing one principle a week to staff and students to complement our school focus on eating a good breakfast, drinking plenty of water and sleeping 8+ hours per night. The fundamentals are not in place for an incredibly high percentatge of our students making learning more challenging than it should be.

Here’s a summary of Medina’s book:

 

View this document on Scribd

You may wish to subscribe to the blog too.

Anyone read it or have a comment?

Brainology – Transforming Students’ Motivation to Learn

“More and more research is showing that our brains change constantly with learning and experience and that this takes place throughout our lives…we have shown that what students believe about their brains — whether they see their intelligence as something that’s fixed or something that can grow and change — has profound effects on their motivation, learning, and school achievement (Dweck, 2006). These different beliefs, or mindsets, create different psychological worlds: one in which students are afraid of challenges and devastated by setbacks, and one in which students relish challenges and are resilient in the face of setbacks.”

So many students seem to believe that those who have success are naturally brainy and limit their own potential for achievment with this false understanding. I like the many of the ideas in this inspiring article.

A Portal to Media Literacy

Everything’s changed or changing – fast. Michael Wesch commences with some of the issues of teaching in an inappropriate space before moving on to new media. I particularly love the Marshall McLuhan quote referred to at the opening of this hour long presentation: The past went that-a-way. When faced with a totally new situation, we tend always to attach ourselves to the objects, to the flavor of the most recent past. We look at the present through a rear view mirror. We march backwards into the future.

more about “A Portal to Media Literacy“, posted with vodpod