Stop and Listen to the Children

Anecdote 1- Several days ago, I hosted the 3rd day of our High School Macintosh Certification Program. Students from East NY, Brownsville, South Ozone Park, Howard Beach, and the Rockaways were in attendance. Throughout the day various conversations were taking place. Topics included the best web sites for student research, running batch installations, software tools for cloning computers, and other topics. At one point of the day, several students asked me for a copy of the troubleshooting guide dispersed at the last session.

Anecdote 2- I have a nightly ritual during which I ask my son what he did during the school day. Last Thursday night was a bit different. My son stated, “Daddy I think you should ask me what I did in school today.” Naturally, I asked the question. He responded that he watched a video that discussed Earth Day. I then asked him, “Who is the president of the United States?” He told me that it was Abraham Lincoln and told me Abraham Lincoln built the first transcontinental railroad. I asked him, “So who is Obama?” He said, “Barack Obama he is also the president. He is a nice guy.”

Anecdote 3- Several days ago, I was watching my son play with toys at a playgroup. I noted to my wife, isn’t it interesting that he is choosing to play with the toy refrigerator and stack it with play food.

Anecdote 4- My son has been playing Timez Attack (software that helps children learn multiplication) for the past few months. He also frequently visits the Big Brainz web site to investigate if the company is releasing any new software. Naturally, he became very excited when he discovered that the web site was promoting a new screen entitled “Ruins”. However, there was no download available to update the software. With this in mind, I had a brief discussion with him during which I suggested that he write an e-mail to the company asking how to download the new screen. Needless to say, he was very excited and could not wait to compose the e-mail.

What does it all mean? These four anecdotes are very different, yet they are the same. All of the stories describe brief interactions with children. More importantly, each of these stories represents a chance to learn what motivates your child or student. In the second story my son discussed in great detail about Lincoln’s contribution to the railroad system. This turn of events is motivated by my son’s interest in trains. Similarly, my other son’s choice of toys speaks to what motivates him. Likewise, the conversations that took place with the High School students provided a glimpse of what motivates our youthful teenagers.

Finally, my son’s experience with Timez Attack shows how important it is that we listen to our children with an open mind. To be more specific, at first I did not understand what my son was referring to. Subsequently, I asked him to show me “the new feature” he was mentioning. He then logged on to his computer and showed me the “Ruins” screen. It then occurred to me that I could have him write an e-mail asking the company about the new feature. With this in mind, as parents and educators it behooves us to capitalize on their interests and use it as a springboard to motivate them too learn. So… Stop and listen to the children.

School Wars!

In a world so far yet so close, a battle lurks with in, rocking the very core of our community. We always suspected something strange was transpiring at Burrhus Frederic Skinner High School. Horrible teachers roam the halls and somehow superb test grades persist. Millions of dollars are poured into this school yet the school foundation continues to crumble. Leaky faucets, crumbling walls, and trash 80’s are hallmarks of the school culture. Without cause students are mysteriously transferred to juvenile delinquent programs and out of state schools all in the name of propping up graduation rates!

Where are the wireless classrooms? Where are the advanced placement courses? Where is the student government? Why are we still using World Book Encyclopedias in the year 2010? The football field looks like a morgue. The basketball court… What basketball court? Nevertheless, like herds of sheep parents keep sending their students to this beleaguered school. After all… What other school services over 5,000 students? What other school can proudly claim that no act of student on student violence has occurred on school property in over 5 years? Principal Wallstone attributes her success to her policy of the iron fist. For over 30 years she has micromanaged every aspect of the school and the results speak for themselves. However, critics have deemed her methods cruel and controversial. A goon squad known as the “Skinner Reinforcements” squash the dissenters via verbal intimidation and other unscrupulous means.

However, there is hope. A group of savvy parents are using the Internet and other resources to review classified records. They want to know what the designated earmarks are being spent on. It seems that some incidents are not being reported. Parents are yearning for change and their children are demanding a school program that makes sense.

In the meantime, the old guard is up to its tricks. From falsifying reports to faux publicity events, they don’t miss a beat. The principal has also dispatched the use of spies to stop the infiltrators. Spies sit on the school board, Civic Community Groups, and lobby city hall making sure the status quo is never questioned. Infiltrators mysteriously disappear courtesy of the “Skinner Reinforcements”. Enter the world of School Wars! Everything you thought to be sacred is not and that may not be a bad thing.

Death by Math

By Jacob Gutnicki

The comic cartel was in full force. Briefcases in hand, the swap took place. Outside the classroom a group of students were flicking cards against the wall. Elsewhere, another group of students played with their PSP’s. In one back corner of the classroom, the daily arm wrestle competition was on. Students in the middle rows were texting while other students were tweeting.

As always the lookout force was on the job. “Dudes, math teacher approaching; hide all electronics.” The students quickly hid their electronic and gaming paraphernalia and scuttled to their assigned seats. Michael Lotta the math teacher was approaching the door. Armed with his thermos of mocha latte the math king was ready to pronounce his order of the day. “Janice, write these questions on the blackboard. Class you have 10 minutes to answer these questions. Justin, your lucky I didn’t see you daydreaming. Jennifer I am confiscating your cell phone and Dennis hand over that Ring Ding.”

After the students posted their work on the blackboard, Mr. Lotta started his lesson on truth tables. Mr. Lotta started by saying; “We will now define the logical operators which we mentioned in our last class, using truth tables. Let us proceed with caution; most of the operators have names, which we may be accustomed to using in ways that are fuzzy or even contradictory to their proper definitions. In all cases, use the truth table for an operator as its exact and only definition; try not to bring to logic the baggage of your colloquial use of the English language.”

Justin was fast asleep. Jennifer was cracking her knuckles to stay awake. The comic cartel was reading their comic books under the table. Some of the more brazen members strategically placed their comic books in the math book. The arm wrestling group resorted to finger wrestling while the gamers, texters, and tweeters struggled to stay awake.

Meanwhile, Mr. Lotta continued to lecture and said, “The first logical operator which we will discuss is the "AND", or conjunction operator. For the computer scientist, it is perhaps the most useful logical operator we will discuss. It is a "binary" operator; a binary operator is defined as an operator that takes two operands.”

Thump!!! Out of sheer boredom, Dennis fell out of his seat. A cackling laugh ensued the classroom. The loud noise startled Justin, woke him from his slumber, and caused him to bump his head against the table. A chorus of laughter broke out. Mr. Lotta banged his thermos of Mocha Latte and angrily exclaimed, “ Justin and Dennis; a 55 for today’s work. Dennis said, “For what?” Mr. Lotta said, “For making noise.” “I didn’t make noise”, proclaimed Dennis. “Now you are”, laughed Mr. Lotta. Mr. Lotta proceeded to continue his lecture and stated, “p AND q is traditionally represented using the and symbol. We will represent it using the ampersand since that is the symbol most commonly used on computers to represent a logical AND.”

Brinnngggg!!! Saved by the bell. No one really understood what Mr. Lotta was talking about. We were just glad the agony was over; for now.

To Blog or Not to Blog

By Jacob Gutnicki

“Last year Creed asked me how to set up a blog. Wanting to protect the world from being exposed to Creed's brain, I opened up a Word document on his computer and put an address at the top. I've read some of it. Even for the intranet, it's... pretty shocking.” (The Office, Season 3, Episode 23)

Many administrators fret about students and teachers creating blogs for this very reason. After all, in this age of accountability it only takes one incident to end a principal’s career. So what does the principal do? No one wants student work containing poor grammar to get posted. Likewise, no one wants to create a controversy through a student blog. Subsequently, many schools do not encourage the use of blogs and in some cases even discourage/ban its use.

This is a shame as the power of publishing is a motivator that should not be underestimated. Since the dawn of the Internet cutting edge schools have been creating web sites centered on a variety of themes and have found time after time that it helped drastically improve student-writing skills and proved to be a powerful motivator. The students were excited to see their work displayed on a web site as it gave them a voice that can be seen by millions of people. However, in those days web publishing required that the user code in HTML or use a GUI Web Editor and a FTP application such as DreamWeaver and/or Fetch.

Thanks to the advent of Web 2.0 tools, web based publishing is as easy as using Microsoft Word. No longer does one need a FTP account or knowledge of how to use a web editor, code in HTML, or use a FTP client. This in turn has lead to a publishing revolution and explosion of information as never seen before.

Yet there are still many holdouts that fear the worst. Are these fears rational? Will students and teachers post something terrible? To be truthful these are tough questions. How many times have we seen an inappropriate ranting posted on the Internet? Additionally, posted work with poor grammar may lead to a false impression about the academic rigor of a given school.

However, one must ask the following question; “If not now, when?” Simply put, shouldn’t schools teach children how to write? If not, who is preparing students to interact and compete in a world powered by web based tools? If we choose to avoid using Web 2.0 tools in the classroom, we are leaving students to their own devices in which they are far more likely to blog without any regard to netiquette and proper use of grammar. Therefore, I implore administrators to adopt the use of technology tools, which promote writing. Naturally, schools should create a review process and protocols that help students write more thoughtfully and effectively. In fact, the blog can be a great learning opportunity in which we teach students about netiquette and writing mechanics. Who knows? With a little innovation and caution we might just produce the next Stephen King or J.K. Rowling.

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Teenage Pressure Cooker

By Jacob Gutnicki

Janice did not like school. That damned Mr. Lotta made her miserable. Always taunting her for drifting off into space. Didn’t he understand that he was boring her? Of course she understood that this was no game. After all, you don’t pass math and your stuck in this hellhole.

Her parents did not make matters easier. Dad would always say, “No daughter of mine is going to fail math. Young lady if you ever plan of having a future you better crack open those books!” Mom was a bit more sympathetic. She would try to give me encouragement. However, she found ways to make me crazy as well. Years ago, the school labeled me “hyperactive” and suggested that my parents get me medicated. At the time, I did not understand what all of this meant. However, in time the repercussions became very clear. My friends would jokingly call me a druggy.

Well… enough was enough. I wasn’t going to let anyone control my life. I stopped taking those pills over 2 years ago. For once, it is nice to know that I am control of my life. Naturally, my parents have no idea that I am off the meds and have been flushing the pills. As far as they are concerned the medicine seems to really be working. After all, I always seem happy.

Unbeknownst to them I found the ultimate aphrodisiac in the form of a technology internship program. Two days a week I work in a different school as a High School Intern fixing and upgrading computers. The principal at the Clara Barton School is really nice. She is always so appreciative for my technical assistance. The tech coordinator is pretty cool too. She has shown me a number of trouble shooting techniques and has taught me about the finer intricacies of job etiquette.

I suppose things are not so bad. The district representative was telling me about an early college program that sounds really interesting. Anyhow… the math tutor is coming over so I need to stop yapping.

Imagine That…

By Jacob Gutnicki

Let me share with you something wild
Imagine a school for the whole child

From academics to social success to well being
Imagine a school that fosters a love of reading

Laptops, Cell Phones, Web 2.0 Applications, oh how cool
Imagine all the children always being motivated in school

Boring Lectures, Over-testing, Skill and Drill no more
Imagine children understanding what they are learning for

Sorry it was just a dream
April Fool’s Day, know what I mean

The 15 Essentials of Bad Professional Development in Technology

by Jacob Gutnicki

1. Do not test the equipment prior to presenting.

2. Do not prepare alternate activities just in case the Internet is not functioning.

3. Do not allow your audience to ever ask questions.

4. Do not give refreshments. What do they think? This is not a café!

5. Do not help confused participants. Assume they were not paying attention.

6. No need to verify links. A broken link never hurt anyone.

7. Talk really fast; the faster the better.

8. Hands-on activities are for losers. It’s all about the lecture.

9. Discussions are a waste of time.

10. No preparation required. Real professional developers shoot from the hip.

11. No agenda required. Your participants are perfectly capable of taking notes.

12. No tutorials required. The Internet will take care of this.

13. No follow up required because we all work too hard.

14. No need to worry about varying software versions or computing platforms. After all, it all works the same way; basically.

15. Feedback??? We don’t need any stinking surveys!!!

_________________________________________________

If you liked this, you may also like: Seven qualities of highly effective technology trainers

Rookie A.P.

By Jacob Gutnicki

Monday, Period 0

Bill Perkinson the new Math Assistant Principal at Burrhus Frederic Skinner High School was not in a good mood. Why did Michael Lotta insist on insulting students? He could be so infuriating. The principal warned him to be careful with Michael. The warning was etched in his head. “Be cautious. Michael has been here a long time. He has lots of allies within the school community, knows the teacher contract very well, and was a union chapter leader for 11 years.”

Never the less, what could he do? Two parents complained that Mr. Lotta was cruel to their children. It was time to lay down the law and let him know this kind of behavior would not be tolerated. With this in mind, Bill sent an e-mail to Mr. Lotta stating that he will be meeting with him to discuss a disciplinary issue during the 7^th period on Tuesday.

Wednesday, Period 0

Mr. Lotta did not show at the scheduled Tuesday meeting. Bill feels slighted and decides to place a letter in Mr. Lotta’s file. After all, failure to show up to a requested meeting can be deemed as an act of insubordination.

Wednesday, Period 3

Mr. Lotta storms into Bill Perkinson’s office.

Mr. Lotta- “What is the meaning of this?”

Bill - “You were scheduled to meet with me yesterday at Period 7 and failed to do so. Subsequently, you received a letter in your file for insubordination.”

Mr. Lotta- “I do not recall notice of any meeting. What in the hell are you talking about little man?”

Bill- “Well… I took the luxury of printing this e-mail… and as…”

Mr. Lotta- “e-mail? Is that what you have on me? I don’t recall the school issuing me an e-mail account or a memo requiring me to read an e-mail?”

Bill- “Why don’t you sit down so that we can discuss this?”

Mr. Lotta- “Hey, too young to shave. Listen closely, cause I’m going to say this only once. I am not discussing anything with you until you remove that letter. A letter that you had no right to place in my file in the first place.”

Bill- “Fine. I will remove the letter.”

Mr. Lotta- “I will need that in writing on letterhead. This should include an apology.”

Bill- “I will write the letter affirming that the other letter is being removed. But lets not push it.”

Mr. Lotta- “Fine.”

Bill-“I am glad we are getting somewhere. Now I would like to talk to you about an issue that was brought to my attention.”

Mr. Lotta- “Sorry. No can do. I have a class to teach in 5 minutes. You speak to my people. Later.”

Thursday, Period 7

Bill- “Good Afternoon Mr. Lotta. We are here to discuss a disciplinary issue that was brought to my attention. According to two parents you stated…”

“Listen buddy. Do you see this ruler I’m holding? It can be used for more than measuring. You dig.”

…“Do you care to shed some light on this?”

Mr. Lotta- “What? You got to be kidding! For the record, I was simply informing them that rulers are not used just for measuring. You got a problem with that?”

Bill- “I also understand that you confiscated several cell phones.”

Mr. Lotta- “and your point?”

Bill- “Well… why wasn’t it returned?”

Mr. Lotta- “Young stuff, you need to get educated. Read the school disciplinary code. It clearly states that teachers may confiscate all electronic devices as they are an interruption to learning.”

Bill- “I will have to look into that. Still, don’t you think you ought to be more civil with your students?”

Mr. Lotta- “What are you talking about? You know what I think. I am tired of hearing this wining from parents who are soft and cry every time their child feels slighted and feel the need to spoil their children with every tech toy being advertised. These parents are rotting their children’s brains with foolishness and destroying our country. They need to grow up and stop placating their children. As for you, do not bother me with agenda based on stupidity. Good Day.”

Bill- “We are not done yet.”

Mr. Lotta- “Later.”

Friday, Period 0

Principal- “Bill you need to drop your issue with Mr. Lotta. I do not need headaches. Do you understand?”

Bill- “Yes.”

The Flash Point, Chapter 11

FROM THE PRIVATE BLOG OF JACK BRITTEL

ENTRY, Date Unknown

Ow!!! That hurt. I never knew hitting a tree would hurt so much. I quickly scanned the perimeter looking for the cloaked lady. She was nowhere to be seen. I started asking the locals if they had seen a cloaked lady. One person indicated that they saw her run towards Delaine’s Dance Hall on 54^th street. “Delaine’s Dance Hall? I have lived in this neighborhood my entire life. I don’t recall passing any Dance Hall on 54^th street. Very strange.”

I started to run towards 54^th street. Even in my daze, I noticed that the surrounding storefronts looked different. The people also looked different. Their mode of dress and style looked like something out of a bad 1970s movie. Could this be a coincidence? Perhaps some kind of retro event is taking place. As I crossed the street I noticed a newspaper in the trashcan. “Could it be? The date on the paper said, November 15, 1975.”

I entered the dance hall and saw the cloaked lady sitting at one of the tables. I suppose she saw me as she quickly left the establishment. I tried to follow her but could not find her. Once again, I asked the neighboring residents if they had seen the cloaked lady. Well… Lightning did not strike twice. No one had seen her. Even worse, it appears that I am somehow in the 1970s and I’m not quite sure how I got here or how I leave.