Google Image: http://linkyy.com/omF.

Ornery. I will begin by being a bit ornery. I do not think that our world is “flat.” It may be flattening, but it will be a very long time before it is pancaked. I doubt that it will ever be truly flat, and I am not so sure that a flat world would be an unmitigated good. I do not like the metaphor because I think that it is misleading. Setting metaphor to one side, to say that the world is “flat” is actually very appealing, perhaps even rhetorically compelling. However, to correctly describe the inspiration and to identify the goals of education in the digital age, we should turn the rhetoric of “flat” down a notch, or even abandon it altogether.

Thomas Friedman (2005) describes how technology has “flattened” the world. He correctly suggests that technology has opened up new possibilities for wider participation in commerce, sharing intellectual capital, and creating new mechanisms of cross and transcultural exchange that were previously impossible. He more than hints at the challenge and promise of such flattening outside commerce. While technology has caused tectonic shifts in influence and power, it is premature to describe the world as flat, especially in such a fundamental field as education.

Using Skype to connect classrooms internationally is genius (Roscorla, 2010). The Read Across America initiative is similarly inspired (Roscorla, 2014). Thinking back to 8th grade French I, Skype would have helped me to learn the language in a more intuitive way, paradigms be darned! Coming from small town Virginia, Read Across America would have helped me to appreciate the complexity of “American” culture(s) as a young reader. Julie Lindsay’s webpage describes, “Flat Connections,” as an initiative that seeks to “join[...] learners with the purpose of ‘learning while doing’ in a global context,” by “providing resources, skills, strategies and access to learning about the world, with the world.” Geography would have been much more relevant in middle school had we actually done something practical, instead of memorizing country names and GDP’s. “Connected Classrooms” provides virtual field trips that, “bring the world into your classroom with Google+.” How different would my students today think of Islam apart from the nightly news? But, would any of these “flatten”our worlds? No. These would make them more resemble a mountain of challenge and possibility, more of a hopeful dream than a walk across a baseball diamond.

Is the world flat? No. Will it ever be flat? I hope the heck not! The risk run by flattening is just too great because it threatens to homogenize language, culture, and religion while offering a bland, facile, transparent sense of mutual understanding.

Touching upon the other issue: have I tried to foster students’ respectful and ethical minds? Well, I teach Christian Morality and Comparative Religion. But, this is no guarantee that I meet Gardner’s challenge. In fact, I have known teachers so blinded by partisan commitments and ideology that authentic instruction and learning in these subjects was all but impossible. The world may not be as one wants it, but at least we need to show our students an accurate picture. Questioned, no, interrogated by one such teacher about my own pedagogical practice, I replied that I teach students how to do theology, not how to memorize a catechism.

Google Image:
http://linkyy.com/omG

Righteous indignation aside, given the overwhelming amount of available resources, it is not very difficult to promote collaboration in a ways that foster the respectful and ethical minds. For example, students in my Comparative Religion class are required to prepare “nonlinear, multi-media infused” presentations for their final project. They are given a choice of subjects to research, e.g., human origins and ends; cosmology; ethics; religious architecture and arts; liturgical expression. After choosing a topic, they study it from Western (transcendental, objective) and Eastern (immanent, subjective) perspectives. The goal is more than descriptive, it requires that students approach the topic from a critical perspective. Two of the most memorable projects included what we would today call “line dances” from traditional cultures, and ethnic food prepared in the classroom. Show us the curry, or feed us the curry --- which would you prefer?

The world is not flat. If it were, I would be able to get my curry easily and without bother. Having to seek it makes it much more tasty.

Sources Consulted

Online Texts

Friedman, T. (2005, April 3). It’s a flat world, afterall. The New York Times. Retrieved from http://linkyy.com/omA.

Roscorla, T. (2010, March 17). Skype connects classrooms around the world. Center for Digital Education. Retrieved from http://linkyy.com/omB.

Roscorla, T. (2014, February 18). Elementary school classes plan to read across America with Google Hangouts. Center for Digital Education. Retrieved from http://linkyy.com/omC.

Websites

Flat Connections: http://linkyy.com/omE.

Google Connected Classrooms: http://linkyy.com/omD.

Do schools kill creativity? You betcha! I remember having to write a letter that included a map and explained how I found a buried treasure. I was in the third or fourth grade. In the movies, the maps were old, crinkled, and torn. So, I balled up my letter to wrinkle it and tore the edges a bit. The teacher did not like it at all. The worst part was that she was of the school that used shame to motivate students. My work was posted on the “Dummy Board.” I do not remember her name --- I do not even remember what she looked like --- but I do remember that she was mean. One of the only positive things about moving around so much as a kid was that I did not stay in that school for long.

Robinson says that “all kids have talents. And we squander them rather ruthlessly” (2006). A cynic might hear this and think it to be just another attempt to celebrate false achievement and promote mediocrity. But, you have to listen to Robinson, you have to study and to consider his theses in light of personal experience. Lucky the one who does not have the types of experience for which his critique is true.

Students need to be allowed to make creative mistakes and to create mistakes. Indeed, it might be a good thing for teachers to lead students down the primrose path right into them, if it would help that particular student to learn.

Creativity requires lots of mistakes; it is something that we grow out of, not into. When I look into childhood and consider the outrageous things that I did, and compare it with rather bland high school and college years, I am even more convinced that we do, by and large, educate students out of creativity. Who knew that you were not “supposed” to go trick-or-treating in July? I went when I found the last year’s clown costume and orange, plastic pumpkin in a toy box. Our neighbors had a good laugh, but Mom was not pleased. Still, I did get an apple and a can of soup. No candy.

Robinson describes intelligence as diverse, dynamic, and distinct (2006). Diverse, in that individuals think in characteristic ways, some are verbal, others visual; some think in practical terms, others are more comfortable in the ether of the abstract. Human intelligence is also dynamic because ideas come through the rich interaction of different learning styles, and different disciplinary ways of defining some reality, not to mention the non-linear processes of the brain. Intelligence is also distinct. It is unique and inescapably subjective from person to person.

These ideas set up deep resonances with Gardner’s claims about the “five minds.” Here I will discuss the disciplined and creative minds. To help students develop disciplined minds requires teaching strategies that offer students with diverse learning styles a variety of “entry points” into subject matter. Genuine assessment is based upon an authentic evaluation of the various “performances of understanding” based upon points of entry (Gardner, p. 34).

The creative mind emerges, blends with, builds upon the disciplined mind, which has begun to master a discipline such that one’s knowledge, “exerts a genuine, detectable influence on subsequent work in that domain” (p. 81). I would argue that “detectable influence” does not need to revolutionize a discipline from within, or to be accepted by a wide audience. Genius is first experienced locally, and it may stay there, and that is fine. For example, a teacher might have found a particularly effective way to teach a certain topic. It is not necessary that the teacher’s contribution be recognized outside of the four walls of her classroom. Creativity is, after all, singular, or what Robinson would call “distinct.”

Gardner argues that, “the ability to knit together information from disparate sources into a coherent whole is vital today” (p. 46). Cultivating and nourishing a genuine and vital creativity among our students is one way to gather the garment.

A robust creativity can then bloom from happiness. Csikszentmihalyi asks, “where --- in everyday life, in our normal experience --- do we feel really happy” (2004)? Happiness emerges when one is in a state of ecstasy, “when you are involved in [a] completely engaging process of creating something new.”

Csikszentmihalyi describes a subjective experience of time suspended. He does not use this term, but I think that he is describing those moments in our lives when the awareness of change ceases, when the eternal becomes an amuse bouche. This transtemporal experience the Greek’s called “kairos.” Happiness leads to ecstasy (and, kairos?) which turns into “flow,” those moments of complete absorption, when one’s highly developed talents are challenged by most challenging tasks.

Digital media and technology provide needed tools to bring our students’ innate creativity, no matter how bruised, to life. In a 2010 TED talk, Robinson says that education “dislocates very many people from their natural talents.” To overcome this dislocation requires that we abandon the notion of linearity, which says that true learning proceeds in step-by-step fashion. It also demands that we not only embrace, but also learn to respect an undeniable reality: “human talent is tremendously diverse. People have very different aptitudes” (Robinson, 2010).

Linearity is not too difficult to avoid using digital / social media and technology. Discovering (unfortunately) hidden talents might be a bit more of a challenge, given their early burial.

An art teacher might teach a unit on ancient Greek architecture and music. Here are the characteristics of Corinthian columns. Here are photos of Corinthian columns in the architecture of Oak Park, IL. Design a column using, e.g., Paper53, that accomplishes the same engineering and aesthetic principles.

A music teacher might teach a unit about some of the characteristic modes of ancient Greek music, e.g., Ionian, Doric, and Phrygian. Listen to these recordings / experience these performances of the aulos, lyre, and kithara. Are there any musicians in the classroom? Can you find examples of these modes in the music that you listen to? What "modes" do we typically use today? Could you mount a performance using Greek modes and today's instruments that address some need in contemporary American culture, and record it as an .mp3, or .mp4?

Teachers need and should not completely abandon linearity --- basic content delivery demands a systematic, first presentation of ideas, concepts, etc. [N.B.: Robinson does not suggest that we do]. In fact, the very structure of human life is narrative, it is story --- first this happened, then this, then this. But, within the limits of linearity, one experiences the nonlinear, which opens up vast possibilities for transcendence.

Education strategies, curricula, and teachers have historically, however unwittingly, damaged students’ innate capacity for creativity. Diagnosing the damage helps us develop a digital prescription for a cure.

Sources

Csikszentmihalyi, M. (2004, February). Flow, the secret of happiness [Video file]. Retrieved from http://linkyy.com/okW.

Gardner, H. (2009, January 6). Five minds for the future [Kindle version]. Retrieved from http://amazon.com.

Robinson, K. (2006, February). How schools kill creativity [Video file]. Retrieved from http://linkyy.com/okU.

Robinson, K. (2010, February). Bring on the learning revolution! [Video file]. Retrieved from http://linkyy.com/okV.

Image

Stomp, Google Image: http://linkyy.com/okT

Flow, Google Image: http://linkyy.com/okX

One of the issues that occupies more of my attention than it should --- perhaps --- is the reluctance, refusal, or fear that many of my colleagues have regarding the use of digital / social media and technology in the classroom.

OK, already, I get it! Prensky’s “digital immigrants” were not teethed on the stuff and were not taught to teach with it. But, did they know how to use the super-advanced copy machines in the faculty work room before they got in front of them and started pushing the buttons? These copiers are so advanced that you could take over a small country with them!

OK, already, I don’t get it! To be fair, they are teaching how they were taught to teach. It is familiar, comfortable, tried and true. But, does it address the needs of our “digital natives?” The rhetoric of commitment to the needs of our students falls short of some teachers’ willingness to go out on a limb, to climb the learning curve, etc., when it comes to learning how to use new technologies and new pedagogical techniques.

I designed the Smore for this week’s, “Spolight on Strategy,” with this reality in mind. I wanted to address teachers’ reluctance, refusal, fear, etc., by helping them to begin to think through a sample project. I titled it, “A Digital Twist: Rethinking the Research Paper.” The basic idea is to start with something known, and then to show how to “twist” it into something new. “Something old, something new, . . . etc.”

The Smore contains just enough detail to get them started thinking. I did not want to overwhelm. We are going to do more intensive professional development as we enter the second year of a 1:1 iPad roll out. And, I plan to use the Smore as a centerpiece for a, “How to,” session, along with examples of student digital research papers.  

I have used the this strategy in my own classes with spectacular results! Expecting similar results during the second semester, I am very confident that there will be more than a few new converts among the faculty.

Reference

Prensky, M. (2001, October). Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants. On the Horizon. Retrieved from http://linkyy.com/o9y.

To view the Smore with its original formatting, go to https://www.smore.com/523mm-a-digital-twist

Today I asked my students to participate in an informal survey. I used the prompt for the blog assignment about content creation (EDIM508; u05a1): Discuss[…] . . . the role of creativity in the classroom. What do they really value currently &/or what would they like to change about their learning environment when it comes to digital media & technology supporting creativity? In each class, I asked for a student volunteer to record the gist of the conversation within an email addressed to me. At the end of the day, I collated their input [see attached <.pdf>]. One could make an informed guess about their basic attitudes, but there were a few welcome surprises.

Students value an intelligent integration of technology & streamlined access to digital media. “Intelligent use,” is my term, but it’s based on their insight. Not surprisingly, they prefer teachers to use technology to enhance instruction, to serve as a support for the delivery of content. They spot the use of technology for technology’s sake, which ultimately undermines a teacher’s pedagogical goals.

“Streamlined access,” is also a term that I’m using to summarize student insight & expressed need. My students want easy, dependable access information outside of class at times most convenient for them, e.g., before athletic practice, play rehearsal, club meetings; during the ride home, or to school, on the train; late at night after the busyness of the school day & family life has ebbed. And, they want to be able to access the information in an economical way. Navigating multiple LMS’s, web-based apps, teacher pages on the   school’s website, etc., each with its own password & security conventions, is a tangible burden for them. Fenwick High School is a hot-house of high academic expectation, so having to travel here & there to access, complete, & submit assignments poses an unnecessary layer of complexity. One of my students has to toggle between Schoology, Edline, WebAssign, TurnItIn, & Google+ to do her homework! This is manifestly unacceptable.

A welcome surprise is that they have such a sophisticated & well nuanced understanding of how teachers are actually using digital media & technology in instruction. To paraphrase Solomon, “Wisdom comes from the mouths of babes & infants.” They understand the value of digital media & technology, but they want it used well, so that it doesn’t become an all but irrelevant, bothersome bobble hung onto instruction, i.e., practices which rely too heavily on media & technology, but don’t enhance the delivery of content & the learning process.

Another welcome surprise is their intuition regarding multiple intelligences & varied learning styles. Some students like strategies resembling the “flipped” classroom; others experience it as an obstacle. Some students prefer, even crave, greater use of technology in the classroom; others are more comfortable with pen(cil), paper, & chalkboard.

So, to sum up, students want teachers to use technology well & to integrate it seamlessly into instruction in ways that enhance rather than complicate learning. They are open to the gift. Teachers need to choose the gift well.

Google Image: http://linkyy.com/ok3
Survey of Digital Media & Technology Use

What follows is a more formal post for the Dominican Spirituality presentation & course (i.e., EDIM508_u03a2_Project 1_Media-Infused Presentation).

Project #1: Media-Infused Presentation

Title                                  Dominican Spirituality

Course Number         T.B.A. [new course 2015-2016]

Purpose                          The course addresses the most recent Strategic Plan goal of increasing our sense of  Dominican & Roman Catholic identity at Fenwick High School.

Standards                      N/A. Federal & local standards do not apply to Religion/Theology classes taught in private schools in Illinois.

Content Areas             See http://linkyy.com/ogs.

Citations                         Included within Prezi “zooms,” i.e., slides.

Reflection

Gardner’s discussion of the disciplined mind is both seductive and provocative.  A reader finds herself shaking her head, “Yes,” or at least, “O.K.,” in the first reading. The provoking “but” comes with reflection.

Howard’s first two traits have to do with a discipline’s foundations and a sustained reflection upon its foundations, which are meta-questions that do not tax most of us. The third trait, “diverse entry points,” and fourth, “performances for understanding,” are what I will discuss here.

To introduce the new, core course titled, “Dominican Spirituality,” to Fenwick’s Theology Department and Curriculum Committee (and, as a first day introduction for future students), I created an online presentation using “Prezi” (http://linkyy.com/ogs) because it forces you into non-linear thinking due to its “zoom” structure. Tangents are easy to surf with Prezi.

Still, the basic flow is linear; it uses an historical approach to offer a first dip into Dominican history, a history that creates, embodies, and sustains a characteristic spirituality. The non-linear features, e.g., hyperlinks, embedded video, etc., break into the historical march and allow one to begin to form an experience of the history that creates a specific spirituality. Non-linear content also attempts to provide Gardner’s “diverse entry points.” To tweak the presentation, I would further develop these non-linear aspects to include much more Dominicana (legend, history, song, art, etc.; the good, the bad, & the ugly). There are no “performances for understanding” because the presentation is designed as an introduction, an amuse-bouche, an invitation into deeper study.

The combination of the linear and the nonlinear with multimedia elements helps one to make the first few stitches in for a synthesizing mind. While this is admittedly a first encounter, it seeks to string a line upon which you can hang a number of ideas and felt experiences. I would like to think that it helps you begin to bring into focus the gestalt, so that a solid synthesis can be made.

Gardner, H. (2006). Five minds for the future. [iPad Kindle version]. Retrieved from Amazon.com.

A first introduction to a new course being offered at Fenwick High School titled "Dominican Spirituality." I'll use this when doing the final sales pitch to the Curriculum Committee, the Board of Members, & the friars assigned to the school.

I know that I'll tweak it, perhaps add more zoom paths, more links to further information. For now, it combines both linear & nonlinear approaches to instruction, as well as the more traditional spoken word / lecture style presentation with opportunities for more advanced seminar style discussion, which possibility is enhanced due to the multimedia content.

Here is an eduClipper clipboard titled, "Philosophy in High School."  I created it to collect both the resources that we will use in my classes and additional material for students who need / want more. The major benefits of the clipboard are that it has everything that the students will need archived in one place, and provides easy access to the content. Another benefit is that I can add additional resources as I stumble across them.