The Rant, I Can't, the Elephant, and the Ant

“I can do that without technology”- Actually, no you can't!
The rant,
I can’t,
the elephant,
and the ant.
David Truss
http://pairadimes.davidtruss.com
Originally created for BLC08

the rant
Screaming for help by noamgalai / Noam Galai on flickr

That day is now dawning;
we are on the brink of a new era.
James Shimabukuro

I predict that, in the foreseeable future,
we will look back to the year 2005 and wonder
how learning could have ever taken place in the
jail cells that passed for classrooms.
James Shimabukuro

Schools and colleges in the coming decades
will be characterized by a new sense of
freedom that will make today's campuses
seem like medieval dungeons.
James Shimabukuro

James Shimabukuro

What is ONE thing that this conference
has shown you to suggest that
this statement is true?

We interrupt this rant
for a
brief debrief…

James Shimabukuro

Another rant…
“But there isn’t enough time!”

Another rant…
“But there isn’t enough time!”
How true is this statement?
“The task of organizing and
operating a huge and complex
educational machinery has left us
scant leisure for calm reflection.”

Irving Babbitt (1865-1933) was an academic and literary critic, noted for his founding role in a movement that became known as the New Humanism.
“The task of organizing and
operating a huge and complex
educational machinery has left us
scant leisure for calm reflection.”

Keep the rants coming…
Students today depend
too much upon ink.
They don't know how to use a
pen knife to sharpen a pencil.
Pen and ink will never replace the pencil.
National Association of Teachers Journal, 1907

Students today depend on these
expensive fountain pens.
They can no longer write
with a straight pen and nib.
We parents must not allow
them to wallow in such luxury
to the detriment of learning
how to cope in the
real business world
which is not so extravagant.
From PTA Gazette, 1941

how to cope in the
real business world

how to cope in the
real business world
We don’t still think
this way about
‘new technology’
…do we?

A great rant to check out at your leisure,
(and an explanation…)
The Rant:
“Down in Front” by Jennifer D. Jones
http://fon.gs/injenuity/
“If you don’t keep your mind open to new experiences,
you are in the way of learning...”

A great rant to check out at your leisure,
(and an explanation…)
The Rant:
“Down in Front” by Jennifer D. Jones
http://fon.gs/injenuity/
“If you don’t keep your mind open to new experiences,
you are in the way of learning...”
The Explanation:
All links have been shortened
http://fon.gs/Keyword/

…and finally, some rant relief…
The most overlooked advantage of
owning a computer is that if they
foul up there's no law against
whacking them around a bit.
Eric Porterfield

I can’t
No Jumping by Leo Reynolds / LeoL30 on flickr

http://fon.gs/paige/

Digital Dividehttp://fon.gs/digitaldivide/Digital Competencehttp://fon.gs/digitalcompetence/Digital Exposure http://fon.gs/digitalexposure/

Digital Divide(s)
http://fon.gs/digitaldivide/
What I know and what I need to know.
2. What the school has in the way of
technology and what it needs to have.
3. What skills/abilities students enter my class with.

“I come from the Batman era,
adding items to my utility belt,
while students today are the Borg from Star Trek, assimilating technology into their lives.”

“I come from the Batman era,
adding items to my utility belt,
while students today are the Borg from Star Trek, assimilating technology into their lives.”
many

Digital Divide(s)

Digital Divide(s)
#1 I can change.
#2 will never change fast enough.
#3 is the idea of competence.

Digital Competencehttp://fon.gs/digitalcompetence/
Often we want compartmentalize ideas
(not to mention students!)

Often we want compartmentalize ideas
(not to mention students!)
Digital competence is a
spectrum, not a dichotomy!

Digital competence is a
spectrum, not a dichotomy!

Digital Exposure
http://fon.gs/digitalexposure/
If Paige engages with ‘toys’ like this,
what will she expect from learning tools?
Remember this quote?
“That day is now dawning;
we are on the brink of a new era…”
What is she going to expect from schools?

Everybody please cross your arms…

Now switch them around!

Keep them crossed and read the next slide...

“As a general rule,
adults are much more likely to
act their way into a new way of thinking
than to think their way into
a new way of acting.”
Surfing the Edge of Chaos pg. 14

Still have your arms crossed?
For many people switching arms is uncomfortable, but the act of switching
and staying switched, makes it more comfortable.
You’ve acted your way into a new way of thinking…

What can we do to
help students leave our schools
feeling like they are
empowered learners?
What can we do to
help students leave our schools
empowered learners?

What can we do to
help studentsleave our schools
empoweredlearners?

Do we permit our students to make mistakes?
our students

ourselves
Do we permit our students to make mistakes?

Failure? http://fon.gs/failure/

I can’t?

I can…

I must

I will…

the elephant
Close Up by Jason Armstrong on flickr

Is that an elephant in you pocket?Or…

bRinging tools to class
Mr. Truss, I forgot my calculator, can I borrow one?
Do you have your cell phone?
Yes?
Then you have a calculator.
Really? I can use my cell phone?
Really!
http://fon.gs/tools/

We saw what 2 year
old Paige could do…
What could a:
Grade 4 student do?
Grade 8 student do?
Grade 12 student do?

We saw what 2 year
old Paige could do…
What could a:
Grade 4 student do?
Grade 8 student do?
Grade 12 student do?
What could a
teacher do?

How many similar tools
will be in our schools
in 5 years?

Wireless
should be like oxygen.
We don’t ‘look for’ or
think about our next breath.
Brian Kuhn
Manager of IT
Coquitlam School District

Let us forget the term
“technical support”
and focus on
“innovation support”.
Alec Couros
http://fon.gs/alec/

Kathy Sierra http://fon.gs/kathy/

W
i
r
e
l
e
s
s

F
i
l
t
e
r
s
W
i
r
e
l
e
s
s

F
i
l
t
e
r
s
A
t
t
i
t
u
d
e
W
i
r
e
l
e
s
s

and the ant.

http://fon.gs/ants/

Red Flags
-air comes in
Yellow Flags
-cabon dioxide out

10 tons of concrete over 3 days

This is a network!
The
community
works
together
to create
more
than the
individual!

Stephen Downes http://fon.gs/stephen/ (Slide 27)

More from Stephen Downes
1. groups emphasize sameness,
networks emphasize diversity
2. groups emphasize order and control,
networks emphasize autonomy
3. groups emphasize borders
and membership,
networks emphasize openness
4. groups emphasize additive,
cumulative knowledge,
networks emphasize emergent knowledge

So…
Do not go quietly into your classroom!

A Brave New World-Wide-Web
Video on blip.tv: http://fon.gs/thevideo/
Blog post: http://fon.gs/abnwww/

A 30 second summary:
The Rant: Accomplishes nothing.

I Can’t: Yes, you can!

The Elephant: Is in the room… Introduce it!

The Elephant: Is in the room… Introduce it!
The Ant: Be a networked teacher and learner!

Thank you for checking out
my presentation!
Feedback?
You can contact me:
http://fon.gs/contactdave/
Or comment on this blog post:
http://fon.gs/thepost/

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The Rant, I Can't, the Elephant, and the Ant

by David Truss

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