Sunday, September 11, 2011
So Much to Learn; So Little Time
When I learned to read and write, there were only paper books, hard or soft cover, newspapers, some magazines. I specifically remember "The Weekly Reader". Computers didn't exist for the ordinary person and in many cases, not for many businesses. When they did exist, they were used for data entry and were HUGE. There certainly were no ipdads, or kindles, or nooks, or ebooks, no Amazon.com. We played vinyl records on a record player...instead of ipods. We didn't download music from Grooveshark or ITunes. If we used the word "download" it was more about giving someone the "down-low" about the local gossip. We socialized in person, rather than via Facebook or Twitter or Skype. Heck, I didn't even have a cell-phone until I was well into my late 20s...and then it was one of those huge bag phones that you used only rarely because it cost a fortune to make a call.
The world and life have changed since I learned to read and write and communicate...in the mid 60s. Teachers followed set curriculum, used specific books, read to us from the books or had us read aloud to the class (boring...if you are a fast reader, which I am). And the same textbook was used over and over again, year after year. You signed your name in the front of it and turned it in at the end of the year (and paid a fine if it wasn't in the same condition as when you got it).
Learning was about following the rules and taking tests and for the most part, not speaking until you were spoken to. From an instructional design perspective, life was easy. If I were an instructional designer at that point, I probably had a different title and wrote learning objectives that might have touched on knowledge and comprehension...maybe. Old Benjamin Bloom didn't even publish his taxonomies until the late 50s.
Thinking back even ten years ago - my son was 18 and just finishing high school. We had one computer at home, not a laptop. They were way too expensive and still very large and heavy. The best connection you could get was dial up...I can still hear the sound of the modem dialing. It was interesting to look up stuff on the Internet...something else that didn't exist when I was learning to read and write. But getting information was slow and not always as organized as one might like. Ten years ago, students still learned to read and write in pretty much the same way that I did (except they learned phonetically which still amazes me). There were, though, computer labs in schools and my son used the computer to do research and write papers....and life was beginning more and more to move into what is now becoming a global "flat world."
Today, first graders create podcasts. They type on computers and laptops - which are thin and light. Some probably have cellphones (for emergencies only, I am sure). Today's first grader is more apt to learn by doing than by listening or reading about a topic. Any student in the "traditional" flow of K-12 and college expects technology to be available anytime, anyplace and they know how to use it. They are quick...if you don't believe me, watch them text...with both hands....without even hardly looking. The teacher of today, if they're good, very good...knows how to use technology too....they understand how to engage students, how to involve them, how to make learning interesting. The teacher today teaches the student how to learn and how to think...maybe even more than about the exact content.
Daniel Pink, a best-selling author said "We are preparing students for their future, not our past." What does the future hold for these first graders who are creating podcasts? Or for the medical resident going through an ER residency? Or for a teacher learning how to engage his or her students? No one is a fortune teller, for sure. But if history repeats itself, and it does (having lived more than 50 years, I know this to be true)..then 40 years from now, technology and learning will be at a state that I can only barely imagine...who knows if we will even have brick and mortar schools? Who knows if a first grader might not be in a virtual classroom with first graders all across the world? Of course, we'd have to work out some time zone issues...but who is to say that the class would be synchronous? Can you only imagine...I hope I live to experience it through my grandchildren's eyes, grandchildren who likely won't know what a real library is with real paper books, who may never read a "real" newspaper (what a shame to miss the Sunday paper and breakfast in bed!), who will learn so much more about communication and problem-solving and collaboration by the age of 10 than I have at the age of 54. I envy them. But, I must hurry now...if I am to catch up. There is much to learn...hear all about it from the student of now and the future...in "You Can't Be My Teacher."
The world and life have changed since I learned to read and write and communicate...in the mid 60s. Teachers followed set curriculum, used specific books, read to us from the books or had us read aloud to the class (boring...if you are a fast reader, which I am). And the same textbook was used over and over again, year after year. You signed your name in the front of it and turned it in at the end of the year (and paid a fine if it wasn't in the same condition as when you got it).
Learning was about following the rules and taking tests and for the most part, not speaking until you were spoken to. From an instructional design perspective, life was easy. If I were an instructional designer at that point, I probably had a different title and wrote learning objectives that might have touched on knowledge and comprehension...maybe. Old Benjamin Bloom didn't even publish his taxonomies until the late 50s.
Thinking back even ten years ago - my son was 18 and just finishing high school. We had one computer at home, not a laptop. They were way too expensive and still very large and heavy. The best connection you could get was dial up...I can still hear the sound of the modem dialing. It was interesting to look up stuff on the Internet...something else that didn't exist when I was learning to read and write. But getting information was slow and not always as organized as one might like. Ten years ago, students still learned to read and write in pretty much the same way that I did (except they learned phonetically which still amazes me). There were, though, computer labs in schools and my son used the computer to do research and write papers....and life was beginning more and more to move into what is now becoming a global "flat world."
Today, first graders create podcasts. They type on computers and laptops - which are thin and light. Some probably have cellphones (for emergencies only, I am sure). Today's first grader is more apt to learn by doing than by listening or reading about a topic. Any student in the "traditional" flow of K-12 and college expects technology to be available anytime, anyplace and they know how to use it. They are quick...if you don't believe me, watch them text...with both hands....without even hardly looking. The teacher of today, if they're good, very good...knows how to use technology too....they understand how to engage students, how to involve them, how to make learning interesting. The teacher today teaches the student how to learn and how to think...maybe even more than about the exact content.
Daniel Pink, a best-selling author said "We are preparing students for their future, not our past." What does the future hold for these first graders who are creating podcasts? Or for the medical resident going through an ER residency? Or for a teacher learning how to engage his or her students? No one is a fortune teller, for sure. But if history repeats itself, and it does (having lived more than 50 years, I know this to be true)..then 40 years from now, technology and learning will be at a state that I can only barely imagine...who knows if we will even have brick and mortar schools? Who knows if a first grader might not be in a virtual classroom with first graders all across the world? Of course, we'd have to work out some time zone issues...but who is to say that the class would be synchronous? Can you only imagine...I hope I live to experience it through my grandchildren's eyes, grandchildren who likely won't know what a real library is with real paper books, who may never read a "real" newspaper (what a shame to miss the Sunday paper and breakfast in bed!), who will learn so much more about communication and problem-solving and collaboration by the age of 10 than I have at the age of 54. I envy them. But, I must hurry now...if I am to catch up. There is much to learn...hear all about it from the student of now and the future...in "You Can't Be My Teacher."
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Blogging to Learn
Living to learn checking in with some thoughts about blogging to learn...as Hurricane Irene spins towards Virginia Beach. So, it's perhaps not such a surprise that for this one post and due to the availability of time before the power possibly fails, Living to Learn will blog about what she knows vs. what she doesn't. Isn't that what bloggers normally do?
Blogs, as electronic instructional media, serve a variety of purposes. First, there is education in simply learning to blog. One must understand the technology and how to add all the interesting gadgets, how to insert video (which this blogger had momentarily forgotten).
The blogger is best served by having (or learning) some writing abilities (as is the reader). Otherwise, one might as well have a paper journal or diary that only he or she (or in some future world, the children when he or she is no longer around), will read. And since blogging in and of itself invites commentary - the blogger has to be open to the same. If I invite you into my head, you have the right to comment on what's whirling around in it. The give and take of dialogue, written as it may be, is still a give and take and a learned behavior. I suppose the blogger has to also have or develop critical thinking skills - if he or she is to think about and respond to whatever commentary arises.
From a "classroom" setting, blogs can be used to post reflective exercises or commentary about a reading. Learners, of course, can comment. The teacher can post ideas - the learner can add on, or offer up some alternative thought. The learner learns to voice what he or she stands for...blogs are often used for just that purpose. And the leaner learns to be able to back that up if challenged in the commentary, to draw a line in the sand, die on a sword...instead of hiding from the storm (as this blogger will soon do).
Does a blog, as an instructional medium offer up any challenges? Sure it does. Every instructional medium has its challenges - just as does every blogger if he or she is convinced that an assignment must be completed before the power goes out. As blogs are best used from an expressive, reflective perspective, they are not for every student. One could argue left brain, right brain - but that's a topic for another day without a hurricane. There are certain topics that would be difficult to teach by using a blog. I cannot possibly imagine learning formulas or mathematical theories by blogging. There is that video link thing though. Did you know that by using a blog, the blogger can add links to other tools, resources, information?
This blogger was going to be creative and learn something new, like how to make a podcast. That was before Hurricane Irene showed up. While Living to Learn was researching various electronic mediums, she came across a very interesting (in its simplicity) podcast created by first graders...yes, first graders. How hard can it be? If Irene lets up, I just might give it a shout....see how it compares to blogging. I know....I will blog and insert a podcast...my written word and spoken word, maybe even add some video...hmmmm...if only the power stays on long enough. Maybe I can video the storm and create an interesting theme about the storms of learning or the electricity of all the wonderfully rich electronic instructional medium that we have just at the fingertips of our brains.
Blogs, as electronic instructional media, serve a variety of purposes. First, there is education in simply learning to blog. One must understand the technology and how to add all the interesting gadgets, how to insert video (which this blogger had momentarily forgotten).
The blogger is best served by having (or learning) some writing abilities (as is the reader). Otherwise, one might as well have a paper journal or diary that only he or she (or in some future world, the children when he or she is no longer around), will read. And since blogging in and of itself invites commentary - the blogger has to be open to the same. If I invite you into my head, you have the right to comment on what's whirling around in it. The give and take of dialogue, written as it may be, is still a give and take and a learned behavior. I suppose the blogger has to also have or develop critical thinking skills - if he or she is to think about and respond to whatever commentary arises.
From a "classroom" setting, blogs can be used to post reflective exercises or commentary about a reading. Learners, of course, can comment. The teacher can post ideas - the learner can add on, or offer up some alternative thought. The learner learns to voice what he or she stands for...blogs are often used for just that purpose. And the leaner learns to be able to back that up if challenged in the commentary, to draw a line in the sand, die on a sword...instead of hiding from the storm (as this blogger will soon do).
Does a blog, as an instructional medium offer up any challenges? Sure it does. Every instructional medium has its challenges - just as does every blogger if he or she is convinced that an assignment must be completed before the power goes out. As blogs are best used from an expressive, reflective perspective, they are not for every student. One could argue left brain, right brain - but that's a topic for another day without a hurricane. There are certain topics that would be difficult to teach by using a blog. I cannot possibly imagine learning formulas or mathematical theories by blogging. There is that video link thing though. Did you know that by using a blog, the blogger can add links to other tools, resources, information?
This blogger was going to be creative and learn something new, like how to make a podcast. That was before Hurricane Irene showed up. While Living to Learn was researching various electronic mediums, she came across a very interesting (in its simplicity) podcast created by first graders...yes, first graders. How hard can it be? If Irene lets up, I just might give it a shout....see how it compares to blogging. I know....I will blog and insert a podcast...my written word and spoken word, maybe even add some video...hmmmm...if only the power stays on long enough. Maybe I can video the storm and create an interesting theme about the storms of learning or the electricity of all the wonderfully rich electronic instructional medium that we have just at the fingertips of our brains.
Saturday, July 23, 2011
White Water Rafting
"Search Efforts Still Underway for Local Educator"...the headline about jumped off the page; my coffee suddenly ice cold in my throat, even though the newspaper was several years old. Funny that I would find it today as I was packing up old books in preparation for moving to a new position.
I remembered that day...I was stuck under a rock with just a tiny crevice for breathing room. I could hear people calling my name, but I couldn't see anyone. I sensed they were about to call off the search, but I couldn't make them hear me over the rushing water. It was almost dark. I was pinned between two rocks - that looked like they were joined together - sort of like between a rock and a hard place....
What a great analogy to an experience I suffered - yes, suffered (it was painful) a few years back. I was eventually rescued, obviously. And though I wondered then about the safety of my chosen profession, I kept right at it...because I realized that when you are teaching (or white water rafting), you are often between a rock and a hard place. If you aren't careful, you can propel yourself right out of the raft and into a downspout, never to be seen again.
On this particular rafting trip, I was facilitating a session on presentation skills with a group of individuals with whom I believed I had developed a certain level of trust. We were also working on giving honest constructive feedback, something the group had difficulty demonstrating. During the course of the session, the team decided to make a game of it and appointed "judges," playing off the very popular (at the time) television show American Idol. I remember thinking to myself..."Wow, we are finally at a good place here..they're having fun; they're learning; they've accepted what we're trying to do. Feedback sessions should go well."
The next member of the group walked slowly to the front of the room and in a low, monotone voice began to share his thoughts. It was beyond boring. In a moment of love and trust and openness with the group, I decided to make a visual statement of constructive feedback; pretending to be Simon from American Idol. I laid down on the floor, put papers over my eyes and started "snoring."
Most of the participants laughed, even the "presenter." Made bold by the laughter, I played Simon to the hilt for the rest of the session. A few days passed. I was still reeling from the success of the session and the connection with the group. And then...my boss called me into his office, proceeding to share with me that I had offended the "presenter" and possibly some other individuals. He suggested that I might want to do some "damage control." I became a bit angry...how dare they laugh like everything was okay and then go behind my back and complain. I had thrown my life jacket to the wind and now felt like I was drowning.
Back in the raft, life jacket tight around me, I began the "damage" control efforts. I was no longer angry. I felt, instead, a sense of failure and depression. What was it going to take to turn the raft in the right direction? I called the "offended party" first. To my astonishment, he apologized to me for complaining, sharing that he (nor the group) was accustomed to honest feedback. It was hard for him to hear and he reacted rather than responded when someone asked him about the session. The other participants shared much the same...if anything, I caught them off guard with the honesty. And perhaps, I could have shared the feedback a bit differently...I took it too far with the Simon role.
As a result of that experience, this white water rafter decided to better prepare herself along with her fellow rafters for the next trip down the river. Navigating the river is hard enough when the water is smooth. Keeping the raft in the water is key to success...as is not stirring up the river unnecessarily.
Saturday, June 25, 2011
Carpe Diem
Once upon a time, I wanted to be a teacher when I grew up. From a simple view, outsider looking in - I've done that. Check - accomplished! Done - great job! All my previous choices have led to my current role as Director of Training and Development for a large organization. I am very employed, very successful, very well compensated...very disinterested and not so greatly happy.
I should be happy with where I am - should be fulfilled. There are those who envy "my success" and "station in life." There's a stirring emptiness inside of me, though - some need that's always hungry. Is it that being grown up isn't what I thought it would be? Or is it that, even at 54, I am still not grown up and maybe, maybe I still get to choose what I want to be. The little girl inside of me who's been clamoring for my attention keeps telling me that this just isn't it....
I think back to my dream of being a teacher...was that really what I wanted? If I allow myself to travel through the layers of time and situations, and grasp who I was so long ago; try to remember what moved me to laughter, even to tears....I realize that it wasn't so much about being a teacher, as it was about making a difference.
I remember, as a young girl, hiding in my room when I was supposed to be doing chores - so that I could finish reading the latest, greatest library book. Of course, I had my handy - dandy steno pad with me at all moments...and my favorite fountain pen. I loved to take notes - used to even take notes as I watched movies, listening for some creative play on words, thinking of when and how I could use those same words in a different fashion of my own.
I was never as happy as when I could tell a story with words that mattered, that drew tears to the reader's eye or an uplift to the corner of their mouth...words that evoked memories...because at age 10 - to some small degree and at age 54 in a very,very real sense - I realize that you come to a place where memories (and the events that make those memories) are really all that matters. It's not the great career or the money or the once in a lifetime trip to Paris or even the fabulous house decorated just as you always dreamed in tones of blue and beige with a french country parisian flair.
So - decision point. Do I stay where I am and enjoy the feast of the outward trappings? Or do I listen to the little girl inside who wants me to choose her again? She's been trying to get my attention for awhile; it's been increasingly difficult to chase her away. Recently, I think she's been with me most every waking moment...so this assignment of plotting a decision path, is - while not easy - also not really that difficult.
Maybe I am in the midst of a mid-life crisis, or maybe I've found sanity. But I am reminded of the words of Erma Bombeck...
I should be happy with where I am - should be fulfilled. There are those who envy "my success" and "station in life." There's a stirring emptiness inside of me, though - some need that's always hungry. Is it that being grown up isn't what I thought it would be? Or is it that, even at 54, I am still not grown up and maybe, maybe I still get to choose what I want to be. The little girl inside of me who's been clamoring for my attention keeps telling me that this just isn't it....
I think back to my dream of being a teacher...was that really what I wanted? If I allow myself to travel through the layers of time and situations, and grasp who I was so long ago; try to remember what moved me to laughter, even to tears....I realize that it wasn't so much about being a teacher, as it was about making a difference.
I remember, as a young girl, hiding in my room when I was supposed to be doing chores - so that I could finish reading the latest, greatest library book. Of course, I had my handy - dandy steno pad with me at all moments...and my favorite fountain pen. I loved to take notes - used to even take notes as I watched movies, listening for some creative play on words, thinking of when and how I could use those same words in a different fashion of my own.
I was never as happy as when I could tell a story with words that mattered, that drew tears to the reader's eye or an uplift to the corner of their mouth...words that evoked memories...because at age 10 - to some small degree and at age 54 in a very,very real sense - I realize that you come to a place where memories (and the events that make those memories) are really all that matters. It's not the great career or the money or the once in a lifetime trip to Paris or even the fabulous house decorated just as you always dreamed in tones of blue and beige with a french country parisian flair.
So - decision point. Do I stay where I am and enjoy the feast of the outward trappings? Or do I listen to the little girl inside who wants me to choose her again? She's been trying to get my attention for awhile; it's been increasingly difficult to chase her away. Recently, I think she's been with me most every waking moment...so this assignment of plotting a decision path, is - while not easy - also not really that difficult.
Maybe I am in the midst of a mid-life crisis, or maybe I've found sanity. But I am reminded of the words of Erma Bombeck...
".... mostly, given another shot at life, I would seize every minute... look at it and really see it ... live it...and never give it back."
My decision is to do just this - seize every moment, make every moment count, be true to who I am and what gives me joy...and while I love the parisian decor and I do like the "trappings" that a great salary provides...those things are simply things, nothing else.
At the end of my life, I want to know that I lived it well, with love, and that I made a difference somewhere. And while I am 54, I am not yet dead. I want to create, to write, to design and to be with the people I love.
How do I get there from here? Here's the best laid plan to date.
Within 2 years (after completion of my Adult Education degree and receipt of a bonus payout the following spring), I will move to Tennessee to be physically closer to my "baby" boy and his new wife. I will still need to support myself financially and I do need a position with medical benefits. I've already explored housing situations and determined the lowest possible income on which I feel I could survive - with maybe a very few small trappings, like a pedicure every now and then and a couple of Starbucks a week. Oh, and I do need to provide treats for my two dogs who I loving refer to as the Wonder Dogs. My options are:
1. Teach at a college level
2. Be responsible for a training and development function
3. Support myself through writing
4. Work in an instructional design group
5. Be an outstanding executive administrative assistant
Upon research, I have discovered that I will need at least a Masters to teach at a college level. Hmmm...two more years of school on top of what I still have to complete. Meanwhile, that's two more years before I could possibly move on with the plan. And - who's to say I will even be able to find a position teaching something that is fulfilling to me...Strike Option 1... maybe if I was younger and in a different place.
Option 2 - Hey, I am responsible now for this same thing. Frankly, I want less - not more responsibility. I want to be able, for the most part, to leave work at work when the day is one. Option 2 departs with Option 1.
I would love to be able to support myself through writing and just maybe one day, this could be a reality. There is the benefit thing, though...and I do need to be able to pay the rent - and I've only published one poem...maybe I should keep this one out there, but not count on it as the only means to an end.
Option 4: I could do this, be part of an instructional design group. It satisfies all aspects of what I think fuels my tank. I would need to learn some additional skills - and I know someone who can help me with this. I could also take classes in this arena while I am awaiting the great bonus payout (and the 401K vesting - I don't think I mentioned that before). I need to start building a portfolio. I can do this and there are opportunities in Tennessee in this field. And - benefits. Sounds like this is a good direction.
Option 5: I would be a fabulous right hand. They would think I was a gift from the Gods. I am organized, detailed - fabulously strong with follow-up. Heck, I could run the place. I am not sure if this would "feed my soul," but it would pay the bills, be less stressful, provide benefits - and create opportunities for me to have time to be creative on my own. It's a possibility, one I won't toss aside - but also not the first choice.
My best choice for my two year plan is to go directionally toward the instructional design situation. I will continue in pursuit of my degree in Adult Education. I am going to purchase my own Adobe inDesign suite and either take a class and /or work with someone to master the tools. Along the way, I will build a portfolio that I can share with prospective employers.
Meanwhile, I am going to keep listening to the little girl as she tugs at my hand, wanting to walk awhile and smell the flowers.... Carpe Diem...she whispers...and I smile.
Saturday, June 11, 2011
The Impact of a Little Bit of Knowledge: A Learning Journal
Wow...what a journey so far! And it's only been a few months.
"A little bit of knowledge"...the name of my blog is far more appropriate to my knowledge level concerning adult learning than I would have ever dreamed. You function in a career for a number of years, and while you've had some education....you discover that you are so not educated as you (or others, thank goodness) might have thought. The good news is that while in the original quote, "a little bit of knowledge is a dangerous thing"...I don't think I've "killed" anyone with my limited knowledge level. Maybe that is yet to be discovered, though!! We will surely have to conduct autopsies, if such is the case.
Strengths: My truest strengths are my tenacity to stick to what I started, my willingess to admit I don't know it all...and my willingess to learn and apply. I also can learn and apply very quickly. And I have strong writing and creative abilities. Not a bad package, if I must say so myself. Surely these will serve as my witnesses if there is a trial concerning death by a little bit of knowledge.
Insight: Insights...where do I start? Some I've already noted....like I really didn't know it all, after all...I am really not the center of my own universe. While I thought I was very learner focused, I can become so much more so by changing up a few things. Another insight is that I haven't used or known how to use technology to my greatest abilities. This is a shame really, since there's so much one can do with it. But I am beginning to learn and apply. (I will admit these - technology - were not the most easily applied skills.)
Improvement: I am still learning to balance work time with "school time." I am doing a much better job and know I have to plan it all out in advance. This week has been particularly difficult for me as I had major projects to finish at work in preparation for an 11 day vacation. My son is getting married in just a few days and both my family and the bride's family are tucked away in a beautiful house on the Outer Banks of NC...and what am I doing on this Saturday morning while all are out at play...homework. No matter how well I plan, sometimes other things get in the way that I cannot control. I don't think I leave enough time in my planning for Plan B or the unexpected.
"A little bit of knowledge"...the name of my blog is far more appropriate to my knowledge level concerning adult learning than I would have ever dreamed. You function in a career for a number of years, and while you've had some education....you discover that you are so not educated as you (or others, thank goodness) might have thought. The good news is that while in the original quote, "a little bit of knowledge is a dangerous thing"...I don't think I've "killed" anyone with my limited knowledge level. Maybe that is yet to be discovered, though!! We will surely have to conduct autopsies, if such is the case.
Strengths: My truest strengths are my tenacity to stick to what I started, my willingess to admit I don't know it all...and my willingess to learn and apply. I also can learn and apply very quickly. And I have strong writing and creative abilities. Not a bad package, if I must say so myself. Surely these will serve as my witnesses if there is a trial concerning death by a little bit of knowledge.
Insight: Insights...where do I start? Some I've already noted....like I really didn't know it all, after all...I am really not the center of my own universe. While I thought I was very learner focused, I can become so much more so by changing up a few things. Another insight is that I haven't used or known how to use technology to my greatest abilities. This is a shame really, since there's so much one can do with it. But I am beginning to learn and apply. (I will admit these - technology - were not the most easily applied skills.)
Improvement: I am still learning to balance work time with "school time." I am doing a much better job and know I have to plan it all out in advance. This week has been particularly difficult for me as I had major projects to finish at work in preparation for an 11 day vacation. My son is getting married in just a few days and both my family and the bride's family are tucked away in a beautiful house on the Outer Banks of NC...and what am I doing on this Saturday morning while all are out at play...homework. No matter how well I plan, sometimes other things get in the way that I cannot control. I don't think I leave enough time in my planning for Plan B or the unexpected.
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