At our NICE Mini-Conference and from my webcasting partner, Arvind Grover (http://www.21apples.org/) I became aware of Posterous.com. I will admit that I have not spent as much time finishing blog posts as I have done in the past. There are several reasons for this. First, there have been many other aspects of my personal life which have required my attention. Secondly, I have a tenancy to write blog posts which I feel are much too long and detailed. I guess it is the function of my age, I want to fully describe what I am writing about.
I have set up a Posterous account and tied it to my blog. Now, by simply sending a quick email, I am able to create a blog post. This means that I will even be able to send a post from my not-so-smart phone. I will be able to clip interesting blog posts and be able to share comments about them. In addition to then having it auto-post to my blog, I could set up my Posterous account to auto-post to my Facebook (a purely underused social site) or Twitter feed (which I already have an auto-feed, which I should probably turn off).
I like the interface and ease of use of adding new posts via my email. It will be interesting to see if this increases the frequency of my posting. It already has, as this is the second post of my day. The first being a quick reflection on the score I got taking the PEW Are you a Millennial quiz.
I scored 53/100 on the Pew Research Center How Millennial Are You? Quiz http://pewresearch.org/millennials/quiz.
However, I would have scored a 72/100 if I hadn't watched various Olympic events for over an hour on my TiVo, including the Hockey tournament last evening. But while watching, I was composing a blog post and working on my presentation for the ICE conference, so I was multi-tasking. That makes a a Millennial, right?
Score ranges: 65+ (Silent) – 4/100 45 – 65 (Baby Boomer) – 11/100 45 – 30 (Gen X) – 33/100 30 and Under (Millennial) – 73/100
As a Baby Boomer by chronology, I guess I have found a fountain of youth.
MEDFORD, Mass. — There are videos showing off card tricks, horsemanship, jump rope and stencils — and lots of rap songs, including one by a young woman who performed two weeks after oral surgery, with her mouth still rubber-banded shut.
There is also Rhaina Cohen’s video, working off the saying “You never truly know someone until you have walked a mile in her shoes,” and featuring the blue sandals from her bat mitzvah, the white sneakers she bought cheaply in Britain, and the black heels in which she “stood next to Hillary Clinton.”
It is reading season at the Tufts University admissions office, time to plow through thousands of essays and transcripts and recommendations — and this year, for the first time, short YouTube videos that students could post to supplement their application.
Last week, as a one of the culminating events of our Poetry Festival, we were treated to the midwest premier of the play, The Funky Snowman. This show was inspired by Calef Brown’s poem of the same name. This play was written and directed by Wendy Bable. It was a fun and delightful experience, with some fun dancing and a delightful reminder for all of us.
I had the good fortune of being at one of the rehearsals on Sunday, before the Wednesday performance. I was privy to the collaboration between Bable and two actors, Betsy Cummings who played Fritzi and Molly Searcy who played Mademoiselle, all who were visiting us from the University of Texas. The actors and director bounced ideas about the blocking and motivation of the characters and how to display this so that the audience would be able to recognize these motivations. I am sure that this type of interaction occurs all the time, but it was one of the first times that I was able to observe this interchange. My experience was enhanced by having been a witness to the process.
The show also reminded us of two important lessons that we need to remember when we are dealing with students. The first is that not everyone needs to fit into the same box. Fritzi was being put into the box of a ballerina, when all she wanted to do was just dance in her own way. How many times have we tried to shape our students into a mold built by our biases of what is most important? When do we give students the opportunity to experience life in the way that makes them happiest? A wise student who I know once told me, “there are many paths to the same destination. I just happen to be taking the one that no one talks about.”
Secondly, I was reminded of the importance of play, especially for older students. Sure, we provide chances for our elementary aged students to play, but how many of us allow high school students the chance to just play? It reminded me of something I overheard a senior say in the stairwell two years ago, the “I remember when we had the chance to play when we were younger. I miss that.” There is so much learning which occurs when we allow ourselves to play, to free ourselves of those items which cause stress. It is the place where new thoughts and ideas emerge. How are we going to build play into our schools, especially at the higher levels? Must every minute be scheduled, both at school and with the large amount of homework which is often assigned? Is this lack of play one of the reasons why older students are seemingly less engaged in class? Is this how we stomp the love of learning out of these students?
There are two conferences of note which are occurring at the end of the week, one in San Francisco and one in Mumbai. Included are ways that you can participate remotely if you are so inclined.
American School of Bombay UnPlugged 2010 February 24 – 27
This is the second time that this bi-annual conference is being held. This year, ASB Unplugged consists of several conferences at one location. The first is a TEDx conference on-site. A TEDx conference is an affiliate TED (Technology, Entertainment, and Design) satellite conference. If you are not familiar with TED conferences, they are events which bring great thinkers from around the world together to share. You can access hundreds of past presentations at the TED web site.
The focus on ASB Unplugged’s TEDx is Embracing Leadership, Innovation, and Change.
Additionally, there is a Flat Classroom Student conference which is being held at ASB Unplugged. Modeled off of the projects begun by Vicki Davis and Julie Lindsay , students from around the globe will be meeting with other students, connected via a variety of different tools and brainstorming ways to “Open Up Education.”
There are several ways to participate in this conference. They are:
Sign Up for the Conference Ning – http://asbunplugged.ning.com/. This Ning will be populated with a variety of different presentations which are going to be given during the conference
Follow the conference via Twitter – http://tinyurl.com/ycoymg9 Even without a Twitter account, you can follow “tweets” sent by participants of the conference using Google’s new social search. This will provide additional links from participants who will be sharing what is going on at the conference.
National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) Annual Conference
February 24 – 26
This year, NAIS is striving to make more of the conference available to those who are unable to attend. Over the past few years, through the efforts of Chris Bigenho and the Classroom of the Future initiative, have been bringing the conference to all who are interested. This year, there are four official NAIS bloggers covering the event plus a number of others attending the conference who will be sharing reflections.
Like ASB Unplugged, there are many ways to participate in this conference:
