David Truss :: Pair-a-dimes for Your Thoughts

iHub Garden Build

2013-04-30T06:28:17Z

[Cross-Posted on the HUB Blog]

Last Friday three students at the Inquiry Hub Secondary School, in Coquitlam BC, organized a garden build. It started with Grade 9 student, Shauna, applying for and getting a World Wildlife Fund grant. This led to some inquiry questions around the best soil, water and temperature conditions for growing lettuce. And Friday’s garden build was the latest progress in developing an urban/inquiry garden for our school.

Everything about this garden has been coordinated by the @GreenInquiry team, from: getting permission from the school district; to coordinating students, parents, community members, and teachers to help; to purchasing plants, seeds, supplies, equipment & materials; to planning for summer maintenance; to future community outreach, and education programs for a local elementary school. By implementing a series of IDS – Independent Directed Studies courses, we will be building a high school program that allows these students to design a fair bit of their inquiry work time at the Inquiry Hub, while earning credits for high school graduation.

I’m speculating now, that by the time these Grade 9 students graduate, their Green Inquiry website will be a learning portfolio that will have any university they want to go to very interested in these students!

Here is a wonderful time lapse taken from our learning commons window. There are some images shared afterwards to show some of the things missed by this point of view.

Here is a Storify of the day… Comments and images shared online:

Congratulations to the Green Inquiry team, and to the Inquiry Hub
community on their incredibly successful garden build!

Update: See their blog post, Successful Garden Building Day!

6 key ingredients to the art of storytelling

2013-04-07T04:34:33Z

It seems to me that storytelling should be an intricate part of what we do, and what we teach in schools.

In my first year at university I had the privilege of taking history with proffesor Gunnar Beonhart. He was one of the reasons why former Prime Minister of Canada, Pierre Trudeau, brought the 1983 World Peace Talks to the small city of Guelph, Ontario, (where professor Beonhart taught).

I was 18 and until then history was something I read about in textbooks or that I watched, dramaticized in movies. But in professor Beonhart’s class history came alive! He would transport us from the classroom, into a small town in Germany where he grew up, or into communist Europe during the Cold War. He would tell stories that allowed us, if only for a single class at a time, to enter into an era so different than own… One where a little boy in war-torn Europe saw things that we in the Western world could never imagine in our daily upbringing; Or where a Cold War polarized countries, but delegates could look each other in the eyes and see mirrors of themselves, separated only by place of birth.

I remember one particular story of professor Beonnart as a boy, in which he and his parents were fleeing their town in a long procession of townspeople after a particularly devastating bombing. Hungry and tired he marched in precession with others heading out of the city. Then, an enemy plane approached and lined itself up with the path of fleeing people, opening fire as it approached. He didn’t speak of the fear, or the panic. He didn’t lament on the attack of civilians by a cruel pilot…

Rather he spoke of a lady and her small pig.

With the townspeople departing on foot, they all caried their most valuable possessions. This elderly lady had a piglet in her arms. She was struck by a bullet, or perhaps some shrapnal, and what professor Boenhart shared with us was how, even before this poor old lady’s body fell still upon the earth, hungry townspeople were already chasing after the piglet, fallen from the lady’s now lifeless hands.

“You can not blame them,” he said, pausing, reflecting, and looking out at his students though likely not seeing us… “Like me, they were all so very hungry”.

As often happened after Boenhart’s class was over, I looked down at just 3 or 4 lines of notes I had taken. Seldom did I get more, for I was lost in stories of the past, brought to life by professor Boenhart. I remember that story in particular because I had a large gap in my day after that class and I headed back to my dorm… though somehow I didn’t end up there. I ended up passing the doors I so often entered and instead went to the arbaritum behind the residences. I walked alone in a beautiful setting, but do not remember seeing anything, so lost in thought I was. What would I have felt? How would I have reacted? Would I have gone chasing after the pig?

This story was told to me over 25 years ago. Until now, I’m not sure if I’ve shared it before? Yet there it is in the recesses of my memory, a simple story that lingered, and perhaps helped to shape me, even if in subtle, unmeasurable ways.

There is power in the oral tradition of storytelling. Yesterday I went to a Roy Henry Vickers book launch for Raven Brings the Light. It’s a 3,000 year old story. Roy was asked to read from it… That lasted for about 4 sentences before the printed words were ignored and the story came to life.

Here is another story that has ‘moved’ me. Afterwards I’ll share some thoughts on storytelling. I’m purposefully avoiding looking up the art of storytelling and am just sharing my thoughts on the craft, as such, please feel free to provide your insights as well.

Some Ingredients in the Craft of Storytelling

Purpose or Meaning – Be it to share laughter, joy, or to deliver a lesson, the journey needs an ending that satisfies a simple question: Why was this story told?

Cantor – This vairies considerably, with some storytellers streaming ideas like periodless poems, while others can captivatingly hold a pause much longer than would normally be comfortable in a conversation. There isn’t so much a ‘right’ cantor as much as a practiced art of delivery.

Weaving – ‘Seamlessly’ connecting what would otherwise be unconnected ideas. Touching upon subtle points or thoughts that seem unnecessary right up until they are relevant. Foreshadowing is a well used form of this, but not the only form. Like a weaver would return to the use of a previous pattern or colour, or in my attempt right now to return to the very metaphor I used to describe this section.

Relevance – Sometimes ‘the devil is in the details’, and going into minute details or overly descriptive information adds value to the story. Other times the details are just a distraction. Does the story need a detailed setting, or can the setting be minimalist? Also, digression into side-stories can distract from purpose, or can be cleverly relevant if the side-story is meaningfully weaved into the stitching of the story’s purpose.

Serendiptiy – happenstance connections, chance meetings, accidental or incidental luck. This can produce the ‘problem’ or the reason for the story, or it can help with the solution. I read somewhere that in creating a story, it is ok to let chance get the protagonist into trouble, but chance as a way out of trouble is cheating. That may be true for a murder mystery, or an action film, but I don’t think that applies in telling true stories

Authenticity – Delivery of a story, (enthusiasm, tone, emphasis, pitch, expression, humour, etc.), can excite an audience or turn an audience off. I’ve heard incredible stories that lost credibility and authenticity not because of what was said, but rather how it was said. I’ve also sat riveted to the words of a simple story well told.

The Teachings of Roy Henry Vickers

2013-04-04T14:05:25Z

Roy Henry Vickers (Tlakwagila Copperman) – Artist Biography, LinkedIn, @RHVickers

—–

Roy at Titia & Servaas’ Wedding

It was the morning after Titia and Servaas’ wedding and I was flying home from Smithers, BC to Vancouver later that afternoon. The newlyweds were at the hotel (with two cars), helping other guests get to the airport for their respective flights. Titia said, “Dave, you have to spend some time with Roy. Here are my car keys. Go visit him, and when you have to leave for your flight, just park my car in the airport parking lot and go.” Servaas drew me a detailed map to Roy’s home.

I’ve been a fan of Roy Henry Vickers artwork for years, (which I share at the start of the second podcast below), but I must admit that I didn’t know what an incredible teacher, healer, visionary and leader he was. Those attributes are chosen very specifically as you will soon see, or rather hear.

I asked permission to record some of our conversations and just recently I broke the conversation up into three podcasts that I’m sharing below. If you are in the Vancouver area this weekend, you can meet Roy at a free public art show and book launch on Saturday, which includes a storytelling session.

Here are each of the 3 podcasts, with descriptions of each of them. I hope you take the time to learn from Roy. I’ve listened to these talks several times and each time I get something more out of the conversation.

As an educator, I wonder what we do to foster the ‘four directions’ in each of our students? What do we do to connect students to their emotions, and the gifts that these emotions give us? What do we do to give students a spiritual grounding? (I use spirituality independently from religion). And finally, how can we embed storytelling more meaningfully into our classrooms? Listen to the podcasts and I think these questions will be very relevant!

—–

Roy Henry Vickers Part 1 – Four Directions of the Sweat Lodge

Podcast page: Podcast player | Download (Duration: 26:08 — 12.0MB)

Description: Artist, Elder, Teacher, Healer, Visionary and Leader, Roy Henry Vickers sits down with me in his beautiful home and shares the Four Directions of the Sweat Lodge. The influence of teachers in his life is a key theme in this talk. Each of these directions are present in those that influence our lives in meaningful ways and they are within us… We can learn a lot by identifying with each direction.

Show Notes:

The four directions of the sweat lodge:

East – The way of the Teacher. (A child open to learning.)

South – The way of the Healer. (Mother Earth, “The woman who I am”, femininity.)

West – The way of the Visionary. (Voice of Man – Where and how you should be.)

North – The way of the Leader. (The elder, the warrior – Strength, Truth & Beauty.)

—–

Roy Henry Vickers Part 2 – The Seven Emotions and Their Gifts

Podcast page: Podcast player | Download (Duration: 25:55 — 11.9MB)

Description: Roy Henry Vickers shares the 7 emotions and the gifts that each one of them can give to us. Each gift is there for us, if we are living a life in which we are seeking the gifts… not being perfect, but doing the best we can on a continuous learning journey.

Show notes:

The 7 Emotions and Their Gifts:

The gift of FEAR is WISDOM. (You can not intellectually acquire wisdom.)

The gift of LONELINESS is REACHING OUT.

The gift of ANGER is STRENGTH.

The gift of GUILT is MAKING AMENDS.

The gift of SHAME is SPIRITUALITY. (There is a God, and I’m not perfect.)

The gift of PAIN is HEALING.

The gift of JOY is HEALING.

—–

Roy Henry Vickers Part 3 – Spiritual Rudder and Storytelling

Podcast page: Podcast player | Download (Duration: 24:25 — 11.2MB)

Description: Roy shares how being spiritually fulfilled can fill the void that transforms abstinence to sobriety. Having a spiritual rudder permits you to accept yourself, and allows you to live with integrity. Then we move on to storytelling and Roy shares stories from Chief Dan George and his 2 and a half year old son. We finish by talking about teaching with spirit and emotion.

Show Notes:

Avatar, the movie.

Chief Dan George.

Andrea Vickers, (helps Roy share Wakas’ story).

The Raven Brings The Light (Book), The Making of a Roy Henry Vickers Print (Trailer)

Roy Henry Vickers

Thanks to Roy for inviting me into his home, sharing his time and wisdom with me, and allowing me to share these recordings with you. It truly was an honour and a privilege to spend this time with such a kind and wonderful teacher, and now friend.

___________________________________

My 7th Blogiversary

2013-04-02T03:18:31Z

I write for me, I share with you, and the world seems a little smaller.

Just like last year, here is my blog’s year in review: The posts I’ve written and a quote from each. I hope that you will find something that appeals to you. (Mouse-over the post title links to find out a bit more about each post.)

If you have subscribed to, commented on, linked to, or simply taken the time to read my blog… I say a heartfelt

Thank you!

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5 under-watched TEDxEDU videos

…I think some real gems are being missed. Here are 5 Educational TEDx Videos that I think deserve to be paid attention to:

Kim Cofino: Mobile, Connected, Collaborative [Watch on YouTube]
Diana Laufenberg: How to learn? From mistakes [Watch on YouTube]
Kiran Bir Sethi teaches kids to take charge [Watch on YouTube]
Chris Kennedy – Students Live! Real-world Learning at the 2010 Olympic/Paralympic Games [Watch on YouTube]
Dan Meyer – Math Curriculum Makeover [Watch on YouTube]

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BYOL vs BYOD

I have an admitted bias here: I think a keyboard is still an essential tool in school. If you want to build inequity then have students try writing, for any extended period of time, on a phone -vs- on an iPad -vs- on a laptop. Essentially laptops, compared to phones or iPads, are a superior product for construction and creation of content rather than just consumption of content. This may change, but not soon enough. Looking ahead, I see student/family owned laptops as the best route to go. Here are some key points to consider:

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Connect Ed Canada

Kristen very eloquently told us about how teachers are more like guides, and that the questions come from students, and how they don’t do work sheets. Throughout the tour it became evident that the work she shared was a product of her own exploration and interests. Julie too, shared incredible enthusiasm and interest in providing us with a detailed and comprehensive tour of this amazing school… but what shined through more than anything was that this was a place these students were proud of, and one that they helped to create.

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Inquiry Resources from CSS and the ConnectedEd Canada Conference

Here is the recipe for those who want to plan a conference:

1. Run the first day in a great school, with classes in session and with student tour guides.

2. Invite presenters who want to have a conversation rather than do a presentation.

3. Provide ample time between sessions for conversations to continue.

4. Make digital conversations/social media conversations the expectation and the norm.

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Blurred Identity Lines

*My principle, Stephen Whiffin, often refers to the “Blurring of lines between living and learning,” and it is from this quote that the title of this post comes from. If I were to sum this post up on Twitter I’d say, (in 140 characters), “Although we share different things in different places, we are who we are, and slowly our online identity is becoming a fabric of our being.”

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Still sold on Laptops over iPads

I know that I’ve already expressed this view in my BYOL vs BYOD post, but here are two more reasons why I think laptops are the better way to go… I find that I’m using my iPad more and more, but for consuming information, not creating it. Reason (1) comes from a student, while reason (2) is a strictly personal experience…

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Personalization and Responsibility

In The Global Transformation in Education (Updated) Mark Treadwell discusses the ‘perfect storm’ in education which includes the intersection of 3 storms:

1. The arrival of new technologies, and a shift to the internet.

2. A better understanding of how the brain learns.

3. “The ability of young people to build their own creativity; to learn, to be able to research, the inquiry process, action learning, to actually be able to do their own learning and build understanding, and take that understanding and be creative with it.”

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Standards and Standardization

This image was inspired by Janet Abercrombie’s post Are We Confusing Standards with Standardization?

Specifically the section: Clarification 3

If we agree that instructional standardization is unnecessary, we can maintain creativity and passion in a standards-based classroom.

But we need to make a few paradigm shifts.

Specifically…

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Pushing and Nudging with Andy Hargreaves

I love how Andy Hargreaves always makes me think! See: The Fourth Way: The Inspiring Future for Educational Change

Here are some great quotes, via my notes and Twitter conversations from our school district’s morning with Andy:

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Digital Literacy, toothpaste and the Inquiry Hub

In February I got to help write a course called Applications of Digital Literacy. As Jill, from Staff development, and I sat down to get things started, we discussed the fact that really we were developing a course that would hopefully be redundant in 5 years… because students by then would be coming out of Middle School with all of the necessary skills already. For now, I think this is a very valuable course and one essential for students at the new Inquiry Hub.

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7 Ways to Transform Your Classroom

How will you (continue to) transform your classroom into an

inquiry-driven, collaborative, and engaging learning environment?

7 Ways to Transform Your Classroom from David Truss

(Link to the Blackboard Collaborate recording, and also to the Classroom 2.0 Live! Webinar show page.)

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Podcasting Pair-a-Dimes 1 – With Wes Fryer at Unplugd12

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 23:20 — 11.5MB)

Wes shares some great podcasting tools, then we discuss digital media and digital design, badges, and creating those ‘Ah-ha’ moments in classrooms out of the interaction and creation of openly shared content.

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Podcasting Pair-a-Dimes 2 – With George Couros

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 22:22 — 21.3MB)

We talked about leading and learning ‘out in the open’. We discuss harnessing Twitter, reflecting and learning on blogs, taking risks, and taking advantage of ‘the wisdom in the room’.

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Leadership and Management

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

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Classes of Donkeys

I read an article in Mind/Shift recently that really bothered me. It was the title that drew me in: “What Works in Tech Tools: Spotlight on ClassDojo“. I had already seen that ClassDojo was a behaviour management tool and thought, ‘Really? This is a tech tool that works?’

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Challenging the status quo

Educational bloggers blogging about things that need to be changed… This isn’t a post to read from start to finish. Instead, pick a topic that may challenge the status quo in your school or district and dig in. Read, tweet, share, write your own post, comment… it is fodder for YOU to challenge the status quo!

Here are the TOPICS discussed…

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Learning about Learning

In Visible Learning John Hattie basically says that almost everything we do in our efforts to help students in schools has a positive effect on students. However, much of what we do actually isn’t terribly effective… despite our beliefs in these practices.

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Care or Fear

I’ve seen a number of blog posts where educators are suggesting the topic of “Am I safe?” and “Could this happen here?” after the school shooting. That bothers me. I’m willing to bet that hundreds of thousands of students that might have felt safe in their school, and would not have questioned their own safety, will now think of that question and perhaps be more frightened than if that question did not get discussed.

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New Perspective

I’m still thinking (like many of you) about the year ahead and what it will bring… Or more importantly, what I will make of it! Starting in November of 2011, when I was creating my K12Online ‘Transforming Education‘ video presentation, followed by my ‘Let’s Transform Education‘ conversation starter in early 2012, I’ve been trying to focus on the idea that education is not broken! I think that if we want to create an innovative and exciting future, we can’t do it from a perspective that things need repairing or fixing.

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A new tragedy of the commons

Indeed we have a new, social-emotional, tragedy of the commons. Despite our understanding that perpetuating the onslaught of negative news is, ‘contrary to [our] long-term best interests’, we still do it. And social media isn’t making things any better. We used to be able to blame the media monopolies and moguls, but now we are the news-makers: We publish freely, and quickly and without thought as to how we are part of the problem.

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Applications of Digital Literacy

Applications of Digital Literacy is a course that I helped create for the Inquiry Hub. It is one of two courses principal Stephen Whiffin and I decided to develop as local board approved courses*, the other course is Foundations of Inquiry. Stephen humourously calls these ‘mandatory electives’ since we decided that these would be requisite courses for anyone coming to the Inquiry Hub.

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Inquiry Hub – Rethink Learning

Inquiry Hub – Rethink Learning from David Truss

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Pick ONE

This is what my presentation entailed:

A 3 Minute Conversation Starter
7 Ways to Transform Your Classroom
A chance to contribute to a 7 Ways Google Document. (The document is open, feel free to add to it.)
The student-presented slides from the ‘Inquiry Hub – Rethink Learning‘ Information Session that we had presented the day before. (Slides 27-46, skipping over a few slides)
A video of some students talking about their inquiries, related to a grant that one student applied for and spoke about in the Information Session slides.

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Badges, Gaming, and Digital Media

I’m very interested in using gaming strategies in education and I’m also interested in providing students with opportunities to both learn at their own pace, and also to represent how they have met criteria or learning outcomes in ways that students want to, rather than ways dictated by teachers.

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What is your true story of connectedness?

This actually happened “Five years and a few days ago”, (not 6 like I say in the video). And I got my answer in 8 minutes, not 12… But other than those minor errors, here is my ‘True Story of Connectedness‘:

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Still the same conversation

If we are asking the question “Do we need to change?” then we are not yet changing and adapting to the conditions that made us ask the question. It is a paradigm shift to move beyond the question of need, recognize necessity, and act in a proactive rather than reactive way.

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Disruptive Forces

Sean continued the thought, “To be disruptive it must transform the model. Really hasn’t happened for 100yrs – which is surprising. There needs to be a full scale re-imaging of ed practice.” @backcountrynut

To which I said, “It is happening NOW. 3 disruptive forces: 1. Google, 2. Wireless, 3. BYOD.”

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The Lone Wolf and the Unplug’d Conference Letters

Dear Lone Wolf,

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Why Blog?

Why blog? from David Truss

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Data Driven Decisions in BC

What I will do is share my thoughts as they relate to open data and the principles of Open Government shared by the Ministry of Education: Collaboration, Transparency, and Participation.

These thoughts are my own, but many smart people in the room influenced my thinking… That’s my way of saying, “These are my take-always from the meeting, but not necessarily what was discussed. I took no notes, and I wore many hats: parent, teacher, administrator, tax-payer, critic, and learner.

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That’s a year of posts! I hope that you have or that you will find something valuable to your own learning, and as always, I welcome your feedback.

Think good thoughts, say good words, do good deeds.

Data Driven Decisions in BC

2013-03-29T19:14:26Z

With special thanks to Assistant Deputy Minister Paige MacFarlane, I had an opportunity to spend an afternoon a few weeks ago in a working session on Open Government.

Vision ~ The Ministry of Education (MEd) will adopt an approach that demonstrates the Open Government principles of Transparency, Collaboration and Participation that supports the ministry’s core work of personalized learning.

Goal ~ Develop and implement a strategic plan for moving forward with the open government approach that incorporates open data, citizen engagement and an enhanced user-centric web presence.

What I won’t do is try to encapsulate what was discussed… I’m sure that will become available to all that are interested. What I will do is share my thoughts as they relate to open data and the principles of Open Government shared by the Ministry of Education: Collaboration, Transparency, and Participation.

Collaboration: In all my time as an educator, I’ve been frustrated by the adversarial nature of the teacher/government relationship. It’s a dysfunctional divorce of educational guardians, and all of our kids suffer. Here is the data by-product of this: Fraser Institute School Rankings. Here is my scathing opinion of what they do, (by the way I don’t think anyone in the working session liked what the Fraser Institute does with this data). As more and more data becomes digital, and easily shareable, we need to work together to decide two very important things:

1. What data is worth collecting? The fact is that even if the Fraser Institute stopped ranking schools tomorrow, the data they use is available. Not much else is, (besides Satisfaction Surveys). Let’s ask some good, helpful questions and start collecting data that is useful. What kinds of data can inform us as students, parents, teachers, administrators, government employees, and taxpayers? How best can we mine the data that will serve to inform our practice?

2. How can we meaningfully use this data to inform our practice? I loved a story told by David Eaves. He told us about an app that helps people find bicycle racks nearby when they want to park their bikes. However, the really useful information the app gathers is the location of the bicycle users when they use the app in search of a nearby bike rack… Their collective requests inform the community as to the location in which future bicycle racks should be placed.

First, collect good, useful data. Then use the data in ways that help us serve students and families better. A mutual agreement to make decisions around these two points will help everyone, even if other contentious issues can’t be mediated in the near future.

Participation: We talk often of parent engagement, but for most parents engagement means 3 report cards, one short parent meeting, and perhaps a student led conference. The direction of information primarily goes one way. What else do parents want to know? What do we wish they knew? What can we share on a continuous and ongoing basis? How can we engage more meaningfully with parents and our community? Also, how can we start to get educators interested in participating in meaningful data gathering?

Transparency: By the nature of classrooms sharing learning more openly, information about what is happening in classrooms, and classroom teaching, are becoming more transparent. In my opinion, this is a great thing. Sharing thoughts about my practice on my blog have made me a better educator. Even when I question myself, or notice things I could have done better, feedback has been really positive. Educators learning in a transparent way are an incredible way to model life-long learning… sharing the value of learning from mistakes and improving as we learn, which is often hard to impress on students. Transparency is also valuable from school leaders and from the government. The incredible ability to publish, link, share and interact online has made transparency easy. How to we harness this to get more meaningful participation and collaboration both in and for our schools?

___

I’ve written a lot of questions here. Many of them can not be answered by any one level or interest group in education. What is required is conversation across all levels, conversations with government officials, educational leaders, school-based educators, parents and community members. I’m not sure if the current climate in BC will allow that to happen in any meaningful way, and that’s really a shame. In an era of transparency where data is easily collected, and as we have seen easily manipulated too, we really have two choices: 1. Allow others, like the Fraser Institute to use data to drive their own biased mandate; Or 2. Work together, collaborate and participate in an effort to start collecting meaningful data so that we can help determine what we value and what data drives our educational direction.

Let’s work together, for the sake of our students, to collect data that informs our practice and helps us make BC education a model for preparing our students to be leaders in an amazingly transparent, collaborative, and participatory world. Let’s drive the data that drives our decisions, rather than letting the existing data be used to undermine public education.

Why Blog?

2013-03-08T11:09:48Z

What is the value to me?
What are some of the challenges?
Where do I get inspiration from?
How do I make it easier for myself?

Yesterday I had the honour to present to my peers at one of our dinner meetings. I shared the presentation below:

Why Blog?

Why blog? from David Truss

As I approach my 7th year as a blogger, I can truly say that blogging has transformed me as an educator and a learner. It is the best, ongoing professional development that I could ever ask for, and it is there whenever I need it.

How can you use a blog to enhance your learning?

The Lone Wolf and the Unplug’d Conference Letters

2013-03-02T03:25:14Z

Last summer I went to a rather unique conference. Unplug’d is an experience unto itself… a bunch of edtech types heading out to a lodge on the edge of Algonquin Park, and just out of range of cell service… truly unplugged! Before going to the conference, we were asked to write a letter to anyone we wanted, related to education. I wrote mine to a couple of lone wolves that had touched me with their stories of frustration.

Here are the letters that we wrote, edited by our peers. Here is my edited letter. And below you’ll find the full (unedited) version of the letter. I want to share this version too because it is one of the few times recently that I’ve written something that just flowed from my fingers, seemingly without much thought, yet for me quite mindful.

Read some of the other letters too. (Just click on a person to see their peer edited letters.)

Photo: Vast by Jeff Delp (@azjd on Instagram)

Dear Lone Wolf,

It seems odd to speak of lone wolves to you, a person that is so intricately… connected. And yet, as you read on, you will relate to the loneliness that I describe, that I too have shared. Sometimes it is surprisingly easy to ignore. Other times it seems as though you are truly the lone wolf. You can hear the distant cries of other wolves through the night air, but your days are spent in solitude. Alone.
It is a geographical solitude that can disappear in seconds via a distant, digital connection… and return moments later when, within a local context you are faced by those who:

…challenge your philosophical approach,

…question your different perspectives,

…disregard your passion,

…constrain your openness,

…contradict your principles,

…ignore your offers to share.

The loneliness manifests in different ways, we are unique and our contexts are so different. Yet the loneliness remains a commonly understood experience. It seeps into our being and makes us waiver, and question: Why am I so misunderstood? Why are the challenges so big? Why aren’t things moving faster? Why are so many barriers still being put up? Why is it so hard? Why… must… I… do… this… alone?

Am I speaking to YOU yet? Have you felt like the lone wolf? If the answer is ‘no’, then you need only read the next sentence, for the rest of this letter is not for you, and if the answer is yes, then I do hope you read on, for hope is what I wish to share.

“Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.” ~Barack Obama

And so now, if you are still reading this, I am speaking only to you. I have written this letter for you. And I’ll start by telling you one important message that my good friend Angela likes to share: YOU MATTER! It’s true. You really do. More than you know! Margaret Mead said, “A small group of thoughtful people could change the world. Indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.” You are part of that small group. And as the word ‘group’ infers, you are not alone.

I’ve been where you are now, or hopefully like me, where you have been. I’ll prove it to you. Go ahead and check off the following experiences if you can relate to them. Please do note that I’m switching these statements from the third person ‘you’ to the first person ‘I’, because many of these, though perhaps not all, will indeed be something to which you can probably say, “I can totally relate”:

”I’ve been deemed an evangelical preacher of web2.0 tools.”
“I know more about some teachers in other countries, and their teaching practice, than I know about the teacher down the hall.”
“I’ve been accused of being a self-promoter in my efforts to share.”
“I do things that other people talk about, adding “finger quotes” to their statements; you know that “blogging” and “tweeting” stuff.
“I’ve either heard ‘Where do you find the time?’ or ‘I really don’t have time for this extra stuff’ more times than I can count.
“I have watched others come from ‘the outside’ to share my same message, and it seems they are heard, whereas I am not.”

I’m sure you could add to the list. I’m sure that if you did, there would be many a lone wolf that could relate. How is it that so many that feel alone, can share such common experiences? It comes back to geography. While we live in an incredibly connected world, where ideas can ‘trend’ and spread in reformatted zeros and ones, from a fingertip on a keyboard to a screen across the globe, we will still wake up tomorrow at the same latitude and longitude as we did today. We still find ourselves in structures, and schedules, and schools that have not fully embraced the connected world that exists outside of dated educational paradigms.

But here is a wonderful little secret that I want to share with you. I share it with much excitement and a little caution. It may not seem like it is reaching you, but it is… it’s closer than you think. It approaches you both digitally and geographically. Are you ready? Here it is: Things are getting better! Really! It took me more than five years to see it, but I see it and I need to share that with you. Do you know what else? It is a really exciting time to be an educator! There is a transformation happening and it is happening at an exponential rate. What that means is that even if you are reading this and thinking ‘Dave, you silly little optimist, you haven’t had to deal with what I’m facing’, well even then, the transformation is closer than you think. That’s why I share this with a little caution, because I fear that I may lose you with my optimism. Do not treat this message the way you have been treated by others. Hear it. Believe it. You may not be seeing it yet, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t close, and inevitable.

Things are indeed getting better! I have spoken for years about ‘pockets of brilliance’ that I have seen. Isolated, lone wolves, who have aspired and inspired because they perspired and desired to do something that went against all odds of success. Lone wolves that could have done more, had they had a local support system, a community of learners to bounce ideas off of and to share the burden of innovation with. And now I see it… I see enough of these ‘pockets of brilliance’ that are coming together, and through a combination of connectivity and serendipity they are spreading. Where I would have seen a lone wolf, a lone educator working in isolation, before, I now see a teaching team, and I even see a whole school working together. Where I’ve seen policies filled with ‘Thou shalt not…’, I now see, ‘We believe…’. Where I’ve seen my network grow primarily in distant lands, I now see local, digitally connected communities. Where I’ve nearly pulled my hair out in frustration at the slow pace of change, I now see educational leaders not just helping me, but pointing the way and guiding me. I have local mentors and supporters. I have people seeking guidance, listening to me, and thankfully pushing back… I’m engaged in learning dialogs… locally. I don’t know if I joined a pack, or the pack joined me, but it is a lot less lonely now.

Look carefully and you will see the transformation happening. Look to your local community and seek out those who are also seeking others to work with. We need to be cognizant of the person across the hall, or in a neighbouring school, and know that some of them are looking for us, for a local connection who ‘gets’ what is happening. We also need to continue to share what we are doing online and ‘out loud’. Not everyone has a vision of education rooted in empowering teachers and students. There are some that think technology is an ‘answer’ to what ails the old models and paradigms; Some who believe that we can replace teachers with class monitors, and computer monitors as well as test markers and digital marking. We need for the transformation we seek to be shared openly, and articulately, so that good pedagogy is explicitly analyzed, questioned reflectively, and improved upon by a community of learners. We can not do that as lone wolves.

And so in conclusion, I ask that you change the very metaphor I have shared with you. I do not ask you to abandon the lone wolves that you see, but only to shift your perception of yourself as a lone wolf. It is time for your very own transformation. It is time to leave the solitude and… take flight! It is time to become a bird that soars free of the constraints of geography. Take flight and share in the great heights with others. But do not lose sight of your nest. Nurture those around you and help them fly too. There are enough who want to spread their wings that you need not be burdened by those who are grounded, wingless.

“A bird doesn’t sing because it has an answer, it sings because it has a song.” ~Maya Angelou

I invite you to sing your song, and know that it fits within a greater melody. And take flight, knowing that others will join you. Like Canadian Geese that take turns leading the flock, there will be times when you must take the lead and the brunt of the resistance that you face. But others will take the lead when you are weary, and if you need to rest, you will not be left alone. You will not be left alone.

Sing because you have a song.
Soar because you have wings.
Share because you know that you must.
Seek others like you, because like you, they need to know they are not alone.
Shine because I know you can!

Disruptive Forces

2013-02-25T15:46:30Z

I found myself in an interesting Twitter discussion with @backcountrynut – Sean Beaton, @adlcprojects – Jason Wiks, @laurelbeaton – Laurel Beaton, and @web20classroom – Steve W. Anderson, a few days back.

In this conversation Jason said, “I think that the last disruption in ed was from elite ed to mass ed in the 1900′s” @adlcprojects

To which I said, “It is happening NOW. 3 disruptive forces: 1. Google, 2. Wireless, 3. BYOD.” @datruss

And then I added, “…Not necessarily BYOD, more so mobile/tablet/laptop ubiquitous access.” @datruss

I’d say the writing is on the wall, but all the walls have been torn down. We don’t need to wait anymore, the disruptive forces have arrived:

To not use Google is like choosing to use a horse and cart on the information highway.

To not use Wireless is like choosing to use a boat to deliver a trans-continental phone message.

To not use your own devices is like choosing to walk across gravel barefoot while holding your shoes.

We have disruptive forces within our reach and it is exciting to speculate just how far we can go… If we accept that these forces transformative, and use them as such!

Think of all the other truly disruptive forces that are here, NOW. What are they and how are they helping to truly transform education?

Still the same conversation

2013-02-16T22:55:09Z

We can keep having the same conversation over and over again… But wouldn't it be effective if we moved on to some other questions like:

Where can I start?

Where can I find others like me that are struggling to change?

Who can I find as a mentor?

What's next? How do we get there?

What really is effective?

What other questions will move us forward?

When we finally have some better questions, we can get past questions we've been asking since before the Bronze Age.

What is your true story of connectedness?

2013-02-09T21:02:54Z

Why did I make a video to tell this story when it was already shared on my blog, (see My Network in Action Part 2: Seeking Help)? I shared it for my good friend Alan Levine (@cogdog on Twitter).

From Alan:
“I’m putting together a new collection of (What were Formerly Known As) Amazing Stories of Open Sharing, can you help out? All I need is a quick, informal video of you telling of a time when you shared something openly online and how that led to an un-expected positive outcome. Stories of connection, serendipity, etc (see past ones http://cogdogblog.com/stuff/truestories13/)

My plea http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MB7eAGS5_0U

You can do a YouTube reply or send a link via http://bit.ly/truestories13

I bet you can do this in less than five minutes. Can you spare that and help? Or ask someone else? These are really powerful when shared with people new to the idea of open sharing.

Eternal gratitude.”

After sharing my story, Shawn White shared his, and admitted that this video was, “@swpax: … a comfort zone push for me. ”

True confession: my video took a bit more than 5 minutes to make, but my first couple attempts were flubbed and then ferry announcements interrupted the next 4 attempts! (I’m glad I deleted the video when the 4th interruption happened… I was less than polite). Still, all-in I was done in about 20 min. It wasn’t hard to do.

No, you probably don’t like seeing yourself on video, and no you probably won’t be happy with your delivery, (only because you are either a bit self conscious or too hard on yourself). But like Shawn, stretch yourself a little and put yourself out there! Help Alan and help educators new to connected learning… Share your Amazing (True) Story of Connectedness…

Then link to your video in the comments here after sharing with Alan, I’d love to see it!