I want to share the story of a remarkable young women who I had the pleasure to know back in my teaching days in Jordan. Luma Mufleh was full of optimism during her high school days. If memory serves correctly she was instrumental in a fund raising effort selling Peace in Our Times sweatshirts. Those were heady days as the Berlin wall fell, the Soviet Union transformed and an ambassador from Israel arrived in Jordan. The hope, optimism and compassion…
I usually to do not write about personal events but this one seemed relevant to share. Yesterday I attended the memorial service, with my children, for John Stewart. He was my son’s homeroom and central subject teacher. My daughter was his student a few years back. A series of Facebook pages and a former student’s blog post may give you a glimpse in the impact this man had on his students. There were so many who came to honor this…
A few posts back I wrote about students vs learners and questioning. A conversation with some teens about their report cards a couple of days ago pulled it all together. One student received the comment “Does not answer questions.” The teen replied, “I answer questions, just not the right ones.” He then went on to talk about all the things he was reading, and the projects he was working on, none of them school related. A prime example of a…
I have been following a few conversations recently that have focused on the negative aspects of technology and it disturbs me. The belief is that technology causes people to be withdrawn, anti-social and isolated. That technology gives people the freedom to bully, lash out, and lie therefore more of that behavior occurs. This is glass half empty thinking. Technology can be enriching, allowing communication and collaboration where it was not possible before. It can be perceived as isolating when we…
Nominations for the 2010 Edublog Awards are open. It is chance to recognize the time, effort and contributions made by those we learn from and with. I am taking the opportunity to recognize some of the people and communities that have made an impact on my learning and thinking and have challenged me to be a better educator. There are variety a categories, for the full list see the Edublog Awards homepage. I have spent the better part of the…
I took an impromptu road trip to Salem MA yesterday to check out the Halloween happenings. We had a great time. I brought along my VirginMobil mifi, so my daughter could complete her homework on the 5 hr round trip drive. I brought my iPad along for the day. We had a great time people watching with everyone in their Halloween best. We spent a good deal of the time walking around discussing the history of Salem, the witch trials,…
I have been thinking a lot lately about what makes a good student as compared to a good learner. Are they the same? Can they be the same? Are they inherently different? From personal experience I was a leaner but not a great student, in middle school and high school. I gave it my all in the classes I loved and read about those topics outside of school. I learned more then was expected or explained in class. I still…