THE reason to keep the arts in our schools

Watch and listen … no really watch …

Now that’s engagement … one of the many reasons to make sure our students have opportunities to express  themselves … and … opportunities for creativity.

Anyone can teach …

I was channel surfing the other day when I heard John McCain talking about his views on education:
We should also offer more choices to those who wish to become teachers. Many thousands of highly qualified men and women have great knowledge, wisdom, and experience to offer public school students. But a monopoly on teacher certification [...]

Joyce Valenza and the Super Heroes at BLC

Joyce Valenza just posted her man/woman-on-the-street … actually at the Building Learning Communities conference … interviews. She asked folks “Which super power would be most useful in your classroom?”
Here’s the video: http://tinyurl.com/5nxnup
I noticed a few themes – here are some of my thoughts – add yours too.
There was an overall dominance by the idea of [...]

Pink, Gelb, and Bolte-Taylor

I have recently finished Daniel Pink’s A Whole New Mind and am still reading through Gelb’s How to Think Like Leonardo da Vinci. There are many commonalities between the two – especially concerning the right brain. Jill Bolte-Taylor provides a visualization of the workings of our right brain as she describes her experience during a [...]

Are you a da Vinci?

I’m reading this book right now and am both surprised and challenged by the first couple of chapters. Gelb has identified seven da Vinci principles:

an insatiable curiosity and quest for continuous learning
a willingness to learn from mistakes as we test our knowledge
a refinement of our senses
a willingness to embrace ambiguity, paradox, and uncertainty
the development of [...]

Tell Me What to Do

Richard Dreyfuss, that’s right, the actor, has several things to say in this video that are worth pondering. This is from the HBO show Real Time with Bill Maher. Have a listen:

Along with his emphasis on the need for involvement and the need to maintain our democracy by teaching our students [...]

The Wonder of Almost-Teachers

I recently was given podcast gifts from my undergraduate/preservice teachers – those students who are completing their coursework leading to a teaching certificate. I’m calling them gifts because it was so special to hear what they are planning on doing in their classrooms.
The assignment was to complete a teaching styles survey (see http://longleaf.net/teachingstyle.html) and a [...]

The flattening effect

Many people around the world are talking about the flattening of the world effect that is occurring due to the speed and increased capabilities to connect with one another. I want to talk about a different flattening effect – this one is in relation to the diffusion of an innovation, Roger’s approach to the adoption [...]

I want you to meet Charlie

Yes, I have someone I want you to meet: Charlie.

So go to http://www.slideshare.net/slgavin/meet-charlie-what-is-enterprise20 and then come back.
Ok, now I’m trusting that you’ve really met Charlie … you haven’t, you just want to see what else I’m going to say. No, come on, click on the link and come back.
What did you think? What terms were [...]

WOW 2.0 Tonight – postponed

Although this webcast has been postponed, I’ll keep the post up. Look for this session on a future Tuesday night WOW2.0.
I was just Skyped by Sharon Peters – I will be joining her and Vince Jansen tonight to talk about professional development on Women of Web 2.0 – here’s the URL for the webcast: [...]