tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-84708360961229835622024-03-12T21:57:03.196-07:00education evangelistAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08605365373394352506noreply@blogger.comBlogger16125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8470836096122983562.post-22752946787410622482015-07-24T14:13:00.000-07:002015-07-24T14:13:31.970-07:00My Speech for FLOTUS' “Beat the Odds” Summit at the White House July 23, 2015<div class="normal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: -63.0pt; margin-right: -67.5pt; margin-top: 0in;">
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<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Open Sans';"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“World can't hold me, too much ambition always
knew it’d be like this when I was in the kitchen…” – Jay Z</span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="normal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It is such an honor for
me to be here today.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="normal">
<br /></div>
<div class="normal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I want to thank the First
Lady for giving me this opportunity to share my story with you. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The dedication and commitment the First Lady
has for education is inspiring.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="normal">
<br /></div>
<div class="normal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The programs she and the
President have launched for students, especially for our most vulnerable
students, are helping millions of children across the country and the world get
the education they need to thrive in the 21<sup>st</sup> Century.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="normal">
<br /></div>
<div class="normal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Their resoluteness to the
entire educational pipeline demonstrates their belief in education as the most
important investment we can make in America.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="normal">
<br /></div>
<div class="normal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As the President has said
many times, “If we want America to lead in the 21<sup>st</sup> Century, nothing
is more important than giving everyone the best education possible.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="normal">
<br /></div>
<div class="normal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I want to also like to
thank Eric Waldo and the Reach Higher Team for inviting me to participate today
and for all the work they do to help our students dream big and reach
higher.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Their work is critical to our
students and their future, a future we know demands more than just a high
school diploma.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="normal">
<br /></div>
<div class="normal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I am the Chief Education
Evangelist at Google.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I work with an
amazing group of Googlers (that’s what we call ourselves) focused on using
technology and the web as an enabling and supporting capability for educators as
they empower students to be lifelong learners.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="normal">
<br /></div>
<div class="normal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I believe deeply in
education because in my heart I know it has the power to disrupt poverty and to
change the destiny of a family in just one generation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="normal">
<br /></div>
<div class="normal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I am a first generation American.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was born in New York to a single mother who
came to America from Argentina like millions before her escaping unstable
governments and dictators.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was raised
on welfare and food stamps in Hell’s Kitchen, New York and when they welcomed
me at my first day of school at PS 111, I said “que?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So technically English is my second
language.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="normal">
<br /></div>
<div class="normal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I'm not talking about the
Hell’s Kitchen you visit today with the nice restaurants and expensive
condos.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I grew up in the Hell’s Kitchen
of the 1970s and 80s, an era in which it really lived up to it’s name!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I believe our community was highlighted in
the “neighborhoods to stay out of” pamphlets they distributed to tourists who
landed at JFK!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="normal">
<br /></div>
<div class="normal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Hell’s Kitchen was not a
nice place. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I grew up watching friends I
knew since elementary school turn into drug addicts, criminals, drug dealers,
and watched them cycle through Riker’s Island year after year (Riker’s is New
York City’s main jail complex and has been in the news lately).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As many of our students in this room know, growing
up like that makes you grow up fast and hard just to survive. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="normal">
<br /></div>
<div class="normal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I wanted out of Hell’s
Kitchen.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Riker’s Island was certainly
not for me and I rejected the narrative that my destiny was to become a drug
dealer, criminal, or that I too would be a frequent Riker’s Island
visitor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="normal">
<br /></div>
<div class="normal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">However, when you seek a
road that leads you out of an environment like Hell’s Kitchen, you realize many
of these roads lead to dead ends.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It
becomes clear the only legitimate road out is education and so getting my
education became my focus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="normal">
<br /></div>
<div class="normal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I’ll be the first to
admit it wasn’t always easy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are
distractions and enticements all around you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Those minding the dead end roads will work hard to lure you with
assurances of quick power and riches.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>You need to have your own distractions. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="normal">
<br /></div>
<div class="normal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="h.gjdgxs"></a>Fortunately
I had basketball and a job to occupy my time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>If I wasn't at school, I was at practice or playing at the Police
Athletic League Gym (or what we called P.A.L.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>When I wasn’t in school or playing basketball, I was working.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you don't keep yourself busy, someone with
less than noble intentions will gladly help you find ways to keep busy.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="normal">
<br /></div>
<div class="normal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">You also need a pair of
very thick and solid “reality distortion glasses.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Everything around you shrieks, “you will not
make it!”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All you see, read, and hear
will proclaim, “You are not meant to succeed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>You don't belong here.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="normal">
<br /></div>
<div class="normal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I remember taking the
“what you will be when you grow up” assessment in elementary school.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The assessment told me I was to become an IRS
agent!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I didn’t even know what an IRS
Agent was?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The worst part was that I was
told by my teacher there was no way I would be an IRS Agent but reassured me if
I work hard and stay out of trouble, I could get a good city job.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="normal">
<br /></div>
<div class="normal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Those who argue, “just go
to school and keep out of trouble” clearly don't understand what it’s like to
grow up in our environment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You don't need to look for trouble.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Trouble finds
a way to get to you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You have to be
stronger than most people understand.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="normal">
<br /></div>
<div class="normal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Through hard work, the
grace of God, and with the help of some amazing teachers, I graduated from high
school. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="normal">
<br /></div>
<div class="normal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">However, being the
stubborn person I am, graduating from high school wasn't enough for me. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I remember looking at the college graduation statistics,
which were around 5% for Latinos.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
refused to accept those stats.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It became
an “I'll show them” mission.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I needed to
prove myself!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="normal">
<br /></div>
<div class="normal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So without any help, I
looked at colleges.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had already missed
the fall semester deadlines so I committed to start in the spring.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I figured out how to fill out the
applications and the financial aid forms.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I knew we had a great state system so I applied to a few schools outside
New York City and ended up at SUNY Brockport, near Rochester, New York.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="normal">
<br /></div>
<div class="normal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Talk about a culture
shock.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I went from the middle of
Manhattan with eight million people to a small town of 8500, where the
population was doubled when school was in session.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was on my own to figure it all out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I felt more alone than I had ever felt in my
life.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="normal">
<br /></div>
<div class="normal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">There were many times in
those days I doubted my ability.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There
were many times I felt like I didn’t belong.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>There were many times I wanted to pack up my stuff and go home.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The stubbornness kept me going.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was determined to beat the odds and going
back would prove I wasn't capable.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Going
back would give the naysayers the opportunity to say, “I told you so.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="normal">
<br /></div>
<div class="normal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I doubled majored at SUNY
Brockport in Political Science and Communications and because I wanted to
continue to study public policy and my reality distortion glasses were still
firmly glued on my face, I went to Arizona State University on a full scholarship
to get my Master’s in Public Policy. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="normal">
<br /></div>
<div class="normal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As you can imagine, the
doubts creped in again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I didn't belong
at ASU.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I didn't deserve the
scholarship.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I wasn’t smart enough for a
graduate degree.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I realize now these
doubts are always there; you have to be strong enough to push them down, to
ignore them!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="normal">
<br /></div>
<div class="normal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So here I am today
working at Google and speaking at the White House, evidence education is the
silver bullet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, this story does
not end with my accomplishments.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="normal">
<br /></div>
<div class="normal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">You see I have three
kids.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have a 22 year old, a 14 year
old, and a 10 month old.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yes, it’s clear
I can only handle one child at a time!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>My 22-year-old daughter graduated from college last month and I never
had a conversation with her about college.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It never had to come up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She just
assumed she was going.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I went to
college.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Her mother went to
college.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Everyone around her went to
college.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She assumes she is going to
graduate school because I went to graduate school.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She also assumes I’m paying for it but that
is a nice problem to have.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="normal">
<br /></div>
<div class="normal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My 14 year old wants to skip
high school and go to college now to focus on game design and development.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="normal">
<br /></div>
<div class="normal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Their outlook on life is fundamentally
different.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They see no obstacles in
their way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They fear no barriers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In just one generation we’ve been able to
change our family’s destiny.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is the
real power of education.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="normal">
<br /></div>
<div class="normal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So I share these stories
with you for a number of reasons.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="normal">
<br /></div>
<div class="normal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">First, I believe in what
the First Lady is trying to accomplish with Reach Higher.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is absolutely clear that graduating from
high school is the minimum requirement for the global economy we are in.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While graduating from high school was all you
needed to succeed a generation ago, it is no longer true.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Today's young high school-only graduates earn
about 62 percent of what their college-graduate peers earn.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="normal">
<br /></div>
<div class="normal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We all recognize students
must go beyond a high school graduation – whether that is a four-year college,
community college, a technical/certification program depends on a number of
factors, but no one is disputing the fact a high school degree, while an
accomplishment on it’s own, is no longer enough.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="normal">
<br /></div>
<div class="normal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The second reason I share
with you is because I believe with all my heart that if I can accomplish what I've accomplished, you certainly can.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="normal">
<br /></div>
<div class="normal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I am no different than
you are.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was in your shoes and I know
your struggle.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I know what you must
overcome and I am here to tell you with a lot of hard work, a healthy
disrespect for the impossible, some luck, and a nice pair of reality distortion
glasses, you can accomplish anything!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="normal">
<br /></div>
<div class="normal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I call on you to ignore
all the haters and naysayers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Far too
often, people underestimate the capabilities of students who live in poor
communities, equaling poverty with low ability.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>You will face people with very low expectations of you, usually draped
in the cloak of “looking out for your best interest.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="normal">
<br /></div>
<div class="normal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The First Lady herself
shared her story on how counselors warned her about being too ambitious when
she told them she wanted to go to Princeton.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="normal">
<br /></div>
<div class="normal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Do not, I repeat, do not
wait for anyone to believe in you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Believe in yourself, strap on your glasses, and prove them all wrong!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="normal">
<br /></div>
<div class="normal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The third reason is to
ask you a question.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Often we ask our
students the wrong question, “What do you want to be when you grow up.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don't like this question.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>First, there is a very good chance your “job” doesn't exist.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Second, I do not expect
kids growing up in communities like Hell’s Kitchen to tell me that they want to
be a microbiologist or a sustainable materials architect.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="normal">
<br /></div>
<div class="normal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Instead, I want to ask
you, “What problem do you want to solve?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>What problem occupies your thoughts? <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="normal">
<br /></div>
<div class="normal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I want you to think about
the knowledge, skills, and abilities you need to solve this problem.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="normal">
<br /></div>
<div class="normal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Where can you start
building the knowledge, skills, and abilities you need?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="normal">
<br /></div>
<div class="normal" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
</div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;"> What
research do you need to do?</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;"> </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">What
publications and websites should you subscribe to?</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;"> </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">What
classes can you take?</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;"> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">Online?</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;"> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">In school?</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;"> </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">What books
should you read?</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;"> </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">What
videos and documentaries should you watch?</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;"> </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">Who else
is interested in solving this problem?</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">
</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">Who are the people you can collaborate with?</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;"> </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">Who should
you follow on LinkedIn or Twitter?</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;"> </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">What blogs
should you be reading?</span></li>
</ul>
<br />
<div class="normal">
<br /></div>
<div class="normal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">When I ask you to think
about what problem you want to solve, I am asking you to take ownership of your
learning. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am asking you to begin to
create mastery for the most critical skills you will need.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I want to give you the opportunity to think
about purpose.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="normal">
<br /></div>
<div class="normal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The fourth and final
thought I’d like to share with you is a thought I wish someone shared with me
when I was your age.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You see I was
ashamed of who I was.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was ashamed of
my family.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was ashamed of where I came
from.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I did not share my experiences
with folks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I felt if they knew I was
poor, they would assume negative stereotypes about me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="normal">
<br /></div>
<div class="normal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I am here to tell you
that who you are, where you are from, and your perspective and experiences will
be enormous competitive advantage when you make it out and find your way in the
world!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="normal">
<br /></div>
<div class="normal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In my 20 years of
working, I know my point of view and perspective comes from my background and
experiences and I have found they are often unique.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There aren’t many who have my point of
view.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I work with some smart folks who
went to Harvard, Stanford, and Princeton and I bet they would say I do a decent
job not just keeping up with them, but also keeping them on their toes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="normal">
<br /></div>
<div class="normal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Be proud of who you are
and your experiences!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The experiences
define you and you should walk proudly because you have overcome the odds
stacked against you. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="normal">
<br /></div>
<div class="normal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So I want you to leave
here today thinking about the problem you want to solve.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I want you to think about the knowledge,
skills, and abilities you need to solve that problem.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I want you to find your reality distortion
glasses, put them on, and dream as big as you can.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="normal">
<br /></div>
<div class="normal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I bet no matter how big
you dream; you’re nowhere close to your actual potential!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I want you to think beyond high school and
set extremely ambitious and ridiculous goals for yourself and to ignore anyone
who doubts you or tries to get in your way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="normal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="normal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">When you succeed, I want
you to pay it forward and share your story with the next group of students who
need your guidance.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="normal">
<br /></div>
<div class="normal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">There is an ethos in this
country that is fundamentally and uniquely American.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="normal">
<br /></div>
<div class="normal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It is the belief that if
you get your education and work hard, you can succeed regardless of where you
come from and how you grow up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="normal">
<br /></div>
<div class="normal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This is the American
dream and some people believe this dream is no longer reachable.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am here to tell you it is possible.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I want you to believe it is possible!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="normal">
<br /></div>
<div class="normal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So with God’s speed, go
out and prove all the haters wrong!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Accept their premise and just work harder and reach higher and I bet, no I know you
to will beat the odds!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="normal">
<br /></div>
<div class="normal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Thank you.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="normal">
<br /></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08605365373394352506noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8470836096122983562.post-91053271403402513502015-05-18T21:12:00.000-07:002015-05-18T21:12:11.805-07:00It's Not Really a Small World<h1 class="asset-name entry-title" id="page-title" style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 30px; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em;">
<i style="color: black; font-family: Times; font-size: medium; line-height: normal;">(Editor's note: the following post appeared as a guest post on <a href="http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/global_learning/2015/05/jaime_casap_explains_why_global_competence_matters_its_not_really_a_small_world.html" target="_blank">Education Week</a>)</i></h1>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: ff-dagny-web-pro, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 26px;"><i>"There is just one moon and one golden sun,</i></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: ff-dagny-web-pro, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.62;"><i>And a smile means friendship to everyone,</i></span><br />
<i><span style="background-color: white; font-family: ff-dagny-web-pro, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.62;">Though the mountains divide,</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: ff-dagny-web-pro, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.62;">And the oceans are wide,</span></i><br />
<i><span style="background-color: white; font-family: ff-dagny-web-pro, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.62;">It's a small world after all..."</span> </i><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: ff-dagny-web-pro, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.62;">- Walt Disney</span><br />
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With all due respect to the dancing dolls in Anaheim, it really isn't a small world. It is a complex, multifaceted, diverse, and complicated world. Most of us hardly understand it yet the growing availability of the Internet and low-cost devices to connect to all the world's information brings the complexity of this world to your fingertips. In 1995, just 1% of the world was online. Today, more than 40% of the world is. It took just 20 years to get three billion people online. This global achievement calls for all of us to understand what is happening around the world, why it is happening, and how it impacts us more than ever.</div>
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<b>Local Companies, Global Competition</b></div>
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<span style="line-height: 1.62;">From a commerce perspective, gone are most organizations that do not compete on a global scale. In fact, there is a good chance our students will work for a global organization at some point in their careers. Even </span><a href="http://www.paulbondboots.com/" style="background: transparent; color: #336699; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.62; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Paul Bond Boots</a><span style="line-height: 1.62;">, a small rural cowboy boot store in Nogales, Arizona, has a global customer base! With companies like Google, Facebook, Netflix, and others, most companies who are U.S.-based operate 24 hours a day on a global scale. In education, we often talk about how it's critical it is to teach our students the "Four C's": communication, collaboration, critical thinking, and creativity. While I agree these are critical competencies our students should master, what we miss in this discussion is an emphasis on another very important C, global competency.</span></div>
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Even if a graduate never works abroad or in a global organization, we still need to make sure our students are exposed to learning global competency skills. Since its inception, the United States has been comprised of people from all over the world. Whether you just arrived in the U.S. or are fifteenth generation, all of us have one common characteristic: we all have a <a href="https://youtu.be/Qvl43Mk36TI" style="background: transparent; color: #336699; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">First Generation story</a>. And it doesn't look like this trend is slowing. The U.S. continues to become more linguistically and culturally diverse. For example, in the next few years, one in four students in our public school system will be Latino. By the year 2045, the U.S. will be a "minority majority" country, meaning there will be more Americans who identify as minorities as a group than whites.</div>
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Organizations who will thrive in this global, diverse economy will understand how not only having a diverse workforce will be a competitive advantage, but having a workforce that understands and appreciates people from other cultures and one that can identify and acknowledge different points of view will stay relevant. Companies who focus on awareness and understanding of cultural issues at home and around the world will continue to expand and remain competitive. Having this awareness and understanding will help organizations to design products and services that appeal to a culturally diverse, global audience.<span style="line-height: 1.62;"> </span></div>
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<b>The Imperative of Global Competency </b></div>
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<span style="line-height: 1.62;">So what does a globally competent student look like? Globally competent students can see and understand the interconnectivity and interdependence between what we do here in the United States and the rest of the world. This means they will understand how problems facing the rest of the world impact us here at home and vice versa. Students who are globally competent have in-depth knowledge and understanding of international issues, an appreciation of people from culturally diverse backgrounds, and the knowledge, skills, and experiences to call themselves global citizens. Most American students, and especially low-income minority students, are behind their peers in other countries in their knowledge and understanding of world issues, world geography, and cultural understanding and experiences. </span></div>
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We often ask our students, "What do you want to be when you grow up?" I do not believe that is the right question. First, all the labor forecasts predict that most jobs of the future haven't been defined yet. Second, we already have jobs most students wouldn't recognize, like "Bio-Medical Engineer" or "Sustainable Materials Architect." Instead of asking our students what they want to be when they grow up, we should ask them what problem they want to solve. We should ask them to think about what knowledge, skills, and abilities they need to solve that problem. We should ask them to think about where they can get the knowledge, skills, and abilities they will need. We should ask them to think about how the problem they want to solve fits into the context of the world.</div>
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We need to create a generation of critically-thinking, collaborative problem solvers. Students who know and understand world issues. Students who understand political and socioeconomic systems on a global scale. Students who recognize and appreciate cultural diversity. If we really want to face and solve the problems of this complex, multifaceted, diverse, and complicated world, we need a generation of students who are strong in all the C's: communication, collaboration, critical thinking, creativity, and global competency.</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08605365373394352506noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8470836096122983562.post-31556006933625331252015-03-11T17:10:00.002-07:002015-03-17T11:43:30.964-07:00Think Different<div class="MsoNormal">
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Here’s to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently. They’re not fond of rules. And they have no respect for the status quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them. About the only thing you can’t do is ignore them. Because they change things. They invent. They imagine. They heal. They explore. They create. They inspire. They push the human race forward…while some see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do.”</span></blockquote>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">-</span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nmwXdGm89Tk" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Think Different</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, Apple</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It was my first year at Accenture and I was in one of our typical all day all night war room tech/org design sessions. One of the senior managers in the room looked my way and asked, “Why do you wear a purple shirt like that? You know we’re not in Mexico right? Is it because you are going clubbing tonight?” I heard comments like this at Accenture throughout my six years there. As a Latino, the blue button-down, khaki pants, penny loafers look wasn’t for me. Don’t get me wrong, I really wished it were! I bought the corporate uniform and tried it for a while. I wanted to fit in. As the only Latino in the room 99% of the time, I wanted to blend in with the people I was working with. I just wasn’t very comfortable in my own skin when I dressed like they did. I decided I would just do me and hope for the best. This led to many comments about how I dressed or what I looked like. I had nicknames like “Jose” and “Pedro.” Almost every request from a manager ended with, “Mucha gracias,” when clearly this was their entire Spanish language library. It’s been like this for 20 years. Just a couple of months ago I was presenting at an event in Chicago answering a question about the future of schools. When I was done with my answer, the panelist next to me said, “wow, you are so articulate and well spoken.” I know he meant it as a compliment but what was he expecting? I am the Global Education Evangelist for Google. I am the face and voice for Google education. What could have been the level of expectation he had for me?</span></div>
<b id="docs-internal-guid-cde2b1ea-0b44-ef23-fd54-bb9c098ab92f" style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Although I don’t code, I've been involved in the tech space since 1995. At Accenture I was part of the organizational development team in the electronics and high tech industry group. I worked for organizations like American Express, Motorola, Seagate, Sun Microsystems, and so on. I spent two years at Charles Schwab, helping the leadership team reengineer their human resources operation. I believe over the last 20 years, I have spent more time in Silicon Valley/San Francisco than I’ve spent at home in Phoenix! Almost everyone in my professional network is in the tech space. I’m used to always being the only Latino in the room. I've spent the last nine years at Google, so it didn’t surprise me when I saw our diversity numbers – 3% Latino, 2% Black. I was proud of the team for releasing the information. Laszlo Bock and his team stood up and said, we have an issue and need to do many many things to solve it. </span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Google of course is not alone. Only one in 14 technology folks in Silicon Valley is Black or Latino. In all, less than 5% of the teams at Google, Facebook, and Yahoo are Black or Latino. This extends into the management and future direction of these organizations. For example, I read a NY Times article highlighting that 11 of the 20 companies examined, including Google, Facebook, Yahoo, Twitter, and eBay, had no people of color on their Board of Directors. Out of the 189 board members across those 20 companies, only three were Black and one was Latino. I should say here if any of these companies would like to put me on their Board of Directors, I’m open to discussing it! It’s also critical to point out that this isn’t just an issue with “old” tech companies (you know, Google is 16 years old and therefore a dinosaur.) Less than 2% of startup founders are Black or Latino.</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">These figures are a reflection of a larger issue when it comes to STEM fields – only 13% of science, technology, mathematics, and engineering degrees are held by Black or Latino workers (<a href="http://www.newschools.org/blog/equity-diversity-edtech" target="_blank">Cameron White, "Equity, Diversity & Edtech," July 21, 2014</a>.) </span><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 16px; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;">This is a somber statistic impacting us today and in the future. By 2020, the United States will have 1.4 million computer science jobs according to estimates by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, with only 400,000 computer scientists to fill them. That leaves a gaping hole in our economy! At the same time, by the year 2043, the United States will be a majority-minority country. My six-month-old daughter is in the generation that will be that majority-minority. In 2013, there was a higher percentage of Latino high school graduates enrolled in college than non-Latino whites.</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We have a perfect storm of concerns heading our way. The need for diversity in technology is not an altruistic matter. We are talking real commerce here. This is especially true in the Edtech space. Racial and ethnic minorities now make up the majority of students in K12. The need for intellectual and social diversity is critical. Not just in terms of ethnic diversity either. We need to increase the opportunities for those people of color near the bottom of the socioeconomic ladder. Their voice is critical in the Edtech space when it comes to solutions for their community.</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The companies that will have endurance are the ones who understand how diversity helps them stay relevant. Organizations that ignore diversity, or do not see the business value of it, are in danger of becoming irrelevant and out-of-touch. It also makes very good organizational sense. Many studies show organizations with both gender and ethnic diversity tend to be more creative and profitable. The key element is how multiple perspectives help these organizations design products and services that appeal to a cultural diverse audience.</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">While there are some very authentic concerns we need to tackle in the tech space, this is not a tech industry issue alone. The problem starts long before the tech job posting goes live. The problem spans the entire pipeline.</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">As reported in many publications last year (<a href="http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/curriculum/2014/01/girls_african_americans_and_hi.html" target="_blank">Liana Heitin, No Girls, Blacks, or Hispanics Take AP Computer Science Exam in Some States</a>, <a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2014/01/techs-gender-and-race-gap-starts-in-high-school/282966/" target="_blank">Eleanor Barkhorn, Tech's Gender and Race Gap Starts in High School</a>,) </span><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;">there were three states where not a single female student took the Advanced Placement exam in computer science. In eight states, no Latino students took it. And in 11 states, no Black students took the test. In 2013, 30,000 students took the AP exam for computer science and less than 20% of those students were female, about 8% were Latino, and 3% were Black. Even if we had an opportunity to increase the number of minorities in AP computer science classes, I don’t think we would be able to staff those AP classes with qualified CS teachers. I get it. If you are a struggling school, how much are you going to invest in computer science when you are dealing with bringing students up to level in math and reading? When you are using a shot glass to bail out the water from your underfunded school system that is quickly sinking, how much bandwidth do you have for computer science?</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Besides, the problem doesn’t even start in high school. We know there is an 18-month academic gap between rich kids and poor kids by the time they get to kindergarten. Most of the poor kids happen to be minorities. These students, who make up 40% of the K12 population, are not only less likely to be prepared for kindergarten, they are less likely to graduate from high school, or attend a great college. They are less likely to graduate from college and when they are in college, they are less likely to study computer science or any STEM field for that matter </span><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22.0799999237061px; white-space: pre-wrap;">(</span><a href="http://www.newschools.org/blog/equity-diversity-edtech" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22.0799999237061px; white-space: pre-wrap;" target="_blank">Cameron White, "Equity, Diversity & Edtech," July 21, 2014</a><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22.0799999237061px; white-space: pre-wrap;">.) </span><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;">The statistic, which I wake up with every morning, is this:</span></div>
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<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">If you are a high potential low-income minority in the US, you have a 9% chance of graduating from college. 45 years ago it was 6%. At this rate we will be at 15% by the year 2105.</span></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22.0799999237061px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/docs/white_house_report_on_increasing_college_opportunity_for_low-income_students_1-16-2014_final.pdf" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22.0799999237061px; white-space: pre-wrap;">- White House Report, Increasing College Opportunity for Low-Income Students</span> </a><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;">With these baffling facts, how would we ever manage to get high potential minorities into Google, Twitter, Yahoo, or any of the hundreds of tech start-ups? </span><br />
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<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We need to think differently about the whole pipeline, from what we do to make sure students of all ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds start their education on the right foot, to recruiting strategies at tech companies, to ensuring we create bias free cultures in all our organizations. Just increasing the number of Black and Latinos who get interviews at tech companies and startups isn’t enough, especially if nothing has been done to change organizational culture and bias.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Tech companies must demand an unbiased and inclusive workplace. This can be done with professional development for individuals and teams. At the same time, tech companies can increase the diversity of the hiring pool by searching for real talent in various places and not just sticking to the same patterns they currently use. Tech companies can also make sure they are hiring more diverse workers in non-tech positions as well. In the long run, all of us in technology must invest in fixing the pipeline by getting involved early in the education effort.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In the Edtech space, start-ups can prioritize the recruitment of culturally and socioeconomically diverse folks to join the team. At the same time, these teams must be engaged with teachers and students, especially low-income minority students, to get their perspective and point of view on the problem they are trying to solve with their products or services </span><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22.0799999237061px; white-space: pre-wrap;">(</span><a href="http://www.newschools.org/blog/equity-diversity-edtech" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22.0799999237061px; white-space: pre-wrap;" target="_blank">Cameron White, "Equity, Diversity & Edtech," July 21, 2014</a><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22.0799999237061px; white-space: pre-wrap;">.) </span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">At the education level, much needs to be done!</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">First, we need to teach our students real tech skills, building digital and technology leaders, not just consumers of technology. I’m not even talking about coding classes. I’m talking about teaching students to search, to vet, to make sense of information. You can start here with </span><a href="http://www.google.com/insidesearch/searcheducation/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">some great material from us!</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Second, we need to build programing concepts (i.e., programing, design thinking, conceptual modeling) into our curriculum and in our options for after school activities. There are a growing group of organizations that are trying to address these issues through community based, technology enabled education programs </span><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22.0799999237061px; white-space: pre-wrap;">(</span><a href="http://www.newschools.org/blog/equity-diversity-edtech" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22.0799999237061px; white-space: pre-wrap;" target="_blank">Cameron White, "Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Education," July 21, 2014</a><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22.0799999237061px; white-space: pre-wrap;">.)</span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<a href="http://www.cs-first.com/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">CS First</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> provides free, easy-to-use computer science (CS) enrichment materials that target and engage a diverse student population.</span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<a href="http://www.blackgirlscode.com/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Black Girls Code</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> teaches young girls and pre-teens of color in-demand skills in technology and computer programming.</span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<a href="http://chrisemdin.com/science-genius/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Science Genius</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> leverages hip hop pedagogy to engage urban youth and educators in STEM exploration.</span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<a href="http://www.hackthehood.org/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Hack the Hood</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> connects youth to real-world consulting projects building websites for local businesses and nonprofits.</span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<a href="http://www.qeyno.com/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Qeyno Labs</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> harnesses the interests of high potential youth from low-opportunity settings through radically inclusive hackathons.</span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<a href="https://www.madewithcode.com/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Made with Code</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> is an initiative designed to inspire millions of girls to experience the power of code. </span></div>
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</ul>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Third, we need to provide as many opportunities as possible to students of all socioeconomic backgrounds to engage with computer science and other STEM fields. This area will require some outside the class thinking.</span></div>
<b id="docs-internal-guid-218d0bd4-290a-b5ac-c4f3-03993e97ed2c" style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Finally, we cannot forget the most important stakeholder group - parents. Parents play a critical role in creating the demands and expectations for our students. During the industrial revolution, it was easy for workers to move from the farm to the factory. This is not the case with the knowledge-based economy. A displaced manufacturing worker cannot move from that role to a system architect at a tech company. The knowledge, skills, and abilities required for this economy require a lifelong learning mentality. Parents need to understand this and demand that their children are learning what they need to learn to thrive in their future (and in my case, make sure my kids have a house I can move into when I am older.) Parents must drive the demand for building computer science/STEM skills and capabilities for their children. This is especially true in our poor communities. I think my mother still believes the only way I will ever be successful when I grow up is to be a lawyer. I want to see parents in these communities talk about how their kid is going to grow up and be a biomedical engineer, an architectural engineering manager, an information research scientist, or a information security analyst. When someone asks me if I want my kids to speak a second language (because you know, I speak Spanish,) I respond with, “yes, Python.” Now, I just need to figure out how to get every Latino parent in the country to answer the same way!</span></div>
<br /><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I am working on a project I'm really excited about. I am part of a team that is designing and building a new district high school in Phoenix focused on inquiry based learning, where students use coding as the language they speak and use in the pursuit of learning. I will talk more about this project when we get to the next stage! We are really trying to think different.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 16px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UhKtBPfpNIg/VQDUqe2akoI/AAAAAAAA1GM/J6et105gzAI/s1600/IMG_20140103_143037229_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UhKtBPfpNIg/VQDUqe2akoI/AAAAAAAA1GM/J6et105gzAI/s1600/IMG_20140103_143037229_HDR.jpg" height="236" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My kid William showing me his lines of code...</td></tr>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Post Note</span></div>
<b id="docs-internal-guid-cde2b1ea-0b46-f03b-0c27-e46b136b5174" style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I published a public draft outline of this blog post before I ran a session on the need for diversity in technology at SXSWedu. I got some great information, statistics, and feedback that I included in this post. </span></div>
<div style="line-height: 1.38;">
<b id="docs-internal-guid-218d0bd4-290b-be67-57b1-44f4fb70f878" style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">If you want to learn more about this topic there are some great resources out there, including these well thought out posts:</span></div>
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<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<a href="http://www.newschools.org/blog/equity-diversity-edtech" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Equity, Diversity & Edtech, by Cameron White</span></a></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2014/01/techs-gender-and-race-gap-starts-in-high-school/282966/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Tech's Gender and Race Gap Starts in High School, by Eleanor Barkhorn</span></a></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<a href="https://hbr.org/2014/10/hacking-techs-diversity-problem" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Hacking Tech's Diversity Problem, by Joan Williams</span></a></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/catherine-rampell-diversity-in-tech-must-be-addressed-before-the-recruiting-process/2014/08/25/0b13b036-2c8e-11e4-bb9b-997ae96fad33_story.html" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Diversity Issue in Tech Firms Starts Before the Recruiting Process, by Catherine Rampell</span></a></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<a href="https://www.edsurge.com/n/2015-03-01-how-cultural-differences-drive-diversity-in-education-innovation" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">How Cultural Differences Drive Diversity in Education Innovation, by Harman Singh</span></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 1.38;">
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08605365373394352506noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8470836096122983562.post-79846130852245123052014-07-11T21:52:00.000-07:002014-07-11T21:52:12.572-07:00The Early Bird Gets the Worm<div class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpFirst" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpFirst" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpFirst" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>“Difficult takes a day, impossible
takes a week” </i>- <b>Jay-Z </b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpFirst" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As some have heard me say, I’m not a
big fan of “impossible.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I do not
believe anything is impossible.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>OK,
maybe at 46 it might be impossible for me to ever dunk a basketball, but few
things fall into that category.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When we discuss
the achievement gap, I sense impossibility in what I read more than I sense
what may be possible.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I hear experts
talking about how it’s impossible to close the achievement gap.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I understand.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It seems daunting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, I
have great disrespect for impossible and know for certain that closing the achievement
gap is possible.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We just have to decide
to do it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Things aren’t going to get
better on their own.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In fact, through
inaction, they will continue to get worse.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A few months ago I read a intriguing
article in the New York Times by David Brooks (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Opportunity Gap</i>) about some major differences between how rich
kids and poor kids are being raised.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At
one point in the not so distant past, the differences weren’t as stark as they
are today.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What I took away from the
article is if we are serious about providing opportunities to children growing
up in poverty, we are going to need a surge of early education solutions for
both pre and after school programs in disadvantaged communities.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is possible.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Just a few decades ago, there wasn’t a
significant difference between how parents with college degrees and parents
with high school degrees raised their children.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Today however, college educated parents are investing a lot more in
their children’s education, especially in the early years, and of course, parents
with high school degrees haven’t been able to keep up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I’m old enough to remember the concept
that working class parents were more “fortunate” than white-collar parents when
it came to family life because they were able to spend more time with their
children.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I remember the notion that
parents who were “blue collar” or “working class” had a family advantage.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In other words, they might not be rich, but
they were able to spend more time with their kids. On the other hand, “white-collar”
jobs came with a widely understood assumption that the responsibilities of
those roles meant you would be sacrificing family time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In fact, the data shows working class parents
spent more time with their kids than those white-collar parents.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Today, this concept is not only no
longer true, it’s been dramatically reversed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Today, college educated parents spend an hour more with their children
than working class parents do, especially in the first three years of life,
when it counts the most.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Rich parents are not only spending
more time with their kids, they are spending more money.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>According to the Times article, over the last
40 years high income parents have increased the amount they spend on their kids’
enrichment activities, like tutoring and extra curricular activities, by $5,300
a year (adjusted for inflation.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Low
income parents, who obviously have a problem investing at the same level in their
children, have been only been able to increase their extra expenditures by just
$480 a year and if my own personal experience is an example, even that $480 is
a immense sacrifice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It usually means
something else isn’t being purchased or paid for.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">There is also evidence that in the
early 70’s, kids from the bottom income bracket participated in almost the same
number of activities as kids from the upper income bracket.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Today, it’s not even in the same ball park.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Rich kids are twice as likely to play sports
after school.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They are much more likely
to participate in non sport activities like theater, social clubs, yearbook
team, volunteer programs, etc.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They are
also more likely to attend religious services and participate in religious
programs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The disadvantage can literally be
heard.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Children in middle and upper
class families hear an average of 15 million more words than children in
working class families.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Children of
families on welfare hear 30 million less words.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>By the time a child is 4 years old, there is an 18-month to two year
academic gap between a poor kid and a rich kid.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">What we invest in early education will
say a lot about how serious we are in trying to close the achievement gap.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I believe in education’s power to provide
opportunities to our children living in poverty.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, it gets a lot harder to make this a
reality if children are coming into our schools so far behind. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In order to make sure education
disrupts poverty, we need a surge of services and programs to unlevel the
playing field when and where it counts the most.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We need to start early in a child’s
life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We need to make sure kids aren’t
coming to school already at a disadvantage.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This is a solvable problem, one which we must and can take action
against.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is possible to close the
achievement gap.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We just have to decide
if we are going to close it or not, and then own up to the decision we make.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Impossible is just justification for not
taking the right action. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: 0in;">
<br /></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08605365373394352506noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8470836096122983562.post-15946849871825700122013-02-17T18:31:00.000-07:002013-02-17T18:31:59.238-07:00Is this the most exciting time in education history?<i><br /></i>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">The potential for innovation and new solutions
to deliver education has never been so high. Traditional learning models,
like those many of us grew up with, are being transformed. It seems every
few months a new idea for learning is being introduced. In just the last
few years, we’ve seen examples such as, distance learning, blended learning,
personalized learning, and flipped clas</span><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;">sroom
models take off. Many in the education world believe we’re just getting warmed
up! I am optimistic because the
capabilities technology and the web deliver are creating powerful tools that
will continue to advance and become more readily available to everyone. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">During this time of transformational
innovation, it is critical we keep our focus on learning and not on
technology. We have to make sure we
aren’t just automating education, and/or making it more efficient. Turning a textbook into a etextbook or moving
from delivering a lecture in a class to delivering a lecture on video are
examples of what I mean. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I am passionate about education because I know
first hand that education can be the silver bullet for millions of children and
their families living in poverty.
Education has the potential to break the cycle of poverty in just one
generation. I believe this because like
countless others I’ve met throughout my journey, <a href="http://www.jcasap.com/2012/08/ps-111-had-free-lunch-embarrassed-but.html" target="_blank">I am living proof</a>. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The worry I have is that the
education I received isn’t suitable for the world we live in today and not
nearly suitable for the world we are constructing. It’s an absolute certainty that students are
going to need more advanced skills. For
example, we often talk about collaboration and global competency skills. Today, we can work with anyone, anywhere in
the world but our schools are still treating students as individuals who must
work alone. What would you do if you
were a teacher and two students walked up to the front of your class, handed
you a test, and said, “We did this together!”
Why is collaboration cheating? <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We need to make sure their
learning experiences provide them the relevance and engagement they need as
they build the skills for the future. It’s more than just building digital
citizenship skills; they need to become digital leaders. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In order to make this a
reality, we need to focus on three key areas.
<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">First, we need to make sure schools have
adequate broadband access. We would never run a school without lights or
heat. For many schools, Internet access
is considered a “nice to have” commodity, not a necessity. Yet our
education system is preparing students for a world where the Internet is
ingrained into higher education, business practices, and our daily lives in
general, a world where many of the latest teaching tools run on the web. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><br />
</span><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;">Second, we need to leverage the power and prevalence
of the web as we create new learning models. Most students nowadays are
growing up with the understanding that the web is where they go to get the knowledge
and resources they are looking for. By
recognizing that how we learned is different than the way our children learn,
school leaders can take advantage of the habits this tech-literate generation
have developed. This became painfully
clear to me when my daughter and I were buying her a ukulele when we visited
Hawaii a couple of years ago. As we were leaving the store, I noticed
instruction books and DVDs on how to play the ukulele. I asked my
daughter if she wanted to pick some up so she can learn how to play (after all,
that was how I learned). She looked at me like there was something wrong
with me. Of course, she doesn’t need an instruction book or DVD. She is going to learn by watching YouTube
videos. As educators, we are starting to understand the impact the web
can have. Videos, web applications, interactive content, and collective
pools of knowledge make the world’s information accessible from multiple
devices 24 hours a day seven days a week. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><br />
</span><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;">Third, we have to put tools in the hands of
teachers and students so that they can access the rich content of an
ever-expanding web. School administrators need to choose devices that not
only give students and faculty access to that content, but that are also
pain-free and easy to use. The devices have to be near invisible so that
the focus remains on the teaching and learning, not the technology. What school leaders need is to think about is
what happens when you go from having 30 computers in a classroom, to 30,000 in
a school district. How you scale and how you manage the technology is a
critical part of planning how to integrate it into the curriculum. Just as important, we have to let teachers
develop the knowledge, skills, and abilities to take advantage of these tools. Today’s teachers are the ones who are going
to create the new learning models we will use for generations to come! Great professional development has never been
so important.</span><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><br />
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<span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This is an exhilarating time
in education. I know if we continue to
be innovative and open to new ideas, education can be the silver bullet it was
for me. I am looking forward to watching
the traditional model expand into engaging and relevant methods that will
prepare our students to live in what is becoming the most stimulating and exhilarating
time in history!</span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<!--EndFragment--><br />
<!--EndFragment-->Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08605365373394352506noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8470836096122983562.post-10900729106874359862012-12-06T14:50:00.000-07:002012-12-06T14:50:05.240-07:00Guest Blog: Elaine Casap: Hybrid Schools<br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Technology has changed the way American society functions. Today we do research by using Google, learn about the news on Twitter and connect with people on Facebook. The world’s information can be available within seconds and anybody can access it. Location isn’t an obstacle anymore, the Internet is available almost anywhere. With technology being overbearingly powerful why hasn’t America’s education system changed? The education system has barely changed in the last fifty years and in most cases it has worsened. This is due to the lack of technology in the classroom. When technology is integrated in the classroom it is likely the technology is being misused. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Many studies have been done on classrooms that use technology. The most effective way technology is used is when students individually do work with the teacher while utilizing technology. The most ineffective way technology is used in the classroom is when only the teacher uses the technology to teach with. In order for technology in education to be truly effective is when they are used together. There have been many instances where students learned on a whole other level because of the collaboration of technology </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"> In the past couple years a new kind of charter school has been introduced to America. They are called hybrid schools, and they are on the rise. Hybrid schools have a curriculum that is completely online. Students learn everything based off a program and are able to learn at their own pace. Teachers still fulfill their teaching role but since they are not tied down with lesson plans and following the curriculum, they are able to give individual attention to students (Education Week). The schools still meet face to face every day. There are teachers on staff for the core subjects like: English, math, history and science. Instead of kids sitting down in a lecture the teachers meet up with small groups throughout the day and help them work with the lesson they are on (Education Week). Teachers are able to group students together based on assessments of the lesson the student is required to take. With this kind of learning experience students are constantly collaborating with each other, which is the most effective way to learn (Education Week). Hybrid schools allow students to have an ultra personalized education. Michael Horn, executive director of education at Innosight Institute agrees with the idea of hybrid schools, “our expectation is to educate every child successfully, then we need structure that is individualized and personalized. There is no way to do that in the way we have historically approached it,” (Education Week).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';">As a parent the idea of “online school” may be scary. Virtual school is ideal in some cases but it is hard for a parent to watch over their child. There is no secret that kids would rather choose not to work than work. That is why children have been sent to school for the last 200 years. So kids can receive an education and teachers can make sure they behave. This logic is what has allowed parents to work hours a day and not have to worry about the responsibility of their child’s education. Hybrid schools realize the importance of a formal structure for a child’s education. There is no denying that online only schools can lead to a lack of social interaction, which may be the most valuable thing about school (Education Week). Carpe Diem Collegiate High School and Middle School in Yuma, Arizona adapted hybridization. They understand the importance of technology in education and also the importance of social interaction. The school meets five times a week, like any other school. Except in the curriculum students utilize technology sixty percent of the day and have face to face time with teachers forty percent of the day (Education Week).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"> One of the most successful Hybrid schools is, The School of One, in New York City (Good Magazine). Due to the hybridization every student learns at his or her own pace, there are no language barriers and no child falls behind. The entire school is organized to fit the needs of individual students (Good Magazine). The school provides eight separate programs, that means there are eight different ways the child can learn the curriculum. For example a child can be highly involved in collaborative group work and have little time involved with a teacher. Or a child can spend most their time with the teacher and a little time with individual work. Students are assessed everyday after they learn a lesson and through that assessment the teachers are able to see what works best for the student. The online program also has algorithms and these algorithms change if the student is having problems comprehending the lesson. The system will pick an entirely different way to teach the student. This could mean the student needs small group study; large group study, or maybe the student needs more visual teaching (Good Magazine).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';">A school like The School of One is revolutionary. The way our children are being taught through the public school system is wrong. America needs more schools like The School of One. With the tools being used in Hybrid schools, students are being more prepared for real life then ever before. They are learning how to utilize computers on their own, which is a skill set that is needed for the rest of their lives. The kids are able to learn at their own pace, allowing a child to never feel like they are not smart enough.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: x-small;"><span style="line-height: 26px;">Realistically, the hybrid schools will never become the only method of education. However, there should be more research done to compare hybrid schools and public schools. With the data collected there could be real data to prove hybrid schools are better for the children. It would be ideal for the public school system to adapt some of the methods of hybrid schools. Public schools could start utilizing technology, teachers could recognize the importance of student collaboration and classroom sizes could become smaller. The public education should try to embrace some of the characteristics of hybrid school.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Hybrid schools are an ideal example of technology being integrated into the classroom. If enough parents see the benefits Hybrid schools have to offer the parents will demand it for their child. If there is enough demand then eventually the entire public school system will change for the better. Parents need to demand a better education for their child. A change can happen through the simple power of voting. Parents, don’t you want what is best for your child?</span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8470836096122983562.post-18406317700047067992012-11-07T23:31:00.000-07:002012-11-07T23:31:27.469-07:00Abraham Lincoln was a Wimp<br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>"You can not fail if you resolutely determine that you will not."</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">- Abraham Lincoln<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Another critical skill students need to develop is the ability to analyze and assess information. Information is coming at us at a pace many find overwhelming. The quantity of global information grows at an astonishing speed. For example, in just 24 hours, 2 million blog posts are written! In the same time frame, enough information is consumed by Internet traffic to fill 168 million DVDs. We send 284 billion emails every day. It feels like most of those end up in my inbox. Eric Schmidt has said he thinks it will take us 300 years to index and make all the world’s information searchable. You can also look at the eruption of video creation. YouTube, which is becoming an essential tool in the classroom, adds content at a rate that is hard to grasp. Every minute, 72 hours of video is uploaded on YouTube! That means that no matter how hard your kids try, and mine is trying very hard, they will never be able to watch all the videos on YouTube. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">All the data I’ve seen suggests that most of us are, quite frankly, terrible searchers. We just have to come to grips with that. Most of us never developed the skills required to truly utilize the information of a digital world. If you don’t believe me, you can go do an assessment and test your search skills. However, I can save you time. Trust me, you are not a good searcher. If you don’t believe me, here is a quick self evaluation you can do to determine if I’m on the right path.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">First, if you type a question mark into the search bar, you are a terrible searcher. To go further, if you type a whole sentence in the bar, you are wasting a whole bunch of time. If your search looks like this, “What was the date of Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg address?” instead of, “gettysburg date” the earth is spinning rapidly and you are wasting a lot of that spin!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Second, do you know what Command F (on a Mac – I don’t do Windows) does on a webpage? Would you believe 90% of people have no idea what this time saving, search altering capability does? Nope, I’m not going to tell you. Why don’t you go search, “What happens when I type Command F on my Mac when I’m on a webpage?” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My point is, if we are bad searchers, how are we teaching students to search? How are we teaching them to make sense of information? How are we teaching them to vet and dig deep into all the data available to us? We need to help students build these skills. Again, not necessarily as a separate subject, but more in what they do every day. How can we incorporate technology, search and analytical skills to develop new engaging and relevant learning content for our students?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I have a confession to make. I am a history and political junkie. It feels good to get that off my chest. The second part of that confession is that I have turned my kids into junkies. This is especially true of American history and how politics coats and is engrossed in all our history.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A few Sundays ago, I was partaking in one of my favorite activities. I was on the couch reading my paper copy of the New York Times (yes, I’ve been getting the paper Sunday times for as long as I can remember.) I was reading their endorsement of Barak Obama. I was summarizing the text to my daughter, who was sitting next to me (she was over to watch the Giants game with me – another one of my favorite activities, which makes me worried that so many of them involve my couch). Her reaction was interesting but probably conventional wisdom, “well, of course they endorsed Obama. It’s a left leaning paper and they will always back the Democrat.” She was also questioning the value of the endorsement, and if it would sway voters. What a great opportunity to take a nose dive into history!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I asked, “well, do we know if that’s true?” Also, have they always been right? Has their endorsement meant anything?” And so on, and so on. We grabbed the laptop and started researching. It wasn’t long before we were into some interesting material. After we did the analysis of how many Republicans and Democrats the paper supported since they began this in 1860, and how many times they were right, we branched off into some really thought-provoking information! We got into the first endorsement the paper ever made. The New York Times endorsed Abraham Lincoln for President in 1860. We found the actual text of the endorsement and all of a sudden we were in a time travel machine and found ourselves in the middle of what was happening in the country in October, 1860, more than 150 years ago!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We all learned history in a very linear and stagnate way. First President Lincoln got elected, then he led the north in the Civil War, he issued the Emancipation Proclamation that freed the slaves, the North won the Civil War, and then he was assassinated in a theater. When you learn it that way, it feels like one thing lead to another in very logical way. Nothing could be further from the truth.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Easy access to technology and the web gives us this time travel capability. The combination helps us get into what was actually occurring at the time. So we read the endorsement and what did we discover? That folks in 1860 were making things up as they went, just like we do. That they had no idea what was going on or what would happen! Theirs was a messy present and they were looking at a ambiguous future. Slippery slope theories were in full effect!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">For example, in the endorsement, the paper writes:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>“…there is a large class of men who have a vague but real apprehension that something terrible is to follow the election of a Republican President. They fear that the South will be excluded by law from the territories, that slaves will be set free in the District of Columbia, that inter-state Slave trade will be prohibited, and a great variety of legislative encroachments on Southern rights will be perpetrated.”</i></span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In other words, there seems to be all these “real” but unfounded and silly worries that things in our country were going to change. Nonsense says the editorial board at the New York Times. They go out of their way to put to rest these unrealistic concerns. The paper goes on:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>“…whatever may be the wishes of the Republicans on these topics, they are not likely to have any opportunity to carry them into effect.”</i></span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">They further go on to describe how the Democrats control congress and they would never let any of these actions take place. They go as far as concluding that even if the Democrats lost the Senate (fat chance), the House is so strong that it’s the Democrats who are going to run things and make all the decisions. Wow! Really? Boy did they call this one wrong huh? Not only that, we were able to tie that directly to what’s going on today. Does it matter who controls the House? The Senate? Can we bring about change no matter who’s in power in Congress? The paper continues to make it’s point:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>“It will not be easy…for Mr. Lincoln to do much mischief…He seems to us much more likely to be too good natured and tolerant towards his opponents, then not enough so. Rail-splitting is not an exciting occupation. It does not tend to cultivate the hot and angry passions of the heart…we have not the slightest doubt, therefore, that Prof. Lincoln will disappoint utterly the sanguinary expectations (of those that want change)…”</i></span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Sound familiar? In other words, this Lincoln dude is a wimp. Even if he had the House and the Senate, he’s still not going to do anything! Don’t worry, nothing is going to happen. This guy is a rail splitter, and we all know how ”those people” are. I think they might have missed this call. Talk about a dis! We imagined what the board would say if someone suggested that Lincoln would be one of our greatest and most beloved presidents in our history, one we would build monuments to. How hard would the laughter be? Sound familiar?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So we dove deeper. We read more about what was going on at the time. The paranoia in the south. The lack of conviction in the North. We dove into the back and forth. We used Google earth to look at the country in 1860 and where the strongholds were. We saw where the battles took place and how many men died in the war. We saw how the South was set up and where we thought they made some seriously bad calculations. We learned about how the Navy was used by the north. We listened to a audio interpretation of the Gettysburg address, in the pace and tone Lincoln would have read it. We spent all afternoon talking about it. We asked critical questions like, what would have happened if the south actually listened to the Times (several states in the south panicked after the election and without southern unity, declared their independence on their own.) We compared it to what is going on today in our nation and in our politics. How both sides lay out a vision of what’s going to happen to our country if we pick one guy over another. What we learned is that history is a recording of chaos that only make sense in the aftermath, when all the dust settles.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">That’s the power of technology and the web. We can jump into a time machine and visit the past. Not only so we can understand what happened, but also so we can learn how it applies to today and our potential future. We also learned that the New York Times, even 150 years ago, has no idea what it’s talking about. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It looks like Abraham Lincoln didn’t turn out to be so wimpy huh?</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08605365373394352506noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8470836096122983562.post-81384450972752521052012-11-05T23:06:00.000-07:002012-11-05T23:06:39.218-07:00Well hello 21st Century, how long have you been standing there?
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<i><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“21st century breakdown</span></span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I once was lost but never
was found</span></span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I think I am losing
what's left of my mind </span></span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">To the 20th century
deadline…” </span></span></i><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">- Green Day</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">I’m not a big fan of the phrase, “21</span><sup style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">st</sup><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">
Century skills” and it’s used quite often in the education world. For example, you might hear someone say, “We
need to teach kids 21</span><sup style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">st</sup><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"> century skills.” You will also find, “We will need students to
graduate with 21</span><sup style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">st</sup><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"> century skills.” </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">One reason why I don’t like the phrase is because
I’m not really sure what century we’re in right now and that’s a little
embarrassing. I also don’t like it
because it implies some set of skills students will need in the future. I contend that students need these skills right
now and they need to start building them as soon as they get to school.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">You find variations of this list of skills in numerous
places. The <a href="http://www.p21.org/" target="_blank">Partnership for 21st Century Skills</a></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"> uses names like “learning and innovation”
skills or “life and career” skills. My
friend Tony Wagner calls them “survival skills” in <a href="http://www.tonywagner.com/resources/the-global-achievement-gap" target="_blank">The Global Achievement Gap</a> and includes elements like “critical thinking and problem solving,” and
“effective oral and written communication” skills. There isn’t just one correct list, they are
all appropriate. In my talks, I break
them down into four themes (which of course include elements of all types of
skills). I call them communication,
collaboration, problem solving, and analyzing and assessing information. I’m not going to cover all four here (that
would be a very long post) but I’ll start with the first one, communication. I will follow up with the other topics in
future posts, maybe in the 21<sup>st</sup> century!</span><br />
<b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"><br /></b>
<b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Communication</b><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">How we communicate has evolved over time and in
the last 20 years, it has dramatically changed.
In the last five years, it’s just been transformed. When she started college, my daughter and I
had to have a communication meeting. We
were having so many misunderstandings and communication fails that we had to
come up with a system to deal with the expectations we had for each other. This wasn’t an issue when I was in college. When I had to communicate with my mother, I
had one choice with three potential outcomes.
I walked over to the hallway payphone to place a long distance phone
call. The first potential outcome was
that she picked up the phone and I talked to her. The second one was a busy signal, and I just
hung up. The third option was pretty
much like the second one. If she wasn’t
home, the phone rang and rang, and eventually I hang up (she didn’t have a
máquina). </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">My daughter and I had a much more complex system
to work through. If it’s information she
thinks I need but does not require immediate attention, she emails me (i.e.,
here are my classes and tuition is due next month.) If it’s information she wants to share, wants
feedback on, or needs my attention that day, she texts me (i.e., hey when you
get a chance, let me know if we are going shopping this weekend, I need stuff.) If she needs my immediate attention, she
calls me and if I don’t answer, she follows up with a text (i.e., I need money
in my account, I’m starving!) And how
does she find out where I am in the world at any given moment? Yes, she checks my Google+, Facebook, or
Twitter status. By the way, for those of
you who are “friends” with your kids, have you talked about expectations? I am sure your daughter has given you the,
“mom, please do not post any comments to my status updates” plea. Have you set your communication expectations with
your kid? Are you going to wait until she
posts a status like, “have to take my mother to her doctor’s appointment. She is getting warts removed from her feet
and I have to drive her.” How we
communicate matters and it will continue to be even more important.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">I remember thinking about how communication was
changing during my senior year in college.
You see, I was from the WordPerfect 5.1 generation. I saw the new Windows 3.1 being adopted by
the underclassmen and I was so thankful to be getting out of there! I didn’t think I would be capable of managing
the new communication expectations that were going to come with those new
capabilities. I was a dot matrix printer
communicator, with lots of words and maybe a few tables. I was an overhead projector presenter, where
I would type big WordPerfect words and copy them onto overhead transparency
paper. I would hand draw pie charts with
my trusty Sharpie marker. I didn’t think
that would be acceptable in the new Windows 3.1 world.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">I assumed students would be required to have
professional looking presentations with pictures and sound and other elements I
didn’t have the skill set for. They
would be colorful and vibrant. As this
capability grew, I believed the expectations would grow more intense. By the time my daughter was in high school, I
thought she would be expected to have a live interview with the researcher she
was writing about in the middle of her presentation.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">The truth is we haven’t really raised the bar on
communication and haven’t taken in all the technological and social changes
that have taken place in. Every semester,
I am asked by a fellow professor (yes, I teach classes at ASU every couple of
semesters) who teaches an MBA class at ASU.
Each semester, a group of students are assigned the Google business case
and they are required to do a class presentation on it. I sit in as their guest and help review their
presentation and answer questions. What
happens during the presentation stopped surprising me many semesters ago
because it happens every time. This
class of MBAs who are supposed to be the future leaders of industry takes the
business case, regurgitates it point by point in 20 slides, each with six
bullet points. In other words, they
present their WordPerfect made transparency paper on an overhead
projector. Talk about automating bad
communication.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Our students need to effectively express
themselves. They need to learn how to
write complete complex sentences. They
need to create original thought and learn how to share it in everything from
full blown white papers through 140 character tweets. They need to learn how to get effective
feedback in various formats. They need
to learn how to take complex ideas and communicate them to multiple audiences,
including considerations for global meaning and cultural differences. They need to learn to communicate using
varies media and develop strategies for how to send out effective targeted
communication. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">These skills have to be built into the new learning
models we are creating. We don’t have to
teach them as separate lessons. It is
about time that we raise the communication expectations of our students.</span><br />
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<!--EndFragment-->Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08605365373394352506noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8470836096122983562.post-32615263711354221062012-11-01T18:24:00.000-07:002012-11-01T18:24:28.116-07:00District Administration Interview<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I haven't been able to post a new blog post in a few weeks due to all the traveling I've been doing and the fact that I was writing posts for other publications. Here is one of them. It is a follow up interview to a presentation I did at a District Administration Leadership Summit here in Phoenix. There is a link to the video of the presentation at the end of this post. I don't know if the word "invigorating" has ever been used to describe me. Load mouth yes...invigorating not so much...</span><br />
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<br />
<h1 datatype="" property="dc:title" style="background-color: white; font-size: 19px; line-height: 1.2em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Q&A: With Jaime Casap, Senior Education Evangelist, Google</span></h1>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A follow-up to Casap's invigorating September DALI Summit keynote</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Publication Date: </span></div>
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<span class="date-display-single" content="2012-11-01T00:00:00-04:00" datatype="xsd:dateTime" property="dc:date"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">November, 2012</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><em> At the September District Administration Leadership Institute Summit in Phoenix, Ariz., Jaime Casap, chief education evangelist, Google, Inc., in his presentation, got the audience thinking about educational vision and where we need to be with regard to creating a learning environment that brings out the best in every child. We wanted to continue this critical conversation, so we followed up with Casap to find out how districts can jump-start their shift to a technology-pervasive learning environment.</em><br /><br /><strong>What are three priorities K12 administrators need to make when it comes to technology?</strong></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 1.2em;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b>The first would be broadband access. Our education system is preparing students for a world where the internet is ingrained into higher education, business practices, and our daily lives in general. Broadband access lets teachers take advantage of those tools and exposes students to the type of learning and working environment they will encounter in the future.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 1.2em;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The second is learning to leverage the power and prevalence of the web to create a learning platform. As educators, we are starting to understand the impact the web can have. Videos, applications, interactive content, and knowledge bases make the world’s information accessible from multiple devices 24/7. </span></div>
<div style="line-height: 1.2em;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And the third priority is putting equipment in the hands of teachers and students so they can access the rich content of an ever-expanding web. School administrators need to choose devices that not only give students and faculty access to that content, but that are nearly invisible so that the focus remains on the teaching and learning, not on the technology.<br /><br /><strong>Of all the technologies available for K12, which category do you like the best for schools?</strong></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 1.2em;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b>I always look for opportunities to emphasize the potential of the web as a common learning platform. Although some wouldn’t call the web “technology,” I certainly do. There used to be clear lines between technologies. You had hardware, software, applications. More and more, all technology is web-based.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<strong><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">What is one way superintendents and teachers can begin to think differently about facilitating education through technology that would be quick and easy and helpful right out of the gate?</span></strong></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">School leaders have to look at technology not just in terms of how it can help transform educational practices and models in the future, but also in how it can help us today. If you can look for just two ways technology can help you do your job better, you will create a pattern of looking for more. Eventually, you will start to see how technology can be a catalyst to transforming education. There are hundreds of way teachers and administrators can quickly use technology and the web to improve their day-to-day work.</span></div>
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<strong><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Other than DALI and District Administration, which magazines/websites/conferences would you recommend for superintendents and administrators to regularly review/attend?</span></strong></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b>I think the most important conferences that superintendents and administrators can attend are the local ones in their own backyards. I can’t tell you how many conversations I’ve had with superintendents and principals who ask me for case studies of schools that are doing great things with technology. More often than not, I’m able to introduce them to schools across the street! Getting together with their peers in the same state and talking with each other about what they are doing with technology in education and the web as a learning platform can go a long way!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Watch a video of Jaime Casap's presentation <a href="http://daleadershipinstitute.com/content/managing-and-scaling-technology-education" style="color: #004f75; outline: none;">here</a>.</span></b></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08605365373394352506noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8470836096122983562.post-13761709970024609502012-09-12T17:15:00.001-07:002012-09-13T09:51:36.961-07:00Ghettosuperstar<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpFirst" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: 0in;">
<i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“Ghetto superstar, that
is what you are<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: 0in;">
<i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Comin' from afar,
reachin' for the stars<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Run away with me, to
another place…”<br />
</i>- Mya<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I recently participated in a Google Hangout
interview for a podcast from my home office in Phoenix. On my wall behind my desk, and in clear view
of any video call I’m on, hangs big wooden hand made letters. They spell “GHETTOSUPERSTAR.” I was asked about it during the interview and
I thought the explanation needed a little more context. The letters were a Father’s Day gift from my
creative daughter who lovingly carved them with a table saw. The project took her weeks to complete and I’m
actually surprised, and very thankful, she still has all her fingers. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-X3XPGkpYUB4/UFEiPIIEXdI/AAAAAAAATI0/P51bF2BIOqE/s1600/IMG_20120911_161609.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="50" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-X3XPGkpYUB4/UFEiPIIEXdI/AAAAAAAATI0/P51bF2BIOqE/s200/IMG_20120911_161609.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I acquired the nickname while I was at Accenture (when it was still called Andersen Consulting). On many Fridays, I used to write “Jaime rant”
emails (before we called them blogs) that I shared with my friends at the firm. A particular one I wrote, “why I was staying
at Andersen,” was a reaction to the number of ‘goodbye’ emails we were all
getting from fellow consultants leaving and joining the thousands of start-ups
that were booming in the middle of the tech bubble. I wrote a ‘fake’ email about
my decision to stay at the firm and included all the reasons why I decided to stay. Those I sent it to must have liked it because
they forwarded it to their friends and networks. Before I knew what was happening, it was
being read and forwarded by thousands of consultants all over the world. By Wednesday, the CEO had read it and he
decided to forward it to all 70,000 employees with his thoughts on it. It was a stunning “Jerry Maguire” experience
and something I will never forget! I had to respond to thousands of emails from consultants all over the world.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">One of those first email forwards that was passed
around and ended up in the inbox of many employees, was from a close
friend who added to the forward, “from my friend Jaime Casap, the Ghetto
Superstar,” referring to my background and to a song that was hot and all over the radio that
summer. Before I knew it, I started
seeing it in emails and hearing it in meetings.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Nicknames come and go (and I had several in my
life) but I still use the Ghettosuperstar one because for me, it has come to symbolize that I should always
remember where I came from and how I should always be proud of it. For the longest time I hid where I came from
or how I grew up. I didn’t lie, I just
never talked about it. I felt people
would look at me differently or think of me less if they knew my story. Speaking to
lots of other professionals who grew up like I did, I wasn’t the only one who
felt this way.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Whenever I get the chance to talk to a class or a school of students, especially kids growing up in poor urban areas, I
take it! I will always try and make it
work (even if we have to do it via video).
Students in these schools get to hear from guest speakers every once in
a while at occasions like career days, or parent events. They get to hear what it takes to be a
lawyer, or a doctor, or a firefighter.
They get to listen to how important education is and how hard they have to
work if they want to succeed. I like to talk
to them because I am someone who knows exactly what they are going through. I lived exactly as they live and it’s
important for them to hear from "one of their own," to think, "if he made it, then I can also make it!" <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Of course I start with the “what it’s like to
work at Google” story. Students love to
hear these stories. I get a chance to
convince them all to go into computer science, engineering, or any of the sciences. I tell them that if they work hard and get a
great education, the payoff in the end will be well worth it. I do this while I show them slides of people
playing volleyball, playing pool, or writing scooters in the office (not
something I would recommend by the way – ask me why if you see me). I get them pretty excited about the
possibility of developing a set of skills that create useful applications millions use or solve
problems. Before I start, I always ask
them, “how many of you want to be engineers?” It never fails. Maybe one
hand go up, if I’m lucky. When I’m done,
I ask again and all the hands shoot straight up. One
of my favorite memories is of a seven grader who added, “I want to be one RIGHT
NOW!” We need to continue to beat the
science drum any chance we get! We all
know the high paying careers of the future will require skills in the sciences. More importantly, we want to create the
entrepreneurs who will create the next 100 million jobs! These science skills are critical to all our
students. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpLast" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The other reason I talk to students directly is
to give them a pep talk. I believe there
are some critical messages they need to hear.
From my own experience, I know they don’t get to hear these messages
enough. I tell them that they should be
proud of who they are and where they are from.
I tell them that some folks have low expectations on whether they will succeed
and that their motivation should be to prove them wrong. I tell them that their experiences, what they
see in their neighborhood, and the lessons they learn on the street, will all
be competitive advantage when they get older.
I tell them that their cultural background will be unique in whatever
field they chose to go into. I tell them
that they will have a different perspective, that they will look at problem
solving and creativity from a unique point of view. I tell them to work hard, get a great
education, and be successful. I tell
them to go out in the world and be ghetto super stars.</span><span style="font-family: 'Century Gothic'; font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08605365373394352506noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8470836096122983562.post-64032438684679934762012-08-30T15:24:00.000-07:002012-08-30T15:24:01.254-07:00Desks shown to harm student education
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<!--StartFragment-->
<br />
<div class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpFirst">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>“So no matter what you been through, no matter
what you into</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>No matter what you see when you look outside your
window</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Brown grass or green grass, picket fence or
barbed wire</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Never ever put them down, you just lift your arms
higher</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Raise 'em 'til your arms tired let 'em know you
here</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>That you struggling, survivin', that you gon'
persevere</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Yeah, ain't nobody leavin', nobody goin' home</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Even if they turn the lights out, the show is
goin' on” </i> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">- Lupe Fiasco <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It seems like there is no shortage of articles
that talk about how technology doesn’t improve education. The focus is usually around the impact of the
technology on test scores. The question
these articles answer is this: does the use of technology in the classroom
improve test scores? The methodology
they use to answer this question is simple.
They look at any school who has put “technology” into some of their
classrooms, they wait a school year, and then they compare last year’s test
scores with this year’s test scores. They
look at the scores and conclude that the use of “technology” doesn’t improve
test scores, therefore the impact of the technology on education at best is
flat.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">For some reason I still really can’t understand,
the New York Times used this simple erroneous methodology and argument in a
bunch of education technology articles last year. This surprised me. As a long time subscriber (I’ve been getting
the hard copy of the Sunday Times dropped on my doorstep since I can remember…I
would shut off cable before I stopped my NYTs if I had to choose), I expect so
much more from the nation’s standard of journalism. I asked myself on more than one occasion, why
would the New York Times simply ask the wrong questions? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Everyone I regard in the
education and the education technology space knows that technology doesn’t
improve education outcomes. They all recognize
that <b>great</b> education improves
education, not technology, or anything else for that matter.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Last year, the New York Times wrote no articles
about how school lighting doesn’t improve test scores. They wrote no articles on how the use of text
books, a $8 billion dollar annual expenditure by the way, does not improve test
scores. Can you imagine the New York
Times blaming the textbook industry for our nation’s appalling dropout
rate? Without even having to search, I
am confident the New York Times did not write a single article on how the use
of desks in the classroom do not improve student test scores. Why is that?
It’s pretty simple actually. It
is clear all these things are just tools we use to enable education. The use of a computer in a classroom is as
powerless as a desk in improving test scores unless it is used in support of a
great educational model. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We don’t talk about desks the way we talk about computers. We don’t go to desk conferences or develop
desk implementation plans. We don’t have
desk professional development plans. We
don’t think about the question of equity when it comes to desks. We would never say, “we only have budget for
90 desks but have 300 students. We’re
going to have to figure out which students stand all day.” We don’t question the need of desks in the
classroom and I would argue they are more detrimental to education than other
tools we use. For example, we now have
enough evidence that shows sitting all day is bad for you. This is why you are seeing an explosion of
stand up desks in offices across the country.
Desks also create this individualized island, designed to fit in rows
and face forward, which creates what I call “peer barriers” and limits
collaboration with other students.
Finally, the way they are designed, they are perfectly made to fall
asleep on. Where’s the New York Times article
on that story?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fo12RqjA370/UD_nWjI5s2I/AAAAAAAATIk/wCSPgvUA-1o/s1600/KoreanStudentSleeping.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="158" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fo12RqjA370/UD_nWjI5s2I/AAAAAAAATIk/wCSPgvUA-1o/s200/KoreanStudentSleeping.jpeg" width="200" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The reason why you don’t find articles about the
impact of desks on test scores is because it’s a ridiculous correlation. The use of laptops in the classroom, like the
desks, have nothing to do with test scores.
Only great education directly effects test scores (let’s leave the
argument as to why we shouldn’t even be talking about test scores for another
post). When used as an enabling tool, laptops,
the web, smart boards, tablets, and anything else we call “technology” has an
enormous impact on education. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">There is plenty of data that supports the use of
technology as an enabling tool. For
example, In a study called, <i>“Intertwining
Digital Content and One-on-One Laptop Environment in Teaching and Learning:
Lessons from the Time to Know Program”</i> (I appreciate how they like to keep
the names of these studies as short as possible), (2012 Journal of Research on
Technology in Education), the correlation between good education and technology
is clear. The study looked at how
one-to-one computing programs effected teaching and learning practices as well
as student learning achievements. The
study found consistent and highly positive outcomes in student math and reading
achievement. They also found higher
student attendance, and decreased disciplinary actions.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As in other studies, this one showed that a
technology enabled learning environment can more effectively promote
“social-constructivist educational goals, such as higher-order thinking skills,
learning motivation, and teamwork.” To
me, the highlight of this study wasn’t the increase in scores or how the
technology helped engage students. To
many of us, that just makes sense. The
highlight of this study is how they emphasized the following: “to achieve this
change, a school system must go through major processes. It requires setting new educational
objectives, preparing new curricula, developing digital instructional material
aligned with new learning standards, designing a new teaching and learning
environment, training teachers, creating a school climate that is conducive to
educational technology, and so on.” In
other words, it’s like we used to say in the consulting world I spent six year
in, “whatever you do, don’t help your clients automate bad processes, you’re
just helping make bad things happen faster.”
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The other key component you find in good
education technology studies is the duration of the study. Researchers are starting to recognize that
the real benefits and any significant change start to appear over a length of
time. In other words, even when you fix
everything in the education model, it takes a few years to start seeing
dramatic shifts in improvement. A six
month study isn’t good enough. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We shouldn’t be teaching technology, we should be
using technology to teach. If we are
using technology correctly, it should be invisible. When I talk about my work and the projects
I’m involved in, I never talk about how I used my tools. The tools are just there. Just like it is for us, the technology should
be part of the support structure. The
potential benefits are tremendous. Lots
of studies like the one quoted above show that technology is ideal in
supporting and enabling a learner-centric environment. In these environments, students feel critical
things like autonomy, engagement, and purpose.
They feel ownership over what they learn and how they learn it. This type of environment clearly leads to
students who are involved in their learning and more importantly, are willing
and able to learn. With this autonomy,
students learn at their pace and teachers serve as facilitators and not as
knowledge towers. Technology can help
these environments by giving students the opportunity to work and learn
collaboratively with other students to solve problems and create and share new
ideas. We can produce and implement new
creative assessment tools that promote learning, making sure students are
involved in constructing their own self and peer driven assessments. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">These are just some of the possibilities with
using technology in education. Until we
stop seeing technology as a nice to have, or as the line item in the budget
that gets cut because it is “outside of learning goals,” we will not be able to
fully realize it’s potential value. We
would never dream of building a new school with air-conditioning on only two
floors or electricity in only three of the four buildings. Until we start seeing broadband as
electricity, and computing capabilities as desks, we are a long way from that
realization.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--EndFragment-->Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08605365373394352506noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8470836096122983562.post-42968528582935625142012-08-20T18:54:00.000-07:002012-08-20T18:54:25.165-07:00Make sure you look both ways!
<br />
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: 0in;">
<i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“This is an invitation
across the nation,<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">the chance for folks to
meet<br />
There'll be swinging, swaying, music playing,<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">and dancing in the
street”<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">- Martha & The Vandellas<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I live in an urban area of Phoenix, right
downtown in fact. One consequence to
growing up in a place like New York City is that you’re never comfortable
unless you see lots of cars, hear police sirens all night, or have your street
lit up by police helicopters on the weekends.
Because we live in the city, and while my kids were young, I decided to
teach my them to cross the street. I
knew I wasn’t going to be able to ban the cars.
The other option was to pretend the cars weren’t there and never ever
let my kids cross the street. I didn’t
think that was reasonable. Eventually
they had to deal with cars so it made sense to teach them early and often. When it comes to the web and our children,
that’s exactly what many of us are doing.
We are pretending the web is not there.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The web isn’t going anywhere so ignoring it isn’t
going to work. We certainly aren’t
teaching our kids how to navigate the web (teaching them to cross the
street). We’re left with the only option
we have left, we simple ban it. I don’t
know if that’s the smartest idea in the world.
Like cars, eventually they are going to have to deal with the web. Wouldn’t it make sense to teach them, early
and often?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I have the opportunity to speak to lots of
principals, superintendents, school board members, and parents. Whenever I bring up this subject, they all
start blaming each other. The
superintendent says, “the school board will never let me.” The school board member says, “the parents
wouldn’t let us.” The parents say, “the
school is to rigid and would never allow it.”
One of my favorite arguments I hear all the time is that the kids are
picking up the skills at home. The general
argument goes something like this:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“Listen, the parents here are very
traditional. They don’t want their
students surfing the web. What if they end
up complaining to the board? Also, the
feds would take away our eRate funding if we unblocked YouTube and we can’t
lose that (I even had one senior administrator of a large district tell me that
they would lose ALL federal funding, including Title 9!) Besides, the kids are
developing these digital skills on their own, in their own home. They were born digital citizens so there is
no need to teach them. Yes, I know a lot
of them already have access to the web in their pockets but they aren’t doing
it on school property so we aren’t accountable.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I push back:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“Have you talked to the parents? Have you showed them the benefits of the web? Are you demonstrating how your school is developing
student skills as you prepare them for their future? Have you showed them how the web opens up new
opportunities to learn? Have you offered
them ‘parent Internet classes’ to teach them what their kids will learn? In terms of CIPA and eRate, can you give me
the name of just one school that lost their funding for violating CIPA? How much did they lose? Can you show me where it says YouTube violates
CIPA? Finally, in terms of students developing
the skills on their own at home, are you sure that’s what’s happening? How do you know?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The assumption that kids are learning these
skills at home is insane. Most college
educated folks lack basic search skills.
Even if it was true, not all our kids would be learning these critical
skills. If the kid comes form a family
that makes more than $75,000 a year, they have a 90% chance of having computer
and Internet access at home. If they
comes from a family that makes less than $30,000 a year, then they have less
than a 50% chance to have this access at home.
This applies to new technologies as well. For high income families, 55% of kids have
used a smart phone or a tablet. For low
income families, that number drops to 22%.
In fact, 38% of low income
parents say they don’t even know what an app is. In case you were wondering, it’s only 3% for high
income parents.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So even if they were learning how to be good
digital citizens at home, and we all know that most of them are not, then we
are failing a good portion of our students, the ones who probably need the
skills the most. We need a different
approach. We need to teach our kids how
to cross the digital street and turn their web experience into something
positive. We need to get parents
involved. We need to look at the web as
the new platform which will require a set of skills critical to success. We
should also be asking ourselves, what do we need to teach our kids so they are
safe online? How do we teach them to
stay secure? How do we teach them to
protect themselves and their information?
How do we teach them about privacy, and what is the right and wrong way
to interact with each other?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Things are certainly getting better, like in the
case of Chicago Public Schools lifting it’s ban on YouTube (<a href="http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2012-02-01/news/ct-met-cps-digital-20120201_1_cps-jean-claude-brizard-ban">http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2012-02-01/news/ct-met-cps-digital-20120201_1_cps-jean-claude-brizard-ban</a>) to help expand digital
learning. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Filtering bad content and sites is essential but not
in the way many school systems do it.
Broad filters that catch everything, including sites like National
Geographic, aren’t very useful. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We need to teach our kids to be good digital
citizens. Even more importantly, we need
to teach our kids to be great digital
leaders! The world’s information is at
our fingertips, we must take advantage of it.
As my teacher friend says, what students post and share on-line should
be the reason why they get into college, not the reason they don’t.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Let’s teach our kids how to cross the street.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08605365373394352506noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8470836096122983562.post-63926588699959923202012-08-14T09:26:00.000-07:002012-08-14T09:26:22.737-07:00Your Attention Please
<br />
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<i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“I used to ride the train
to the same two stops<br />
And look at the graffiti on the rooftops<br />
Like the same song playing on the jukebox<br />
Joint called "Faded Polaroids In A Shoebox"<br />
Regardless to what the cadence is<br />
It can’t be forgotten like old acquaintances<br />
I realize how depressing of a place it is<br />
And when I notice my reflection whose face it is”<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">- The Roots<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">When you do a search for “millennials
multitasking,” you can come up with 52,000 or so hits. If you do one for “students Multitasking” you
get close to 3 million hits. You find
articles debating the validity of this skill set, and you also find articles on
how to teach, manage, and/or take advantage of this skill set. One articles gives you ways that you can
develop your multitasking skills.
Another gave you ways to hire the best multitaskers.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The problem is that multitasking does not
exist. A human brain can multitask, but
not in the way some think it can. Not
when it comes to actually paying attention.
I can type this, wiggle my toes, and chew gum at the same time (oh yea,
and it keeps my heart pumping too). The
brain is constantly multitasking.
However, what these links are describing, and what we think of when we
think of multitasking, is doing two things at the same time, or, paying
attention to more than one thing at a time.
This, we simply cannot do and all the evolving we’ve done in the
millions of years we’ve been walking around hasn’t given us the capability to
do so. Say nothing of the idea that kids
who are “digital natives” all of sudden have the ability to do something the
brain hasn’t done in million of years. Relatively
speaking, evolution happens fast, but not that fast.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The irony is that we are creating a generation of
kids that believes they can multitask, simply because they were born in the
digital age. We have convinced them that
they are different than we are, that their generation was born with this
special skillset. It’s like saying my
generation was born when we had cars, therefore we are all natural race car
drivers. What we should be doing is
teaching them to concentrate, not filling their heads with the believe they
were born with comic book super powers.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I just read <i><a href="https://play.google.com/store/books/details/John_Medina_Brain_Rules?id=G_GbZ6rDUrsC&feature=search_result#?t=W251bGwsMSwxLDEsImJvb2stR19HYlo2ckRVcnNDIl0." target="_blank">Brain Rules</a>, </i>by John Medina. It’s a fascinating
and insightful book that describes how the brain works, and why it works as it
does. It comes complete with a set of 12
principles and rules about the brain. In
terms of multitasking, Medina citing real scientific research, calls it a
myth. “The brain naturally focuses on
concepts sequentially, one at a time. We
are biologically incapable of processing attention-rich inputs
simultaneously.” In other words, your
students (or you for that matter) must systematically move from typing an email
to talking on the phone. If you try and
do both things at the same time, something is going to fail. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So students can’t pay attention to two or three
things at the same time (i.e., texting and driving). Therefore they can’t read and text at the
same time. They can’t chat and do
complicated math problems at the same time.
They can’t write an essay and watch TV at the same time. It’s important to know this because they
actually try (they get the essay done while watching TV) but studies show if
you are interrupted, it takes you 50% longer to accomplish a task and you also
make 50% more mistakes. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">If our students are multitasking, we’re simply
not getting the best from them.</span><span style="font-family: Century Gothic; font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08605365373394352506noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8470836096122983562.post-87170282510062272242012-08-04T12:55:00.002-07:002012-08-08T09:51:20.125-07:00Education as the Silver Bullet<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>“PS 111 had free lunch</i></span><br />
<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Embarrassed but managed to get a plate</i></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>We was kids hungry</i></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Mom's working, </i></span><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I was famished</i></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>She getting home late</i></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>So I decided now I'm in charge</i></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Either stay full or starve…”</i></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">-NAS</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I often start presentations with the idea that education is a silver bullet. I believe the reason we all care about, and are passionate about education, is because we all understand the importance of being educated and what it can do for us. The idea that “you need an education” applies to all classes and across all the ages. This is especially true if you are born into a cycle of poverty. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">From my own experience, I know an education can literally change a family’s destiny in just one generation. In addition to the impact education has to a immediate family, there is a domino effect that cascades across the community.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I am a first generation American, born in Hell’s Kitchen, NY and raised by a single mother who illegally emigrated from Argentina. My mother spoke only Spanish so I showed up at PS 111 for kindergarten and had no idea what anyone was saying. English is technically my second language. I grew up on welfare in a nasty environment where I saw my first murder at 10 years old. My friend’s mother killed her boyfriend with a kitchen knife in their apartment two buildings over. We were having a sleep over at my place that night but we were supposed to stay at his place. I was shot at when I was 15, had a loaded gun shoved into my mouth when I was 16, and went to more funerals in high school than most people go in two life times. Crime and drugs were just part of my every day experience and Hell’s Kitchen was the proud birthplace of crack. I saw my first vial three years before it showed up on the cover of Time as a “ghetto epidemic.” I didn’t need Nancy Regan to encourage me to “just say no,” I figured out all on my own that I didn’t want to spend my evenings at Grand Central Station “taking care” of commuters in the men’s room for a few dollars to buy my next hit. Many people I grew up with hopelessly tried to support their new habit.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I think one of the reasons it’s so hard to break the cycle of poverty is human nature. You just don’t know how terrible everything is. You just think everyone lives like that. If you take someone from a “normal” situation and put them in that environment, I believe they would do whatever they could to get out! When all you know is poverty, drugs, death, and violence, you just live in it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My mother did work out on Long Island and in the summers, I would go spend weekends there while she worked. I got to see what was actually normal and I wanted in. I wanted to get out of Hell’s Kitchen. I recognized education was my silver bullet and because of it, my two kids do not need to experience life the way I did. The cycle is broken.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">When I was a kid, I used to wake up without electricity. My mother couldn’t or sometimes wouldn’t pay the bill and I would go days without having electricity. My 11 year old wakes up and complains that he has to suffer through a system update on his PlayStation 3, before he can play Call of Duty online with his friends on his 55 inch 3D TV. He is already asking if we can start visiting the colleges he is interested in. The cycle is broken. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My daughter, a second year student, never asked if she had to go to college. She just always assumed she would and even before she picked her college, she was strategizing where she was going to go to graduate school. The cycle is broken.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The impact isn’t only felt by my family. It is felt by my community. Education is what makes us better and it is supposed to be the equalizer in the American dream. Get educated, work hard, and you control your family’s destiny. That’s what I bought into and it worked for me and countless others who grew up just like I did.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Today, this idea is in serious trouble. Lots of recent data suggests that the achievement gap between rich and poor children is getting wider, which of course threatens the idea of education as a silver bullet. I’m afraid this could just become the norm, accepted culturally as just the way things are. If this happens, we’ll never be able to capitalize on the amazing potential education has to change families.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A <span class="MsoHyperlink">NYTs article by SabrinaTavernise</span>, <i>“<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/10/education/education-gap-grows-between-rich-and-poor-studies-show.html?_r=2&pagewanted=all" target="_blank">Education Gap Grows Between Rich and Poor Studies Say</a>,”</i> points out that in long term data, researchers are finding, “while the achievement gap between white and black students has narrowed significantly over the past few decades, the gap between rich and poor students has grown substantially during the same period.” They point to a study that shows the gap in standardized test scores between affluent and low-income students has “grown by 40% since the 1960s.” The gap is also getting dangerous in college. Researchers looked at two generation of students from both high and low income families. One generation from the early sixties and the other form the late seventies. For high income students, the number of college graduates went from one-third in the first generation to more than half in the second one. For low income students, the college graduation rate went from five percent to nine percent. The gap got wider.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Clearly, parental influence goes a long way. My children have had education and learning hammered into their heads. They are in my school everyday, where I question their assumptions, ask them for data to support what they say, and push back on their ideas and theories. They are getting a great education, no matter what school they go to. A lot of time and money is spent on their development. A few of the findings in the article didn’t surprise me but made me very nervous that we are no where near closing the gap. A University of California professor found that high income children start school with 400 more hours of literacy activities than poor children. They also point to how much money parents are investing in their children. They found over the last 40 years, affluent parents have increased their spending on their children’s learning activates by $5,300 a year (adjusted for inflation). Meanwhile, those on the lower scale of economic prosperity were only able to increase their spending on these actives by $480. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So you have to ask yourself, how exactly will a poor child succeed under these circumstances? I know we don’t have all the answers but we have to keep at this. This isn’t a poor issue or a ghetto issue. This is a national issue. There is a unreasonable amount of data that points to the high school diploma as the magic line. We have to at least get students to that line, especially those who are growing up in the cycle of poverty and despair. A lot of this work has to take place in the early years. By the time they drop out, we all recognize we are too late. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Every month, 50,000 Latinos turn 18. If we use the most basic acceptable statistics about drop out rates, 20,000 of them are turning 18 without a high school diploma, each month. We know that students who drop out of school are more likely to be unemployed, earn lower wages, have higher rates of public assistance, likely to be single parents, have children at a young age, more likely to become criminals, and like many of the kids I grew up with, end up in jail...or dead.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">How long do you think that will be sustainable? Education as the silver bullet is part of who we are. Our nation’s identity is made up in large part by the concept of opportunity. If you give me the opportunity, I will succeed. We need to restore that concept in education and give every student access to those silver bullets.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08605365373394352506noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8470836096122983562.post-48412164906573734652012-08-04T12:42:00.000-07:002012-08-04T12:43:06.117-07:00The Baby Web<br />
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<i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“Hello,<br />
Is there anybody in there?<br />
Just nod if you can hear me<br />
Is there anyone home?”<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">- Pink Floyd<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Do you remember when you had to call the
Internet? It really wasn’t that long
ago. Remember you would call the web and
the web would say, “I’m sorry, I’m very busy right now. Please call me back later.” We would try a different number, or we would
pretend we were calling long distance and try an out-of-state number. We just kept trying to call the Internet, no
matter how much it just didn’t want to talk to us. After trying for what seemed like hours, we
would finally get through. Then someone
would walk into the kitchen, pick up the yellow wall phone hanging there, and
knock us right off again! Very
frustrating experience. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">What was our reward for all this effort? A web page with lots of words, sentences, and
paragraphs, that had links to other web pages that were filled with words,
sentences, and paragraphs with links to other words, and so on. That was our web experience and we have to
remember that it wasn’t that long ago. Today we get frustrated if we have a slow web
connection while traveling on an airplane with a hundred other web users at
35,000 feet at 525MPH. Oh how quickly we
forget.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It took the telephone 75 years to reach 50
million users. It took the radio 38
years to reach 50 million users. The TV
set did it in 13 years. 50 million of us
were using the web in just four short years.
If you look at the use of websites or apps, things are only getting
faster. For example, in just 35 days,
Angry Birds Space had 50 million users.
33% of the world is online. When
I started at Google, it was 16%.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The web is a baby. We just started using it and already, most of
us do not know what we would do without it.
The web is where we read, where we learn, where we share and
collaborate, and where we socialize.
Whether you use your laptop, your tablet, or your mobile phone, think
about how you use the web and how many times a day you call the Internet
today. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In just a few short years, we went from viewing
static web pages full of text, to collaborating with 10 others on documents in
real time, looking at each other face to face.
We went from reading blocks of content to having access to 3 billion
hours of video on YouTube. We went from sending
emails to our friends with links to websites to check out, to clicking on one
of the thousands of articles, blog posts, articles, or videos shared with us by
those we selected to be in our network every day. In just a few short years, the web has become
an integral part of our lives. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Something funny happened over the last
Thanksgiving break. My 11 year old (10
at the time) asked me what Cyber Monday was.
I thought it was a funny question.
I explained to him that it was the Monday after Thanksgiving when all
the online retailers had their “Black Friday” sales. He asked a logical question, “why?” He didn’t understand why the online shops
wouldn’t also have their blowout sales on Friday. He didn’t understand why they waited until
Monday. He wanted to know what was so
special about Monday. Do you remember
why? The reason we have Cyber Monday is
because there was a time when all our “technology” was at work. The Internet access at work was better than
the access we had at home (if we had access at all). The computer we used (usually a desktop) was
at work. Lots of us didn’t have
computers at home. We certainly didn’t
have laptops, tablets, or smart phones.
The applications we relied on were at work. We have Cyber Monday because we had to go to
work to do our online shopping. We
didn’t have the option of doing it at home on Saturday or Sunday. Cyber Monday, which isn’t that old to begin
with, is already ancient folk lure to my 11 year old.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Somewhere in the last few years we crossed over
from being a “work technology” culture to a “consumer based technology”
culture. We do everything online. The applications and programs we use are
web-based. Can you imagine buying a
product without reviewing it online first?
Can you imagine pulling out an encyclopedia to find an answer to a
question you had? We all can clearly see
how dramatically and drastically the way we deal with information and knowledge
has changed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Education hasn’t been able to keep up with these
changes and I think that makes sense. It
is true that my 11 year olds’ classroom looks pretty much the same as it did 20
years ago. I understand. The changes have come in waves and at a speed
education was not set up to handle.
Totally understand. Wait time is
over. I think it’s time education
started catching up and got into the game.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The web is a baby and the way we use technology
is relatively new. Most of us can see
now how the use of these tools can be applied to education. All that is great news but that’s not why I
want education to jump into the game. I
want it in the game because of what’s coming.
If we all see the benefits of what we can do today in education with
technology and the web, can you imagine what we’re going to be able to do in 2
years, or 5 years, or in the next 20 years?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Yes, the web is a baby
but it’s growing up. We haven’t even
begun to imagine it’s possibilities.</span><span style="font-family: Century Gothic; font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08605365373394352506noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8470836096122983562.post-78994171735672288602012-08-04T12:17:00.002-07:002012-08-04T12:42:35.752-07:00I’m the Taxman<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>“Let me tell you how it will be<br /> There's one for you, nineteen for me<br /> 'Cause I'm the taxman, yeah, I'm the taxman”</i><br />- The Beatles</span>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">When
I was in 3rd grade, I took one of those “what are you likely to be when you
grow up” assessments, with some interesting results. According to this assessment, I was to become
an IRS agent. Every time I mention that
in a talk, I get some big laughs from the audience. I don’t think there is anything wrong with
being an IRS Agent. I am sure it is a
fine and honorable profession but if you know me even just a little bit, you
would know why there was something seriously wrong with that assessment. I am clearly not IRS Agent material and
members of my team will tell you that I can barely figure out the tip.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">However,
that’s not the point of the story. What
happened after I got the results is what makes this story interesting. My teacher looked at me in the eyes and said,
“oh honey, you probably aren’t going to be an IRS Agent but don’t worry, I am
sure you will work hard and get a good job.”
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Without
knowing it at the time, I had just become a victim of a horrific affliction - Low Expectation Syndrome. Looking back at my life, I can point to very
specific examples of Low Expectations Syndrome.
The problem with low expectations is that you don’t know you are a
victim of it for a long time and I would argue many people never realize it. These low expectations have dire consequences
on students, especially students growing up in disadvantaged environments. Low expectations give you permission to not
work hard, to be lazy, to tell yourself that you are doing exactly what you are
supposed to be doing. It is truly a life
altering decease.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Luckily
for me, my 4th grade teacher had the antidote and treated the Syndrome with a
new set of expectations and kicked my ass.
She was the first real great teacher I had. I handed in work and she handed it back with,
“I stopped reading after the first paragraph. I know you can do better than this. Work harder.
Do better,” written across the top. She taught me to
never say, “I don’t know how to do X.”
She corrected me every time and told me to say, “It’s not that I don’t
know how to do X, I just haven’t learned how to do it yet.” I feared her, not because she was scary or
mean. I feared her because I came to
believe she knew me better than I knew myself!
Now I realize that she didn’t need to know me. She understood the power of expectations and
the human potential to do amazing things, no matter what your
circumstances. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It’s
tough enough dealing with society’s low expectations, especially if you are a
poor Black or Latino kid. I remember
trying to stay out of the sun when I was younger. I didn’t want to be any darker than I already
was. No one on TV looked like me and I
wanted to fit in. One summer I put
Sun-in in my hair. A commercial told me
that I could highlight my blonde hair. I
spent the summer with burnt red hair,
looking like Dennis Rodman. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In
school, no one talked about college or more importantly, careers. I would tell my principal that I was going to
go to medical school to be a doctor and he would just pat me on my head and
say, “sure kid.” We were just marred in
a sea of low expectations. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The
problem with Low Expectation Syndrome is that it is a deadly silent
killer. It impacts you without you
recognizing it. When I was in college, I
wanted to continue my education and go to graduate school to study public
policy. My favorite political science professor
suggested that I apply to the Harvard Kennedy School of Government. I thought he was insane and said, “kids like
me don’t go to Harvard, I’d get eaten alive there!” He couldn’t talk me into it. I was convinced I wasn’t good enough to get
in, let alone do well there. Never mind
that I took four of his classes and he knew me well, or that I taught Intro to
Political Science over the summer, as a senior.
Of course now I look back and I know that not only could I have gone to
Harvard, I would have kicked it’s ass!
But at the time, I didn’t know I was suffering from Low Expectation
Syndrome. It took graduate school,
working for the Governor of New York, and years working at Accenture before I
truly got the syndrome out of my system.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I
read an article where a University of Minnesota professor (Sherri Turner) and a
postdoctoral fellow (Julia Conkel Ziebell) did an interesting study on the
career beliefs of 97 inner-city adolescents.
Students were asked to rate how much they believed career focused statements and the
results are telling.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The
most interesting one was, “success is related to effort.” If you think about that statement for a
second, what do you think your own kids would say? Would they agree? I know my kids would. As a competitive swimmer, my daughter got up
at 4:30AM several times a week for years to practice before school. She worked her ass off and graduate high
school on a team that lost one swim meet in 30 years and she finished as the
second fasted breaststroker in Arizona (we do swimming well in AZ).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Well
in this study, only 24% of students believed that that statement to be
true. 70% of them completely disagreed with it. The authors say turning around these negative
beliefs should be a major emphasis among school administrators. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">No kidding. This is an important topic that isn’t
addressed much. I will be posting much
more on this subject in the future. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08605365373394352506noreply@blogger.com2