Reaction to Karl Fisch's "Things I Want My Future Principal to Read"

For those of you who want to get down to business, here is the link:  

Things I Want My Future Principal to Read: 1472 and 2012

As a former English teacher, I've read some pretty deep stuff!  I've had my world turned and my eyes opened to new possibilities a number of times by great literature.  As I've told my former students many times, sometimes you have to wade through some pretty deep stuff to be transformed.  After reading this piece (which will at first feel a little deep and overly philosophical), something in me changed.

The article the link will take you to, written by Karl Fisch, references two works that have shaken him lately.  For me, this piece gave voice to my overwhelming feeling that, with the explosion of technology in the past 15-20 years, we are standing on the glacier of change that is entirely transforming the landscape, serving as the dividing line between what is to come from this point forward and what has come before it.  As Pesce and Turek put it in their article, this dividing line will serve as the marker "before which the ‘dumb’ and disconnected generations of humanity will seem incomprehensible and inhuman."  We are fortunate enough to be standing at that point in time.

If this is true, the question that is begged is clear: "How do you educate people to function, participate, thrive, produce, and succeed in a world that we simply cannot imagine or predict?"

The charge is essential, the answers are varied and highly debatable, but it is SO CLEAR TO ME that there is one suggestion that will NOT suffice -- continue to do what you have always done.

Hopefully the piece, specifically the concepts and images presented in the piece (I just love the image of people being polled about the impact of Gutenberg's printing press and them chuckling to think that anything could have that kind of impact), gives credence to the idea that maintaining a stationary position (specifically in education) during a time of such prodigious change is unethical and unwise.

Just had to share and needed to share with others who might appreciate the thought!

Pinterest - Social Bookmarking That is Both Graphic and Easy!

So, I'm not really sure where I learned about Pinterest, but thanks so much to whomever it was that pointed it out to me.  I dig the concept of social bookmarking.  It's a great idea conceptually.  However, when it comes to actually digging into all that text -- well, the urge to back away quickly without taking time to actually read the content is often stronger than my desire to will myself through it all.

That's really why I like Pinterest.  It's a graphic version of the links that I love from social bookmarking.  Way more manageable and digestable than so many of those other biggies.  It doesn't have everything I'd love in a social bookmarking site, but it is definitely worthy of a look from anyone who is just overwhelmed by all of the text and minutia of those the other social bookmarking biggies.

Here is the link to my first Pinterest Board:  Ed Tech Books Worth Reading

Disclaimer:  I KNOW they are not all "technology" books, but they are truly books about the elements needed to change any organization (specifically education), which means a move to more seamlessly integrated technology use by students to complete authentic tasks...so I think that should qualify!

Tools for Crafting and Guiding with Digital Resources

Tech Into Ed: Switch from Wordpress to SquareSpace Platform

If you haven't already noticed, Getting Tech Into Ed has just undergone a major site redesign.  I've decided to take the focus off of managing my site and really focus on the content.

I am now hosted with SquareSpace and really enjoying the ease of beautifying my site without worrying about codes, sizes, compatibility, etc.

As always, I love to hear your feedback. What are your thoughts on the redesign, the usefulness of the site, or the quality of our content?

Thank you for another year of your support of Getting Tech Into Ed!