The Schools of Tomorrow and The Tech Literate Teacher: March 2010

Why This Blog?

This blog is the repository of materials I use with my students to help them think about what schools and teaching may be like in the future. I will add materials as I find them. If you have suggestions for materials that should be included here, please let me know via Twitter @drjohnhadley or by Email.

I also use these materials to stimulate an ongoing conversation with students and faculty on two questions: How do we determine whether a teacher is "technologically literate"? and Must all teachers be "technologically literate"?

The first question is the result of thinking about the second which was the central issue addressed in a 2007 post by Karl Fisch, author of The Fischbowl and Director of Technology for Arapahoe High School in Littleton, Colorado: "Is It Okay to Be A Technologically Illiterate Teacher?"

Thursday, March 25, 2010

What You Can Learn From A Lousy Teacher - Seth Godin

What you can learn from a lousy teacher...

If you have a teacher (of any sort) that you cannot please, that you cannot learn from, that is unwilling to take you where you need to go because he is defending the status quo and demonstrates your failure on whatever report card he chooses to use, you could consider yourself a failure. Or you could remind yourself...

Grades are an illusion
Your passion and insight are reality
Your work is worth more than mere congruence to an answer key
Persistence in the face of a skeptical authority figure is a powerful ability
Fitting in is a short-term strategy, standing out pays off in the long run
If you care enough about the work to be criticized, you've learned enough for today

From Seth Godin's Blog

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Dr. Seuss - The Zax

Paulo Cassallo (Class B) contributed this video in her post Sunday, March 7, 2010.It was first brought to my attention in an email from Amanda Sullivan (Class F). Think about these two statements when you watch the video:
Paula wrote: " 'Paula - are you being a ZAX with regard to technology?' I don't want to be a Zax but change is not always easy."
Amanda wrote: "I feel like a lot of teachers are like the Zax!"

What do you think?