Bill Strickland video
I listened to his presentation twice and took notes:
People remember pictures long after they forget words. (So true - most of us are visual learners. Text based learning is usually the least effective way of learning.)
As a high school kid from a tough, high crime Pittsburgh neighborhood, Bill was a lost, alienated student until he met an artist teacher, Mr. Ross who had made a ceramic vessel one day. Bill asked "What is that?" "Ceramics" "I want you to teach me that."
In his final two years, Bill cut all his academic classes, but gave his teachers pottery he made and they gave him passing grades to graduate. The pottery wheel had saved him from dropping out.
Mr. Ross: "You're too smart to die." and helped Bill get into the University of Pittsburg on probation.
Bill had a vision of creating a training center for ex-steel workers, single parents and welfare mothers.
He was adopted by Episcopal bishop and learned that some Episcopalians would give money to support his vision.
He hired a student of Frank Lloyd Wright to design world class training center
Bill's design vision - a school should look like the solution not the problem
Ex-steel workers, single parents, at risk kids and welfare mothers deserve a fountain in the courtyard - water represents life and human possibility and sets an attitude and expectation regarding how you feel about people before you ever say anything.
The building decor is special - everywhere you look there is something beautiful. It is this kind of atmosphere that can redeem the souls of poor people. The deserve hand crafted furniture and beautiful decor - it sets a tone and attitude about how you feel about people. Flowers are everywhere. The cost is small, the gesture is huge. Sunlight and flowers help people believe in hope and possibility.
Heinz company = $1M gift to add a culinary service program
Good food not for rich people, it is for everyone. The training center subsidizes a gourmet lunch for students. What is good for their stomachs is also good for their spirits. It conveys a message - they have value. You can solve the race problem - if you create a world class environment (for example, an elegant dining room) you will see world class behavior
Only thing wrong with poor people is a lack of money, a curable condition.
Training programs include: travel agent, med techs, chem. techs, arts program, photography, ceramics and digital imaging.
How can kids graduate who cannot read their diploma? The system pays for kids who graduate not kids who read.
With flowers, sunshine, good food, affection, good music (Herbie Hancock) and enthusiasm you can bring kids back to life.
Treat children like human beings and they will behave that way. Children will become like the people who teach them. Experts create experts.
Poor kids need a world class gallery to display their art. Parents will always go to where children are being celebrated.
You have to change the way people see themselves before you can change their behavior.
After a Silicon valley presentation - HP and Steelcase donated a demonstration digital imaging center.
Bill built music hall at training center- Dizzy Gillespie played there and donated all the profits from the concert CD with money to support the school. Other artists who performed there include Winton Marselis, Ray Brown, Herbie Hancock, Tito Puente, Jim Hall, Shirley Horn, Nancy Wilson, Count Basie Orchestra, Betty Carter, UN Jazz Orchestra and Joe Williams ("God picked you to do this work, I want you to have my music"). All have performed to sold out audiences - 600 recordings with profits to school. Bill built new video technology recording studio for Nancy Wilson's Christmas album, the rights to which donated to school. An Oprah Winfrey appearance resulted in 10,000 CDs sold.
Built new larger training center with commercial anchor tenants like Mellon Bank, Medical Center, etc. at $20/sq. ft. in the inner city.
New project: building a greenhouse in the center city to train kids to grow flowers for sale to markets. They will include high technology orchids.
Bill: "Be prepared to act on your dreams in case they come true".
Now building world class training center in San Francisco with Willie Brown, mayor of SF and Herbie Hancock as partners. It is located on five acres on the bay and is being supported many donors. One short guy from Silicon Valley - founder or eBay saw Bill's presentation and became involved with a team of people to plan the building.
Bill met with and asked neighbors for their permission to build center - 200 angry disappointed people attended. After 10 pictures they settled down. A woman stood up and said "In 35 years in this God forsaken place you are the only person who has treated us with dignity". They soon supported his vision.
Qunicy Jones wants to help build a center in Los Angeles. Quincy asked: "Where did the idea to build these centers come from?" Bill: "It came from your music when I was 16, Mr. Ross bought in your albums while I was doing pottery."
Bill: I believe in you, your hopes and dreams, your intelligence and your enthusiasm. I am tired of living like this, seeing town after town with people standing around corners with their spirits broken.
$60,000 for a year in jail, $40,000 to go to U/Pitt. medical school. We have to change. I want to build a center in every city in the country in my lifetime. I make a friend in every town and am never lonely.
An atmosphere of high culture and respect will energize even the most troubled students.
My thoughts on Bill:
1) He is an inspiring person who, as an alienated and lost high school kid, had the good fortune to find something that engages him (making ceramics) and a good teacher who became his mentor and friend. Someone believed in him and treated him with respect, dignity and kindness. Also, the availability of a ceramics programs saved him. It is troubling to see arts programs being eliminated as frills so that more focus can be on standardized, no child left behind testing. Ironically, elimination of arts and music probably results in many kids being left behind.
2) Bill's vision that poor people in the inner city are able to rise above their circumstances if they are treated with dignity, kindness, enthusiasm and hope for the future works. His training centers are filled with flowers, sunlight, beautiful music and an elegant nurturing decor (world class environment = world class behavior). The fountain in the courtyard communicates life, hope, respect for people and an appreciation for the fact that all humans need to have someone care about them and have an environment that lifts their spirit and enables them to have hope for a better life.
3) Bill is a great communicator and so good at persuasive networking. He is also not afraid to ask for what he needs to accomplish his vision of humanistic, nurturing training centers in every city. Think of how many he could reach by using technology enabled social and professional networking. He has accomplished so much already and his presentation is very compelling and persuasive.
4) Bill's vision is about lifting peoples' spirits and building their self confidence to enable them to succeed in training and education. Our public schools often seem to do the opposite - the obsession with testing, grades, curriculum and the lack of a nurturing environment that lifts spirits and build self confidence. No wonder so many students are unengaged, failing, dropping out or graduating "without being able to read the words on their diploma."
5) Bill is a role model for effective leadership. He has accomplished so much despite the odds and has created a model for inner city training centers that works. Our public schools should embrace Bill's vision of how to rescue people from poverty and despair. How do we get large entrenched bureaucratic schools to change in ways that enable success? I think we need to encourage innovative charter schools to break the ineffective, bureaucratic, enormously expensive stranglehold on education in big cites by encouraging and funding alternative schools and training centers.
Finally, lifting peoples' spirits and building self confidence is critically important. It is more important than anything else we do. If someone is unengaged, lacking in confidence and feels a lack of respect or support, success in educational programs is unlikely. Also, the importance of art, flowers, beauty, uplifting music, good healthy food, nurturing environments is evident in the success of students in Bill's training centers. It is shortsighted, counterproductive and troubling to see so many programs in art and music being eliminated as "frills" so there can be more focus on No Child Left Behind testing.
Don't be afraid to live your vision and to ask people to help you. Network with people constantly, use technology to effectively communicate and involve other people in your vision of how to make things better. Don't be afraid to ask people to help you with time, money, expertise or anything else they can offer to support your goals for positive change. We are all in this world together and we need to take care of each other. It sounds cliche, but on a deep level it is true.
From Gretchen's post: Making the Impossible Possible
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
12 Personal Learning Networks (Feb. 2 - 8)
Personal Learning Networks from the Fischbowl.
I loved this TeacherTube video from Gretchen's post and included here to save for future sharing. It's a great example of how students can use open source technology to develop their own personal learning networks to collaborate, cooperate and compete - good skills for the 21st century workplace:
Singularity University - a high level global personal learning network of interdisciplinary high level problem solvers
Ray Kurzweil - How technology's accelerating power will transform us
On a personal level, I am developing a professional and personal learning network on LinkedIn. I am connecting with friends, work associates, family, and experts in online learning through the network building technology and the ability to join or create groups for the purpose of building a personal learning network in areas of career interest. In the eLearning Guild, we are sharing insight, resources, best practices, jobs, conferences, connections to expert etc. in the area of online learning.
I loved this TeacherTube video from Gretchen's post and included here to save for future sharing. It's a great example of how students can use open source technology to develop their own personal learning networks to collaborate, cooperate and compete - good skills for the 21st century workplace:
Singularity University - a high level global personal learning network of interdisciplinary high level problem solvers
Ray Kurzweil - How technology's accelerating power will transform us
On a personal level, I am developing a professional and personal learning network on LinkedIn. I am connecting with friends, work associates, family, and experts in online learning through the network building technology and the ability to join or create groups for the purpose of building a personal learning network in areas of career interest. In the eLearning Guild, we are sharing insight, resources, best practices, jobs, conferences, connections to expert etc. in the area of online learning.
11 Connectedness and Family (Jan. 26 - Feb. 1)
I grew up in Winchester, Mass. My parents were born there and lived there for 65 years before moving to Delray Beach, Florida. My father worked his whole career within walking distance of our houses there.
When growing up, many of my relatives lived in Winchester too. We had a very close family life. Aunts, uncles and cousins were part of our daily life. My father worked as a banker in Winchester. I rode my bike home every school day to eat lunch with my parents when I was in elementary school.
However, when the children of my parents' generation went off to college, our Winchester relatives started to move all over the country for schools and jobs.
I also moved away from Winchester and gradually began to lose frequent contact with my relatives. I would see some of them at weddings and more frequently at funerals. But we lost our ability to be easily in touch. It was hard to keep up with their changing phone numbers and addresses.
However, I started using the social networking site, Facebook, last year and am reconnecting with my relatives. For example, Mike Ambrose, my brother's son, now lives in Palm Springs, CA. I had not seen him in many years. Now, I interact frequently with him on Facebook.
My sister's son, Mark, is married and living with his wife and two young daughters in Miami. Tragically, his three year old autistic son drowned in a canal near their home last summer. I was able to be present at the heart breaking service for him held at a church in Kendall, Florida. It was video streamed over the Internet. I was glad to have been able to attend in that way. It felt very much as though I was there in person.
Facebook also now has a family application with which you can add relatives and define their relationship to you so family members can see how they are related and can easily contact each other.
My sister Carole has a daughter, Cindy. One of Cindy's daughters, Maria, graduated from the University of Miami with a degree in Marine Biology a few years ago. I saw her at a family reunion a couple of years ago, but have been out of touch with her for years. She told me during her undergrad years at U. Miami, on most Thursday nights she was at South Beach.
However, with Facebook I now am connected to her again. I see current pictures of her and now know she is getting a masters degree at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton in Biology and is living close to where my parents used to live. After graduation from U. Miami, she did research on declining rodents native to the Florida Keys and now is doing research on sea turtles
Maria shot a video of sea turtles hatching and posted it on her her Facebook account. It is password protected so I cannot share it here.
I also now know she is going to Australia to a Sea Turtle conference to present results of her research and she will be scuba diving on the Great Barrier Reef.
She is also learning Salsa:
The technology of Facebook now enables us to easily be connected to friends and family who are dispersed across the world.
When growing up, many of my relatives lived in Winchester too. We had a very close family life. Aunts, uncles and cousins were part of our daily life. My father worked as a banker in Winchester. I rode my bike home every school day to eat lunch with my parents when I was in elementary school.
However, when the children of my parents' generation went off to college, our Winchester relatives started to move all over the country for schools and jobs.
I also moved away from Winchester and gradually began to lose frequent contact with my relatives. I would see some of them at weddings and more frequently at funerals. But we lost our ability to be easily in touch. It was hard to keep up with their changing phone numbers and addresses.
However, I started using the social networking site, Facebook, last year and am reconnecting with my relatives. For example, Mike Ambrose, my brother's son, now lives in Palm Springs, CA. I had not seen him in many years. Now, I interact frequently with him on Facebook.
My sister's son, Mark, is married and living with his wife and two young daughters in Miami. Tragically, his three year old autistic son drowned in a canal near their home last summer. I was able to be present at the heart breaking service for him held at a church in Kendall, Florida. It was video streamed over the Internet. I was glad to have been able to attend in that way. It felt very much as though I was there in person.
Facebook also now has a family application with which you can add relatives and define their relationship to you so family members can see how they are related and can easily contact each other.
My sister Carole has a daughter, Cindy. One of Cindy's daughters, Maria, graduated from the University of Miami with a degree in Marine Biology a few years ago. I saw her at a family reunion a couple of years ago, but have been out of touch with her for years. She told me during her undergrad years at U. Miami, on most Thursday nights she was at South Beach.
However, with Facebook I now am connected to her again. I see current pictures of her and now know she is getting a masters degree at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton in Biology and is living close to where my parents used to live. After graduation from U. Miami, she did research on declining rodents native to the Florida Keys and now is doing research on sea turtles
Maria shot a video of sea turtles hatching and posted it on her her Facebook account. It is password protected so I cannot share it here.
I also now know she is going to Australia to a Sea Turtle conference to present results of her research and she will be scuba diving on the Great Barrier Reef.
She is also learning Salsa:
The technology of Facebook now enables us to easily be connected to friends and family who are dispersed across the world.
Monday, February 9, 2009
10 Mastering technology and information overload (Jan. 19 - 25)
As I go through this course, there are many weblinks, videos, websites, articles, books and technology techniques that I want to remember or share in the future. Consequently, I am trying to create blogs that are not only reflections but helpful sources of information for other students and me now, but also are blogs that I can refer to in the future and share with others here at work. They are also good reminders when I am feeling information overload.
The first video below is one that Jeff referred me to early in the course. I had never seen http://edublogs.tv before and the video below on searching Google more effectively was helpful too!
Google Search Tips
Carl posted a comment on one of my earlier blogs asking how to embed video in blogger. I was going to recreate the steps for doing it and then - light dawns on Marblehead - I looked on Youtube. Here is a good explanation, Carl with an interesting accent too!
Embedding a Youtube Video into Blogger
Finally, I have really appreciated learning about the very clear and well done Commoncraft videos.
The first video below is one that Jeff referred me to early in the course. I had never seen http://edublogs.tv before and the video below on searching Google more effectively was helpful too!
Google Search Tips
Carl posted a comment on one of my earlier blogs asking how to embed video in blogger. I was going to recreate the steps for doing it and then - light dawns on Marblehead - I looked on Youtube. Here is a good explanation, Carl with an interesting accent too!
Embedding a Youtube Video into Blogger
Finally, I have really appreciated learning about the very clear and well done Commoncraft videos.
Monday, February 2, 2009
9 Podcasts (January 26 - Feb 1)
What is a podcast?
How Create a Podcast?
Download Audacity ,"free, open source software for recording and editing sounds."
Also, download the MP3 encoder from the Audacity site.
To upload your podcast to the Internet, a good site is http://www.podcast.com.
Finally, submit your podcast to a search engine at http://www.podcast411.com
At CCSNH, we are about to do a pilot of Wimba Classroom in about 15 courses. That software automates the process of podcasting so it is very easy to do. It eliminates all the steps above, but Wimba is not free software.
How Create a Podcast?
Download Audacity ,"free, open source software for recording and editing sounds."
Also, download the MP3 encoder from the Audacity site.
To upload your podcast to the Internet, a good site is http://www.podcast.com.
Finally, submit your podcast to a search engine at http://www.podcast411.com
At CCSNH, we are about to do a pilot of Wimba Classroom in about 15 courses. That software automates the process of podcasting so it is very easy to do. It eliminates all the steps above, but Wimba is not free software.
Sunday, February 1, 2009
8 Wikis in Education (Jan. 19-25)
I am posting some of Jeff's content from the course to my own blog to be able to access and share in the future after the course is over.
What is a Wiki?
The Flat Classroom Project
Horizon Project
Wikis in Education
Now that I know how wikis, blogs and RSS work, and fully understand the meaning of connectivism, I am quite discouraged by where we are at work. We have 2600 courses on Blackboard this term and offer 400+ full online courses per year. The quality of those courses varies greatly. Some are excellent and innovative, some are dull, unengaging and mirror the punishing nature of chalk and talk teaching. However, very few faculty know how to use wikis (or what they are even), blogs, podcasts or RSS. The whole concept of connectivism in learning is not even on the radar of most faculty.
Recently, one of the CCSNH colleges decided that all faculty must post their syllabus and contact information on Blackboard, the online teaching software used at CCSNH. It seemed to me to be a small step in the right direction. In the face of faculty resistance, the decision to have all faculty post a syllabus and their contact information on Blackboard was abandoned. I am appalled at the faculty who resist and at his lack of leadership.
The college is struggling for enrollments (no surprise there!) and yet the entrenched faculty resist change. They prefer small classes in the chalk and talk mode of not engaging students and teaching so ineffectively. To me, it's more about what the teacher prefers than what the students need.
Oh yes, the union part of the problem. Unions are not known for progressive and forward thinking ideas. Plus technology makes top down control very difficult for a union.
Entrenched faculty who resist change and think technology is a fad and not essential workplace, problem solving and career building skills for students are a reality for us. Dinosaurs who do not see their oncoming extinction are such obstacles to change for us.
We have made a lot of progress in the past few years, but have a long way to go to catch up to the most effective technology enabled ways of engaging students and being a mentor, guide, information architect for them rather than a boring lecturer.Jeff''s video as an active link - How will CCSNH compete with this?
Friday, January 23, 2009
7 Blogs (Jan. 5 -11)
The Wikipedia definition:"A blog (a contraction of the term "Web log") is a Web site, usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in reverse-chronological order. "Blog" can also be used as a verb, meaning to maintain or add content to a blog."
Blogs enable you to share online your thoughts, pictures and videos publicly. They are free (amazing) and have wide ranging applications for education, work and personal sharing.
For example, I am sharing pictures I took at the Hay Estate in Newbury, NH last summer. You can see the sculpture exhibition there and my son and daughter. Now, instantly, you all know something about the Hay Estate and my children. You also now know my daughter loves cats.
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