__ LIPS – Leading in Public Schools

Connect….

“All knowledge is connected to all other knowledge. The fun is in making the connections.”

Arthur Aufderheide

For the last year or so, it’s been interesting to focus on the three key words which sit behind lots of thing about internet use and the growth of the web 2.0 environment.  Connect, Collaborate and Create.

We live in a world of exponentially growing amounts of knowledge, freely available and floating out there within reach.  But, knowledge simply of itself, without connection to purpose, or a prior knowledge and understanding, remains simply another unconnected fact, or piece of information. 

One of our tasks as educators is to provide narratives which enable children to connect new knowledge to a piece of held knowledge which is already meaningful.  The trick is to provide an environment in which curiosity is fostered, and where the seeking of answers to questions which have meaning is a key aspect of learning.

A powerful means of negotiating meaning for new knowledge is provided by collaboration: utilising the synergy which can flow from the inputs and connections of a range of others.

And, from this flows the third ‘C’ as learners create new knowledge and new understandings, generating, in the process, new curiosities and seeking of answers to questions which have now become meaningful.

Quote of the Week #909

Don’t live down to expectations.  Go out there and do something remarkable.  ~ Wendy Wasserstein

I went for a walk in the street as it swelled with St Patrick’s Day fun.  In the midst of an intersection we were caught up in the energy of a performance by a High School Drum Team and Cheer Leader Team. 

The exuberance of the drummers: pierced and baggy panted young men, energetic and drilled yet freewheeling and edgy.  Engagement.  It is what makes the difference.

The willingness of this group of young men, their varied hats and body shapes at counterpoint, to focus intently on the quality and energy of their performance bore out the belief that engagement can maximise the quality of outcomes.

I am reminded of the person who once made such sense when they said something like: ‘the first violinist in the orchestra plays to the best of their ability not out of fear of the conductor, but out of a desire to produce the best sound possible.’  When people are engaged to care about the outcomes, then the horizon of possibility is endless.

Why should our young people have anything less than maximum opportunity ?

Very happy lately that a team have taken the Moodle idea and run with it.  Looking for other opportunities to promote the use of Collaborative Online Workspaces..(COWs)

Innovation by definition will not be accepted at first. It takes repeated attempts, endless demonstrations, monotonous rehearsals before innovation can be accepted and internalized by an organization. This requires ‘courageous patience’. ~ Warren Bennis

 

It has been refreshing in the last few months to work with some other educators to explore the possibilities of Moodle as a Learning Management System with students from a couple of schools

Early days yet..but looks like we can probably tick the ‘engagement’ box.

This presentation is worthwhile in getting an idea about Moodle

I’ve pasted below one of my favourite quotes which seems to become more and more pertinent every day.  The author is unknown, but it seems to reflect the famous quote from Anaiis Nin, which says:

“And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom”

Or, very simply, in the words of Moloko:

‘The time is now’

Or, Obama

‘Hope’