Hung Parliaments and the Importance of Literature, Philosophy and History
The political uncertainty of the election ‘result’ that Australians watched unfold last night will lead to concerned discussion about what a hung parliament will mean for our democracy. There will be many at the moment worrying, including myself, about the NBN plan and what will happen to the Digital Education Revolution, if Mr Abbott is annointed. However, another interesting question is, obviously, how did a recently popular,... Read More
The Endless Ocean, Situated Learning & James Gee
Holiday Fun At the beginning of the school holidays I asked Miss 4 and Miss 6 what we could do together for fun. Quite a list emerged, including - ride the bikes, play ’Cinderella’, take photos, see Toy Story 3, play soccer in the backyard, tease Mum and go to websites – and ‘Dad, can you fix the Wii’? The Wii is now fixed and we had fun playing Endless Ocean this morning. Here’s a brief trailer, for... Read More
LEARNING TO BE A SHOOTER
My interest in photography has always been, in a sense, academic. In truth, I am not really a practical guy and the technical aspect of taking a picture and developing a print never really appealed to me. Whereas the stimulation and aesthetic pleasure of vicariously enjoying someone else’s carefully crafted simulacra was immensely, is immensely pleasing. I like to think of myself as a student of the past, images haunt me, as they do you, staring out... Read More
The first people I followed on twitter…
I have been tweeting for two years. I know many of you have been on twitter for much longer but it is amazing to think how fundamental to my day social media, especially twitter, has become in this relatively short period of time. The first person I followed was @mpesce who presented an interesting talk at an education.au conference and was very convincing about the potential of this newish microblogging site. I came home and joined, telling Kelli... Read More
Things You Learn
Things You Learn is a new online magazine that draws together stories exploring how learning influences our lives, how we strive for change and the outcomes it can bring about. I really like this idea/rationale. Metacognitive skills, like reflection, are such an important part of learning. Hearing stories on others’ reflections is important for students but too often adults do not have the time, or opportunity, to publicly share their many... Read More
Stick in the Sand
Thanks to Monika Hardy for posting this video. Read More
The Genius in All of Us: Part II
Now, having finished David Shenk’s, The Genius in All of Us, I’d like to continue my reflection on the importance of this work to educators, students and parents. The notes I made while reading, using that function on my Kindle, highlight that our quintessential thinkers, in Western civilisation, have always suspected that giftedness’ was a ‘process’. For example, Nietzsche described ‘great artists as being tireless... Read More
The Genius in All of Us: Why Everything You've Been Told About Genetics, Talent, and IQ Is Wrong
‘Intelligence is not an innate aptitude…’ It is difficult to shift paradigms and I have just started a book that may assist us to change perceptions about the potential of all our students – and ourselves. Steven Johnson, one of my favourite authors and thinkers, recommended via twitter last week, The Genius in All of Us: Why Everything You’ve Been Told About Genetics, Talent, and IQ Is Wrong by David Shenk. I have... Read More
11 more Australian Educators to follow on twitter
A year ago I posted 10 Australian Educators to follow on twitter and it is time to update that list with some more excellent tweeple. All of these learning professionals share their skills knowledge, contacts and enthusiasms generously. They have expertise between them in edtech, technology, leadership, librarianship, primary, English and Maths teaching In alphabetical order: Simon Borgert Jan Green Shani Hartley Stu Hasic Bianca Hewes Ben... Read More
Brain Rules
Brain Rules: 12 Principles for Thriving and Surviving at Work, Home and School by John Medina is an excellent, must-read for book teachers, parents and students. I am listening to the audiobook version, read by the author, at the moment and am finding it both informative and entertaining. I am considering releasing one principle a week to staff and students to complement our school focus on eating a good breakfast, drinking plenty of water and sleeping... Read More
Recent Comments