This is What School Should be Like!

I'm teaching a couple of courses for a summer camp this week. Every summer, the college where I teach hosts a camp for middle schoolers. Great experience for the campers: they get a sort-of feeling for college life (staying in the dorms, eating in the dining hall, etc.) and it's a great social opportunity as well. And, hopefully, they learn something too.

I teach a course called "Geek Squad." The kids sign up for the courses they are most interested in before coming to camp, so the dozen or so I had in this course are self-identifying as "geeks," which is interesting in and of itself. Yes, we played with computers. Yes, we did some science and engineering. Yes...we talked about comic books and sci-fi movies and argued whether Star Trek is actually superior to Star Wars. (C'mon...that's not even an argument! Wait...showing my geeky hand here...) In it's essence, though, the course is about exploring, and trying stuff, and collaborating, and celebrating successes. We built all sorts of contraptions: paper gliders, tiny straw rockets, marshmallow shooters, desktop catapults, junk robots with tiny motors to make the buzz across the floor, marble runs, and we captured video of the whole thing to edit and share online.

Resistance is Futile

The forward march of technology is relentless. When I think of educational technology, it sort of reminds me of the Borg from Star Trek: "Resistance is futile...you will be assimilated..."

Image from Wikipedia

7th Grade Police Officer

I ran into a former student last night. He was in my 7th grade homeroom 12 years ago. Sharp kid: smart, hard-working, great sense of humor; he was the sort of student that makes teaching a joy. I was leaving the grocery store and he was on his way in...wearing his uniform.

He's now a 25-year-old, and serves as a police officer here in town.

He smiled as soon as he saw me: "Hi, Mr. Mulder!" with a wave.

I said my hello in return, and got into my van with my peanut butter and aluminum foil and potato chips and memories of this former student.

And this realization: he still calls me "Mr. Mulder."

I haven't been his teacher for more than a decade, but I'm still "Mr. Mulder" to him.

That was a bit of an eye-opening experience for me. I wonder what would happen sometime if I rolled through a stop sign, and he happened to pull me over? Clearly, he would have authority in that place, and I would surely get the ticket I deserved.

But this was a good reminder for me of the Office of the Teacher. Teachers have a high calling; we have a tremendous impact--for good or ill--on the lives of the students we encounter each year, each day, each class period. And for distinctively Christian teachers, this takes on an even deeper role, perhaps: are we being Christ to our students? Maybe this is why James admonishes the church: "Not many of you should become teachers, my fellow believers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly." (James 3:1)

Teachers, remember your Office!

Into the Deep End of the Pool

My kids had swimming lessons this morning and it got me thinking about how much I used to dread swimming lessons when I was young. As we were heading out the door, I had a strange pit in my stomach, and I am pretty sure it was just that feeling of remembering my fear of having to jump into the deep end of the pool, which is still a strong association for me with the whole idea of "swimming lessons"--even 30 years later.

Which is silly, I know...I'm a grown-up now, and I know how to swim, and I actually enjoy making a big splash off the diving board and all that.

But there's an analogue here...

Image from VentureofFaith

Why Students Don't Read

I saw this online yesterday (thanks to @jedipadmaster for sharing!) and I thought it was interesting. It's worth the five minutes to watch it, I think...

Interesting points these kids raise, don't you think?

The Struggling Technologist

I'm teaching an EdTech course for our graduate program this summer. I've taught versions of this course before, and I thoroughly enjoy it! I've again assigned the class to read Technopoly by Neil Postman.

I love this book.

I hate this book.

This book is such a great help for me in

critiquing our culture and thinking about 

how we use technology in schools.

This book makes me feel rotten about 

where our culture currently stands

 in regard to technology;  how 

technology has seeped into every 

corner of our lives, including schools.

This book gives me hope that 

hands-on, face-to-face learning 

is still important and valuable.

This book reminds me that I'm teaching 

an online course to teachers--some of

whom I've never met face-to-face--and 

we're all somehow okay with this...

Technopoly reminds me that there is still

a huge need for good pedagogy, and that

technology should not--and truly cannot--

replace a heart-driven teacher.

Technopoly makes me wonder about the

future of our culture (most broadly) and

school culture specifically. Where are we 

headed anyway?

Scrounging: Designing a Course

Image by Marcin Wichary
CC BY 2.0

I had a professor in my teacher education program who once told us, "Great teachers are scroungers. They are always on the look out for materials, curriculum, and techniques that they can scavenge and bring into their own classroom."

I didn't appreciate this as much at the time as I do now.

I've been participating in an online workshop this summer for faculty teaching online courses; it's been a great experience, and I've learned a lot already in the weeks we've been working together. I'm excited that I have the opportunity to put my newfound learning immediately into practice. I'm teaching several online courses this summer, and they start today! One of these courses I've taught several times online before (whew!) and the other, in two sections (high enrollment is a blessing!), is brand new, which is exciting and a little terrifying at the same time.