Imagination: a Father's Day Special

"Under blanket... It's raining."

Those four words (however choppy, babbled and broken) were spoken directly to me recently. The words were uttered by my 2 1/2 year old son on a day in which I was consumed by several tasks on my "to-do" list that needed to be complete. In addition, I was not the most relaxed and well-rested of fathers... I was very tired and my son solicited my attention during the fatigue of the afternoon hours. What did I want to do with my time? I wanted to take a nap-time siesta, or catch up on social media, or watch a ball game, or even veg out by eating some tasty snacks. However, I felt compelled to answer the call of my first firstborn. 

He grabbed my hand and he said, "quick, quick... hurry... hurry- under blanket. It's raining." He then led me by the hand he had clasped onto to the next room from where I was trying to rest and took me straight to a blanket. It did not take long for me to realize he was using and sharpening his imagination. 

I know what you may be thinking: Wow! this guy's house must be in really bad shape. Our 1925 cottage is old, but it is not that old. It does not leak rain into our house when it rains causing us to dive under blankets. And, plus, it was actually a nice sun shiny day on this particular Spring afternoon.

On this nice sun-filled day and despite my afternoon fatigue, I chose to entertain my son's imagination. And... You know what? We had a blast. It was awesome pretending to dive under water drenched cascades, take shelter in a cave from a torrential downpour, and escape the elements of Mother Nature. My son and I made memories that day and I don't regret it one bit. 

Did I WANT to use my time imagining make-believe rainstorms when I was tired and stressed? If I am honest with myself, then the answer is no. Did it take time away from what I wanted to do? Yes. However, was it worth it? Absolutely YES!

How does this tie in with education? I believe we all want to tap into our student's imagination. We want to allow students to navigate their curiosities, but unfortunately something keeps us from allowing this to happen. As educators, we, far too often, allow ourselves to be distracted by the unimportant "urgencies" and this, sadly, stifles the imaginations of our students. We lose out on the rich memories and we develop regrets. We lose and our students lose. 

The next time you feel you "have to" do some district initiative or you "need to" complete some ultimatum in order to be compliant, ask yourself... Will this take away from creating positive memories for my students? Will this inhibit my students imaginations? If you answer yes to those two questions, then I would put those on hold and choose to spend time allowing you and your students to enrich life with curiosity and imagination... After all, do not just take it from me. Take the advice of, perhaps one of the most brilliant minds this world has ever known, when he declared... 

"Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world." -Albert Einstein   

What do you think? Is it difficult to invest time in soliciting, cultivating, and allowing imagination in schools today? If so, why do you believe it is so difficult?

 

Autonomy, Vision, and Puzzles... "The Time Starts Now"

With a stopwatch in my hand and 30 anxiously staring doctoral students lined up in the hallway of a private university in Nashville, TN; I made one simple statement: "the time starts now." I then, opened a classroom door and the aforementioned doctoral students began to enter the room. Without any formal directions given, and only a 100 piece puzzle placed on top of eight different tables; a fascinating phenomenon took place. As has happened with all groups with which I have facilitated this same task (7th grade students, 8th grade students, a Middle School faculty of 50, a High School faculty of 80, etc.), again, without any formal directions, these doctoral students were observed doing the following:

 

1. Placing themselves into teams on their own

2. Beginning on the puzzle on their own

3. Dividing up roles and responsibilities on their own

4. Engaging in the task without reinforcements from me, the facilitator

5. Competing against each other without any promise of a reward from me as the facilitator

 

These observations lead me to ask the following question... Have you ever wondered what makes a great team?

 

I believe great teams do not necesarrily have to be managed closely by the leader. In fact, I am not alone... @DanielPink stated, "Management is designed to get compliance. But, to get engagement, the only thing that works is self-direction." 

 

More often than not, great teams can execute a plan (be self-directed) so as long as the mission and vision are clear. In this case, it was very clear... if we could just get into the heads of some of the participants, it would probably go something like this: "hmmm... boxes with puzzle pieces inside of them must mean I am supposed to complete a puzzle. Oh yeah, it would be better if I had some help... hey, you, get over here and help me put together this puzzle." Phrases like "hold up the front of the box so we can see what we are making," and "lets start with the border pieces," are always familiar phrases when making these observations.

After about seven total minutes of observation, the first group completed their puzzle and without any expected tangible reward, celebrated. Why would they celebrate? It is because, like all great teams and like all of humanity we desire belonging (See Abraham Maslow's work on Human Motivation, 1943). The teams putting together puzzles all belonged on a team, they all had a clear mission and vision for the task at hand and they all wanted to win. This was an innate desire to win and nothing could hold it back. My good friend and colleague @RyanBJackson1 reminds me often of what Sigmund Freud has stated, "Man's innate desire is to compete and win." This belief evolves from the idea that it is humanity's innate desire to survive.  

 

If Freud is correct, then all we need to do as teachers, leaders, parents, is to create opportunitities for students/children/workers/personnel to see a mission and vision, give them autonomy and let them go. They can do it. No more controlling leadership styles, no more over-protective parenting, no more dictatorships demanding the status quo. When we are allowed to see the goal , we can do amazing things. Just remember, "the time starts now."

***Thanks to Teresa Vazquez-Terry for the video footage as well as the video editing. In addition, thanks to Ryan Jackson, Kevin Armstrong, and Tamara Garvey for their assistance with the video. A good group of people right there!



My perspective on life and the result of dreaming...

Hey gang, it has been six weeks since my last blog post, which is the longest I have gone between posts in a year and a half. Here is why: 1). I just completed and graduated from a doctoral program which has been a dream of mine to complete for quite some time AND 2). My wife and I just gave birth to our new little daughter on April 25th--- another beautiful little dream of mine. I am one blessed guy. And, due to these blessings... I thought a little blog post could wait a little while. The wait has been worth it. Now, that I am back on the blogging scene, I want to share with you my perspective since earning a doctorate and being called daddy.

My perspective:

What’s in a name? Is a name simply a pre-requisite for humanity? Is it something we tag onto the souls of the ones we love at birth only so we can keep up with the mores of society? Do we ever stop and think about our own name? These questions provoke me to think, sometimes these queries aggravate and frustrate and, at other times, inquiries such as these haunt. Sadly, answers to the aforementioned questions rarely are sought out, pursued with vigor, or hunted down with urgency. Could it be that the very existence of mediocrity in our lives, the “settling” that runs rampant in our culture, could stem from the apathetic attitudes and complacency to the very question… “What is in our name?”

Far too often are the names of the ones we meet, the ones we rub elbows against, and the ones we live amongst forgotten. This is inexcusable. However, this sad state of affairs is a profound and poignant reflection of the lack of attention we truly pay to who we really are. At birth, we are adorned with a name, a title, a moniker, a label. These titles are great identifiers into the very essence of our being and, more often than not, tell the preface to our very own unique stories.

My story begins with three words: “to Honor God.” What is in a name is a story. After deep evaluation, I am probed to ask, “Is my story fact or fiction?” Am I merely a double-sided man who only “seems to be” or do I authentically and genuinely uphold the title of my story? Do I honor God? As I walk through life, I discover that nothing is by accident. My name is not by accident. Therefore, the answers to these questions have to be constantly searched. The noteworthy thinker and philosopher, Socrates, said, “The unexamined life is not worth living.” By asking questions, questions about my childhood, my parents, my name, my siblings, my motives, my goals, “the why” in life; I am able to examine. Coincidentally, by examining my life, I am able “to be rather than to seem to be: Esse Quam Videri.

I take this self-examination seriously. I, sincerely, consider the meaning of my name, which is linked to my life’s purpose, “to honor God.” I, with great intensity, focus on the examination of my life so that I can more readily and more appropriately honor God. I seek to honor my Creator, God, through every facet and component of my well-intentioned life. Not wanting to “settle,” not wanting to stop at mediocrity’s door; I strive to be my best… to offer myself as “holy and pleasing to God.” Does this mean that I do this with only a portion of my life? I do not think so. I aim to be honorable in every fabric of my being. If honoring God means purifying my physical body, then purify me now. If honoring God means stretching my mind, then stretch away. I, simply, want one thing: to be true to my name, to be true to my story, to be true to myself: “And, to thine own self be true.”

As life trudges on, I want to be one who can examine his own life without fear of what he will discover. I want to learn. I want to learn more. I want to be one who can rest easy at night, laying my head on my pillow, with the assurance that I am “true to thine own self.” However, I am not naïve; I do not perceive to think that this task is effortless, that the story is somehow painless in carrying out, that the name I am given somehow comes with little responsibility. On the contrary, I choose to recognize and embrace such a large commission before me. I see the story as an opportunity to continue writing a legacy, not an epitaph. I see the name as a noble title to uphold, a badge of honor to wear with great pride and care. I see the true meaning of my name and see it for what it is. It is a divine mission that cannot be ignored, cannot be taken lightly, and cannot be underscored with apathy and saddled with mediocre attempts at living. Rather, it must serve as a mission that is held in high esteem, treasured, and purposefully lived out with the utmost diligence and intention. And, the beauty is that, when concluded, this story will wreak, not of mediocrity and apathy, but of hope, authenticity, truth, and above all… honor.

What is your life's perspective? What are passionate about? Share your dreams and thoughts below...

 

Encouraging Failure

          What does a successful blogger (@jonacuff), a children's book author (@peterhreynolds), and a New York Times bestselling author of leadership books such as The Fifth Discipline (@petersenge) have in common? All three are well-known, inspiring, motivational, credible and all three endorse and encourage failure.

In his first public event (#startnight #startbook on Feb. 7th, 2013) to market and advertise his new book Start, Acuff was seen and heard promoting not only his book, but the idea that one must be willing to take risks and fail if one wants to make an impact and truly achieve their dream. As I followed his book's promotional event on twitter, I quickly discovered it was the number one trending topic on twitter that night and the following picture was prevalent on the twitter stream...
             In addition, Reynolds' children book Ish, has recently highlighted the beauty of encouraging and allowing children to be themselves in their creative artwork without fear of being judged for being "right" or "wrong." What a freeing idea... allowing children to be free to create and not having to worry about living up to other's expectations. Children can create and innovate with permission to fail in order to learn more.

Finally, no section of Senge’s work is more apropos, than his piece titled “Creating Practice Fields.” Senge was basically speaking my language when he wrote about the current state of the traditional classroom with traditional classroom learners. The sad state of affairs is what Senge labels “passive” when he describes the typical classroom learner. The idea of students sitting passively compliant in a classroom is not only bad practice… It should be treated as professional malpractice in today’s 21^st century classroom. The alternative Senge suggests is that “practice fields” be introduced as a replacement to the traditional classroom. The “practice field” is a place in which “students are making mistakes, stopping, trying again, talking about what’s working and what isn’t, and gradually developing a greater ability for effective action in the (areas) where results matter” (Senge, 300).
               Unfortunately, students are backed into the corner of right versus wrong answers, the high stakes of standardized testing, and the pressures of passing or failing. Failure should be encouraged and praised according to Acuff, Reynolds, and Senge. I seek to continue to sojourn with the likes of the three aforementionedtrailblazers in changing the way traditional education views the classroom.
Will you join me? Do you agree or disagree with the thought that we need to encourage students to fail in school?

17 Apps my teachers are using right now...

Below, you will find various resources my faculty of teachers have found helpful with regard to apps for classroom use. Many of these are associated with the teacher who recommends it. If you have questions, feel free to shoot them a Direct Message. They are very helpful!

1). Appitic (Thanks to @amsd2dth)

2). edmodo - Social Networking for the classroom (Thanks to @ams2dth)

3). Prezi - the new way to present

4). Pick Me for iPhone (Thanks to @wcsSSTMSkes)- a techy way to implement "equity sticks' for classroom mangament.

5). Dragon dictation - use this for struggling readers. (Thanks to @wcsSSTMSskd)

6). Too Noisy - a noise level meter for the classroom. Good for classroom management. (Thanks to @wcsSSTMStan)

7). What's the Word - fun word game.

8). Mad Libs - You know you love this childhood game!!! (Thanks to @wcsSSTMSkll)

9). Evernote - a great way to stay organized with reagrd to documents, note-taking, etc.

10). iStudiezlite (free homework app and a sophisticated student planner)

11). Auto Rap - great for review or warm-ups in order to maximize classroom culture. (Thanks to @wcsSSTMSafh and @bandteachergirl

12). These two are for video editing: 1). StoryCreator 2). Animoto

13). Splashtop2 - maximizes your desktop by allowing you to display your desktop computer straight to your tablet (TIP: SplashTop2 for Whiteboards, you will need to download the file to your laptop to get the app to work wiht your iPad and Promethean board.) ***Thanks to @wcsSSTMSbsd and @bsbailey

14). Scratch - great for jotting down notes when on the go

15). Teacherkit -  the ultimate classroom teacher's helpful resource

16). Teach

17). Sock Puppets - great and entertaining way to get student's attention and maintain it. (Thanks to  @wcsSSTMSkll)

What are some other apps you have found helpful? Please, list them below so we can all learn from one another.

 

Apps for personal and professional growth...

"I've got an app for that." This phrase has been uttered by thousands of people over the last few years.

I have been increasingly amazed over the last three years specifically, since late 2009, when apps (not these kind of apps... but real applications for tablets such as the iPad or kindleFire, smartphones such as android and iPhone, and Google apps) really started to take over the personal and professional landscape for many of us.

In fact, there have even been App Store Wars (based off of STAR WARS) that have even made us more aware of the more competitive side of the tech. industry.

Some of my favorite apps that straddle the line of my personal and professional life; giving way to productivity and/or learning in each phase are listed here:

1. Evernote
2. Twitter
3. Stopwatch
4. QRReader

Some other resources which contain lists of many apps for the #edtech classroom for which I utilize are listed here:

1. All the Good Apps Fit on One Screen
2. The 16 Apps and Tools worth Trying this Year
3. 10 iPad Apps to Enhance Critical Thinking teachers should not Miss
4. 25 Minecraft Creations that will Blow Your Mind

Some apps I have recently discovered that show great potential for the classroom are:

1. Vine
2. Minecraft
3. Whirly Word
4. Ruzzle

Learning technology is like the Super Bowl

Do you want to laugh? Watch the commercials. Do you want to be entertained? Watch the halftime show. Do you want to cheer? Watch the game.

The largest viewing audience in the history of American television, known as the Super Bowl, comes into living rooms each winter with one thing in mind... to suck you in. To absorb you into the NFL's marketing plan. And... guess what, just like over a third of the United States (over 100 million people nationwide), I am just as guilty. Why? Because I, just like most of us, enjoy being "part of the game." The innovators, the leaders, the movers and shakers jump into the game, into the action, into the conversation.

In schools today, we need these same individuals to jump into the game of technology. We need to become absorbed into the facets of social media, gamification, digital learning, and the fast-moving world that technology has created. Why? Our students are depending on it. Our future depends on it.

I am amazed each time I encourage, teach, tutor my teachers in the form of a new technology. Specifically, I am amazed at the teachers who "jump into the game" and self-teach themselves to tweet, to post, to blog, to search, to create, to discover something new in terms of how to deliver content. These teachers do not allow fear to rule the day. These educators take risks, they "punch fear in the face" and dive in, they leap, they fail only to learn from the failures and mistakes. I love it!

Gone are the days of sit-n-get technology instruction. Technology is coming in the form of user-friendly apps that one just needs to start using. I tell several of my colleagues to just start using... assimilate... that is the best teacher. If you are an educator, I implore you to learn a new technology medium and learn on a frequent basis. I try to choose one technology per month. I am not an expert. However, I refuse to be left behind. My recipe is very simple. The way to learn is easy as 1-2-3. Here is my recommendation:

1). Choose a technology medium (twitter, QR codes, blogging, instagram, prezi, pinterest, Vine, or anything else you see that has potential in the classroom)

2). Now... sign up for the one you choose and start using it. Do not fear it... you will probably mess up a few times, but who is keeping count? Just keep using it. You will get the hang of it.

3). Ask questions. Let down your guard and ask other users of the medium you chose for suggestions, recommendations, or tips. The hundreds, thousands, millions of users can help you out. You'd be amazed at the amount of help that is out there.

Go ahead... try it. What are you waiting for? What is getting in your way?