I just happened to be online in a Borders bookstore after an off-campus meeting when his post came in to my reader. Checked out the author’s site, watched their video, and immediately bought the book for my own motley crew. My seven year old is already hard at work on his knots, having mastered the reef knot and clove hitch, working on developing his own mnemonic for the figure-8 and trying to figure out the bowline.

What I love about this book is that it encourages kids (and those of us refusing to grow up) to get out and play like we used to. As has been pointed out in the blogosphere, learning is messy. So is life. Yes there will be bumps, bruises and tears along the way, but they make the laughter, joy and happiness (dare I say learning?) all the sweeter. This book is just one more reminder.

Now get out there and play!

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I find myself often inspired and amazed by what I come across in the blogosphere. So I too will make some time today to send a shout out to those who have inspired or challenged me. What a positive way to address the issues raised after last weeks Cyber-bullying downturn.

I’d post more on this but I’m off to thank my feeders personally. Won’t you join me?

[tags]cybercompliment, cyberbullying, inspire[/tags]

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Came across this Wired article today in my feeds entitled Masterpieces of Disaster. The American Red Cross in the San Francisco Bay Area is taking a proactive approach to emergency preparedness with their Prepare Bay Area project. Hiring Publicis & Hal Riney, the Bay Area ARC has developed a diversified high-impact communication portfolio including mobile billboards which are designed to integrate into real settings, water bottles with the message “Try living on this for three days” and fake earthquake early warning simulators (an old-school bell that would ring when the earthquake shook hard enough), among others. You really need to look at the photos accompanying the article for the full impact!

The Red Cross message:

“What do we have to do to get your attention?”

Now this is an in-your-face approach to communication and only time will tell how well it is received but it made me stop and think about how I get my message out to my own intended recipients whether they are faculty, students or the general public.

[tags]advertising, communication, redcross, advertising [/tags]

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Michael Wesch, Associate Professor of Anthropology at Kansas State University, has created this 5-minute warp speed video that shows us the evolution of the web, but also how it has shaped and been shaped by evolutions in the types and social nature of various online applications. It seems to me that this movie could be just the tip of the iceberg and that it would be a great foundation or even a springboard for a larger study of how we are shaped by our technology and in turn serve to shape technology. The cyclical relationship between man and machine. Hmmm…

Anyway, enjoy…

[tags]ethnography, machine, video, web2.0, wesch, youtube, video [/tags]

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My thanks to Brett over at Pedagogy of the Compressed for blogging this!

[tags]freegeek, learning, teaching, learning [/tags]

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Passed on to me by one of my graduate faculty members.

UPDATE: The original link was taken down by the user, the new link above gives the video but without the English subtitles. But it doesn’t really matter if you think about technology support and watch the body language!

UPDATED UPDATE: ZrednaZ reposted the video by popular demand so I relinked to the version with English subtitles.

[tags]helpdesk, integration, learning, teaching, technology, video[/tags]

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Now imagine what positive message this sends to our students. We value your work so much that it deserves its own home in (y)our library. What will your students publish?

[tags]web2.0, learner, student, author, SLA, will-richardson [/tags]

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My issue of FastCompany (February 2007) arrived this week and I’ve only just now gotten a chance to sit down and flip through it. The article about Jeff Han (available online here) and his work on the touch interface is amazing and as I reflect, it strikes me as a way to kinesthetically interact with our technology in a much more organic and natural way than we ever have before. I also took the opportunity to view the FastCompany video clip thanks to Bryan Alexander and the TEDtalks video linked to by Tim. What I have seen resonates within me. It makes me wonder how this interaction will affect our learners. Will it improve accessibility? Is it intuitive enough? Will it lead to advances in learning?

We all have those kinesthetic responses: your PIN at the ATM, your password on your computer, phone numbers that you can only remember when your fingers simulate the act of keying them in. We don’t really have to think about them, they happen almost autonomically. But this action involves only our fingers, what would happen if our interactions utilized and/or required more of our body? What if recollections were based on physical gestures? I envision a musician or rock climber for whom their knowledge manifests itself in a physical form. Consider the new opportunities for kinesthetic learning that could be incorporated into the Wii system. There is already talk of creating a surgery sim but what else could be developed which would tap into this new tool for learning?

Data is no longer uni-dimensional, and as Han has shown it can be now represented visually in three dimensions. Think Minority Report meets the Matrix where tables, graphs and data can have a physical structure. How will this new way of visualizing and physically manipulating information allow us to retain, reuse and reconstruct knowledge? With visionaries such as Han, we may well find out within the next few years.

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I heard rumors that J. K. Rowling had announced the release of her 7th and final Harry Potter title. I had intended to visit her site but my ADD got the better of me. Then I came across a post by one of my most recent blog favorites, Wes Fryer,entitled Discover the final Harry Potter book title. Wes was reporting on a CNN link which provides directions on how Potter fans could learn the title of this last book. I won’t play spoiler for those who want to find out for themselves, but it turns out that J. K. Rowling’s website has hidden a number of “easter eggs” which in turn lead to a game which upon successful completion reveals the final title.

As I followed the instructions, it occurred to me that this sort of engaging, challenging and creative application of technology is what makes learning so much fun. It is not the rote memorization, it is not the regurgitation of meaningless factoids – it is in the exploration and experiential interaction engage our learners and this engagement generates excitement and passion which translates into lasting memories and this retention leads to a greater likelihood that these memories will be around to contribute to the cultivation of new knowledge.

Very cool indeed!

And to add to the novelty, this 7th installment will be available on the 7th day of the 7th month of the 7th year of the 2000 millenium, or 7 on 7-7-7. Hmm…
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I found all of that thank to Kathy Sierra and her Head First series of guides to programming. This book was written by Elisabeth & Eric Freeman and in the style of the rest of the series, explains its content in an irreverent but coherent and enjoyable conversation. What’s more, their use of relevant examples places the learning in a context which makes sense to the learner. Many of the HTML texts I’ve seen are typically a simple listing of HTML tags isolated from real-world application. The HeadFirst series uses a number of different examples wrapped up in a story line which draws the learner in and personalizes their experience. It is perhaps this use of storytelling which sells me the most on this book.
Printed by O’Reilly, this book is available just about everywhere and I highly recommend it for those who want more than cookie cutter templates and have a desire to learn HTML, XHTML and CSS. It’s done wonders for my comprehension of CSS and allowed me to refine my coding. Now it’s time to hack my blog theme CSS!

“We have too many people out there playing Devil’s Advocate…”

And the only thing I could think was AMEN!

“…when they should be in a learning role like the Anthropologist, when they should be invoking an organizing role like the Collaborator, when they should be adopting a building role like the Experience Architect.”

It was that simple quote that prompted me to find out more and to read Tom Kelley’s book, courtesy of the Inter-Library Loan system. It came in Friday afternoon and I dove right in.

“Having invoked the awesome protective power of that seemingly innocuous phrase, the speaker now feels entirely free to take potshots at your idea, and does so with complete impunity. Because they are not really your harshest critic… They’re removing themselves from the equation and sidestepping individual responsibility for the verbal attack.”

“Why is this persona so damning? Because the Devil’s Advocate encourages idea-wreckers to assume the most negative possible perspective, one that sees only the downside, the problems, the disasters-in-waiting.”

I never really understood why I have always hated those words “The Devil’s Advocate” until I read Kelley’s introduction. It occurred to me that the absolution that comes from playing the Devil’s Advocate is the defensive mechanism for the problem oriented. And whether you are in higher education or the corporate world, allowing problem oriented individuals free reign in this role will eventually kill your organization.

Perhaps the biggest lesson I took away from my time in the Outdoor Education program at the University of New Hampshire is that there are two primary approaches to working through challenge initiatives, whether they are icebreakers, low-ropes or high-ropes elements, problem-oriented or solution-oriented. Kelley takes solution orientation a step further, actually ten steps, in his identification of the ten faces of innovation. These are ten different approaches to solution orientation:

• The anthropologist
• The experimenter
• The cross-pollinator
• The hurdler
• The collaborator
• The director
• The experience architect
• The set designer
• The caregiver
• The storyteller

I’m reading The Anthropologist now and I have to say that I like what I’ve seen so far.

I forgot how much fun this age was for me, and is today for my son and his classmates. As I read, I watched their faces – they got lost in, no more like they were transported into, the stories and for a few minutes we were all in another world. We joined a little raccoon on his way to his first day of school, holding his mother’s kiss in the palm of his hand. We went on a walk in the woods at night with a young girl and her father as she embarked on her first owling trip. And I was lucky enough to share this journey with them. The power of the written word never ceases to amaze me.

It brings to mind the fact that these young minds are insatiable and that as educators, it is our role, our responsibility, to not simply nurture but to inspire and ennervate their own creativity.

I was still buzzing from the excitement as I drove over a frost-heave riddled back road on my way to work. I thought back to how much I loved, and still love, reading. I thought, too, of the passion I once had for creative writing – my outlet for managing the frustrations and stresses of my young life – and wondered why I had ever stopped. Did I succumb to my inner critic?

I might pull out some of the pieces I’ve written. Maybe I could read them, or get someone with a better vocal presentation to read them, and turn them into podcasts for my kids. I’ve been toying with the idea of creating a podcast for a while now but just haven’t had the inspiration (never mind the time) to jump the fence.

Thank you Mrs. Pettiti, for giving me the chance to relive my childhood through the eyes of your students. Please don’t ever lose your passion for your work! And thank you, Hunter, for constantly reminding me of what’s truly important in life!

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For those of you who are not familiar, Kathy Sierra is the author of a number of Head First books from O’Reilly Press but what really impresses me is her blog, Creating Passionate Users. I’ve referenced a number of her posts in my Web Expressions course and have tried to incorporate her learning and teaching philosophies into my own practice. Her latest entries as of this post are: Mediocrity by "areas of improvement", a fresh look at re-engineering the dreaded performance review, and Brain death by dull cubicle – her take on new developments in brain theory as they apply to our work environments.

These are a few of my favorite Kathy Sierra posts:

Crafting a user experience

Keeping users engaged

Blowing your own mind

Think sexy

The importance of seduction and curiosity

Creating a passionate…You

The user’s journey

Transparency v. seduction

and perhaps my own guiding text,  

Ten tips for new trainers/teachers 

 Thanks for the inspiration Kathy and keep up the great work!

technorati tags: kathy, sierra, creating, passionate, users, passion, creativity, inspiration, wow

I am sitting at my desk working up the curriculum for this class when my 5-year old son Hunter asks me, "Dad, what are you doing?" In my best fatherly tone I explain to him that I am preparing to teach this [Web Expressions] course in the fall. Without any hesitation he asks me the question that weighs on all little boys’ minds, "Dad, do big kids play too?" Being an adult and not too swift by 5-year old standards, it took me a minute to realize that the "kids" he was talking about were the students in my class.

Well that innocent little question stuck in my head (like one of those cheesy ad jingles or the Muppet "Mahna-mahna" song) and got me to thinking. At the time, I was trying to find a way to "teach" creativity and was frustrated by my lack of progress. Creativity is a rather abstract concept and it’s very nature is fluid and boundless. How do you neatly package something like that?

Well, if Hunter is right, the answer just might be in how we play.

When we play, whether it is building towers with blocks, creating an imaginary friend or skiing a backcountry bowl, we are expanding our minds, testing and pushing our perceived limits and developing new experiences upon which to build our future selves. Watch any child at play and you can see them grow, evolve.

How we play changes as we get older, as we explore new opportunities. Some of us lose touch with the ability to play with the unencumbered freedom of our youth. We find it difficult to "be creative" because we have for so long struggled with trying to fit in, trying to satisfy the expectations of others.

Get out and play, be a kid, who cares who’s watching? You just might learn a thing or two about yourself.

technorati tags: play, learning, teaching, creativity, knowledge, philosophy

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1. Shuffle your music
2. Have kids (if that is out of the question, rent or borrow some!)
3. Go to a toy store
4. Make something
5. Go to a live show

Read this blog entry or the entry title Blow Your Own Mind and you will find more tidbits and springboards that might serve to loosen up your pucker factor. Creativity is everywhere, you just need to learn how to see it.

I was sitting at my desk working up the curriculum for this class when my 5-year old son Hunter asks me, “Dad, what are you doing?” In my best fatherly tone I explained to him that I was preparing to teach this [Web Expressions] course in the fall. Without any hesitation he asked me the question that weighs on all little boys’ minds, “Dad, do big kids play too?” Being an adult and not too swift by 5-year old standards, it took me a minute to realize that the “kids” he was talking about were the students in my class.

Well, that innocent little question stuck in my head (like one of those cheesy ad jingles or the Muppet “Mahna-mahna” song) and got me to thinking. At the time, I was trying to find a way to “teach” creativity and was frustrated by my lack of progress. Creativity is a rather abstract concept and it’s very nature is fluid and boundless. How do you neatly package something like that?

Well, if Hunter is right, the answer just might be in how we play.

When we play, whether it is building towers with blocks, creating an imaginary friend or skiing a backcountry bowl, we are expanding our minds, testing and pushing our perceived limits and developing new experiences upon which to build our future selves. Watch any child at play and you can see them grow, evolve. 

How we play changes as we get older, as we explore new opportunities. Some of us lose touch with the ability to play with the unencumbered freedom of our youth. We find it difficult to “be creative” because we have for so long struggled with trying to fit in, trying to satisfy the expectations of others.

Get out and play, be a kid, who cares who’s watching? You just might learn a thing or two about yourself.

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