Ideas and Thoughts: Recent Episodes
Dean Shareski
Human beings generally dislike dissonance in any form, but cognitive dissonance is something we not only dislike but actively work to avoid. As I’ve written before—and experience daily—I live on the fence when it comes to AI. What’s been fascinating in my work with schools and school districts is how quickly the narrative has shifted from fear and uncertainty to optimism, even outright cheerleading, around AI in education. This is largely a result of people learning about and interacting with AI. Naturally, as we reduce our ignorance, we also reduce our fear. The challenge, however, is that this shift can sometimes dismiss legitimate concerns about AI. I’m not convinced that’s the best approach.
The other day, I was speaking with Tom D’Amico, a recognized leader and advocate for technology and AI in education. Tom’s reputation is well-earned through years of thoughtful work in this space. He shared a story about his daughter, a teacher, whose students expressed discomfort using AI and requested alternative assignments. Tom was excited that students were speaking up and that teachers were responding by offering multiple ways for students to demonstrate their learning. This story is likely not unique. It reflects the diverse and evolving attitudes toward AI—an ongoing and growing tension that also presents an opportunity.
Beyond the tensions about productive struggle, the promise of efficiency is introducing its own tensions. We can’t deny AI’s ability to save time—it’s an enticing prospect, especially in times of tight budgets and financial pressures. School districts are understandably exploring these opportunities. I’m now spending more time supporting the business side of education as they navigate AI’s potential. But this pursuit of efficiency comes with its own set of questions, and rightly so. Just because AI can produce efficiency doesn’t mean we should automatically embrace it.
image created with ChatGPTMy son recently shared a telling example from his workplace in the finance sector. His company runs a large call center fielding inquiries from seniors concerned about their finances. The company is considering using AI to handle basic and routine questions, leaving human agents to address more complex issues. On the surface, this makes sense. However, it raises an important point: those basic calls provide agents with a mental break from the more demanding interactions. Without that balance, agents risk burnout. While this is a narrow example, it underscores the nuanced tensions that accompany AI adoption—tensions that we need to acknowledge and navigate thoughtfully.
For educators, this moment offers a valuable opportunity. We can engage in rich, challenging discussions about the use and value of AI, while also designing differentiated experiences that honour varying comfort levels and perspectives. Too often, educators shy away from conflict. I would argue this is a time to lean into it. Some tensions are inevitable—AI is impacting us in ways beyond our control. Other tensions arise from the careful balancing of AI’s costs and benefits. These are precisely the conversations we need to welcome and examine more deeply. Tension is important and necessary.
Ultimately, fostering a culture that embraces these discussions will help us move forward as a community, rather than deepen divides. This is the work ahead of us—and it’s work worth doing.
There is no shortage of opinions or perspectives on AI and its impact on education. As we get more granular in our understanding of risks and possibilities, new possibilities and risks emerge. Not even necessarily new, but more defined.
As I write this, I realize the first paragraph isn’t great. AI could make it better. But I’m leaving it. I’m leaving it for 3 reasons. First, I’m lazy. The reason I blog is that I’ve always treated it as somewhat of a brain dump. Certainly, I want to be coherent and provide something of value to others, but as I’ve often said, my 20 years of blogging are more of a repository of my thinking than anything else. Second, I want this to be me. I’ve not yet trained AI to recognize my style well enough to produce anything that could be mistaken for me. But also, see my first reason. Third, I enjoy the process of wrestling with ideas, deleting words and ideas and seeing a piece of writing to the end. While I use Grammarly to some extent, I find its suggestions a tad annoying and yes, they make my writing better, some of my flaws are fine. (Full disclosure: I used AI to generate the title.)
One of my influences over the years was Clay Shirky. I say “was” because I’ve not heard much from him lately. Cognitive Surplus, Here Comes Everybody, and his TED talks were seminal pieces in my learning and understanding of the Internet. He also wrote a piece later on about why he banned laptops in his classroom. I wrote about that. For whatever reason, his name came to mind, and I wondered what he was thinking about Genai. Interestingly enough, he wrote about it last month. I resonated with much of what he wrote:
After observing that student action and thought is the only possible source of learning, Simon concluded, “The teacher can advance learning only by influencing the student to learn.” Faced with generative AI in our classrooms, the obvious response for us is to influence students to adopt the helpful uses of AI while persuading them to avoid the harmful ones. Our problem is that we don’t know how to do that.
I’ve been working for the better part of the last 2 years exploring the risks and possibilities. I’m just now entering the kind of work where we’ll deal with this challenge directly. It’s complicated and complex. Just like I wrote about Shirky and his laptop experiment, that you have to give it a try before you decide to shut things down, Shirky suggests that’s already been happening in higher ed.
Since the arrival of generative AI, I have spent much of the last two years talking with professors and students to try to understand what is going on in their classrooms. In those conversations, faculty have been variously vexed, curious, angry, or excited about AI, but as last year was winding down, for the first time one of the frequently expressed emotions was sadness. This came from faculty who were, by their account, adopting the strategies my colleagues and I have recommended: emphasizing the connection between effort and learning, responding to AI-generated work by offering a second chance rather than simply grading down, and so on. Those faculty were telling us our recommended strategies were not working as well as we’d hoped, and they were saying it with real distress.
The ubiquity of this technology is such that it’s going to be harder and harder to distinguish between the good and bad uses of Genai. I’ve been pushing the idea of productive struggle as a primary goal of school. Learning isn’t always hard, but it can be. We live in a world that is obsessed with reducing barriers, both for good and also because, as humans, we are typically looking for shortcuts. I’m 61. I don’t need to “learn” to write, but I enjoy spending time choosing my words and seeing an idea come to life. I know others who use AI much more directly in their writing. To me, that’s personal preference. But in the developmental stages of life, that’s not a preference.
The story that Shirky shares about William, describes what may be an inevitable path where AI just does what schools have typically asked for, and learning becomes secondary or non-existent. Currently, I’ve seen progress in trying to create some guidelines and structures to support students and teachers in navigating our use of GENai. However, what Shirky is describing here goes beyond those guidelines to address the emotions and cognitive struggle that is often unintentionally being offloaded to AI. I talk to many who sense an unpleasant feeling when they use AI, and that shouldn’t be dismissed. This goes way beyond just trying to “catch” kids using AI inappropriately or to avoid work, but is about doing the work. The “work” in this case isn’t the product but the thinking and all the things a teacher likely doesn’t see. One of my favourite questions is asking students what they choose to leave out of an assignment or project. This helps me and them understand how they edit and curate their work.
Maybe we need to explicitly teach the concept of productive struggle, or as Shirky calls it, “desirable difficulty”. Resilience and grit may be part of it, but I suspect it’s even more than that. Maybe we need to encourage our students and ourselves to monitor our feelings and call out when AI feel weird. As adults, we have the advantage of more experience not using AI. I recently talked with a high school teacher who was sharing similar stories about how her students were reluctant to use AI for fear of learning loss. As teenagers, they have memories of learning without AI. Like many of us older folks who remember learning without the Internet, our high school students are the last generation to have some memory of learning without AI.
I’m writing this not because I have a ton of answers, but as I continue to support educators in this work, this is currently my biggest fear. What I am grateful for is knowing how many educators are willing to address this concern and work towards something that helps students.
Media literacy and civil discourse have been central themes in my work for over two decades. As we navigate the complexities of Generative AI, these skills are not just underdeveloped—they’re increasingly undermined by the very platforms that dominate public conversation. While certain mindsets, dispositions, and strategies offer hope, I’m discouraged by the lack of visible modelling and the scarcity of platforms that truly foster these essential skills.
Recently, I’ve had the privilege of connecting with Andrew McLuhan, grandson of Marshall McLuhan. His insights have deepened my appreciation for his grandfather’s work, which I’ve long admired. Andrew reminded me that while most of us focus on media literacy, Marshall McLuhan was equally invested in media ecology—a concept anchored in his most famous phrase: “The medium is the message.” Media literacy equips us to critically analyze media content, uncovering bias and influence. Media ecology, on the other hand, explores how media themselves—regardless of content—reshape the way we think, feel, and interact. Where media literacy asks what a message means, media ecology asks how the medium changes the message and its effects on society.
If you’ve read McLuhan or Neil Postman, it might seem as if they were deeply skeptical—if not outright critical—of media. It’s worth remembering that both were writing long before the digital age exploded. I asked Andrew if his grandfather was anti-media or saw media as harmful to society. He shared that Marshall McLuhan worked hard to maintain neutrality—to be a true scientist. He believed that allowing bias into his studies would obstruct his ability to truly understand a medium. That doesn’t mean he lacked opinions, but rather that he saw bias as a barrier to comprehension.
Remaining neutral today is no small task. Being neutral is often condemned, “You must choose a side.” This is where my frustration lies. I want to examine the political tension and chaos that dominate our current reality. As a Canadian, I see my own country grappling with the influence of events happening just south of the border. Watching the U.S. navigate its divisions makes it difficult to find media that calmly, logically, and critically interpret the implications of policy and governance. The media ecology itself is fractured. Many of my colleagues in education—those who do share political views—lean heavily in one direction.
As I strive to maintain the mindset of a media ecologist, I see people who are angry, afraid, and disillusioned. I intentionally seek out perspectives that differ from my own to better understand the reasoning behind them. Often, I find those perspectives presented with a sense of certainty, even smugness. On both sides, people seem baffled by the inability of others to “see the truth.” They express frustration and, more troublingly, a belief that understanding and coexistence may no longer be possible.
Even suggesting civil discourse today can feel naïve. Some have written it off entirely. And yet, I remain desperate to find examples of thoughtful, intelligent people engaging across ideological divides—people who wrestle with difficult issues, challenge each other’s thinking, and explore the real-world consequences of policy decisions. If such models exist, they are marginalized, unsupported, or invisible in today’s media landscape.
Years ago, I followed a podcast called “An Atheist and a Christian,” where two friends with fundamentally different worldviews had respectful, curious conversations. It wasn’t about winning arguments; it was about understanding. I found it inspiring—both for what I learned and for the demonstration of what civility could look like.
This week, I searched for a similar platform where Americans with opposing views engage in meaningful discussion. I couldn’t find one. Today’s dominant formats—podcasts and short-form videos—reward speed, certainty, and outrage. The most successful content often caricatures the opposition, portraying them as stupid or evil rather than presenting thoughtful counterarguments. These trends aren’t accidental. They’re engineered to attract followers and engagement. Consumers, in turn, are incentivized to stay in their echo chambers.
The closest I came was a new podcast from Gavin Newsom, where he invites right-wing guests to share their views. I appreciated the attempt, but the episodes I watched lacked the depth and challenge I was hoping for. Still, I learned something new. The podcast, predictably, is criticized from both sides: the left sees it as pandering; the right views it as politically motivated.
Many readers will insist there are not two sides—only one right side and one wrong. But I’m not interested in picking sides. I’m trying to follow McLuhan’s example and understand why this is happening. When you immerse yourself in each information bubble, it genuinely feels like entering a parallel universe. How can people live in the same country—even the same neighbourhood—see the world so differently? It’s both unsettling and fascinating.
From a Canadian perspective, U.S. polarization exerts a heavy influence. While Canada is not immune to division, the stakes seem higher in the U.S., and the ripple effects are real. As an educator committed to diversity, critical thinking, media literacy, and civil discourse, I feel a responsibility to imagine and help build environments where differing viewpoints can be explored—spaces that aren’t governed by algorithms designed to stoke rage and deepen division.
At this moment, it appears we may have to create these spaces ourselves. If examples exist, I’d love to hear about them. If not, perhaps we can begin experimenting together. And if you’ve noticed a growing unwillingness to talk across lines of difference, I’d love to know what you think is driving that. Surely, you know people whose beliefs differ from yours—people you still respect. If not, we may already be losing the battle for civil discourse. There isn’t a lot of civility from anyone these days. And if that disappears, I fear it could be replaced by something far more dangerous.
20 years ago, I heard about a thing called blogging. I was a technology director/consultant like a kid in a candy shop trying every new tool out there. For those of you of a certain age, you’ll recall the mid-2000’s was a burgeoning time in edtech. Laptops were replacing desktops, web 2.0 had emerged and multimedia was coming on strong with digital cameras and video.
Here’s my very first blog post:
Brilliant, I know. Interestingly this post garnered 6 responses which speaks to how things used to be. This was pre-social media as we know it today but it was part of Web 2.0 which was the new ease and opportunity to create as well as consume content.
I’ve always been an early adopter. I joined Youtube in 2006 and Twitter in 2007. I’ve never referred to myself as a content creator but the numbers don’t lie:
- Blog Posts: 1,441
- YouTube Videos: 366 (that’s just my channel, like over 500 with contributions to other channels
- Tweets: 28,947
- Photos: 19,057 (flicker only)
- Podcast Episodes: 184 (over multiple shows)
Blogging has remained my most important platform. From the beginning, I was excited to be able to share without restriction or gatekeeping. I would post about anything I wanted. The value was partly to document my thinking, bookmarking new tools, sharing something useful for others and occasionally engaging in interesting conversations. What I never did then and not since was strategically use these platforms to grow and build my brand. That word itself has been explored a lot in this space. I didn’t learn about SEO or explore the myriad of tools designed to make the most of digital marketing. I know that cost me $$ and opportunities. But I’m naturally lazy and wasn’t interested in making a business out of it. That is no criticism to those who have. They’re smarter and more motivated than I am.
I have no real idea how many people read this blog. It’s been years since I looked at the stats. I know somewhere I have an email subscriber list. I did look at that about 5 years ago and saw I had about 500 subscribers. My guess is most of them have this go straight to trash. At one point I had 40,000 Twitter followers which always blew my daughters away and to this day can’t figure out how that happened. Neither can I.
I’ve been posting content for 20 years and I still enjoy it. I have no idea if others find value, although I do know my recent podcast seems to be well-received by many. I have no plans to do anything new or different. I’ve recently watched a colleague Tim Childers grow a pretty nice YouTube following which seems to be a nice part-time retirement gig. This stuff still fascinates me and it’s nice to see people find ways to connect and provide real value to others. I hope I can continue that. Happy anniversary to me.
Sticking with my commitment in my first post of the year, I want to write about sports gambling. The extent of my gambling is fantasy football so I can’t be too hypocritical but I think it is, like AI, an issue that schools are going to need to address sooner rather than later.
A few years ago, I listened to a Freakonomics podcast that explored how our understanding of risk and reward has evolved. It examined how institutions, from financial markets to sports leagues, have blurred the lines between entertainment and gambling, creating an environment where betting is not just accepted but actively encouraged. More recently, Michael Lewis’ latest season of Against the Rules has taken a deep dive into the explosion of sports gambling, exposing how the industry has positioned itself at the center of modern sports culture. He highlights how accessibility, technology, and aggressive marketing have made betting almost inescapable—especially for young people. The podcast also reveals the way these gambling sites have utilized AI to the point where they can’t lose and not only target poor players but also throttle good ones. While Canada and the US are relatively new to legalized sports gambling, other countries can tell you the negative impact it will bring.
The normalization of sports gambling is happening at an alarming rate, and it’s targeting young audiences with precision. If you watch a game today, you’ll see that betting odds are seamlessly woven into broadcasts, social media feeds, and even classroom conversations. While many like me hate it, it is appealing to many and particularly young men.
If we’re going to be serious about fostering critical thinking around things like AI and media in general, we have to include the impact of gambling. We already know that schools play a crucial role in teaching digital literacy and responsible decision-making. But are we prepared to help students navigate the risks of a world where gambling is as accessible as checking the score of last night’s game?
Consider how we talk to students about risk. We educate them about the dangers of substance abuse, social media manipulation, and financial responsibility, but gambling often flies under the radar. It lurks in the spaces where students feel most comfortable—on their phones, in their group chats, and even in casual conversations about sports. The rise of micro-betting, where fans can wager on things as small as the outcome of the next pitch, further erodes the distinction between engagement and addiction.
There’s a lesson here that ties directly into well-being. Just as unrealistic expectations in relationships or careers can lead to dissatisfaction and anxiety, so too can the false promises of easy money and endless wins. The dopamine rush of a small victory can be addictive, and the inevitable losses can spiral into something much darker. Young people, especially boys, are particularly vulnerable to this cycle, as many of them are still developing impulse control and critical decision-making skills.
So, what should schools do? First, we need to name the problem. Sports gambling is no longer a fringe issue—it’s a mainstream force shaping how students engage with sports and money. Schools should integrate discussions about gambling literacy into curricula, much like they do with media literacy and financial literacy. We need to equip students with the ability to recognize how the odds are stacked against them and how gambling companies manipulate behaviour.
Second, we need to shift the conversation about sports. The joy of watching and playing sports shouldn’t be tied to financial stakes. Educators and coaches can reinforce that fandom doesn’t have to come with a betting slip. Schools can also partner with mental health professionals to address gambling addiction in the same way they approach substance abuse and gaming addiction. Sports plays such an important role in society. Perhaps in our world today not only does it represent a healthy escape but it can bring communities and people together in a wholesome and powerful way. Sports gambling doesn’t add to it but takes some of that away.
Finally, parents and educators need to be more aware of the signals. When students casually mention betting on a game, it’s worth asking: Do they understand the risks? Are they chasing losses? Is gambling becoming a core part of their social interactions? These are the kinds of questions we should be asking before the problem becomes too big to ignore.
I don’t have all the answers, but I know this: expecting young people to navigate this issue alone is not realistic or fair. Just as we have learned to guide them through the challenges of social media, online safety, and mental health, we need to step up and help them understand the risks of sports gambling. Schools, as places of learning and community, have a responsibility to be part of that conversation. I did talk recently with Tom D’Amico, Director of Education at Ottawa Catholic who told him that his school counsellors were already dealing with this addiction with young boys. Good for them. My ask is that we don’t wait until it reaches that level of addiction.
If this resonates with you, I’d love to hear your thoughts. What role do you think schools should play in addressing sports gambling? Is this something your community is already talking about, or is it still under the radar?
Before you read any further, I need to be clear in stating my limitations and expertise when it comes to mental health. I have some expertise in my journey as well as a parent and educator but concede there are experts and everyone’s experiences that I can’t speak to directly. As I stated in my 2025 early reflection post, I want to reflect on this issue. If you also deal with mental health issues, it is advised that you seek professional help. A lot of mental health professionals are now using billing systems from ABA Billing Companies to efficiently manage insurance payments and other billing documents.
I recall listening to a podcast many years ago, so long I can’t even remember the source, that talked about how marriage and our expectations of marriage have changed over the years. It used to be that marriage was more like a partnership, one that took into account how each would complement one another. In many cases, it was more focused on a business relationship. In an agricultural context, people looked to see how their partner would be able to support the family farm. In addition, there was never an expectation that a spouse would be able to meet all of your needs. A person’s well-being was more of a community effort; relying on family and friends and other things to support you. Over the years, the role and expectations of a spouse changed to be something greater. The idea that your spouse was your soul mate or that they completed you, placed high expectations on someone else to be all things for you. I would argue an unrealistic expectation. I’m not a marriage counsellor but I do believe that a happy marriage means that each partner must seek out other supports to be fulfilled. As well, the idea that your early days of romance and desire will remain constant throughout your life is also a very unrealistic expectation. This doesn’t mean that you have a lousy marriage or a less-than-ideal one, it means that things change and can change for the better as you mature.
I share that because I think there is something to be learned here that connects to well-being. We’ve known for a while about the Instagram-filtered world we live in where people only share a thin slice of their lives, often presenting an unrealistic and highly curated representation of life. Even when we understand this is happening, the messaging we hear from so many sources suggests that we must always be reaching for the stars and that being satisfied is seen as settling for less. You can and should be doing better. Expectations from not only our partners but our friends, our families our jobs and our passions are often glamourized and simply unattainable. Once again, I don’t doubt that many people struggle with mental health but for those who simply question all their choices and feel down about them, I wonder if they may be expecting too much. I worry that they are seeking some kind of perfection when not only do I not think that’s possible but I don’t think it’s healthy.
My life is far from perfect. I’m certain my 60 years on this planet have taught me a few things. Contentment is often a misrepresented idea. I want for nothing. I also am grateful for an average Tuesday. A day where if I look at it objectively, nothing interesting happens. But in the routine of that day, I find moments of delight and joy and sit with them. They aren’t worth sharing with anyone but being able to reflect in the quiet and the loud and chaos that happen can remind you to be grateful. What many think of as a remarkable life misses out on the joys of being and living. The people I respect and admire aren’t people that are famous but ones like my nearly 93 year old father who wakes up everyday with a plan. The plan usually involves a game of cards, golf and coffee with a different friend each day. Over the years the activities may have changed but the purpose hasn’t. He has told me many times that he’s lived an amazing life.
I have no idea if my sentiment here resonates with anyone or not and certainly if mental health and well-being is a struggle for you, please seek help. But if you’re not at that stage but you are less satisfied than you’d like to be maybe it’s you and the things you expect from others and the things around you.
I’ve been using this thinking device of late.
When you say “2025” out loud it sounds odd, like we’re talking about some far-off future but here it is. In the past, I’ve made resolutions, set goals, and chosen a word but entering this year I haven’t done those things. I don’t know if there’s one reason why but I do know as I sit here in a Starbucks watching vehicles speeding by, being reflective remains something I need to do more often and more intentionally. I was reminded of that as I read Sandra Lynn Shortall’s post about AI and movement. Sandra is an Assistant Superintendent in West Vancouver Schools. While blogging for many is a bit old hat, I value people like Sandra who remain committed to public reflection, inviting others to join in and use her words in their journey.
So I wanted to capture a few things I know I’ll be wrestling with and wondering about in 2025. To keep me accountable, I’ll share three other topics I’ll share thoughts on in the coming days. Future posts will be about:
- Are We Being Realistic about Our Beliefs about Well-Being?
- Should Schools Be Talking About Sports Gambling?
- Do We Focus Too Much on Global Issues?
But for today I’ll share some reflections on Generative AI and Fence-Sitting.
My work over the past 18 months has been dominated by our work in supporting school districts in the thoughtful use and implementation of Generative AI. Our message and belief have been clear from day one: Generative AI is full of opportunity and risk. As Leon Furze wrote:
I often get asked to explain, or more accurately, defend my position on AI in education. I actually quite like sitting up here on the fence with a good view of both the pros and the cons. I’ve also got a lot of respect for people on either side of the fence: the critics who wouldn’t touch AI with a 10-foot virtual pole, and the early and enthusiastic adopters who’ll find ways for everything they possibly can. I think we benefit from both perspectives, but I just can’t make myself fall to one side or another.
That’s precisely how I feel. I’m naturally a centrist in many things and I’ve come to realize that many people don’t like that. As we often see in politics and sports, people want you to choose a side. Right or wrong, I won’t do that.
I’ll give you an example of my ongoing struggle with AI. I read this research paper or to be honest, I skimmed it and used ChatGPT with the following prompt:: “I need you to look very closely at this research paper. Provide me with a detailed analysis of the methodology, a summary of the findings, the recommendations of this paper as well as any arguments that might challenge the findings, the method or the recommendation. Be fair and unbiased.”
I hope you picked up on the irony of that. The paper was about the impact of cognitive offloading and its findings suggested that it is happening. My use of AI was precisely cognitive offloading. I knew that but was trying to choose whether I wanted to spend my time thinking about the findings and if I needed to read the whole paper to do so. I can list the reasons why I think I made the right decision and also list the reasons I think I was wrong. I also think there’s a discussion to be had about the difference between adults offloading thinking versus children. These are essentially the kinds of questions that I find both fascinating and challenging. It’s not always fun to hold competing ideas in your head. At some point, we all seek a resolution. There are a number of other quandaries and ethical issues that require extensive conversation and reflection.
In November I was facilitating our first day in an Alberta school division. I referenced this post of mine and if saving time is always important and if we do save time, what are we saving it for? What unfolded was a very intense discussion among participants who had very different beliefs and perspectives. On the one hand, one participant shared how they had used AI to help them write a eulogy. They were not a particularly confident speaker and used AI to write something they felt good about delivering. Another participant questioned it and suggested that even a poorly written but heartfelt speech would have been better. Always seeking to make things more polished shouldn’t be a default. There was a back-and-forth “debate” that I let continue because I felt it represented the larger issues of the impact of AI. As I listened, I felt myself fully on the fence as both sides made compelling arguments. I felt no need to choose a side.
As I will continue to be knee-deep in this work I wonder if I’ll begin to see more evidence that will sway me closer to one side or the other.
I’ll end with a quote that I have previously attributed to Malcolm Gladwell which I believe I heard on a podcast but can’t find the source but either way I like the sentiment: “Ideas and dissonance should bring you joy”
I did not use AI to write this (although I did use Grammarly) but the image is AI-generated.
I was privileged to teach a Grad course this semester at the University of Regina. Having not taught since 2019, I was excited about this opportunity both because I love teaching and also to examine how the classroom might be different as a result of the emergence of Generative AI.
The official course name was EC&I 832 and the course catalogue reads:
EC&I 832 Digital Citizenship and Media Literacies (3)
This course examines the complex nature of identity and citizenship in our digital world. Students will interrogate the interconnected areas of media literacy, online identity, and responsible participation in local and global networks as they relate to educational contexts and society at large.
My good friend Dr. Alec Couros has taught this course many times and graciously handed over his syllabus and course outline from previous semesters for me to use. I kept a similar structure but as has been my practice since I began teaching post-secondary in 2007, I built much of the content around my network and guest speakers. For me, this is the best thing I can do for my students, introduce them to some of the smartest people I know and add these people to their network. As my students shared their own summaries of their learning as well as their final projects, each and every one of my guests were mentioned and called out for the impact they had on my student’s thinking. If I do nothing else, this was a win.
The greatest challenge I would face was how might GenAI play a role in our learning. Here is the snippet of my syllabus where I laid out the ground rules:
3.1 Use of Generative AI
Students are permitted to make use of available technological tools, including generative AI (GenAI) tools as supplementary resources in this course. When leveraging these technologies, students are encouraged to critically evaluate the generated content and to integrate it with their understanding to produce original work.
While students are free to use generative AI to brainstorm or draft their assignments, the final submission should primarily reflect the student’s original understandings and insights.
Generative AI tools may be used to assist in students’ understanding of course content or in their completion of coursework for this class. However, if students choose to use generative AI to help with their coursework, they must be sure to cite and credit any generative AI tools in the manner in which they were used.
Schools and education in general is struggling to determine when, how and if generative ai should be used in learning. Part of this course will require your reflections and meta cognition as to how you choose to use it and whether it not it enhances not only your products and assignments but your own learning.
Students should practice including how they use GenAI in all writing and assignments.
We met every Tuesday evening and in nearly every class we wrestled with this. 2 specific incidents still have me thinking. The first involved one of my students who reached out to me and suggested that they felt one of her classmates was using AI to comment on their blog. While this was not a breach of our agreement it did raise some interesting ethical dilemmas. If you respond to the comment, are you just responding to a bot? Did the person leaving the comment feel invested in the ideas and simply needed support articulating it or was it simply an act of compliance? What value does that comment offer for the writer? The second incident involved me. Students submitted a form that outlined their thinking and some details about their final project. This was intended for me to help steer them in the right direction and provide feedback about whether the project would meet the criteria or perhaps it needed to be broadened or maybe narrowed down. I utilized ChatGPT to provide feedback and considerations and then added my own that was more based on my understanding of their circumstances and the potential usefulness of the project in their context. I shared the feedback and was transparent about my use of AI. I openly asked every student to share their feelings about me doing that. A few responded saying they assumed I would use it and many were quite pleased with the feedback. While no one openly shared any criticism, one student at least, shared some uneasiness in their summary of learning video. The truth is I felt the same. On the one hand, AI provided overall provided better feedback than I might have given. On the other hand, if that’s true, why would they need me? I suppose in hindsight I might have asked them to seek feedback from AI and then I might be able to add nuance, context or other personalized feedback that the AI might not be able to provide.
I love teaching and I want to give a shout-out to my students. You can find them and read some of their work on our class blog hub. While I’m sure there were moments of compliance and for many it was just part of knocking off the credits they needed for their degree I also know that for the most part, they were engaged, and thoughtful and were focusing on their learning and not their grade. I once again invited them to do some self-assessment and I have no reason to doubt their own assessment and remind them how little I think grading has to do with learning. As much as I work towards creating a community, I realize that a 13-week course with students who work full time and many have families is not a robust community that we might think of but I was very proud of how they supported one another and pushed each other’s thinking.
Finally, let me thank the guest speakers and they need to know how impactful they were to my students:
Mike Ribble, Alec Couros, Andrew McLuhan, Wes Fryer, Jennifer Casa-Todd, Chris Kennedy, Bonnie Stewart and Dave Cormier
AI promises to eliminate mundane tasks and increase our efficiency. On the surface, that sounds great. Everyone wants to save time. Everyone wants to eliminate mundane tasks, and we’re all interested in efficiency. But as we dig deeper, we need to ask: what are we saving all this time for?
I recently had a conversation with a school superintendent who shared some ways his administrative assistant could use Generative AI to be more efficient. The assistant, while impressed with AI’s capabilities, responded, “Is this so I can just do more work?” That’s not an unreasonable response. Most conversations about time-saving in education center on the idea that reducing paperwork and routine tasks would enable us to spend time on more valuable activities – the human side of things. Whether that’s connecting more with students or working on projects that will truly make a difference for educators.
But efficiency for efficiency’s sake isn’t always what it seems, and it can lead to unintended consequences. Consider the technological advances of the 1950s: home appliances promised women more time to do things they enjoyed. Instead, these innovations raised the standard of cleanliness in homes. Women found themselves dusting behind shelves and in nooks and crannies they previously hadn’t even considered. The promise of saving time never materialized – we just asked more of people.
It’s quite easy to track time saved when using generative AI. My colleagues can provide tangible results from their effective use of it. The Ottawa Catholic District School Board is working to document these time-saving ventures. Their work will help us understand which tools and prompts we should leverage, and it might encourage those who are hesitant to explore more. However, we shouldn’t assume that saving time automatically improves our jobs or lives. For that to happen, we must be intentional about what we do with any time saved.
I use a piece of software called Descript to edit my podcasts. Before using Descript a one-hour podcast recording would take me about three hours to edit, produce and publish. Descript helps remove filler words and creates clips and descriptions that now reduce the three hours to one. I just saved two hours. Which leads me to the question, what will I do with those 2 hours saved? Those of us who work in education and many other professions have never-ending jobs. All of us could and some of us do work 80 hours a week and we never finish. Our to-do lists never get completely crossed off. These two hours of savings could be used to carry on with that list. Sometimes that’s the right thing to do and I might be happy to focus on another task that is more rewarding or maybe more urgent. This week after editing my latest podcast I did not choose to do more work. Instead, I shut off my computer and took my two grandsons to the park.
This was clearly an example of AI making my life better, more human, and more well.
The documentation work at the Ottawa Catholic School Board is critical in helping us understand how and why we want to use generative AI in education. Broad claims about time and efficiency leave too many questions and even create pushback. What one person calls “mundane” might be important to someone else. Look at self-checkouts – they’re already showing signs of failure. While most complaints focus on technological ineffectiveness (which leads to theft), there’s also a realization that human interaction is part of the shopping experience. These “mundane” exchanges offer health and well-being benefits we don’t often consider. Many cashiers likely take pride and joy in their work. Perhaps instead of eliminating these roles, we could redirect human interaction to other parts of the shopping experience.
I love efficiency in so many areas of my life. Stupid things like hitting all the green lights on my drive from my daughter’s place to my house or getting to the airport just in time for a flight. I play these little games in my head and feel good about not “wasting time”. My family knows this about me and when I brag about the time I “saved” on a drive home, they’ll ask “So what did you do with all this time you saved?” Of course, I didn’t do anything special and it proved the silliness of that pursuit which I already knew was silly.
When it comes to real opportunities to save time with AI, it could be more than something silly. But what I hope we consider is what we might be saving for. If it’s just more work that’s not all that interesting to me. If it’s so that I have more agency over my time to choose something better or something I’d rather do, then I’m all ears. The current state well well-being in our schools is not great. While not a panacea, AI could be used to support well-being. As I continue to educate myself and others about the possibilities and risks of Generative AI in particular, I want to be sure to ask what we are saving time for. In the end, I want it to make life better, and more human and not simply to perpetuate an already unsustainable life of productivity.
What do you think? Have you found it to save you time? What did you do with that time?
Do you ever settle for “good enough”? On the surface, it sounds bad. It sounds like you aren’t giving your all. Particularly in education when we have mantras like “Whatever it takes”, “All means all” and “no child left behind”. These are daunting phrases meant to evoke seriousness and urgency. As educators, we have a sacred duty to serve children and we take the responsibility very seriously. Our work isn’t trivial. Still, the truth is, the truth that we don’t talk about often enough in education and other vocations is that to be successful and thrive, we have to accept that for some things and some tasks good enough is good enough.
As an educator, you never are done. If you devote 80 hours a week to your job, you can still find things to work on, improve on, or tweak. We all have limits and depending on your personality or time of life, those limits differ for different folks. My 14 years as a classroom teacher taught me that there would never be enough time to do everything the way I wanted. I made choices. It meant that some days, heaven forbid, my students did a worksheet. Sometimes in PE, I just let them play. Sometimes I spent hours planning a PBL experience knowing that it would allow me time in the future given there might be less planning once the project got started.
I currently have 3 beautiful grandchildren who live near me and I want to spend time with them and they want me to spend time with them too. I have the luxury of some flexibility in my day. If they ask me to go for a walk, I’ll work to make that happen. I also will take time for myself as well. They won’t be at this amazing age for long. I’m not wasting this time. It means I have to be very intentional about my work. Prioritizing things makes me more productive for my job. I’m more focused and energized and produce high-quality work. And yet there are times when I make choices to say “good enough”.
Generative AI has helped me with this. Design work can get to “good enough” more quickly, allowing me to spend time making it way better than good enough in the same amount of time. Other times, it’s getting me to a place of good enough faster and I can spend time doing other things. Sometimes those “other things” are not work-related.
My job is still an endless list of tasks and time that could be spent making everything better just like my days as a classroom teacher. As much as I like my job, it does not define me. I know what matters to me. I’m proud of my work and am grateful for my years of service and opportunity. But with so many things competing for my time and attention, I have to make choices on how I spend my time and place my attention. Over 13 years ago I wrote about this idea and it remains for me an important concept and belief. I write this knowing many struggle with the very idea of calling something “good enough”. I don’t suggest it’s easy to say it, particularly if you’re worried about what others might think. If you’re happy to work endless hours or feel you have no choice, I would ask you to consider your end goal and recognize your limitations. We all have limited time and energy and should have clear priorities.
This past week I wore many hats for many different purposes all within our work in the Metro Vancouver/Fraser Valley region. With each of these “hats,” I learned and grew. Here’s how:
Consultant: This role is one I’m learning more about and feel more comfortable with every group I work with. Listening is a big part of this work. I work to resist jumping in when it’s important for those I’m serving to do most of the talking. With so many wise and experienced leaders, they don’t need me for much but look to me for confirmation and insights on their planning to really excel. Timely support and critical friend best describe this work.
Facilitator: Having 12 districts in a room with slightly different configurations requires a fine balance between structure and time. Much of the feedback we received suggested these teams often don’t get concentrated time to work together but we worked to provide the right amount of time, sprinkled with new learning that was used to spur them on. Constantly reading the room and making adjustments defines success in this role.
Teacher: I’m excited to be teaching again this semester. It’s been 4 years since I last taught a class. This semester I’m teaching EC&I 832 at the University of Regina. I’m specifically excited to explore the role of Generative AI in my work and my students. I shared some of my initial thoughts in both my syllabus and in our conversations. Being able to practice many of the ideas and beliefs I share in my day job makes this so rewarding.
Documentarian: I was privileged to spend Thursday working in West Vancouver Schools alongside with Cari Wilson who organized a beautiful morning with visits to 4 schools and 4 amazing teachers. We’re working on capturing their early learning around #genai and they all delivered thoughtful and insightful reflections that I hope to use to create some compelling short videos. Having the right questions and letting people share the things that matter to them helps push this into something people want to watch.
Presenter: I bookended my week with this role. This is the role I have the most experience in and feel most comfortable with. I opened the week with the operations team from Surrey Schools (School District #36 Surrey)#36 Surrey) and ended the week with high school teachers from Frank Hurt Secondary and Fraserview Secondary Schools. Both groups brought different dynamics and curiosities to the conversation but particularly with the high school teachers I felt and saw full engagement.
It was a nice way to finish a long week of work with this thank you from principal David Baldasso who used ChatGPT to help write this:
I would be remiss if I didn’t say a specific thank you to Adam Garry who has helped me fine-tune some of these “hats” as well as Alec Couros for supporting me in my work at the U of R.
Like all the big players in tech, Google is working to gain market share in education based on its AI tool kit. Recently I’ve been showing this clip in presentations about things to come.
This was 4 months ago. Unlike tech innovations of the recent past where you might see a demo and then maybe 2 years later you could try it, this is moving uber fast.
Today, I played with Google’s Notebook, followed Alec Couros’s suggestion, and uploaded a copy of my book. I also added my blog. Within minutes it created this 9-minute audio podcast of my book.
While there is still much more to explore and understand about this tool, just this feature itself is fascinating. Uploading a copy of my book and website makes me the perfect person to critique the content and I have to say if I had had this when my book was first released I likely would have used this to promote it. These 9 minutes do an amazing job of summarizing my book in a way that is engaging and easily consumable. I did look into the privacy policy and as it stands now, they are not using this to train their AI models. That said, I don’t fully trust that. I never wrote my book to make a bunch of money so I’m less worried about copyright.
More to come…..
My current immersion into the world of AI and specifically Generative AI (GenAI) is at the same time exciting, fascinating and also mentally exhausting because you can’t embrace the possibilities without acknowledging the risks. As I say every time I’m working with others, holding these competing ideas in your head at the same time is not easy and in fact, goes against our natural survival instinct to see the world in binary terms.
I feel like I’ve done a good job surrounding myself with diverse opinions and experts in this area and at the same time have to remove myself from thinking too deeply at times because it’s extremely taxing mentally. Whether it’s politics, climate change or other major societal issues, it’s hard to live in 2024. No one can escape and most of us are trying to figure out what it means to be a good citizen and a flourishing, happy human.
Today I’m asking myself when should writing be hard? The promise of GenAI is often that it makes writing easier and even better. Whether it’s to spell check or fix your grammar or even to write an entire book, AI can perform all these tasks. For those who are objectively poor writers and don’t enjoy writing, it might be a lifesaver. Even those of us who write as part of our job and are good at it, it can be extremely useful. Like almost any new skill, writing is really hard. As a grandparent, I watch my granddaughter struggling to read, and my grandsons struggling to learn to skate and ride a bike, all these life skills are at one time hard and productive struggle is part of learning. As parents and teachers, we know this. Part of our job is not to eliminate the struggle but to embrace it and help them either during or perhaps after that it’s a good thing.
Today I’m writing this without any use of GenAI for the content but are using the spell and grammar checks. Given the title of this post, that seems like the correct choice. The issue I have is determining when the struggle is important. I think there are certain times when struggle is important. I’m going to write what I believe they are and then I’m going to see what a GPT might suggest they are. First here are my first attempts at when I believe writing should be hard:
- When you’re learning to write. This is most obvious for early writers to understand the basics like sentence structure but it extends as you develop more skills and are working to use writing for different purposes like narrative, persuasive and creative writing.
- When you’re trying to understand your thinking. A topic like this is one I need to understand deeply for myself. While GenAI could tell me what to think, I need to own this. I often use the example of school district mission statements. They do not vary all that much from district to district but you have to be able to make it your own. The reason you “reinvent the wheel” is to get your own wheel. Sometimes the result of the thinking doesn’t necessarily turn into good writing but the feelings and thoughts you put into trying to write your family member a heart-felt card force reflection and can conjure up feelings and ideas that may be latent or forgotten.
- When your writing matters. Many writings don’t matter that much. An email to your boss or a conference description matters, but if it’s just about communicating information and emotion isn’t a big part of it or you’re not heavily invested then GenAI can be a time saver. But if you want to be sure that something has the right tone and feel, it probably should be hard. That doesn’t say you can’t use GenAi but probably only to make slight edits.
- When a topic is complex and nuanced. Similar to my second point, the difference here may not be in your thinking but in your lack of understanding or appreciation of a nuanced or complex topic. This exact post is a prime example. Writing forces you to research or deep dive into ideas that push your thinking. While you could just read about it, writing helps to synthesize ideas or simply reveals how challenging some topics might be.
Here’s what ChatGPT said:
- Deep Personal Reflection: When writing requires personal introspection or emotional depth, like journaling, memoirs, or sensitive communication, the human experience is irreplaceable. AI-generated text might lack the authenticity or nuance of personal reflection.
- Developing Critical Thinking: For tasks meant to challenge or build analytical skills, such as academic essays or problem-solving exercises, it’s important to engage in the mental process fully. Relying on AI shortcuts the opportunity to refine reasoning or logical argumentation.
- Creative Integrity: When originality and creative expression are the essence of the work—like poetry, fiction, or artwork—AI can limit the authenticity or risk compromising the writer’s unique voice.
- Mastering Writing Skills: Writing is a skill that improves with practice. When learning to craft persuasive arguments, structure content, or develop style, it’s important to struggle through the process. Using AI too early in these stages can impede long-term growth.
So we aren’t a million miles off. I didn’t include the creative integrity idea. Good catch.
As I work with more and more districts this question as well as many related others are ones that everyone has to wrestle with. I feel like I should respond to the other question which is, “When Should Writing Be Easy?” This was hard enough to write. I’ll save that one for another day. As always your comments are welcomed and appreciated.
I realize that depending on where you live, you’ve been back to school for a while. For my oldest granddaughter, this is her first day of 2nd grade in a brand new school. I’m thinking about her today. But I’m also thinking about her teachers. I want them to be ready, excited, and equipped to give Harriet a great start and a great year.
Several years ago, I wrote a Back to School Speech that was written in response to many of the bad speeches I had heard. It got quite a bit of response including a district that created a video from it. I wanted to rewrite it with a slightly different feel but a similar tone. I used ChatGPT to provide some of the reframing to include some of the new challenges of burnout and anxiety that many teachers and students face. This one, like my previous speech is written as a Superintendent or School leader:
Good morning, everyone,
I know the start of a school year can be overwhelming, with endless tasks ahead of you and so many responsibilities pulling you in different directions. But before you dive into your preparations, I wanted to take a moment to share some thoughts with you.
First, I hope you truly had a chance to rest and recharge over the summer. In today’s world, our work has only become more complex and demanding. The pressures on you as educators are immense, from meeting curriculum standards to addressing the diverse needs of each student in your care. It’s no small task, and that’s why it’s so important to prioritize your well-being. You cannot pour from an empty cup.
As we begin this school year, I want to remind you that taking care of yourself is not only necessary but critical. Lean on us—your leadership team. We are here to support you, and we will hold you accountable for balancing your passion for your work with your health and happiness. You don’t have to do it all alone. Let us help you when things feel overwhelming. We also expect you to hold us accountable. When we are asking for unreasonable things, you need to let us know. While we have the greatest faith in your ability, we sometimes ask too much. As a system we’ve not done a great job at making your job better. While we know it’s always going to be hard, we want you to thrive and we will examine everything that’s not working towards that goal and together we want to improve it. We won’t tell you to “do yoga” as a solution. That’s a bandaid at best.
Yes, teaching is increasingly complex, and the world outside our classrooms is more chaotic than ever. But never forget: what you do here goes beyond any curriculum or academic standard. The role you play in shaping minds, hearts, and lives is perhaps one of the most significant ways we can all make the world a better place. Your influence extends far beyond the walls of your classroom. Remember that the little things you do every day—the kind word, the encouragement, the patience—those are the things that change lives. While we’re good at measuring achievement as described by test scores and grades, we want to continue to consider curiosity, well-being and belonging as even more important. I realize that can sound like a platitude but as leaders we need to work with you to make that a thing.
You’ve done this before. You’ve succeeded before. When the days feel long, remember that this school year is not a sprint, but a marathon. Pace yourself. Celebrate the small victories along the way and take time to reflect on the great work you’ve done in the past. My friend Joe Sanfelippo says “Start and end each day with joy.” Share your learning—both your successes and your challenges—with your colleagues. Cut yourself some slack when things don’t go as planned because none of us are perfect, but we are always growing. While we all are striving for the very best all the time, sometimes “good enough” is “good enough“.
So, as we embark on this new journey together, know that you have a community behind you, cheering you on. Go help your students to learn, smile, and belong. Ask hard questions, try new things, and share your experiences. And above all, find joy in the process. It’s not only okay to have fun, it’s essential.
This year is your year. We’ve got your back.
(Image by MidJourney)
I just wrapped up one of the best and most fulfilling weeks of work I’ve ever had, this time in British Columbia. My colleague Adam Garry and I went full throttle, spending full days in 10 different districts, helping them build their understanding of Generative AI. After an incredible start to the week—three days that I’ve already raved about—I capped it off with the West Vancouver School District. I’ve worked with this district for over a dozen years, building fantastic relationships along the way. The district’s culture speaks for itself, with its incredible stability and very little turnover. In a room of 60-70 school and district leaders, I knew so many by name and had the privilege of watching them evolve in their leadership roles over the years.
Chris Kennedy invited me to kick off their year by leading a day focused on the risks and possibilities of #genai. I’ll admit, I had my worries. This was their first day back—usually reserved for the lighter stuff—and here I was, rolling in with what could be considered some pretty heavy and heady content. I also wondered if these folks, who have seen me present more times than I can count, might be craving a fresh face. So yes, I had my concerns.
But I’ll tell you this: starting a PL session by taking a gondola ride up Grouse Mountain is not a bad way to ease into the day. For a prairie boy like me, the setting was nothing short of magical. We kicked off with some lighthearted fun, poking at my friend Chris Kennedy, who graciously let me use him to demo a deep fake. While no one fell for it (obviously), they appreciated the effort. And in true me-fashion, I spent far too long creating a 30-second video—but let’s be honest, I wouldn’t change a thing. One participant told me the day flew by, which is always a good sign.
To top it all off, they showered me with more swag than I deserved. (Side note: Chris Kennedy doesn’t like being outdone, and I’ve been known to boast about the awesome swag other districts give me, so I think this was his way of making sure West Van stays in the game.)
We ended the day with a fantastic dinner on a patio, and what truly took me by surprise was how many people took the time to come up to me, not just to say thank you, but to share specific moments and ideas from the day that resonated with them. They didn’t have to do that, but they did—and it overwhelmed me with gratitude. I’ve delivered thousands of presentations in my career, but this one stands out as one of the most satisfying. As I soaked in their kind words, it hit me that this wasn’t just a one-off expression of thanks. This district’s success comes from the way they live gratitude every day. Their students and staff experience it regularly—it’s part of what makes them want to come to work, and why they enjoy being in each other’s company.
I hesitate to use the word “family” because it gets thrown around too often, but this place really does feel special. From the Trustees to the Superintendent, from District Leadership to the School Leaders and Teachers—they care about each other and, more importantly, they care for each other.
A few themes have stayed with me throughout my career, with joy and community being right at the top. This day was a perfect example of both. I’d like to think I contributed to that, but I definitely know I received it.
It was during COVID-19 that my envy of standing desks began. As we all felt like we’d be prisoners in our home offices forever, being able to stretch and stand during endless Zoom calls seemed like a nice little treat to indulge in. I looked a few times but couldn’t quite pull the trigger. Probably because I’m cheap but also because I wasn’t sure what to get. So I let it go and instead tried to forge habits to give myself stretch breaks or walks during those long days at my desk. It sort of worked.
While I’m not in any way an influencer. I was approached recently to see if I would try one out and provide an honest review. Seemed like a good deal. So I ordered this beauty from Anthrodesks. I got the 60 x 30 model which is huge.
This thing is a combination of simple, sturdy and clean. I’m not great with written instructions but this video made setup easy.
In just a couple of days, it was kind of stunning to notice the change in energy and alertness. I’m not a morning person and it usually takes me 30 minutes or so to get going. So I start sitting and reading and having my coffee but once the caffeine kicks in, I’m up and working feeling really good. Now my breaks are to sit and have flipped the time I spend during the day on my feet and off my butt. We’ve all heard about the dangers of sitting so I looked up this research that focuses specifically on the value of standing desks. This research essentially finds that standing desks improve health, productivity and well-being. While it’s too early for me to speak about productivity and well-being, I can say I’ve had less back and neck pain.
So the delight here for me comes from many angles.
- Free: That’s delightful. Also, I was under no obligation to say anything nice about the product but other than the fact it’s super heavy and awkward to move around, it’s pretty cool.
- Funky tech: I like the cool factor. The controls are super easy to use and I like having different settings for different tasks. I’m still playing around with that.
- Long-term benefits: who doesn’t like that? I’d love to know if others have experienced some of these benefits over time.
I can’t provide you any comparisons of other standing desks but this guy seems to agree that it’s a pretty good deal.
I’m going to take a little time to brag. Contrary to popular belief, blogging is not dead. While for many in education, it’s not what it was 15 years ago, there are still a few of us who maintain a dedicated space to reflect and share. For me, this space is in its 18th year and after over 1200 posts, remains a place I can always go back to even if I don’t write as regularly as I used to. This series on delight, which I started 4 years ago is a great example of always being there. No pressure to write but is like a place always ready to welcome me whenever I return. Which kind of relates to the idea of an invitation.
It’s just nice to be asked. Whether it’s to go for dinner, coffee, a tee time, a work project or a speaking engagement, getting asked to do something or go somewhere brings me delight. I think particularly about invitations that are specific to me. They are an acknowledgement that someone needs me. Getting an email from someone asking me to speak reminds me I have something to offer and that my experience in education and ability to communicate has value. When a work colleague asks me to help them with a project, it reminds me I have specific skills that are valued. When my grandkids as if I can play with them reminds me that they enjoy spending time with me. When I get invited to play golf, it reminds me that I’m a good playing companion and someone enjoys my company. My first response to these requests is delight, a feeling of gratitude that someone is thinking of me and wants me to participate and engage with them. But beyond delight, I feel a sense of obligation to honour those invitations by being and bringing my best. I want the invitations to continue and repeat.
I think about teaching specifically and how much of teaching is about invitations. One of my favourite quotes is from Stephen Downes:
I think there is an important transfer of ownership in this quote that requires an invitation. Inviting kids to learn, to engage, is the art of teaching. Great teachers are continuously inviting students to learn. They don’t force them. Not all invitations are accepted, in fact in many cases the percentage might be quite low. Thinking about the delight I experience when I receive an invitation makes me wonder how we can create those kinds of invitations for students. How do we get kids to feel like they are important, and that we need them the participate? Maybe that’s impossible. But maybe we could be better at making kids feel like it matters to us.
Dan Meyer has been talking about inviting kids to learn his whole career. This video that Dan recently shared shows a teacher creating invitations for a less-than-engaged student to join. It’s hard to know if this student felt any delight with the invitation but it’s obvious while he’s not always accepted these invites, he does accept this one.
Invitations are wonderful to receive and probably more wonderful to hand out, especially when you didn’t expect the RSVP box to be checked “I accept”.
I’m at the age where I think a lot about retirement. I’m not that close but many of my friends are either already retired or close to retirement. The other day I was talking with a doctor friend and it was somewhat of a heart-wrenching conversation. He described how he has been so consumed with his job and how he regrets how that has gone and the struggle he’s facing about if and when he can retire. It was a combination of a flawed system as well as his failings. I didn’t know what to say.
I don’t know anything about the medical profession and can’t imagine the times when you’re literally dealing with life and death. While it’s hard to relate to the life of a doctor, I did think about those in education who may face some similar challenges. It’s not hard to see that many educators are not thriving. They aren’t experiencing the joy of the profession and the system at times makes it difficult.
While I’ve spent the last decade or so talking about joy, I’m always somewhat hesitant with that message. I don’t know how much of it is based on individual experiences and circumstances. and how much of it is based on personal dispositions and personalities. I’m always suspect of anyone who tells you to “get over it” or “be happy”. I’ve always prefaced my message but saying, I’ll share my experience and I trust you can determine what and if it applies to you.
What I can tell you is that when it comes to my relationship with my work, joy has always won. I’ve certainly been blessed to work with people and organizations that have supported me for the most part. But there have certainly been times when it’s been difficult, when people have been challenging when I’ve felt like quitting. Like everyone, it takes time to get over those moments but I think because I decided a long time ago that play and joy were not ideas that were only for the young they are the basis of who I am today. There’s no question that the amount of time I’m able to spend with my grandchildren makes this much easier but I know even before that, I knew these things mattered. When I wrote my book, it was before any grandchildren and it was my desire to help educators get back to their own childhood and keep it with them. I’m still committed to that work and am grateful for any opportunity I have to share that message. While I’ve been doing it for a while, I forget the message remains and in fact is likely more important to share as time goes on.
I used to think this was just about a lack of joy but it’s also about the need to justify our existence through our work. Many times those that either act like work is the most important thing or think that work is the most important thing sacrifice joy and play in pursuit of…I don’t know what. Unlike my doctor friend we rarely are dealing with life and death issues in education and while I know many things are serious, I’m not willing to take myself that serious.
I was prompted to write this after a friend shared this video with me. It is eerily similar to the doctor friend shared with me and it serves as a reminder to remain playful and joyful no matter what age we are or what we do. It’s not easy but it’s what I believe makes for a beautiful life.
View this post on Instagram A post shared by Dr Rangan Chatterjee (@drchatterjee)
2 years ago, on one of my many drives between Florida and Manitoba to move my Father’s vehicle to and from his winter and summer homes, my wife and I stopped in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. As is our habit, we like to find hidden, lesser-known places and spaces to explore. My wife came across the Hattiesburg Pocket Museum. Without knowing exactly what it was, we arrived on a Sunday and struggled to find the exact location. That’s because it’s in a back alley. This museum is a series of tiny toys and figures placed carefully on the various objects and infrastructure of this back alley. You’ll find these strategically placed in cracks and crevices, on metal boxes and benches. Each time you find one you shout “Oh look” or “Come see this one”. It’s a true surprise and delight scenario.
This past week we returned to see some new displays and once again were delighted and enjoyed this little detour.
Thinking about this made me think about how simple this idea is. It’s something that could be done almost anywhere. We love finding little treasures and elements of beauty that happen simply because someone thought it might be nice. I hope the creators of this museum realize how much pleasure and delight it brings to visitors. I think it’s a reminder that creating small moments of delight might be missed by some but for those who are paying attention and seeking out these simple but brilliant acts of creativity, it’s something very memorable.
My Dad turns 92 in a month. He’s active, plays 100 rounds of golf a year, and regularly shoots his age or better. His mind is sharp and he’s still loving life. I’ve been blessed in so many ways to have him as long as I have. We’ve been golfing together for about 45 years and he remains my favourite golfing partner. Along with my sisters, he’s one of three people I’ve known my whole life.
On the other end of the spectrum of favourite people are my 3 grand-kids. As I’ve mentioned often, they are truly my pride and joy. Biased, I unabashedly brag about them and show them off whether in person or via social media. I love them and am proud of them and take delight in them. I feel very similar about my Dad.
When we golf in Florida, we’re often paired up with people. Without exception, they are amazed at how fit and how well he plays the game at 91. Probably for the last decade, I’ve seen this response over and over. People envy his health and all desire to be able to golf as well as he does when they reach that age. I watch in delight as he gets asked lots of questions about his life and they watch in awe as he still can hit a drive nearly 150 yards. Yesterday the couple we played with was a man and a woman in their 70s. Dad is a great golf partner for several reasons. He plays quickly, compliments and encourages his playing partners, and always shares a story or two that makes people laugh. At the end of our round, they asked if they could take a picture together. It was like watching a celebrity with his fans.
It’s not lost on me how fortunate I am. I’m grateful for all the time I’ve had with him and understand like he does, that this is all bonus time. My Dad is a delight in many ways and this was another cool example.
With the decline of X/Twitter, the #deanie awards became a little more difficult or at least less robust. I’ll need to rethink things for 2024 but I still wanted to archive my celebrations so here they are:
Over the past couple of years it’s been fun to see others find a word they want to embody and use as reminder or focus. Last year I officially joined the ranks using the word “savour“. In past years I’ve unofficially used words like delight.
I was generally pleased with how savour became a focus. Not perfectly but with a greater intent and it will remain something I remind myself to do on a regular basis. For 2024 I want to be more patient. I don’t think of myself as particularly impatient but I also think it’s a very contextual term. There are instances when I am patient. I know I’m much more patient as a grandfather than I ever was as a father. When it comes to travel, I’m very patient with travel delays and mishaps and I even pride myself at how much more calm and patient I am than most. As I work to savour more of my life, I can see how patience is often required. But I do know that I could be more patient in a number of areas.
I tend to take great joy in efficiency, particularly efficiency of time. My kids laugh at how much joy I get when I go through a string of green lights or when I fast forward through a program and remark at how “time we saved”. I like playing golf in under 4 hours and so on. I’m not sure it’s about stopping these practices entirely but you see how much I value these perceived time saving practices.
As a result of that it often creeps into areas where it shouldn’t. When it comes to work, I am very quick to respond to emails and messages. I get somewhat annoyed if others don’t respond as quickly as I think they should. However, in my earnest desire to be responsive, I think I often miss opportunities to be more clear and thoughtful with my responses. I need to be more patient. I need to sit with ideas and conversations more.
When it comes to seeing results in health choices, financial goals and even work goals, I tend to want results more quickly than is reasonable or necessary. Being persistent but patient is usually a good formula for success. Changing habits and actions rarely offer instant results. In this case discipline and patience make a great partnership.
As I mentioned, I like playing golf and I like playing fast. That said, there are occasions when it’s not in your control. Rather than getting frustrated, I need to have patience. I need to remember, I’m outside, with my friends, playing a game I love in beautiful surroundings, why do I want to rush that?
While I’m relatively patient with my grand kids, there are times when they are telling a story or playing at the playground and I’m tired or bored and want to move on. I need to remind myself they are at the most wonderful stage of life and it’s going to be gone soon. Why not enjoy those moments and let them linger, rattle on and just be kids.
Even when I’m grocery shopping, maybe don’t look for the shortest line. Maybe use the time in line, not to look at my phone but maybe look around and have a chat with someone. The extra 3 minutes I might save aren’t going to matter in the end.
Life moves faster than we want most of the time. Not that patience changes that but for me patience is about acceptance of things I can’t control as well as making better use of my time to be more thoughtful, caring and attentive. I’ll report back in 12 months.
Demarcus Ware is one of those athletes I knew of but didn’t really appreciate his legacy. I knew he was a great defensive tackle but didn’t know his story and how respected he is among his peers. As a sports fan, I’m always intrigued by the way star or veteran athletes pass down their knowledge to rookies. I’m a sucker for those who talk about “the game being bigger than they are” and also those who reference how great players helped them and how they feel obligated to pass things down for the next generation for the good and well-being of the game.
Listening to Von Miller and others talking about the impact of Ware’s efforts to support their growth and leadership development was powerful. This type of passing down of knowledge and wisdom is part of the tradition of so many sports. Those who do this intentionally are beloved by teammates and fans alike. Once again, we are seeing the best in the world getting even better because of sharing.
I had a conversation today with a first-year teacher. She’s not doing particularly well. She has a challenging class and some difficult parents and administrators who are as supportive as they could be. It broke my heart to hear about someone who has invested 4-5 years of her life toward a dream and is now facing that critical point where she may not choose to stay in the profession. This is not an isolated issue. If you’re reading this you may have someone who mirrors of this situation. The answer is not easy and the problems are complex.
As I watched that documentary about Ware though I couldn’t help but wonder how we pass along our knowledge and wisdom to young educators. How many of you could like Von Miller in the clip above point to a veteran educator who helped you become a better teacher? I’ve worked with many good teachers but I don’t know that I can point to any that took time to do what Ware did for Miller and his other teammates. Yes, a football team and school staff do not work together nearly as much and the opportunities are not as accessible. It’s not that teachers are withholding their insights but the opportunities to see each other in action remains a conversation we talk about but don’t act upon.
I realize that this sounds like a call for mentorship and while that would be ideal I’m not sure it’s realistic or even necessary. It’s a bit daunting for both parties. I’m trying to imagine a culture where the passing down of learning and experiences happen more informally. I won’t write about a solution here but rather plant a seed for leaders to think about what it could mean if we honored veteran teachers by celebrating their work and achievements which would in turn help young teachers identify potential mentors. I’d also plant a seed to consider more opportunities to share stories and reflect on tips and strategies for success. My life as an educator has always been blessed by the many who have found time and space to blog and share online. The final seed I’d plant is for leaders to model what that might look like if they started unsolicited, and pass along wisdom to their new teachers. It seems that in professional sports there is an unwritten rule that since the game has been good to you, you owe it to pay it forward. I’m not sure that same sentiment exists in our educational institutions.
The collective knowledge of our institution is enough to sustain us and keep us relevant and essential. Our problem remains designing structures and opportunities for that knowledge and care to be shared and experienced more broadly.
My post asking Who Would Want to Be a Leader has received a great many responses both on my blog but also in conversations with leaders. It’s not hyperbole to say we are in a leadership crisis. The conversations on my podcast almost always explore succession challenges and the continued struggle to find good school leaders, particularly at the principal level.
I know many districts have and continue to have programs and initiatives designed to develop leaders internally. I also know many who are struggling to make these effective and produce the desired results of more great leaders. What I do know is that unless school districts are actively working to develop great leaders we are going to be facing a further acceleration of burnout and teacher shortages beyond what we’re currently witnessing. While there are multiple reasons and factors creating dissatisfaction, one that is referenced either directly or indirectly is the degree to which they feel supported and valued. More specifically, this is about leadership. Leaders who actively support, encourage, and work to reduce workload and stress are going to have a huge impact on teacher burnout and teacher retention.
My oldest daughter has a teaching degree and spent a few years as a classroom teacher. She had 2 early short-term contracts at high schools. The first one had a principal who was “okay” but when she was struggling with a few students, didn’t get the support she was hoping for. The second experience was with a principal who checked in on her daily and let her know regularly that she was doing a great job. After those contracts ended she began looking for another position. She was far less concerned about the role but very concerned about which school it was at and who the principal was.
When I look back at my 14 years as a classroom teacher I didn’t have a bad principal. I had mostly good principals. I didn’t really need much in the way of support. They were for the most part good administrators. I don’t think I needed a great principal, just a good one. Today, I don’t think that’s the case anymore. I think the vast majority of school leaders are good. I think most teachers are good. I don’t know how many are great. The job has become more demanding and the need to have colleagues that have your back, can keep you encouraged, and provide you with the things you need to be successful is critical and perhaps the linchpin to recruitment and retention. Don’t get me wrong, we do have many great leaders it’s just that we need more and that good leaders just aren’t good enough anymore.
There’s no magic solution to addressing this challenge. There are those who are naturally gifted leaders and inherently do the things that make leaders great. But I’d argue that most of us have to learn what it means. As I mentioned in the aforementioned blog post, teachers play a role here as well. They need to be able to step up on occasion to support and encourage their leaders. The one piece of advice I would give that is certainly easier said than done, is that leaders need to act like their having fun. While the job is certainly not always fun, the view from the outside often suggests that it’s not only not fun but it’s drudgery. The message that is sent to teachers and students is “I don’t want their job”. For many, it may be drudgery but I also think that for many spend too much time talking about and focusing on the difficulty of the job and not nearly enough time on the good stuff. As my friend Joe says, “Start and end your day with joy” We have to begin with those already serving in leadership and help them be conscious that others are watching and wondering if they should pursue leadership. In the same way teachers model to their students that while their job is hard they love it. Again, I know not everyone feels this way and those are the ones struggling. But we do have principals and teachers who are choosing to stay in the profession because they think it’s worth it and they find joy and satisfaction in their work. Many of those aren’t actively modeling that disposition to others and my argument is they need to in order to encourage young people to consider education as a profession. Many will talk about managers vs leaders. That’s part of it for sure but I think it’s more than that. There are those who are leaders more than they are managers but they aren’t excellent leaders.
How are you working to find and create great leaders?
I’ve been blogging since 2005. That’s over 100 in blog years. I’ve written over 1,200 posts. I actually go back and read stuff I’ve written in the past and consider how much my ideas and thoughts (see what I did there) have either evolved or remained the same. One of the other things I noticed in a recent review is the number of blog posts that are in draft form. I have 42 unpublished posts. One of those posts was part of my delight series entitled “David Ayres”. I had a moment when I wasn’t even sure who that was and why in the world I would be writing about him. But then I quickly remembered.
David Ayres was the emergency backup goalie sitting in the Air Canada Centre in the early winter of 2020 when the unthinkable happened. Both of the visiting team’s goalies for the Carolina Hurricanes were injured and David was called into duty. This is one of those rarities that has only happened once or twice before in the history of the NHL. I recall being at home and not watching the game when social media exploded. I quickly turned on the game to witness the second miracle of the night…he won! Essentially you have a man on the street being pulled into the biggest stage and succeeding. While Ayres was indeed a top-quality amateur goaltender, he wasn’t anywhere near the level required to play in the NHL. And yet for one night, one moment, he stood his own and had the experience of a lifetime.
Everyone loves the underdog story and this was the ultimate story. In fact, it appears it’s going to be made into a movie.
The delight I experienced from this comes at 2 levels. First, the shared experience that many had to watch this event unfold was joyous. Surprise is often associated with delight and this was not on anyone’s bingo card that night. Knowing what this meant to him, his family, and even the way the Carolina team embraced him was pure delight.
The second aspect here is a bit more meta. This event took place on February 22, 2020. I began writing this article on March 12, 2020. One look at those dates and you can figure out perhaps how this ended up in my draft folder for 3 years. But looking back and recalling the event, it still makes me smile. I spent a little time looking at videos of the event. Drafts are a bit like photos that you forget about and emerge on your timeline or other random places. They spark a memory that if you’re careful to savour, can bring you back and allow you to relive something nice. I’m grateful that that post didn’t get lost. It’s a 3-year-old story that still makes me smile.
I grew up in a small town, a farming community but I’m not a farmer. Even growing up, my parents never had a garden. I really am more of a city boy at heart. That said, I grew up with a lot of farmers and can at times fake my way through a discussion about agriculture.
13 years ago we moved into our current home and I planted an apple tree. I love apples. We all know store-bought apples are a gamble and of course, we’re all trying to understand who are the people buying Red Delicious apples. They are putrid. But like any freshly picked fruit or vegetables, they are in a different category altogether. Add to the fact they are my apples from a tree I planted and these apples are amazing. I’m sure if you tried them you’d think they were fine but for 3 weeks, I looked forward to each day I’d walk into my backyard and eat these beauties.
From early spring when the tiny apples began to appear I would regularly go out with my grandkids and talk about the day when we would pick and eat them. The anticipation most likely added to the delight.
We ate them right off the tree, my wife made apple crisp and the boys simply liked lining them up and counting them.
It’s not lost on me that my ramblings about this can seem overblown, inflated, or even pretentious but I truly do find delight in these seemingly trivial moments. The practice of savoring is not easy. I write this as part of that practice and maybe spark others to find delight in the things others miss.
I wanted to get some of my initial thoughts on Generative AI out there mostly for myself and to preserve my own thinking. This space has served me well over the past 18 years as a repository of my own thinking. Ideas evolve, shifts occur and concepts get refined and at times dismissed. I could likely comb through the 1200 posts and find numerous examples of things I no longer believe or got wrong. Unlike a book that is permanent, this space is built around the opportunity to record streams of consciousness and other moments in time. Like my own learning, it’s never finished. All that to say, these thoughts are current as of August 30, 2023. If you’re reading this any time after that I could be wrong and might think very differently. If that happens, I hope to record another post that addresses those changes. For now, here’s where I’m at.
Technology, when it’s at its best is like magic. Arthur Clarke famously said, “Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.” I prefer the science fiction writer Nick Harkaway’s version:
New technologies are often on the precipes of our senses and those who are less immersed in … Read the rest
I’ve quoted this often and still believe it to be true. Stories are how we understand and appreciate the world around us. In the world of education, stories have always been present but the advent of Web 2.0 allowed for new opportunities to communicate with local and global audiences. I recall hearing David Warlick talk about “Telling the New Story” which was the idea that technology was changing education and needed to be shared with the public. As someone who embraced technology, this resonated with me, and through my blog, video, and social media, I have spent the better part of my career telling that story.
I’m certainly not alone in this. My good friends Joe Sanfelippo and George Couros have been imploring leaders to do the same. Joe emphasizes that if you aren’t telling your story, someone else will. The tools we have today, allow us to take control of the narrative. George has said, “We need to make the positives so loud that the negatives are almost impossible to hear”. I don’t disagree with these statements and have in my own way tried to encourage leaders to tell their stories more openly and publicly. But things … Read the rest
I have 2 older sisters so much of my childhood was experienced without siblings nearby. I envied my friends who had brothers because it just seemed so cool to be able to play sports together and learn from each other. I get it, many of you who have brothers might not see it the way my mind did as a child but I’m still envious of you. The brother relationship is like all relationships in that they are complex but it seems to me the potential is great.
Today I’m watching Herschel and Woody play. As 2 and 3-year-olds, play and social play is still in its early stages. Watching them negotiate and create their own rules is a challenge but over the last few months, they’ve begun to show a lot of progress. Herschel can be the sweetest older brother at times and wants to see Woody happy. Woody watches his older brother carefully and will mimic his actions. The kindness and caring are usually short-lived and often things go awry. But each day it seems that time of cooperation and collaboration is extended.
Clearly, I identify as a grandparent. It’s a role I’ve embraced and thrive in. I … Read the rest
For the record, I started this series on delight back in 2019 and while had no expectations about how many I would write so while there’s no consistency in how many delightful essays I write, I take solace in knowing I can and will write about these moments whenever they occur. That said, I need reminders to see and feel delight.
Part of me thinks I could write an endless series just about golf but I realize that only a small percentage of you can relate which adds to the challenge of writing about it in such a way that it resonates with my readers. Golf remains not only a hobby or passion of mine and it is an oddly spiritual component. While I love the social elements of golf, I love going out later in the evening and golfing alone. It’s a wonderfully quiet, serene time to reflect or simply shut off from the world. I realize many folks choose to run or walk to experience this but for me spending time on a golf course, trying to hit shots, and analyzing my mistakes is truly cathartic.
There’s a book called The Lost Art of Playing Golf which speaks … Read the rest
Perhaps my favourite question in education is “And what do you mean by _____________?” Riffing off the Seymour Sarason book, I’ve posted other articles asking questions about educational jargon that needs further probing.
And What Do You Mean By Knowledge?
And What Do You Mean By…
And What Do You Mean By Failure?
Once a word becomes jargon, it runs the risk of losing its original and true meaning as well as inviting everyone to make up their definitions and use it for their purpose and it ends up either being something folks resent or something that allows people to act differently and create confusion.
Today it’s difficult to read an educational book or listen to an inspirational keynote or talk without a reference to some variation on the idea that “relationships are the key to everything”. It’s an idea that I think comes from a past where or perceived past where school was about content and grades and in some cases we lost a focus on the human connection. Fair enough.
I’m highly aware of and have advocated for a shift in priorities for teachers from a content or instructional focus to one that emphasizes caring for students … Read the rest
I recall vividly the first few years of teaching and attending retirement events for my colleagues. As a small district of 15 or so schools, they held these events altogether. I remember hearing tributes and watching skits of people I either only knew from that year or other teachers I never worked with or heard of. Seeing them be celebrated and honoured for their work made me proud and excited to be a teacher. To think that one day I might be honoured and caring with me so many memories of times with staff and students seemed to be a nice way to spend a life.
As our district amalgamated and times changed, these large celebrations and gatherings dissipated. Many teachers opted out of being celebrated in this way.
Today I see many of my contemporaries retiring but not many are being honored in this same way. Some choosing not to and in many cases there isn’t a structure for this.
As I think about the future of the profession, encouraging young people and young teachers to see this as a lovely way to spend a life seems to be an important consideration and ritual. I realize that many are … Read the rest
I can’t imagine anyone reading this who is even vaguely aware of who I am wouldn’t know how much I love golf. As my primary hobby/interest/passion, I spend a lot of time not only invested in playing the game but thinking about it, not simply from a technical and physical pursuit but also the many ways in which it is both a metaphor for life but all the amazing lessons I’ve learned because of playing this game.
Part of being a golfer means going on golf trips with your buddies. I recall the first trips I took as a teenager, tagging along with my Dad and his buddies. This is where I learned a bunch of added games like “Bingo, Bango, Bongo”, “Wolf”, “Nassau”, “Sixes”, and more. For the past number of years, I organized most of the trips and they’ve usually involved 4 of us and quite often just myself and another buddy. As the organizer, I typically choose the courses, tee times and even the evening activities which were usually limited simply because we almost always played 36 holes a day, playing from sunrise till sunset.
This year, I was invited to join a trip that involved 8
… Read the rest
Besides my ability to nap, my grandkids and my airport moves I don’t brag about much. But in addition to those things I often brag about my network. Part curiosity, part luck, I’ve amassed a network of people in my life that is truly stellar. People in the world of education who are bright thinkers and caring individuals who selfishly make me better as an educator and human. I once stated I’m a giant derivative.
Part of the luck of building this network has been my privilege to travel and spend time with these people. Like everyone else over the past few years, I’ve been more confined to my screen to maintain this network. But after a week of travelling from Vancouver to Toronto and back home, my drive home from the airport allowed me time to reflect and I had an overwhelming sense of gratitude and felt compelled to write about, brag and name-drop the wonderful folks I was able to interact with over 3 days. Here we go.
Chris Kennedy. Chris has been a long-time friend. Truly one of my first Canadian connections. He and I were among the first and still-standing bloggers in Canadian education. … Read the rest
Occasionally I hear teacher’s say that they question learning from presenters or facilitators who have been out of the classroom for a while. That’s a reasonable concern but it’s also very contextual.
Being a grandparent is much like being a consultant. While it’s been a while since I was “in the trenches” of parenting and also times have changed, my experience and wisdom still has value to today’s parents.
Involved and good grandparents are still aware of the societal challenges of the day. They avoid references to the good old days as some kind of panacea but also try and apply what’s good and has always been good to their grandchildren.
They are keenly aware of their own failures as parents and work to carefully support their children in being better parents than they were.
As a consultant I work to stay relevant. I also acknowledge their are new challenges today that I agree are complex and require support, collaboration and wisdom to solve.
The number of years you’ve been out of the classroom does not have to be a negative. What makes someone a good leader or good teacher has not changed to the degree many think it has. … Read the rest
For the regular readers I have, you may have noticed an increase of late in my blogging. This is not a result of any resolution or real intention but likely a by-product of less time and engagement on social channels and a desire to better flesh out my thinking and ideas and seek out those interested in providing more thoughtful feedback and interaction.
It’s obvious to anyone that education right now is a tough place to be. I suppose that’s true for many industries and organizations but any data, report or story you hear says education is not a profession that is very appealing. We all can list a number of factors, many outside of our control, some are long-standing systemic challenges and others might be new due to societal unrest. I can tell you my colleagues and I at ALP are working to support communities with long-term solutions around workplace wellness and leadership specifically to work towards a better future.
But no matter the challenges and circumstances, there are always those who thrive. This is essentially the definition of a positive deviant. Positive deviants are folks who have the same resources as others and yet succeed and thrive … Read the rest
I don’t really do the #oneword thing. I mean I think about it and naturally, a word seems to emerge but not with the same intention as many. In the past, I’ve used and focused on things like joy and delight and those words last much longer than a year. They stick and become part of my personal and professional persona.
This year I do have a word that has been emerging over the past few months so perhaps there’s value in documenting and recording it. So my sorta #oneword for 2023 is savour or savor for those who have an aversion to the letter u.
Savour, as in “to relish for an extended time” is for me about slowing down and being mindful.
I want to savour the food I eat. As I eat better, part of that work is to savour and be mindful of what I eat. Being a little more French and making eating an event even when it really isn’t an event is something that might improve my relationship with food and avoid those occasions where we squeeze food into our busy schedules.
I want to savour the time I spend with my grandkids. If … Read the rest
We’ve seen a major focus on Social Emotional Learning in the past few years. Certainly, the pandemic made it a universal priority for schools. Overall, this has been a good thing and one I’ve advocated for a long time. Our mission is not simply to develop knowledge and skills but also citizens who have a sense of well-being and dare I say, happiness. That said, I’ve noticed a trend that is separating SEL and learning and making it appear at times that the two are mutually exclusive. While no one would ever voice that idea, I think that the ways in which the pandemic has affected people differently are revealing themselves in the lack of readiness for many to really engage in deep and meaningful learning.
It’s difficult to say which comes first: “deep learning” or “wellness”. If I’m forced to make this a binary decision, I’ll likely opt for wellness first, and deep learning second. But that’s just it. I don’t think it is a binary thing. In fact, I think in many cases deep and engaging learning leads to wellness and vice versa. They are complementary. I will say that early on in the pandemic it was … Read the rest
Absolutes rarely work for me. I’m the kind of person who looks for the holes in any argument or statement, even my own. Ambivalence and uncertainty is both character flaw but also at times a strength. Yet I know many people, dare I say most people, spend a great deal of time and energy to clearly define their beliefs and place in their worlds. It’s not that I don’t seek this as well, but I’ve always had a hard time staying in my lane.
No matter the place I work, the team I played on, or the organization I belonged to, I always am curious about how and why decisions are made. Depending on how far I was from the top level of that institution, I would find ways to insert myself into the decisions that would impact the whole. And yet I never felt the need to be in charge. Even in sports, I was more comfortable making an assist than I was scoring a goal. A revisiting of strengths finder revealed my top strength was Maximizer.
I wrestle with the apparent dichotomy that often suggests people “stay in their lanes” versus a belief that “we’re all in this … Read the rest
I’m not really in a position to understand all that’s happening over at Twitter. I mean I realize Elon Musk bought it and seems to have the desire to change the platform and many feel it will either implode or turn into something they don’t want to support. But I don’t yet have an opinion. It’s partly because I’m not sure I care.
That might sound weird for someone that was around for as long as anyone I know. I joined the platform in January 2007. It was barely 6 months old. There was no such thing as social media or at least we didn’t call it that. Twitter was a major accelerator for network building for me. But as this all was happening, most of us had no understanding or intentionality of how we would use it. We were a bunch of educators playing around. I say educators because, at the time, that’s about all we’d see. The first 3-5 years of Twitter were the glory years for me. I created a network and made friends. This is one of the first things I wrote about Twitter. It was mysterious. It was innocent. It was fun. This post sums … Read the rest
I’ve been privileged to work in and with leadership in education for much of my career. I’ve been around so many great leaders and admire their various qualities and approaches to leadership. While it’s easy to think there are essential characteristics that make up a good leader, the truth according to the research shared within the book “The Nine Lies About Work” is that leadership is not a thing. The only real measure of leadership is followers.
I don’t think this is a new concept. Good leaders, lead and their followers help with implementing and supporting their leaders. What seems to be different today is how leaders are perceived and treated and it concerns me.
Successful leaders don’t necessarily seek to do good work but rather gain followers. That’s a neutral statement in that, that can be good or bad. Today you see many successful leaders with a lot of loyal followers who aren’t necessarily aligned with your values. It seems that many of today’s leaders, particularly those in politics have to define an enemy and target them relentlessly. Much like sports, leadership in many circles is about competing against other leaders and working simply to defeat them … Read the rest
What’s bad about the Internet is that you can find a study to prove almost any idea or belief. What’s great about the Internet is that you can find a study to prove almost any idea or belief.
That said when you come across something that puts into words or helps explain a behaviour or an idea you’ve had that might seem counterintuitive it’s kind of delightful.
I have shared this tweet often:
Timeline of My Presentations:
6-8 months out: Asked to present
1 month: Decide to get to work
3 weeks: Decide my presentation sucks
1 week: Still sucks but a bit less
3 days: Thinks it might actually be good.
1 day : Excited to present
1 hour after: Thinks it might have sucked.— Dean Shareski (@shareski) February 5, 2018
I’ve developed a routine or method of creating presentations and keynotes that usually has me beginning early. While that tweet says I start a month out, that’s not exactly true. A month out is when I begin to build an actual slide deck. What happens before that is I begin a note in Evernote where I write random thoughts and ideas. It’s a total mess of images, … Read the rest
If you’re new here or new to this series, this is the origin story of my ongoing series on Delight. In essence, I’m working to be more mindful of those moments of delight that happen all the time but often get forgotten as quickly as they are experienced. This is my effort to document and savour these moments.
Madeline Black is a colleague and friend who shared with me her passion for golf. This week we had the opportunity to play together after our ALP retreat. She was clear that she is still relatively new to the game and had not played this year. I assured her we would have fun together. As someone who plays a lot of golf, it’s always a goal for me no matter who I play with we have fun. Golf can be a very intimating game and I’m conscious to address as many of the barriers as I can and make people feel comfortable. I suppose I take the same attitude into my work life.
Madeline is a natural athlete. She was hitting the ball quite solidly but like most golfers, especially new ones, struggled with consistency. When I play with new golfers … Read the rest
I’ve read more books on the workplace and creating a healthy sustainable work-life than almost anything else. I believe it’s a key to a successful and happy life and I also think there are direct ties to schools and classrooms. In recent years there has been a clear shift in attitudes towards the workplace environment. Coming out of the industrial age, work was seen as a necessary element of survival and not necessarily a choice people would willingly make if it weren’t for the money. Barry Schwartz talks about the historical context in Why We Work. In essence, the industrial and factory age shifted people from individuals pursuing a craft to mass production which was less satisfying and thus figuring out how much to pay people to do menial tasks became the driving focus of the economy. As we move into the information age, we begin to see work as something that shouldn’t just be a means to survival but that work itself should bring us joy and purpose. As a society, we’re not all the way there but it’s certainly a more prevalent attitude today than it was even 30 years ago.
Part of that shift comes from
… Read the rest
A major theme of my work over the past few years has been a push back to the efforts to accelerate children to become adults. This is an extremely challenging and nuanced conversation. On the one hand, we know children are typically anxious to get older and become adults. We foster some of that with conversations about “changing the world” and becoming “future-ready”. The expectations we’ve placed on children, I believe are contributing factors to the increase in anxiety and stress among young people. On the other hand, we have a responsibility to prepare students to become healthy, contributing adults. But I think we might be leaning too far in one direction at the cost of them losing out on what it means to be a kid.
Not every child gets the full experience and not everyone agrees on what the childhood experience should be. However, I think it’s pretty universal that these formative years need to be full of wonder, innocence, exploration and a gradual increase in responsibility. So many factors determine how much each of these tenets is preserved, many of which schools and even parents have little control. Today’s world is a constant barrage of … Read the rest
Out for an evening walk, I could see the lights of the diamond and the faint noise of kids playing baseball. Moose Jaw has a couple of lighted ball diamonds and this one is specifically for girls softball. Parents sitting in the stands with blankets, girls doing their very unique chants and the crack of the bat and smack of a ball meeting a glove. These are the sights and sounds of a lovely spring evening.
I’ve had an on-and-off relationship with baseball. As a kid, it may have been the first sport I played and truly loved. At age 7 I had taken a deep dive into Major League baseball. I remember I had a young college kid as a coach and I equally impressed him and annoyed him by sharing obscure statistics and other facts about the Cincinnati Reds who was my team before the Blue Jays came on the scene. Long story short, golf replaced baseball as my summer sport around age 14 and baseball faded into 3 or 4th place of my top sports.
I played slo-pitch for a few years as an adult and even coached my daughter for a couple of years but for … Read the rest
Okay, there’s a title to raise some eyebrows, but hear me out.
As a kid, I never really thought about my parent’s involvement in my education. Like most parents, no news was good news. Neither of my parents had a high school diploma and like many parents of that era, teachers were more educated and placed in relatively high regard as experts and professionals in the community. As more people become college educated and society, in general, became less compliant towards authority, schools and teachers were now more accountable for their actions. That was certainly an important and useful change.
As a teacher, I soon was able to see categorize the levels of involvement of parents. As a first-grade teacher, parents generally were fairly involved and interested in their child’s education. Particularly if this was their first child, they were anxious to know if their child was having success as a reader and learner, if they were developing social skills and if they were enjoying school. Most parents already knew the answer to these questions but appreciated affirmation. Yet while this was generally true depiction, there were some differences among parents. A small percentage of parents never showed up for … Read the rest
My annual giving out of random-meaningless-to-most-but-meaningful-to-me awards which began in 2015, almost didn’t happen. With the year(s) that it has been, it’s difficult to find routine at times. As well, when this began I was a travel warrior and my memories of interaction were largely in person. Yet Twitter was the glue that kept relationships alive and in some cases where they were born. (FYI, if you’re curious about the fake trophy, it’s a picture of shorts, in other words, no pants which have been an ongoing trope of mine for quite some time. Don’t overthink it)
My annual giving out of random-meaningless-to-most-but-meaningful-to-me awards which began in 2015, almost didn’t happen. With the year(s) that it has been, it’s difficult to find routine at times. As well, when this began I was a travel warrior and my memories of interaction were largely in person. Yet Twitter was the glue that kept relationships alive and in some cases where they were born.
My process for choosing who to honour is terribly random and arbitrary. As I’ve mentioned previously the danger of leaving someone out is great. It’s not about who I value most or who my closest friends are … Read the rest
I’ve been putting off writing this one but know that this delight has an expiration date which will be coming soon.
I don’t know about you but with our 4 kids, napping and bedtime in general always came with a bit of resistance. In some cases more than others. A few of our kids grew out of naps at a very early age as well. As someone who has always advocated for and delighted in them, it’s frustrating to see most kids fight them. But not Herschel.
Herschel is as sweet a boy as they come. He kisses his little brother on the forehead, blows kisses when he leaves and regularly hugs his big sister. That’s not to say he’s not a typical 2-year-old boy. He also yells, loves his hammer and likes to roughhouse with his Papa. (Don’t worry, for all you wondering about it, I also roughhouse with my granddaughter)
But Herschel’s nap times are pure delight. I offer whenever I get the chance to put him down for his nap. He always needs a soft doll, he’s partial to baby Jesus but others can work in a pinch, then you rock him as if he were a
… Read the rest
My ongoing exploration and interest in better understanding the intersection of acknowledging the current fatigue factor in our schools and the need or desire to learn and grow as humans and professionals continues.
Every time I interact with educators I ask them about this question and get their perspectives. My anecdotal data would suggest things are relatively constant: Teachers are tired and struggling. One conversation I had with a superintendent suggested that one of the things that are causing fatigue is the lack of automation in our day. Duties and routines that were previously automatic are now taking a cognitive effort to execute. Things like getting kids to work in groups, scheduling meetings used to be about the content and task and now are about how to ensure safety and comfort. I recently listened to an episode of This American Life where the opening segment showed how much work it is to communicate given masking, ventilators and distance. That once natural exchange requires an added effort that is surprisingly tiring. The piling on of these daily challenges naturally makes us more tired. This isn’t the only thing that is adding to our fatigue but seems to be something that is … Read the rest
This is essentially what I’ve been trying to figure out for the past 18 months
I think 2 things are true: Teachers are overwhelmed and tired and teachers still need and want to learn. To that end, how do we design professional learning that equally honors both of those truths?
— Dean Shareski (@shareski) October 27, 2021
The real truth is I’ve been trying to figure that out for the past 20 years, ever since I shifted from teaching children to teaching adults. As much as we try to model the classroom experience to adult learning, I realize that pedagogy and andragogy are different. This is true not only in terms of capacity and perspective but also the environment. Classrooms have the advantage of a daily connection. In lower elementary, it means you’re spending hours each day with each other. You have time to connect and build relationships which we know is essential. We also have learners whose primary job is to go to school to learn. When it comes to professional learning, it’s above and beyond their main job. Even when time during school is given, it’s extra, let alone the time it would take to prepare for a … Read the rest
It’s hard not to like Joe Sanfelippo. Despite his annoying habit of posting the Packer logo after they win, he’s a good man, doing good work. He also uses video in a pretty unique way. As part of a workshop I was doing with some local administrators, I wanted to share Joe’s approach and thinking around how and why he uses this content. I was intending to have him share during our live session but he wasn’t able to make that time so he graciously agreed to sit down with me via Zoom for a quick chat. Here’s the edited version of our conversation.
… Read the rest
Football is the only sport where I’ll watch any game even if my team isn’t playing. I’ve been a big fan of Monday Night Football since the 70’s when I discovered it as a kid. The production value, the fact that it was on during primetime and the announcers made it must see TV for me. Over the years MNF has lost much of its lustre and even now, Sunday Night Football is generally seen as the main event for NFL fans.
So while I don’t make MNF must see TV, unless it’s a particularly engaging matchup, I’ll watch. This week was the first Monday night game and I didn’t even bother torecord it. I checked the score and since it was somewhat close I thought I’d watch the last quarter. It was being shown on 3 different TSN channels which gets the ESPN feeds. I assumed they were all the same but realized they weren’t. There was the standard broadcast but there was also an alternative that featured Peyton and Eli Manning, watching remotely and Russell Wilson was joining them. It took me a few minutes to realize this was not a insert from the main feed but … Read the rest
Having held the title of “Community Manager” and been directly involved in this work for a decade, you’d think I’d know more about the topic. The truth is I’ve been searching for a framework, structure or maybe a magic bullet the whole time. By many accounts and metrics, I’ve had success in this role. I can think of all the events, relationships and connections that I’ve made and fostered and feel pretty good. And yet, I still struggle with how to articulate what community really is and how it can be created, designed and how to grow and nurture it.
I suppose it’s much like teaching. Yes, there are many frameworks and strategies that can be useful ways to think about teaching but the reality is, teaching in schools is really about connecting with humans and that is something that comes with uncertainty and variables that are very difficult to control.
My current role with ALP includes a continued pursuit of building and creating community. It’s always a challenge to explain this to those inside the education world, let alone those outside it. I continually reflect on things that have worked for me and others. When I engage others in … Read the rest
I’m slowly but surely continuing my efforts to think and write about delight. It kind of surprise me how little I’ve shared about 2 things that in general bring me a large portion of my overall delight, that is my grandkids and golf. Again, referencing my initial post, delight is about specificity and so in that regard, grandkids and golf are far too broad. I will dive deeper into both in the future but today’s delight is something that’s always been a source of delight: finding golf balls.
I remember one summer when I was maybe 11 or 12, I must have mentioned I was bored and so my Dad told me I should go to the golf course and look for golf balls. This was a year or two before I began playing regularly and my Dad said there was a tournament on the weekend and there would be lots of balls in the bushes. I went with a friend and came home with a pillowcase full of balls. It essentially was Halloween. That started a unique relationship with golf balls. I’ve never bought a golf ball in my life. My garage has buckets full of them, hundreds, … Read the rest
I can’t believe I’m actually saying this but I do love data.
It shouldn’t really surprise me. As a kid, I fell in love with sports, particularly baseball because of statistics. Baseball is a sport that loves numbers and data, click over here to play online. Well before cyber metrics came along, baseball fans followed home runs, batting averages, strikeouts, stolen bases and other individual races as much as they followed the pennant race.
Same with football and hockey for me. I remember in grade 5 being asked my favourite book and I said “ Pro Football’s Street and Smith Official Yearbook 1975” Mrs. Cram was not impressed. I would memorize stats and could tell you Fran Tarkenton’s throwing percentage and Chuck Foreman’s yards per carry.
Fast forward to adulthood and teaching and data were equated to tests and other measures. While this practice of “data-driven” instruction was taking root, I intuitively felt at odds. Without having the language or research I knew teaching was a human experience and there was a danger in trying to quantify learning. The work of Alfie Kohn in particular started me on the path of de-emphasizing grades and data. This has remained a … Read the rest
Not that kind of grass. Grass represents summer which as a Canadian is something I feel we savor more than those who have never or rarely experienced -40F/C temperatures.
Grass, for me was first associated with baseball. John Fogerty’s opening line of Centerfield says it well:
Well, a-beat the drum and hold the phone
The sun came out today
We’re born again, there’s new grass on the field
Baseball diamonds are special places. Even the word “diamond” adds a bit of delight to what is essential a pasture. I remember seeing major league ball parks where the groundskeeper would etch a logo into the outfield.
It’s totally unnecessary, superfluous and yet brings delight to those watching and playing. My love affair with grass shifted to golf courses. As I began playing more golf as a teenager, I also worked on a golf course and learned a little about growing grass, types of grasses and how to maintain them. I can tell you about Bent, Bermuda, Rye, Poa Annua, Kentucky bluegrass and various other strands. The experience of walking on these carpet-like surfaces is in itself delightful. The softness, the smoothness and the smell are all part of a visceral experience … Read the rest
I still remember the first time I used a digital camera. A Sony Mavica with a floppy disk for storage. The ability to take a photo, insert a disk into your computer and be able to view the image was magic. From the time I began my journey with educational technology in the late 1990s until my first iPhone in 2008, I had so many of these moments of magic. Building my first website, learning the importance of security testing, making and editing video, video conferencing, publishing tools, blogs and early social media were examples of new and shiny tools and software that captured my imagination and opened my eyes to endless possibilities, joy and yes even delight.
Then things plateaued. Not that tech was stagnant but I now lived in a world where I expected things to change and improve. As an early adopter to so many tools I also began to see that for all the new technology we were given, it wasn’t making the difference in our lives I had once hoped it would. Add to that the growth of mobile technologies in particular and its impact on our attention seemed to diminish many of the … Read the rest
Remember the first time you used PowerPoint? Being able to take some written content and magically have it include images (likely clipart), have it spin around and transition to the next slide with glitter or swivel? Admit it. The very first time you thought it was pretty cool. You may have even had your class do a report with the tool and had kids stand up in the front of the class as their presentation was displayed on a projector screen. I will timidly raise my hand and admit I did it. There was a moment when I thought these presentations by my students represented quality work. However, soon after the shininess of the tool wore off, it was clear that their actual work wasn’t any different. Adding an animated flag of Canada to a slide telling me its population was 37 million didn’t represent anything more than a student’s ability to copy and paste and insert. What surprised me was how long this facade of quality work lasted. Many teachers, years later still had students creating presentations that underscored a lack of depth and creativity but were disguised, and by this time, not so cleverly with copyrighted images and … Read the rest
I feel like that title is either going either attract those who are coffee aficionados or be completely ignored if you aren’t a coffee drinker. The truth is I think I’d like to be an aficionado but I’m not. I’m not quite like my Dad who has never had a bad cup of coffee in his life, but certainly not to the extent that many are. If my grandfather were alive today and was told that people buy bottled water when tap water is almost free and people spend over $5 for coffee that you can make for pennies in your home, he would be in shock. And while on the one hand that is somewhat absurd, most of us can appreciate that coffee, like wine and beer and other beverages are now things created and nurtured by artisans. So many of us take great pleasure in experiencing these drinks in a much more intense and intentional way.
Still, for me I’ve never been one to have a strong preference over any particular brand of coffee. My palette is really only able to distinguish strong and weak. Once in a while I’ll have a cup that I really like but … Read the rest
As a parent of 4 adult children, I have witnessed a reoccurring conversation, particularly from about ages 17-25. This is a significant time of transition for everyone as we move from high school to college to employment. There are a number of stepping stones during that time that is often seen as barriers to overcome. Whether it’s graduating, passing a difficult course or finding new living quarters or applying for a job, these all cause a great deal of stress and while in the middle of them, my kids will say something like, “things will be better when I get through this.” While it’s understandable and relatable, I was quick to remind them all that they needed to be careful not to wish these moments away. Many times these barriers were just that, they were in the way of a goal. Applying for jobs for example is not something anyone likes but it’s necessary. The Ft. Myers treatment center is where one can go to get the necessary help when it comes to getting out of addiction issues. Taking a difficult course, while perhaps seen as just a barrier, hopefully, has some relevant and useful learning to be savoured. While … Read the rest
I had the privilege of sharing a session last month called “The Future of Professional Learning” based on these previous blog posts. Admittedly I’m still parsing out in my own mind these thoughts and this session was an opportunity to clarify my own thinking but will continue to evolve.
I’m not typically a big graphics guy but created these two images that I believe help to identify what the specific benefits are of both online and in-person professional learning. While some might argue that this is true for all learning, I do believe there are some significant differences between adult/professional learning and learning as it pertains to school and children. First, adults are there most often by choice. While there is still some obligatory professional learning, adults have more choices than most children. If you will like to boost you learning abilities, consider this adderall alternatives which can boost learning. Adderall is a prescription stimulant medication that is used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and attention deficit disorder (ADD). It helps to increase your capacity to pay attention, stay focused, improve listening skills, and also to control behavioral issues in more problematic cases. In some instances, it … Read the rest
No matter who you are or where you’re from, this pandemic has done some damage. It’s by no means the same for all of us and I count myself as one of the fortunate ones in so many respects. Yet even as fortunate as I am, every once in a while I find myself going down the rabbit hole of despair. Whether it’s the implications of the pandemic, political unrest, the rise of conspiracy theories, racial injustices, climate change and the list goes on. Then there are the stories of friends and connections who have been hit hard by these things and it becomes more personal. Some days any of these issues weigh heavy and depending on who you are listening to, reading or watching, it can make these seem insurmountable. You can certainly make the case that these issues are unresolvable and over time that mindset and consumption of fear and dread can lead anyone into some level of depression.
It’s partly due to our extra time to linger and wade in murky waters of sadness and negativity and partly due to the endless stream of voices more than willing to feed your fears, it’s at times difficult to … Read the rest
Team sports have always been appealing to me. Playing hockey, baseball, football and basketball, I relished in what can be accomplished together but also being part of something outside of the competition. As a hockey and basketball player, I took as much pleasure in making a great pass as I did n scoring. Finishing is fun and scoring usually garners more praise and attention and I enjoyed that part but they beauty of two or more people acheiving success is special. Even as a spectator, individual performances are great but when you see people working together that’s beautiful.
Having spent nearly 8 years working around North America and beyond with Discovery Education, I had the privilege of working together with so many great people. I had a great deal of autonomy and did a lot on my own but always felt part of a team working towards a bigger goal. I supported many different people and many people supported me.
When I left Discovery Education in the fall of 2019, I had some decisions to make. I had a number of colleagues who were working as independent consultants and speakers. I wasn’t sure I wanted to do that but also … Read the rest
You may want to read part 1 but I think this post does stand alone.
In general, I think professional offerings will be expanded and diversified moving forward. More than ever, teachers are more comfortable with webinars, chats and courses. Since there is currently little to no face-to-face opportunities, it seems participants are more accepting and less critical of offerings because there is no alternative. That said, I believe there is an opportunity for districts to be more intentional and focused on their online offerings as well as rethinking what face to face learning should be.
Professional Learning (PL) covers a broad spectrum of experiences and formats. In 2020, PL has leveraged video conferencing tools more than ever. Zoom, Google Meet and Microsoft Team are the preferred platforms and the vast majority of PL has been synchronous. Most of the asynchronous offerings have been through recordings of these same synchronous sessions. The more effective sessions have included opportunities for participants to chat and interact via breakout rooms or chat. These strategies are not new but seemed to be embraced and standardized more than ever. Personally, I’ve offered sessions that spanned anywhere from 30 minutes to 2 hours. The longer sessions … Read the rest
Starting in 2015, I decided to take time at the end of the year to celebrate my network. The randomness that I’ve always loved about Twitter is the chance encounters I’ve had both in-person and online but often stemming from a conversation on Twitter or just something that made me smile.
I have no real formula or criteria for doling these out. This year I tried to favourite tweets that caught my attention and used many of these in my celebrations. You’ll see some are very thoughtful and serious while others are pure frivolity and that’s kind of the point. I recall one of the reasons I started this was some conversation about the value of awards and how often it left people feeling left out or that it was some type of popularity contest. I’m not sure how much this award tries to be the antithesis of that but for me, it is about the delight I find in small interactions or gestures of others. When I think about these people, some of whom I know very well and others I’ve never met, I smile. They bring me delight.
I know these awards mean absolutely nothing. I still worry … Read the rest
While the pandemic is raising lots of questions about the future of schools and education and rightfully so, there isn’t much talk about the future of professional learning.
While virtual conferences and webinars have been around for a while, they only reached a small percentage of educators. Much like the early days of using technology in schools, the idea of virtual conferences and webinars was seen as pretty innovative. I recall presenting for Discovery Education’s Virtcon back in 2010 before I even worked for them. One of my personal watershed moments was listening to a keynote from David Weinberger back in 2005 and I recall thinking how wonderful it was that I was experiencing the same learning thousands of miles away as those sitting in the convention center in Philadephia. Today these events are commonplace. The beginning of the pandemic saw a deluge of online events and conferences as many scrambled to either replace scheduled in-person events or take advantage of people working remotely to offer learning directly related to remote teaching and learning.
9 months in and remote learning for students is still being met with mixed reviews and mostly leaning to the negative. No doubt this speaks to … Read the rest
As a kid growing up in Canada, winter was never seen as something negative, many people actually enjoy buying the best snowboarding jackets and ski all season. Probably a little nostalgia I’m sure but winter as a kid was all about snowball fights and hockey. For me mostly hockey. While I played organized hockey since I was 8, some of my greatest memories were skating in my backyard rink and playing pickup games with the kids from the neighbourhood.
I stopped playing hockey when I was 35. That was about the same time I began to travel in the winter for work. For the past 20 or so years, I’ve been able to go south for a least a week. More recently I probably spend at least 6 weeks escaping winter much of that with my Dad who wintered in Florida. I developed a theory that your tolerance for cold coincided with your age. For example when your 50, you get cold with any temperature under 50 F. My Dad who is now 88, keeps his apartment at that temperature. Once happy to be outside in winter, I now would regularly vocalize my distain for the season.
There are many … Read the rest
Since the inception of social media which emerged in and around 2005-07, it has gone from something as silly and useless to essential and powerful to dangerous and divisive. Perhaps all of those elements remain in some respects but certainly, the danger and divisiveness is the dominant narrative. If you’ve watched The Social Dilemma or done any other extensive reading, you’re quite aware of the harm it has and continues to cause our society. There isn’t a current issue that isn’t ripe for controversy, misinformation and vitriol. We’re overheating everywhere.
When I joined Twitter in 2007, it was definitely a silly and seemingly useless space. There were no such thing as followers, hashtags or mentions. As someone interested in the power of connectivity and networking, I found it to be a fantastic way to find interesting people. While some were already using it as a space to share serious and useful content, I just wanted to get to know others. As an educator is was a virtual staff room. A place where educators would come together to try and get away from the challenges of teaching but like any teacher will revert back to the job and look for support … Read the rest
This post is part of a series of posts I’m writing on delight.
I’m big PVR/DVR guy. I record sports, news, shows, you name it. I realize in an age of streaming, the PVR has become somewhat antiquated but it’s still a useful tool for me. Specifically for sports. Given the amount of sports I like to consume, without it, it would be both impossible given many events are on at the same time as well as incredibly time-consuming given the length of these games and events.
For example, I’ve developed some strategies that get me through an NFL game very quickly. My remote has a 30 second advance button. Given there are 40 seconds between plays, a quick press will have me with the teams at the line of scrimmage ready to execute the next play. Fast forwarding over all the commercials and I can see every play in just over an hour. I also watch a lot of golf. If I’m following a particular player, I’ll fast forward to see all their shots and if it’s a close tournament, may watch the last couple of holes in its entirety. This weekend, I also taped game 7 of … Read the rest
I’m so grateful to be able to watch my granddaughter Harriet develop. I’ll freely admit that as a father of four, my recollection of my own kids’ childhood is fuzzy. Partly due to the passage of time and partly because all parents are focused on protection and providing that they can be less attentive to the joys of growing up.
We live in a neighbourhood with lots of young kids. Unlike many kids their age, they play outside and it seems to be a bit of a throwback to my Wonder Years. Not only that but they are kind and caring. So when Harriet comes to visit, we often walk around to see if any are playing outside. She’s watched them play before and had small interactions but today they invited her to play with them.
They let her tell them a story, played The Three Little Pigs, tag and taught her London Bridge. I stayed well back and watched. It was a delight. Not just how Harriet loved the attention but how the kids showed patience and creativity as they played.
One of my beliefs is that children should not be confined to learning and experiencing the world … Read the rest
If you asked parents “What is it that you want for your kids?” You’d have an overwhelmingly common response of: “I just want them to be happy?” While they may add other things like health, a job they love and good relationships, happiness would top that list and likely cover all those other things as well. So if happiness is what most parents want for their kids, why are schools so afraid to use the word or actually teach happiness?
Certainly there is a legacy that still believes that happiness, fun, play and joy are not compatible with all mighty goal of academic rigour. While most educators may not be this explicit in stating this, it remains an unspoken belief. Whenever children are laughing, having fun, playing its often seen as “childish”. We might tolerate it but we also might be quick to transition to more serious work. While I’m generalizing here, my guess is that you can place this in a specific context in your world. As Jal Mehta says:
People have a lot of false dichotomies in their heads, like either they learn the content or it will be fun and interesting.
https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2019/08/a-recipe-for-how-high-schools-can-foster-deeper-learning/
The good news is … Read the rest
In case you weren’t aware, people and their phones can be a bit problematic. If you’re one of the rare breeds who is happy with the relationship you have with your phone, I bow to you. But most people I know are working to get better and even break up with their phone.
I read Digital Minimalism by Cal Newport a few months ago and am working on a number of the ideas from that book. One thing I’m doing more is not bringing my phone with me when I leave the house, particularly when I know there might be a reason to bring it. Taking my granddaughter Harriet for a walk in the neighbourhood is certain to bring a moment worth capturing. Occasionally I’ll forget my phone but instead of rushing back to get it, I’ll leave it. What I still have to resist is the urge to reach for it to capture something she’s doing. But then I’m quickly whisked back into her world and to live it with her. Sometimes we come back and relive the mini-adventure with her mom or grandma and without the aid of a visual spend more time describing what we did
… Read the rest
The past few weeks have initiated a great deal of conversation about learning, schools and education. If we were to dive in, those three things are somewhat separate and unique. Learning is generally agreed upon as the seminal idea. While its definition seems to vary, the consensus would be that it is the mandate of schools to provide opportunities to learn. And I would argue, school’s definition of learning is fairly narrow and measured and valued by a very narrow set of skills, ideas and disciplines. Of course, learning is happening with our without a building with varying degrees of success to be sure.
After interviewing over a dozen people and having numerous other conversations, reading posts online, I’m wondering if we’re forgetting what the real advantage, indeed the unfair advantage of school really is and I don’t think it’s purely about learning.
As school systems begin to rethink how things will look in both the near future and beyond, they are certainly considering more opportunities for students to continue to learn from home. For a segment of parents, they are finding value in reducing travel, spending more time with their children and giving them autonomy over their time. Obviously … Read the rest
My new podcast (I’ve been podcasting for 10 years, just not very regularly) was born out of curiosity and the realization that there may never be a better time to do this. I’m well aware that many others are jumping on the bandwagon and that’s fine, in fact, that kind of sharing should be encouraged and applauded.
I’ve always said that if I have any strength, it’s my large network that has been built for the past 15 years. I know a lot of people, a lot of smart people. So with some extra time I decided to try and capture as many different people, places and roles around the world to share the impact of Covid19. I share with them these questions as a guide to our conversation:
- What are you and your fellow teachers being asked to do with regards to your new duties?
- What supports or messaging are you most grateful for?
- What challenges are you most concerned about?
- What does your new daily routine look like that you’re finding either delightful or odd?
- What good are you hoping results from this crisis?
Thus far I’ve published 10 podcasts and have 3 … Read the rest
As we all work to navigate our new realities, we’re still driven by structures, mandates and paradigms. I don’t say that as being necessarily bad but it’s true. It’s comforting to be careful with language and calling this time “emergency remote learning” is useful. The linked article and others written by folks like AJ Juliani help to frame what’s happening to schools.
But learning is still learning. George Couros’ school vs learning chart highlight many of the paradigms educators are recognizing and working to dismantle. The term online learning has been interpreted as the formal course work that I’ve been involved in for years. When schools talk about online learning, that’s what they mean. But Stephen Downes wrote something that reminded me that we need to be careful with equating online learning with formal education.
It’s a post worth reading as it challenged me with my own bias about online learning. He argues that while this time and place for educators is indeed difficult and less than ideal, it’s important not to define online learning as
being “planned, deliberate and thoughtful in the sense that online courses often take months or even years to develop, not days or … Read the rest
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