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If we want to make use of this new
technology to encourage diversity, we have to
take the lead. Let us make the tests that
they [foreign competitors] will try to catch
up on. These won't be tests where everybody's
got to give the right answer. They will be
tests where people do things, where they get
results. Where knowledge is not for giving
the right answer.
Knowledge is for
mobilizing for a purpose, to make something
happen, to achieve a goal. The goal might be
making a machine, it might be creating a work
of art, it might be making a theory, but it's
a personal goal that the individual believes
in, and not something that's written down in
a curriculum.
-Seymour Papert (1999)
| The Learning Adventure of the Year! |
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Alfie Kohn, Bob Tinker, Gary Stager,
Peter Reynolds, Cynthia Solomon and others
featured
at unique summer learning event
July 28-31, 2008
Manchester, NH
Early-bird registration ends in just a
few days!
I'd like to invite you to a very special
event this
summer. Some of my fondest memories of teaching
and learning come from summer camp and much of
what I know about effective teacher professional
development was gained working with Dan and
Molly
Watt at their summer Logo Institutes in the
1980s. It
has long been a dream to create a 21st learning
environment in which educators spend long
periods of
time immersed in creative computer-rich projects
collaborating with world-class
practitioners.
My dream continues....
In addition to hands-on activities, leading
education thinkers would shape provocative
discussions about the nature of learning,
creativity and
school reform in order to help participants
sustain the
constructive use of technology back in their
schools
and districts. Informal learning and
conversations will
occur during meals, walks and fantastic social
events.
These goals led me to create Constructing
Modern
Knowledge, a minds-on summer institute for
educators
July 28-31, 2008 at the Radisson Hotel in
Manchester,
NH. In addition to four days full of
computer-rich
learning adventures for creative educators,
Constructing Modern Knowledge features amazing
guest speakers, a BBQ at a minor league baseball
game and a night on the town in nearby
Boston.
Constructing Modern Knowledge is a minds-on
institute for educators committed to creativity,
collaboration and computing. Participants
will have
the opportunity to engage in intensive
computer-rich
project development with peers and a world-class
faculty. Inspirational guest speakers and
social events
round out the fantastic event.
Rather than spend days listening to a
series of
speakers, Constructing Modern Knowledge is about
action. Attendees will work and interact with
educational experts concerned with maximizing
the
potential of every learner.
While our outstanding faculty is comprised of
educational pioneers, bestselling authors and
inventors of educational technologies we
depend on,
the real power of Constructing Modern Knowledge emerges from
the collaborative project development of
participants.
Each day's program consists of a
discussion of
powerful ideas, mini tutorials on-demand,
immersive
learning adventures designed to challenge one's
thinking, substantial time for project work
and a
reflection period.
21st Century educators need to develop
their own
technological fluency and understand learning in
order to meet the changing needs and
expectations of
their students. Constructing Modern Knowledge will help
participants enhance their tech skills,
expand their
vision of how computers may enhance the learning
environment and leave with practical ideas to
use in
the classroom.
Constructing Modern Knowledge is for
teachers,
administrators, tech coordinators and teacher
educators interested in learning with 21st
Century
tools.
For more information, go to www.constructingmodernknowledge.com
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| Honored by the NSBA! |
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The National School Boards Association has
recently named me one of "Twenty Education
Leaders to Watch!" I'm thrilled to be
recognized by such an important organization
on the front lines of defending public
education.
I can't wait to speak at the NSBA
Technology + Learning Conference again
this Fall.
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| Published by The Huffington Post |
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I am thrilled to share that I was recently
invited by The
Huffington Post to be a contributor. This is
the highlight
(thus far) of my career as a journalist.
I hope to make a small impact on the state of
educational reporting and introduce critical
education
issues to the Huffington Post's impressive
readership.
Read my first article, The Surge Against
First Graders.
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| Catch Gary on the Road |
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See Gary at the upcoming events...
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| I'd Like to Thank the Academy... |
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Last June, my friend Brian
Lynch, asked me to
attend the Jazz
Journalists Association Awards
Luncheon at the Jazz
Standard in New York
City since Brian was touring Europe at the
time with Eddie
Palmieri. The BBQ buffet from
Blue
Smoke upstairs was extra yummy, as was
partying with some of the world's finest jazz
musicians and music writers.
When
Brian's CD, The Brian
Lynch/Eddie Palmieri was announced as "Best
Latin Jazz Album of the Year," I had to rush
onstage and accept the award on behalf of
Brian and Eddie. Attending the watching a
project I contributed to win a Grammy and
accepting another prestigious award as a
favor to great musicians makes 2007 a most
magical and swinging year. I'm also proud to
be a member of the Jazz Journalists
Association.
This terrific groundbreaking CD is now
available from Amazon.com
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| The Worst Book of the 21st Century |
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Daniel Pink's book, A Whole New
Mind,
is the current pop-business book being
fixated on by
educators. I may be in the minority, but I
think that the
book should be skipped. Read my comprehensive
review of the book and the misguided
adulation it
receives in K-12 education.
You may also enjoy Sylvia Martinez's blog, Why Does Dan Pink
Hate Me?
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| New Keynotes for 2008-2009 |
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The following are some of the new timely and
topical presentations I've created for
conference keynotes and district workshops:
- Ten Things to Do with a Laptop -
Learning and
Powerful Ideas
- The Best Education Ideas in the World
- Young Tom Edison and the Ballerina's
Gopher
- Keynote 2.0: What to Do a Year After
You Got
Excited About Technology
- A Vision of Educational Computing Worth
Sustaining
- What Does Good Teaching with Computers
Look
Like?
- Opening a Window vs. Filling a Hole:
Realizing
the Potential of Online Learning
- Constructing Modern Knowledge: A
Computational (and fun) Approach to STEM
- Rethinking At-Risk Education: Successful
Learner-Centered Alternatives to Conventional
Practice
- Looking for New in All the Wrong
Places
- Receptive Teaching -A Natural Approach to
Identifying High-Tech Learning Opportunities
Download The
Stager Difference for reviews by conference
organizers and leading educators, plus
biographical
information and a list of services I offer
clients here
.
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| Now Booking Workshops & PD in Australia, New Zealand & Asia |
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I have some dates available for professional
development activities in Australia, New
Zealand and Pacific Rim countries (China,
Japan, Korea, Singapore, Malysia, etc...) in
the second half of August and early October.
Professional Development in the Americas and
Europe may be scheduled at any time.
Keynotes, mind-on workshops, in-school
residencies (working alongside teachers
modeling rich activities in their
classrooms), consulting and planning
assistance are among the possible options.
Click here
for an overview of the ways in which I can
help your school or institution grow.
List
of wor
kshops
and keynote topics
Description
of consultin
g services
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| Willfully Ignoring the Lessons of the Past? |
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Check out this video
clip and a recently
republished literary masterpiece and you'll be
reminded that educators have "known"
what to do for at least a century.
Whether educators have the will to
"do the
right thing" remains to be seen.
The following video clip is a 1940s-era
news-reel
style report on the latest thing,
"progressive
education." Beware the ideas are quite
radical!
Schoolwork is relevant, learning-by-doing is
advocated, chairs are not in rows and
connections are
made between subject areas. The goal is
understanding - shocking! John Dewey
actually makes a cameo!
Be sure to
checkout the well-reasoned opposition that
includes a
concern that such revolutionary ideas
"caused a softening of the fibre of
Greek
education 2,500 years ago and played a part
in the
decadence of Greek civilization." I
pity the
ancient Greeks. If they had NCLB 2,500 years
ago,
who knows how powerful they would be today?
One of the best books I have ever read about
education has recently been republished. Angelo
Patri's book, A
School Master in the Great City, is a
masterpiece.
The book is incredibly readable and profound.
Patri
demonstrates a deep knowledge of everything
there is
to know about education and yet his book was
first
published in 1917. I cannot recommend the book
more highly to anyone concerned with school
reform
or urban education!
Patri's book is part of a series of great
volumes in progressive education being
republished by The New Press and edited by Herb Kohl.
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| Will Richardson & Gary Stager NYSCATE Keynote |
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Will Richardson and I engaged in a closing
keynote debate at November's NYSCATE
conference. Read my thoughts on the event and
about how uStream was
used.
You can watch the archived video here.
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| About the Critical Friend... |
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The Critical Friend is an online
newsletter for 21st Century educators
published free-of-charge by Gary Stager.
It offers unique perspectives on important
educational issues, debunks hype and
confronts special interests all with a sense
of humor. This newsletter analyzes trends and
challenges the status quo.
Thoughtful educators, parents and
decision-makers may be inspired to rethink
their educational beliefs and practices.
The Critical Friend will blow the
whistle on superficial education journalism
and attempts to put the latest "crisis du
jour" into perspective.
Pass this newsletter along to friends and
unsubscribe if you wish not to be bothered in
the future.
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|
It's Been A While.. |
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Believe it or not, I began
writing this latest newsletter during the
summer of 2007! Life has been hectic with my
growing teaching, writing and speaking
workload.
The Constructivist Consortium
was launched at NECC 2007 with 100 creative
educators spending the day at the Atlanta
Botanical Gardens for the first ever Constructivist
Celebration (see photos).
This year's Celebration @ NECC sold out in
less than two days!
Following NECC 2007, I was a plennary
speaker at EuroLogo
2007 in Bratislava, Slovak Republic. You
may watch my talk, Towards the
Construction of a Language for Describing the
Learning Potential of Computing
Activities, here.
It was great to celebrate the 40th
anniversary of Logo with one of Logo's
creators, Wally Fuerzig (whom I met for the
first time, believe it or not) and so many
old friends and colleagues from around the
world.
While in Europe, I also spent time in
Belgium, Prague, Slovenia (fantastic), Zagreb
(for pizza) and Budapest.
I then made my first trip ever to China
where I was the featured speaker at the
Learning 2.0 conference in Shanghai along
with Alan November, Jamie McKenzie, Will
Richardson, Wesley Fryer, Sheryl Nussbaum
Beach and other Web 2.0 luminaries. I made a
quick sidetrip to Beijing and spent less than
24 hours in Tokyo on the way home - just
enough time to buy jazz CDs and miss the
typhoon hiting Shanghai. From Tokyo I stopped
in New York City to attend the historic
concert by Sonny Rollins commemorating the
50th anniversary of his first performance in
Carnegie Hall. It was a magnificent concert
made better by sharing a box at Carnegie Hall
with my high school jazz teacher, pals of
thirty years and great musician friends.
I've seen lots of live music this year
including: an all-star salute to Horace
Silver, Dianne Reeves, Ornette Coleman,
Branford Marsalis, Phil Woods,
"Little" Jimmy Scott, Frank Wess,
the Mingus Big Band, the Village Vanguard
Monday Night Orchestra, the Maria Schneider
Orchestra, the LA Philharmonic, Carl Allen,
Bobby Hutcherson, Brian Lynch, Eddie
Palmieri, Keith Jarrett, Bobby McFerrin with
Chick Corea and Jack DeJohnette, James Moody,
Terrence Blanchard, Benny Green, Jeff
"Tain" Watts, Ben Riley, Herbie
Hancock, Ron Carter, Jim Hall, Russell
Malone, Wayne Shorter, Mugrew Miler, James
Spaulding, The Police, Elvis Costello, Bruce
Springsteen and Don Rickles (yes, he sang). I
also spent six consecutive sets sitting next
to the ride cymbal of 83 year-old legendary
drummer and bandleader, Roy Haynes, at New
York's Birdland.
In October, the National School Boards
Association named me one of 20 Education
Leaders to Watch. I was humbled by the honor.
I once again keynoted the annual NYSCATE
Conference; this time in a closing
discussion/debate with Will Richardson. I
also keynoted or was guest speaker at several
AALF
Summits in the USA and Canada, the Texas
Distance Learning Association Conference,
a STEM Conference in Potsdam, NY, the Eastern
Township School Board's (Quebec)
Technology Showcase, the NYSCATE Metro
Conference, the Project
CHILD Conference in Florida, the Penn
State One-to-One Computing Conference, ECOO and
others I've undoubtedly forgotten. See my
calendar for upcoming presentations.
I published an interview
with prolific educator, Herb Kohl, about
his life, work and terrific new book, Painting
Chinese: A Lifelong Teacher Gains the Wisdom
of Youth.
I also interviewed child psychiatrist and
long-time Bill Cosby collaborator, Dr. Alvin
Poussaint about issues involving urban
children and Oscar-winning actor, Richard
Dreyfuss about his passion for civics
education. (both of these interviews are yet
to be published). I did however, publish my
first article in The
Huffington Post.
I recently spent time with Former Speaker
of the House of Representatives, Newt
Gingrich, and discussed education reform
and his long-standing support for 1:1
computing in schools.
At this year's Los
Angeles Times Festival of Books I got to
attend discussions of contemporary issues
with leading experts and had the great
privilege of talking with two of the great
public intellectuals of our time, Dr. Douglas
Brinkley and Dr. Michael
Eric Dyson. I also met Gore
Vidal, Eric
Alterman, Arianna
Huffington, Tom
Hayden, David
Frum and Howard
Fineman.
You owe it to yourself to watch
the first hour of this C-Span footage
from the Festival of Books. The panel
discussion, Moments
that Shaped America, featured Dyson and
Brinkley, along with authors who wrote about
the recent
school evolution trial in Pennsylvania
and Sacco
& Vanvetti. You rarely get the
opportunity to hear experts share their
knowledge with such eloquence and find
commonality between four distinct historic
events. Thanks C-Span for making this video
available online! (If you squint, you can
find me in the front row.)
Have a great (North American) summer and I
hope to see you at Constructing
Modern Knowledge!
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