Random Musings

Black-Eyed Susan in the Sun

Originally uploaded by techmuse.

I’ve listened to all the rhetoric of the last week, felt pride and fear at the same time and , in the end, know that Obama is the only choice.

The McKain choice for VP is frightening. The idea that Pawlin would be in a job that she herself doesn’t realize the importance of is mind-boggling. In the past, McKain has always been what I consider to re a “rational republican”. This choice simply means that he is now in the category of “whatever it takes to win” rather than “what will be best in the long run.

Those who plant seeds know that it is not an instant process but that things will pay off in the long run. If you want something other than the run-of-the-mill flowers that are available at Home Depot every spring you must start your own seeds. Hopefully this week we have planted the seeds of a long-term vision. The short term may be rough but the long-term benefits will be beautiful.

With that said, if you have not yet donated to the Obama-Biden campaign–go for it.

Almost

Originally uploaded by techmuse.

So close–and yet so much more to do. 48 is an even better number.

Have just ordered this from Amazon  (based on the recommendation in Presentation Zen.  Once

I’ve got it–I hope to pass it on to a few other folks–mainly those who are working on presentations to our board—it may just get the board something interesting to look at–or at least help the folks who are in charge of the presentations  understand what we are trying to

do as we work to present the “state of technology” to the board.

Setting Sun

Originally uploaded by techmuse.

44 is an even better number–so I think I shall give myself a rose!

In the beginning

Originally uploaded by techmuse.

I guess we “gave birth” this week to our new on-line formative assessment system. In the process I had an interesting conversation with a director about how challenging it is to help school staff understand that formative assessment comes in all shapes and sizes–not just the multiple choice one. I know I seem to be perseverating on this, but it’s an issue with huge implications…especially now that our state test scores have been released–and the dreaded NCLB issues that come with those scores.

Dexterity

Originally uploaded by techmuse.

My “Einstein Quote of the Day” igoogle module showed this today: “It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has exceeded our humanity”
It’s a particularly appropriate quote given some recent discussions about formative assessment and our new electronic assessment system. Again, more questions than answers. Has the availability of technology to process numbers fostered the removal of humanity from teaching? Are we reducing education to A,B, C, and D on a multiple choice test?
Lip service is paid to using multiple forms of assessment for formative assessment, but all we ever demonstrate is multiple choice. If that’s all one ever sees–doesn’t that become the expectation?

Smiles

Originally uploaded by techmuse.

I’ve just been asked to provide some input on what a “global classroom” looks like. What does a global classroom look like? Do we already have global classrooms with our extremely diverse population?

The challenge will be, I think, finding classrooms to partner with all over the world. As a school system we will inundate any of the other global clearing houses out there (iEARN, ePALS, etc). But much harder still will be to devise projects that support the learning of our students–and convincing an SOL driven curriculum that these activities will support SOL level achievement (even though that’s a pretty low standard).

Twilight Surprise

Originally uploaded by techmuse.

The focus this year is supposed to be on common assessments–but I can’t help but challenge our definition of common assessments. We have presented them as exclusively multiple choice activities. Shouldn’t the assessments be as varied as the flowers in a garden. The richest gardens are those that concentrate not on one type of flower but on light, form and texture. Multiple choice assessments are flat and one-sided.

Somedays you feel like dancing! 40 is a magic number–and after 18 weeks of gentle eating–it feels good.

Waiting for Dinner

Originally uploaded by techmuse.

…I think I may find that I will combine photography with my blog—and use the images to think about other things.
What I like about this photo is the intensity of the look–clearly the crane is looking very carefully–the sharpness of the beak is clear….do I still have the ability to get that intense about anything–or is it now an “act”—somebody pushed a button, says a word, and I have an auto-reply?