Anecdotes about Blogging

Do you have a story to tell about blogging with students, by students, with a peer group?  Please send it my way.  I seek anecdotal evidence (or not) of the learning and engagement that take place with student and/or adult learners using and commenting on blogs!

7 Degrees in Central Park

It was 7 degrees. When it was 17 degrees a few days later, I went out for my walk in Central Park. I was very well layered with clothing (silk underwear, wool shirt. cotton shirt, jacket, hat, gloves, Warm outer jacket etc). I was well fortified,warm and comfortable,although I felt like I could hardly move. But I managed to walk briskly had a great day, Saw a Hawk in a tree which was exciting and I felt fantastic.

Posted by Terry Chayefsky

Announcing a New Contributor to this Blog!

I am delighted to announce that a new contributor will be joining this blog.  She hails from Manhattan in NYC and epitomizes a life long learner.

If I have the time frame correct, while I was in Elementary School she earned her teaching certificate and while I was in Middle School, completed her Graduate Degree in Education.  I recall the guest room becoming her office and papers were typed on a small typewriter (nope, no computers, and no IBM Selectric with correct-type yet).  Those were the days of carbon paper and squares of white-out paper that you held in place, typed over the wrong letter to white it out, then retyped over with the black ribbon to make a correction!

She worked as the Speech Therapist at my Middle and High School and then went on to work in the family printing business (Wintry Press) for a stint.  Her working career took a major shift to acting and she penned a book about the search for acting gigs as a second or third career (Acting in Prime Time) – she still dabbles, remains connected to the theatrical community and is a member of SAG (Screen Actors Guild).

My mom is humble about her own accomplishments, of which there are many, but the one I wish to expose and celebrate here is her active embrace of life long learning.  This is not a new observation – anyone who knows her can tell you this is inherent in her nature!  But there was a moment, quite recently, when it dawned on me that I am trying to awaken the gift that is lifelong learning, in those around me, and my own mother is the essence of that goal.  Maybe I am just the acorn to her elm!  I grew up in a time when it was believed that after 3 years of age, no new synapse or brain connections were made/grown.  My mother is a non-scientific case study of continually, robustly growing synapse!!!  (See article on brain synapse growth in adults)

Mom has had a Mac computer for a number of years now.  I got my MacBook Pro last January, simply to learn dual-platform.  Mom got her new Mac laptop a few months back.  My nephew Chris Cole introduced me to Apple 1:1 and I told mom about it.  A few weeks ago, she called on the phone, asked me to turn on my mac and while at the Apple Store in NYC, learned to iChat!

And it did not begin there and does not end there – but it dawned on me that I have the honor of having my mother and best friend as my lifelong learning partner and mentor and I don’t want to keep her to myself.  I have asked my mom to write about her experiences in learning something new, the challenges, the unsure first steps, the celebration of figuring it out – of understanding something new.  What is it that makes one walk into a new environment and fearlessly say ‘Tell me something I don’t know, show me something that challenges me, show me something new!’

I am drawn to this discussion because I understand the person who always wants to know more, both my parents have always pushed themselves into new experiences, and I follow in their footsteps.  I also seem to unconsciously surround myself with people who are engaged in life, their life, in learning, in their learning.  I am attracted to people who – while we may see them as experts – really don’t see themselves that way because there is ‘always more to know, always more to learn’.

What intrigues me and what I want to know better, is the person who is not highly motivated to broaden their experience, in participating in new and ’stretching’ experiences.  Is it a conscious choice, lack of interest, lack of opportunity?  This is the person that keeps me pushing along in my own research and studies.  What understanding can I gain that will help me better support those who are less passionate in learning, for learning sake?  How can I use this awareness to identify, encourage and support ‘opportunity’?

I hope that reading my mothers posts will help me, and maybe you, to understand yourself and your learning style (or the learning styles of those around you) more fully.

My mom has stories I want captured too – so forgive us if interjected in this blog are periodic reflections on experiences from earlier days.  All of these factors culminated into the learning being who is Terry Chayefsky, and I think we should stop and celebrate and then learn from her what we can.

If you see me at a conference or some other venue, ask me about Tai Chi.

Are Free Tools Worth the Price?

In response to an ISTE ‘Learning & Leading with Technology’ , November 2008 article ‘Are Free Tools Worth the Price’, a call went out for 50 words responses to this question, I crafted the following reply.  It is very difficult to articulate such a complex issue in 50 words or less, and I recalled this exercise while watching another blogger trying to use limited words to articulate a robust concept! 

    The proliferation of free tools allows for unprecedented global participation by learner-users, while teaching the language of Web 2.0.  We may not know all the unique dialects but learner-users become able to approach any application with a foundational background that will facilitate future use. This supports 21^st century learner adaptability.