Philosophical Meanderings

Build or be bought

Posted by Chad Sansing ⋅ February 4, 2013 ⋅ 1 Comment

In this “old” SXSW clip, media theorist Douglas Rushkoff exhorts us to “program or be programmed.” As part of his talk, Rushkoff describes what I think of as “stations of the code” – the roles a person assumes in moving from consuming programs to creating them. As a “passive adherer,” Rushkoff explains, you participate in … Continue reading »

Good Morning: A less than bland way to talk about Arts Education

Posted by educatedtodeath ⋅ January 28, 2013 ⋅ Leave a Comment

Originally posted at educatedtodeath.com I have two dreams that I have been able to articulate in my life. One is for me and the other is seemingly more benevolent. As I get older I see they can be intertwined. The first is to work as a performer. I want to be a musician, a dancer, … Continue reading »

The classroom should be the place where the train stopped in the woods

Posted by Chad Sansing ⋅ January 25, 2013 ⋅ 6 Comments

I love traveling by train. I love not having to drive. I love being able to sit and look or sleep or work uninterrupted for hours at a time. A couple times a year is just right. I took the train from Charlottesville to Philly yesterday for EduCon 2.5. As much as I wanted to … Continue reading »

The Language and Lies Two-Step of Education: The Lie Module

Posted by Brent Snavely ⋅ January 22, 2013 ⋅ 2 Comments

“We the educated” are liars. lie: (verb) (1) to make an untrue statement with intent to deceive (2) to create a false or misleading impression. “It’s not our fault” – we were led to believe from our earliest years that one must attend school to receive an education. We were led to believe “education” leads … Continue reading »

#openschools: the Swartz dilemma

Posted by Chad Sansing ⋅ January 15, 2013 ⋅ 15 Comments

You run a tech-infused classroom. Kids do all sorts of work on the computer from reading fluency practice to released test items to word processing to new- and multi-media projects in response to class texts. You’ve scrounged up a bunch of unsupported computers from past replacement cycles in your building, and your tech person has … Continue reading »

The Evaluation: schooling at the end of teaching, unions, & care

Posted by Chad Sansing ⋅ January 12, 2013 ⋅ 6 Comments

Nearly sixth months ago, I posted “The Evaluation,” a near-future science fiction short story imagining public school teaching as day-labor inside a techno-bureaucratic panopticon. Since then, I’ve tried to hold myself accountable for posting about the work that my kids and I do together, which I love and in which I believe. I want to … Continue reading »

On “building readiness” to see learning

Posted by Chad Sansing ⋅ January 2, 2013 ⋅ 1 Comment

My travel in November derailed some of our work to make a skateboard wheel RPM counter; while that project is idling, some of its participants have gotten deeper into using our MaKey MaKey boards for other projects. I’ve posted about one of those projects on Democratizing Composition (#demcomp), a kind of companion blog to the … Continue reading »

A broken Hallelujah, of sorts, but a warm one

Posted by educatedtodeath ⋅ December 24, 2012 ⋅ 1 Comment

Originally posted at educatedtodeath.com It’s Christmas Eve, or the start of it at least, and I can’t seem to stay asleep. I haven’t been able to really write for the past few months—not consistently. Things have been topsy turvy at best personally and professionally. As a teacher, I’ve been in a haze, as a human … Continue reading »

The room of two boxes

Posted by Chad Sansing ⋅ December 20, 2012 ⋅ 2 Comments

In my heart, there is a room of two boxes. Both are old and ancient. They were built before me; they will last after I die. The room is as big as the world. I can look out across it and be calmed by the sea. I can stare up from it and be struck … Continue reading »

Keeping My Students Safe Isn’t Easy

Posted by Deven Black ⋅ December 19, 2012 ⋅ 3 Comments

I want to keep my students safe, I really do, but it really is impossible. When it comes to student and staff safety, there are so many things wrong with the way my school is built and run that I don’t know where to begin. Our principal reminded the staff again this week that only the front … Continue reading »

The Care of Your Soul Became Mine

Posted by charles kouns ⋅ December 18, 2012 ⋅ 2 Comments

I would like to remove some rocks from your field so that you can plant more wheat. And those hills I see that are part of you, I have some trees in mind for them and flowering grasses, so that you won’t erode when the elements pour. Are we not lovers? Cannot I speak to … Continue reading »

The Monday After Newtown

Posted by Paula White ⋅ December 17, 2012 ⋅ 6 Comments

I really hate coming to school the first day after a school incident somewhere else. No one ever knows whether it will be a biggie to our kids or not, so we have to prepare and really think through how to support our kiddos. I don’t mind that, in fact, I want to be prepared … Continue reading »

Our Responsibility

Posted by peterberg7468 ⋅ December 16, 2012 ⋅ 2 Comments

In the wake of the horrible tragedy at the Sandy Hook Elementary school in Newton, Connecticut, it may be time to reflect on our responsibilities as a society. No matter our role, we all have an individual and collective responsibility in how we respond to tragedies of this magnitude. Certainly our hearts, thoughts, prayers … Continue reading »

I Must Be Lazy

Posted by Justin Strudler ⋅ December 5, 2012 ⋅ 24 Comments

I only participate in one sport and club, neither of which I am the head of. I must be lazy. I only take one AP class this year. I must be lazy. After school I enjoy watching the news or reading a book, rather than studying or doing all of my homework. I must be … Continue reading »

Learning to Think and Question (By Student Christian Isaac)

Posted by dloitz ⋅ December 4, 2012 ⋅ 7 Comments

The way we chastise or praise students at schools today is two laughs beyond hysterical. We’ve been raised to think that the most intelligent students are the ones who turn in their homework on time and fill in all the blanks on their notes. Society has gone so far, and has been so emaciated by … Continue reading »

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