Educating the Dragon

Well here it is, my revamped School 1.0 v School 2.0 video. After much discussing on my blog last week about copyright and quality of photographs, plus a comment on my teachertube that the words were difficult to read, I have completly redone the video:
Download: Posted by Dragon09 at TeacherTube.com.

Mark, I know the images are still too static for your liking but I think you’ll agree that the quality of them is much improved.

I also want to thank Graham Wegner for pointing me in the direction of FlickrCC- The images are great and are under a creative commons licence.

I’ve been reading The world is Flat and I promised myself I’d refrain from commenting until I’d read it all but the chapter on the Untouchables got me thinking and when I think I’ve got to blog otherwise my thought may be lost. Thomas Friedman talks about us becoming one of the untouchables if we are to make our living in on Planet Flat. The four untouchables are: be special, specialized, anchored or adaptable. I’m from the UK originally so this is said with all due respect but are we in New Zealand encouraging our kids in the right way?

Sure we have role model assemblies, Duffy awards etc, the kids all want to be All Blacks/ Black Caps/ Silver ferns/ Black Ferns/ Black Sticks* (*delete as appropriate) but all these people are special. And as Friedman points out there are only a few ’special’ people in the Flat World.

What about specialised, then? Are our Universities, Colleges and institutions encouraging our kids to become specialised? Whether its graphic design or brain surgery is the government providing the right sort of incentives to become specialised enough to survive in the flat world?

What about anchored? Friedman talks about the types of jobs that are location specific, that demand face-2-face time. Are their enough of these types of jobs to be spread around a working population of 2.1 million. Perhaps…..not.

Adaptable- ‘become a lifelong learner’ continues to be banded around schools and institutions like a well worn catchphrase; but are people fully aware that in this flat world being a ‘life long learner’ is an essential part of the survival kit? For without this kids will not survive, let alone thrive, in the flat world. New Zealand has a small population which offers huge advantages- fewer workers to have to secure jobs, a smaller budget for upskilling the work force, lower cost to get a laptop in the hands of our kids-

We are not donig our kids any favours by inspiring them ALL to be sporting heroes and NZ idol winners- few will achieve it. Rather let’s start preparing them for the future. Let’s prepare them to be adaptable. 

This is not a carbon copy of Vicki’s post but what the words of her favourite song, Anyway, by Martina McBride have encouraged me enormously.

Those you that follow my ramblings may have picked up that discouraged and sad tone that I try so hard for my blog NOT to reflect.

Anyway allowed me to reflect constructively on several areas in my life:

Build Anyway

You can spend your whole life building
Something from nothin’
One storm can come and blow it all away
Build it anyway

This is about my home, my family. I moved to
New Zealand some three-bit years ago with my life. Wanting to build a better life for ourselves. We came for a year and realised this was a place we felt we belonged. We have a family here now, my son is charging towards 2 as I type. We bought a house, 100 years old, the roof is likely to leak anyday now, the floor is crooked and the walls are rotting away in places. But we saw the potential, the potential of a home, of a life, and we continue to build that home. Tragedy or misadventure my force us to abandon this home and return to  England, but we build anyway.  What will you build anyway?

Dream Anyway
You can chase a dream
That seems so out of reach
And you know it might not ever come your way
Dream it anyway
To say I chase a dream would be a fib. Thinking about these different ‘anyway’s I’ve realised that all my hopes and dreams and aspirations are complete. Maybe that’s a good thing maybe not. But I do dream of an educational system that reflects how business and the world runs today. What’s my part, my role? I’m working on that. I don’t know the answer to those two questions but I dream it anyway.What dream will you dream anyway?

Love AnywayYou can love someone with all your heart
For all the right reasons
In a moment they can choose to walk away
Love ‘em anyway

I love my wife and my son with all of my heart. God has blessed me with a wife who knows me, understands me, puts up with my ways. I am blessed and I love her. My boy is a delight to me. He looks at me with love and affection. His sense of humour is developing, and personality growing- I hope he takes after his mother! God has truly blessed me with a gorgeous family. I am so thankful. Their presence at the end of a frustrating day draws my life into focus and my work into perspective. They could be taken from me anytime. But I love ‘em anyway.
Who will you love anyway?

Sing anyway You can pour your soul out singing
A song you believe in
That tomorrow they’ll forget you ever sang
Sing it anyway
Yea - sing it anyway Vicki’s passion echoes my own: 

In the sharing of how I teach and how I am learning to teach. Of the bumps and bruises of this new thing we’re all discovering together called Web 2. Of the frustration of the three steps up, two steps back of helping others discover it too. Of the frustration of being misunderstood with people thinking I must have “too much time on my hands” if I am blogging.Knowing that should I stop blogging tomorrow, that my name will be forgotten and my blog will begin gathering dust — because that is the way it works in the blogosphere.But I’ll sing this song anyway.The chorus of my life

God is great
But sometimes life ain’t good
And when I pray
It doesn’t always turn out like I think it should
But I do it anyway
I do it anywayThis world’s gone crazy
It’s hard to believe
That tomorrow will be better than today
Believe it anyway

So, when you feel down about all you’ve done. All the kids that have forgotten. All the people who’ve never said thank you. The dreams you wish you’ve done. The messes people dump in your lap. Brush off the dust, take a moment and smile.This is life. Life is good… it doesn’t always turn out like I think it should.

But I’m going to live it, bruises and all, with all I’ve got…anyway.

What will you do anyway?

I recieved this email today, quite out of the blue, so to speak, have a read:

Hi Simon,

I have just checked out the video clip Why Teach Technology on your site
and wonder if i can make a couple of comments?

1: The quality of the images you have used is sub standard…throughout
the the entire clip thereare images of ok resoltuion and
others that have pixelated so badly that they are not worth
using…….if using imahes from the web and u have found them using
google image
set your image size to large…any other size gives you the result u
have in your clip.

2. The clip is to stactic. it is a video not a slide show…therefor
your text and images should have movement. Moving the text and the image
will allow you to draw focus / attention to the image and words. I dont
know what you create the clip in but adding motion will greatly increase
the  imapct of the clip.

3. Also you have used images of  varying shape and sizes which doesnt
increase the imapct of the clip but rather distracts from it. Really
you need to use clips that will fill your screen…either 4:3 or 16:9
ratio…so you may need to zoom images in to fill the screen……tv
screens and data projector screens are rectangular in shape so to
effectivly use the space only use landscape nased images…if an image
is portrait based then zoom in or find another image.

4.  I note that some of the images you have used were created and signed
by others…ir u dont own the image. Be careful about using other
peoples images. If you are wanting to promote technology then u need to
ensure that you dont cross the ethical boundries by using images
you have created or captured yourself. Just because an image is online
doesnt mean that you can use it. check out each images copyright uses
and restrictions
before downlaoding. Images automatically some with international
copyright protection…..

5. The same thing applies to the audio track….in order to use clips, u
need to gain permission from the proper people….in some cases they are
free in others, u may need to pay tens of thousands of dollars. be
careful with what u use esoically if u post on line.

6. The fonts you have used didnt add to the clip…again they were
static and placed centrally….yawn!   use a thicker font.

7. When putting together clips keep in mind the person viewing the
show…..if someone came in part way through the clip
playing and began to view it, would they understand what you are trying
to tell them? more often than not they wont.

hope the above is of some use to you……..

any questions just ask.
Download: Posted by Dragon09 at TeacherTube.com.
It got me thinking about several things to do with Teachertube:

•  
  • What is the purpose of posting material to Teachertube?
  • Who is to benefit from the posting?
  • What quality of video/audio is permissable on such a format, and at what point does the quality impact on whether material is valuable or not?
  • Remembering that we are all teachers/ administrators etc, should be expect one another to produce a ‘Spielberg’ quality piece or are we all just out to support, encourage and inspire each other?
  • The Youtube: Disney copyright video I found on Sheryl’s blog defines ‘fair use’ but my question really is: Is that in the US only or is it some International standard/ expectation?
  • Are ALL available (Googled) images open to being used in the way that I have?
  • What about copyright for audio tracks that are being used as background to many Teachertube videos?

These are questions worth asking.