And check out Amy Jo’s blog here, something I regularly read as a companion to Seth Godin and Simon Sinek’s.

21st Century Learning? Ya, I don’t really know what it means anymore either. But we forget that some people really don’t know what it means. I mish-mashed this video together for those amazing stakeholders you know who have yet to be charmed by Ken Robinson’s accent. Show it at your staff meetings, parent council meetings, and such.

It was one of those Fridays today when I would much rather have been lying in bed. My students also looked rather zombie-ish with dark circles painted under their eyes and postures resembling cavemen in need of a chiropractor. Here’s the thing: It’s winter in Canada and my grade 7s are going through their Michael-Jackson-in-Thriller-pubescent-transformations. Sometimes it’s best if we just respect one another’s space. Anyway, I was trying to lead this wonderfully enigmatic lot in a backchannel discussion deconstructing oral presentation skills. It was like pulling teeth. Here’s what they wanted to chat about instead. Do I swell with pride seeing that my students care that much about Radiohead? You’re darn right I do. Was that my plan for our lesson and use of the tool? Nope. If you want to have a class where kids have a certain degree of control over the whats, whens, and hows of technology, especially in regards to the mobile variety and social media, don’t freak out when they start having arguments about how much "[Coldplay is] a suckyer [sic] version of Radiohead". We all have our frigid Canadian Friday mornings. Now that we’ve settled that, let’s get to the really important stuff. Is it Coldplay’s "Trouble" or Radiohead’s "Karma Police"? Vote in the comments below.

I’m really looking forward to Apple’s ‘Education Event’ coming up this week. Yes, I’m a moderate fanboy, but my interest is mostly piqued because I simply want to know how they’re seeking to dominate our education sphere. I don’t hear about too many Samsung 1:1 tablet roll outs. The sex appeal of Apple is already mesmerizing many districts and schools to delve into their budgets in a big way. Keep in mind that this is even with Apple doing very little to overtly target or customize their products for schools. What will happen once they properly lock their targets in?

This is quite major, folks. Or maybe not.

Overheard in my classroom the day many sites went #blackoutsopa: Boy 1: Dude, did you hear about the Google page today? Boy 2: Ya, it’s so cool. Booooo! SOPA!!! Girl 1: What’s SOPA? Boy 1: The government wants to stop us pirating movies ‘n’ stuff. Girl 2: WHAT?!?! Boooooooo! Boy 2: Ya, I need to pirate stuff! Are there more difficult teachable moments to enact than Wikipedia going black? As Clay Shirky reminds us, SOPA and PIPA are less about piracy and more about democracy. For my students, however, it’s challenging to take the conversation meaningfully in that direction. They don’t perpetually juxtapose a world of share, send, download, and upload  with one where we sat on a couch waiting for an old white guy to tell us about what was happening in the world. They don’t know that latter world. It’s a History Channel episode. The ability to pirate video, audio, and gaming content means a lot to them, however. Want to see a group of kids collaborate like a pride of lions stalking buffalo? Ask them if they know how to get movie x or game y for free. Yes, it’s so important that we engage students in learning about CC licensing, intellectual property, and the ethics of the internet. And, yes, most young people today are grossly ignorant about these issues. But, no, the best way to do this is not by wagging one’s finger like so many Just Say No educational videos. And, no, it’s not the kids that are the problem. All of us adults are conveniently looking the other way when we pretend that swiping the credit card for the hardware is the end of the transaction. We’re also turning our glances when we say we are against downloading the Harry Potter movie yet will work that Xerox machine in the copy room until you can cook an egg on it. Now, to get off my own soapbox and back to that teachable moment… Do you know what made it a lot easier to have a discussion about SOPA and PIPA in my class? The fact that my students post regularly to the internet, comment on one another’s work, receive comments from the far reaches of the globe, remix work, share links, and honour CC licensed work. I asked the students how they would feel if their ability to do all of things was restricted, or even taken away, without debate or a tribunal of some variety. The room went silent for a minute which felt like an hour, but we proceeded to have a rich discussion about democracy without ever mentioning the word itself. I know they still care much more about whether the next Eminem song will get on their iPods, but at least we were speaking about something we really know, not just have heard of. You may be able to stop people from sharing their creations, but you can’t unlearn the power of the act itself. Stop SOPA and PIPA.

Lucy is almost 15 months old. She’s chunky, juicy, and has dimples that you can fall into. I was sitting on the couch after a typically awesome but tiring day when she grabbed the stool and started putting on her little demonstration. I’m sure it’s very easy for you to see the sheer pride in Lucy’s face and body. We never trained her to do this, nor suggested it in any way. So if you’re like me, analogies for the process of learning are likely flowing through your brain like so many pints of Guinness in a Dublin pub. The main connection I instantly made was to our conversations around student motivation and feedback. In the many great debates we have around this topic (extrinsic/intrinsic, rewards/punishments, badges, etc.), I feel we have a tendency to simultaneously overcomplicate and oversimplify the matter. Overall, I feel we need to resist the urge to turn it into Republicans vs. Democrats, because it’s when we become too sure in our stance that we walk down the road of confirmation bias. What I see in Lucy is a need to a) challenge herself b) accomplish things she is inately compelled to pursue, and sees people around her doing c) have a shared celebration of those accomplishments. Which leads me to consider what a celebration or acknowledgement of an accomplishment entails. In our house, if our little baby gets excited about being able to stand by herself on a stool, we clap along with her and shout various affirmations. Is that praise? Is it feedback? Do we give babies different kinds of feedback than we do to our teenagers? Is she motivated intrinsically or extrinsically? I’d love your thoughts on this. What other analogies do you see in Lucy’s video? Stay tuned for an accompanying post in which I reflect on the extent to which culture impacts our notions of ‘punishment’ and ‘reward’.

I know many of you have seen this before. It’s the ‘gorilla video’ which admonishes us for tunnel vision. I showed this in class the other day in a discussion around how you can get good at making people pay attention to your message when creating media. My students, unsurprisingly, were mesmerized by the clip. And then one precocious thinker in my class asks me, "But, Mr. Lee, does media try to keep our eyes on the ball or the gorilla?" It just blew me away. I love it when students ask questions the teacher can’t answer. What do you think? Is it the ball or the gorilla?

One of the things that fascinates me the most about teaching is the extent to which self-esteem and self-efficacy influence a child’s ability to learn. I have students that do remarkable things but are self-effacing to the point of negativity. I also come across kids with an hyperbolic sense of self even though, well, they’re just everyday people. And then we have all combinations and everything in between. I consider an advanced student in my class to be someone who doesn’t easily get thrown off track by relatively minor failures, yet is able to recognize them and not make excuses for why they have occurred. If failure is not an issue, it’s like exponential learning. It’s not surprising that self-confidence seems to equal more positive risk taking. That’s why, when I give feedback to students, I try my best to stress the positive in their work or behaviour. It’s an essential ingredient if you want to become someone that adapts to change quickly; optimism. When describing next steps, I try hard to be as practical as possible as well. To be honest, that’s one of the hardest parts of the job. It takes a lot of energy to be doing assessment like that every day. I often question whether I’m doing it well. What do you do to foster a positive outlook in the people you work with or teach?

CC licensed photo shared by stonepix_de I really dislike the stereotype that a teacher needs to be an extroverted, demonstrative personality. I’m not saying it isn’t stupendous for colourful personalities to be teaching our kids. I simply find it unfortunate that this perception of the profession prevents amazing teachers from entering or staying in it. Introverts are often very reflective and less interested than extroverts at dominating talk. In other words, they don’t need to be the centre of attention. Isn’t that one thing we need more of?

I read this on my student’s blog this morning and have been thinking about it ever since. Please consider leaving her a comment.

Modaks Espresso in Dunedin, New Zealand, where I learned to make a beautiful latte. Before becoming a crusty ol’ professional type, I sharpened my tools as a busboy/dishwasher/waiter/barista. It was not only a fantastic way of staying financially afloat while traveling the globe, but also a superb means of meeting some amazing people and having great experiences. Here’s just a few ways making espresso and carrying hot cast iron plates of Chinese food made me a better educator. Customer service Working in hospitality brought me in contact with the hungry, snobby, drunk, lonesome, rich, poor, rude, and delightful. I served them all. Attention to detail A lot of places make coffee, hamburgers, medium-rare steaks, and chocolate cake. The difference between a good and memorable experience in a cafe, bar, or restaurant, however, usually comes down to the little touches. The fact that your latte was exactly the right temperature, or your entrée was brought at just the right time after your appetizer. It took me a long time (and many flabbergasted looks from my patient employers) but I eventually learned that, to be hospitable, one has to do the little things right. Organization If you are disorganized, you cannot work in hospitality. Not only will it be impossible for you to serve customers, but it will make your coworkers’ lives a living hell. They will yell and swear at you profusely. Clean as you go, put things where they need to be, and tidy up not only your own mess, but also the ones left by others. Creating an environment As a waiter I would sometimes become obsessed with what music was playing, lighting, table setting, the temperature, and table arrangements. I never would have guessed at the time that it was preparing me for having my own classroom one day. The importance of community I would say that cafe, as opposed to restaurant, work taught me most about being a facilitator of community. In a cafe, customers are regulars. They come daily for the coffee and cinnamon buns, sure, but that’s not the real reason. Mostly, they want a place where the proverbial everybody knows your name. Some of them want to chat, and others just want you to give them a tip of the hat. Be at the ready, but don’t interfere This is one of the hardest things to learn in the service industry. How do you be ready at all times to serve, yet never make the customer feel stalked or neglected? Reading people The best servers can tell what a customer wants/needs before being asked. What did you learn in your previous jobs that inform who you are now?

Join me, Alyson Schafer, Brad Moon, and Rebecca Brown for a panel discussion on how our mobile social culture is changing family life. Date: Wed., Feb. 15 Time: 4-5:30pm Place: Centre for Social innovation Annex, 720 Bathurst Street, Toronto It would be great to see you there! Register here.

CC licensed photo shared by Flickr user angela7dreams I feel so fortunate that even a small amount of parents and parent advocates read this blog. Although it never fails to flummox me that anyone would look to me for any piece of advice on parenting, I’m starting to feel a lot more comfortable in my own skin as a ‘daddy blogger’. That’s because I’ve started to realize that this space is as much one where I ruminate on fatherhood as it is a place in which I contemplate education. After all, aren’t the two roles essentially one and the same? I don’t know about you, but I don’t really distinguish between me-the-dad and me-the-educator. Sure, the apple of working in an institution can bring different rewards and challenges to the orange of one’s own living room. Still, from the second that my first born began sharing the same oxygen with me, I intuitively knew that the pedagogy driving my classroom practice would invariably interlope with that which propels my life as a dad. I will never buy the claim that producing offspring makes a teacher better than his/her childless counterpart. That’s ridiculous. But I do subscribe to the notion, however trite, that we should always seek to educate as we would parent, and parent as if we were educating.

My students have just completed Pecha Kuchas on fiction they read independently. It was one of the best projects we’ve ever done. The best part of it was the way they had to contend with, and enact, multiple modalities and literacies. If you’re looking for an idea for your class, I highly recommend it. Here are a few examples.

I’ve been helping my grade 7s learn about good ol’ fashioned mind mapping. It’s such a fun process. We’re basically learning how to track the learning process and, well, map our thinking. I don’t see how innovation is possible otherwise. It’s been great to see my grade 7s picking their tool. It’s about 50/50 as to whether they want to use paper or digital. I love it. That’s exactly the right ratio, in my opinion. Then one of my student comes over and says, "Mr. Lee, can I do it as a video journal instead? You know, like a vlog?" Of course I said yes. And of course that made my day. I want my students to use our/their technology like it’s a tool; one that they make metacognitive decisions about. Whenever you forget why it’s important to move away from computer labs and, instead, get the technology living in classrooms and kids’ pockets, mingling with paper and pens, remember my little story above.

Watch this video. Tell me how our grading and reward systems help the problem described in it.

CC licensed photo shared by Flickr user Trodel One thing important to remember about teaching? You need to take care of yourself. And, by care, I mean physical and mental health. I’m talking about eating well, getting a good night’s sleep, exercising, having a laugh. Waiting for Superman? Try: Waiting for a Normal Man. I know what it’s like to give 99% of myself to the classroom. That’s too much. It’s not healthy. Once I got a body rash. Teachers should try their best, but never sacrifice personal growth and happiness. One thing we should always remember in the edublogosphere is not to set expectations ridiculously high so as to be unachievable. It’s not a marathon or a sprint. It’s a contemplative nature walk. Be happy and healthy. It’s not easy, but it’s one thing we can all do for our students.

For the longest time, I’ve had this recurring dream (and, trust me, I’m not channeling Martin Luther King Jr. here). I find myself in a random location, usually a city. It’s always the most generic and eclectic city at the same time. It sometimes looks like Toronto, occasionally like Prague, but usually an amalgam of Bombay, Stockholm, and Beirut. Basically, a combination of any and all cities in the world. The gist of the dream is that I need to find my way home, yet can never seem to. There’s always something getting in my way. It could be dinosaurs, samurai swordsmen, or a game of Super Mario Kart. At times the dream is terrifying, and, at others, it’s just fun. Have I jumped the shark here with my blogposts, you may be wondering? What’s next, a post about what animals I see in cloud formations? Bear with me, I have a point (sort of). Something has been changing with these dreams of mine. Lately, when I’m lost in the dream, you’ll never believe what I’ve started doing. I reach into my pocket, pull out my iPhone, and … use Google Maps to navigate my way. The app tells me exactly where to go!* Has technology been seeping into your sub-conscious too? *The only problem is I still never get home:(

Watch the original video here. Get the facts straight here. Read different perspectives here. Follow actual writers and journalists in Uganda here and here.