Jeff Utecht's Posts - Classroom 2.02024-03-29T11:20:52ZJeff Utechthttps://www.classroom20.com/profile/jutechthttps://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1949878425?profile=RESIZE_48X48&width=48&height=48&crop=1%3A1https://www.classroom20.com/profiles/blog/feed?user=jutecht&xn_auth=noChaos vs Coherenttag:www.classroom20.com,2007-04-18:649749:BlogPost:59672007-04-18T06:22:08.000ZJeff Utechthttps://www.classroom20.com/profile/jutecht
Cross posted on <a href="http://www.thethinkingstick.com">The Thinking Stick</a> <br></br>
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My Superintendent last week:<br />
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<blockquote>“I’ve learned that there is a fine line between chaos and coherent.”</blockquote>
This statement has been replaying itself in my head now for a week. Maybe because I’m feeling my life is on the chaotic side of that line at the moment.<br />
<br />
However, I’ve also been reflecting at where we are in education and where we are trying to go. Where does education fall on this…
Cross posted on <a href="http://www.thethinkingstick.com">The Thinking Stick</a> <br/>
<br />
My Superintendent last week:<br />
<br />
<blockquote>“I’ve learned that there is a fine line between chaos and coherent.”</blockquote>
This statement has been replaying itself in my head now for a week. Maybe because I’m feeling my life is on the chaotic side of that line at the moment.<br />
<br />
However, I’ve also been reflecting at where we are in education and where we are trying to go. Where does education fall on this line?<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/b0r1s/229134108/"><img src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/94/229134108_91417459b8_m.jpg" align="left"/></a>What I’m afraid of is that education is too much on the coherent side of that line, although we are trying to push the education system as a whole closer to that line in the use of information, data analysis, and accountability. The problem is it’s a large system that likes coherent, is comfortable with coherent, and looks at the line and really doesn’t want to go there.<br />
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The line is the different between controlling everything and having structures in place that allow a system to be flexible. Standards are structures that allow an educator to walk on that line. To be able to look at new ways of teaching, new ways of assessing, and new ways at engaging student’s in the learning process and still stay grounded in understanding what it is that needs to be taught.<br />
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Most standardized tests control what we teach, and how we teach it based on what content is needed in order to do well. Standardized tests doesn’t allow a teacher to walk on the side of chaos in fear that what they might teach, what may be a different way of learning, will not be acceptable when filling in circles.<br />
A little chaos is a good thing; it is where we learn to take risks, where perhaps our best learning occurs. These past couple of weeks I’ve been on that side, and my brain actually hurts from such a steep learning curve. I don’t want to be on this side of the line for much longer. I need a little coherence in my life, a little more structure.<br />
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I think this is where are classrooms need to be. We need to walk that line between chaos and coherent. I sometimes hear teachers refer to this as ‘controlled chaos’ which sounds pretty good to me. When I taught in the classroom I tried to keep my class in that controlled chaos state. This is where we learn, where we are able to push ourselves and the people around us and still understand there is a structure to what we do.<br />
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What would education look like if it were in a state of controlled chaos?<br />
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What would a school look like?<br />
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How would you put structures in place to allow educators to feel safe enough to teach in this space?<br />
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I’ve got some thinking to do.Teentek, Twitter, and Teacherstag:www.classroom20.com,2007-04-14:649749:BlogPost:46312007-04-14T09:30:42.000ZJeff Utechthttps://www.classroom20.com/profile/jutecht
Just finished posting an article on the <a href="http://www.techlearning.com/blog/2007/04/the_power_of_content_creation.php">Techlearning blog</a> that I think gets to the heart of classroom 2.0. That students are creators in this new digital world, and we need to find ways to allow them to create global content. They're already doing it in spaces like myspace, facebook, youtube, etc.<br></br><br></br>I also <a href="http://www.thethinkingstick.com/ondeck/?p=7">recorded a podcast</a> this week on a lot…
Just finished posting an article on the <a href="http://www.techlearning.com/blog/2007/04/the_power_of_content_creation.php">Techlearning blog</a> that I think gets to the heart of classroom 2.0. That students are creators in this new digital world, and we need to find ways to allow them to create global content. They're already doing it in spaces like myspace, facebook, youtube, etc.<br/><br/>I also <a href="http://www.thethinkingstick.com/ondeck/?p=7">recorded a podcast</a> this week on a lot of the same issues, but include some info from teachers and a little chat about twitter.<br/>Classroom 2.0 needs Educational Technologist 2.0tag:www.classroom20.com,2007-04-08:649749:BlogPost:34932007-04-08T14:54:40.000ZJeff Utechthttps://www.classroom20.com/profile/jutecht
So I've spent my weekend (1am on Friday night and 2am Saturday night) migrating my schools moolde and wordpress mu site.<br></br><br></br>The moodle migration went find...due in part to the the fact that I've migrated moodle sites 5 times now...I pretty much know what I'm doing.<br></br><br></br>The wordpress mu site is another story...and as I go to bed tonight still is not ready for students to use tomorrow.<br></br><br></br>In a classroom 2.0 environment I think we're going to need educators that understand more…
So I've spent my weekend (1am on Friday night and 2am Saturday night) migrating my schools moolde and wordpress mu site.<br/><br/>The moodle migration went find...due in part to the the fact that I've migrated moodle sites 5 times now...I pretty much know what I'm doing.<br/><br/>The wordpress mu site is another story...and as I go to bed tonight still is not ready for students to use tomorrow.<br/><br/>In a classroom 2.0 environment I think we're going to need educators that understand more than just how to use the tools, they're going to have to understand what it takes to keep all of this stuff running. Sure something like this doesn't happen all the time, but it does happen....our technicians do not know Linux, or php or mysql there for you need an educational technologist that understands both the educational impact these tools have and the knowledge to be able to run the backends of them.<br/><br/>I could write more, but I'm dead tired and once again my wife is going to bed by herself....the life of an overworked educational technologist.<br/><br/><br/>Social Networkstag:www.classroom20.com,2007-04-06:649749:BlogPost:30642007-04-06T08:12:34.000ZJeff Utechthttps://www.classroom20.com/profile/jutecht
I posted about this the other day <a href="http://www.thethinkingstick.com/?p=464">on my blog</a>. There is power in social networks and it will be interesting to have all of use work through just how this will impact schools and classrooms in the future. I'm in the middle of reading the Horizon Report. Interesting stuff.<br/><br/>Looking forward to some deep thinking in this new social place.<br/>
I posted about this the other day <a href="http://www.thethinkingstick.com/?p=464">on my blog</a>. There is power in social networks and it will be interesting to have all of use work through just how this will impact schools and classrooms in the future. I'm in the middle of reading the Horizon Report. Interesting stuff.<br/><br/>Looking forward to some deep thinking in this new social place.<br/>