Presentation for Ipadpalooza 15 in Austin, TX

1. The Airing of Grievances
“I’ve got a lot of problems with you people!”
Dean Shareski
June 25, 2015
IPadPalooza
Austin, TX
shareski.ca @shareski

3. http://ideasandthoughts.org

4. Not looking for a fight
But a conversation

5. Enthusiasm may vary

6. “…and another thing”
“I know a gal/guy/district”
“Wait a minute, I’m not so sure”

7. School Jargon and Culture

8. Rigor

10. http://www.flickr.com/photos/judybaxter/2333068171/
"Why are our
schools not
places of joy?"
Feel-Bad Education
The Cult of Rigor and the Loss of Joy
by: Alfie Kohn
!
I’m appearing to accept an
odious premise—namely,
that joy must be justified
as a means to the end of
better academic
performance. Not so:
It’s an end in itself.
http://www.alfiekohn.org/teaching/edweek/feelbad.htm

13. Student Achievement

17. Why is “rigor” regarded so highly?
!
What do we really want for our students?
!
How might we better describe this?
“…and another thing” “I know a gal/guy/district” “Wait a minute, I’m not so sure”

18. College and Career Ready

19. April 25, 2014
!
Dear Kindergarten Parents and Guardians,
!
We hope this letter serves to help you better understand how
the demands of the 21st century are changing schools, and,
more specifically, to clarify, misperceptions about the
Kindergarten show…. Although the movement toward more
rigorous learning standards has been in the national news
for more than a decade, the changing face of education is
beginning to feel unsettling for some people. What and how
we teach is changing to meet the demands of a changing
world.
!
The reason for eliminating the Kindergarten show is simple.
We are responsible for preparing children for college and
career .…

20. Things will be better when…

23. “Never follow your passion…
But always bring it with you”

24. How can we intentionally balance
planning for the future and appreciating
today?
!
What messages are our students
hearing and believing about passion?
“…and another thing” “I know a gal/guy/district” “Wait a minute, I’m not so sure”

25. Student Voice

27. The Problem with Digital

28. Digital Dualism

30. offline online
real virtual

31. If we can fix this false separation and
view the digital and physical as
enmeshed, we will understand that
what we do while connected is
inseparable from what we do when
disconnected.
we have been taught to mistakenly view online as meaning not offline.
The notion of the offline as real and authentic is a recent invention,
corresponding with the rise of the online.

32. How are the attitudes of digital dualism
impacting your innovation efforts?
“…and another thing” “I know a gal/guy/district” “Wait a minute, I’m not so sure”

33. When Twitter Stinks

34. What about the “social” part

35. http://www.flickr.com/photos/woscholar/2622117022
I do care what you ate for dinner

38. How important is “social” in learning?
How do you build it into your
environment?
“…and another thing” “I know a gal/guy/district” “Wait a minute, I’m not so sure”

39. Not everything has to “edufied”