Recalculating

RECALCULATING…

I don’t know about you, but when I hear my portable GPS navigation unit saying that over and over, I get really tired of it.  Sometimes it is right on the money because I didn’t turn when I should have.  Other times, even if I know I are on the right track, and can see the destination, if it’s not the way that the GPS thinks it should be, it will yell at me.  My recent visit to Airzona reminded me of how much this gets under my skin.  Why three right turns when one left turn would do the same thing? Why tell me to go 200 more feet and turn left when I’m in the parking lot of the place to which I wanted to drive?

That set me to thinking about how God often looks at us.  He has created a GPS for us - in the form of the inspired Word of God.  We go about our daily lives and, even if we try hard to follow the things we know God wants, we often end up on the wrong path.  We think we know what’s right, but sometimes it’s only close, and other times it’s WAY OFF THE MARK!  I often find myself too far off the mark to even think I can ever get back.

RECALCULATING…

That’s what I would expect from God if he were audibly speaking to me throughout my day.  I’m sure I’d hear that A LOT!

Think about the times we know of that the God of the Ages has “recalculated” for our benefit.  In the Garden of Eden, God had a perfect plan - perfect, except for that little thing called free will.  Adam and Eve took it upon themselves to do what God had specifically told them not to do.  And they got caught.

RECALCULATING…

When things got so bad that God considered wiping it all out and starting over, one faithful soul listened to God and built an ark for his family and animals.  God made a plan to save Noah and his family from judgement.  In essence, God was 

RECALCULATING…

God promised to never wipe out the world like that again, but that didn’t mean that people did not still sin.  God chose Abraham to raise up a nation, then provided guidelines for them through Moses, which created a way for them to be acceptable despite their sin.  But people, because of who they inherently are, continued down that same path that started in the Garden.  

RECALCULATING…

God then made one more way to redeem us - to make us acceptable in God’s eyes.  He sent His only Son to live a perfect life and then die for us - in our place.  We can now become as his adopted children, simply by believing in Jesus as the Christ and the Messiah.  As Jesus said on the Cross, “It is Finished.”  No more

RECALCULATING…

wait for it...

Have you ever said, or heard someone else say something like "I can't wait until..."  or "It seems like I'll die before..." (insert here birthday, Christmas, a trip, or anything that comes with anticipation.)

Americans are impatient.  That's all there is to it.  From the time we are old enough to hold the remote, we know that even the toughest of impossible situations can be solved in an hour, including commercials - two hours if it's a special.

A few weeks ago, our sermon at church was on being patient.  The pastor used several references in the Bible of times when people simply needed to wait.  Patience is not something that is easy to learn.  It is always a struggle.  The sermon was a tough one for me to hear, as you will see below.

Here's just a sample of some of those who waited.  Noah and his family fled catastrophe by being sheltered from the flood in an ark designed by God.  How long?  They stayed for 40 days before they found any dry land.  During that time, they could not do anything but wait!  When Moses went up the mountain, he left the Israelites waiting for him to come down for that same 40 day period.  They were not, as you remember, quite as faithful as Noah during the waiting period.  Jesus was in the desert being tempted for a similar 40-day period.  Unlike the Israelites, Jesus did not falter.  Even though all these were the same period, there are many examples of shorter (or longer) periods.  Jonah waited for three days to be delivered; Saul of Tarsus was blind for three days before he received back his sight; the Israelites wandered for 40 years, and that after captivity for 400 years.  Ouch!

Remember, asking for patience can bring some difficult times, and really press you to the limit.  I don't remember asking for patience, but God has been, and is doing, a work in me to learn patience.

The initial "waiting trial" I can remember is when our first granddaughter was born.  Everything was fine up to delivery, but then she immediately went into respiratory distress.  She had to be put into a drug-induced coma and placed on life support, only to be flown at 3 hours old to Denver.  No warning; just waiting.  Parents and grandparents waited for that first month of life to see whether there would really be a baby at home.  That was tough.  That baby survived and is now a healthy teenager with brilliance and energy to spare.

We are currently going through another "waiting trial" - again with a granddaughter, this one with leukemia.  Diagnosed at two and a half years old, one can hardly conceive of the amount of chemicals and care that it takes to get someone cured of this.  And it's not over until she is declared cancer free, which will likely be another 15 months from now.  She seems to be on the right track, which we pray will continue to be the case.

How are your "waiting" skills?  Are you able to trust God for whatever time He determines is right?

It's like God is saying to us "Would you just wait!  I know what I'm doing!"

"They that wait upon the Lord will renew their strength; they will mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint."  Isaiah 40:31

Final Note:  Parts of this blog were very hard to write - they bring powerful memories, not all of which I like to think about.  AB

Rhetoric or Roadmap?

I've been listening to several of the political advertisements that are being broadcast.  Do you listen critically to them?  And with neither of the candidates doing a great job of really detailing their plan to improve (roadmap) is there really any way to separate the wheat from the chaff (rhetoric?) 

I hear things like "…clear plan…" and "…strong middle class…" and "…giving the American people what they want…" - you've all heard it this time around, and last election, and the one before that.  For the most part, it's simply saying what you want to hear -- and at that, you are hearing what you want to hear.

I challenge you to listen critically - don't just accept one side as "evil" and the other "good" without knowing why.  We each have our own political leanings, and I am no different than you.  But what I want to hear from BOTH candidates is HOW they plan to make things better.  Neither side is without fault, here.

President Obama has a tough road this round because many of the staunch supporters -- those who heard what they wanted to hear last time -- are not so sure they can put much trust in his rhetoric any more.  Even some of the supportive media are not behind him as strongly this time.  I've not seen much in the way of details from that administration on how he intends to address "…what the American people want…"  Simply calling for more change does not seem to make it any more.

Similarly, Candidate Romney has a tough journey as well.  It's always hard to out a sitting president in one term.  There is an uphill struggle, especially when it seems you have to convince the political pundits and the media that you have a legitimate plan.  It's hard to convince the American people that there may really be a different (better?) way.  If there is, please tell us in detail how to get there.  Give us your roadmap.  If your way is, in fact, a better one, convince us so we can get behind you and help out.

Rhetoric or Roadmap?  You need to listen to each side and vote your conscience.  It's all about YOUR future, not theirs.

A new breed of bully

As I was growing up, I remember how I was impressed by those who "reported" the news - I looked forward to the Weekly Reader, watching evening news, reading the newspaper - I seemed to have a reverence for each of them in their own way.  My parents taught me that it is important to stay informed.  I knew that those to whom I was listening/reading were making an attempt to be impartial and tell me what was going on.

Fast forward from that to the Vietnam era, through the genesis of 24 hour coverage to the present day.  No longer can I read/hear anything with that same reverence - that same feeling - that what is being "reported" is factual and not skewed in some way by a "reporter" grinding an axe about something.  Maybe just the fact that we are bombarded with 24 hour coverage of EVERYTHING leads the journalist to detest "dead air," and consequently fills that time with their own opinions when there is nothing really to report.

The days of the Edward R. Murrow or Chet Huntley - David Brinkley journalist are long gone.  I am sure that these veterans of the media had their own - and sometimes strong - opinions about what was going on, but they kept them to themselves and let the listener form an opinion.

What I see today is extremely disturbing.  The media now has a collective opinion, and if you happen to subscribe to something OTHER THAN that opinion (on whatever the subject at hand happens to be) then the media acts like a playground bully and will "beat up" on whomever they choose.  If you think the way the media does, then you get a pass - on just about anything.  If you don't - you'd better watch your back(side.)

This happens time and time again.  The environment is ripe right now for this because of an election on the immediate horizon.  The media (collectively) stands generally behind a liberal philosophy, so they positively report that information while down-playing, or being outright belligerant toward, a more conservative stance.  This applies across the board - finances, stances on abortion, religious leanings, education, healthcare, and constitutional issues.

An example as evidence is the coverage (or lack of coverage) of the two political conventions we just endured.  It seemed that the media reluctantly covered - then hammered what went on during - the GOP convention.  You had to search the channels to find coverage, and then heard the commentators tear down speakers or activities.  There is, of course, little good one can say about the GOP.

Contrast this with coverage of the Democratic convention.  There was no way you could avoid it because coverage was everywhere, and all the commentators coming along in lock-step to buttress the fine opinions of the speakers and platform.

Well, isn't that what a bully does?  Do what "I" want and "I" leave you alone - even protect you.  Try to stand up to "me" and I will beat you up.

OK, media.  It's time to give up your bully ways.

Is Education a Noun or Verb?

Standby for RANT.

Face it. How we categorize something affects what we do with it. This is true in every facet of our lives, and no less in education. Just what "IS" education?

Right now, in South Dakota, as is happening in many other states, the underlying debate is whether education is a noun or a verb. Let me explain.

If education is a noun, it then becomes "…a person, place, or thing." It is something we can legislate, quantify, measure, buy, sell, manipulate, categorize, and normalize. We attempt to put it on an assembly line and push out a product - all the same - all measurable (or should that be miserable?) - and we create methods to assess whether the product is good, mediocre, or bad. They should come out, one after another, in development for years and years, and having been worked on by dozens of different people in numerous environments - finally to be released into the world in a perfect and finished state.

How do we measure this success? Let's test students and let them set the standards for how their teachers did - I'm sure they will be unbiased in grading their teachers, won't they?

Wait a minute. Numerous environments? Different people? Let's FIX that - we'll put in place a standard method of "assessing" the teachers (technicians, now…) who are creating the products. We want to make them all the same, so everyone gets the same "advantage."

The ones who produce the best products are awarded in some fashion, and that would usually translate into money in their pocket. If we incentive this production, we'll certainly get a better product! Let's pay the most productive - as determined by the afore mentioned flawed assessment process - $XX dollars for their hard work. This makes "education" better! (Oh, really?) How can actively fostering competition among staff members within a building or district help create an environment the improves the educational process? It instead does just the opposite - it stifles communication and sharing between teachers who are competing for the same dollars!

Let's instead consider education as a verb - something that's alive and precious and worthy of tending - only then can we make it what it needs to be.

Verbs convey action - change - movement - progression - something that's constantly growing and getting better. That's what is required in education. It is not something that can be captured and cloned, but rather an entity that needs nurturing, like feeding and watering a plant. There is growth and maturity and "greening" all along the way. Will repeated watering and feeding and pruning be required? Certainly - that's the only way to get the best result.

How do we nurture education? We need to take it out of the hands of the lawmakers and put it back with the schools, allowing it to be fine-tuned by people who have been trained to teach students, who have years and years of experience in classrooms and hallways and lunchrooms - those places where teachers and administrators meet, teach, and care for (dare I say love?) the students.

Wrestle this beast away from the legislators who have made a career of being elected and keeping constituents happy. I hold legislators in high regard for the awesome responsibility they have in shaping our state and nation. But being an elected official in no way qualifies them to define or create a workable educational environment. Make these same legislators come down to teach a class in an over-crowded room with all levels of ability and conduct. Ask them to sit in a meeting with parents, or observe the lunchroom, or monitor a detention session to find out what really goes on.

Maybe then, they would stop setting up competitions and races and such that create road blocks to the educational process, and instead put those same dollars into making things work instead of actively trying to break them.

Maybe then we could begin to create groups (teams, Professional learning networks, etc) who share best practice and learn from each other.

Maybe then they would put their hearts and souls into it like teachers and school staff do each and every day, to do everything we can to give education life.

That should do it!

T.O.Y. for this holiday

This morning's paper will filled with 3-4 inches of "opportunities" to spend my hard-earned money on "stuff." There's the newest TV, camera, tool, coat, skateboard, doll, phone...on and on and on. And what do you end up with? STUFF

I already have too much "stuff." I don't know what to do with some of my "stuff." So I think I'll take a little different approach this season.

The T.O.Y. in the title stands for "Think Outside Yourself." Our whole world, from the earliest preschool through college, from business to politics, and, unfortunately, in some of what we learn in our churches and sunday schools, is really wrapped around a very selfish attitude - what's it got to do with ME?

This week, our praise team had the opportunity to serve at the local mission/shelter. That's something that you don't always LIKE to do, but it's what everyone SHOULD do at some time or another. It was a relatively nice day for November in South Dakota, but for those who needed a place off the streets, the mission was the place to be. On the menu was Chicken BBQ sandwiches, veggies, chips, dessert - and love, acceptance, and respect for their situation from our praise team. -- T.O.Y.

(as an aside here, I remember well sitting in the back row many times at the Union Gospel Mission as a child listening to my Dad give a short talk to the mission's "clients" before the meal. A good example and excellent childhood memory.)

There was an article in the paper this morning about Bronco's Quarterback Tim Tebow, and the grief he's taking for standing up for his faith. The press doesn't know what to do with the fact that he'd rather use his money to build a children's hospital in the Phillipines than he would to build a mansion for himself to live in luxury. --T.O.Y

We have already determined, as a family, that we will get simple things for each other for stocking stuffers and some gift cards at favorite stores. Then, we will collectively decide on a family donation to a charity. --T.O.Y.

Time for you to step up and serve your neighbor(s) in some form or fashion. It matters not if you lean toward the Christmas/Christian belief, Chanukah/Jewish, Islam, Kwanzaa, or choose to ignore the hoopla surrounding this time - serving is NEVER out of style. We owe it to our children to set the example (like I saw in my life) that you need to always Think Outside Yourself.

Have a great holiday season in service to others.

What a day

Wow - What a day.

The day started out like any other day. I woke up and got my legs under me, scrounged around for some breakfast, and went to find my mother. She was already outside. The sky was lovely, with the sun just beginning to peek out. Only a light breeze blowing - a typical morning for this part of the world. Little did I know what would happen today.

I started to hear a commotion outside, so I went out to see what was going on. All of a sudden someone was leading me away from my home, my mother, everything I knew. All I had heard was a man say "The Lord has need of it." What in the world did that mean?

There was a crowd gathering, and I was almost afraid - I was only a couple of years old and had never seen anything like this from my little stable on a quiet street. Why was this crowd gathering? It certainly didn't have anything to do with me, did it?

Wait, why is this Man climbing on my back? That's never happened before, and I'm not sure exactly what to do. I don't even know who this Lord is, or what he's doing parading me up and down the street while He rides through the crowd. I guess I'll just make the best of it and walk as proudly as I can.

A King? People are shouting Hosanna to the King! They can only be referring to this Man riding on my back. And the people keep throwing branches - palm branches - on the ground as we go by. This Man on my back really must be someone special. And everyone seems to really love Him. They keep shouting and praising Him as the Chosen One.

And then, just as quickly as it started, He climbed down off my back and another man led me back home. Back to my stable, and back to the quiet street where I grew up.

What was that all about? I wonder if I'll ever see this Man again?

Wow - What a day.

Together in Excellence (TIE) 2010

This blog will be longer than any "normal" posts I usually make. I apologize for the length, but it is necessary to fully describe the South Dakota region conference I attended 18-20 April 2010. Here is the paper I wrote as a "trip report" on this conference.

The conference included presentations by @AngelaMaiers and @LeslieFisher, Dr. Jack Bacon of NASA, and numerous "breakout" sessions highlighting technology and it's role in education.

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Together in Excellence (TIE) 2010 was a wonderful experience from beginning to end. The speakers were engaging and informative, each providing unique insights and perspective on motivation, today’s technology tools, and the role of educators in today’s classroom. The in-depth session I attended was time well spent. The breakouts were diverse, extremely valuable, and timely. I will try to do the speakers, the instructors, the exhibitors, and the entire conference, justice with this reflection paper. As I go along, I will try to put this into context as to how it will make a difference in my classroom.

My first experience at the conference was an in-depth session on web 2.0 tools and educational support internet sites. Marcia Torgrude did an outstanding job of introducing tools that can be implemented in the classroom immediately.

One such tool introduced was Glogster, which allows students to develop interactive “posters” to share. These “posters” can include graphics, text, video, and links to internet sites. Using Glogster, students could create an interactive report on a theme, historic event, or scientific process. Using a tool like this requires more than just responding to questions and parroting back answers. It requires the student(s) to synthesize and create to show understanding of a subject.

Another resource shown and practiced was Prezi, which was quite unique in it’s approach. In some ways, I found it similar in theme to Glogster, in that you have one “page” to interact with. On that one page, you identify elements essential to your theme, then organize a presentation by creating a “path” from one element to the next. By arranging the elements, the relative sizes of each, and the order of the path, students must demonstrate a depth of understanding of subjects being studied. She concluded with recommendations for other sites to explore on our own.

Following the in-depth session was the first Keynote speech. Leslie Fisher, a self-professed gadgeter, gave an excellent walk through the world of current technology. Although her presentation was based on “things,” there was an underlying theme of how technology is changing in all areas of society, including the world of education. What I took from that presentation was the changing role of the educator in dealing with a generation of students exposed to technology before they are exposed to education. Gadgets and technology surround each one of us everyday. Students encounter technology before they see us each day. How can we expect them to “shut off” everything and then suddenly learn in an environment that doesn’t fit their way of thinking? That certainly gives one a “wake up” moment to think about; how should each of us respond to this challenge? How do we change ourselves to adapt to this new way of thinking rather than try to force them to change and risk jeopardizing the natural curiosity and ability these students possess?

Monday began with Dr. Jack Bacon taking the conferees on a trip through history and current happenings of the international space station (ISS.) Even though he’s a man of numerous degrees and languages, and could have easily buried everyone in details, he instead wove an amazing story from the very genesis of the ISS to the current day. Embedded throughout the presentation was this one theme; the only way something as massive and complex as the ISS could be created and sustained is through cooperation. He kept returning to the almost two dozen countries and dozen languages of the people who created, assembled, and are currently supporting the ISS, and how it would not be what it is today without that effort. I took from that presentation the need to infuse more group projects into the classroom – not just once in awhile to make it look good, but regularly enough to make it part of the everyday routine. That means I have to change the way I approach “teaching” the students. That’s a real challenge for me.

From there, I attended a series of breakout sessions on various subjects, each very instructive and time well spent. Three of the sessions were based on Apple, Inc. products in one for or another. Two of these, presented by Apple employees, extolled the virtues of the family of Apple products and their role in the education environment. They showed how the products from Apple easily support learning in the classroom.

Another session, about using the iPod in the K-12 classroom, was equally instructive on using technology tools to support curriculum. Presenters showed specifically applications they use for Advanced Placement students in a high school, but also extended that with ideas for other curricular areas and levels. I got a lot out of that session for consideration, including one program for assistive speech for individuals with difficulty or inability to speak. That program has already been recommended to our staff for consideration for one of our students.

The final breakout for Monday was on the importance of social networking in general, and Twitter in particular, and how it can help each of us become better educators. Leslie Fisher gave some history of the Twitter sensation, how it is a natural fit into the education world, and how some of the available add-on’s can help make it better and more usable for us – changing our routine to save time rather than add new demands on our day.

Angela Maiers kicked off the Tuesday session with an outstanding keynote on how to develop technical fluency, and how that makes us better for ourselves and for our students. Of particular importance is our need to filter what we get, then be able to routinely model for our students how to continually unlearn and relearn. She almost seamlessly followed that with a breakout session on building our Professional Learning Network (PLN.) Each of us owes it to our students to keep current, and the best way to do that is to use the smartest people you can find, and learn what they know. Great presentations.

The final breakout session I attended was Marcia Torgrude speaking on Thinkfinity. I haven’t done much with this site since its Marco Polo days. I was impressed with the changes and the community nature that it’s growing into with the new site. That’s something definitely worth following, exploring, and contributing to.

Capping the conference was Dr. Julie Mathieson with a great session on taking what we have gotten during the conference and using that to make an impact on our students. That was a fitting end to the three days.

It was a great conference, and time well spent. There is certainly enough to keep me thinking until TIE 2011.

Alan Buhler

Professional Development - Easier to SAY it than to DO it

"Everybody" in education talks about professional development, about growing (developing?) a Personal Learning Network (PLN,) and really (finally) using that technology we have in the classroom to it's full benefit.

Sounds great! Let's DO it. What?? Difficulty getting started? Not so easy, is it?

We ask our students to do things every day that extend their ability, and some at which they may fail, in order to learn something. It's a pity that we won't ask the same of ourselves.

Begin by taking a good, hard look at where you are - it's like taking a candid snapshot. Assess yourself on as many "tasks" as you can think of. Don't pull any punches. This is for YOU, and no one else. Address things like quality of lesson plans, time spent planning, time spent with parent contact/communication, interaction with team or colleagues, how smoothly your classes run, your back up plans when things go wrong, etc. Make your own list of those things that you think affect you as a teacher/leader/facilitator in your classroom. Bottom line: you can't tell where you need to go until you know where you are. NOW you have a starting point.

Next, go "out" into the world (probably search internet, social networking & bookmarking sites, twitter, conferences, podcasts, etc.) and look for examples you'd like to emulate. Don't be afraid to start locally - there's probably several teachers in YOUR SCHOOL that have experiences (good and bad) from which you could draw. Think BIG here - imagine yourself as that "perfect" facilitator, presenting that fantastic lesson, able to keep track of students for differentiated instruction, teaching to their strengths, engaging them for the entire time you have them - even leaving them wanting more at the end of the class! NOW you have a vision.

After you've looked around for examples, "subscribe", "follow" or "watch" several episodes or posts or tweets from many of the ones you found and think you MIGHT get something from. It won't take you long to figure out the ones that are worth your time. Bookmark sites that interest you, sites that may be within your reach, and also sites that will push your "envelope" a little. Even if you get one or two great links or ideas from each of them every few episodes, it's probably worth your time. But at the same time, don't be afraid/ashamed to "unsubscribe" or "unfollow" someone that isn't feeding your needs - your time is valuable, and you need to be selfish about it! Contribute something that you use that might "feed" others, too. If it's useful or interesting to you, there's probably a dozen others that would feel the same way. NOW you have (at least a start to) an action plan.

I've done this, in a less structured and formal manner, over the last six months or so. I've followed several blogs and podcasts for years, but when they were no longer worth my time, I quit them. Only recently have I gotten a Twitter account, and find that this has been the best resource for ideas and links with the least amount of time and effort that I've ever seen. Maybe I just follow the right people, (favorites are @loonyhiker, @coolcatteacher, @skipz, @tombarrett, @teachakidd, just to name a few....) Their posts are NOT the trivial "I'm doing my hair now" - type posts - they post things that they find valuable from their experience in and out of classrooms, some of them professionals in classrooms already for decades. Us newbies (I've only been teaching a decade and a half...) can pick out things from their wisdom and apply it in our classrooms. (BRAVO AND THANKS TO EACH OF THEM.)

OK - now go out and make your plan! Hope it works for you.

Leaving your mark

It's interesting that sometimes one will see the same theme in statements from totally different places. That's what happened to me recently.

First, I received a note from my father mentioning this quote. "Every man is either making a mark or leaving a scar. We need to make sure we leave the mark God desires." (Freddie Scott) I found this very insightful and moving, repeated it to a few people and Twittered it to my "network." Didn't think much about it again for a week or so.

Then, I noticed this theme again in, of all places, an introduction to the Oct/Nov 2009 edition of "Handy" magazine, published by Handyman Club or America. In it, Larry Okrend, Executive Director of HCA says (page 6) "In a world where so much is soullessly churned out in factories, it might be good practice for all of us to sign our work in some fashion. If you derive a sense of accomplishment from your projects, leave a maker's mark as a small reminder of your creativity, productivity, and dedication to a job well done."

Even though neither of these quotes were intended as guides to us as educators, they can be directly applied. Replace "man" with "teacher" in the first quote, and re-read it. It emphasizes the awesome responsibility we have to shape young minds in a positive manner, or risk damaging them if we do it wrong. I don't know about you, but to me that's a very sobering thought, one that none of us should take lightly.

Then, think of being proud enough of your work in the classroom to "sign" it. Is it just "...good enough for Government work..." or a real work or art? Are you bringing energy into the classroom, or simply going through the motions to get through the day/week/quarter/career? Are your students better for having been in your class today/this week/year?

We should make this an "objective" in every lesson plan taught in every classroom every day. What type of mark will you leave in YOUR classroom this week?

Google Forms & an iPod Touch

As a Technology Integrator for our Middle School, I've been "playing" (isn't that what us GEEKS do?) with an iPod Touch and Google Docs to see how they can support each other. Most of all, I'm trying to see how the "forms" part of the spreadsheet can help in a classroom.

Here's what I've come up with so far - First tried forms with a simple survey to the teachers about what type of computer they want when the capital outlay process rolls out next year - desktop or laptop, and any special considerations for that machine. Initial experience very promising, but not perfect. Biggest mistake was that, not wanting to send it from my gmail account, I mailed the form to myself and then distributed from there on my school account. The form was in the forwarded email, so after staff filled out the form, but when they "submitted," it took them to the "real" form on the web, so they had to do it all again. Next time, I'll simply include the link and save them some time and effort. Glad it was a simple form.

Next experiment is with classroom observation and the iPod Touch. Created a form for observing student posture in 6th keyboarding class, and sent it to myself on my gmail account, which comes up on my "Touch." What I wanted was to walk around the room, enter info into the form and have it automatically fill out the spreadsheet with my observations. Then, enter grades at the end of the class, print for documentation, and be done with it.

The first form had "drop down" choices which, in theory, are good, but don't play well with a "Touch" because it will automatically submit the form before you are ready. So I went back and changed to check boxes with one required box that simply says "done." That gave me control of when it actually was submitted. That worked well, except that I had to keep going back to the email, click the link, and go to the form each time. Haven't tried embedding in a webpage yet - that's still to come. That may make it easier.

Note to Google Docs folks - Don't bury the published form so far into the document - make the finished form come up as maybe a subset of the document itself so it will show up on mobile sync applications for easy access. Or, maybe an application specifically for forms that support a Google Doc. This would really help.

If you have any suggestions for me, please chime in. I'd love to hear them. Thanks.

Ya' know, back in St. Olaf...

You will probably recognize this line from the sitcom "Golden Girls" that's been airing in constant reruns since whenever!  After saying this line, Rose Nyland would venture off into some story from the town where she grew up. That town is, of course, St. Olaf.

I think I can finally identify with Rose.  I'm afraid I drive through St. Olaf (by another name, of course) every day when I go to work.  Probably not an atypical little rural town, but no one could accuse them of being in the top ten areas for MENSA members per capita!  

Same route every day (boring, isn't it?) so I notice things that change, and things that don't change.

Before I go any further with this, I'll say that this is year #2 for a similar observation; so I know it's not just an oversight.  Here's the setup.  Fairly nice house and yard, a few derelict items scattered about, but not too bad.  At one corner of the house is a nice looking, fairly new (by all appearances) yard tractor.  But I'm not sure the owner really understands the concept.  I've never seen the tractor moved since I noticed it, and there is grass growing around and under it that's longer than the surrounding lawn.  Apparantly, the owner of the property uses a regular mower to keep the yard.

If you don't see irony here, leave a comment and I'll ignore you.

(not really...)

Hope you enjoy this.

God's will

On my way to work this morning, I was listening to our local Christian Radio station, and Chuck Colson's Breakpoint show happened to be playing. The overall theme was a month-long review of some of Dante's historical works. He touched on several things, but there was one point that just hit home with me.

The discussion went something like this: People frequently ask how a loving God can condemn people to eternal separation from Himself? The truth is - God doesn't do that - people choose it themselves.

It ends up there are two ways people can respond to God. The first is to say to Him - "Thy will be done." That's the road He wants us to choose. God would have it that everyone do that, but some will resist until it's too late. When that happens, God will reluctantly say, when their brief life here on earth has ended, "OK -I gave you all the chances I could. You blew it. Now, THY will be done."

Some assembly required

Some Assembly Required…

For whatever reason, that phrase has haunted me today. It came into my mind shortly after I woke up, and many things I’ve heard, read, and done today fit well into this framework.

This is a common phrase when you receive something in pieces – they are all there, but you have to put them together to make something that does what’s intended. And an instruction sheet is a good thing, too, by the way. Without following the instructions, things may not work as designed.

I sing in the praise choir at our church. I am one voice of many. I have a part to learn and give back; that part is different from the person next to me, and theirs from the next person, and so on. We couldn’t each have just one piece that didn’t fit with the others. Some assembly was required before we could help lead the congregation in worship. The “instruction sheet” was the written music score; that was our guide to assembly.

Our sermon today related the grumbling of the Israelites as they wandered through the desert. God, by His Mighty Hand, had brought them out of Egypt, and buried their pursuers under a wall of water. God provided them manna and water as they needed it. Then he gave them quail every evening. They even had their own navigation system in the form of clouds and fire. They had all the pieces, but somehow still couldn’t put it all together. There was still some assembly required – about 40 years worth! They were a work in progress for all that time, and for a considerable time after they reached the Promised Land.

I was also blessed today to be able to help serve a meal for our local Cornerstone Mission. Many hands provided things for the meal – main course, sides, desserts, drinks – but it was all just pieces. Before we could be a blessing to these folks who desperately needed this food, we had to organize it, heat it, serve it up. Some assembly was required.

The room at the mission was filled with people; many of their stories would be tales of woe and tragedy. But we must not forget that these “pieces” are as valuable to God as each of us. Our situations are different, but our souls are the same. Though the puzzle may be more complex and difficult to put together there, some assembly is still required.

As I reflect on this in my daily life as a teacher of Middle School students, I have to constantly tell myself that they, too, are works in progress. They are putting together various pieces of their lives in order to be their own person – and it’s my job (my passion, if you will) to help them along in that journey.

Some assembly required.

Lord, Help me to assemble my life as a model for those I touch in some way today.

AMEN

hailstorm

Wednesday afternoon, we had a good old midwest hailstorm come through. I captured a short video of the front steps and the hail coming down.

trip to Sioux Falls

This is a post with a video from our trip to Sioux Falls to see granddaughter Elise (and the rest of the family, too..)

(This is a later edit) I was doing some work with video and uploading to my internet web space at my school, and some of the recipients of the video were having problems getting it. So I made a webpage, and posted it, then linked it to this blog. Worked well.

More on the trip - We took our oldest Daughter and her kids with us, so all three grandkids were together. I think everyone had a good time of it.

Educational dilemma

When do inherent risks outweigh benefits?

Here's the philosophical side: I've been reading a lot about motivating students by tapping into their love of gaming. I't a research-based technique that's recommended by many experts. This research says that's what students do in their free time, and that's what they love to do. So that's what we should do whenever we can make educational use of it in a classroom.

Move to the application in the classroom side: I teach 7th grade computers, where about half the curriculum is oriented toward keyboarding skills - striving for 35+ words per minute with 2 or less errors per minute on a 3 minute timing. This, in and of itself, is less than glamorous to a 7th grader. So I've tried to find games that support that part of the curriculum.

Enter http://play.typeracer.com - The site provides lines from various books and articles that people are asked to type - most of what I've seen are excerpts from books, songs, poetry - and appropriate for use in a classroom. There are two sections - a place to practice, and a place to race against others. After logging into the site, and working with it for just a couple of moments, all students were able to understand the game and how to play. Most of them were fully engaged for the alloted time. A couple of them were extremely competitive and became quite vocal as time progressed, and I could see that there was a spark that had caught on.

Here's where the question comes in. Students race against opponents randomly chosen from whomever is logged into the site at any given time.

We can specify and control in the classroom what our students may or may not use for a name when they sign into the game; not so with the rest of the random players from around the world who are on the site. Some of these names are not well chosen, and the students brought a couple of these to my attention. Nothing I saw was extremely offensive, but some still not entirely school appropriate. The practical thought here is that there's nothing this MySpace & MTV & Facebook genreation that I'm teaching hasn't seen. But I don't want to appear to condone the use of this type of language or vernacular in a classroom.

I like the site. The students like the site. It has educational value for typing skills. But should I restrict them from it because of what they just MIGHT see on it from other players around the world? If I continue to use the site, what's the best way to with those random occurrences when and if they arise?

Any thoughts are appreciated.

What if I had owned the colt?

During Palm Sunday service today, I heard the wonderful story of Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem. Same as last year – and the year before that. But something was different this time - it was the scripture that really spoke to me. A particular phrase was given twice - “The Lord hath need of him.”

Luke 19:28-35 gives the story of a forgotten person in all this – the owner of the donkey colt. Although not called by name, nor described in any manner in the texts we have been given, this person’s faith and attitude are key to how this story unfolds.

It is likely that the owner was not a rich man. Donkeys are not what rich people owned. Rich people have horses and chariots and “fancy” stuff. Donkeys are workers, and likely this donkey was being raised for just that – to help the owner’s family conduct whatever business they were in. It was probably extremely valuable to that person and his family.

All of a sudden, strangers come into town, walk over to this colt, and start untying it from it’s post or stable or barn. I’d imagine the owner was just a little bit concerned about these people who, with no explanation, are taking the colt away. When confronted, their only explanation was “The Lord hath need of him.”

I’ve always believed that the stories in the Bible are accurate. That leads me to the conclusion that there was no further discussion, no debate, no more questions posed to these men. The colt was given willingly out of love. There was no promise of payment, nor of whether the owner would even get it back. It was just given away.

Which brings me back to the question – What if I had owned the colt? Would the story be any different? I’d like to think that I would be willing to do what the person in this story had done, but it really made me think about it. What would I be willing to give up if someone simply said to me “The Lord hath need of it?”

Filling the barrels

Our pastor today gave a very good sermon based on Jesus' first miracle. That, of course, is changing water into wine at a wedding celebration in Cana.

The point of the sermon was that we need to focus on where the action really is, as well as WHO takes the action. So many times, we feel defeated when WE can't make something happen ~ in the church, in our family, our work, our lives. We have a responsibility to do what God asks us to do, but then leave it to God to make the difference.

The barrels were empty. All Jesus asked the servants to do was fill them up with water and take them to the steward. When they did what Jesus asked, the miracle was fulfilled. He didn't ask for anything difficult, or something beyond their ability. Just obedience. If they had not filled the barrels, or hadn't taken them to the steward, things likely wouldn't have turned out the same.

We are like the empty barrels. All we need to do is be filled and presented as "ready," and let God make something of us. Nothing fancy; nothing difficult. Just be available.

I guess I can do that...

Not a typical post for me

I do a lot of "surfing" related to computer technology and applications for my work as a Middle School teacher. One of the sites I visited this morning posted the results of the "2006 Scrappy Awards," a scrapbooking competition sponsored by Adobe Photoshop.

I'm impressed by the intense emotion and creativity each of these evokes. Just thought I'd share.
Hope you enjoy them as much as I did.