Random Educational Thoughts On Drive To Des Moines #coffeechugPLN

These are ideas I recorded while driving in my car listening to podcasts and thinking.

• Ideas are no longer enough
• Teachers: Do we judge thoughts or following directions?
• Provide the unexpected is the new real important.
• Knowledge is constantly changing and therefore so should our classrooms.
• No advantage of knowing more than someone else. (Tony Wagner)
• World cares more about what you can do with what you know. (Tony Wagner)
• Teachers need to be A resource, not THE resource.
• We don't talk citizenship skills in schools anymore and therefore we are seeing a decline in moral behavior. 
• Critical Thinking means asking the right questions.
• How can we expect students to do group work when we as educators don't do it ourselves?
• Have to have skill and will
• "Brand" means to connect
•  Brand is comes from Norse word "brandr" which means "to burn by fire"
• Education is not supposed to be easy, but worth it.
• Educators are selling a life transformation product = education
• Abundance vs. Scarcity Thinking
• No such thing as failing, only learning
• We live in an age of interruption
• Education is a process, not a place

Coffeechug Notepad of Ideas: How my blogs and projects begin

Here are some thoughts running through my mind over the last few days and I working on moving towards a blog post or something grander. Not sure where they will lead and perhaps they will not go any further beyond this page.

The reason I share is that when I read something powerful or have an idea I always write them down. I have at least 10 yellow notepads crammed everywhere in my life so I don't forget.

My blog posts and ideas never just magically appear. They start as a seed with a single line or fact. They continue to grow into several ideas and one day they connect and bond to create a larger idea. When that happens I then blog about it or create a project in my classroom.

So, these are the current notes I am working on. Can you figure out my vision and where I am headed with this?

Have a great day

Random Thoughts of Goodness

As I continue to sort through my closet, my several notepads, and things and continue to declutter I will continue to share. I don't want to lose it all so storing it in the digital world seems like a great option.

This is just one piece of paper found among all the stacks of notepads. I don't know if they are random ideas or part of something I was reading. Regardless, I cannot provide the source(s), but will share anyways because they are good ideas.

• What am I here? What is my purpose?
• The only person you can change is yourself.
• C.S. Lewis " If you don't believe you are self centered, then you are probably very self centered." For example, look at a family snapshot. Do we not judge the photo based on how we look?
• Insanity = continuing to do what you have always done and hoping for different results.
• A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.
• You begin with a choice.

My 2 ¢ worth about losing Google Reader

The  news is old already about Google shutting down Google Reader.

There have been many relevant and much better and more insightful posts about losing this wonderful service like Chris Betcher and Vicki Davis to name a few.

I feel compelled to voice my concerns.

I am mad. I am very frustrated and don't know what action to take next.

I will be honest and tell you that Google and Apple are my two favorite companies. I use them 24/7 all day long for everything. I have valued Google because they offer so many great services that meet the needs of anyone no matter their situation, job, or interests.

Google Reader is the cornerstone of my connective learning. This is my go to place to read and search the people that influence me the most. I use all tools, devices, and sites, but Reader is one that is part of my daily life. I always leave about 30 minutes a day to just relax and sift through my Reader to see what my favorite bloggers, sites, and people have to share.

Can I do this with other sites? Yes, I have to begin to search for new ways and tools to give me the same system I am use to. Will it be better? No!

Here is why......My Google Reader flows seamlessly with my Gmail, my YouTube, My G+, etc. All I have to do is simply click one button and there it is. It syncs with everything. So easy. So simple. All in one place.

Now I have to find another system. Another website. Another tool. And leave another tab open to use. Maybe not a big deal to most, but this is huge for me. I don't want that.

Google Reader is free. Google owns Reader. So, therefore it has complete rights to do whatever. But this leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

They are shutting down iGoogle. I was not happy with that. I was able to move on, but not happy. I could cope because I still had everything in one place. Now this.

Now I begin to wonder if Google is becoming too money hungry. Does it really hurt them enough to just leave it alone and offer it as a service? Really? It makes people happy. Many people use it. At what point do they shut down other services? Do they take away blogger? Maybe not, but how do we know? I never thought Reader would leave.

I feel betrayed. It sounds stupid, but true.

Will I move on? Yes, I have no choice. I am looking at other feeders like Feedly to name one that I will probably move to, but I feel burned. I do. Maybe I am taking it too personal, but you know what..... my Google Reader was personal. It represented who I was and what I wanted to read. It was my escape. It was my life outside of my real life. It connected to my life with triathlon blogs, eating blogs, education sites, jokes, etc. It was an extension of me. That has been taken away and I must adapt. I will. I will move on. But for now I will be bitter until July.

Some other posts about this issue

New Yorker

USA Today

What Coffeechug Learned This Week March 11th-15th

Coffeechug Notes: Finding Your Zone by Dr. Lardon, Part 1: Dreams

Finding Your Zone - Dr. Michael Lardon

I am going through all my notepads of notes and converting them into a cohesive and organized platform. This series of notes will be based off this book that I read a while back and now am just getting my ideas and notes written down and organized. Enjoy

Lesson One: Dreams

"I dream of the dragonfly who dreams of me."

1. Suggest that you can dream of anything i.e. goal, new reality, etc. and you give it life
2. Suggests we are not separate from the world.

Everything we do - even dream - helps shape the life we live.

Give yourself a nighttime suggestion and write down what you learned in the morning.

We need to be conscious of our own dreams. Our culture of cell phones and constant distractions lead us to forget the powerful strength.

"Never surrender to self doubt"

You have to have self and belief in your dreams to make yourself a zone-like competitor/champion.

Simple Task - take a moment before bed to think of a question or situation to dream about and record the dream in the morning.

Dreams provide the potential energy to make our realities transform into something greater.

Steps/Goals to Record Dreams

• First goal to remember one dream every night
• Prime yourself each night to dream about something in particular
• Record your daydreams

Wonder if we create the dream, or if the dream creates us?

Missing: Squirrel with no tail

If you happen to see a squirrel without his tail please contact me as I have found it in my yard.

Misc Thoughts From Coffeechug

I was too tired to run this morning. My 3.5 hours of sleep yesterday caught up to me. I felt run down so I slept in and rested. Looks like four days of running in a row coming up.

1. No bishop appears in Through the Looking-Glass.

2. I need one day to type up blog posts and book reviews. I  have notepads of thoughts and ideas and reviews that I need to write up.

3. Thoughts on homework in education? I am writing up a piece about homework and looking for other perspectives to include.

4. If you remember cassette tapes, then stay tuned as I am putting the final details on a new challenge: Cassette Tape Mixtape Challenge.

5. I am in need of a new image for my blog. Last year I had some fantastic artwork submitted(one became the main logo, coffeemug, and t-shirt...thanks Amanda Matthews!). I need some new artwork to spice up the blog. Send your artistic visions my way.

6. What are you reading right now?

7. I am obsessed lately with how cell phones and apps make education so great. Currently digging the new EasyBib app. Can life get any easier? What apps can you not live without that I should try?

8. Never forget the delicious flavor and aroma of coffee in the morning. The only thing that comes close is drinking orange juice with morning breath. Sounds gross, but so good. HA HA! ☺

9. Can you tell that my brain is all over the place this morning! I leave you with this picture from my kitchen. Sometimes Amanda deals with four kids when I act like a 6 year old myself...hence the word on the chalkboard. Yes, Aiden and I laughed and laughed and laughed.

Peace Out ✌ and look forward to your comments, thoughts, and ideas!

A Story About How An Email From Borders and Amazon Lead Me To Thinking About Education

The other day I received the email that I am sure many of you also received from Borders about them closing up for good and thanking us for being customers over the years. Reading this letter really bummed me out as it made it a reality that one of my favorite places to go to get away will no longer be around. I can get lost in a bookstore for hours if you let me. Let me buy a coffee in the winter and let me escape to the rows and rows of books wishing I was loaded with money to buy them all.

As I finished reading that email my next email was from Amazon talking about their latest Kindle book sale where there are over 900 titles up for sale for the Big Deal sale. It was just a few weeks ago when they had the Sunshine Deal where I purchased a ton of books for $3 or less. Here was another batch of books up for sale very cheap.

Talk about contrasting business ideas. One type of business can no longer sustain while the other is thriving. How does a store compete when a major business can sell the same merchandise for much cheaper? We are in a pivotal moment in history as we change from one technological age to another. We are seeing, living, and breathing firsthand the effects of the world changing due to technology. Just as people had to transition in life from Copper to Bronze to Iron. You either adapted and upgraded or you were lost in the shuffle. This is happening now. In some ways scary because for the first time I actually feel part of a major historical movement and in some ways cool to see how things evolve. The effects are also in the economy as we are all well aware of as many jobs that sustained families are no longer needed.

I think back to my job as an educator. We are in a more pivotal moment of teaching than ever before. Prior to us teachers knew the job market. You farmed, worked factory, went on to accounting, etc. Today we are prepping students for a job market that nobody knows what is needed or what the job market is going to be. To make matters worse, we have people running education forcing us to teach the same and incorporating methods of assessment to gauge the learning that don't work. They are forcing us to be robots and uniform when that system is no longer needed. The future depends on people creating new jobs, new ideas, new ways to problem solve. No longer is filling in bubbles and memorizing a few facts needed. Why even memorize facts when I have Google at my fingertips at all times in my life?

The point of this post is this - the time is before us where we need to change. We cannot teach the same way in which we were taught(unless we had an unbelievable teacher). We cannot teach the same uniform way because the world is far from uniform. We can no longer rely on things always being there for us(Borders how I miss you already) because it can serve no purpose from one day to the next.

We must teach our students to be advocates for themselves. We must teach the value to constantly educate themselves to stay on the frontier/cutting edge. We must teach them to be problem solvers(even when they have no clue about something they must acquire the skills to engage and learn).

There is the Hebrew Proverb that reads, "Do not confine your children to your own learning, for they were born in another time." This sums up our current state of life and education. Teachers must be innovative and think of new ways to teach. We must force ourselves to think differently and approach education in new ways.

Dr. Medina presented at a conference this year and he made the following statement(found this on David Warlick blog)

“The human brain is designed to solve problems related to surviving in an unstable outdoor environment and to do so in nearly constant motion.”


Then he said something to the effect of, “If you wanted to design a learning environment that was directly opposed to the way that the brain works, you would design a classroom.”

Here I finish typing my little rant staring at the massive pile of books and magazines I purchased at Borders before they closed to hang on to my lasting memories of a great bookstore. I look back through my post and realize that another school year is approaching. This will be my chance to help several hundred students work to acquire the necessary skills for a future yet undetermined. To think that this all stemmed from two emails from two companies.

How are you going to approach your classsroom this year? What will you do to engage students and help them be successful in their lives?

Plugged back in and time to refocus

First time on the computer since Thursday. Playing single dad(wife had a weekend with the girls in Chicago) really makes one appreciate the few moments you get to yourself when you have someone else to help with the kids. Honestly, this is the first time since Friday at noon where I have had 10 minutes to actually sit down and look at a computer or book.

I have a major blog post or two to type in today. So many thoughts to share.

Plus I had a complete eating like a slob breakdown the last two days and must talk about minor setbacks to achieving our goals.

Happy Father's Day and hope everyone enjoys their day with family.

And at this point I must attend to a crying baby and two other children with a list of demands.

Look for posts later about Getting It Done and training for a marathon.

Goals - Break Goals Into Small Steps

As you work towards your goals, don't lose sight of creating small steps along the way.

Don't always shoot for the end goal right away or you will burnout or not make the journey.

For example, I want to be able to learn how solve a Rubrik's Cube.

I am learning that there are certain steps. This week my goal is to be able to accomplish the first step which is to create a white cross. As you can see from the picture, I have not accomplish this goal yet.

A small step, but very important. Just like in running. In order to run a marathon you have to start small and gradually work you way up in mileage.

Create your goal(s) and divide them up into small steps. You will have small rewards along the way to help you reach your end goal.

Good Luck

Summertime = Not Caring

I love summer because I no longer care about time, deadlines, stress, and all the above.

Yes, I have so many things I want to get done, but just don't have the drive to start.

And I am okay with that.

I believe it is part of the process of recharging my batteries to prepare for the onslaught of projects that I will try to conquer in the near future.

Here is to the days of summer when we can just drink coffee and tea all day on the deck, play with my kids, and read books.

Story from Paulo Coelho blog and my reflections

http://paulocoelhoblog.com/2011/04/26/20-sec-reading-the-asylum/

A story by Kahlil Gibran

I was strolling in the gardens of an insane asylum when I met a young man who was reading a philosophy book.

His behavior and his evident good health made him stand out from the other inmates.

I sat down beside him and asked:

‘What are you doing here?’

He looked at me, surprised. But seeing that I was not one of the doctors, he replied:

‘It’s very simple. My father, a brilliant lawyer, wanted me to be like him.
“My uncle, who owns a large emporium, hoped I would follow his example.
“My mother wanted me to be the image of her beloved father.
“My sister always set her husband before me as an example of the successful man.
“My brother tried to train me up to be a fine athlete like himself.

“And the same thing happened at school, with the piano teacher and the English teacher – they were all convinced and determined that they were the best possible example to follow.
“None of them looked at me as one should look at a man, but as if they were looking in a mirror.

“So I decided to enter this asylum. At least here I can be myself.’

This story just strikes a chord with me. It almost haunts me. How much truth is in this? As parents it takes a lot of willpower to not force your kids to be like you. Do you know how much it kills me to see my son have zero interest in sports? Yes, I could force him into everything, but why would I do this. He is such a cool kid with a passion for the outdoors, bugs, animals, and just building things.

As a teacher, we have to try our hardest to keep students engaged. We must not try to convey that we are the best, but simply one more element in their lives to make them find themselves.

As a teacher I realize how easy it is to think that what we are teaching is the most important. However, when we take a step back we are not the most important. As a whole institution we are  important, but not independently and as a sole individual.

Think about all the ways in which we are pulled as adults. Multiply that by about 10 and we are back in middle school and high school. I think what is most important for us to do is not pull, but rather offer structure to help the youth find their way without losing their vision of themselves. The ones that lose their vision of where they want to be are the ones that find themselves in a whirlwind.

Offer guidance, but not by grabbing shirtsleeves and feeling that we are the most important. We are just one pebble in the river my good friends.

My Problem With Earth Day

Why is it that the people who support Earth Day more than the others waste so much paper promoting the day?

Does it not go against what the day is intended for?

I look around my school and community and see posters, papers, flyers, etc. and to what avail? Do these things really help promote the day? In my mind they are wasting materials to promote an event where most will not do anything to help Earth.

Instead of printing posters and pictures, why don't we take the kids outside and plant a tree, do some cleaning up, make them appreciate what we have.

I don't know. Maybe it has been a long week, but for some reason this just bothered me all week.

Happy Earth Day tomorrow.

Make the world better, but don't waste paper promoting it.

Blog Posting Has Been Slow Lately

I wanted to apologize for my lack of posts on this blog lately. It is that time of year when there is much to do and not much time to get everything done that I would like. I typically post to this blog several times a day and lately it has been several times a week. I have been busy. Super busy. But Spring Break is coming up next week so I should be able to get back on track and resume normal postings after break.

I do want to keep people in the loop. I have not been reading as much lately being the end of the quarter and my wife being pregnant(little Hoosier #3 will be here May 9th) has taken up much time. Add in the fact that my family has been sick with the flu for three straight weeks and finally it has hit me has caused us to go to bed early and not feel like doing anything.

However, I have still been able to get some things done.

1. Book Club - We are reading True Grit. Feel free to go to the book club wiki http://coffeechugbookclub.wikispaces.com/ and check it out. Maybe even sign up and join the convsersation.

2. My International Pen Pal Club is have lots of fun with their pen pals. After 9 weeks are letters from Russia arrived and we have many more on the way. Check out their adventures here

http://coffeechug.wikispaces.com/

This wiki also includes the pen pals for my 4th and 5th grade students where we have a lot going on right now.

3.  Coffee For The Brain Book Tournament - Trying to gather more votes for the Final Four round of the tournament. All info is posted in the tabs at the top of this blog and you can vote if you look over at the top of the sidebar.

4. Last, working on all the final touches to several little projects I have brainstormed in my mind for this blog and my school. These will all be unveiled soon.

Another Random Question Thrown In Your Face!

Alright, so I am reading a new book that is going to be released March 1st in Australia and even though I just started the book I have already laughed several times within the first 20 pages.

The book got me thinking about something that made me stop and post here on this blog.

What are some sayings that people say that we all accept, yet we really have no idea what it means?

Huh? What are you asking bald guy?

Example, in the story her mother states the following which I have heard at least a thousand times in my life growing up. "Dead as a doornail."

Yes, we all get the concept in the phrase. You are either
1. No longer breathing
2. In some serious doo-doo and about to get grounded or in serious trouble

Yet, how many of actually know what a doornail is and someone would say "dead as a doornail"?

I had no clue myself so I did a little Google search and found the following info over at http://www.worldwidewords.org/qa/qa-dea1.htm

I was going to post the info here on the blog, but the author has it all copyrighted so I will let it be. Just go the link and read and then come back here and post something interesting for the rest of us to read.

However, who would have thought it would have dated back to the times of medieval doors?

What Happened to TV Trays and TV Dinners?

Don't you remember everyone had these in their homes? People would get these as wedding gifts. I remember always using these when we visited friends and family.

I never see them anymore. Why is that? TV's are still the main staple for many people. TV's have increased in size and quality so why has the TV tray and TV dinner fallen to the wayside.

My wife and I were talking about this the other day and you just don't see them at all anymore.

I am working on a theory, but must continue to research some possible leads........

• changes in house structure? many homes are more open and therefore people can see tv from their kitchen where houses used to be so walled in from room to room
• more tv's in homes? people now have a tv in about every room where before it was typically just in the living room so if you wanted to watch your show then saddle up with the tv tray
• too busy? people are cramming more things into their lives than ever before and therefore don't eat dinner at home to even require a dinner table or tv tray

Other thoughts?

Friday Morning Reflections and Thoughts

This morning I forced my way out of bed despite how comfortable my blankets felt. You ever those mornings where you wake up and your bed feels like it has been changed into a cloud of heaven where you are afraid to move because if you do you might not ever be that comfortable again. I was in that moment this morning.

I went to the gym to workout where nobody was there. There was probably a total of 10 people. For some reaosn my mind flipped a switch and I got to work. Knocked out some good excercies and also did my Initial Test for my new program goal - 100 Push-Ups. My training guide for this came in and therefore I tested to see where I currently am.

I completed 40 successful push-ups with proper form. For my age group(30-39) that places me in the Very Good category(37-46). Now I will follow this 7 week program to move towards 100 push-ups. A new little challenge to help me stay motivated.

I also ran a mile to test the foot again. Ran an 8 minute mile and felt great. I think the foot is back where it needs to be. Now I need new shoes and a new focus mentally and it is on.

I would also like to give a big THANKS to EA (Electronic Arts) for their brilliant app sale approach. Not only did I previously not own any of their apps, but due to their sale I now own 5 apps and probably another 5 or so more before this sale ends. AGGHHH! Apps are taking over my life just like I talked about with students.

I made this comment the other day. It is not that kids are necessarily lazy. The problem lies with the fact that they live in a world where everything is instant. They know longer need to know unnecessary facts because all of those things are in the palm of their hand(literally). They need the skill sets to learn how to sort, organize, analyze, study, etc. the data. They need the skill set to be able to problem solve. They need the skill set to know what to do when they don't know an answer.

As teachers and schools we are so far behind. Frustration sets in because we are asking them to do things with technology and methods that are outdated. A computer is fine and fast. Buy why type in a long web address when they can push a touchscreen app button and there it is? We are behind times.

Not sure where I am going with this point as I became sidetracked talking about EA apps. Back to the games. If you don't own Pictureka! give that one a whirl. Amazing how a 60 second timer can prevent you from finding three fruits. The insanity!

Well, I am stopping here as I have officially lost my mind. My brain has been drained from any more thoughts or ideas. I started losing my mind last night and I am in need of a break to refuel my thinking cap. Have a great weekend. I must tend to reading for both the Cybils and my very own book tournament. Of course, playing more apps on my ipad and drinking coffee and listening to X-Mas music and...............

Things I learned from my massive pile of magazines - Part 1

Tonight I began to go through my magazine pile and begin to dwindle down all this reading material. I have not had time to read the 12+ magazines that I subscribe to. I love to read. I love getting mail. Magazines satisfy both of those needs. Here is the first pit stop of magazines

I sifted quickly through the December issue of Maxim. This magazine I receive due to a previous magazine owned by the parent company had gone under so they are filling out the remainder of the subscription with this one. Anyways, I was suffocated by  the cologne and did not find any that I liked and walked away with some crazy races across America that piqued my interest. The Tough Guy Challenge, The Death Race in Vermont, and the Spartan Race were three that would be a tough, but fun challenge for craqzies like me. Probably won't do any of them, but it helps to get me remotivated to start running again. Lastly, an advertisement for the Ultimate Guys weekend where you have three days of going through the tactical training for special operations. I wonder what the cost is of this event to go and blow things up, shoot at targets, and completely overload the testosterone component to us males. This magazine took all of about 7 minutes to get through. Moving on to better reading material.

Moving on to some better reading I had to read the last two issues of Outside Magazine which came in a package with my National Geographic subscription. The one I read was the December issue. Did you know that the Swiss Army knife was made in 1884? That was a long time ago. I remember receiving my first Swiss army knife in 2nd grade from my dad. He told me it was sharp and to be careful. Being a boy it took no longer than that night while laying in bed to slice my finger and it hurt something bad. You live and learn. They no wmake more than 15 million a year. Crazy stuff.

I came across some other crazy stuff, but you will have to wait until Part 2.

Anyone Remember This Show?

What other shows do you remember that most people have forgotten?