Excellent article about why not to stress about grades.
Twentysomething: Why I regret getting straight A’s in college » Brazen Careerist by Penelope Trunk
I was told that having a high GPA would open all kinds of doors for me. But you know what? I interviewed with lots of companies, received a total of 14 job offers after graduation, and none of the companies asked about it. They were much more impressed with stuff like serving as Chief of Staff for the student government and starting a radio station run by 200 volunteers.
Just finished another semester of EDD work and I feel like a death row prisoner pardoned. I just told Kerry my list of fun things to do this weekend, then realized, I CAN DO ANYTHING I WANT. Playing videogames til my eyes bleed is first, then family time (which I haven't totally neglected last two months), then reading some books I want to read.
So far I'm 4.0. Will it last?
Also, next weekend I get to order my education priced MacBook with a free iPod nano and no sales tax due to the Tax Holiday. I can't think of any other possible ways to milk this.. Oh yeah, I'm getting it all with an interest free loan deducted from my paycheck. Thanks UTC!
I found this online, strangely enough posted there from the AEQ which published my only scholarly article in 1998.
I can't seem to write, study, or do anything except avoid the task at hand, the first 3 chapters..
Maybe this will help: Dissertation Doctor
Here's a look at the reading I need to do before my fall semester:
Program Evaluation. Blaine R. Worthen, James R. Sanders, Jody L. Fitzpatrick
Research In Education. Jim McMillan, Sally Schumacher
Evaluating Research in Academic Journals. Fred Pyrczak.
Understanding Research Methods. Mildred L. Patten
Kurt Vonnegut, you'll have to wait..
Class meetings are over, but I still have to write two papers. 1 biography of a leader I admire and an autobiography (about myself) focusing on pivotal moments that have led to leadership. I'm thinking of doing the biography on Bono, not because I think he's cute, or just because I love U2 (they're OK), but becasue of the one.org stuff and his continued leadership in rockers that think they can change the world. Beats Roosevelt or Lincoln I guess..
Somewhere along the way in education, somebody got the idea to put all the kid's in kindergartens names on the wall, and to assign them stars based on merit. I can easily see the value of this incentive and think that a token economy of stars is fun for the kids, but I question instilling this value of rewards-based performance. You see, in my doctoral program, there is a contingent of students who still want stars. Then there are others, like myself, who could care less about the stars (I am just in it for the participation and hopefully personal growth, though I realize some grow through reaching goals, and stars are a goal, of sorts).
Anywho, the faculty are selling us stars and participation, like the Dr. Seuss story about the Sneeches where they don't really care what you want to earn or have, they just want to see you run around (and I guess, to learn something).
Who made up this star idea? I want to say, No, no, bad teacher! Kids need to want to do good, because it is GOOD intrinsically, not for rewards..
Thoughts?
UPDATE: Finish reading Punished by Rewards by Alfie Kohn.
Below are some posts I made on our class discussion board. I won't post anything anybody else put up, but someone started a thread about Ayn Rand's Ethical Egoism ideas, which fits in nicely with a book I just finished by John Stossell. Here goes:
Post 1 - "Someone in my group had really great and empassioned comments about 'levelling the playing field' and alluded to systemic obstructions that prevent people from advancing themselves. Most of this was in the context of growing up in the projects. Several of us believed that the government has bungled in trying to help people by providing government welfare--a program with great intentions that in the long run creates dependence on those monthly checks, and prevents people form ever getting out of the system.
My concept of a level playing field is where no one gets checks from the government (including farmers who don't grow crops) and people, like Ayn suggests, must duke it out for themselves. Any government intervention only exacerbates the problem of dependence and should be avoided.
Having that said, I think government should encourage volunteerism. Big government can't help specific problems anywhere near as well as individuals in and around local communities can. Who is Uncle Sam to say what is needed in Chattanooga's projects? Shouldn't Chattanoogans have a stronger say in the matter?
Government (federal and perhaps state) can help more people by butting out altogether, but fostering a community spirit in which locals come together to serve each other. Faith-based organizations should be more involved. As I understand it, Christians should be serving their fellow man and helping the poor, as well as Muslims and Jews and most other faiths(including humanism, but maybe not Buddhists?). Why do we want to let the government try to fulfill our mission?
That was my thinking last night, but then I started thinking today about India, where I saw extreme poverty on such a massive scale, where their government could obviously help its people better than it has. Leprosy is still a major disease, whereas everywhere else in the world it has been eradicated. That's where Rand's ethic falls apart. When no one has anything to share, when there are no means to produce, it leaves a hellish, body-strewn landscape where begging is a sought after profession.
Ethical Egoism is an extreme view and I think not to be followed completely, but it seems like a great set of lenses to look at big approaches to solving a problem, and considering, Are we doing more harm than good?"
post 2 - (oh yeah, my prof said he liked that last question) "I take offense at being classified as belonging to any political party (he called me a libertarian). I HATE politics and believe their current state is keeping our nation in a quagmire. I believe STRONGLY in the power of individuals, that people make a difference.
School Reform--good teachers. Getting out of the projects--role models. Senseless war--activism. Poverty--selling everything you own. You decide what is important to you and YOU go out and do something about it. Not George Bush, not John Kerry, not Nader or Badnarik, but you. Political parties suck the resources, zeal, and willingness to act from huge chunks of our population.
Government is a necessary evil (which makes me somewhat libertarian to say I know) but just like we say don't let anybody else do your dirty work, I say don't let them do your good deeds either."
A good leader is really an assistant. When you empower people to make decisions and do their jobs, and facilitate them with the tools they need, how is that anything but good leadership..?
As though I were finished with anything. I think this week was just to acclimate everyone in the cohort (group) to the enormity of the task we are undertaking, a task for which coursework has not even begun.
We talked more about our mentors. Later we listed our top three choices. I had lots of reasons to have picked differently, but I went with Dr. Jim Tucker because he's funny and I like the way he thinks. At least I think. Anyhoo, he respects the idea of learning for learning sake and can't focus his own interests, a feeling I've been trapped by for years. I hate explaining that I majored in Env Science, then Sociology, then got a Master's in Enlish:Writing, and I work in technology/TV. My students laugh at me as though I wasted time. But I didn't. Every course has been valuable, yet not clearly interconnected. With this degree I hope to connect the components of my past with the possibilities before me. Blah, blah, blah...
Substantive critical inquiry - prove a topic from its roots, current trends, having read all new knowledge on the subject. Our goal is to create new knowledge (when possible) worthy of publication.
We then had a mind-blowing experience about "The Fourth Wave." Wired Magazine, sometime in the year 2000, had an article entitled, "Why the Future Doesn't Need Us." (I couldn't actually ever find this, oops one last google and here it is, http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/8.04/joy.html) Basically a whacked-out prediction of the future with sentient robots who will want to be baptized and saved but can't since apparently they can't be fully immersed (actually the saved part is Dr. Tucker's colleague from Indiana). Anyhoo, Jim Tucker says that thinking is the new 4th wave. I can see it, but I dunno, seems like leisure in our modern lifestyle doesn't always lead to thinking. How many kids playing Xbox could actually design/program a basic flash videogame? I can't, but hey, I still read books too.
Reflections on the week -
This HAS been a mind-blowing experience, which is daunting, since the work hasn't even really begun. However... I have never felt more confident about a decision I've made, never felt better about an upcoming course of work and study, and just really can't wait to get back into the group where we get to throw around ideas, arguments, etc., as adults and learn about learning along the way.
I also am excited about having adult friends to interact with, since this last year I realized trying to be cool enough to hang with these college kids is not working for me anymore. Time to grow up. Wayne said he realized he was old when he went to the beach and didn't care about getting in the water anymore. I guess I'm there now. It's not so bad.
Here is a preview of a project my students are finishing for Leadership Chattanooga.
mms://athena.ceca.utc.edu/video/leadership/dance2.wmv
http://athena.ceca.utc.edu/video/leadership/dance2.mov
The most fun day ever! A double-whammy of mind-expanding "teachable" moments from Dr. Bartoo--Gene, and Dr. Jim Tucker--Dr. Jim Tucker. I jest.
I guessed right away that the DVD would be Dead Poet's Society, but I actually did get something out of the supposed moral dilemma faced by Keating (Robin Williams). When Neal came for advice he said to stand up to his father and talk to him man-to-man. Neal didn't do this but did the play and killed himself after his father embarassed him in front of his friends.
Agreements: Keating should have seen the bigger pciture of this kids life. He should have left the decision firmly in Neal's hands.
Disagreements: There was no moral dilemma for Keating. A) He is a Kantian who believes in ideals and rules that should never be broken. Carpe Diem-don't follow the rules, don't obey your parents. B) He never told Neal to go play Puck in the play. He said to talk to the old man first. Neal didn't do this. C) Neal was never faced with any dilemma. By definition a dilemma is a choice between two Right but very different solutions. Such as, tell this kid to rebel, or tell this kid to obey his father. Keating did not ever realize this. He should have.. he should have weighed all available options and the kids familial context, but he didn't. No dilemma, no problem, no hesitation. Do the right thing, talk to your father like a man, tell him what you want is not what he wants.
I really don't even care for that movie that much anymore and typically laugh at my teacher-friends for whom I think it was made.
We debated several ethical dilemmas and again, I disagreed. I guess I am far too willing to make decisions or judgements. You tell me.
2 superintendents conversed about their year and discovered a common name among 2 teachers. 1 told the other that this man had been accused of molesting a kid and had left the school. He then went to another school were rumors had spread and parents asked him to leave. The superintendent now supposedly has the moral dilemma of what to do: support the teacher/individual who was never charged or convicted, or support the parents/community who would not want to take the risk of such a teacher being around their kids. There is no right/right situation. He cannot dissuade or fire this guy A) legally B) morally-just allegations, innocence til proven guilty, or C) when you give in to mob mentality where do you stop? Lynchings?
"The time is always right to do what is right."
Then we started talking about education vs. learning. Education is structure, rules, tests, buildings, etc. Learning is (in my definition) that spark that fires in a child's mind when he or she discovers something new and exciting. NCLB is not exciting, nor is it backed by empirical evidence to support it's goals. Actually by definition it cannot meet its goals because its wording is counter-intuitive. NUK-U-LAR!
Learning best takes place upon prior knowledge, though I was the worst at the learning exercise (rehearsal) that we expereinced in class. People can only learn magical 7+-2 things (each day?) so our American way of educating is basically just confusing (casuing interference for) our kids.
Learning is a natural phenomenon and is best replicated that way. Many of the things we do are unnatural wastes of time. How can we improve?
Missed updating yesterday since I had to sleep and have a life. Here's what I did yesterday in "Leadership School," or the Ed.D.:
Leadership Panel - Knew Jim Frierson as the area tech afficionado, Jack Murrah has a heart-warming story...other than that, Snore!
LIFO survey. I'm a Controlling/Taking person? I think not. But under stress I do analyze and react calmly, so I won't throw that away. Actually the best part of this, and all those silly surveys people love taking/giving seems to be realizing the amazing differences we have and learning how to relate to thers who are so different from us. LIFO survey discussions went on all day..
4pm Faculty argument about the nature of the program and praise for the tolerance of ambiguity.
Today. Discussed how quantum physics and new science approaches relate to Leadership and Learning (why do I capitalize?) Short answer--they don't. Just kidding. They idea is that since scientists can't completely understand or measure subatomic particles and the world looks chaotic at that level, we need to reexamine our basic understanding of the world which we've had since Newton got hit in the head with an apple. Order emerges from the chaos.
I argued that Newtonian since is still necessary and valid, but we all need to realize the great mystery that still lies in the very fabric of everything. I also discussed with Dr. Tucker the recent debates on the UTCSTAFF email about creationism where someone spke up in favor of "Intelligent Design" theory as being viable and was SHOUTED down by the liberal majority, even wacko professors from departments such as English and others.
Dr. Tucker (pretty liberal himself I imagine) admits/accepts a concept I've gotten no other academic to admit--that scientists/evolutionists/atheists whatever, have just as much faith in what they believe as fundamentalist Christians, heck, even more so. But what they lack is tolerance of other people's similar faith in their beliefs.
Conservative are generally more tolerant than liberals in my opinion, despite popular thinking otherwise. Being neither myself... Take away Newtonian science and what do they have, particles and waves that Einstein and others just began the discussion about. Ever heard that God is in the details? God is in those particles. (I believe God created Adam with a superfluos bellybutton, and therefore created the earth 6000 or so years ago with geologic features, dinosaur bones, and underground oil.)
We also learned how to do research in the library and talked more sensibly today about our ILLP (an initialization, not an acronym,) or Individual Learning and Leadership Plan. This will be our personal mission statement and progress report of sorts about our development in this program, and will guide us in pursuing our personal goals and prep for our dissertation.
FYI - My dissertation idea (don't steal it) and overall goal for this program is to investigate locally-produced children's education television programs, why there aren't more, why they fail so often (get cancelled), and explore their benefits over nationally-produced shows, if any. I then want to design and shoot a pilot for a locally-produced show based on local learning resources. Think Science, History, Math, etc., all wrapped around literacy, fun, and creativity.. Target audience: K-5.
With any luck I'll find tons of money for this and work myself into a new career that rocks and everybody will think I'm cool and oh yeah, I'll have more time with my son and I'll be making the world a better place.
Other random notes:
Jim Tucker is a preacher for the church of amibuity
Bartoo still believes that statistics can tell us things
Trust is accepting people and sharing power
Don't use bad research to support your own
The most vital question for any organization is, What is the deeper purpose?
Oh yeah. Trying to think of my current and/or past mentors. I have some in mind, but not sure how the term applies. I think a bigger motivation for me is reacting to/against negatives I've seen, or my I can do that better (or at least different) attitude. Who will I use as mentors for this project?
The first day of my Ed.D. program was today. This induction week is an all-day long, 5-day workshop after which we'll have 8 meetings from 4 to 9pm on MWF. More info here. (Notice the lack of pictures.. Really though, it's interesting.)
Other than a free breakfast every day this week, and free parking, here is what I hope to gain from this experience:
Better leadership skills. I want to be able to inspire others to use their skills and interests to their advantage.
Better learning and teaching styles. I enjoy teaching, but want to learn more about learning, how to reach students and angage them better.
New direction. I am getting stale in my job, and even though I am having the best year yet, I feel more and more behind in what I am doing and have figured out that I am not growing as a person, nor am I growing my department, so that leaves little satisfaction from work. Maybe after this I will make a huge life-change. Maybe during. Maybe I can go back to what I'm doing with renewed vigor. Either way, I am excited to spend a little time pushing myself in new directions.
Here's a little of what we did today:
Discussed our goals, etc. Snore!
Discussed leadership and learning in the story Profession by Isaac Asimov. Take time to read this if you haven't. Good surprises and yet no real questions answered.
Another activity that took most of the afternoon was a group simulation in which we had a token economy (poker chips) which we traded with others and then were divided into groups (circles, triangles, squares) based on our scores. After two rounds the top group (including me) was taken out to re-write the rules however we saw fit. While meeting about our rules, the other groups were told to make recommendations about our decisions. We vetoed them all.
We came back in with what we thought was a very benevolent plan. We were going to abolish all groups, rearrange everyone into one big group, and continue the game with one small change that would give the lowest scorers a leg up. When we went back into the room, I was fool enough to take the lead in disseminating our plan, to which I found hostile confrontation and unwillingness to listen. One group literally turned their backs to us and questioned each decision, much like my two-year old son. (Why Daddy?)
I realized several things from this. 1) You can't dictate fairness to people. You HAVE to listen to your constituents and give them input (no matter how idiotic)
2) You have to earn respect. For some reason I was so naive to think that everyone would lovingly accept our plan and still want to play the game. Boy, was I wrong.
3) Leaders are often arbritrarily assigned and have no real outstanding qualities over their peers who are not leaders. Little did we know that the faculty-person conducting the games was manipulating the outcomes to further the people who won the first round and hold the others back. I actually thought I was good at this stupid game.
4) You can learn things about society by putting them in a microcosm, but, simulations are inherently stupid, and you shouldn't get to into them without looking at the bigger picture and what are we trying to learn or achieve by participating in it. I hope no one labels me the square who tried to dictate our rules on the rest of the group later on in the program.
Here are some words I'll be hearing/using: tolerance for ambiguity (some people can't handle this), collaboration, counter-intuitive, chaos theory, quantum physics vs. Newtonian science, Leading with Soul.
Here are some I hope we won't ever use: paradigm shift, no moral absolutes(ridiculous? No), there are no right/wrong answers--but we will probably use all these and more.
Will be interesting, getting 26 or so type A people together and telling them to square and argue concepts..
Look for pics tomorrow..
This is an essay I wrote about myself as part of the application to the EdD program.
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As an introduction I would like to say that I have been following the development of this program for several years, and have found it appealing for many reasons as I will describe below. I think it is a very exciting opportunity for UTC to have a great impact on the education community in this area and potentially around the world. I have a strong desire to participate in and contribute to such a program and I feel that UTC is well-equipped to deliver this degree.
A portion of my interest in this program is to be able to explore some ideas I have about children’s education television programs and the future uses of digital television and broadband in this area. I believe that local public television stations will have a great opportunity to expand their educational programming in the very near future. I hope to be able to study and experiment with locally produced programs that take advantage of available resources in technology, local educational content, and local curriculum experts. Either during or after completing my degree I would like to be involved in the creation of a new, locally-produced children’s TV program that uses the best practices in teaching language, math, history, and science to elementary school children while enabling parents and educators with additional tools to facilitate learning.
Another obvious goal that I have is personal advancement. I love what I do, but I certainly want to move onward and upward personally, as well as expanding the services and level of support that my department at the university provides. Hopefully new positions can be created on this campus to provide leadership and support of our growing uses of technology and I would love to be able to remain at UTC in such a capacity. Another direction I may take is to pursue a teaching career, which up to this point in my life has never been my primary occupation. I have provided a great deal of support for instructors and worked to provide programs that provide learning opportunities to students, but the majority of my teaching has been as an adjunct professor or in very short Continuing Education courses. With this degree I would like to become better prepared for a new professional venture in my life, whether that is in an administrative role related to technology or in a position as faculty-member in and educational institution.
The timing of this program’s inception and hopefully my being admitted to it could not be more perfect. I made a commitment to myself in the last year to follow-up on my research into graduate programs and apply to several schools. After hearing about this program’s approval I believe I was one of the first to call for application information. This program is a perfect match for me because my skills and interests cover a wide range. With undergraduate degrees in Environmental Science and Sociology, which I followed with a Master’s in English, I often have to explain myself to people who ask, why do you work in television? It’s hard enough to explain exactly what I do for people without even going into the wide-ranging educational background. I have been blessed with opportunities to follow educational interests that appealed to me at the time and each field of study has enriched my life. With more time I would potentially follow other interests, such as geology or geography, or I am also very interested in some lower-level electronics courses offered by community colleges. However, my chief motivation in pursuing this degree at this time is to bring my wide range of interests full-circle, to maximize my skills and leadership ability for whatever opportunities lie ahead. What can I say except that I love to learn.
In the coming years I see two career paths that I may follow. The first would be to pursue an administrative role, such as a director of technology for and educational institution. I feel that this is a growing field, not just for higher education institutions, but also for K-12 schools and corporate training programs. Someone needs to be able to address the institution’s changing learning needs with the appropriate facilities, content delivery, and resources for each student. The other obvious career path I see is to transition from instructional support to actual instruction. I do enjoy teaching and each year I find myself more engaged with my students in the courses that I teach here at UTC and with the student projects for which I serve as a faculty advisor. I am still considering an alternate plan of pursuing a Ph. D. in Mass Communications in order to be able to teach full-time with a university, but I find option to be somewhat limiting. It might be the best choice if I ever do decide to pursue teaching, but at this point the Ed. D. in Learning and Leadership is my first choice for furthering my education and expanding my potential.
There are several attributes of this program that appeal to me. One of the strengths that I see is this program’s diversity in faculty. I know many professors at UTC that have a great deal to offer in the areas of leadership and learning, areas which are not specific to one field of study. Another feature of this program is that participants from various backgrounds in education have an opportunity to focus on how to adjust the learning paradigms of their educational institutions for inevitable changes in delivery of teaching and assessment of learning. Finally, being a brand-new endeavor for the University, this program is an excellent opportunity for everyone involved to contribute to the exploration of teaching and learning. I believe that this first cohort of students will be able to help mold this new program, which will affect the community around us, by preparing leaders in educational institutions to deal with the challenges facing them.
I believe my wide array of educational interests and vision for using available technology and resources to address educational needs would bring a lot to this program. I want to be a part of the exciting changes that lie ahead in education. My experience as a writer, as a technology specialist, as an instructor and most importantly as a student, all work together in every project I am involved with. I am a very practical instructor in that I understand and look for differences in learning styles in my students and try to adjust accordingly. I am also very focused on “hands-on” and experiential learning as well as assigning practical lessons that build a students portfolio of completed work and skills repertoire. I am perfectly willing to work on a team that has the goal of bettering our society and I am also willing to lead such efforts as I feel compelled to. This program would provide me with an opportunity to hone my leadership abilities; drawing upon my experiences in learning and learning from the experiences of others.