Things I'm Thinking About

I have been thinking about a lot of things lately. Here is a random list of a few things that I intend to expand on in future posts:

• What is it that I am doing here? Many people ask me what my job entails and I don't really know what to tell them that I do. 
• Never ask a kid what they want to be when they grow up. Always ask them "What problem do you want to solve when you get older?"
• Why do we want to open up a STEM Lab or STEAM Lab? Why, what's the purpose? 
• What is the purpose of morning work? 
• I'm practicing being more mindful. I think it is helping my outlook. How can I model this to others without imposing beliefs (or people thinking I'm a weirdo)? 
• I'm ready to write, to document my journey, to put ideas out there. I have to find the courage to do so. I have posted here many times saying that I was ready to write, and each time I failed to follow through. I thought it was about time, but it is about courage. 
• What is my definition of success? (Thanks, Tim Ferriss.)
• What is my definition of greatness? (Thanks, Lewis Howes.)
• What's next for me? 

Start-Up Model

Last night I caught this via Twitter:

How can the "start-up" mindset be utilized in a classroom? #pbl #NYSCATE14 interesting thought.
— NYSCATE (@NYSCATE) November 24, 2014

This tweet stuck with me for a few hours before I could finally put it all together. Here's my response:

@NYSCATE Projects. Tell a story. Connect. Do good, right. Take risks. Define your audience. Make something that stands out.
— Travis Wood (@travers34) November 24, 2014

A 'start-up' business is formed by someone who believes that they have an idea that can lead to success. They have the courage to put their art (nod to Seth Godin) out there and to deliver it. They make connections through telling their story and showing that what they have to offer is of value. They often fail at their first approach to a business and, after many iterations, maybe one that is far away from the first idea, they break through. Their mission is often to do good, change the world, not to break the bank. Often the start-up mindset is more about the journey and the craft, than the finished product. And when they are making a finished product, a start-up owner dictates who their are delivering to and they know that they cannot make for everyone. If they did they would be making boring art and it wouldn't stand out.
Can this mindset translate to school? Why not? If I look at the previous paragraph and think about students as opposed to a 'start-up owner,' I see a ideal vision of what could happen in a classroom. It would require forward thinking, creativity and innovation in the design of the classroom environment. It would take original ideas from all involved (teachers, administration, students, parents and community). It would take time during the day, not an hour or 40 minute block. It would probably take a revised vision of curriculum. And it may take equipment, but it can be done. (Man, this is a grossly simplified view...)

Utopia. That's what we should shoot for right? That's what 'start-ups' shoot for, so why not the classroom?

Revival?

I have written this before. Twice, in fact. I am a baseball fan and the last two tries were whiffs. The last pitch is on the way...

This week I am attending the 2014 NYSCATE Annual Conference for the first time in 2 or 3 years. My absence is not because I lost interest, but because our district no longer had conference funds available (another story altogether). Also, I have recently changed roles. I am no longer a leader of a classroom, but I am not now the lead teacher at my school (upcoming post). Let's put it this way, I'm energized. With my new role and a continued focus to leave something behind, I will try to revive this learning space. Or let it fade away for good.

Squishy Circuits!

It's a rainy Tuesday here, a perfect day for Squishy Circuits!  About a month ago, Tessa and I watched Super Awesome Sylvia and we've been excited since. 

Over the weekend we stopped at RadioShack and bought our electronic gear and we also made sure we had all of the ingredients to make the dough. At RadioShack we bought:

• A battery pack
• LEDs
• A buzzer
• A motor 
• And a bunch of batteries

Recipe for the Conducting Dough: 

1 cup Water
1 1/2 cups Flour

(A gluten free version of this dough can be made by replacing the flour with gluten-free flour.)  
1/4 cup Salt
3 Tbsp. Cream of Tartar*
1 Tbsp. Vegetable Oil
Food Coloring (optional)

Recipe for the insulating dough: 

1 1/2 cup Flour
1/2 cup Sugar
3 Tbsp. Vegetable Oil
1/2 cup Deionized (or Distilled) Water

(Regular tap water can be used, but the resistance of the dough will be lower.)

Play!

The Gears of My Childhood

I've read the introduction to Papert's Mindstorm's multiple times. I grabbed the book off of Amazon a few years ago and plowed my way through the first few chapters, reading but never paying close attention to the introduction. With the intro being part of the assigned readings for the Learn Creative Learning course I am participating in, I read it again at at least three more times. (Side note: I guess it's important to read and pay attention to the intro...) As I sit here trying to connect to Papert's play with gears and his future learning, I struggle to pinpoint one particular 'thing' that led to my profile as a learner, but maybe that's not a bad thing.

First, I'd say my profile as a learner is that if I get hooked, I jump in with two feet. I will not say that I become obsessed with a topic that becomes interesting, but I dig deep. I'd also say my interests are rather diverse. Sports, home brewing, reading, running, gardening, music and cooking are a few interests that I'm deeply involved with now.

I cannot think of one 'gears' example leading to who I am as a learner, but many opportunities that I latched onto as a kid. For example, my dad had EVERY record (and 8 Track) under the sun from the 80s. To this day, I can name and sing every Asia song on their first album. I could identify nearly every Journey, Kansas, Foreigner, etc. song on the radio to this day. Hell, my first concert was the Beach Boys. So, I now think it is right to blame my dad when my wife questions my extensive 7.6 day collection of Phish concerts in my iTunes catalog.

I now think it is then right to blame my mom for starting me on baseball cards (which has led to an interesting interest in stats and numbers). I first started collecting baseball cards in 1986, the year my beloved Red Sox nearly broke the curse. She started me out with the 1986 Topps Red Sox team set and not only did the collecting snowball from there, so did the passion of becoming a Red Sox fan. I remember coming home to wax pack upon wax pack of cards which were opened, studied and meticulously sorted and arranged over and over.

I had many more opportunities:

• Aunt Mildred and the dinosaur books- Probably the cause of my preference of nonfiction over fiction, and the beginnings of reading to learn.
• Legos, etc.- May be the cause of my new found passion for building 'stuff' out of palette boards and the tinkering idea that is prevalent in home brewing. 
• My dad's garden when I was a teen- clearly evident in my garden and my ever-growing hop garden.
• The neighborhood games- No adults = we make the rules and enforce them. I think this led to my desire to play sports and coach soccer for the past 12 years.

I could go on, but I appreciate the fact that I had broad interests as a kid. Yes, my interests may be a mile wide, but they surely are not an inch deep. All of the things that I latched onto as a kid, opportunities my parents provided to dive deep or simply my parents modeling passion shaped who I am as a learner.

Career Moments

They don't happen often, but I have had a few serendipitous moments that are career defining moments. Today, as I was talking about 'Be a Woodster,' family, and strengths, my students grasped the symbolic chain we were making one by one and they raised it to their chests. It was such a moment, one that said to me, "we are a family, Mr. Wood." If only I could have had a video of the students in that moment.

We tried to recreate the moment, not nearly as perfect...

New Year, Big Changes

With change comes adversity. It's especially tough when everything seems to change all at once: 

• Curriculum
• Resources
• Assignment
• APPR
• Schedules

How about when things change at home, too? What to do with change? Run and hide or face up to it. I choose the latter.

I'm refocusing the content of my professional blog and this  blog will chronicle this year's journey through change. This blog will also serve as my place to "leave something behind." It'll also be a place to share my reaction to articles, books, and other's posts.  

It's time. Tomorrow, I begin anew.

 

Thank You Mr. Jobs

The world lost a genius on Wednesday. An innovator. A visionary. Someone who thinks differently than most of the rest of us. I would personally thank  Mr. Steve Jobs for his contributions to the world and how his hand has touched me as a teacher.

 

Mr. Jobs-
Your Apple computers were the first in my classrooms as a kid, the ones that inspired my wonder. Your iPods are the ones that carry my music on the long road ahead  and allow me to get lost in music and dream. Your iPad is where I post this message from and where I watch my young daughter interacting with the world at her fingertips. Your Mac Books are what we use to produce and share all of the amazing occurrences here at Northside School.  Your tools have transformed my thinking, doing, and producing.  For that I thank you.

More importantly, your creativity, innovation, design, and approach to thinking is at the roots of who I am was a teacher. I hope to inspire my students to think differently as you have inspired millions to do.  I will forever push my students to "stay hungry, [and] stay foolish," and attempt to inspire them to leave a "ding in the universe."  And of course, I strive to make my students "the round pegs in the square holes."

Here's to the crazy ones, the misfits, the rebels, the troublemakers, the round pegs in the square holes... the ones who see things differently -- they're not fond of rules... You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them, but the only thing you can't do is ignore them because they change things... they push the human race forward, and while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius, because the ones who are crazy enough to think that they can change the world, are the ones who do.

Mr. Jobs, thank you. Your inspiration and innovations have had a profound influence on me, as well as the students I teach. You will live on forever.

Fondly,
Travis Wood

Getting started on 2011-2012

Ideas come in the most awkward places sometimes. After quite a bit of summer reading and some time thinking, here is a new and MUCH improved list of classroom expectations. I am taking Derek Sivers advice in making my classroom utopia and Tony Dungy’s advice in that he didn’t have rules for the Colts, just high expectations for them.

Be Uncommon- from Tony Dungy’s Uncommon, about integrity, taking risks, failing, care for others, setting the example, optimistic

Be Remarkable-from Seth Godin’s The Big Moo, about taking risks, showing up every day, going above and beyond, best every time

Be Creative, innovative, and playful- Sir Ken Robinson, Papert, Reggio, project based learning,

Be a leader, be part of a tribe- from Seth Godin’s Tribes

Be reflective


In the next couple of weeks, I plan on breaking each of these ideas down in more detail if for nothing other than spelling them out for myself.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Doodle 4 Google

In case you haven't heard by now, Goggle is sponsoring a competition for students to earn a $15,000 college scholarship AND $25,000 for the students school to spend on technology.  Pretty cool!

We decided to participate in this project to give our students an opportunity to create, design, and innovate (there's that word again) on an artistic level.  The excitement was palpable.  There was major disappointment when it was time to pack up for the day and many questions of whether or not they could take it home to work on over the weekend.

The theme for this year's contest is, "What I'd Like to Do Someday..."  We expected many of the designs to be about careers, but we were astounded with the way the students interpreted Google's theme. One student she wanted to travel the world and one student said he wanted to invent 'things'. Another student, in particular, captured my attention. He said he wanted to be a father. I was struck by this for some reason.  Maybe it was that I never knew this about him.  Maybe it was that I never thought kids thought about being parents. Maybe it was the beauty of his illustration. (I mean the l in Google is a rolled up birth certificate!) Regardless, I was in awe, not really knowing how to respond. 

Neng's Doodle 4 Google- Someday I want to be a Father.

His illustration, and those of his classmates, demonstrates what hope, creativity, design and innovation are all about. If you give kids the challenge and a platform, they respond.