School Tech Connect: In Which Gary Stager Confirms My Genius

School Tech Connect: In Which Gary Stager Confirms My Genius

In Which Gary Stager Confirms My Genius

by effacethefacade@yahoo.com (Tim)

Yes, I stole this image.

Part of what I do in my 9-5 gig is worry about how to develop training that addresses curriculum concerns in every discipline while also addressing the NETS for Students. I always struggle with this--- much as I struggled throughout the 90's with Illinois learning standards in language arts, which I found vapid, technocratic, and basically pointless. (Apologies to the standard-writers.) Nobody who every became a passionate reader or an effective writer ever consulted a list similar to the Illinois Learning Standards.

In an excellent, funny post, Gary Stager puts into so many words the idea that I've been trying to formulate around the NETS:

Well done, Rumproast. I couldn't have said it better myself. The NETS does nothing for me-- I can't backward design from these standards; I can only design activities that teach the things I think are important, and then play shoehorn-the-standard so that my i's are dotted. Does anyone else feel this way?

It's Probably "Not The Right Time..."

by effacethefacade@yahoo.com (Tim)

Kirk's senate office apparently isn't set up yet; nobody's answering the phones and the voice mail is full. If I could have made contact today, this is what I would have said:

Dear Senator Kirk:

I am one of your constituents in Illinois. I'm calling today to ask you to vote for the Dream Act. I support this legislation; it's the right thing to do for young people who want to contribute to our country. If you choose to vote against the Dream Act, please let me know why--- and if your reason is that "now is not the right time" for the Dream Act, then will you please explain