PARADIGMSWIVEL.COM: Recent Comments

Comment on Creative Expressions Abroad--A BC Ministry of Education Course

Doug Tennant — Sun, 10 Jun 2012 16:22:51 GMT

The process is a bit different for an independent school. You need to create the course using guidelines found here and then get your school's board to approve the course (the Head of School is integral to this part of the process). You can also develop your own learning outcomes (we did this by looking at a variety of learning outcomes from a diverse group of courses that had aspects that fit our vision for Creative Expressions Abroad). I have attached an essay I wrote for a course I was taking at SFU that describes in more detail how Creative Expressions Abroad was born:

More details of course in essay form.

Comment on Creative Expressions Abroad--A BC Ministry of Education Course

David Wees — Sun, 10 Jun 2012 01:15:50 GMT

I'd like to know more about the process you went through to develop this course, and get it approved by the BC Ministry. I'm considering developing a math course that takes full advantage of the affordances of digital technology, and I think getting it approved by the BC Ministry would help lend it some credibility.

Comment on Community Living in the Virtual World

Doug Tennant — Mon, 04 Jun 2012 16:49:23 GMT

There is some interesting work being done around ending the use of the R-word: http://www.r-word.org/ . CAPTCHA is difficult for many to navigate--I am sure that if we are invested in full participation of all people on the internet that we will find a way around those types of tests (could be that a buddy system is in place for some use of social media). I also think that participation and communication can some in many forms, including images and sound. Thanks for your response!

Comment on Community Living in the Virtual World

Patrick Smyth — Mon, 04 Jun 2012 16:37:50 GMT

Interesting comments, especially about the use of retard and how one would use it around someone with a developmental disability. Whenever I hear the word, I think about 'There's Something About Mary' and how it has become part of the lexicon.

Do you think the CAPTCHA is difficult for people with those disabilities? I find them difficult at times.

Comment on The Twitter--Blog Connection

Doug Tennant — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 20:10:39 GMT

Absolutely, and thanks for mentioning some more great educators!

Comment on The Twitter--Blog Connection

Brad Ovenell-Carter — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 18:40:06 GMT

Thanks for the mention. Indeed, I wonder if the majority of top tweeters are female. I'm thinking people like @ShellTerrell @langwitches @julielindsay @TechieAng among others with whom I'd hate to lose contact.

CEA just put out this graet list (mostly males): http://www.cea-ace.ca/education-canada/article/twitter-and-canadian-educators

Comment on Why We Must Know About Memes

Doug Tennant — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 21:46:33 GMT

Hi Brad, I absolutely agree that memes (like wild fires) are fast and usually burn out pretty quickly. For example, many Grade 8s will not know who Antoine Dodson is because they are two years away from his fame. The point I am trying to make in this blog is that some of these memes are destructive and reinforce damaging stereotypes about different "groups" of people (for example, individuals with developmental disabilities). My responsibility as a parent and educator is to talk openly about the damage that can be caused by perpetuating bigotry (even if it is not purposeful and is done in ignorance). This is not different than what I do when teaching great literature or talking with my family about the Community Livingmovement. So, just as I would use a student calling someone a "retard" or a "fag" as an opportunity to talk about empathy and acceptance and the power of language (to damage and to build up), I use current memes to address the importance of being empathetic and kind in the real and virtual world. I find that teenagers make good choices when they understand the context and the topic is approached in a way that values their input and allows thought and discussion. Another idea that came to me in reading your comment was a discussion about what is important and what is "junk" when it comes to memes. I also like the idea of talking overtly about "adult" memes that cause damage in our world by making it easier for people to go to war, become suicide bombers, etc.

Comment on Why We Must Know About Memes

Brad Ovenell-Carter — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 20:48:43 GMT

The idea of the meme comes out of the mid-19th C and it intuitively makes sense to see certain things as discrete unit of cultural transmission, as Dawkins says. But, the whole idea of memes and memetics is controversial and likely a pseudoscience.

So, while your point is taken, we must be careful not to let this slide into triviality or commit the fallacy that popularity equates with value or importance. It's a sound idea but not a new one to pitch our teaching in ways our students find immediately accessible. Reading programs went through this a while ago: better to have the kids read something, even a comic book, than nothing at all we said until we figured out it's impossible to teach good stuff with junk. A lot of these memes, though topical, are trivial and fleeting and I don't think merit much attention. We need to recognize that "junk" is a context.

I think this is what you would allow when you say we must put memes into a context.

And if we have an obligation to pay attention to student memes do students have a co-obligation to pay attention to adult memes?

Cheers Doug!! ;)

Comment on Tales from the Twitter Table

Peter — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 22:27:58 GMT

Yes, I agree that many teachers do not yet understand how twitter can be used. The responsibility to share their knowledge is important. Also important to teach students how twitter can be used in an educational and positive fashion.

Comment on Digital Footprints I Want to Follow

Doug Tennant — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 21:54:04 GMT

Yes, I am looking forward to the day when teens are celebrated for their use of social media and the internet.