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January 2009 - Posts

25 Things About Me

Someone had me do this on Facebook, so I thought I would share it here as well. 1. I abhor bureaucracy. The mere fact that it is so unnecessarily hard to spell should tell you something about it 2. My childhood family nickname was Bubble Butt. I don't Read More...
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2009 01 31

John Spencer

0 Comments

Why isn't he in prison?

In reading about Tom Daschle's tax evasion issue, it makes me wonder, "Why is anyone who commits fraud, lies about taxes or takes money from lobbyists allowed to serve ANYWHERE in the government." If I wouldn't elect a schoolboard member who refuses to Read More...
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2009 01 31

John Spencer

1 Comments

Survey Saturday: Should students have to do community service?

This morning, as I sat on the curb with twenty-eight students and three teachers, a kid asked me, "Why do some of the families get greedy? I see them come up all morning for more food and clothes and it seems like they're just taking advantage of the Read More...
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2009 01 31

John Spencer

1 Comments

Philosophical Friday: A Necessary Dialogue

I've been tutoring Johnny since he was in fifth grade and now he's in college. The adjustment has been challenging, with a constant sense that he's an alien in a sea of suburbia. I watch him attempt to navigate the massive library, make sense out of online Read More...
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2009 01 30

John Spencer

2 Comments

Thursday Thoughts: Collective Art

When I first began teaching, the term "art" conjured up images of downtown studio apartments with a solitary figure brooding over the loneliness of the post-modern existence. I'd imagine a blank canvas and a mess of oil paints or a hunk of clay and a Read More...
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2009 01 29

John Spencer

1 Comments

What-if Wednesday: What if it's both/and?

In my first education class, the teacher introduced the class to each of the lovely "isms." We could choose behaviorism, constructivism, humanism, classicism and a host of various ideologies to guide our educational philosophy. I learned about the bearded Read More...
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2009 01 28

John Spencer

6 Comments

Techno-Tuesday: Do you use Ning?

I've heard teachers use other names for Ning, because "social network" can have some negative connotations. People imagine creepy pedophiles looking for kids on Myspace. Or they imagine a group of conspiracy theorists leaving comments about Obama being Read More...
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2009 01 27

John Spencer

6 Comments

Monday Metaphor: Teeth Cleaning

I made this last year. Some of you have seen it before. The basic idea is comparing teeth cleaning with classroom climate. I'm not a great "video guy," but I might try doing some more video blog posts in the future. Read More...
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2009 01 26

John Spencer

2 Comments

mixed feelings about the new president

I was excited when Obama pledged to get rid of Gitmo. It's nice to have a president who can distinguish between interrogation and torture. Similarly, I was pleased to see Obama's call for bipartisanship reform of the financial institutions. I genuinely Read More...
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2009 01 25

John Spencer

0 Comments

Survey Saturday: How do you access your favorite blogs?

At one time, I kept all of my favorite blogs on my own blog. I would visit each site, with the sense that I was travelling around an imaginary town and stopping by, eavesdropping on the conversation and occasionally adding my own thoughts. Later, I joined Read More...
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2009 01 24

John Spencer

7 Comments

Legos

My thoughts on how schools change. Read More...
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2009 01 24

John Spencer

0 Comments

Philosophical Friday: Complete the Sentence

Every year I have the students do an excercise to see what they believe about school and learning. Often, students view school as a prison, but learning as a journey. On a good day, I feel like I'm Andy Dufresne from Shawshank Redemption and I get to Read More...
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2009 01 23

John Spencer

4 Comments

Thursday Thoughts: Like a Really Awkward Date

For me, the first date was always the worst. I could never figure out the ground rules. In many instances, it was unclear if the date was even a date. What if it was simply coffee? What if we took separate cars? When should I pay? It's amazing my wife Read More...
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2009 01 22

John Spencer

4 Comments

What-if Wednesday: Teaching to the Student

The assistant principal begins her pep talk by comparing our school's plight with that of the Arizona Cardinals at the beginning of the season. At first, her metaphor fails to inspire. After all, in football, the rules are the same for everyone. Only Read More...
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2009 01 21

John Spencer

20 Comments

thoughts on the innaugaration

Today I posed the question to my students, "Will Obama's presidency change race relations in America?" The dialogue was great, if a little too abstract. It was easy for them to wax idealistic, given their age and the clear contrast to the pictures we'd Read More...
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2009 01 20

John Spencer

3 Comments

Techno-Tuesday: Using Blogs

I use on a daily basis with my students. I like the fact that blogs are multifunctional and interactive. We can embed presentations and video, add links to podcasts , write articles and in the process, students can add questions and comments. Because Read More...
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2009 01 20

John Spencer

7 Comments

Monday Metaphor: Concrete and Dirt

When I first began long-distance running, I prefered the feel of smooth concrete. Being a bit too abstract (read "unable to pay attention to what's in front of me") it was nice to guarantee that everything was flat and clean. Concrete worked fine at first, Read More...
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2009 01 19

John Spencer

2 Comments

Survey Saturday: Racism

In the staff lounge, as teachers gear up for the Cardinals game, I casually mention that I won't watch but a few minutes of it. "Why's that?" a teacher asks. "I find football boring." "At least the cheerleaders are interesting," a teacher shoots back. Read More...
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2009 01 18

John Spencer

15 Comments

Philosophical Friday: The Pilot

Journalists and politicians are hailing Captain Sullenburger (whose nickname is Captain Sully) as a hero for his crash landing yesterday. Indeed, he was able to land the jet properly, keep passengers calm, direct the passengers afterward and still go Read More...
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2009 01 16

John Spencer

1 Comments

a student soapbox

The following link is a short response that one of my students wrote for our Social Soapbox blog. I enjoyed it, because I can see a part of my view of education reflected in this student's thoughts about school . She explained when she e-mailed it that Read More...
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2009 01 15

John Spencer

0 Comments

Thursday Thoughts: Does this happen to you?

Yesterday, when I drove home from work, I had a lingering sense that I should be doing more. My assignments were graded. Our service projects were all planned. I knew my next few day's lesson plans. Still, there was this sense that I felt a little lost, Read More...
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2009 01 15

John Spencer

4 Comments

What-if Wednesday: What if electives are as important as the core curriculum?

Two of my most important classes could be considered by some as "fluff," easy electives that nearly guaranteed an A. My freshman year, I took public speaking and keyboarding. I was shy in front of a crowd. I would freeze up and stop talking. I would hold Read More...
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2009 01 14

John Spencer

0 Comments

Techno-Tuesday: Google and Zoho

Many teachers choosing a tech-integrated approach have switched from Google Accounts to Zoho. In general, Zoho has a more logical flow and resembles Microsoft Office. The user interface reminds me of a course management system, with each of the Zoho applications Read More...

2009 01 13

John Spencer

3 Comments

Monday Metaphor: The Titanic

The term "educational system" offers a clue to how people think of learning. Other words might include "process" or "structure." Hiding behind such words is an unspoken metaphor; the notion that teaching is a factory where everything is uniform, standardized Read More...
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2009 01 12

John Spencer

2 Comments

Survey Saturday: Performance Pay?

One of the controversial issues connected to Obama's teacher plan is whether he'll retain teacher tenure and whether he will continue with performance pay. On first glance, I agree with getting rid of tenure. Bad teachers need to leave regardless of how Read More...
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2009 01 10

John Spencer

5 Comments

Philosophical Friday: When They Paint Over Our Murals

The bottom mural reminds me of the lesson: it's all about the journey, the community, the diversity and the creativity of living life well Brad the Philosopher warned me that all teachers make enemies. The important thing is who your enemies are. When Read More...
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2009 01 8

John Spencer

2 Comments

the enemies you make

Someone warned me that all teachers make enemies. The important thing is who your enemies are. When I was in my first year of teaching, I made enemies with a few students. I waged a war against talking and handled my class as a dictator - at least toward Read More...
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2009 01 8

John Spencer

3 Comments

Thursday Thoughts: The Knot Nazi

In flipping through a Runner's World magazine, I notice an article about a knot fanatic. He has an entire website devoted to the proper method of tying shoes. For him, there is one uniform method of tying shoes and he has published books about it, filmed Read More...
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2009 01 8

John Spencer

1 Comments

What-if Wednesday: What if grades don't matter?

"So, are you done with grading?" a teacher asks me in the staff lounge. "No, the students will have a test on Friday and that's the same day that their final projects are due." "Wow. So, their grades could really change. How are they taking that?" "Oh, Read More...
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2009 01 7

John Spencer

13 Comments

Techno-Tuesday: 15 Paradigm Shifts

The following is a list of paradigm shifts that have occured since I began integrating technology into the curriculum. Not all of these are bound to technology, but they resulted in my integration experience: From the teacher as the source of knowledge Read More...
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2009 01 6

John Spencer

15 Comments

Monday Metaphor: Diet Coke and Mac and Cheese

The first time I tried Diet Coke, it tasted like battery acid dipped in sugar. After drinking it for a week (yes, I know how bad it is for you) it became my beverage of choice. Now, when someone offers me the real thing, I can't handle the flavor. Similarly, Read More...

2009 01 5

John Spencer

7 Comments

Why Modernists Misunderstand Postmodernism

It seems like many of the people I've talked to lately have a grudge against anything "postmodern." It's trendy to be anti-postmodern, probably because it's now so mainstream and it's associated with coffee shops and indie music and a tolerance that tastes Read More...
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2009 01 4

John Spencer

0 Comments

Survey Saturday: Web 2.0

This Week's Question: Which web 2.0 tools are most useful for education? Web 2.0 tools have been all the rage lately. Some of them make sense to me in an educational context (blogs, wikis, shared documents) while others seem less realistic in many elementary Read More...
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2009 01 3

John Spencer

5 Comments

Philisophical Friday: Career Philosophies

When I teach students about career, college and budgeting, I always include a Career Philosophy. To me, it makes more sense to discuss "why work?" than to simply plan for a specific career; especially given the fact that most people will ditch their initial Read More...
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2009 01 2

John Spencer

2 Comments

the debate

I'm interested in reading a book called, Why We're Not Emergent. After my friend Brad mentioned it, I looked it up on Amazon. I started reading the heated debate between different groups who embrace the Emerging movement or who reject it entirely. It Read More...
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2009 01 1

John Spencer

1 Comments

Thursday Thoughts: Time-saving Tips

I'm not much of a "practical knowledge" guy. I am not easily enticed by a list of seven steps or twelve keys or fifty five rules. I do believe in sharing ideas, but I also know the best idea sharing occurs over a cup of coffee (or a more adult beverage Read More...
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2009 01 1

John Spencer

6 Comments

I hope to have my first podcast up in March. Read More...
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2009 01 1

John Spencer

0 Comments