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March 2009 - Posts

Techno-Tuesday: An Opportunity

Now that standardized testing season is over, I have a cool opportunity for my intervention class. I can teach in a style that is more tech-integrated, more socially-conscious and more authentic. I came inches from having my soul snagged by the Sultans Read More...
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2009 03 31

John Spencer

0 Comments

Monday Metaphor: Indie Music

I turn on the radio as I begin a drive up to Flagstaff. Every song sounds the same. The same three chords. The same choir-boy, perfect-pitch lead singers and the same two and a half minute time limit. I last ten minutes before I switch to Ray LaMontagne's Read More...
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2009 03 30

John Spencer

7 Comments

funniest satire on standardized tests

This has to be the funniest take I've ever seen on standardized testing. It's absolutely hilarious. If you don't want to watch the whole episode, at least watch it at 3:00 and at 10:00. Read More...

2009 03 28

John Spencer

4 Comments

prophets, poets, preachers

Today while I presented my posterboard at NAU, a professor talked to me about various doctoral programs. One thing struck me as profound, "Some of the professors have great thoughts. They're really cutting edge. But they're so used to talking that they've Read More...
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2009 03 28

John Spencer

12 Comments

being relevant in a Digital Age

This year when we read Brave New World, I posed this question to my students, "Would his savage solution have been as poignant if he hadn't first lived within the Brave New World." I'm convinced that there are two opposite types of mysteries. The first Read More...

2009 03 27

John Spencer

1 Comments

Political Cartoon

A kid wrote this idea out for me and asked me to draw the cartoon portion. Normally I have kids jumping to sketch political cartoons, but this year they've been a little shy. Anyway, I thought it was a cool concept: Read More...
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2009 03 26

John Spencer

3 Comments

Thursday Thoughts: Problem-based Learning

I realize this might sound like a mere battle of semantics, but I'm not crazy about the term "problem-based learning" when referring to social studies. As a strategy, I love it. The questions are thought-provoking and based upon student inquiry. We delve Read More...
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2009 03 26

John Spencer

1 Comments

Podcast

I've always been a little self-concious about my voice. When I was a kid, I wanted to become a sports announcer. I would practice doing impressions, thinking it would be fun, for example, to invite a make-believe Mr. Rogers or Apu from the Simpsons to Read More...
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2009 03 25

John Spencer

1 Comments

a playlist for grading papers

I meant to post this on my education blog , but I chose to do it here instead. I admit that I am not an expert on music and have no business writing about it. However, these are my fifteen songs I play when I grade papers: Chelsea (Counting Crows): I Read More...
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2009 03 24

John Spencer

6 Comments

What-if Wednesday: Grading Papers

I used to hate grading. It was all checkmarks and data input. I agonized over grades, hoping that each class would fit into the dogmatic bell curve presented to me by the Sultans of Standards. The most dangerous type of dogma is that which won't admit Read More...
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2009 03 24

John Spencer

0 Comments

Techno-Tuesday: Portable Music and the Ultimate Paper-Grading Playlist

I recently bought my first portable music player. I love the versatility of it. I can create playlists, record podcasts and take 2,000 songs to the gym. Still, I have mixed feelings about the digital nature of music. Sometimes I yearn for vynl. I like Read More...
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2009 03 24

John Spencer

2 Comments

evidence that Fox News sucks

I'm fairly conservative in some respects. I'm a libertarian in my beliefs on economics, personal freedoms, unions, etc. One thing is sure, though. Conservatives suck at being funny. They lack the subtly and intelligence of liberals like Jon Stewart. I Read More...

2009 03 23

John Spencer

5 Comments

what Harry Potter is teaching me

I'm watching the latest Harry Potter movie right now and I'm noticing some great insights into our educational system: 1. Often schools focus is on passing the test rather than using knowledge for life 2. Obsession with rules and a lack of trust leads Read More...
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2009 03 22

John Spencer

4 Comments

Monday Metaphor: Such Great Heights

I'm listening to Iron and Wine's subdued version of "Such Great Heights" and thinking about what it means to learn in an environment that's hostile to learning. In a week, my students will take the AIMS test. It's easy to misinterpret the term "my" to Read More...
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2009 03 22

John Spencer

1 Comments

Survey Saturday: Online Classes

I recently read a post on Countdown to Teachhub about whether or not we should offer an online option for 6-12 students. My approach would resemble this: I agree with the idea, as long as there are some face-to-face social interactions. If I were to structure Read More...
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2009 03 21

John Spencer

3 Comments

Spencer's Law of Investment:

Never invest in a company that buys the naming rights to a sports arena or stadium. Disclaimer: I am not an investor and I admit that the above law is entirely unfounded. Read More...

2009 03 21

John Spencer

1 Comments

thoughts on the tournament

I hate being trendy and I hate being mainstream. I love the quasi-mainstream limbo state of my life. So, it's difficult for me to admit that I embrace something so incredibly trendy and mainstream. I'll even use the cliche term "bandwagon" to describe Read More...
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2009 03 21

John Spencer

3 Comments

Philisophical Friday: Cyber-footprint

I've mentioned before my theory that students need to be cybergeeks and technogurus . They need to become experts in how it works, how to blend multiple media and the best functions of a medium within any context. Yet, students also need to examine the Read More...
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2009 03 20

John Spencer

1 Comments

masks

One of the kids in my third hour came in after school with an idea of a video we could create. It's only twenty seconds long, but I really like how it turned out. Read More...
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2009 03 19

John Spencer

2 Comments

Thursday Thoughts: Steps and Mountains

Step theorists never meant to make it a stair-climbing race. Most of them set reasonable target dates for childhood development, with the caveat that some children mature faster than others. It's normal. Some children crawl at five months, others at a Read More...
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2009 03 19

John Spencer

3 Comments

What-if Wednesday: District Salary

I'm not much of a data guru, but I remember reading information from Marzano about what works in school. According to his research, the most critical factor in a child's education is the teacher. Parental background is huge. The local and school culture Read More...
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2009 03 18

John Spencer

16 Comments

fear of losing my voice

After taking some time off of school, I feel that I've found my voice. I feel that I am learning to walk the limbo between casual and formal, using complex sentences at one point and then switching the pace to a quick syntax. I feel unencumbred by the Read More...

2009 03 17

John Spencer

1 Comments

Techno-Tuesday: Mixed Feelings on Kindle

No one could accuse me of suffering technophilia. I rarely watch t.v. I don't own a cell phone, a watch or an iPod. My body is my alarm clock. True, I write blogs, use computers in my classroom and drive a car. However, I see each of the following activities Read More...
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2009 03 17

John Spencer

1 Comments

Monday Metaphor: Collage Artists

I've posted two random collages here. You can see more at our class website .. True artists might mock my students' creations. Simply cut out pictures from Time and Sunset and Smithsonian, place them on stapled used paper and dabble some paint throughout. Read More...
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2009 03 16

John Spencer

14 Comments

body image

The impetus toward transformation began as I noticed my three year old son pinching his baby fat in front of the mirror. Though he was a skinny kid, he felt the need to mimmic my actions of self-scrutiny. I used to break myself into subsections, dividing Read More...
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2009 03 15

John Spencer

3 Comments

the lie

The greatest lie of the Digital Age is that I can see the world and still feel the grass between my toes. -A thought after teaching my unit on globalization Read More...
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2009 03 15

John Spencer

1 Comments

how do you educate an artist?

I know a guy who loves music. By a combination of hard work and sheer luck, he now runs a company that creates and licenses music for large multinational media conglomerates. It's a sweet gig with risidual income, a hefty dose of creative control and Read More...
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2009 03 15

John Spencer

20 Comments

Philosophical Friday: the D word

Right now my students are writing sections of a class book called United by Borders. We discussed the concept of implied and stated theme and determined a stated theme, "We all share the common human experience of facing borders. They aren't minor barriers Read More...
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2009 03 13

John Spencer

0 Comments

Thursday Thoughts: Mr. Jones and Me

For PLC training, we cram together in an empty classroom (an empty shell remaining from the days before the sherrif's immigration raids and the collapsing housing market) to watch Fred Jones teach us to manage behaviors. I roll my eyes at most of his Read More...
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2009 03 12

John Spencer

3 Comments

Free eBook

I'm taking some of the ideas (indeed some of the actual postings), cleaning up the style and creating a free eBook. My target date is June 1, 2009. The title is The Impact Paradox and what the main point is that, when trying to make a difference in learning, Read More...
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2009 03 11

John Spencer

1 Comments

why you shouldn't care what I ate for dinner

I have a Twitter Account, but I'm seriously considering deleting it. For many, it is an addicting habit, a sort-of Sudoku meets Scrabble meets Text Message. It's a game of words, playing clever in a space of one hundred spaces. I never really got into Read More...

2009 03 11

John Spencer

2 Comments

What-if Wednesday: What if creativity can't be taught?

Often creativity occurs where I least expect it The dullest people I've known have been those who try too hard at being creative. Sure, they don a trendy hat, wear some eye liner and attempt to be "different." They might read an obscure poet, find a regional Read More...
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2009 03 11

John Spencer

1 Comments

Techno-Tuesday: My Tech Journey

I realize that nearly every post begins to resemble a "Metaphor Monday." I experience the world through an affective, figurative lens, so it's difficult for me to state anything "as it is." When I consider my shift toward tech-integration, the metaphor Read More...
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2009 03 10

John Spencer

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A Student Poem

I posted the first of my class globalization poems. This one is not my style, necessarily. I tend to enjoy free verse better. The language might even be too cliche, but I thought it was interesting how he linked McDonalds and Al-Queda as both being terrorist Read More...

2009 03 10

John Spencer

2 Comments

Monday Metaphor: Megaphone Man

I'm riding my bike near nineteenth avenue. It's a crowded street that strattles the line between urban and suburban; a sort-of purgatory on pavement where people grow edgy in the invisible permissiveness that invites people to jaywalk, yell or chase down Read More...
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2009 03 9

John Spencer

15 Comments

random thought

When I'm in church, I think about teaching. When I'm in the classroom, I think about God. Read More...
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2009 03 8

John Spencer

7 Comments

class project - a personal reflection

I gave the students a three-day problem-based learning based upon a fictional town that was outsourced. In phase one, the students explored the issues and developed a solution. In phase two, students created a presentation and wrote a business letter Read More...
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2009 03 8

John Spencer

3 Comments

Ten Reasons Standardization Happens

I posted the following as a comment on a teacher's blog. It's an off-the-top-of-my-head list of why people push toward standardization. I think the motives are so mixed for the people at the top. I'm not a list guy, but here is a list of reasons why the Read More...
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2009 03 8

John Spencer

0 Comments

Survey Saturday: Criticism

Today I brought Micah with me to take items from our home to my classroom. He's at the age where he believes I'm Superman and anything we do together is the ultimate experience. We stop by a teacher's classroom and I notice three of my students. One remarks, Read More...
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2009 03 7

John Spencer

4 Comments

updates on my writing

I am a little lost one where to go next with my book. People have suggested the following options and I'm interested in what my reader's think: Publish it as an eBook - going on Google Books and Amazon.com (I could let people download it for free) Self-publish Read More...
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2009 03 6

John Spencer

5 Comments

the strange phenomenon of what makes me nervous

I'm going to be presenting my Capstone Project to some people at NAU. Although they are strangers and it will require some public speaking (though I'm doubtful it will be much) I am not too nervous. Similarly, whenever I have had a job interview, I've Read More...
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2009 03 6

John Spencer

0 Comments

Philisophical Friday: Saber and Conocer

Yesterday I attempted to create a class motto that would carry on as a legacy from this year to the next. It's not a vision or mission and I hope it doesn't become a slogan. However, I want something that begins with the students. I suggested my favorite Read More...
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2009 03 6

John Spencer

1 Comments

completely random thoughts

A student asked me on Monday how many prisons their closing in comparison to the number of schools closing I'm one of the few parents I know who doesn't feel scared about the world that Joel and Micah will be entering I believe the current generation Read More...

2009 03 5

John Spencer

5 Comments

Thursday Thoughts: My Approach

I caught a girl tagging on one of my chairs. Let me restate that. I noticed tagging on my chairs, matched it to the tagging this student has done in the classroom and then determined that it had to be her. It felt like a punch in the gut. After going Read More...
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2009 03 5

John Spencer

6 Comments

What-if Wednesday: Playing Nice

Nice guys don't get crucified. They don't get shot on the balcony of hotels. They aren't forced to drink hemlock when they ask too many questions. Nor do they get sent to jail for refusing to sit in the back of the bus or stand up to fire hoses and snarling Read More...
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2009 03 3

John Spencer

2 Comments

Techno-Tuesday: Concept Maps

It is rare that a technology tool, a social paradigm and an educational philosophy intersect. Often, I attempt to deconstruct a technology tool, re-frame it into a more postmodern paradigm and then use my classicist and constructivist pedagogy together. Read More...
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2009 03 3

John Spencer

2 Comments

my angry rant

"We're losing the war," the principal writes. I get nervous any time someone uses a war metaphor. Wars tend to be deadly and wasteful and a hotbed of propaganda and conformity. Whether it's the War on Drugs or War on Poverty or the current War on Bad Read More...
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2009 03 2

John Spencer

0 Comments

Monday Metaphor: Spiders and Butterflies and Mystics

While Micah finishes taking his nap, I take Joel outside to play baseball. This time, though, he notices a lizard running up the cinder block wall. It's warm outside, about eighty degrees, so the reptiles seem to enjoy the change in weather. Joel notices Read More...
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2009 03 2

John Spencer

0 Comments