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Friday Featured Blog: Joe Bower

I stumbled across Joe Bower's Blog For the Love of Learning through Twitter. He posted some comments and I enjoyed his responses. I enjoy some bloggers because they are so different from me (Matthew Koslowski, for example) or because they have similar Read More...
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2010 02 19

John Spencer

1 Comments

I'm Concerned that Your Class Is Fun

sometimes "fun" isn't what's healthiest for a child On typical parent-teacher conferences, I interact as best as I can in Spanish. It becomes a role that I play, an act that I put on based upon memorized lines, key words and body language. My smile is Read More...
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2010 02 11

John Spencer

9 Comments

what we miss in the talks about creativity

People tell me that creativity is necessary in the New Economy. After all, it's absolutely critical that I understand the "seven facets of creativity" (Which is oddly enough not a very creative concept. Seven is a bit overdone. How about pi times two? Read More...
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2010 02 4

John Spencer

3 Comments

issues with "the cloud"

kids lack access to the cloud and are forced into a course management box When speaking about technology integration, the first option people suggest is the notion of course management system. Just create one online hub where all things are accomplished. Read More...
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2010 01 1

John Spencer

4 Comments

a cause without a rebel

No spray paint. No folk songs. No strikes or marches or iconoclastic test booklet burning. Just wearing black in solidarity with all the rest of us who lament the death of teacher autonomy, authentic learning and funding of public education. We have a Read More...
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2009 11 24

John Spencer

9 Comments

postmodern McDonald's

About six months ago, they razed an older McDonald's near our neighborhood. In Phoenix, the term "old" can be applied to any building over twenty years. My guess is they had built the plastic wonderland in the early eighties. A few weeks later, they posted Read More...
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2009 11 9

John Spencer

0 Comments

postmodern McDonalds

About six months ago, they razed an older McDonalds near our neighborhood. In Phoenix, the term "old" can be applied to any building over twenty years. My guess is they had built the plastic wonderland in the early eighties. A few weeks later, they posted Read More...
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2009 11 9

John Spencer

0 Comments

Does it change how we live?

Sometimes I wonder if the book I should have written is Tutored by Toddlers. Joel and Micah continue to challenge and transform my beliefs about education and school and humanity. When I write about my kids I wonder if it sounds trite, like a Chicken Read More...
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2009 08 13

John Spencer

1 Comments

Miracle Gro

I work with a science teacher who lives the organic life. I'm guessing the vast majority of his home decor is created from canvas or hemp. He has a slow, calm demeanor and Celtic tatoos and he rolls his own organic tobacco. He's one of those guys who Read More...
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2009 05 18

John Spencer

0 Comments

Techno-Tuesday: Why I Wouldn't Ban Cell Phones

I'm surprised how few students know that they can create podcasts on their own. For example, I asked them if they wanted to do a "Social Pulse" activity, where they asked a series of questions and allowed people to offer a quick answer. When they asked Read More...
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2009 05 5

John Spencer

2 Comments

Philisophical Friday: Beyond Freedom and Dignity

in Skinner's mind we were all lab rats in need of boxes to tell us where to go Beyond Freedom and Dignity reads like a creepy dystopia; a satirical piece on the educational system of the Cold War era. Instead, it is B.F. Skinner's vision for humanity. Read More...
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2009 04 24

John Spencer

4 Comments

What-if Wednesday: Knowledge is Power

While sitting through a training on coercive control techniques, I catch a glimpse of a laminated pre-fabricated teacher poster. In bright, bubbly letters, it reads, "Knowledge is power." It might as well read, "Knowledge is a fluffy bunny" or "Knowledge Read More...
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2009 04 1

John Spencer

3 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

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

redefining social studies

About a year ago, I watched the t.v. show, Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader? for the first time. The first thing I noticed was the sheer triviality of each question. I suppose triviality is to be expected when it is a trivia show. Yet, after watching Read More...
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2008 12 7

John Spencer

6 Comments

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