Andy's Teaching and Learning Blog

Yes, I'm still doing work on the Dark Side, future characterized by uncertainty and ambiguity, and the weather is January cold and wet, but that shouldn't stop me from reading and writing about books.

Just finished Ian Frazier's Travels in Siberia, what he describes as the 'greatest horrible country in the world.' Wonderful read, chilling descriptions of Gulag, Russian history, and reading it reminded me of amazing adventures from my past. Frazier visits the places that I visited, Khabarovsk, Vladivostok, and Yakutsk, to name a few, and recounts his trans-Russian auto trek. Some of the passages brought back that slightly headachy, sick-to-my-stomach elation from a few of those good times, marked by emotional nostalgia and fading memories of discomfort.

Also finished was Susan Orlean's biography (?) of Rin Tin Tin, the Life and Legend, as much a history of 20th Century Americana as anything.

And, on the nightstand from an impressive Hannukrist haul, The Harvard Psychedelic Club, Railroaded, Whole Earth Discipline by Stewart Brand, I Have Landed by Stephen Jay Gould, and Last Call a History of Prohibition., by Daniel Okrent.

Lots of non-fiction to read!

Seth's Blog: Your voice will give you away

2012-01-13T06:42:00.000-08:00

Seth's Blog: Your voice will give you away:

'via Blog this'

Debating the 'Flipped Classroom' at Stanford - Wired Campus - The Chronicle of Higher Education

2012-01-05T19:11:00.001-08:00

Debating the 'Flipped Classroom' at Stanford - Wired Campus - The Chronicle of Higher Education:

'via Blog this'

Piazza – Ask. Answer. Explore. Whenever.

2012-01-05T19:11:00.000-08:00

Piazza – Ask. Answer. Explore. Whenever.:

'via Blog this'

Seth's Blog: Firemen, donuts and meetings

2011-12-24T08:51:00.000-08:00

Seth's Blog: Firemen, donuts and meetings:

'via Blog this'

Clayton Christensen on disruption in online education - The Next Web

2011-12-16T10:39:00.000-08:00

Clayton Christensen on disruption in online education - The Next Web:

'via Blog this'

Seth's Blog: Assorted tips, hope they help

2011-12-15T11:42:00.000-08:00

Seth's Blog: Assorted tips, hope they help:

'via Blog this'

Walking through doorways causes forge... [Q J Exp Psychol (Hove). 2011] - PubMed - NCBI

2011-11-18T18:43:00.000-08:00

Walking through doorways causes forge... [Q J Exp Psychol (Hove). 2011] - PubMed - NCBI:

'via Blog this'

Make Your Work More Meaningful | Penelope Trunk Blog

2011-11-16T06:09:00.000-08:00

Make Your Work More Meaningful | Penelope Trunk Blog:

'via Blog this'

Or, simply put, you might as well be a mensch.

I am Neil deGrasse Tyson -- AMA : IAmA

2011-11-13T18:02:00.000-08:00

I am Neil deGrasse Tyson -- AMA : IAmA:

'via Blog this'

And, this is awesome...Carl Sagan's influence on Neil...

The Bamboo Project : Getting Comfortable with Incompetence

2011-11-09T05:47:00.000-08:00

The Bamboo Project : Getting Comfortable with Incompetence:

'via Blog this'

Seth's Blog: What good interview questions are actually trying to discover

2011-11-05T06:41:00.000-07:00

Seth's Blog: What good interview questions are actually trying to discover:

'via Blog this'

Open Education 2011 Conference

2011-10-29T16:07:00.000-07:00

Open Education 2011 Conference:

'via Blog this'

Open Course, Open Source, Open Publishing

2011-10-16T10:11:00.000-07:00

Here are a couple of pieces about Open Courses and Publishing.

First is a piece by Seth Godin, on the Domino Project, about the future of books and publishing.

http://www.thedominoproject.com/2011/10/what-talent-wants.html

Note the part the describes the Domino Project's goals and core beliefs:

http://www.thedominoproject.com/about

Note this in particular:

"Virality first. An idea that requires a direct sale won’t thrive in a world where the most powerful ideas spread from hand to hand. Create content that works best when spread, and then package it so it’s easy to spread."

And, then, there's this:

Tom Caswell posted his NW ELearn Presentation on the Open Course Library on SlideShare:

http://slideshare.net/tom4cam/going-open-lessons-learned-from-the-open-course-library

Something is happening and you don't know what it is, do you Mr. Publisher? Do you, Mr. Faculty?

It's time to get away from publisher-controlled educational content and proprietary and closed learning management systems.

With Goldman's Foray Into Higher Education, A Predatory Pursuit Of Students And Revenues

2011-10-14T16:53:00.000-07:00

With Goldman's Foray Into Higher Education, A Predatory Pursuit Of Students And Revenues:

'via Blog this'

The Way Forward | NewAmerica.net

2011-10-11T06:28:00.000-07:00

The Way Forward | NewAmerica.net:

'via Blog this'

The Bamboo Project Blog: Constructing Leadership Experiments

2011-10-10T06:34:00.000-07:00

The Bamboo Project Blog: Constructing Leadership Experiments:

'via Blog this'

Seth's Blog: The forever recession (and the coming revolution)

2011-09-29T06:29:00.000-07:00

Seth's Blog: The forever recession (and the coming revolution):

'via Blog this'

Power Corrupts, Especially When It Lacks Status

2011-09-26T06:26:00.000-07:00

Power Corrupts, Especially When It Lacks Status:

'via Blog this'

Whistle While You Work – The Sweet Pursuit – Utne Reader

2011-09-24T09:11:00.000-07:00

We're Number 6! We're Number 6!

Whistle While You Work – The Sweet Pursuit – Utne Reader:

'via Blog this'

So, what are you reading, now that you are on the Dark Side?

2011-09-18T11:26:00.000-07:00

Every quarter for the past some-odd many years, I’ve asked students to introduce themselves and tell the class what books that they are currently reading, or what they would recommend to a friend.

This fall quarter, for the first time in over 20 years, I don’t have a class to ask, but that doesn’t mean that I can’t talk a bit about what I’m currently reading, and what books I would recommend.

Currently on the nightstand are several books, including Gabriel Garcia Marquez’ One Hundred Years’ of Solitude, which I started while serving jury duty at Seattle Municipal Court at the end of August. I’ll pick that one up again at some point. Also with active bookmarks are The Ascent of Money, Niall Ferguson’s history of finance, and What the Dog Saw, by Malcolm Gladwell. Also started are Great Plains, by Ian Frazier, because I couldn’t find his latest, Travels in Siberia, on the most recent bookstore trek. The list, and my progress through it, reads like an incomplete grade and a reader suffering from distraction. While cleaning the basement, I’ve come across Richard Brautigan again, and periodically pick up Trout Fishing in America plus A Confederate General from Big Sur. Both are hilarious and include wonderful descriptions with a zen-like quality that is calming and refreshing, reminding me why I loved those books when I first read them over 40 years ago.

Finally, and another question that has been asked in these introductions in the past is, what are you listening to? Aquarium Drunkard steered me to the Smile Sessions, Brian Wilson’s long delayed and sidetracked response to the Beatles’ Strawberry Fields Forever. I’m finding Amy Winehouse’s Back to Black to be haunting and catchy, and am spending a good deal of time in the car listening to ’71 Dead, in anticipation of the Complete Europe ’72 vault being opened.

Some have mentioned that I’ve gone over to the Dark Side, and in fact, that phrase has come up frequently. Dark Side, implying that the faculty role is one of the positive, good-feeling, health, innocence, the way of the Tao, one of righteousness, virtue and Truth and Justice.

On the other hand, as George Burns said, “Too bad all the people who know how to run this country are busy running taxicabs or cutting hair.” Those who are managing college budgets, processes, reporting requirements, scheduling and providing feedback do not speak with one voice. They work in an environment characterized by ambiguity, compromise, and negotiation while attempting to balance conflicting goals and interests. Their dedication to the core mission of the organization, serving students well and helping them achieve their goals and opening the doors of opportunity, trying to do things right while trying to do the right thing, in the face of some severe constraints is admirable. They are decidedly human. Dark side? I don’t think so.

The Cost of Compliance

2011-09-14T06:26:00.000-07:00

The Bamboo Project Blog: The Cost of Compliance:

'via Blog this'

Bill Moyers: Americans are caught in a dire position | Crosscut.com

2011-09-14T06:25:00.000-07:00

Bill Moyers: Americans are caught in a dire position | Crosscut.com:

'via Blog this'

Learning Journal

2011-09-13T06:26:00.000-07:00

Learning Journal:

'via Blog this'

Online Dropout Rate

2011-09-09T06:07:00.001-07:00

http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2011/07/19/study_finds_higher_dropout_rates_for_community_college_students_who_take_online_courses

Why Are College Textbooks So Expensive? - Education - GOOD

2011-09-06T06:20:00.000-07:00

Why Are College Textbooks So Expensive? - Education - GOOD:

'via Blog this'

Seth's Blog: Back to (the wrong) school

2011-09-06T06:16:00.000-07:00

Seth's Blog: Back to (the wrong) school:

'via Blog this'

Stagnant Future, Stagnant Tests: Pointed Response to NY Times "Grading the Digital School" | HASTAC

2011-09-04T12:04:00.000-07:00

Stagnant Future, Stagnant Tests: Pointed Response to NY Times "Grading the Digital School" | HASTAC:

'via Blog this'

Do Happier People Work Harder? - NYTimes.com

2011-09-04T11:51:00.000-07:00

Do Happier People Work Harder? - NYTimes.com:

'via Blog this'

Social Media's Slow Slog Into the Ivory Towers of Academia - Josh Sternberg - Technology - The Atlantic

2011-09-02T10:16:00.000-07:00

Social Media's Slow Slog Into the Ivory Towers of Academia - Josh Sternberg - Technology - The Atlantic:

'via Blog this'

Remediation Nation: Why College Students Say High School Needs Change - Education - GOOD

2011-09-02T09:40:00.000-07:00

Remediation Nation: Why College Students Say High School Needs Change - Education - GOOD:

'via Blog this'

Sharing Our Authentic Work Lives with Our Children

2011-09-02T09:35:00.000-07:00

The Bamboo Project Blog: Sharing Our Authentic Work Lives with Our Children:

'via Blog this'

edupunk

2011-08-31T09:17:00.001-07:00

http://diyubook.com/

The Learning Class — Features — Utne Reader

2011-08-31T06:46:00.000-07:00

The Learning Class — Features — Utne Reader:

'via Blog this'

Open Course: Social Media & Open Education » open thinking

2011-08-28T07:17:00.000-07:00

Open Course: Social Media & Open Education » open thinking:

'via Blog this'

From the Desk of a Cancer Victim

2011-08-26T19:55:00.000-07:00

6cu0m.jpg (720×480):

'via Blog this'

iPad, I Saw, I Waited: The State of E-Textbooks | Gadget Lab | Wired.com

2011-08-26T08:59:00.000-07:00

iPad, I Saw, I Waited: The State of E-Textbooks | Gadget Lab | Wired.com:

'via Blog this'

Xerox PARC, Apple, and the Creation of the Mouse : The New Yorker

2011-08-25T16:19:00.000-07:00

Xerox PARC, Apple, and the Creation of the Mouse : The New Yorker:

'via Blog this'

Steve Jobs' 2005 Stanford Commencement Address - YouTube

2011-08-24T20:04:00.000-07:00

Steve Jobs' 2005 Stanford Commencement Address - YouTube:

'via Blog this'

Steve Jobs’s Best Quotes - Digits - WSJ

2011-08-24T20:01:00.000-07:00

Steve Jobs’s Best Quotes - Digits - WSJ:

'via Blog this'

Ira Glass on Storytelling on Vimeo

2011-08-24T06:18:00.000-07:00

Ira Glass on Storytelling on Vimeo:

'via Blog this'

MH Campus: “Not for Sharing” | Tom's Two Cents

2011-08-19T06:53:00.000-07:00

MH Campus: “Not for Sharing” | Tom's Two Cents

Steven Johnson on Where Good Ideas Come From | Brain Pickings

2011-08-18T21:16:00.000-07:00

Steven Johnson on Where Good Ideas Come From | Brain Pickings

About » open thinking

2011-08-18T21:13:00.000-07:00

About » open thinking

Cutting class: Community colleges see effects of state budget cuts | Crosscut.com

2011-08-18T07:48:00.000-07:00

Cutting class: Community colleges see effects of state budget cuts | Crosscut.com

Could This Amazon App Change the College Textbook Game? - Education - GOOD

2011-08-16T08:49:00.000-07:00

Could This Amazon App Change the College Textbook Game? - Education - GOOD

The Super-Connected Classroom: Experiments in Ingenuity From the Ground Up - Education - GOOD

2011-08-16T06:11:00.000-07:00

The Super-Connected Classroom: Experiments in Ingenuity From the Ground Up - Education - GOOD

Tech the Plunge

2011-08-14T17:37:00.000-07:00

Tech the Plunge

Washington eLearning Community - elearn.wa

2011-08-13T07:19:00.000-07:00

Washington eLearning Community - elearn.wa

Andy's Teaching and Learning Blog: Pages and iPad to Google Docs

2011-08-11T11:44:00.002-07:00

Andy's Teaching and Learning Blog: Pages and iPad to Google Docs: "http://edtech.nathansandberg.me/ipad-pages-and-google-docs-wonderful-combinat"

Pages and iPad to Google Docs

2011-08-11T11:44:00.001-07:00

http://edtech.nathansandberg.me/ipad-pages-and-google-docs-wonderful-combinat

Being a College Professor Isn't All It's Cracked Up to Be - National - The Atlantic Wire

2011-08-11T06:07:00.000-07:00

Being a College Professor Isn't All It's Cracked Up to Be - National - The Atlantic Wire

Stratepedia Blog | News and tips for productive teaching and learning

2011-08-10T20:57:00.000-07:00

Stratepedia Blog | News and tips for productive teaching and learning

Get Good at Social Media. Now. | Penelope Trunk Blog

2011-08-09T06:14:00.000-07:00

Get Good at Social Media. Now. | Penelope Trunk Blog

The End of the Financial World as We Know It - NYTimes.com

2011-08-06T15:01:00.000-07:00

Op-Ed Contributors - The End of the Financial World as We Know It - NYTimes.com

Wired Campus - The Chronicle of Higher Education

2011-08-06T06:51:00.000-07:00

Wired Campus - The Chronicle of Higher Education

Dr. Tae 닥터태 » Blog Archive » Is it immoral to teach science badly?

2011-08-06T06:27:00.000-07:00

Dr. Tae 닥터태 » Blog Archive » Is it immoral to teach science badly?

One More Huge Reason to Go to Open Source

2011-07-14T07:49:00.000-07:00

This is a powerful argument to go to open source textbooks as well as an open source LMS.

http://chronicle.com/blogs/wiredcampus/blackboard-announces-collaboration-with-major-textbook-publishers/32228

Fixed vs. Growth Mindset

2011-07-10T07:20:00.001-07:00

From Michele Martin....

Professional Development from the Growth Mindset

Are you fixed, or are you growing?

So, what are you reading, Summer 2011?

2011-07-01T08:36:00.000-07:00

So, what books are you currently reading? A couple of recent reads include Where Good Ideas Come From, by Steven Johnson, and Being Wrong, by Kathryn Schulz. Johnson describes how innovation is nurtured by creative environments and cultures, while Schulz explores how misconceptions are perpetuated and how errors contribute to new ideas. Both books make a case for the benefits of ambiguity, tolerance and the imperfections of humans.

Also on the bedstand with bookmarks are Keith Richards' Life, the autobiography of the Rolling Stones' guitarist, Doug Glanville's The Game From Where I Stand, about his life in the Major Leagues, and Dave Eggers’ collection of The Best American Nonrequired Reading of 2010, short stories, essays, and other pieces, including work by Sherman Alexie, Kurt Vonnegut, and Stephan Colbert.

What about you?

The Economic Rebound: It Isn’t What You Think | Magazine | Wired.com

2011-06-06T06:07:00.000-07:00

Smart Jobs....

The Economic Rebound: It Isn’t What You Think | Magazine | Wired.com

Letters of Note: The human race is incurably idiotic

2011-06-03T06:41:00.000-07:00

Letters of Note: The human race is incurably idiotic

Education and community colleges: Students, when you get a second chance, take it - latimes.com

2011-05-26T16:48:00.000-07:00

Education and community colleges: Students, when you get a second chance, take it - latimes.com

Crowdsourcing, collaborative learning or cheating? | A World Bank Blog on ICT use in Education

2011-05-24T05:49:00.000-07:00

Crowdsourcing, collaborative learning or cheating? | A World Bank Blog on ICT use in Education

Seth's Blog: What's high school for?

2011-05-06T18:00:00.000-07:00

Seth's Blog: What's high school for?

The Technium: Techno Life Skills

2011-04-29T18:29:00.000-07:00

The Technium: Techno Life Skills

Whining is Not a Scalable Solution

2011-04-23T06:26:00.000-07:00

Seth's Blog: The realization is now

Buying an education or buying a brand?

2011-04-15T13:38:00.000-07:00

Is it worth it?

Seth's Blog: Buying an education or buying a brand?

Moving Beyond Teachers and Bosses

2011-04-04T06:26:00.000-07:00

Seth Godin describes the need to avoid doing the minimum of what you think is expected.

Key phrase, 'If your boss is seen as a librarian, she becomes a resource, not a limit.'

So, what are you reading, Spring 2011

2011-04-02T12:43:00.000-07:00

So, what books are you currently reading? Over the break, I read E.B. White's, This is New York, his wonderful essay about life in the big city in the 1940's. I continue to read, Being Wrong, by Kathryn Schulz, about human error, learning and our beliefs. This one is great, with insights for what I do as a teacher.

Also on the bedstand with bookmarks are Keith Richards' Life, the autobiography of the Rolling Stones' guitarist, and Dave Eggers’ collection of The Best American Nonrequired Reading of 2010, short stories, essays, and other pieces, including work by Sherman Alexie, Kurt Vonnegut, and Stephan Colbert.

What about you?

30 Things We Need - 30 We Don't

2011-03-09T12:46:00.000-08:00

From Tony Schwartz via the Harvard Business Review.

30 Things We Need - 30 We Don't

The Technium: The Positive Balance of Technology

2011-03-01T19:31:00.000-08:00

The Technium: The Positive Balance of Technology

Things You Really Need to Learn ~ Stephen's Web

2011-02-05T10:35:00.000-08:00

Things You Really Need to Learn ~ Stephen's Web

Dr. Tae — Your Skateboarding Physics Professor — 닥터태 » Blog Archive » Want to do one small thing right now to improve education? Read one of these books.

2011-02-02T06:05:00.000-08:00

Dr. Tae — Your Skateboarding Physics Professor — 닥터태 » Blog Archive » Want to do one small thing right now to improve education? Read one of these books.

Why Use Blackboard?

2011-02-01T06:21:00.000-08:00

Canvas anyone?

Maybe We're Doing It Wrong

2011-01-19T08:09:00.000-08:00

Here are a couple of semi-related posts on the limitations of what education can do:

Michele Martin writes about How School Screws Things Up, about the mismatch of expectations between an education environment and what the real world demands.

The second is an article from the Seattle Times summarizing a study critical of higher education's lack of success in instilling 'higher level' thinking skills among students.

Your mileage may vary, but focusing on grades and doing well on tests can get in the way of learning how to navigate a complex world.

So, what are you reading?

2011-01-01T13:40:00.000-08:00

So, what books are you currently reading? Over the break, I read a couple of books, including William Gibson's Pattern Recognition, and Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, the Jazz Age Classic and archetypical American nove.

Also on the bedstand with bookmarks are Inside of a Dog, by Alexandra Horowitz, helpful in understanding why Brownie and Audrey do what they do, Joyride, Pedaling Toward a Healthier Planet, by Mia Birk, and Keith Richards' Life, the autobiography of the Rolling Stones' guitarist. I'm also about a third of the way through Being Wrong, by Kathryn Schulz, about human error, learning and our beliefs. This last one is great, with insights for what I do as a teacher.

So, what are you reading?

Teach Parents Tech

2010-12-14T06:49:00.000-08:00

This is great! How to do all the simple and little things on your computer!

Teach Parents Tech

School Sucks. Dr. Tae Explains Why

2010-11-28T08:14:00.000-08:00

Dr. Tae — Building A New Culture Of Teaching And Learning from Dr. Tae on Vimeo.

You Suck at PowerPoint

2010-11-27T10:36:00.000-08:00

YOU SUCK AT POWERPOINT!

View more presentations from @JESSEDEE.

What's Next?

2010-11-19T14:42:00.000-08:00

Two great presentations here. The first is on Internet Trends, developed by Morgan Stanley Research,

http://www.morganstanley.com/institutional/techresearch/

Here's the link.....

http://www.morganstanley.com/institutional/techresearch/tenquestions_web2.html

The second is on Teaching and Learning in a Networked Age, by Alec Couros, who I saw and heard at the NW Elearning Conference.

http://www.slideshare.net/courosa/teaching-learning-in-a-networked-age

Both of these underscore why we need to keep on pushing our colleagues, our institutions, our methods and practices to catch up to where our students are, and where they will be going.

Why Open is Important

2010-11-03T06:19:00.000-07:00

From the University of Michigan. There's a strong argument for pricing something at next to nothing when the marginal cost of producing and distributing is zero.

Attention Span, Ignorance and Outrage

2010-10-20T06:16:00.001-07:00

Seth Godin and Mark Morford seem to be on the same page here.

And, Maureen Dowd is with them.

Maybe it is time to do some reflective reading, talking, writing and listening.

So, what are you reading?

2010-09-10T09:51:00.001-07:00

So, what books are you currently reading? The break brought a number of books to my nightstand. I've got a habit of starting one and leaving it for a while, as another one grabs my attention. Here are a few recently completed or with active bookmarks.

Absurdistan, by Gary Shteyngart. Comic novel about post-Soviet Russia, New York, and love.

The Worst Hard Time, by Timothy Egan. Epic history of the Dust Bowl in the United States during the 30's. Our country has a long history of environmental disasters, and this was probably the worst, so far.

Spade and Archer - The Prequel to Dashiell Hammett's The Maltese Falcon. Great hard-boiled detective novel that introduces Sam Spade, before he encounters 'the stuff that dreams are made of.'

Round The World on a Wheel - John Foster Fraser. Three Brits circumnavigate the globe on their bicycles at the close of the 19th Century. Adventure and hilarity ensue.

He's right, you know.....

2010-06-27T08:16:00.000-07:00

Validation is overrated.....

How to Beat Presentation Panic

2010-06-15T19:42:00.001-07:00

Ever have a techno failure during a presentation? Of course, you have! Here's how Steve Jobs handles those invariable glitches.

Open Course Movement

2010-06-06T16:10:00.000-07:00

Not many posts recently, probably because I've been focused elsewhere with an overloaded schedule, multiple demands on my limited resources, etc. But, here are a few links on the Open Course Movement, including the Open Course Library project, that are worth saving..

First is the Good Magazine's Guide to Innovative Education. In that set of articles, they point to Academic Earth, which provides access to online courses, course materials, and degrees.

The Khan Academy provides short video lectures on a variety of topics, mostly focusing on math and sciences.

While we're at it, here's the Open Course Library Ning Site and the Open Course Library Wiki, the state of Washington's project to develop a set of courses for the world!

How To Deliver the Perfect Presentation

2010-04-15T13:40:00.000-07:00

From Wired Magazine.....

http://howto.wired.com/wiki/Deliver_the_Perfect_Presentation

Higher Education in the 21st Century

2010-01-28T09:11:00.000-08:00

Two news articles described the conditions for university students in the face of budget cuts.

The first is from the Seattle Times, discussing class sizes for popular courses.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2010898857_bigclasses27m.html

The second, and longer piece, is from NPR describing conditions at the once-prestigious Univesity of California, and the impact caused that the reductions in public funding.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=123035049

While we are not exempt from funding problems, community colleges remain a bargain and a source of high-quality instruction, especially when compared with these stories.