Inspiration versus Motivation

Which comes first, the chicken or the egg?

Which comes first, inspiration or motivation? Or are they related in such a way that it doesn't matter which comes first? Or do they pertain to different goals?

I am working on a beautiful Saturday afternoon.

Yes. I am motivated to get as much ready as I can for the start of the school year. I would not say that I am inspired though.

I am inspired by listening to A Whole New Mind on audiobook because I will have another opportunity to speak in front of others. I am inspired to share what Daniel Pink has to say and I am using one of his ideas for activating the right brain while I present technical information to staff.  I am tired however, so I am not particularly motivated to work on this beautiful afternoon.

So what is driving me to do both? What drives you to complete work or implement new ideas?

Opportunity to Teach, Opportunity to Learn

What would you say if you had the attention of administrators and innovators for 4 minutes?

I would teach! I would take this opportunity to teach others and myself.
Watch this video called Opportunity by Synergy
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xDcT0zYLP6A

http://www.teachertube.com/members/viewVideo.php?video_id=190531&title=Opportunity_by_Synergy

I would learn! Especially from their interpretations.

I learned that there are a lot of people "paying attention" and doing something about it!

What would you say if you had the attention of administrators and innovators for 4 minutes?

The Mammas and the Pappas

I recently met Dr. Helen Barrett - what a lovely person!

It was funny because I almost jumped up so excited I was to meet what I call one of the "celebrities" of the field of instructional technology. I also saw David Warlick who I refrained from getting his autograph : )

As I stood awe-inspired and listening to her adventure in Barcelona, I got to thinking how great it is to have people like this forge forward. Having these "mammas and pappas" are extremely important to people like me who are pioneering the way in their own district.  They give us strength and credibility to navigate along this challenging journey.

Last summer, I heard Alan November speak. And when I went to have him sign my book, I thanked him. He asked why. This is why. We need people like him who get up in front of the crowd and tell it like it is. We can then go back knowing we are not alone.

So thank you Mammas and Pappas - the celebrities of instructional technology!

Connecting and constructing

I'm working on a summer collegial study this summer and the question is what will I learn, how will I know I learned it, and ultimately, how will I apply it?

If we are visual learners, then I'd like to "see" the result of my my learning. After all, isn't true that once I'm exposed to new ideas, my mind will make sense of it and construct new meaning? And if I discuss this with someone, their own learning will become enmeshed in mine to create a new dynamic.

So how do two educators make sense of The Third Teacher, The Element, and A Whole New Mind? I'll post the concept map when we finish with our collegial study this summer!

So many times throughout history

I spent a few days in Denver, CO with my daughter and parents and I don't know why I am surprised to find examples of learning on vacation!

We took a drive through the Rocky Mountain National State Park which is absolutely beautiful! On the way, we met some very nice volunteers who gave us a tour of the Holzwarth Family home in the mountains. While their family story was interesting, it was what the guide said at the end that caught my attention. He said the part about the story that he'd like us to leave with was that the Holzarth family made it work, no matter what came at them. They were resilient and resourceful.

That reminded me of education and what we encounter every day - no matter what comes at us, we can get through this by being resourceful and resilient.

Do we just stop and look at obstacles or do we keep moving forward by figuring out ways through, around, over, under and move past them?

sottosopra

sottosopra means upside down in Italian

Jack Johnson's song "Upside Down" is great and seems to fit my view of learning right now

Jack Johnson » Upside Down

Who's to say
What's impossible
Well they forgot
This world keeps spinning
And with each new day
I can feel a change in everything
And as the surface breaks reflections fade
But in some ways they remain the same
And as my mind begins to spread its wings
There's no stopping curiosity

I want to turn the whole thing upside down
I'll find the things they say just can't be found
I'll share this love I find with everyone
We'll sing and dance to Mother Nature's songs
I don't want this feeling to go away

Who's to say
I can't do everything
Well I can try
And as I roll along I begin to find
Things aren't always just what they seem

I want to turn the whole thing upside down
I'll find the things they say just can't be found
I'll share this love I find with everyone
We'll sing and dance to Mother Nature's songs
This world keeps spinning and there's no time to waste
Well it all keeps spinning spinning round and round and

Upside down
Who's to say what's impossible and can't be found
I don't want this feeling to go away

Please don't go away
Please don't go away
Please don't go away
Is this how it's supposed to be
Is this how it's supposed to be

photo courtesy of zenera a@ Flickr
http://www.flickr.com/photos/zenera/506018088/

Staff Development on TV

I have spent the last 2 nights fascinated with watching the finales of reality shows - The Biggest Loser, Celebrity Apprentice (Yah! Bret), Dancing with the Stars, American Idol.

And there's such a strong common theme in all of these - transformation. We use this word in education all the time. "We need to transform this and transform that, transform our instruction, transform the classroom, transform learning."

What does it mean to transform? How do we know we are transforming?

So one of the pieces is change. Change implies a significant difference between before and after, right?

Does it mean that the after is better? That's still to be seen, but based on what I've seen so far, there is evidence that it might.

So what? There's a big difference between something that LOOKS different and something that IS different. What is that???

I think it's deeply personal, emotional and it only happens as a result of challenging oneself and going through, yes, through the struggle. It's not easy to get to a different place, but if we go there together, we can. And that's the second ingredient - having a someone to push you there. I'm not sure if push is the right word, but it's what Jillian does in The Biggest Loser. I can relate to her b/c there are teachers who are afraid they will fail at using technology - they compare themselves to a younger generation, even their students who are more adept at using technology, but what I see when a teacher goes through the struggle of taking that risk - to learn and grow, is amazing. They just need someone to tell them they can do it, hold up the expectation, and hold out a hand if they stumble or fall to help them back up.

Well, if education really does need to transform, then why aren't we looking to what's happening out there? It's right in front of us - we don't need a book, or a manual or a step-by-step guide to tell us how to transform! Sylvia Martinez stated at ISTE last year that the past 30 years of technology staff development has not worked. I think we can look to other sources in our world to receive and provide staff development. Why are we limiting ourselves to only educators when we have Stacy and Clinton and Jillian and Bob and so many others teaching others how to transform? If they can do it, so can we!

Who inspires you?