What are we doing in education??

This month Time magazine has proclaimed "you" to be their person of the year for the role each and every one of us is playing in the transformation of the world wide web from an information repository to an interactive global community. Time calls the growing community of bloggers, podcasters and videographers a revolution with sites such as blogger, youtube and myspace attracting millions of subscribers and daily hit counts in the hundreds of millions.

Meanwhile in education we seem to be stuck in a debate around how much access we allow students, how we can best monitor and restrict their internet access and what is the best way to get music to play over the entire length of a powerpoint. While we lament funding cuts and grouse about the apathy of today's students and how they are just not interested in things we turn our backs on the many resources that are at our fingertips thanks to the growth of the read/write web. How many teachers do you know who are accessing the hundreds of soldiers blogs from Iraq or Afghanistan. How about using webcams to link up with other classes around the world or access one of the thousands of virtual fieldtrips from places like NASA and the San Diego Zoo. How about taking advantage of the price drop in digital cameras and designing lessons that put them in the hands of their students or encouraging students to create videos or podcasts. How many teachers have their students publish to the web and seek feedback from people with no vested interest other than having an opinion. Don't get me wrong I don't think it is the teachers' faults. I think it is a result of working in a system that has long been a dispenser of knowledge. In this environment information is to be given out in small, controlled doses so that progress can be measured and standards maintained, or created, in a sort of chicken and egg scenario.

While one to one laptops initiatives are seen to be cutting edge in the education world and have school districts all around North America scrambling to try and remortgage our children's' educational future so we can provide them with shiny new computers with no real sense of how they will be used. Perhaps school districts should take a closer look at why the large number of students who actually have their own laptops are not bringing them to school or using them in their classes. Maybe it is because students are not allowed to text message in class, MSN is banned, assignments are not online, email is blocked, wireless access is not provided and internet resources are not part of the lesson plans. The reality is that I do not need the school system to buy my children a laptop or monitor their online activity, I will do that. What I do need is a system that encourages rich learning activities that take advantage of the power, simplicity and creativity of a vibrant online community.

Everybody seems to get the power of the read/write internet and more so they are simply going online. Teenagers chatting about the latest episode of the OC, preteens creating online pets on www.tamagotchi.com, parents sharing the latest pictures of their kids and grandparents video chatting with their grandchildren. Everybody seems to be tapping into the power of the internet and molding it to their own purpose so what are we waiting for in education. Jump in, explore, play its OK, we might just learn something along with the students. In education we keep investing in infrastructure and hardware asking ourselves is this revolutionizing education yet. What we really should be doing is looking to the kids and the online community to see what we can take advantage of before the revolution runs right over us.

Anyways, this is a little deep for Christmas vacation but if you want to read a position paper I wrote about technology not being just a tool feel free to download it here. Not Just a Tool

Click here for the Time magazine cover story Cover Story

Happy Holidays

Well, the holidays have begun and it is sure nice to pause and take a deep breath after what has seemed like a hectic start to the school year. It is hard to believe that it is already December 23rd. Somehow I don't really feel as prepared for Christmas as I should be but the decorations are up, the presents are under the tree, the eggnog is chilling in the fridge and The Flintstones Christmas Caroll is on TV so maybe we do have it under control.

2006 has been a good year for us. We had a fantastic time in Sayulita, Mexico at spring break with my Mom, Dad and Cyndi and Scott. I know you are all dying to see some photos so feel free to click Sayulita. In fact we liked it so much we are heading back this spring break with Marla's family and some friends. I must admit despite years of putting her off Marla is starting win me over to this whole just lying on the beach thing. Of course 70 cent Pacificos don't hurt either. We had a great summer with hot weather and many sunny days at the lake with family and friends. Graeme thinks he is a tubing god and Connor has realized that if you fall off in the middle of the lake you actually won't drown. Connor also caught his first fish this summer and, in fact, skunked Graeme and I on several occasions.

Marla is back at College Heights this year and is enjoying her second year as she starts to feel more at home at a new school and enjoys the people she works with. She does, however, secretly wear wear Duchess Park t-shirts under her clothes sometimes so I don't think the black and gold has been completely exercised. I am also back at PGSS this year doing the VP thing . It is nice to not be the new guy and at least have the students spell my name right when they decorate the bathroom stall. Graeme is enjoying grade 2 and we are amazed with the amount of French he is picking up. Of course I am impressed by anyone who can count to 10 in French as my grasp of the language ends with "tenir le premier rôle ce soir d'abord des canadiens de Montréal" Connor is in his second year of pre-school and is loving it. He is really ready to go to kindergarten, however, he has stated that he does not want to go to Graeme's school because all they do there is work. You know what task masters those primary teachers can be. Graeme has started hockey this year which also means I am coaching hockey. He started out a little reluctant but is really enjoying it as his skating has improved and he feels more confident about stopping. He is excited about January as he starts power skating and he likes the ideas of just skating and not having to use pucks so I guess we still have a little ways to go before we have to worry about having the next Sidney Crosby on our hands. Graeme and Connor both completed another level of swimming lessons this fall and they are both really becoming good swimmers and they sure love the water. Surprisingly, unlike their mother, they do not need the water to be 85 degrees before they get in.

We hope all of you have a great Christmas and a Happy Holidays! Know that while we not always be the best at keeping up with people we think of our friends and family often.

Love The Lewis'

Master of Educational Technology

Well, after 40 straight months of course work I am finally finished my master's program at UBC. It has been a long haul but also very interesting and rewarding. I am glad I took the route I did as the course work was of interest to me and the online environment allowed me keep some balance between school, work and family life. It will be very strange to not have any readings or assignments hanging over my head and I am sure it will take me a while to stop thinking about course work even though there isn't any. The real downside is that I guess I no longer have an excuse to put off the bathroom renovation I have been working on for a year.

Introducing.....

Jake Robert Bilbrough our 1st nephew and the boys' 1st cousin. A cute little fellow hey, must take after his uncle. 

Winter is Upon Us

Sure it looks more like a snowshmoo than a snowman but it is the first one of the season so let the winter fun begin. 

Superheros and Ghouls

Some things just make you smile. 

Greatest Classic Rock of All Time

I started thinking of the greatest songs of all time. You know those songs that you first heard decades ago and still are among your favorites. They may not necessarily be the songs you listen to everyday but no matter how many times you hear them you just have to turn up the volume and sing along. I just started the list and if you have any songs you think should make the cut let me know and I'll decide if they are worthy.

Save the Internet

Enough Said!!

Salmon Virgin

 

Here I am with the first Salmon I have ever caught. I have wanted to go Salmon fishing for many many years but I guess it is a function of living in such a great fishing area that you sometimes take it for granted and I just never have gotten around to going. Well this weekend my buddy called me up and said there was room in his father-in-law's trailer if I wanted jump in with them. Well, what an awesome couple of days. The weather was great and the fishing spectacular. We saw some grizzlies, had some laughs as caught a bunch of fish, what could be better. If you want to see some more pictures go to Fish Eye 

Beach Start

At a family renuion this last weekend my wife's family gathered on the beach in anticipation of a spectacular wipeout as I attempted my first waterski in 13 years.

Renos

 

Funny how priorities change. A few years ago I would have been excited about buying a new bike or a golf club or something similiar. Now I am excited because we just got a new roof, windows and furnace for our house. Of course new roof means we have to paint the house and new windows means new blinds and ....... 

Don't feed the animals!!

Going against the best advice of parents everwhere here are my two boys feeding a squirrel at our cabin.

What's on the iPod Today

  

Universal Health Care

I came across an article in the newspaper the other day about how British Columbia is looking for ways to recoup some of the health care costs incurred by tourists as they visit BC. While we are very proud as Canadians of our universal health care system, apparently the fact that tourists are getting sick or injured while in our country is putting a strain on our medical resources. I guess the fact that we have thousands of Americans crossing the border in charter busses to buy prescription drugs is less of a problem than someone twisting an ankle on the West Coast Trail but that is another post.

Anyways, this article got me thinking about my experience as a tourist and needing to access another countries health care system. While in Mexico this spring break my 3 year old son came down with a high fever and complained of severe pain in his neck and ear. The town we were staying in had no hospital and my wife and I having no vehicle and speaking little Spanish were extremely anxious. As my mother went in search of a local to inquire as to the nearest hospital she returned with a gentleman who not only told us the nearest hospital was just up the highway but also insisted on lending us his vehicle to get there. When we arrived at the hospital we found no one who spoke English but instead of being frustrated with our lack of Spanish one of the people behind the desk went into the street and came back with a man who spoke a little English to help translate for us. Once in the examination room a doctor came in, again speaking no English, and was extremely patient as he attempted to diagnose the problem. Once he thought he had narrowed the problem down he brought in a pediatric specialist who conferred and assisted. Once they had the problem properly diagnosed as a parasite they gave us a prescription and made an appointment for us to return in three days for a follow up before we flew home. To say the least the generosity and caring of the Mexican people put us at rest and we are truly appreciative of the care my son received.

The interesting thing is that at no time did they ever ask for health care, insurance information or payment of any kind. I guess as medical professionals they simply saw a person in need of care so they did what they have been trained to do. Maybe we should be encouraging people to visit Mexico instead of B.C. if we are worried about the rising health care costs of tourists.

Birdie Watching

 
Twilight Green Fees Jasper Park Lodge = $120
Last room in Tonquin Lodge = $175
Refreshments at the 10th hole = $50
Hitting one long putt for birdie in the splendor of the Rockie Mountains = Priceless 

Public Out Cry

It is interesting to me the things that the public gets all fired up about. In my hometown the papers have been filled with letters and articles discussing city council's decision to ban RV's from camping overnight in parking lots. This debate has been going on for about a year, since WalMart came to town and the campground owners took exception to people staying overnight in the WalMart parking lot. At that time council told WalMart that they would have to erect signs informing people they could not camp in parking lots as it is against city bylaws. This apparently was not good enough for the campground owners as this spring they put pressure on city council to start enforcing those bylaws. City council responded with a strategy that would see tickets issued to offending boondockers. Well, boy did the RV world react. Apparently, our town was instantly blacklisted by the RV world as emails swirled informing the geriatric gypsies of the black hearted city council that would not let them enjoy the spacious and scenic accommodations of a WalMart parking lot. Letters flooded into the paper filled with outrage at the shortsighted city council. How could they let all of these valuable tourist dollars escape our grasp. Well, city council did what any responsible political entity would do, they immediately reversed their decision.

What makes this interesting to me is the time, effort and emotion devoted to this issue. It is similiar to the furor created when the Hockey Fights were coming to town. One would have thought that the Prime Minister was visiting for all of the media attention and public opinion it generated. What is sad is that our town, like many, has other issues that people should get involved with and deserve the public's involvement. Growing drug use and meth addiction among our children, teenage prostitution, expanding slums, increased homeless population and the list goes on. However, sadly many of these issues get much less attention or ever generate the public interest and involvement that the can apparently be generated by telling a tourist driving a $100,000 RV that he will have to pay $15 for a campsite can. The good news is that if we can just get city council to pick up the tab for a few tents maybe our homeless can stay at WalMart.

Back at Ya.

On my buddy Kevin's blog, The Long Road, he posted a video of himself carving a few turns on Sun Peaks so I thought it was my turn.

Oh Ya, We're in Good Hands!

Our new saviour, Stephen Harper, who vows to clean up government and have a more transparent government has just come out with his ingenious three point plan for winning back the faith of Canadians. Apparently, the problem as Steve O sees it is those ministers who embarrass or contradict the government in public. So for those ministers who do not goose step in line with the conservative party plan Harper says they can expect 1) public humiliation, 2) to be banned from official trips and 3) to be kicked out of cabinet. It sure puts my mind at ease to know that if my representative in government speaks out on behalf of his constituents he will be "publicly humiliated". As one minister has said the message is clear "So stick to the party line, or you'll go out there and tell the whole world that you're a dumb (jerk) who screwed up." WOW, I can feel my faith in government growing even as I write this. With this sort of open dialogue and innovative thinking being encouraged at the highest levels of government I am sure we will soon have solutions to problems in health care, education and social services. I guess the only positive thing is that we can all feel a lot closer to our ministers as now they are truly like us, being told what to do and to shut up and take it from a leader who was elected by less than a third of the Canadian people.

Microsoft Creativity

Check this video out showing Microsoft, once again at their creative best, stealing from MAC.

Old Video

I am playing around with embedding video and this is a video I made for my wife on our 5th anniversary. As we approach year 8 I still like looking back on it and it amazes me how things just keeping better as we share our lif together.

Tasty Waves

 

Here I am working hard for those waves. It's a tough job but someone has to do it. 

Watching the Break

  

No worries

  

Surf Rider

This is a picture of my buddy who is also on the Sky to Sea to Sky adventure and I had to post the greatest picture ever taken of him. I bow to you oh rider of the waves.

.... and on to the sea!

Oh ya, phase 2 of the Sky to Sea to Sky adventure is well under way. We arrived in Sayulita, Mexico a few days ago and life is fine. With lots of surf and sun, the days are spent gathering on the beach, watching the kids play and trying to master the intricacies of the boogie board. No phone, no t.v., just the waves, some good books, lots of Pacifico and a hijacked wireless signal. There is really something therapeutic about sitting on your couch, reading a book and looking out the patio doors at the ocean wondering when the muffin lady is coming by. Well it is time to find the shrimp man and see what the boats brought in. Hmmm.... life is good.

Old School

 
J.P. throwin down a little 80's backscratcher action. 

Tree Hugger

 

Here I am coming out of the trees at Sun Peaks, having a blast. 

Party Bus

  

Paul ripping it up at Sun Peaks.

Sky to Sea to Sky Adventure Begins

Well spring break is quickly approaching and our family is heading of to Mexico for two weeks. Everyone is very excited and it just so happens that the little fishing village that we are going to is going to be hosting numerous families from our home town. However, before we can get too serious about the sun and sand myself and two friends had to deal with a little sun and snow. Three glorious days of skiing with a great group of students from the school we work at was just the thing to kick start our sky to sea to sky adventure. The next month will see us carving up some powder on top of the world to pounding the surf on the pacific coast to returning to the best spring snow in the world. With leg one of the journey under our belts we just have to pause for a few days of work before heading for the beach. Knock on wood that the rest of our adventure is as successful as this first leg.

High Diver

 
 
 

Some great diving and the first time off the high board. All was going well until the belly flop. 

Ski Buddies

 

A great day at the hill and the start of many more to come. 

Post Op

 

Mommy and son after he has had his tonsils and adnoids removed.