"Old dogs" my mange-ridden tail. (I'm the guy with the receding hairline, inset lower left.)

I’ve been meaning to scratch this itch of a digitized reading/writing/speaking unit for any school with basic podcasting gear for a while, but have been too busy.

Busy with a new job, here in Seoul, writing and announcing radio news. I applied for it a good two months ago, and after a glacial hiring process, got the nod in mid-November. (Some of my fellow tweets know this.)

And while it’s obvious that I enjoyed the advantage of being a foreigner when it came to breaking into radio at my age, I want to add that it didn’t hurt to have a background teaching reading, writing, and speaking skills for eight years. The old joke I loved as a new Humanities graduate – “I have a Liberal Arts degree: Will that be for here or to go?” – seems less funny now, because less true.  The basic skills – reading, writing, speaking, listening, which really just mean communicating, in the end – have more value to them than we often credit.

That teaching unit I mentioned? I think about it most days as I drive home from work. In a nutshell, it’s this: invite your students to turn your content, whatever your subject matter, into five-minute “top of the hour” newscasts, applying the craft of writing for radio (great resource here), and then speaking for radio. Then have them follow up, at certain points, with “talk radio” in which they discuss and debate their “content news.” In addition to that work-flow’s simple progression from fact-mastery (identify the main ideas of each section of a chapter and distill them into a short, well-crafted précis) to higher-order thinking (analyze, synthesize, evaluate those main ideas in a natural discussion), there are two more bonuses: first, the technology slice is so simple it’s invisible (in live studio news broadcasts, you only get one chance to announce the news, so for students that means hit record, read for five minutes, then wrap by hitting “stop” and call it a day), and technology should ideally be as invisible as pen and paper; and second, the activity develops all the real-world skills that come with real journalism and broadcasting (or, as Wes Fryer puts it in regards to podcasting, “narrowcasting”).

Glancing back at my last post about Linda Darling-Hammond on performance-based assessment, this type of learning-while-doing workshop measures performance across a wide range of literacy skills: reading for main ideas, writing them with economy and accuracy (and no passive voice, mostly action verbs, citation of sources, distinctions between “alleging” and “charging,” and more), and best of all, speaking with proper pace, volume, inflection, emphasis, pitch variety, and all the other qualities radio announcers have to master to avoid losing their listeners to the next station on the dial.

It’s “real-world project-based learning” that uses the same skills as outlining, note-taking, and giving those schooly little front-of-the-classroom speeches.

The only glitch I can see is this: if you have 20 students that you put into pairs, they can’t all record at the same time in class, so they’ll have to do the actual recording outside of class. They can still have the class period as the workshop to read and write their news scripts, and practice announcing them to each other. They can also discuss and outline the questions and topics for the higher-order “talk show” piece.

Here’s the process we follow at my station. I really think it could be duplicated in an 80-minute block. At work, I do it as part of a team of two. Here it is:

7:30 to 8:30 a.m.: Read newswires (in class, this could be, say, a chapter from a history textbook), select ten articles (sections from the textbook) for the 5-minute 9:00 hourly, divide the labor, then condense those news articles – which read aloud would take two or three minutes each – into crisp little 20-to-30 second summaries of main ideas.

That means cutting about 90% of the length, without cutting the important ideas. (In other words, that means: critical reading for main ideas.)

8:30 to 8:50 a.m.: Practice reading the scripts, making last-minute adjustments where necessary. Focus on the oral skills here: breath control, pace and pause, acceleration and deceleration, words and phrases to emphasize (just consciously watch or listen to any TV or radio newscaster, and notice how different their speaking is from normal off-air speech).

8:50 to 9:00: Go upstairs to the studio, make sure your pages are in order.

9 to 9:05: Announce the news. No second chances.

Again, the reading, writing, and practicing take 80 minutes – a standard block period. The actual recording would have to be done outside of class (Skype, anyone?).

Now for the testimonial: When training for this gig, my first few attempts at speaking were disasters. Adrenaline would make me read too fast. I couldn’t control my breath, so you’d hear huge whooshing sounds as I came up for air after long sentences. My voice and hands shook. I couldn’t meet the 5-minute final out deadline. I couldn’t turn pages skillfully – you’d hear rattling paper or, worse, page one seque to page three because I’d lifted two pages instead of one, resulting in an economy article ending with a surreal sports score followed by a brain-frozen omigod pause. My vocal style would start strong, but during the underwater feeling of the third and fourth minute, I’d drop into a monotone without realizing it. And more.

But my partner’s constructive feedback and encouragement, and self-critique by listening to the performance, and imitation of newscasters online and on air, soon – within a week – led to massive improvement in both writing and speaking, by all accounts. I still have the job, so that must be the general consensus. My point here is that, done regularly, giving students time to stumble and fail, then try again until they succeed and become finally comfortable with all this literacy, will, I’m convinced, make them much stronger readers, writers, and speakers than ye olde schooly lecture-outline-take notes-summarize-give a speech drill.

It was the same with the reading and writing. My partner and I took forever, the first few days, to be able to hone in on the main ideas in all the articles we re-wrote, leading to no practice-time before going live and worse. But now, our speed has at least doubled. We’ve developed the skills, in other words, of skimming, evaluating, separating central from supporting information, and re-writing those quickly and clearly.

So, when I re-enter the classroom next year (yes, you heard that right), this performance-based workflow will be one I introduce early in the year, and sustain throughout it.

I know it’s not original, by the way, and I’m sure many teachers are doing this type of thing. I’m just struck by it because I’ve experienced it from the other (and real-world) end, as a learner.

23 Comments

• At December 7, 2008, Jenny Luca wrote:

  Good luck with it all Clay. I hope it works out for you.

  Jenny Lucas last blog post..The Alexandrine Dilemma - Mark Pesce’s message for Librarians.

• At December 7, 2008, Bonnie wrote:

  Enjoyed reading about your "top of the hour" newscast teaching unit. It dovetails nicely with the reasoning behind my blogging with 5th graders this year. I like to imagine that I'm laying a foundation for them to go on to higher grades and participate in classrooms with this kind of relevant project based learning.

  Simplified even further for younger kids, my goal in a nutshell is to get ten-year-olds thinking about what they're learning and synthesizing it into a coherent paragraph to share with their families online. Being able to share this information is so powerful for many reasons. Yes, we're reinforcing communication skills, and maybe we're even educating some of the parents in the process. At the very least we're adding another layer to the home/school bond that research tells us is so important.

  Bonnies last blog post..Reform school II

• At December 8, 2008, Morgante Pell wrote:

  Great post! This is certainly the sort of assessment I would like to be doing as a student. (Though I definitely enjoy debates too.) I actually recently wrote about a free way to record podcasts from any phone, which might be useful to some people.

• At December 8, 2008, Diane Quirk wrote:

  We're slowly gearing up to do some podcasting with some of our elementary students soon. I love this comparison between a real life skill and a practical application to the classroom. This also gives me some thinking about what we'll need to pay attention to when getting kids ready to do some good work. Glad to hear you'll be back in the classroom again - looking forward to your writing about that.

• At December 8, 2008, Charlie A. Roy wrote:

  Sounds like a very doable activity especially in our social science classes. I'll be passing the idea around to our social studies teachers and they are planning their professional growth plans for next year tied to student engagement.

  Charlie A. Roys last blog post..Employee Benefits and Staff Retention

• At December 8, 2008, Paul C wrote:

  I have always sensed that there is an intellectual wanderlust in you which would inevitably move you from teaching into another interesting calling. I am sure you will be richer for the experience and it will help you to process the dynamics of learning relevance for all. Best wishes.

  Paul Cs last blog post..Blogger Discovery

• At December 8, 2008, Claire Adams wrote:

  Wow! What a great idea Clay.

  I'll definitely consider using this next year (apparently I'm teaching English and S&E argh!)

  I totally agree with Morgante Pell, this is the sort of assessment piece that i would feel interested in.

  Assessing it might be tricky, but it's definitely worth a shot. I always hated novel and poetry studies anyway.

  Claire Adamss last blog post..Start with the idea and apply the tool

• At December 9, 2008, Clay Burell wrote:

  Jen, thanks. It always has worked out so far, though not always the way I'd have chosen. (Do you know that Taoist parable with the "Good luck? Bad luck? Who knows?" refrain? It's my gospel.)

• At December 9, 2008, Clay Burell wrote:

  Bonnie, that's a great angle for young learners. You're right, the approach is similar to what I sketch out, insofar as both require the content to somehow be used for a purpose, manipulated, "done to".

  And I love the home/school bonding. Good stuff.

• At December 9, 2008, Clay Burell wrote:

  Morgante,

  Hm. Radio does call-in interviews. Tweaking along those lines would be fun.

  As for debating, that's the "talk show" format idea, in a sense, though nobody's saying nothing can be front-and-center live.

• At December 9, 2008, Clay Burell wrote:

  Hi Diane,

  Yes, it's the "podcasting WHY?" and "podcasting HOW?" that's important, isn't it?

  And doing it in a way that has clear hooks to real-world analogs (what elementary school kid has never heard news radio?) seems a way to inculcate real-world, transferable skills while at the same time using the content of whatever class as the material. That content will be incidentally learned as the ideas are re-processed in writing and speaking.

  In the real-world, nobody says, "I'm going to podcast" without knowing why, or wanting to. Classrooms have to operate on this same basis. (I know this isn't news to you. It's just interesting to flesh out.)

  I really like Bonnie's elementary idea above. Did you see it?

• At December 9, 2008, Clay Burell wrote:

  Charlie, I agree social science classes seem the easiest fit for this.

  There's a podcast by, I want to say, the History News Network, that's real-world. Google histor* and podcast and you should find it. Might be a good model. Though of course the imagination's the limit as to format and approach, really.

  A couple years ago, I had students do "live" reports from the Age of Exploration, and didn't like the result. The "pretend" element made it schooly - still fun, but schooly. Today, I'd make it more straight.

  I also made the groups too large, and the lengths too long. Pairs with short time limits are the corrective next time.

  Nice as always, Charlie.

• At December 9, 2008, Clay Burell wrote:

  Thanks Paul. That wanderlust will be the end of me yet. But you did see that I'm preparing to return to the classroom, yes?

  Timing and wind conditions for sailing into the great freelance unknown are not favorable with the currently brewing perfect storm. Asian markets will fall hard next year, domino-wise. Unemployment will rise and budgets shrink. So the security is most important for the wife and me.

  Maybe another time. As jobs go, teaching is still a good one, kvetching aside.

• At December 9, 2008, Clay Burell wrote:

  Hi Claire,

  First, what's "S&E"?

  Honestly, I think English is the hardest subject to teach well. History is easier by far for me. So I hear you when you say you hate novel and poetry studies.

  So how could this work in any authentic radio way for novels and poems?

  Hm. NPR/This American Life type feature stories about the characters and plots of novels, treated as real, might be something. Or advice call-in shows with people talking about their "friend who has this problem"?

  It's a challenge, for sure.

  And as I said to Charlie above re: real History podcasts, there are also real book-talk radio shows, culture shows where people just talk books. Maybe something as simple (almost) as that could be the way to go.

  Thanks for the input. It helped me just now. :)

• At December 9, 2008, Morgante Pell wrote:

  Yes, basing it on call-in intervirws would definitely help to improve it.

  One would hope that the format would be less like "talk radio" (where it really isn't a debate, more like a monologue with interjections) and more like a real debate, where actual opposite points are taken and both sides are given some leverage.

  For examples of fake debates, see Fox News.

• At December 9, 2008, Clay Burell wrote:

  Morgante,

  LOL. Fox 1: "Obama is not a terrorist. He's a socialist!"

  Fox 2: "I disagree. He's a terrorist!"

  Fox 3: "He's actually a fasco-socio-terrorist with a gay Muslim agenda to bring down fair and balanced reporting."

  Okay. Enough.

• At December 10, 2008, Ben wrote:

  I like it! I've been brainstorming ideas for non-traditional assessments of science content and this idea seems like it'll work quite well with the next content area we're covering in class.

  It's quick, authentic, and engaging. I'll have to sit down to flesh out details, but thanks for sending me down this road.

  Bens last blog post..Artifacts #2- Chemical reaction primer

• At December 10, 2008, Claire Adams wrote:

  Clay, you may have hit on something there. Students could do a radio version of a 'book report', doesn't sound as risky or creative but it would be better than just another piece of writing.

  S&E stands for Society and the Environment, similar to Geography and History all mashed up together with a bunch of Social Studies thrown in for good measure. My first topic for year 10 S&E next year is WWII so some radio broadcasts may well be useful assessment pieces.

  Claire Adamss last blog post..Start with the idea and apply the tool

• At December 11, 2008, Clay Burell wrote:

  Claire, that's interesting. Again, what I'm learning in radio production is that even "feature" shows are often not ad lib, but scripted. So the "book report" idea may change the writing for students in positive ways, since it will have to sound good and clear - and engaging - when read.

  If you do find yourself playing with this approach in your classes, drop us a line and let us know.

• At December 11, 2008, Clay Burell wrote:

  Ben, be sure you drop a comment with links if anything comes of that. I think there's a lot to be said for science coursework that "announces" science stuff in a way that teaches listeners. God knows I could benefit by listening to explanations of all the science I never really learned in high school. :)

• At January 1, 2009, Beyond School: Happy Birthday - and Rest in Peace? | Beyond School wrote:

  [...] applied, interviewed, interviewed again. Glacial, painful waiting (and contemporaneous with the radio job I’d also been interviewing [...]

• At January 10, 2009, Marissa wrote:

  Hi this is Marissa from Mr. Bogush's social studies. We decided to try out your idea. If you would like to see how it turns out check out the link below 9:00 to 10:00 EST on Tuesday.

  http://collaborationnation.wikispaces.com/Steaming+Video+of+Todays+Class

• At February 17, 2009, Unsucky English, Lecture 6: Gilgamesh and the Birth of Something New | Beyond School wrote:

  [...] Gilgamesh. [↩]I got sucked into the presidential campaign first, then into interviewing for a radio job and a writing job over six weeks or so after that (I got them both, thank goodness), and then into [...]

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He wins in a Democrat landslide. Hopes are high for a progressive agenda unseen since the New Deal, and he delivers, in the first days of his presidency, an avalanche of legislation meant to fulfill those hopes.

But he also inherits a military conflict that his advisers are counseling him to escalate – with a “surge,” we might say – and the president follows that advice. Things go downhill from there.

“He,” of course, is President Lyndon Baines Johnson – LBJ. But the parallels with President Obama are obvious. Just substitute “Afghanistan and Iraq” for “Viet Nam.”

LBJ on PBS (click image for larger view)

What an amazing time to be a US History teacher – especially with resources like the “American Experience: The Presidents” documentary series from America’s Public Broadcasting System (PBS) available, free and online (and many available for free download, with close captions ideal for ESL students – get ‘em while they’re hot!).

I just watched the LBJ episode and can’t wait to watch more. Coupling Obama’s presidency with LBJ’s in a compare/contrast discussion would surely enliven any US History classroom this year.

Whether you’re a teacher, student, or life-long learner, you can’t go wrong with this adventure in education. It beats the pants off of textbooks.

(And teachers, be sure to notice the teaching resources and podcasts also available for free on the site.)

‘Nuff said.  I hope it puts the emotion in history for you as it did for me. It’s tragic how emotionless schools can make such an intense subject.

6 Comments

• At November 13, 2008, Kate Tabor wrote:

  Emotionless - that's it. "I hope it puts the emotion in history for you as it did for me. It’s tragic how emotionless schools can make such an intense subject."

  I've got two advisees who are tanking in US History, and I think the problem is that there is no story there for them, nothing to connect to, no emotion or passion. Yes, it's important to be able to write a well supported Document Based in-class essay about Hamilton and Jefferson and strict vs loose reading of the Constitution, but seriously? Is that it? One young man told me today that, "History is boring." Again I ask, "Seriously? Boring?" That's got to take some work to suck the life out of US history.

  Now, I just have to be careful to not suck the emotion out of American Literature...

• At November 13, 2008, Clay Burell wrote:

  Kate, did you see the post I linked to in this one about "emotional objectivity"? (Loewen's term.)

  I've always been partial to chronological instead of thematic course design, but using Obama's candidacy as a year-long reference-point in a chronological syllabus seems a good hybrid way to add contemporary relevance to the chrono approach.

  I always tried to do the same with literature, by having themes arching over the chronological surveys I designed, hoping they'd serve as an "evolution of ideas" relevance hook to the individual texts.

  Goodness knows it's never going to satisfy everybody, but I think it worked pretty well, by the end of the year. Lots of students caught on toward the end that the "Great Conversation" intertextual approach was mind-blowing, a forest-and-trees experience they weren't used to.

  Damn it, this is making me miss the classroom ;-)

• At November 13, 2008, Kate Tabor wrote:

  I need to read Loewen's book, clearly. I also like a chronological approach to the study of literature- and I try to find novels that are written in/near the time that they are set, but because of the Community Connections work that we do, connecting US History and American Lit with contemporary social issues, we also have some shared texts that we all work with (Scarlet Letter, Grapes of Wrath, On the Duty of Civil Disobedience, The Port Huron Statement).

  Who is part of your "Great Conversation"? Who have you found is a character that (most) everyone wants to engage in a conversation with? I love Daisy Miller, but some years the room doesn't like her. They see her as a pretty flirt, and she bugs them. They usually love Gatsby and dislike that other Daisy. Richard Hunter (the boot black Ragged Dick in the Horatio Alger books) is a hands down favorite character. I'm imagining a dinner party with all of these characters, and I just wonder, what would they all say to each other in their great conversation?

  Students arrive in 10 minutes - must get ready! Thanks

• At November 13, 2008, Clay Burell wrote:

  I was unclear about "Great Conversation." I meant it in the sense that the UChicago "Great Books" series editors (I forgot those old dons' names, and don't care) meant it, if I recall correctly: the evolution of ideas from earliest literature to today, books themselves being the conversationalists.

  So: Gilgamesh - The Hebrew Bible - Homer - Socrates/Plato - Aristotle - Lucretius - the Christian NT - maybe Virgil or Cicero - Augustine - Dante - Petrarch - Shakespeare - Swift - Voltaire - Blake and Keats - Nietzsche - Wilde - Beckett....

  That's a weird list, and incomplete (eek, all dead white males), but it's a line of evolution about questions of life/death/god/morality/heroism/pleasure and more that speaks, as Nietzsche put it, "from mountain peak to mountain peak" across the centuries, in an unbroken conversation.

  Battery about to die. Bye!

• At November 18, 2008, Sheryl A. McCoyn wrote:

  Clay, I love this series. All the president's portraits are so humanizing. I got a little teary when I watched the one on LBJ, the man who really got the civil rights agenda through, yet failed to keep us out of a tragic war.

• At November 24, 2008, The Jose Vilson — Short Notes: You Can’t Deny It, I’m a F*ckin’ Writer … wrote:

  [...] says, “Forget the textbooks; try using PBS’s “The Presidents” [...]

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I received this comment recently on my podcast post, “My Suicidal High School Years: A Happy Ending Bullying Story.” The comment is from a teen named Jack, who is experiencing now what I experienced 30 years ago. I’m sharing it because it’s evidence that the meme I’m about to propose – voluntary, as usual – could have more social value than the bevy of “Stop Bullying!” messages we most often see in response to this ugly subject. Here’s Jack:

Clay,

I googled bullying stories because I wanted something to help me through troubles that I am currently facing in ninth grade. “Stop bullying!” sites really didn’t help me. This was just the kind of story I was looking for. I get called names feverishly because I didn’t make the best impression first semester. I try not to care what other people think of me but it feels like I am always watching my back.

Anyways, this story was very interesting indeed. Thanks a lot for sharing. It helped substantially. [Emphasis added.]

I’ve already thanked Jack, but I want to thank him again. He confirms that for him, at least, “Stop Bullying” messages may be nice and all, but they don’t do much to comfort those trying to cope with being bullied.

I’m not saying anti-anything messages have no positive value. I’m just saying they often fail to help the victims of the thing being opposed. Telling bullies not to bully may be worth the effort, though it’s apparently predicated on the dubious belief that it’s effective to appeal to the compassionate side of bullies, who in my experience have almost always been a pretty heartless bunch. Bullies enjoy psycho-social benefits from bullying – profits, in a sense – in the same way arms dealers do from selling weapons. Appeals to delicate instincts require delicate audiences, and delicacy is a thing usually absent from these hardened types.

But as Jack testifies, just hearing Bullied Success Stories – that survival is worth it and life gets better? That’s a speech-act worth performing.

So the Meme: Share Your “Bullied Then, Successful Now” Stories

I did it in my podcast, a 30 minute story – literally, a story – of my experience of three years of bullying in high school. It’s actually just an mp3 of the class session in which I told the story to my students (there was bullying going on in that grade). I just fired up GarageBand and recorded it as I shared it with my class.

That’s one way to do it. Other ways:

• a blog post
• a webcam video
• a Skypecast
• a Comic Life or photo-essay
• a VoiceThread
• [your idea here]

If none of those work for you, but you have a story to tell, you can also leave a comment or drop me an email volunteering for a Skype conference call, where we can take more of a group story-telling session. I can do the editing and turn it into a podcast.

I hope this makes sense to you. It does to me. Jack’s comment strengthened my belief that, short of somehow stopping bullying – and come on, it’s been with us as long as war – one of the most helpful things we can do is offer ourselves, and our stories, as living proof that the nightmare can be survived, and this dream called life can become sweeter as it moves into adulthood.

I often throw dreamy ideas like this out on this blog, and they land with a thud. This one seems a likely candidate as the latest in that series. But I hope not. My bullying podcast gets a surprising number of visits from people googling “real life bullying stories” and such, and it gets downloaded quite a bit too.

So there is a need.

And instead of putting more energy into “stop bullying” sermons (which I’m not saying we should stop), we can maybe devote it to stories of hope.

I know it’s a busy time, so if you can only get around to it later – this summer, even – that’s fine. Just link here whenever it’s done. If we get enough of these, we can make a permanent site for them on a wiki, or even a dedicated blog.

And by the way: this offer is open to any students out there with anything to say as well. I’d love to host a Skype conference call about this topic.

Photo: Locker by Steven Fernandez

34 Comments

• At May 10, 2008, oreneta wrote:

  I came across this blog today, and if you click on the "my story" link, about his experiences growing up....I think it might fit the bill.

  This is an absolutely fantastic meme.

  orenetas last blog post..Oreneta aground

• At May 10, 2008, Linda wrote:

  Clay,

  I will be writing my own bully story on my blog.

  I will link to you when I post it. Having gone through it as well, it makes me a defender of the victim, be it student, teacher, or fellow member of our PLN. I am highly sensitive to the earmarks of bully behavior. It makes me outrageously angry that people still "give this behavior a pass".

  Lindas last blog post..Saint Cyberus, Patron Saint of the Internet

• At May 10, 2008, Clay Burell wrote:

  Thanks both. @Oreneta, there's no link in your comment to the site you referenced. One more time?

• At May 10, 2008, Rodd Lucier wrote:

  Clay,

  I heard your story a few weeks ago, and though I was moved, it wasn't until I read today's post that I felt compelled to act. Your story brought back memories for me that frankly, I'd rather have let lie dormant. I agree that stories of survival can be empowering, and look forward to sharing some thoughts and personal experiences in an upcoming podcast. I'll be sure to link back to this post where I suspect your meme will find plenty of company...

  Rodd Luciers last blog post..Fore Great Things about Golf!

• At May 10, 2008, Linda Bilak’ Blog » Bullied then, successful now. wrote:

  [...] there is an audience for the stories that we all have hidden. He has asked for us to create a thoughtful meme of our tales.  We have them, many of us, in our past.  They are there still like a scar from [...]

• At May 10, 2008, Pat Hensley wrote:

  I wrote about how I was bullied by an elementary school teacher adn then a gang when I was in Jr. High in my my personal blog: http://loonyhiker.blogspot.com/2008/03/school-revisited.html

  I believe this is what inspired me to become a teacher because I know what to look for and can understand how students feel when bullied. Thanks for bringing this out in the open because I think many educators have their own story to tell.

  Pat Hensleys last blog post..Useful Information In and Out of the Classroom 05/09/08

• At May 10, 2008, oreneta wrote:

  I do that ALL the time...sorry, let me get the link...

  here it is...

  http://jason-thejasonshow.blogspot.com/

  I have linked to your site and also asked people to send in stories, hopefully some folks will.

  orenetas last blog post..A lifted post

• At May 11, 2008, diane wrote:

  Clay,

  As always, thanks for getting me to reflect and respond.

  http://tinyurl.com/5wbuqw

  diane

  dianes last blog post..A Meaningful Meme: Bullying

• At May 11, 2008, My bullying success story. « Mild Opinons wrote:

  [...] bullying success story. Through the usual maze of the Internet, I wound up at a post on the Beyond School blog in which Clay Burell proposes a new internet meme. Not many people read this blog, so [...]

• At May 11, 2008, Arthus Erea wrote:

  Since I'm still in high school, I can't exactly talk about "successful now" since I'm still in the "bullied then" time...

  That being said, I'd be interested to participate in a Skype conversation.

  Arthus Ereas last blog post..Review of AJAX and PHP: Building Responsive Web Applications

• At May 11, 2008, Linda wrote:

  Clay,

  While I haven't discussed this much as an adult, the comments are very therapeutic.

  Lindas last blog post..Bullied then, successful now.

• At May 11, 2008, Charlie A. Roy wrote:

  @Clay

  I listened to your podcast again this morning and I agree with most of the commenters that it is a powerful way to help those in a similar situation. My question is what programs or tactics actually work to stop bullying? I've been a dean, grade school, and high school principal and I've yet to find a program that is completely effective. Any thoughts or any thoughts from your readers on programs that actually work?

  Charlie A. Roys last blog post..Grades, grades, and more grades!

• At May 11, 2008, Clay Burell wrote:

  @All: Thanks so much for cooperating.

  I want to urge everyone to read the trackback post, "My Bullying Success Story," on Mild Opinions above.

  What I love about that post is the tone. It's not maudlin or depressing, is very well-written, and reflects on the experience with a dash of humor that speaks volumes about how "over it" we can be after entering the adult world, and enjoying the freedom to find others like us and avoid the idiots we were forced to mix with daily in the 12-year-incarceration called "school."

  @Charlie,

  I'm curious to hear feedback on your question too, and welcome input in further comments. At the same time, I think there's a "bevy" of sites with information about how to stop bullying, and some of them surely give good guidance in that effort.

  My focus here is, again (and I see you acknowledge your understanding of this, so it's not like I'm saying you don't get it), is: Let's just give a human face to adults who are so over those rough years by telling our stories to the students who are still in the thick of them. (I keep thinking video would be more effective for this one!)

  Thanks again, all.

  Clay Burells last blog post..Meaningful Meme: Your “Bullied Then, Successful Now” Stories

• At May 11, 2008, Joon wrote:

  I heard your story.

  It's surprising how many people in this world are just followers....

  I hope I am not being a hypocrite.

• At May 12, 2008, Clay Burell wrote:

  @All,

  Until Ben Bleckley's trackback propagates, I want to just post a link to his contribution to this project. Charlie, I think you'll want to probe Bill for more information after reading it (and my comment there).

  So here's the link to Ben's post.

  Thanks for that, Ben. And let me know if you want to try that ftp thing :)

  @Arthus: Amazing. Had no idea. I'll let you know when that skypecast is being planned.

• At May 12, 2008, Sarah wrote:

  I don't have anything major to share from personal experience--I was bullied during my growing up years by some rock-throwing lugs on the walk home from school, but I was a big time tattler, so they moved on after a few days, hurling a "baby can't take it, gonna tell her mommy" as they left. Yep, I sure was gonna tell. I still remember the shaky, terrified feeling though.

  I read an article recently saying that bullying was an addictive behavior, and that bullies literally got a "high" from their actions. In other words, reason or appealing to their "other side" isn't going to work in stopping them. I firmly believe this.

  In my experience with middle school girls, the bullying is subtle and hard to catch or punish. It's more about what they don't do rather than what they do (ie--not sitting with someone, not talking to them, not making them one of your IM buddies). I make my classroom open during free times for students to come in and hang out. I give extra credit for decorating a bulletin board, tidying supplies, etc. This gives the girls who aren't quite ready to hang with the peers yet a safe place to go.

  I believe that the difference between a tough experience and a permanently damaging one is having one or two people in the victim's life to whom they feel connected and whom they know understands them and cares about them.

• At May 12, 2008, Charlie A. Roy wrote:

  http://youtube.com/watch?v=hHBOMuONSWA&feature=user

  thought you might like this. It is from a student of mine. Ties into the whole bullying dilemma and allowing students to be who they want to be not the masks they put on. A little dark for my taste but powerful.

  Charlie A. Roys last blog post..Early Exams? To grant or not to grant?

• At May 12, 2008, Ben Bleckley wrote:

  Clay,

  Great meme - this is the reason I teach. My story is posted here.

  Thanks for posting the trackback, I tried to post this last night, but my computer has a nasty habit of crashing randomly. Thank you Firefox for "Restore Previous Session"

  @Charlie: I have very little classroom experience, so please take my thoughts with a very large grain of salt. I believe the best way to deter bullying is through careful classroom community building. Getting everyone to really know each other, I think, makes a big difference. I had a professor in college at Colorado State University, Terry Denniston, who unfortunately doesn't blog, but might be willing to do a phone call. I also did some professional development at Fort Collins High School, and there's a science teacher there whose name I don't remember, but he teaches a joint class of students with special needs and general students where he spends the first month or so on classroom community building. He also, to my knowledge, does not have a blog, but would probably be willing to talk about that kind of stuff. Shoot me an e-mail if you want to talk more and I can try to track down some e-mail addresses or phone numbers. Or maybe you've tried this and it doesn't quite do the trick - either way, I would be interested in your insights. benbleckley at gmail

  Ben Bleckleys last blog post..Bullied Then, Successful Now

• At May 12, 2008, Rodd Lucier wrote:

  Today's Teacher 2.0 Podcast: "Bullied Like You"

  http://media.libsyn.com/media/thecleversheep/teacher66.mp3

  Rodd Luciers last blog post..Take Ownership of Your Identity

• At May 13, 2008, Clay Burell wrote:

  @Rodd, Great podcast. The second entry to identify the BUS as a dangerous place for kids.

  @Ben, Thanks for jumping in.

  @Sarah, Rodd said something similar about simply talking to others - those one or two friends - about the experience. I had a couple of marginalized, independent friends in high school during my own experience, but don't think I was comfortable talking to them about all this (though I'm sure they knew about it) because it was so shameful to talk about the name-calling and public humiliation, etc. Just hanging out with them was definitely good, though. (It's not like it was a 24/7 torment anyway - maybe because these friends were there to take the mind off it.)

  An interesting question I see emerging is: Is it better to bring things to a head by standing up to it early? Or can that backfire?

  As I say in my podcast, when I finally did get in a fistfight in the cafeteria with a guy about my physical equal - and he started it with a sucker-punch to my jaw with no warning - that changed things for the better ever after. BUT: I got suspended, along with the instigator. IF I'd had the first thought about college applications (which, being way too distracted by the miseries, I didn't), that suspension could have had horrible effects on my college admissions hopes.

  So it's a complicated question, isn't it?

  I like your open door policy, Sarah. It's always good for those who need a place to feel liked, safe, and welcome.

• At May 13, 2008, John Larkin wrote:

  Hi Clay,

  Nice idea. One day I would like to write a book about an experience in my life. Sure, there was some bullying as a kid at high school but that was reasonably conventional. The most challenging bullying experience of my life was as an adult. Not that long ago.

  An employer bullied me. I could write a volume about what happened.

  I have hinted at it here and there in my blog posts and comments across the education network out there. I had been on a quite a high following some academic and professional success in the nineties. Several national and shared international awards.

  Anyway, I found myself with this company... words fail me just now. Myself and other colleagues were not always paid, we were overworked, understaffed and mistreated. Working from 6 in the morning till after midnight. I started suffering severe anxiety and depression. Could not sleep, showered all hours of the night (trying to rid myself of the dread that was washing all over me), considered climbing over the railing of a 9th floor balcony, lost all of my self esteem. Began questioning my self worth and value. Negative self talk.

  Collapsed on the way to work, ended up in hospital, more bullying from the boss even at that stage. Resigned. That was a better alternative considering that a severe physical and/or nervous breakdown was the other.

  Sought help to get my life back. Obtained some good professional help. Went on some medication for about six months. Weaned myself off that after some research. I did a lot of reading about what had happened to me. Began the recovery process. I am still on that journey. I always will be on that journey.

  I still have a few acquired mannerisms and habits I have not managed to completely eliminate. Annoys the hell out of me. My students notice it and I tell them the story. Blogging helps. Still building up the self esteem. Still getting better. Lost so much through that experience. Intangible stuff. Hard to describe. There is a deep and significant sadness within me that surfaces from time to time. Those who know me well have seen it. I still haven't quite achieved that moment where I feel I have completely shaken it off. Part of me, a significant part of me, was ripped out of my soul and psyche and I still have not recovered all of it.

  Professionally, the work at ICUS eLearning, Nanyang Technological University and the PD workshops that I give have helped me to rebuild that which is me to some extents. Some of my present colleagues and students have helped as well.

  One day I will write about it in more detail. Why it happened. I know the story will save others a lot of grief. I have shared the story with the parents and students at school. That was liberating. Generated tears and smiles both on and off the stage. I do not worry about what others think, on this topic at least. It needs to get out there.

  Well. Here I am commenting on your blog. How legendary is that Clay? Two teachers, miles apart, yet with so much in common. I guess you have probably now figured out why I consider Nick Cave's album, The Boatman Calls, to be my favourite.

  Your blog is part of the recovery process as well Clay. Thank you.

  Cheers, John. ^_^

• At May 13, 2008, Clay Burell wrote:

  John,

  I don't know why, but I think of Leonard Cohen's

  Ring the bells

  that still can ring.

  Forget

  your perfect offerings.

  There is a crack

  in everything -

  That's how the light gets in.

  And of Aeschylus's choral refrain from the Oresteia, our oldest complete Greek tragedy, if memory serves, which has stuck with me since my first read of it at 20, in 1982:

  For Zeus the Helmsman lays it down as Law,

  that we must suffer,

  suffer,

  suffer -

  into Truth.

  The Cohen and the Aeschylus combined point to something worth pointing at, in my book.

  I'm so enjoying getting to know you in all the ways we're doing that. Here's to sharing a cold beverage at a nice outdoor table some surprising future day.

  Clay

• At May 13, 2008, Clay Burell wrote:

  By the way, John - I forgot to add: Please return serve with whatever verses from the Boatman's Call that do it for you.

  It's probably my favorite too: "People Ain't No Good" and "Into My Arms" especially come to mind.

• At May 14, 2008, Bullying - two viewpoints. « SpeakEasy in Mons wrote:

  [...] the usual maze of the Internet, I wound up at a post on the Beyond School blog in which Clay Burell proposes a new internet meme. Not many people read this blog, so I’m [...]

• At May 14, 2008, Clay Burell wrote:

  Just a note: The trackback above to "Bullying - Two Viewpoints" has a very interesting suggestion of how bullying should be dealt with in schools. I left my thoughts in a comment there. I thought it was worth a read for its naturalistic and zoological point of view. Being mammals, after all, we shouldn't find the zoological viewpoint that far-fetched.

  Clay Burells last blog post..The Most Important Edu Website I Know: Education for Well-Being Strikes Again

• At May 14, 2008, diane wrote:

  Linda & Pat,

  In my experience, it is more often girls than boys that are bullied, both f2f and online. Sometimes it is subtle, a variation on the social shunning that Linda experienced, sometimes it is as horrific as the beating Pat describes.

  No matter the level of intensity, it is always traumatic. Some emerge stronger, as these ladies did, but others are damaged or destroyed.

  You have each transformed a very negative series of events into a personal mandate for change. I honor your refusal to let bullies destroy your lives or the lives of others.

  diane

  dianes last blog post..She Never Existed Before: Mother's Day 2008

• At May 15, 2008, a victim's mum wrote:

  I'd love to be able to share a story of 'bullied then, fine now' or even to use my everyday internet persona. I won't because this isn't about me. My daughter was bullied at school on and off from the age of 7 right through school. Mostly about her dyslexia and her weight. She was never fat or stupid and even if she had been what gave them that right? Margaret Attood's book Cats Eyes gives a glimpse of the sort of things sweet little girls inflict on their victims. She's in her 20s now. She had her first breakdown at 18, she's had two periods in hospital since then. She swings between total depression, feelings of worthlessness and violent over reactions to anything that might for a moment be a threat. The damage seems irrevocable.

• At May 15, 2008, Linda wrote:

  @a victim's mum I am so sorry your daughter went through that.Made my heart ache to read that.

  Lindas last blog post..Bullied then, successful now.

• At May 16, 2008, Paul C wrote:

  Hi Clay,

  Meaningful meme. I reflected on it on my site and referred to a recent University of Toronto study of cyberbullying.

  Best regards

  Paul Cs last blog post..Bullied Then; Successful Now

• At May 17, 2008, Web 2.0: Designs in Education: Using stories to cope with bullying wrote:

  [...] School uses the digital story method in an effective way to deal with bullying in school. His post "Meaningful Meme: Your “Bullied Then, Successful Now Stories" provides his own story of being bullied in high school. Posted by Mike Frerichs at 6:01 AM [...]

• At May 17, 2008, Journeys: A Meaningful Meme: Bullying wrote:

  [...] stanislaus is beaten by his brother" by antmooseClay Burell has once again challenged bloggers to think, respond, and make a difference.In "A Meaningful Meme: [...]

• At May 17, 2008, Bullying then… wrote:

  [...] days back Clay Burell began a meme, Bullying then, Successful Now. I responded with a comment on Clay’s blog. I recounted an experience that still impacts upon [...]

• At May 17, 2008, John Larkin wrote:

  Clay, thank you for the response. You were spot on with the reference to "People Ain't No Good" and "Into My Arms" by Nick Cave. Aeschylus' words ring true as well.

  One thing the whole experience taught me was that life is a lot more important than work. I often make reference to slowing down, relaxing and taking it easy in my comments elsewhere and in my blog. I see other bloggers out there who I feel are working way too hard.

  I remember the morning I rang some one for help back then. I introduced myself and simply said, "I have had a traumatic experience". That was exactly what I felt.

  I have posted the Nick Cave lyrics on my own blog here.

  http://blog.larkin.net.au/2008/05/17/bullying-then/

  Did not want to crowd out the comments on this page.

  Cheers, John.

• At July 11, 2008, quoteflections: Bullied Then; Successful Now wrote:

  [...] of parents thought their child would tell them about bullying but only 8% who were bullied didClay Burell in Beyond School reflects on the two years of bullying he received in high school. He created a 30 minute podcast [...]

Related posts:

1. My Suicidal High School Years: A Happy-Ending Bullying Story
2. Another Student Voice: "This is Why Writers Like to Write Stories"–A Wiki Makes a Writer
3. On the Meaningful, and Quantum Contexts
4. Education Podcasts Meme: Warlick, Fryer-McLeod, a Young Writer, and an Impassioned Secular Humanist

There’s something to say, too, about the back-story on this. Soojin, the Korean student who generated the tweet that triggered the podcast, was a student of mine – but from last year. As Soojin discusses in the podcast, my efforts to push him, as a member of my classroom, to turn on to connective writing didn’t work. A year later, he’s out there doing it independently – I see him on Twitter all the time, and read his blog – and out of nowhere, from Korea, Soojin is causing educators in New York to invite him to a podcast, and invite me as almost an afterthought. I love that.

I also loved finding the other student pioneers on that Skype call and chat – especially, and for reasons similar to the Soojin story, Lindsea. A Hawaii student, I “met” Lindsea last year through my classes’ collaboration on the first 1001 Flat World Tales with her class with teacher Chris Watson. Lindsea is now, like Soojin, a part of my network, and a student pioneer.

You’ll meet other pioneering students on the podcast as well:

• Hannah, a student at principal Chris Lehmann‘s Science Leadership Academy in Philadelphia (and an excellent writer and speaker I “pray” will contribute to Students 2.0 regularly, and pull Philadelphia into Project Global Cooling next year). Hannah’s been blogging intensely about environmental issues in her region, and mentioned she’s received little to no encouragement from comments. Can we remedy that?
• Ben, from the excellent New York City Students group blog – another fantastic model of real student blogging. (Ben, as I told you on the podcast, I invited you all to Students 2.0 when I was seeking recommendations from my network, and Diane Cordell pointed me to you. That offer is still open as an additional, less frequent, non-competitive megaphone for your group.)

And then, manning the chat channel with his usual good questions and helpful hands, was another Philadelphia student I’ve come to know over the past year: Tyrone Kidd. Tyrone, I’ve wanted to give a shout-out about how impressive you’ve been as another pioneer since you popped up on my radar (and in my Seoul Networked Learning class blog) a few months ago. I love your pioneering spirit.

All the students above are noteworthy for showing they can navigate these networks, and prudently and maturely learn along with us.

They’re also noteworthy for teaching us how to make blogs and social networking “unschooly” to them. But for that, you’ll need to listen to the TTT podcast. (And Paul Allison, it was nice to finally make contact, so many months after discovering your blog.)

Photo: Pioneer Aviator Bessie Coleman, First African American Pilot from PingNews on Flickr

10 Comments

• At April 28, 2008, Arthus Erea wrote:

  Definitely a great listen... wish I had been around to listen live. (Though I am hands-down the most "schooly" of the Students 2.0 crew).

  In a recent podcast which Lindsea organized (editting?), I had the chance to "meet" Hannah... definitely an interesting character who I would love to see joining Students 2.0. Have you sent her a formal invite?

  Arthus Ereas last blog post..The Why and How of Change

• At April 28, 2008, Hannah wrote:

  @arthus You met me at Educon first - I was filming your session :)

  and for my environment blog - the link is www.scienceleadership.org/drupaled/blog/hfeldman

  Tyrone's coming to SLA next year too!

  and I'm excited about getting Philly into PGC - I know of a jazz group I can get to perform! My friend Alison is working on greening SLA and making us a more sustainable school already - her blog is at slagoesgreen.blogspot.com

  There are my disjointed responses...

  Hannahs last blog post..Friday.

• At April 28, 2008, Hannah wrote:

  And I would absolutely love to join Students 2.0. I have a post in mind!

  Hannahs last blog post..Friday.

• At April 28, 2008, Arthus Erea wrote:

  Hannah, sounds great!

  If you have a post written, shoot me and/or Clay an email and we'll be glad to chat with you about joining.

  I forgot about SLA, didn't get much of a chance to talk with you one-on-one there.

  Arthus Ereas last blog post..The Why and How of Change

• At April 28, 2008, Clay Burell wrote:

  Hannah, I second what Arthus says, but Arthus, isn't the "contribute" page on S2oh the agreed-upon submission policy?

  (Good to see you forgetting policy out of excitement instead of me this time ;-) )

• At April 28, 2008, Arthus Erea wrote:

  Clay, err.. that's what the contribute page says. If you want to join, write a post and shoot it to us. Then we'll talk. :P Exactly what I said. :)

  http://students2oh.org/contribute/

  Arthus Ereas last blog post..The Why and How of Change

• At April 28, 2008, oreneta wrote:

  Hey there, your link to TTT doesn't seem to be working, I went over to Soojin, and that is working...maybe it is me, but I thought I'd let you know.

  orenetas last blog post..Busy days.....

• At April 28, 2008, Lindseak wrote:

  I'm so happy I was able to be a part of that podcast. The discussion was rich.

  Lindseaks last blog post..I float on tag clouds and blog fog

• At April 29, 2008, Barry wrote:

  Hey Clay-

  Tangentially related-- did you see this article in the New York Times about Korean Schools?

  http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/27/world/asia/27seoul.html?em&ex=1209614400&en=3d79a2d0b3f49af8&ei=5087%0A

  From your practice, how accurate is the article?

  Barry

  Barrys last blog post..Student Bloggers and the Pew Internet Paper

• At April 30, 2008, Clay Burell wrote:

  I did, Barry, and it is the rule, not the exception, in most schools. All in the name of the SAT, AP, and TOEFL.

  These kids have no childhood. They spend it entirely - summers too - in test prep sweatshops.

  It's a status thing for the rich parents, and a desperation thing for the rest.

Related posts:

1. Student Project Blog as “Business”?! Podcast with Two PLN Class Students
2. Quantum Shifts Happening? Students and Administrators Driving
3. A New Name for “Teachers Teaching Teachers”?
4. Podcast: With Dean Shareski on _Natural_ Global Collaboration and Networked Learning

A month later now, they discuss with me how having their own real-world, self-selected blog project for our English Seminar elective feels (click here for all posts about this “networked learning” class). As I say in the podcast, this class is far from perfect, but Jaeho and Younsuk give some very interesting feedback on how this real-world project-based learning approach has improved their speaking and writing skills – and motivation – differently than what they’ve experienced in a traditional “writing and speech” class.

Again, this is my first attempt for this type of teaching. Listening to Jaeho and Younsuk makes me want to stick with it beyond this “beta” version next time around. I can’t urge Language Arts teachers strongly enough to give these guys a listen. It’s a half hour, edited, with nice music for you and everything.

A request: I begged these guys to let me link to their site for a preview – they want to finish editing and post a couple more interviews with basketball stars they’re working on before unveiling it to the basketball world – and they gave me permission to give a sneak preview to you educators. So go ahead and take a look at Basketball Without Borders (love that alliteration!), listen to their podcast with K.J. Matsui, and show them some comment love.

The podcast is enhanced with chapter headings for easy navigation in iTunes (right-click here and “save as” to download). Click the player below to listen to it here:

1 Comments

• At April 22, 2008, Jules Viernes wrote:

  Hi,

  I'm Jules and I work at bestrank.com, a company interested in blog advertising. I found your blog engaging and I'm contacting you to ask if you are interested in blog post sponsorship.

  If you are interested, kindly mail back for confirmation. Looking forward to doing business with you.

  Sincerely,

  Jules Viernes

  BestRank.com

Related posts:

1. Basketball without Borders Slam Dunk: Networked Learning Class Update and Video
2. Networked Learning Class Reflection 1: Basketball without Borders Project
3. “Quick In, Quick Out” Podcast: PLN Class Design Discussion with Cleveland, Maryland, NYC, Qatar, and Seoul
4. Podcast: With Dean Shareski on _Natural_ Global Collaboration and Networked Learning

The really cool thing about it?  There were as many students on the episode as teachers. “Students Teaching Teachers”?  I like it.

I learned a lot, seriously, by listening to them discuss how blogging, Twitter, global collaboration, and the whole nine yards felt to them.  What worked, what didn’t.

Kudos to TTT for making it happen. I hope it’s the first of many more.

5 Comments

• At April 4, 2008, No Music No Civilization » Unschooly-Youths Conversations Reflection wrote:

  [...] (not to forget mentioning Clay Burell’s impression that it was more like StudentsTeachingTeachers :-). Many feelings crossed my heart. Oh well, yes, I was pretty nervous at first I won’t deny [...]

• At April 23, 2008, Teachers Teaching Teachers » Blog Archive » Learning to be Unschooly - TTT98 - 04.02.08 wrote:

  [...] TeachersTeachingTeachers (not to forget mentioning Clay Burell’s impression that it was more like StudentsTeachingTeachers :-). Many feelings crossed my heart. Oh well, yes, I was pretty nervous at first I won’t deny (so [...]

• At April 24, 2008, No Music No Civilization » Cross Post: Learning to be Unschooly wrote:

  [...] TeachersTeachingTeachers (not to forget mentioning Clay Burell’s impression that it was more like StudentsTeachingTeachers :-). Many feelings crossed my heart. Oh well, yes, I was pretty nervous at first I won’t deny (so [...]

• At April 28, 2008, Unschooly Students on Teachers Teaching Teachers | Beyond School wrote:

  [...] promised in an earlier post to give the link to the Teachers Teaching Teacher posted its podcast with students weighing in on [...]

• At September 26, 2008, blogging | EdTechTalk wrote:

  [...] TeachersTeachingTeachers (not to forget mentioning Clay Burell’s impression that it was more like StudentsTeachingTeachers :-). Many feelings crossed my heart. Oh well, yes, I was pretty nervous at first I won’t deny (so [...]

Related posts:

1. Unschooly Students on Teachers Teaching Teachers
2. Podcast: With Dean Shareski on _Natural_ Global Collaboration and Networked Learning
3. Another Comments Thread Worth Sharing: Grappling with the Big Questions on Classroom Blogging Policy
4. Quantum Shifts Happening? Students and Administrators Driving

[Update: I was out of the loop preparing for my wedding when Australian Al Upton's MiniLegends and Qatar's Jabiz Raisdana got hit by two shockingly reactionary hammers. Since this podcast features Noel Thomas, an Australian high school principal representing all that is most forward-thinking and impressive about Australia's educational system, I'd like to dedicate this podcast to Al, the MiniLegends, and Jabiz. Noel, I can't help but fantasize that you and Al discover each other and join forces. As you say in the podcast, most teachers will never get it. Al is a teacher who has impressed us all for years with how much he does get it. (h/t to John Connell for the miniLegends badge - John, I hope you don't mind me nicking it?)]

Love This Podcast, or I’ll Eat a Bug

As I say in the intro to this podcast, if you don’t find it the most interesting hour of podcasting I’ve ever done, I’ll eat a bug. (And yes, Los Angelenos, that is a quote from the old Cal Worthington used car commercials of the ’80s.) That intro was hard, by the way: I tried about 8 times to summarize why I’m so excited about the things happening in that podcast, but couldn’t, and did the “eat a bug” intro instead. In retrospect, it sounds silly. But I had to get the thing published.

Creative Destruction Abundant

What walls don’t come down in this hour-long talk? Bye-bye edu-caste system, bye-bye geographic and temporal barriers. My guests are from three continents and four levels of school hierarchy:

• High School Principal Noel Thomas, Toorak College, Melbourne, Australia
• High School Principal (and next year’s Director) Rich Boerner, Korea International School, Seoul, South Korea (my employer)
• Librarian Jenny Luca, Toorak College, Melbourne
• Lara H., high school student, Toorak College
• Lindsea Kemp-Wilber, Punahou High School student (and Students 2.o staff writer), Honolulu, Hawaii, USA
• and me, high school teacher and tool-guy, Korea International School

(Quicktime free download required)

(right-click and “save target as” here to download enhanced podcast for iTunes)

Table of Contents

If you download to iTunes, you can navigate by these chapter headings:

• Intro: I’ll Eat a Bug
• Audio Snapshots
• Welcome
• Noel Thomas, Toorak College, Melbourne Australia
• Toorak’s Dilemma re: Web Access for Students
• Rich Boerner, Korea Internat’l School, Seoul
• KIS’ Open Web Access for Students
• Factors Favoring Relaxed Filtering at KIS
• Toorak Librarain Jenny Luca: Toorak Change Agent
• Jenny’s Views on the Value of Blogging to Learn
• Toorak and KIS Connect thru Project Global Cooling
• Lindsea Kemp-Wilbur, Intro (Hawaii Student)
• Student Lindsea Teaching the World
• Lara H., Intro (Australia Student)
• Sustainability at Our Specific Schools
• Broader Issues of Connecting Schools for Learning
• Lindsea on Youthnet: Student-Initiated Global Collaboration via Twitter and Wiki
• How Clay in Korea has Known Lindsea in Hawaii for Almost 2 Years
• Getting Teachers to Accept Student-Led Collaborative Projects
• Getting Students to Rise to the Challenge of Laptop Learning
• KIS Student Patrick Nam as Model of Networked Learning
• Noel’s Approach to Keeping Students Responsible Online
• Jenny’s Approach to Pulling Students In
• Clay on the Importance of Same Time-Zone Partner Schools
• Rich on Importance of Collab AT SCHOOL, not home
• Acceptable Use Policy
• Toward an Eastern Hemisphere Schools Network
• Spreading the Word to Students about Youthnet
• Lindsea as Model for Student Imitation
• Lara: PGC Should Be Easy in Australia
• Difficulties with Projects in Korea
• Media Interest in Project Global Cooling
• Clay’s Parting Shot: This Tech is EASY
• Parting Shots
• Closing Comments: Project Global Cooling Growing: Seoul, Hawaii, Australia in, and Beijing, Los Angeles, and Bangkok Nibbling – Add Your School This Year or Next
• (Name Your Bug)

Links Referenced in Podcast:

• Jenny Luca’s Lucacept (Australia)
• Will Richardson’s Weblogg-ed
• Project Global Cooling
• Bill Farren’s Education for Well-Being blog
• Lindsea Kemp-Wilbur’s Love and Logic blog
• Chris Watson’s WatsonCommon blog
• Lindsea’s Youthnet post on Students 2.0
• Jabiz Raisdana’s Intrepid Teacher (stay intrepid, Jabiz)
• Jabiz’ Global Issues class blog
• Youthnet Twitter page
• “Natural” Global Collaboration (my networked learning elective class)
• Youthnet Wikispace
• The 1001 Flat World Tales global collaborative writing project
• KIS Sophomore Patrick Nam‘s blog and podcast

Recorded on 3 March 2008

9 Comments

• At March 22, 2008, Jenny Luca wrote:

  Thanks for putting in the work to get this podcast happening Clay. I'm having trouble downloading it to ITunes - are you surprised given the Skype assembly recently! Have you had any feedback from others experiencing difficulties? Can't wait to listen to it. If you need to contact me using email try my gmail account; jenny.luca1@gmail.com Server is down at school and no-one there until Wednesday!! Saw your tweet saying you were starting the edit - time posted seems like it may have taken some time. Appreciate the effort.

  Jenny Luca's last blog post..School's out Friday

• At March 22, 2008, Clay Burell wrote:

  @Jenny, right-click and "save link as" or "save target," then open with iTunes?

• At March 23, 2008, Charlie A. Roy wrote:

  @Clay

  Loved the podcast. I had a four hour drive to Indiana for Easter and I listened to it along with some other podcasts. You are really doing great work. I can't wait to get my teachers but more inmportantly my students plugged in. If there is anything PND can do to help let me know. Any chance anyone follwoing could send me there on-line use policies from their schools.

  Can't ask you to eat a bug.

  Charlie A. Roy's last blog post..Four Steps to More Time Continued...

• At March 23, 2008, Clay Burell wrote:

  @Charlie - Two policy docs for you:

  a) Parent Consent / Choose Your Child's Levels of Privacy Form

  b)Student Responsible Online Behavior Policy

  Interested to hear your feedback on any weaknesses or blind spots.

  Thanks for the kind words and happy holiday.

• At March 24, 2008, Clay’s been working hard (and so have my students). « Lucacept - intercepting the Web wrote:

  [...] Podcast: Three Schools Discover the 21st Century! [...]

• At March 26, 2008, Many Voices for Darfur at Students 2.0 wrote:

  [...] Podcast: Three Schools Discover the 21st Century! | Beyond School on the post YouthNet [...]

• At March 31, 2008, Schedule wrote:

  [...] Web 2.0 technologies can offer to students. In particular, block out one hour to listen to this podcast between three schools, teachers, and students. When complete (if that is possible on these [...]

• At March 31, 2008, Just thought I’d cross post « Love and Logic wrote:

  [...] Here it is.  [...]

• At April 7, 2008, After the Circus: Spring Cleaning | Beyond School wrote:

  [...] now I want to add a change of view I had after podcasting last month, here in Korea, with my principal as one guest, and Jenny Luca in Australia, her principal, and the [...]

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