Program Tech Reading Group Work - June 16

The post is titled, "80+ Videos for Tech. & Media Literacy" (http://educationaltechnology.ca/couros/1480). Here are your instructions to prepare for our meeting:

1) Everyone should watch video #17, "A Brave New World-Wide Web." This is a fun piece done by a teacher about teaching in the 21st century.
This taught me that I don't know enough about creating great slide shows! This is a great PD piece for teachers and admins. It's a great opener for a tech class or education class. My main takeaways are

• Wasn't this a book title?
• Why does the music remind me of 2001 Space Odyssey?
• What software is he using? I want to be able to do that!
• It was a bit long, but great points and specific examples were given. I feel like he only presented the warm, fuzzy, magical world of technology (which is the only side kids see/want to see) rather than bringing up the issues or moral and ethical problems that can arise (cyber bullying, plagiarism, etc). It makes me think of old newspaper ads during the Industrial Revolution!
  

2) Then you are on your own. Please watch at least a few of these.

• "Everything Is Amazing, but Nobody is Happy" - Is this guy reading my mind? Is he watching me like "big brother" on one of these GPS satellites? EVERYTHING he said is the TRUTH! OMG! I've never heard of him and I HATE Conan so unfortunately I missed it...he's very funny!
  

• The Machine is Us/ing Us - it's like this guy copied video 17
  

• Introducing the book- I loved this video. I think it's because so many people don't read anymore...I myself feel so behind in this organization because the books I've read were those of my students!
  

Final New PA Call - June 5, 2009

Facilitating Difficult Conversations and Situations in a Facing History Context

In a typical Facing History and Ourselves workshop or seminar one can expect that at some point the group will encounter a difficult, complex, or controversial issue that can potentially lead to conflict and stifle healthy dialogue. Even after thoughtful contracting these difficult situations are nearly inevitable. Conflict in groups is a normal part of the group process. Disagreements and differing points of view have the potential to add important information, broaden the perspectives of the group, and serve as a positive contribution to the work. Although the outcome may be positive, there will be some stress and discomfort. Typically concerns and disagreements will arise in one of the following areas: 1) the process the group is using, 2) the content being discussed, or 3) the people (personalities) involved in the discussion. A skilled facilitator must be able to navigate each scenario.

Scenario 3.Conflict among the people involved in the discussion.

During a discussion on the legacies of race, a younger participant states that we have come a long way and that his generation is tired of talking about the past. He cites Barack Obama’s presidency as proof of progress. An older participant states that although things are better, we have a long way to go, pointing to the fact that institutional racism still exists, citing the criminal justice system as an example. The two go on for several minutes. You are concerned that the conversation is taking the session off track.

What is challenging about this scenario?

What's challenging is that it is a natural inclination to want to jump in and take sides OR to insert one's own personal POV (like the fact that I agree with the older participant). It's also a challenge in the since that you don't want to de-value the youth/younger voice in favor of the older one just because it's the voice of an older person - this promotes a generation gap.

How would you respond as the facilitator?

I would hope first of all that I wouldn't allow the comments to go on more than 5 minutes, but if I did I'd have to first thank them for their active/authentic engagement in the discussion, but I'd have to also pull everyone back in by reminding them of:

• the contract we set up on the first day (to respectly agree to disagree, how to have conversations about race, etc)
  
• the fact that we have (or can have) a "parking lot of ideas for further discussion" where we can write these kinds of issues
• the existence of FH resources to aid them in these kinds of controversial conversations with their students, like those in R&M or videos like, Ethnic Notions or Race: the Power of an Illusion
  

One thing I would like to hold onto from this year is the relationship I've built with the cohort. It has been a pleasure getting to know KC, Susan, Mark and Tanya!