Sorry, Folks - No Blogger Summit for Me
Oh, the ebb and flow of schedules and obligations. Regrettably, I’ve got to pass on the Ed in ’08 Summit.
Don’t forget to vote in the Blogger Poll even if Mr. Downes is convinced that the whole thing is rigged.
I’m eager to follow the discussion that will come from the group’s viewing of Two Million Minutes - hopefully many in attendance will be our eyes and ears and give us some fresh reactions to the film and its implications.
They might see, as Fordham’s Coby Loup didn’t, that it isn’t a film that warns of economic damnation, or, as Loup put it, “armageddon.”
He points us to Jay Mathews’ piece about the film and thanks Mathews for the deliverance:
“Thank you, Jay, for injecting some badly needed sanity into this discussion. This is one of those articles you want to bookmark or print out so it’s easily accessible when education or globalization comes up at your dinner party.”
I’d treat the cheap marginalization of our argument [insanity], but I know that deep down Loup knows the meaning of “tendentious.” Hopefully I’ll get around to a full dissection of Mathews’ article - either the one he originally wrote for his Post column a while back or the rehashed, resale version that appears in The Wilson Quarterly.
Really, folks, Two Million Minutes is a look at the lives of students in the United States, India and China. It’s not a case for impending doom and it’s not prescriptive. There are mild, common-sense intimations about the long-term effects of our approach to education - a laundry list of credible interviewees draw these conclusions - but it’s nothing outlandish. It’s simple, basic reality - not paranoia.
Mathews’ piece isn’t as bad as the National Association of Secondary School Principals’ reaction - for which they were fisked soundly - but it ain’t good, either.
I’m left wondering whether Loup, who seems to have missed the point of Two Million Minutes quite badly, spent 60 minutes of his own watching the film in the first place.
I suppose he’ll get a glimpse on Wednesday night.
I’ll have to pass on that summit too. Like every working teacher, I have to work.
Why do they hold an edublogger summit on school days?
I think the reasons are logistical - event planning is tough for the weekends, especially on relatively short notice.
I’d like an event that was a bit longer. Maybe 3 nights, 2 days? It would be easier to justify the expense. It would also be wonderful to have not just a couple panels with the people we read, but some presentation meet’n'greets. Why not set up introductory sessions so the major foundations and writers could really get to know the edubloggers and vice versa? Just like public schools are a black box for parents/community members, education policy is largely a black box for edubloggers.
I do hope that we can get something together like this - others are doing it with great success.
Actually there are many, many hotels that cater to weekday business travelers and which would be glad of business on weekends. I often work and travel on weekends (though not as a teacher), and we often book nice hotels at cut-rate prices. In any case, they would’ve gotten a much better response from teachers on a weekend.
Good points, Educator. I think even having two short sessions, one weekday, one weekend, would have kept a few feathers from being ruffled.
If I remember right, you’re traveling for bluegrass music? Or do I have that confused with something else?
You’re right, of course. What else is worth traveling for?
There’s this:
http://www.bk.com/#menu=2,79,-1
There’s a BK 30 miles away… the anticipation is wearing on me.
Well, whatever floats your boat. But some things are even better than BK. There’s MC, for example.
http://www.mikecleveland.com/
Catch him if he gets within 30 miles of you. I can hardly believe anyone in this country is 30 miles from a BK anymore. But it sounds like a nice place to live.
Oooh - Rounder caught my eye. I started following their catalogue about 13 years ago when I saw John Rossbach in Syracuse.
This makes me want to pull out the vinyl I’ve got of Mac Benford and the Woodshed All-Stars. I bought a stack of their records at a garage sale when I was about 12 and never looked back. Might be more sensible to take a listen to the Willow album again - that’s one I’ve got on CD.
http://www.mikecleveland.com/soundclips/letergoboys/MillersCave.mp3
Ok, that cover of Miller’s Cave sounds awesome. I think I’m sold.
Mike is the best young fiddler around. I’d say the best but I’m very partial to a few of the older guys. But he has a real in your face, take no prisoners approach. That cut is from his most recent CD, but he also has one called “Flamekeeper” that you might like.
Mac Benford is a different style entirely-old timey stuff. He used to play with the Highwoods String Band, and I used to see them all the time when I was going to college upstate NY. If you like Mac, Rounder has a CD of the best of the Highwoods that you will really like a lot. They were from New York, but managed to win the old-timey band contest at the fiddler’s festival in Union Grove, NC. That was a big deal back then.
I wonder what happened to them.
That’s right, I have a couple Highwoods String Band records, too. It’s been ages since I’ve listened to those. Once you mentioned the name I remembered their neat little logo on the records.
I prefer the old-time music… not much into bluegrass. I like it simple.
You might be interested in a fairly obscure book called “Old-Time Music Makers of New York State” by Simon Bronner.
http://www.amazon.com/Old-Time-Music-Makers-York-State/dp/0815602162/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1211053819&sr=8-1
You know, we really ought to start some Carnival-type thing about older music.
Matt,
Despite Fordham’s confidence in Mr. Mathews global knowledge and personal experience, it is only fair to point out that Mr. Mathews has never visited India and therefore never set foot in an Indian K-12 school. Therefore, I do not know the source of his strong opinions.
And while he has been to China, his last visit to a Chinese school was in 1989 - nearly two decades ago. Useful, but perhaps mildly dated.
I am a true admirer of Mr. Mathews - I believe he is extraordinarily smart and his knowledge of American education unsurpassed among journalists, but his adamant opinions about Indian and Chinese education and their economies should be taken in their proper context - outdated, non-existent or plain wrong.
I would welcome an open, public debate with Mr. Mathews on Indian and Chinese curriculum and student performance in comparison with US standards and performance at any time and in any location. (except not in August - I’ll be in China and not in December - I’ll be in India).
I am ready to have him publicly humiliate me if his knowledge of education, curricula and testing standards in those two country’s proves superior to mine.
Bob Compton
Executive Producer
Two Million Minutes
http://www.2mminutes.com
Bob,
I’m not sure that Mr. Mathews knows the source of his opinions, either.
I think we all would benefit from a live exchange between you and Jay Mathews. One glaring weakness in most all facets of the education debate is the unwillingness to engage in critical, substantive debate with another party whose views differ. A quick tour around the prominent education blogs, especially those related to technology, will show that.
I know that carpal tunnel syndrome is a worry of many computer users, but the education technology folks who write so often about globalization - and quite a few of the policy bloggers - ought to prepare for the elbow/shoulder bursitis that comes from patting themselves and the like-minded on the back.
If Mr. Mathews is serious about our education system, he should accept your offer - we all need the serious discussion. However, I expect him to continue to dismiss gently the argument in the Post and downright disparage it when he publishes elsewhere.
Who knows what the guy says when it’s not going into print?
I look forward to your impending humiliation.