Farewell. Adios. Arrivederci. Chow. Aloha.
No matter how you say it, goodbyes can be difficult. And my seniors in the Class of 2013 are realizing that as they deliver their farewell speeches. No matter how adult and grown up they think they are, these teenagers are facing an exciting, frightening, uncertain time and it can be tough leaving the most stable place they've known.
As they reminisce about their younger years and pay tribute to their friends and teachers, it is always fascinating to me to see that no matter how many times I've heard these type of speeches through the years there are always those that surprise me. Some are very sincere in ways I would never have guessed they could be. Some disclose personal histories that are insightful and bittersweet. Still others stay true to their classroom persona and deliver the most random, ridiculous, often disrespectful stories just to get the last laugh. But whatever their approach, it is a time of reflection and closure that is useful to these soon-to-be-alumni.
I wish them all luck as they prepare to leave these familiar faces and spaces in search of the adult life. There are soldiers, scholars, mothers, dreamers, and doers in this group and I hope they all find their personal happiness.
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
Relevance
A couple of former students visited me last week, via Twitter and in person, and I'm happy to report that Orwell's novel 1984 is used on the campuses of MSU and SVSU. So that alone assures me of it's relevance!
Tuesday, April 16, 2013
News Stories Related to Orwell
As I'm putting together the last few weeks of material for my seniors, an upcoming assignment has them accessing a blog, "Pedablogical,"and looking at some news stories relevant to Orwell and Big Brother. The original post is from March 2011 so I've updated the list a bit, stealing story links and perusing the web to find my own. So below is a list of some very recent news stories focusing on the use of technology in the name of safety and conveneince. You be the judge...
1. Behind the Webcam's Watchful Eye Online proctoring at universities is becoming more and more prevalent.
2. Tracking devices in school badges Schools in New Mexico insert RIFD chips into student ID badges that can track location of students at any time.
3. Seattle Clothing Store Runs Without People Shop with your smartphone and robots!
4. Texas School Requires Locator Chips A judge ruled that a school can require students to wear locator chips while on campus, though one refused.
4. Computers That See and Watch Over You Machines are getting more and more advanced in observing and interpreting human behavior.
5. Birthplace of Big Brother Allows Citizen Surveillance Britain is pushing legislation to allow the goverment to monitor all citizens' online activity.
1. Behind the Webcam's Watchful Eye Online proctoring at universities is becoming more and more prevalent.
2. Tracking devices in school badges Schools in New Mexico insert RIFD chips into student ID badges that can track location of students at any time.
3. Seattle Clothing Store Runs Without People Shop with your smartphone and robots!
4. Texas School Requires Locator Chips A judge ruled that a school can require students to wear locator chips while on campus, though one refused.
4. Computers That See and Watch Over You Machines are getting more and more advanced in observing and interpreting human behavior.
5. Birthplace of Big Brother Allows Citizen Surveillance Britain is pushing legislation to allow the goverment to monitor all citizens' online activity.
Convenience or Sacrifice?
Sometimes I hate my gadgets. As I look at my desk just now, there is the large desktop computer screen, iPad, smartphone, and flatscreen TV surrounding me. And while I am blessed to have the use of such tools and have come to rely on them, I am annoyed at the same time. Seems I cannot get away from notifications, calendar alerts, messages, and the glare of red and blue blinking indicator lights. And my students are all the more obsessed with their screens. So as we've finished 1984, I came across a slideshow about how technology may be contributing to laziness and lack of social skills, things we've discussed in the past few weeks during class. It's interesting to see how our daily lives have become dependent on personal devices and information from outside sources in the name of convenience and personal preferences - but at what expense?
How Technology Makes Us Lazy
How Technology Makes Us Lazy
Wednesday, March 20, 2013
Little Life Lessons
It happened again. Just when I thought my current classroom activity was either A) an amazing exercise or B) a complete flop, my students surprised me again. This time it was to show me just how much they still have to learn in their 35 short days that remain at MHS.
We've begun to read 1984 and I have several preliminary activities before the kids get books in their hands. Today's was my ROOM 123 PERSONAL INVENTORY. The gist is that students are instructed to complete the form - no questions, no talking. Then most of them, out of a bit of fear and good public school obedience training, set to work filling out the necessary information that gets progressively personal. Things needed are identification numbers, GPA, make and model of car, medical history, family history, current employment status, cell phone network provider, list of close friends, and so on. There are always one or two who fundamentally refuse to give up such personal information and question my motives. And in a way I'm glad they have those reservations. But more importantly is the brief discussion that follows.
Usually when I ask "how did that feel?" I get such responses as "invasive," "violated," "suspicious," "angry" and such, which is exactly what happened with today's groups. Then we end up on a couple of tangents about how well they've been trained as students to sit quietly, obey the authority (teacher), and not question him or her. One young lady was very uncomfortable with the word trained, but we eventually agreed that that's pretty much what has occurred over the past 12 years of schooling. I mentioned that as an observer, several young men reached for their wallets to access their driver's licences (the number was needed for the exercise) and that's when I realized how much these "big kids" need to know before we let them loose into the adult world.
"There's a lot I need to know about myself," proclaimed one young lady. And it's true. We don't often think of how many numbers, records, and forms are connected to us until we are called upon to provide such information. One young man asked which of the several numbers on his driver's license was the actual number. So I showed him and then enlightened the rest of the group that the official number is the one that starts with the first initial of their last name. You'd have thought I just gave them the secrets of the universe - seems no one knew that tidbit.
"I thought the M meant Michigan." (her last name begins with M)
"I always thought the numbers began with zero." (his last name begins with O)
"Mine is a D and I figured it meant driver." (last name starts with D)
In a way it was a great "teachable" moment for me to be able to shed some real-life information with these soon-to-be graduates. And I'm sure there are more to come as we continue to draw parallels between Orwell's world and ours in terms of technology, government and politics, societal trends, and the risks associated with all of the above. Hopefully I can impart some more eye-opening wisdom before our time here is done.
We've begun to read 1984 and I have several preliminary activities before the kids get books in their hands. Today's was my ROOM 123 PERSONAL INVENTORY. The gist is that students are instructed to complete the form - no questions, no talking. Then most of them, out of a bit of fear and good public school obedience training, set to work filling out the necessary information that gets progressively personal. Things needed are identification numbers, GPA, make and model of car, medical history, family history, current employment status, cell phone network provider, list of close friends, and so on. There are always one or two who fundamentally refuse to give up such personal information and question my motives. And in a way I'm glad they have those reservations. But more importantly is the brief discussion that follows.
Usually when I ask "how did that feel?" I get such responses as "invasive," "violated," "suspicious," "angry" and such, which is exactly what happened with today's groups. Then we end up on a couple of tangents about how well they've been trained as students to sit quietly, obey the authority (teacher), and not question him or her. One young lady was very uncomfortable with the word trained, but we eventually agreed that that's pretty much what has occurred over the past 12 years of schooling. I mentioned that as an observer, several young men reached for their wallets to access their driver's licences (the number was needed for the exercise) and that's when I realized how much these "big kids" need to know before we let them loose into the adult world.
"There's a lot I need to know about myself," proclaimed one young lady. And it's true. We don't often think of how many numbers, records, and forms are connected to us until we are called upon to provide such information. One young man asked which of the several numbers on his driver's license was the actual number. So I showed him and then enlightened the rest of the group that the official number is the one that starts with the first initial of their last name. You'd have thought I just gave them the secrets of the universe - seems no one knew that tidbit.
"I thought the M meant Michigan." (her last name begins with M)
"I always thought the numbers began with zero." (his last name begins with O)
"Mine is a D and I figured it meant driver." (last name starts with D)
In a way it was a great "teachable" moment for me to be able to shed some real-life information with these soon-to-be graduates. And I'm sure there are more to come as we continue to draw parallels between Orwell's world and ours in terms of technology, government and politics, societal trends, and the risks associated with all of the above. Hopefully I can impart some more eye-opening wisdom before our time here is done.
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