Rather than flood my colleagues’ email boxes with links for them to check out, I thought I could at least point to things here that I would spend more time sharing if I had a ‘mo…as it were.

I just ran into David Truss, who was referred to on Twitter (that exploration has proved worthwhile to me) whose wonderful post about the two wolves works wonderfully with our “social studies” theme in the K-2, about emotions, feelings, and self-control. Plus, it just works!

The person who brought my attn to David, also brought to my attention this diverse (and certainly not the current popular media vision), andcertainly mind-ful look at autism –thank you, Dave MacLean, truly worth your viewing. (So glad you followed me on twitter, so I checked out what you shared there, and found this video!) I have had the amazing privilege of meeting Ari, and Amanda, and many others on that video. My son Alex introduced me to these peoples’ point of view (in order to help me understand him, and advocate for his needs).

Two videos and this story were relatively new to me, perhaps not to you… about the power of music to make change

Now, to gather info about paper airplanes, to enrich my aeronautical 2nd grader and help him prepare a presentation for his classmates.

My children have led me into new uses of technology ever since they were little. It’s happened again!

The Back Story

12 years ago, when we brought my two older boys away from school for half the school year, to rural New England, we learned how to get a computer in the public library to dial up and log on to another computer at a university in our hometown (techno-babble term: telnet). My children’s classmates also had logged onto the hometown computer from their classroom, and people from the two locations typed messages which appeared at both locations, thus enabling classmates and teachers to “chat” long distance.

Years later, when we were vacationing away from home, our boys figured out they could play a role-playing game (RPG) with their friends back home, and with no long distance charges, by using the “voice chat” option in IM (techno-babble: using an “Instant Message” computer program to transmit sounds back and forth in real-time).

Now, I have one son using an online project monitoring program to coordinate collaborative efforts of a team of writers and editors–most of whom have published together before, but never met in real life.

And Now…

I’m at Autism Network International’s Autreat (a conference/retreat run by and for autistic people-read the web site for a better description) with one of my sons. People came from Japan, Canada, Israel, and the U.S. for the event. One presenter set up an informal discussion session about the future of their aims and the direction members want to pursue. He had a projector on the screen at the front of the room, and it showed the window of an IRC chat channel that had been set up for this. A typist was at the keyboard, transcribing the discussion in the room onto the chat channel. The presenter moderated, passing a microphone to people in the room, taking time now and again to read aloud the comments being posted in the chat channel from members who were not physically present, and passing along questions or comments from those physically present to those present in the chat room. The typist had her hands full from time to time, but the people in the room helped her recap, and everyone was valuing the inputs. It was a rich discussion, enhanced by those who joined via the internet–people from Britain, the Netherlands, Georgia (U.S.), and so on who could not join us physically.

It was amazing! The level of discussion, the consideration of everyone including each other in genuine discussion, the head-spinning ability to ask “so and so, what’s your experience with government regulation of this educational program in Britain?”

I had no idea what a wonderful resource IRC could be. Frankly, I’d overlooked it, assuming it would be too clunky and slow, difficult to use. Yet, here I was barely keeping up with the conversation sometimes. I am aware that it was the conversation, and the people having it, that made the session so wonderful–but their use of this tool was superb, and they used it to enhance their ability to have a genuine interaction–to connect.

And it wasn’t a fluke, there was another discussion later that evening–different topic, different moderator, same rich quality and international connections.

I’m so glad my children are educating me!

Photo: “Lead Me” courtesy Spleenboy http://www.flickr.com/photos/spleenboy/270741497/

First, this brave young man’s Eagle Scout project as pointed out by Karl Fisch on his blog:

“First, please download and watch this movie (18.4 MB, 11:36). Then think about how often we stamp “can’t” on somebody’s forehead.”

The Fischbowl: Ability Awareness

Second, this Edutopia article: Overcoming Underachievement which showed how a short self-affirmation essay at the start of the term buoyed up students — and gave them a psychological inoculation against something called stereotype threat — so that their performances improved and stayed improved. While the same short exercise wasn’t seen to have the same extra benefits for those students in the majority, they aren’t subject to stereotype threat.  I recommend this article as a good read for all of us.

That got me to thinking about those wise educators whose words stirred a similar “that’s so right” gut reaction in me. They are from many different fields, but their messages carry the same voice.

Quakers talk about “that of God in everyone.” I have heard several say that sitting in silence helps them to focus on “the still, small voice within.” A favorite song declares “This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine.” They treat children as beings to be listened to and respected, as they have the potential to speak truth to us because they share “that of God.”

Conflict resolution methods often start with getting each side of a conflict a chance to speak, and to know that they are heard (for examples, “Google” active listening).

Multicultural and diversity awareness educators I’ve known say that we should always start with connecting to each person where they are. Getting to know, and accept the “other’s” values and culture should begin by examining and sharing your own.

Helping someone with an Exceptionality (Differently-abled People, People with Learning Differences (gifts, delays, and challenges)) entails beginning with an examination and evaluation of the person in question — I have colleagues whose mantra is “begin with the child”or “the child is your handbook.”

Affirmation is a powerful thing. No wonder so many wonderful, wise educators begin there.