Author Archives: Mark

10 Strategies for Any Problem

1. Avoid

Doing nothing about something, is doing something. Do something else, clean the kitchen, back-up your data, do errands…(This gives you time to do the other nine strategies.)

2. Think

Sit back and think about the issue, just let your mind go…

3. Research

Look up stuff, go through your old projects, but avoid Google if it takes too long to find anything useful…

4. Collect

We all have lots of stuff; there must be something in there that is waiting to be used…

5. Sketch

Drawing is great, even if you have no talent. Just visualizing the simplest things makes them come alive…

6. De-construct

Take the problem apart, look at the parts and then put them back together…

7. Transcend

What larger thing is the problem a part of…

8. Perspective

What does your perspective on the problem add or detract, and the perspectives of others…

9. Connections

What can the nature of the connections between all the parts tell you about the problem…

10. Act

Sitting on your duff never got anything solved…

Dorothea Lange

“The camera is an instrument that teaches people how to see without a camera.” Dorothea Lange

This can be said of any technology used for education …

The objective is not to teach our students how to use the technology.  It’s to teach them what, by using the technology, we all can learn about interacting with our world, our learning and our interpretation of things.

People Doing Stuff

As most of us have spent the last few days inside, searching for bread, milk and eggs, and, if you are like me, (it’s -9 degress where I am) spent an inordinate amount of time in front of the computer. This video will have some meaning. It is strangely satisfying.

Remember how you feel after three days of sitting, and watching this video, the next time you are rightfully vilifying those who would have your students sitting in front of their televisions.

They are making videos of other people doing stuff, so we can watch them, instead of actually doing stuff ourselves.