An Open Letter To Gary Stager

"Get off your box and show us something in reality."

Gary Stager at the panel session on the closing day of educon

Mr. Stager;

On Sunday January 27th, I was enjoying the best of both worlds. I was at home with my family making breakfast and meanwhile listening to a panel being ustreamed from the educon conference in Philadelphia. At about 9:00 my time (10:00 in Philadelphia) as I was cleaning up a frying pan of scrambled eggs, I heard this comment from you talking about how many of the people who are involved with education are blogging and talking about change in classrooms; but you say you are not seeing that change happening. You want us all to "get off our box."

My blog is my box and I happily and proudly stand on it every opportunity I get. In the 2.0 world I can do that. In the 2.0 world, a junior high teacher from a small town in the middle of nowhere can have an audience and connect with people around the globe. In the 2.0 world, I can blog, talk, write and dream. But those teachers like me go further than that. We also plan. We think. We work in our own classrooms. We work within the system. We fight restrictive policies, put in long hours and try very hard to see the forest beyond the trees.

I think I understand the purpose of your comment. I have read enough bell hooks and I have struggled with my Friere long enough to know something of critical friendship. As a teacher, I understand the value of issuing a direct and forceful challenge to people and watch for them to rise up and meet that challenge. But I also know about reproach and dissatisfaction. While you and I have never had the pleasure of meeting, I am used to people being critical of, and questioning about, unorthodox learning environments. While we aren't where we want to be as a global community of educators, in many cases we are headed in the right direction. We see examples of projects and collaborations emerging around the world that are new, different, and breaking the mold from old ways of learning. We see individual teachers who are developing the global microbrands of themselves and the learning environments they have created. We have consultants who bring us an inside view of learning spaces scattered across wide areas.

We are a new type of teacher working in new and changing learning environments. We are willing to experiment and drive towards new forms of learning. We fit into the education system like square pegs in round holes. But the fact is that we are the reality and we show it each day in our classrooms. We are connected. We are globally focused and working to create a learning environment, social objects, and opportunities for learning that anticipate the needs of a changing twenty first century society. While we are by no means perfect, we know more this year then last about teaching in these ways and next year we will know even more again.

In closing I would say to you that we are on our boxes and we stand there proudly. They are one channel that is allowing us as educators to have access to ideas, and windows into each others' classrooms as others before have never been fortunate enough to have. We are also the human reality, the human face of the needs of a changing education system. We are about information, connections, and collaboration. We are a growing, strengthening network who take value and inspiration from each other. We are a challenge to those around us.

Sincerely;

Clarence Fisher

Tags: educon, gary stager, change, 2.0, classrooms, education, learning, school

Comments

[Cathy Nelson]

Clarence we were there rootin' for ya. When a question rose up something like "Where are the teachers that authentically use blogs as part of their classroom?" UNANIMOUSLY your name was shouted out first. I do believe even Gary recognizes your personal success with using 21st century skills in the classroom.

[Susan van Gelder]

I think the problem is not with individual teachers like yourself. The problem is systemic. You can blog and model to others about the incredible way you are working with your students, but even in your own building you are not able to significantly change what others are doing. Gary also comes from the country of NCLB where teachers are hampered by continual testing and being evaluated on the improvement of their students against an arbitrary standard. I believe he is a big picture person and wants to see change happening at district levels and higher. That does not mean that any of us have no impact. Unfortunately change happens slowly and most blogs are read by the converted, not those that need to see the need for change. You are an inspiration to those of us who want to see change happen. I know I point people to your blog and sessions from archived conferences. Keep inspiring!

[John Maklary]

Clarence,

I certainly can see why you were personally taken aback by Gary's comments. Sometimes he seems to take a shotgun approach to articulating his point. You obviously use technology to artfully connect your students to others and, more importantly, you foster academic expression to create a more rich learning environment.

I will post a blog entry as this subject has been touched on by others in the last week. http://john.maklary.com

[Wendy]

Clarence,

First, let me say thank you for your blog and your input during Mr. Mayo's Educon session.

I also stand on my box proudly. I'm doing the things you mention in my classroom and breaking my back as an ambassador at my school and beyond. I was there for Mr. Stager's presentation. Frankly, I wish he would have used some of his own advice and treated it more like a conversation than a lecture with Powerpoint. At the same time, I believe that Mr. Stager's strength is his ability to stir things up. Not knowing him personally, I do not know how much of that is his true motive. But, you have to give him credit for getting us stirred up. At the same time, he should be giving back some credit to the growing number of teachers who "get it". Most of that growth can be attributed to other individual teachers who take time to work one-on-one with their colleagues, not necessarily to speakers on the "talk" circuit.

Great Post!
Wendy

[Corrie Bergeron]

As I wrote about in part here - http://sddc.blogspot.com/2008/01/podcast-with-clay-burell-on-helping.html - this whole 2.0 thing has rocked my personal/professional world. Just today my Twitter network has provided resources I can share with two different sets of colleagues.

As far as student work goes, listen to the podcast that Clay Burrel created from our impromptu, globe-spanning conversation a couple of weeks ago: http://beyond-school.org/2008/01/15/quick-in-quick-out-podcast-pln-class-design-discussion-with-cleveland-maryland-nyc-qatar-and-seoul/

Then check out what his students are doing: http://beyond-school.org/teaching-gallery/

This stuff is real. This is our students' world. We'd best get with the program. http://sddc.blogspot.com/2007/08/age-of-wonders.html

[George Mayo]

Hi Clarence,

First, thank you for Skyping into my Educon session Saturday. I sincerely appreciate you taking the time out of your weekend to take part in our conversation.

Your post about Gary Stager’s comment caught my attention. It’s hard to understand how Gary could miss the mountain of content currently being created by students all over the globe. There are so many excellent examples of student work online. I just updated a Tweet asking for everyone in my Twitter network to post a comment to this post high-liting examples of student 2.0 work samples.

Here are some examples of work from my students. My students inspire me daily with their ideas, insight, energy, enthusiasm and their eagerness to share their classroom work with the world! It’s an exciting time to be a teacher. For me, change starts in the classroom. It’s the teachers that are going to lead the way.

http://darfurproject.edublogs.org/
http://stopgenocide.edublogs.org/
http://mrmayo.edublogs.org/

For more examples of student work visit my teacher weblog, mrmayo.org.

[AllanahK]

Listening to the conversation out of context is always a tricky business.

Teachers are wonderful beings who are mostly motivated by a passion to help children learn. OK- some aren't as connected as others but it annoys me when disparaging comments are made by people who aren't facing the daily rigours of a classroom.

We seek to teach, model, lead.

[Julie Lindsay]

Hi Clarence
Well said! I wasn't able to see/hear Gary's presentation but I get the feeling he was challenging educators to be more proactive as a group rather than 'having a go' at inactivity or complacency.
However, as someone who is often 'on the box' and also very much 'at the chalkface' I feel a disjunct between those that do and those that talk about it. Both types of educators are important and need to learn from each other and both need to get a grip on the amazing changes that are happening in education...not just for a few of us. I firmly believe the word is spreading and the world is turning.
Student examples, well at the risk of being a little self-centred, I have to offer the Flat Classroom projects and the Horizon Project as exemplary models of the change that is already here.
http://flatclassroomproject.wikispaces.com
http://horizonproject.wikispaces.com

However, more importantly the new connections and collaborations that are being made everyday around the world are evidence of educators harnessing the energy of their personal learning networks and creating wonderful opportunities for learning.

[John Maklary]

I posted a blog entry about this...

http://learning20.blogspot.com/2008/01/getting-back-to-reality-of-teachinga.html

[Clarence Fisher]

I think I touched a nerve with this post. I think the comments on here and the people who also have emailed and DM'ed me on Twitter shows a connection on its own. As I said, we still have plenty to learn about how to best implement these new technologies in our classrooms, but our connections cannot be denied. The power of them is growing, and more importantly, is changing what happens in classrooms.

[Kyle Simon]

While I was at Educon, I wasn't able to attend the discussion you are referencing. From the what you've said and my assumptions, I believe he was hoping to motivate.

If you want/need a different form of motivation, check out Zac Chase and Kristin Hokanson's session: Separate but Equal(ly Driven) during session six. We spoke of what needs to happen next and what each of us could do to get the word out and drive change. I really recommend checking it out on ustream: http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/G0OXiKX35SZosCOISjcqaa3x2z1KUZHp

What an empowering session. Check out the session notes @ http://educon20.wikispaces.com/SAT06RM301

[Angela]

Recently, I was thinking and writing a bit about how isolated I once felt in the classroom. Teaching can be such an alienating thing at times, don't you think? I am blown away by the powerful learning communities and communities of support that I find on the net now, and I wish that they had been there when I began teaching. Furthermore, while you are standing proudly on your box, it's your position there that allows you to learn and grow and impact change in the classroom. Does one have to give up their box in order to create change? Or does the box allow everyone the perspective, the vision, and the community to make change real? I spent a few days of my life with Stager as well, and stirring up this kind of controversy seems to be his way of inciting urgency around these issues, which are important. I can understand that. Only, I'm not sure that his approach allows him to accomplish this. In a way, it seems he is only standing on a box offending people....and that is a shame.

[Gary S. Stager, Ph.D.]

Dear Clarence:

I'm so glad that you were able to participate in Educon 2.0 remotely. It was one of the best education events I've attended in a good long time. It's fantastic that so many people spent their own money to travel across the country to spend time with one another and share ideas.

I am sorry if I offended you, and apparently other readers of your blog, but I frankly have no idea what I said that you found so objectionable. I spent the entire weekend at Educon doing my best to inspire teachers to be their best. That does not mean that I don't have substantial disagreements with some of my friends and colleagues. I assure you that my fellow panelists were not offended. You might also wish to check out my "What Does Good Teaching with Computers Look Like" session via uStream to get a better sense of my work and thoughts.

I would be happy to clarify, defend or even apologize for the statement in question, but the quotation (I assume) attributed to me at the top of this blog does not sound like phraseology I would use.

To those who dismiss my thoughts, views and work as some sort of stunt to incite passions, start a fight or play devil's advocate, I assure you that this is not the case. I may have views outside of conventional wisdom or popular rhetoric, but I don't play games.

I wish you well in the terrific work you do on behalf of kids and look forward to continuing the dialogue.

Best Wishes,

Gary

[Kimberly Brown]

Blogs are an everyday part of my classroom as they are of many others. I've been inspired by you to begin to push the boundaries of my classroom with my collaborations with colleagues around the globe. When I hear educators talk about their professional learning communities (PLC) within their schools I consider my PLC to the be educators I work with throughout the world. Thank you Clarence for leading us and championing the educators who are working hard to integrate technology into the classroom everyday.

[Ann O]

I have not watched the UStream of this event, but was struck by a comment via Twitter during the session. Someone felt ashamed as an educator by the work they were doing as compared to what was proposed as appropriate work in the classroom. I am looking forward to watching the actual presentation.

I find that the network of teachers I have become a part of is very open and supportive. Everyone is on a continuum of learning. Part of the soapbox is an ongoing discussion. Teachers and educational consultants are trying to determine where they fit in this picture and how to help others in their local community to become part of the conversation.

The work you and others in this global community accomplish with students is wonderful. I find it to be very open. So many people have embraced my students as a part of their collaborations. As we build our body of work, we will be able to share it locally. Without all of these ongoing conversations, I would not have been able to join in and learn.

I added a few more thoughts to this post on my blog today.

[Angela]

Whoops, you requested examples of how teachers are using web 2.0 tools with kids....forgot...sorry. Anyway, I'm not a teacher (anymore). I do the staff development thing now. But I am a mom...and here is how my ten year old daughter is using web 2.0 tools: http://twentyfivedays.wordpress.com/

[Clarence Fisher]

Gary;

First of all thank you for taking the time to read and leave a comment on this post. This is by no means meant as a personal attack on you or the work that you do. I will also not allow this to degenerate into something that is personal. Please be assured that I will happily delete any comment that is focused on anything personal. My point with this is that as teachers we need to stand on our boxes. This is how the community is developing and changing. While we are slow and moving carefully (possibly too carefully sometimes) I feel we are moving in the right directions. Bringing connections between teachers will bring connections between classrooms and in a world that is global, we need to understand each other's points of view as much as possible. I do not doubt that you have "views outside of conventional wisdom or popular rhetoric" (in your words) but for that you are to be respected, questioned, and held to account; just as we should be as well. Critical friends and critical voices are essential and as a community we need voices like yours to force us to examine our practice and drive us forward into new areas of understanding.