Comments on: Do the math http://dangerouslyirrelevant.org/2008/01/do-the-math.html Technology, leadership, and the future of schools Wed, 08 Feb 2012 23:00:32 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Mike Parent http://dangerouslyirrelevant.org/2008/01/do-the-math.html/comment-page-1#comment-13677 Mike Parent Tue, 30 Nov 1999 05:00:00 +0000 http://annahein.com/2008/01/do-the-math.html#comment-13677 As a high school administrator, blogger, and tech-geek, I have taken the bull by the horns; I am , essentially, forcing blogging and collaborative technology onto the faculty. I created Dumont High School 2.0 using Ning. It's a private network for our faculty. Only three teachers in my building blog or know anything about the collaborative and interactive tools available. It's as if the last five years have gone by unnoticed around here. So far, I have only opened the network to the ten members of our Middle States Accreditation For Growth Implementation Team. I posted tutorial screencasts on the network so that the truly ignorant can learn at their own pace. I will show them and encourage them to set up their own blogs. In short, I have to lead by example. As an aside, the whole project is subject to shut down by the Director of Technology; he has no idea I set this up and launched it. I am working under the premise, "Seek forgiveness, not permission". I've found that this is the only way to break through the phobias that tend to sicken the IT people in education. I'll let you know if I have to apologize. As a high school administrator, blogger, and tech-geek, I have taken the bull by the horns; I am , essentially, forcing blogging and collaborative technology onto the faculty.

I created Dumont High School 2.0 using Ning. It’s a private network for our faculty. Only three teachers in my building blog or know anything about the collaborative and interactive tools available. It’s as if the last five years have gone by unnoticed around here.

So far, I have only opened the network to the ten members of our Middle States Accreditation For Growth Implementation Team. I posted tutorial screencasts on the network so that the truly ignorant can learn at their own pace. I will show them and encourage them to set up their own blogs. In short, I have to lead by example.

As an aside, the whole project is subject to shut down by the Director of Technology; he has no idea I set this up and launched it. I am working under the premise, “Seek forgiveness, not permission”. I’ve found that this is the only way to break through the phobias that tend to sicken the IT people in education.

I’ll let you know if I have to apologize.

]]> By: Roger Whaley http://dangerouslyirrelevant.org/2008/01/do-the-math.html/comment-page-1#comment-13678 Roger Whaley Tue, 30 Nov 1999 05:00:00 +0000 http://annahein.com/2008/01/do-the-math.html#comment-13678 Interesting math, but I think your numbers are pessimistic on the blog side! It only counts the people who subscribe by rss. I haven't set-up a subscription for this space, because I know I will be reading this blog frequently. I only use rss when the content doesn't get updated often. Also, your audience is more nimble with web published material. If you reference an article in a print journal, how long will it take someone to get a copy? If a blog entry goes viral your estimate is very, very low. Is it "Publish (on paper) or Perish" for faculty? Or are college administrators hip to the new medium and the new math? You are right. If you want to send out an idea, the web is the place to be. Interesting math, but I think your numbers are pessimistic on the blog side!

It only counts the people who subscribe by rss. I haven’t set-up a subscription for this space, because I know I will be reading this blog frequently. I only use rss when the content doesn’t get updated often.

Also, your audience is more nimble with web published material. If you reference an article in a print journal, how long will it take someone to get a copy? If a blog entry goes viral your estimate is very, very low.

Is it “Publish (on paper) or Perish” for faculty? Or are college administrators hip to the new medium and the new math?
You are right. If you want to send out an idea, the web is the place to be.

]]> By: Doug Johnson http://dangerouslyirrelevant.org/2008/01/do-the-math.html/comment-page-1#comment-13679 Doug Johnson Tue, 30 Nov 1999 05:00:00 +0000 http://annahein.com/2008/01/do-the-math.html#comment-13679 Hi Scott, I am not convinced your numbers are meaningful. Given the different purposes for writing for a professional (refereed) journal and a blog, this is comparing apples to bananas or something. Is persuasion or influence a primary purpose for writing for a scholarly journal? I thought it was to inform the profession and build knowledge in an objective fashion through research. Not really for purposely creating educational change. But I am not nor never have been an academician! Oh, do you want us to tell people again that they will be knotty-pated hedge pigs if they don't do your survey? All the best, Doug Hi Scott,

I am not convinced your numbers are meaningful. Given the different purposes for writing for a professional (refereed) journal and a blog, this is comparing apples to bananas or something.

Is persuasion or influence a primary purpose for writing for a scholarly journal? I thought it was to inform the profession and build knowledge in an objective fashion through research. Not really for purposely creating educational change.

But I am not nor never have been an academician!

Oh, do you want us to tell people again that they will be knotty-pated hedge pigs if they don’t do your survey?

All the best,

Doug

]]> By: John Gross http://dangerouslyirrelevant.org/2008/01/do-the-math.html/comment-page-1#comment-13680 John Gross Tue, 30 Nov 1999 05:00:00 +0000 http://annahein.com/2008/01/do-the-math.html#comment-13680 Probably because blogs are blocked in many, many school districts...just kidding but it could be true...(c:} Probably because blogs are blocked in many, many school districts…just kidding but it could be true…(c:}

]]> By: Scott McLeod http://dangerouslyirrelevant.org/2008/01/do-the-math.html/comment-page-1#comment-13681 Scott McLeod Tue, 30 Nov 1999 05:00:00 +0000 http://annahein.com/2008/01/do-the-math.html#comment-13681 Hi Doug, We all know that educators rarely, if ever, read peer-reviewed journals. So at some point we have to ask deep and important questions about why / where we do our writing as academics if it's not reaching (and thus impacting) the field. It's hard to affect K-12 practices through research (which should be the purpose, in my mind) if the people you're trying to reach don't read the outlets in which you put your writing. And, yes, feel free to revive the 'knotty-pated hedge pigs' idea! Hi Doug,

We all know that educators rarely, if ever, read peer-reviewed journals. So at some point we have to ask deep and important questions about why / where we do our writing as academics if it’s not reaching (and thus impacting) the field. It’s hard to affect K-12 practices through research (which should be the purpose, in my mind) if the people you’re trying to reach don’t read the outlets in which you put your writing.

And, yes, feel free to revive the ‘knotty-pated hedge pigs’ idea!

]]> By: Rick http://dangerouslyirrelevant.org/2008/01/do-the-math.html/comment-page-1#comment-13682 Rick Tue, 30 Nov 1999 05:00:00 +0000 http://annahein.com/2008/01/do-the-math.html#comment-13682 Anybody can have a blog. Heck, I have a blog, so that should tell you something. With that in mind, at what point does credibility enter in to the picture? You're a professor, so I assume you also have some published material in scholarly journals. The chances that I'll ever come across it are pretty small, but the chances of me reading your blog entries are quite high because you're in my reader every day. So, you have a lot of credibility with me just because of the consistency and frequency of your high quality posts. Anybody can have a blog. Heck, I have a blog, so that should tell you something. With that in mind, at what point does credibility enter in to the picture? You’re a professor, so I assume you also have some published material in scholarly journals. The chances that I’ll ever come across it are pretty small, but the chances of me reading your blog entries are quite high because you’re in my reader every day. So, you have a lot of credibility with me just because of the consistency and frequency of your high quality posts.

]]> By: Rob Galloway http://dangerouslyirrelevant.org/2008/01/do-the-math.html/comment-page-1#comment-13683 Rob Galloway Tue, 30 Nov 1999 05:00:00 +0000 http://annahein.com/2008/01/do-the-math.html#comment-13683 More university faculty would be blogging if doing so carried the same weight as publishing in a refereed journal. However, most PAC and tenure-review committees do not consider blogging to be as scholarly as publishing books or peer-reviewed articles. More university faculty would be blogging if doing so carried the same weight as publishing in a refereed journal. However, most PAC and tenure-review committees do not consider blogging to be as scholarly as publishing books or peer-reviewed articles.

]]> By: Andrew B Watt http://dangerouslyirrelevant.org/2008/01/do-the-math.html/comment-page-1#comment-13684 Andrew B Watt Tue, 30 Nov 1999 05:00:00 +0000 http://annahein.com/2008/01/do-the-math.html#comment-13684 Frederick the Great of Prussia liked to call himself "The First Servant of the State", which pleased the Enlightenment philosophers no end. He eliminated torture, and increased the rights of the peasants. But he didn't really end the absolute power of the monarchy, nor constrain the nobility, nor redesign the legal system. In the same way, saying "I'm an educational leader" doesn't make it so. On the other hand, if you're really potentially reaching the point of having 4,000,000+ interactions between people over the course of a decade... well. People reading your blog, reading your comments, comparing stories, collecting anecdotes, building a following? Isn't THAT what peer review is supposed to look like? Frederick the Great of Prussia liked to call himself “The First Servant of the State”, which pleased the Enlightenment philosophers no end. He eliminated torture, and increased the rights of the peasants. But he didn’t really end the absolute power of the monarchy, nor constrain the nobility, nor redesign the legal system. In the same way, saying “I’m an educational leader” doesn’t make it so.
On the other hand, if you’re really potentially reaching the point of having 4,000,000+ interactions between people over the course of a decade… well. People reading your blog, reading your comments, comparing stories, collecting anecdotes, building a following? Isn’t THAT what peer review is supposed to look like?

]]> By: Scott McLeod http://dangerouslyirrelevant.org/2008/01/do-the-math.html/comment-page-1#comment-13685 Scott McLeod Tue, 30 Nov 1999 05:00:00 +0000 http://annahein.com/2008/01/do-the-math.html#comment-13685 Hi Andrew, thanks for the thoughtful comment. And I appreciate the idea that simply saying, "Hey, I'm serving people!" doesn't necessarily make it so. I think that I am adding some value to the conversation and to leaders' lives. My readership keeps growing so that's at least one indicator that I'm on the right track. That said, there's so much more I could be doing and/or that needs to be done... I think the typical academic's response to your last sentence would be a haughty sniff followed by the question, "But are they QUALITY people?" In other words, peer review has to be by folks they consider to be 'peers' and the general public / anyone that isn't a tenure-track faculty member at a university (preferably a research university) doesn't fall into that category... Hi Andrew, thanks for the thoughtful comment. And I appreciate the idea that simply saying, “Hey, I’m serving people!” doesn’t necessarily make it so. I think that I am adding some value to the conversation and to leaders’ lives. My readership keeps growing so that’s at least one indicator that I’m on the right track. That said, there’s so much more I could be doing and/or that needs to be done…

I think the typical academic’s response to your last sentence would be a haughty sniff followed by the question, “But are they QUALITY people?” In other words, peer review has to be by folks they consider to be ‘peers’ and the general public / anyone that isn’t a tenure-track faculty member at a university (preferably a research university) doesn’t fall into that category…

]]> By: Dave Keane http://dangerouslyirrelevant.org/2008/01/do-the-math.html/comment-page-1#comment-13686 Dave Keane Tue, 30 Nov 1999 05:00:00 +0000 http://annahein.com/2008/01/do-the-math.html#comment-13686 @ Scott As you know I am a regular reader, but largely due to having met you and knowing you are a grounded individual. The advantage of peer reviewed journals is that those who publish there become credible. A blog can be wonderful, and it can also be full of crap. Most journal publications have an editor that look for errors or information which can not be verified using sound educational research methods. There are a tremendous amount of people who purchase the National Inquirer, but I would not look to it as a place to publish valuable information. Please take no offense to this analogy as I spend a great deal of time reading specific blogs,many of which I have come across as a result of visiting Dangerously Irrelevant. I also have monthly journals that I read and yes I do at times even look at some of the peer reviewed journals. Ussually after being directed there by the references at the end of some article in a more popular publication. @ Scott
As you know I am a regular reader, but largely due to having met you and knowing you are a grounded individual. The advantage of peer reviewed journals is that those who publish there become credible. A blog can be wonderful, and it can also be full of crap. Most journal publications have an editor that look for errors or information which can not be verified using sound educational research methods.
There are a tremendous amount of people who purchase the National Inquirer, but I would not look to it as a place to publish valuable information.
Please take no offense to this analogy as I spend a great deal of time reading specific blogs,many of which I have come across as a result of visiting Dangerously Irrelevant. I also have monthly journals that I read and yes I do at times even look at some of the peer reviewed journals. Ussually after being directed there by the references at the end of some article in a more popular publication.

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