Comments for Learning is Change.

Comment on Question 72 of 365: Who is special? by Zac Chase

Zac Chase — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 15:36:14 +0000

Some semantic and philosophical acrobatics here.
Part 1:
Are we inherently special?
If your principal said it, then wasn't it so? If you disagreed, did that negate the truthfulness of the statement? If she thought you were special, then you were, right?
I think of my siblings here. At 20, 16 and 10, they are amazing kids. They are special. In fact, my belief in their specialness is so strong that I would extend it beyond my own subjectivity. They are special to the world. Take a look at Tobias and Isabelle. You've got to have a feeling of inherent specialness existing in those two that exists beyond your parenthood. If someone were to argue against it, I'd argue they weren't looking closely enough. They weren't trying hard enough.
Even when looking at my students, I see each of them as special. I can't argue that I see greatness in each of them, but specialness, yeah, it's in there.
Part 2:
Do you really think we're building profiles because we think we're special? I don't think I am. What I mean to say, is I don't think that's why I do it. I think I'm building these things to be present in a space I can't be physically present in. I think I'm building these things to have an archive of who I thought this version of me was in this moment. Are we attributing specialness to these people or are we attributing personness? More people are in my world an available for my education because of this. You wouldn't be a person to me if version of you hadn't been online first. Are we asserting specialness or extensions of personhood?
Part 3:
I love that the democraticization of voice has led to this moment. Admittedly, we're not where we should be with the distribution of access, but I think we're working on it. What I love is that we're coming to terms with what means to believe what we've said we believe for hundreds of years. I wonder if we've meant it. Parts of this post make me think you're finding it frustrating. That's cool. We've always known this experiment takes work. Right now, though, it means more intellectual work than it's ever meant before. If everyone gets a voice, what do we do with that? How do we change? How will we change when the rest of the world comes online? Will their presence signal an assertion of specialness or an assertion of personhood?

Comment on Question 71 of 365: What is a better organizing force, passion or values? by Zac Chase

Zac Chase — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 14:43:45 +0000

I can't seen how values, passions and interests are separable. I'm trying, but I can't get there. The things about which I'm passionate are the things I value and the things I am interested in. There's an interconnectivity of the three that I can't envision severing.
This is not to say I'm

Comment on Question 71 of 365: What is a better organizing force, passion or values? by monika hardy

monika hardy — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 12:30:57 +0000

i absolutely agree on my inability to focus the message. and the definite need for that to happen. unfortunately… i'm volunteering myself.. so no hiring capabilities. unless of course, i happen to find such an individual, that believes like i do, that transparency is the new currency.

might that be you ben wilkoff?

this is why i'm calling on and working with a new batch of expert tutors. i would love for you to join that team. i've already told them about you. this has been in the making for like a year – every since my first brush with the most amazing expert tutor. all of these guys have hailed from Seth Godin's online triiibe – which i joined a year ago jan.
these particular guys i'm working with now – just started helping me clarify two weeks ago.

Comment on Question 71 of 365: What is a better organizing force, passion or values? by Ben Wilkoff

Ben Wilkoff — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 10:21:23 +0000

You really should hire an assistant.

Your ideas and ability to pull things together are just amazing, but I feel
as though it is getting lost in the translation for many people. I feel like
you might be easy to write off as someone who is artsy or too futurist. But,
you are capable of creating change and articulating what needs to happen in
schools better than anyone I have recently read. You just need someone else
who can focus the work so that other people can see how brilliant it is.
(You don't NEED that, but I guess I would love for that to happen because I
think people are missing out.)

You are force to be reckoned with and I think people should see that.

Comment on Question 71 of 365: What is a better organizing force, passion or values? by monika hardy

monika hardy — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 09:58:56 +0000

well yes… in my naturally crazy form of logging thoughts… have at it…
http://workingonit.wetpaint.com/page/best+of+90...

and in my utopian view of ple's – there's no stealing.
to a fault i guess. sometimes i wish i didn't assume so much.

Comment on Question 71 of 365: What is a better organizing force, passion or values? by Ben Wilkoff

Ben Wilkoff — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 08:38:54 +0000

That is a very nice way of putting that. I may steal it at some point.

I'm intrigued by your use of “expert tutor” a bunch. Have you written about
the process of choosing or how they tutor you?

Comment on Question 71 of 365: What is a better organizing force, passion or values? by monika hardy

monika hardy — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 05:30:26 +0000

nice Ben.

my expert tutor always said – without relationships – there is no value.
sounds like you are saying – without shared values – there is no true relationship….

Comment on Question 68 of 365: What does it mean to be a breadwinner? by Ben Wilkoff

Ben Wilkoff — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 19:32:02 +0000

I'm not sure that I need to comment so much on this one. I want to be a
baker too.

Comment on Question 69 of 365: Why is action such a surprise? by Ben Wilkoff

Ben Wilkoff — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 19:31:11 +0000

I recognize that the big things are still hard. They are hard because they
can't be done with just one person. You can't move an entire multi-million
dollar entity (schools, businesses, countries) to do something different
without huge effort. What I mean to say is that it is no longer too hard for
one person to start that movement. It is no longer hard to keep on chipping
away at the bigger problem and garner support until you have a groundswell.
It is no longer hard to start creating resources for others that eventually
get noticed by the bigness of an institutional problem.

We are our own skunkworks. We can provide the disruptive force, even if it
is hard to do so. There are no barriers to checking these kinds of things
off of the list too. I talked with two people from Israel this week. Two.
They were both experts in their fields and they both had ridiculously good
advice about how to move forward with my ideas. It was so easy to find them
and court them. It was so easy to connect. It wasn't a surprise that it
happened, but it was no less amazing that it did.

As for breaking through the filter: The only thing that I have found to
break through other people's filter is to engage them directly. You can
ignore something that is broadcasted out to you, but you can't ignore when
someone is speaking to you one-on-one. The personal connection is still how
things get done, and we forget that within organizations and networks that
are too large.

We would like to send out e-mail blasts or post things on twitter and have
everyone respond to us, but it requires the @ and it requires the specific
plea. We need people to come and get us and incite us to action. We always
will.

But it isn't hard, and it shouldn't be a surprise.

Comment on Question 66 of 365: What kind of relationships do our communities require? by Ben Wilkoff

Ben Wilkoff — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 18:58:53 +0000

I'm not sure that I buy jetsons=skype, but I think that the stuff that we
are creating has the potential to create worlds that we have only dreamed of
previously.

I am finding myself channeling a little bit of your urgency recently. I'm
pretty glad.