All Things Are Possible

edevolution — Wed, 25 May 2011 20:02:28 +0000

It’s been three eventful weeks since the day we released that video. The EdEvolution class has learned quite a bit about the impact their work can have since then. From some ill-fated adventures on Reddit, to an eye-opening positive meeting with our local district superintendent, the reception their video has garnered was quite varied.

I think that when the video originally came out and the initial push to make it known by the students trickled off without apparently “catching” beyond their local community, disappointment was the general feeling. Being the digital generation, we viewed that Youtube hit counter as a marker of our success. When it started tapering off before we even crossed the 2,000 line, I think we were frustrated.

Then the superintendent showed up to talk with the class about it, and his visibly emotional reaction noticeably surprised the class. I thought it was a fascinating lesson in itself – that even in the digital age, sometimes the impact of what one does cannot be measured digitally. Here was clear, irrefutable evidence that someone of genuine clout in education had been considerably affected by their work. The class, in some ways, had to that point failed to realize the considerable message they had delivered:

“You who educate us, who have devoted your life to that cause, through no ill intent, have served us poorly.”

That’s a tough thing to hear, and to see it articulated so clearly and creatively affected even me, watching it come together. Although – and they stress this point – they don’t feel teachers are to blame, ultimately, the buck stops with the teachers and administrators.

It’s a tough pill to swallow.

For the most part, though, we were inclined to consider the attention-gaining phase to have been largely only a local success, and learn what we could from the results. Experiment concluded, partial success, and so we move on.

Then, 48 hours ago, something happened. We’re still not quite sure how, but it has. Mindshift picked up the students’ message, and this blog, and the attached forums. Suddenly, in the last 48 hours, the message is getting as much attention as it did in the week it launched. Suddenly, the quest to spread the word is back on. Suddenly, the possibility of one little message triggering one great big cause lives anew.

Suddenly, once again, all things are possible.

A Good Teacher Learns

edevolution — Wed, 04 May 2011 20:45:33 +0000

Well, here we are on Release Day. The video’s done, the social networking is set up and ready to go. All that remains to do is actually press a bunch of publish buttons. I don’t know if my students are nervous, but I have to admit I’m nervous for them. When I think about all the work they’ve put in, the effort, creativity, excitement and energy, I very much want to see this succeed. They’ve created and collaborated, negotiated and delegated, overcome and struggled through. I’ve seen kids show more dedication in the past three months than I’ve seen in ten years of education.
I’ve learned a lot about teaching in the last three months. These students really are right. Educational needs aren’t the same as when I was in middle school twenty years ago. The modern educator is a facilitator, an organizer, and a guide – the modern educator is NOT a teacher. We are no longer (or should no longer be) in the business of giving information. The information is out there, easily grasped. It’s our job to present it to the students in a way that makes them want to learn themselves. That’s basically what this video – and this whole project – is about. We’re still using exactly the same methodologies – with, in some cases, niftier tools – that we used twenty (one hundred!) years ago. Lecture and listen. Drill and kill. Review and test, always test, again and again. Repeat with next unit. That was onerous and tired twenty years ago when I was a student. Why are we still using it now?

A good teacher learns. These kids have taught me.

Now let’s see if they can teach the world.

-J. Fletcher

May 3

edevolution — Tue, 03 May 2011 19:08:44 +0000

The project is almost done and the feeling of accomplishment lingers in the classroom. We have high hopes that our video will really take off and we can finally spread our message to the world. Our new banner and icon were just finished today al0ng with the video editing. Everything we’ve done is coming together and all we can do is wait for the feedback!

April 11

edevolution — Mon, 11 Apr 2011 19:39:40 +0000

This project appealed to me. I could move ahead in school, at my own pace, instead of relearning subjects over and over again. I believe that I could be years ahead in my studies if I was in this system. My education is an event that could have had a much better outcome in a shorter time, and I want to make sure that others like me can look back at their time in school, and think “I didn’t waste a second of my life there.”

-Brandon

April 6

edevolution — Wed, 06 Apr 2011 19:38:01 +0000

Today, we got the bad news that our camera would most likely not arrive until after we were out of school. Although we already got the first shots, those are not usable because their quality is not up to the standards of the internet. Unless something is done, our project will have to be cancelled. All the work we did to plan and come up with the video will have been for nothing. I really hope we can find a solution to this problem soon. Even if we do get a camera before the year is over, we would still need to film and edit, which could take a considerable amount of time.

-Paula

April 4

edevolution — Mon, 04 Apr 2011 19:32:28 +0000

I’m equally as excited as everybody. I feel like kids today can finally make a difference. I think this project is going to change the world. This is definitely my ideal education.

-Hayden

March 30

edevolution — Wed, 30 Mar 2011 19:42:39 +0000

This project is alot more work than any of us thought it would be. We have planned all our websites and what each different section of the video is going to be about. At times it seems like have bitten off more than we can chew, but we started this and we must see it through to its end, whether it goes viral as hoped, or is a complete and total flop.

-Nico

March 28

edevolution — Mon, 28 Mar 2011 19:56:06 +0000

As of right now we are waiting for a new camera to arrive. Once we get it, we will start shooting every scene again. The camera is the only thing holding us back now, since we already made a schedule of what we are going to do once we get it.

This project is the coolest thing I have done in school. If we suceed in what we are trying to do, schools all over the United States could change for the better. This project taught me that you do not have to be old to make a change.This is more than just a school project.

-Osman

March 21

edevolution — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 19:28:09 +0000

Our project is really beginning to come along every day. Even in our mini-groups you can see so much progression… I just hope that teachers even around the world get to see our new classroom. It’s necessary for adults to listen to what the kids want, even if it’s in some way “unreasonable”, because real change doesn’t take much. Even if it isn’t the exact way our class wants it, there needs to be a change. People might not consider what we really want because we’re just kids, but it’s really us that controls the education system. If we want to learn, we will. If we don’t want to, we don’t have to. It’s easy as that. It really gives students the power to learn the easiest way possible and get a good education. School could be so much more comfortable and enjoyable.

The only thing most of us were worried about is people seeing what we have to say, but our confidence in this project grows every day we work on it. If this gets big, who knows what school will be like in the future?

-Kathryn

March 11

edevolution — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 19:24:36 +0000

We began filming for the “Structure of the Class” portion of our video. This was where we showed how the modern classroom should look, but doesn’t. Its purpose was to show what the old classroom structure was lacking and how to fix that problem in the most efficient way possible. The group’s job was to make a model of how they thought the new classroom should look, but it wasn’t just making it look cheerful. Each new feature needed to have a purpose and reason for being in the new classroom.

To have the ideas shown in this video actually used in other classrooms would be incredible and would show that the hard work put into each section finally paid off. Each group has used unique ideas that stem from their own experiences- something that can only be done through actually being part of the system.

-Zehra