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Wozniak on Education and Creativity

So I heard about this presentation by none other than Steve Wozniak, the Woz (of Apple and Fusion-IO). The presentation caught my eye because it is titled "Education and Creativity". He speaks quickly with high energy, but I can capture the main points of his presentation so I can post it right after he concludes, just forgive me for the disjointed nature of this blog.

Wozniak talked about these topics in explaining his work with 5th graders in California:

Presentation of Homework

Using computers to do all the things a typewriter could not. He made sure to use the lingo to explain the use like "click on the bold icon." Using the actual words of the computer industry was crucial to teaching these kids.

Improving Learning

Using computers all the time--even bringing the computer with you (the student) wherever you go, in contrast to the need for schools to protect their computers and bolt them in one media room.

Using photos and visual elements. Drawing and painting. Five hour weekend class: duplicate a magazine cover: fonts, overlays, layouts.

Content is less important than if the kids are enjoying it.

Bigger class sizes meant that some could hide-out and not pay attention--Wozniak did not like that!

Many so called "low-performers" did very well in Wozniak's computer-focused class. And, the high-performers often had more trouble. Dollars per student were low in California at that time, so Wozniak looked at the votes: only 1/3 of population had kids in student, and a family of 5 had no more say than a family of 2 in votes related to education. Hmmmm?

So, what if the computer could be the teacher--instead of a fixed, person everyday. You get answers to any question immediately, instead of waiting to find out what you want to know. How would that change learning?

There always needs to be a balance between creative and structured elements of a classroom.

But, the "right" answer means other answers are wrong, so real thinkers learn to keep quiet. Woz wanted to encourage free-form, allowing students to express ideas and move the class in a unexpected direction.

Hands On Class

• Having students follow the presenter live on the computer.
• Using two screens to show the server on one and the client on the other.
• Phoning in from home experiments: remote learning.
• Using AOL so students could interact, join chat rooms, and learn how to type--in 5th grade.
• Loving to have a computer in elementary school in the early 90s.

Motivation for Teaching

Wozniak has always been possionate about learning. When holding a little baby, Woz would take him in the direction his little head would turn--helping the child follow his curiosity.

His engineer dad influenced his understanding of doing the right thing and giving back like through teaching.  He wanted to be a fifth grade teacher, wanted to be a friend to the students, even dressing up and entertaining kids with Steve Jobs (back when Jobs needed money).

Dream Camps

Set-up to teach kids and give them a computer. They got celebrities to talk about growing up and their trials and tribulations.

Q&A

Some of the questions and answers:

1. How can teachers focus on creativity when the focus on test scores? Woz: that is not as good as a subjective form fo assessment. Discipline is often necessary. We need to ask ourselves: What % needs to be educated to certain levels for our society to work well?
2. Web or client-side software? Woz: trending toward cloud computing, but budgets and history has mostapplication on the client computer: some movie editing files are so large, they need to be on the client computer.
3. At what level does education need the most help? Woz: elementary. He looked at classes of under 20 studetns. the main topic should be teaching the love of learning, not the topics--math, spelling, etc.
4. Kids are tied to computers and developing issues: weight, what can we do? Woz: ha ha ha...he's heard about shy students liking the computer, but not kids spending so much time...I dunno, encourage sports or a sales job on their feet. Sorry, surprised.
5. And if they don't have resources? Woz: that's when creativity is most needed. Make it a competition: do something out of very little and then out-do yourself next time. Learning the simple, quick, low resource way to do things is huge. Get a woking prototype before looking for the money.
6. Mobile gadgets fro teaching? Woz: some problems with the gadget and then you need the phone service too. Colleges, for instance, can't dictate what kind of system to buy. But the apps can show amazing things..in 3D...it's the future.
7. Collaboration..based on human values? Woz: computer needs to be "aware" of what humans are like; the desk becomes the desktop, for instance. The humanist idea to put the human over the technology.
8. Willing to talk about high school pranks? Woz: love to. Make a device like a cop siren and see if people would pull over.

* * *

Wozniak's presenting style is fast-talking and excited. Lots of hand gestures, which help because the webinar used a stationary camera. I lost visual half-way through, but still had the audio, which sounded very good on Cisco's WebEx webinar. I lost visual and got an IEXPLORE.EXE error, which usually closes all IE windows, so I never clicked it so I could continue to live-capture these notes.

Elearning and PowerPoint

Three things capture my attention these days: Twitter, Screenr and PowerPoint 2007. Tonight the trio came together beautifully, and what resulted on my monitor screen was enough to make me lean-in and pucker.

Yes, I kissed the screen.

Really it started with email. We can't leave email out of the blog highlights so much. It's just not fair. Email provides valuable aggregation and alerts. So, I checked my email and joy: new Twitter followers. To Twitter.

Image by thekenyeung via Flickr

Twitter is the best thing since someone figured out how to write messages on sliced bread. I can't love the tool enough but I've tried to here and by telling everyone about Shel Israel's amazing Twitter-inspired book Twitterville (note: the book is about so much more than Twitter: it is a must read for social media fans and businesses).

My newest follower is Bryan Jones (@elearningart). With elearning in his life, I was following back within seconds. Adrenaline rush. Serotonin. Dopamine. I retweeted his tweet about battling an LMS. And then I saw that he had made a video with Screenr.

My eyes rolled back into my head as I clicked the link to the video. The video is good. It shows a neat trick, very useful to developing elearning videos. But what I learned from it will save me countless grief and swearing. There is a selection pane in PowerPoint so that you can hide assets. Incredible. I have needed it so badly, working with layers of animation, and Twitter, Screenr and PowerPoint gave it to me via @elearningart.

PowerPoint 2007, so much more robust than the 2003 version, is an invaluable authoring tool for creating elearning. I use it everyday and know lots of tricks and shortcuts. But the one in this Screenr video popped into my life just after a work week ended with major maneuvering to master the layers of my animations. Here is the wonderful, brief video:

Yes!

14 Bus Reflections v4

Here is a question worth some thought:

 What have you done to feel uncomfortable today?

 So much energy and anxiety gets wasted trying not to feel uncomfortable. People avoid certain places or events because they might be awkward. People even avoid other people. Cross the street. Screen calls. Fake sleep.

 But if we do less and less in the name of comfort, we end up with a very small circle. And we create a habit of avoiding everything.

 The opposite is better. When we seek out what might be uncomfortable, the discomfort diminishes. Ironically, the more we embrace uncomfortable situations, the less uncomfortable we feel. Perhaps that signal of initial anxiety should be translated as: "Do it!" instead of as a warning to hide away.

 So what are you doing to feel uncomfortable today?

 Eric Matas
Contributing Editor, Kidundated!
http://www.kidundated.com

Posted via email from Eric's Preposterous

Marketing Is Not Evil

It's true: Marketing Isn't Evil

 

Something about marketing always bugged me. It wasn’t anything tangible at first. I just recognized an alarm on my radar whenever certain marketers targeted me.

 

It is certainly not the infomercials or the endless-scrolling-but-never-tell-you-exactly-what-or-how-much website ads. I get a kick out of the actual material, the catch phrases and the tiny disclaimers that results are not typical.

 

But the notion that someone can analyze me and determine by my age, gender or zip code what I might buy, makes me cringe. I imagine that my address or phone number gets sold in secret back alleys, and the buyer strokes his cat in a big chair and prepares the pitch—perhaps aware of one of my weaknesses. *zoinks*

 

Marketers get access to data, and that knowledge gives them power. Power, by the way, corrupts. Unchecked, marketers can use their data and power to manipulate, even coerce. The evidence is all of those ads and infomercials that prey on weakness—oh and the ones that tell outright lies.

 

It happens. Hence my radar alarms. *doom & gloom organ chords*

 

And, it also doesn't happen. *birds twittering*

 

Marketing is not evil. Responsible, honest people who market conscientiously are out there. And bad marketers can be swayed to the good side. In fact, in today's global market, powered by social media, marketers can be in constant check. In other words, score one for the market, who control marketing with conversation.

 

Sure, internet carpetbaggers are rampant. For now. But the more connected people become and the stronger their tribes, the more dishonest, preying marketers will be exposed. When the dishonest web pirates are exposed, fewer and fewer people will buy their garbage.

 

The dishonest will have to clean up their act and learn integrity. A little honest business never hurt anyone. Ethical business practices build trust, ultimately building a more solid business and brand.

 

Through Twitter, blogs, blog comments and other social media, the internet community—you and I—can communicate with never before seen efficiency. For example, MyTweeple allows Tweeters to “ding” spammers (among the most evil of marketers). MyTweeple was developed by @swhitley, Shannon Whitley, who you can follow on Twitter today.

 

I think internet scalawags will all be exposed, forced to play it straight or leave. You probably know some good marketers out there, or you are one of them, or maybe you see other ways that the global community is ferreting out the rascals.

Eric Matas Minneapolis, MN	Mobile: 612-385-7510 ericmatas@hotmail.com
Visit MyBlogLog and get a signature like this!

Posted via email from Eric's Preposterous

Update: Teapot-Blowing Contest — Pictures

via geeksaresexy.net

http://www.geeksaresexy.net/2009/09/11/update-teapot-blowing-contest-pictures/

Try it at home today! :-)

Posted via web from Eric's Preposterous