Stumbling on greatness

I love Stumbleupon... If you haven't used it, it works like this; you download a toolbar, and then you choose what subjects or areas you are most interested in. For instance, I chose, art, environment, sustainable living, writing and grammar amongst others. Today, I hit my "stumble" button and it took me to a page full of incredible sketches by an artist I'd never heard of. I sat and stared at his drawings for nearly an hour. (His name is Wesley Burt, by the way, and I have a new artistic hero).

I am very much of the opinion that you should strive to learn something new every day. Discovery is primary to learning and discovering what is on the web, out of the hundreds of thousands (or millions, or billions) of documents, pages, blogs, archives, videos, and bullshittery that is out there is one great way to do that.

NIHILISM! is this backed up by the existence (or non-existence) of particle theory in quantum physics? If things do not exist in a single state, do they not exist at all? Human definitions of existence are defied by quantum mechanics, because our senses are not acute enough to detect the changes in the atoms around us. We pick an image for something, an idea or ideal, and and hold the object to that idea. However, that image is not immutable. Does that make the ideal transitory? At the base level, the sub-atomic, quantum level, do things actually exist? I know the spatula may not be a spatula, though it looks like one to me, and it may change form for another person, be another object entirely, because of the force that simple observation has on the particles at the quantum level. But if I can simply deny that something exists, because I refuse to observe it, does that mean it does not exist?

Coffee...

I have this overblown expectation of life: when things go well they should go perfectly. Its a form of emotional masochism, really.

Had to try it... "Lizzy: in elvish... though I must say I need to practice my writing...

The geek in me...

I read a post on another blogger's site regarding her "inability to grow up"- she never went to college, has floated from job to job, is nearly 27 and working fast food. And Happy... She makes more money flipping burgers than mane people make with a master's degree, forget a bachelors. (as she says...I'll give you time to cry over your Master's degree now. Go ahead, I'll wait...)

I have this problem; I am addicted to school. Its the one thing Ive truly thrived at, the one thing everyone has always patted me on the back for. There is an interesting concept I've been looking into, however, Edupunk, With it's 3 important aspects...
* Reaction against commercialization of learning
* Do-it-yourself attitude
* Thinking and learning for yourself


I recently had the chance to read some Michael Apple, on democracy and ideology in education. Though the writings are a few decades old, the problems hold true.

The problem lies in the top-down structure we've built into our education system (which has become self-perpetuating... as a teacher, (if you are one) do you honestly THINK about the words you use? Do the words "good little worker" come up more often than "good little learner"?) Finney, whose heavy hand guided much of early curriculum theory looked at educational structure like this:

“[The] conception of leadership and followership- leads us again to the notion of a graduated hierarchy of intelligence and enlightenment… at the apex of such a system must be the experts who are pushing forward research in highly specialized sectors of the front. Behind them are such men and women as the colleges should produce, who are familiar with the findings of the experts and are able to relate part with part. By these relatively independent leaders of thought, progressive change and constant readjustment will be provided for. Back of these are the high school graduates, who are somewhat familiar with the vocabulary of those above them, have some feeling of acquaintance with the various fields, and a respect for expert knowledge. Finally, there are the duller masses, who mouth the catchwords of those in front of them, imagine they understand, and follow by imitation”

We have given too much over to the experts! Yes, we need them- sometimes. But self-knowledge, knowledge of those around you, and their strengths and weaknesses is a much better design strategy for learning, for teaching and for being! We fall too much into the idea that one size can fit all; it can not. We have proven that with the systematic failure of our educational system to meet the standards set by the global learning community.

If you get a chance, read Apple
Apple, M. W. (2004). Ideology and curriculum. New York: RoutledgeFalmer
Everyone can benefit from a little postmodernism.