On June 4th, I gave a talk called Life as an Open Book at Qatar Academy for the first ever Tedx event put together by Julie Lindsay.
I spent quite a bit of time planning the talk, but the execution was not exactly what I had in mind. I was plagued by repetition, false starts, and a general sense of incoherence. I have attempted to piece together as much of the original talk as I could.
The main idea is:
How can we encourage teachers to look beyond their fear, follow their passions and begin to create open honest online identities that reflect their true selves in order to better connect with their students for a more authentic learning environment. Eventually creating a system that not only allows for teacher creativity and expression but actively promotes and encourages it, so teachers are not too busy or scared to express themselves online, and actually given time to reflect, create, and share.
Life as an Open Book from Intrepid on Vimeo.
I would appreciate any and all comments.
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I enjoyed this post for both the message and the honest reflection it contains.
Since the professional divide is something every member of your audience has thought about, I recommend that you start by asking a question. For example:
“Why do so many teachers feel uncomfortable posting online content?”
This — or some other essential question — might lend focus. It would help you connect with your audience and assess where they stand on this relatively new position on the divide.
Hope this helps. Nice use of Pearl Jam.
Great advice leading with an Essential Question, will keep that in mind next time. Also impressed you caught the Pearl Jam.
Hi Jabiz,
It seems to me that you’re talking about the teacher as model learner. Schools routinely insert a phrase about ‘life-long learning’ in their mission statements, then do nothing about it. It’s pretty hard to encourage students to be life-long learners if they see that their teachers are not life-long learners. Taking your learning online is just the newest form of being a person who thinks and reads and learns more or less constantly.
Or did I miss something?
Cheers,
Eric
No you are not missing anything that was point exactly.
Glad you posted this Jabiz. I enjoyed your talk and thought you presented some great ideas and insights – despite your own self assessment.
One of the tough things about honest, reflective practice is that it’s hard to think about without any emotions. This is why I like Parker Palmer – because he knows that teaching (and simply being human) is emotional. And our hearts – and connection or disconnection from others – are of more significance in this than our minds.
You could be the Larry Lessig or Ken Robinson TED – with the perfect material, delivery and well timed jokes/anecdotes – but the thing that’s missing from many of these talks is, well, reality. The real world. These guys allude to, but don’t live in, the real world. Not the real world of teaching in a classroom like you do.
Your talk touched on the truth of teaching and for that I was grateful.
While I have no doubt you’ve got loads of better presentations ahead, I was happy to tune into your channel. That’s why people engage you – they want to tune into what you’re saying – specifically you.
Thank you.
Jabiz-
Well…you were vulnerable, you took risks, you were yourself, and your idea would certainly change the world in a substantial way. I think what’s bothering you is that you may not have presented it in a way that your audience will remember it forever. So be it. That’s extremely hard to do and I would venture, quite rare. You put yourself out there and tried. Isn’t that all you are asking others to do?
Just this week I had an administrator send me a link to an article in PC Magazine entitled “Oh You Vulnerable Twit” about the dangers of Twitter, and I heard another teacher say she would never let her own child have Facebook account because she might be exposed to cyberbullying. There is real (and some legitimate) fear out there, and hopefully you helped your colleagues to take steps to begin to get past that.
Eric points out that you are talking about “the teacher as model learner.” I would go beyond that. I think you are modeling the teacher as model learner. And at that, my friend, you absolutely succeeded.
Thanks for the post.
Nancy
You ask, “You put yourself out there and tried. Isn’t that all you are asking others to do?” Answer: Yes.
Thanks Jabiz for sharing both your message and vulnerability. Well done.
The thing that I still struggle with and is important for people like you and I to understand better is while the concept of openness, transparency and sharing has huge value and needs to be modeled, it’s not always done in the ways we do it. It’s not even about starting small as you suggest, it’s more about understanding things like the Power Law of Distribution.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Power_law
That may not be even the full answer but I think it is more indicative of the reality and potential of openness. I don’t quite know how but that’s where I’m at in leading people to understanding. I know not everyone needs to blog or use twitter. What I want and think we need is everyone to be provided opportunity to contribute and build community and ideas. I’m just struggling with exactly what that looks like.
I see your point about not everyone needing to be online and having a blog etc. Which has led me to think about your next statement: “What I want and think we need is everyone to be provided opportunity to contribute and build community and ideas.”
We are who we are because that is who we want to be. Although I am sure there are many educators that are unaware of the power that the internet gives us, I suspect most don’t participate because they simply don’t want to. We see the value in participating in on-line communities, but I suspect a large number don’t want to because they are simply doing a job.
I am not sure if I agree with your statement, “ We are who we are because that is who we want to be.” Many of us are forced to be people we don’t want to be by cultural norms, societal expectations we don’t agree with, or simply by a fear to be ourselves. As for people not wanting to be online because they see teaching as only a job, I understand that and can respect that idea, but I wasn’t targeting those people in my talk. I wanted to touch people who see teaching as a calling and are passionate about it, but still are afraid to express themselves online.
GREAT stuff, jabiz! i’ve made notes and will write a post about it in the next week or so.
one very practical thing … i teach adult classes most days of my work day, and each 3-week teaching cycle i give myself a new challenge.
it so happens that last cycle i was concerned with exactly the same topic – how can i be more myself in the class room? my modest start was to ask myself at the end of each day to write down two moments when i felt most myself.
As someone giving their first conference presentation in two days it was a very levelling watch. I’m hoping I can get by without too many uhms and ahs, but we will have to see.
The video itself is fascinating, a much for the self-reflection in the editing as it is for the content of the original presentation.
I try to be me in front of my students, and try to get that across in school forum and blog postings. I also think it’s nice to have an outlet for the things I can’t say in front of students and still maintain my professionalism, however.
A thought provoking video – thanks for sharing!
I struggle with this everyday: “it’s nice to have an outlet for the things I can’t say in front of students and still maintain my professionalism.”
Jabiz,
I have to take you to task on the idea that life is or ought to be an “open” book for it to be “authentic.” In fact, for many people, living out loud online is about impulsivity and attention seeking and has zero to do with authenticity of self. When I make the choice to post about some personal activity I’m getting up to in my private life one of the questions I often ask myself is not why am I “not” sharing this but why do I feel the need to share it? What’s that really about? And why do I feel a need to broadcast some activity that will remain enjoyable whether I share it or not.
Does sharing something make it more “real” or less real? Why does sharing it have to come into this at all? A Buddhist would say this about some form of attachment. Because if you were really comfortable in your own skin you’d just do the thing – not feel the need to mediate it.
Inhibition and disinhibition serve important social purposes in all of our varied roles. This has nothing to do with oppression from the man or self censorship. It’s just basic boundaries and intelligence around what’s meaningful in any given context.
You might want to hear what Howard Rheingold has to say about all this. He explains it very well. And Howard is no prude. Nor is he ‘afraid’ of sharing who he is or what he thinks. But he doesn’t share everything online – and here’s why.
http://seesmic.com/videos/V25vKqmgqz
You should also read the online disinhibition effect. It’s a classic that may clarify a lot of the impulsivity and self indulgence that some people call “being themselves”
http://www-usr.rider.edu/~suler/psycyber/disinhibit.html
Thank you thank you thank you! You always make me think and defend my stance; your second comment here was perfect. (Although your first comment was very kind as well) Let’s take at it point by point:
Does sharing something make it more “real” or less real? Why does sharing it have to come into this at all?
I agree that many people are seeking attention or are trying to inflate their egos. I would even agree that I am one of those people. I think we all are. You are also right that, “a Buddhist would say this about some form of attachment.” What I am saying, however, is that this exploration of the ego and the self, no matter how trivial it may appear to be is a key factor in understanding ourselves and helps in the creation of community.
Sharing is not about making experience more or less real, it simply allows others to see behind the walls we are forced to erect in our everyday lives. I guess my main idea is that I want to lower as many of these walls as possible, whether it be through trivial adolescent exchanges of musical tastes, or to introspective art projects. I guess I feel that the more open a society is about its fears and doubts as well as its success, the easier it will become to allow everyone access to it. I also see false professionalism as a major hypocritical wall, which separates teachers and students and forces teachers to dilute their ideas, passions, and thoughts. Yes, I know it is the reality we face and all teachers deal with it, but that doesn’t mean I have to be happy about it.
You say that, “if you were really comfortable in your own skin you’d just do the thing – not feel the need to mediate it.” My question is, who do you know who is really comfortable in their own skin? Isn’t everyone, ins some way trying to find meaning in their lives?
I see art as an avenue for this exploration. As a Language Arts teacher, I am paid to awaken this need for exploration of life as my job. I want to inspire my students to use every tool at their disposal to ask and answer complicated questions about self, society, community, and the world.
I understand people who say, “everyone is not an artist,” but I disagree with them. I see art as nothing more that exploration of life and the expression of these findings. I think everyone, in their own way, is constantly searching for meaning in their own realities, and they in some way express what they find. Thus everyone has the potential to be an artist. I have to think this way, because I have to try and inspire 13 year olds to understand that if they want they can be artist. They don’t have to be lawyers or doctors. There is room for dreamers in the world too. More importantly, I want them to see that they can be artists and doctors.
I think in reality, this talk was aimed toward Language Arts teachers. I was curious how it was possible to teach ideas you yourself do not practice.
I agree with your points about Inhibition and disinhibition, and thank you for raising them here. Just curious how you feel these “basic boundaries” are formed if not by some form of oppression or self censorship. I watched the Reinghold video, and was left thinking more deeply about how these social norms are formed and how we as teacher influence them. I am not sure if I have an answer.
Lot’s to think about!
I will spend some time with the disinhibition effect article you sent. I am sure it will lead me on many meaningful tangents. I will report what I find in some way online. Stay tuned.
As always – a great dialogue with you Jabiz! Thank you for your very thoughtful response.
I don’t have a lot of time available right now but I wanted to clarify a couple of things:
1) my comment about being comfortable in our own skin was a speculative one, not specifically about you (as i think you are more than comfortable in your skin! 🙂
2) everyone is not an artist — let’s get the record really straight and concrete on this one … 🙂
My only comments about artists relate to the privilege of being allowed to share their inner lives (we have a weird double standard in our society where we assume artists are more emotional and expressive than other people – a myth! – so we permit them more space for self expression.
But yet we don’t grant this social permission to people in other professions – why? If anything, I challenge the notion – like you do – that not everyone is an artist because I believe everybody is artistic (just to varying degrees of commitment).
If theres any revolutionary challenge I’d like to put out there it’s to debunk the myth that some people are more entitled to being emotional, expressive or unusual because they do “artistic work” (i.e., performers, visual artists, musicians, etc). But I think we’re moving in that direction. Social media – blogs, sharing our expression helps.
Let’s keep this big conversation going!
We completely agree here:
“I believe everybody is artistic (just to varying degrees of commitment).”
I am simply trying to raise the bar of commitment with every person I encounter, on or off line.
Hey Mr.R,
I’m sorry I don’t seem to see why your talk was bad, what you showed was great. Also, seeing this, seeing you talk reminds me of the days when you taught us in school. Not that you don’t teach us online. But I remembered some good memories. Some great moments.
Okay moving on to your talk, i think you have done a great job. I know that knowing a teacher better, makes things way easier. As it has been with you. If most of my teachers had a twitter account, or blogged I would read it. I would love to get to know my teachers outside the classroom, also I think this might help the gap between teachers and students and finish these labels.
I guess for me there is no greater example then you. I didn’t even know half the world until you showed it to me. From blogging and letting myself out, you have helped create my identity. And I thank you very much for that. I have meet some many great people and learned so much, thanks to you. My writing has improved drastically as I can now convey myself and let people know who I really am. Also I have reached the point where I can totally be myself.
I have to say, your talk is quite good. I still don’t get why you were sad about it. What you have showed isn’t bad. And you have got the message across. Also, thanks for transporting me back that our classroom where I learned some great lessons And thank you for everything you have done. If I were to name the people who helped me find my lost self in my teenage years you are one of them. Thank you again.
Your student,
Leila
Thank you for your kind review of my talk. I guess at the time it was so different than what I had planned, that I felt it was a disaster, and really without the editing and organization it was a train wreck, but as someone else brought up in the comments, the process of reflecting and editing it made it much more clear for me as well as the audience.
I am so glad that you have grown in the ways you have described. I am very proud of you.
I thoroughly enjoyed viewing that! And as a former student of yours, I could say that you did all of the things you described in your presentation. Language Arts just becomes so much more…lively if the teacher is really able to reach out to the students like you did!
But in a way, this is a challenge. Students are so accustomed to looking at a teacher as a strict disciplinarian who absolutely cannot connect with them that it becomes difficult to break down that barrier.
Personally, I don’t think a teacher is really doing his/her job by just teaching. I mean, why bother if you’re not there to make a lasting impact? By putting into practice the principles you have presented, there is life in the classroom. If a teacher is motivated enough to really let go of all his inhibitions and show his ‘real’ self to his students, a certain kind of energy establishes itself.
To change the world, you have to make a start. And despite some derailment and disjointed ideas, that is exactly what you are doing. 🙂
I wish more students would tell their teachers, ” I don’t think a teacher is really doing his/her job by just teaching. I mean, why bother if you’re not there to make a lasting impact?”
I also loved this line, “If a teacher is motivated enough to really let go of all his inhibitions and show his ‘real’ self to his students, a certain kind of energy establishes itself.”
See the students get it, why do teachers take so long to learn?
Part of my teaching philosophy involves this core belief:
You can’t learn anything from a stranger.
Of course, you can learn things from strangers, but things you can learn from strangers are not the kinds of things that I want to teach my students. A meeting with a stranger may only take seconds; I have 180 days and to remain a stranger to someone you spend that much time with is obscene.
In the traditional environment this may have meant bringing to your classroom a few of your favorite CDs, tacking a few personal posters to the wall, strategically stashing some of your favorite books on easy to reach book shelves, and having pictures of your friends and family in plain sight. It’s not that different in the online world. It’s building a profile, sharing that profile, and letting your students in.
The teacher that is a closed book may still be able to reach students at a deep level, but I know that none of the teachers that were closed to me ever did and I don’t know how I would reach kids in the way I do with out opening up to the them. It’s not that I didn’t learn from closed teachers, and it’s not that I can’t recall some of the lessons taught, it’s that the lessons that I learned weren’t important.
The issue that’s just under the skin here is one of being a human to your students and allowing them to be humans to you, bringing love to your classroom (can you bring students into your life and be a part of their’s without love?), and breaking down the traditional concepts of teacher, student, and classroom and see if some true learning can’t happen in this thing we call school.
I agree with you that love plays a major part in the process of learning;
Love of students,
Love of material
Love of learning
….you get the point. Thanks for your comments.
Speaking to an audience is daunting, speaking to your peers and colleagues is just terrifying! The irony is that in making your mistakes in your presentation then blogging and reflecting upon it, you have in fact not only demonstrated your own point but made your presentation that much more effective!
It is so easy to watch the TedTalks and be blown away by the show. What we don’t see is the beginnings of these ideas, the botched presentations and shaky beginnings. You have kindly demonstrated your humble beginnings!
You have shown us your developing self identity, you have communicated your ideas (for good or bad) and now you have gathered a community around you, who supports and shares your ideas.
So I am glad to have seen your stumbles and mumbles, because it has been a privilege to watch you practise what you ‘Ted Wish’. I might even give it a go now!
Thanks for your comments, I didn’t think of it like this:
The irony is that in making your mistakes in your presentation then blogging and reflecting upon it, you have in fact not only demonstrated your own point but made your presentation that much more effective!
Makes me feel better about the whole thing.
Hi Jabiz,
Spamcatcher erased my first reply, so…
FWIW, teachers might get their toes wet by simply blogging about what they’re currently teaching, why, how, and how they might do so differently/better. Unexpected visitors chime in in comments, and new possibilities are born. That’s how I started, anyway, and it transformed my teaching. Metacognition with a social element 2.0 thrown in.
Side note: I’d be interested to hear thoughts about the production values of this first TEDx outing re: viewability. Obvious things like venue – auditorium, e.g., instead of classroom – lighting, sound, multiple cameras, sure. But what else?
I’ve been thinking of organizing a TEDx when I get to Singapore this summer.
Congrats on taking the challenge.
Hey Clay we should talk on Skype or email closer to your event. TedX has a lot of requirements and are every picking about some things. You should chat with Julie as she did most of the groundwork. I actually used my own camera so I could have access to the footage on my terms.
It is a worthwhile experience for sure. I can’t wait to get another crack at it.
Nicely done, and I saw little to disagree with here. I think an important potential of social media is the ability to engage more with our learning communities as whole people, rather than in more narrowly-constrained roles.
I strongly endorse the idea that in modeling learning for students, we have to dispel the myth of the finished person. My favorite term for this is ‘permanent beta’ – but that’s perhaps too geeky to be well understood by all, even if the idea is sound. The metaphor of life as permanent beta works not only in that we are always in need of learning new things, always able to grow, but also in that the way we learn and grow most efficiently is through the input of our communities.
Well done for walking the walk.
Ed
Hey, thank you for this. Two main reasons I’m impressed:
1) Your re-editing shows something that we teachers highlight far too seldom, in my opinion: the *process* of learning, educating. Drafting and revision and over again. These things aren’t strictly linear, and too often my students believe that it is. Showing your own process, including reflection and reworking, is invaluable, and I salute you. We all need to “show our work” more often.
2) Being honest online…one I struggle with a lot. For various reasons–not just being afraid of inet or overwhelmed by learning the tools (not I on the former and partially me on the latter), but by the whole *persona* that teachers keep, often through necessity.
Being a teacher is often like performing a role onstage (so much so that I read of one teacher who applied her daily makeup *at* school, to ready herself for the role) and none of us can deny that a lot of theatre is involved in teaching. However, that makes us lose the authentic.
Example: I’m quite political, and I’m also, well, very, uh, straightforward in my online speech in debate (depending on the forum). That would not fly in my district, so I don’t use it when I’m trying to ignite my upper students to get involved in online discussions, debate, rhetoric (I teach AP Lang, afterall). I do tell them *about* it, however, which is something I’m learning I can do.
The line between “me” and “Ms O” must remain heavily Sharpied in places, but I’m learning that sometimes I can just be a fellow learner, too.
Thanks Karla for taking the time to comment and be a part of this conversation. This idea of the duel role we play as professionals and real people, is one I deal with constantly, so I please let me know what insights you find in the future, and if you find any strategies or successes that seem to work for you, please share them here.
Hi Jabiz,
I finally got around to checking out your video.
After your tweets following the presentation, I was expecting to see a train wreck here. That’s not what I saw though. What I saw was someone who has some big ideas, clever thinking and a passion trying to express himself. I often feel like this with many ideas around education and instead of being the risk-taker and putting my ideas out their in a professional context, I just shut-up or tell people on an individual, casual basis. So well done on taking the risk.
In terms of the content of the presentation… when discussing edtech, I always like to bring the concept of the topic being discussed back 50 years to think about how this concept may apply. Is it a new concept or can it apply to pre-tech contexts? In this case, I think that your point about being more open, real and more than just a teacher to become more meaningful in student’s lives is a point that carries through the ages of education.
One of my favourite teachers from primary school was, in the nicest sense of the word, a hippie. But this is what made her memorable – she used to have days where she’d bring her passions into the class. We got to make candles, friendship bracelets, etc. Certainly not in the ‘syllabus’, but definitely meaningful and memorable because she made herself real, open and more than a teacher.
You mentioned at one point in your reflection that technology is merely a tool to allow you to write and express yourself. I think this extends to the entire point of becoming a more ‘real’ teacher. The ultimate point to take from it all is to be more that just another teacher to your students. If technology helps you do that, then use it. If it doesn’t, then find the medium that does.
Now, to completely contradict myself here, I feel that teachers have a responsibility to be demonstrating, teaching and exposing various tech skills to their students to give them the best opportunities for their future.
Well done on the presentation and the open, honest reflection given in this video. You have certainly demonstrated the point of your presentation in this video.
Cheers, Ben.
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Hey Jabiz,
Thanks for taking the time to edit and post your thoughts. The reality is things probably weren’t as bad as what you thought – we can be so critical of ourselves. I’m frequently down on my solos after a gig and Em’s will walk off stage with a “you sounded awesome tonight!”.
You raise some salient issues about teachers as practitioners of their art. Oddly, I don’t perceive my strengths in writing so much as in music. I wonder if this presents as odd to my students as I talk about music in my English classes frequently?
Thanks for the thoughts.
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