March 22, 2008

Don't Forget to Jott--Why?

I am reposting an update on my prior article on Jott. WHY?

Because I am convinced that once you use Jott for about two weeks you will use it constantly.

Jott is amazingly efficient and it is FREE. Here is how it works. You call Jott and:

  • Leave yourself a message
  • Leave someone else or an entire work team a message
  • Leave yourself short term, long-term, and recurring reminders, e.g, birthdays--anniversary anyone!
  • Use one of the many Jott free services, e.g, you can add content to a calendar system, a project tool, a blog, etc., simply by calling Jott. Here is a partial list of the services available through Jott:

This video will give you a good idea of how Jott works. Try it for two weeks. I am convinced that you will wonder how you got along without it!


Click to read full article>>>

March 21, 2008

Re-Defining Best Practices: A Disciplined Approach to Christian School Development

By Zach Clark, Director of Advancement at Westminster Christian Academy, St. Louis, MO

The latter half of my childhood, I lived in Arkansas, half a mile from an immense wetland called “The Black Swamp.” This is a vast stretch of thousands of acres of ancient timber springing out of thick mud and deep floodwaters of the local network of rivers. Growing up boating around the Black Swamp hunting and fishing, I learned the hard way how difficult it is to advance to a destination without getting lost. One of the key concepts of traveling, especially in a vast territory of trees and water, is that you have to know where you are going, and how to get there.

This is common sense right? And, what does this have to do with Christian school advancement…what most people refer to as “development” or “fundraising?”

I believe it is time to redefine best practices for development in the Christian school. This could be a call to go “back to basics,” but I find that rather than going back, we need to move forward with a clearer approach that requires disciplined action. For the school leader interested in advancing the organization and the resources needed to fund vision, it is crucial that we know where we are going, and how to get there.

So what is the destination of advancement? I believe that Christian School development is simply the process of helping others see what God is doing in the lives of students and families we serve, and enabling them to have an impact through giving. But, the actual end goal or destination of advancement should be:

Every potential donor engaged face to face in a consistent manner as they develop their vision for having an impact on the future of the Christian school.

Now here’s the problem with this as our final destination, for most Christian schools it is virtually impossible to get there. How could we ever have the human resources to engage every potential donor face to face? While it may not ever be completely achievable, I find it important to keep this end goal in front of us at all times.

So, now that we have clarified our destination, we need to know how to get there or advance in that direction. Dr. Byrle Kynerd, chancellor of Briarwood Christian School, impressed one of my core values upon me. I’ve often heard Dr. Kynerd say,

“How we do what we do is what God uses to bring about change in the lives of people.”

So, I believe that in Christian school development in particular how we do what we do is critically important and matters to God.

Unfortunately, many of the so-called “best practices” applied at Christian schools are simply those typical methods and programs every other organization uses (ministry or not.) While there is certainly no need to recreate tactics just for fun, I do believe that the time has come to apply a new set of best practices that keep in mind the above destination of engaging every person face to face.

Allow me to present several redefined “best-practices” that we are working hard to implement. Each concept is followed by a list of implications resulting from this approach. Each of these has been defined through our own process of thinking through best practices that advance us toward the right destination.

Perpetuate an organizational distaste for programs.

Instead, apply a disciplined approach to engaging people. I believe if you resist programmatic approaches to raising funds, it does help keep the focus on people.

Implications:

1. Reduce the number of or eliminate any events that have fundraising as the goal. Keep only those programs or events that result in engaging people in a stronger understanding of your Christian school. For instance, we now only have one fundraising event, a golf tournament. Our tournament has a proven track record of not only strengthening a sense of community among some of our strongest supporters, but also enabling supporters to engage new and increasing numbers of individuals to learn more about the school. If your event doesn’t accomplish a personal connection and engagement to the mission of the school, get rid of it.

2. Instead of launching new fundraising events, turn the focus of development toward the current events and community builders your Christian school already has in place. Don’t use these events as fundraisers, instead seek opportunities to make these events even more mission appropriate. Make each of these events a place for people to engage more fully in the mission, vision, and values of your school.

Meet people where they are.

Most of us, when trying to raise money, put in place goals, needs, or programs that will surely result in people coming in line and lockstep with our opportunities to give. The problem with this is that as you cast a vision for moving forward in the future, you still have to meet people where they are today. Think of it this way: it is virtually impossible to convince someone to drive you from Alabama to California when they are not convinced that they like you enough to buy more gas money to drive you to the nearest corner. Especially if they are already paying tuition for the pleasure of having you ride in their car.

Implications:

1. We do something completely different. Instead of just telling them where we want to go, we start asking them how to get there. We ask questions. We get input. We do surveys. We do interviews. And, when we think we are doing too much, we find we still have tons of people that haven’t taken the opportunity to give their input, so we keep asking.

2. We pay attention to where they are already engaged in the school. What events do they attend? What do they give money toward? What programs are their children involved in? What are they passionate about? It’s hard to meet someone where they are if you don’t know the answers to these questions.

3. We start providing people with opportunities to impact the Christian school where their heart may be stirred. Will someone give to help you buy a computer, when they are really interested in growing your financial aid? They might give to a degree, but will it be giving that is fueled by a passion for your mission?

Each individual is on his or her own road toward the vision.

This means we stop treating people as if they were all the same. Sure, you have your “groups,” I know. But, does it really make sense to have all your 10th grade families grouped together? Do they all have the same interests? Do they have same commitment level to the school? Can a person really be known and understood just because of the age of their child or the year they graduated? A particular video of Malcolm Gladwell confirmed our thinking on this issue.


Implications:

1. We keep digging deeper down in our efforts to organize and communicate with donors, working toward the dream that each individual would own their own vision to impact the Christian school. We group people in the normal ways: giving, not giving, used to give but don’t anymore, etc. But, we also group them according to: what they are interested in, when during the calendar year they like to give, how they like to be asked, how they like to be thanked, how they like to be reported to.

2. Instead of a constant barrage of requests to give, we take steps toward them. If they don’t respond to ten different requests to give, shouldn’t we find out why? Let’s move closer to them: call them, invite them to coffee, or schedule a tour of the school. Do the hard work and connect with the person, rather than the name on the mailing list.

3. Instead of constantly asking, we constantly thank and highlight results. I find that many people, especially Christian school parents, have a list of other things they do to contribute to the school, outside of giving. We start with the assumption that they already are investors. This means we keep much of our communication focused on thanking people and highlighting the impact of giving. This raises the level of awareness of the importance and impact of giving without wearing them out as quickly.

4. We seek creative ways to structure development around the donor, rather than our needs. If this sounds crazy, consider the example of the scheduling of requests to give. If you learn, overtime or through dialogue, that a family always does their giving during the month of June, no amount of letters sent to them asking them to give during the months of July-March will result in a gift. We should time our efforts, our requests, and our follow-up on what we know about the donor, not what we know about our needs.

There is a difference between doing things the easy way, and the right way.

I know I sound like a curmudgeon, but take a moment to think about this. As a Christian school with major capital campaign ongoing and annual giving goals out in the public eye, we see a lot of promotional materials for seminars and giving programs. It seems that most of the time, these are “easier, faster, better, cheaper” methods to raise funds. Our Head of School received a phone call one time about the “goose that laid the golden egg,” and the caller eagerly shared the news of how our school would see many new funds come our way through this easy approach. In the 21st century it is virtually impossible to calculate all the methods and ideas available for our consideration as we seek to improve and raise more money. The real challenge is how to apply an organizational discipline that will consistently implement the concept of doing the right things, the right way, treating people rightly.

Implications:

1. We apply creativity within a clear framework that honors the principles outlined in this article. This means the challenge is twofold: implementing strategies in a disciplined manner, while at the same time engaging the creative power of our teams in articulating new tactics and methods.

2. We study the implications of new technologies and experiment, but we remember that the need to perfect our ability to engage people face to face doesn’t change. If the tool moves us toward the individual person and enables them to grow in their understanding of who we are as a ministry, then we will consider it.

3. Even as the world changes, our calling to love people will never change. If the program or latest and greatest idea doesn’t demonstrate that we love people and a true desire to see them get involved in what God is doing through the ministry of the Christian school, then it is worthless, at least for us.

Click to read full article>>>

Have You Seen These Useful Tools and Resources?

image I am always on the prowl for outstanding tools and resources for use in our classrooms and administrative offices. I have found the following to be particularly useful. Take a few minutes to explore each of the resources below. You may wish to pass this information along to colleagues and friends.

Diigo

If you conduct Internet-based research you will find Diigo to be a very useful tool. Diigo enables you to archive, annotate, highlight and share web sites. The capabilities are too numerous to outline here. To gain a good idea of what you can do with Diigo, watch this short video.


American Rhetoric

American Rhetoric provides a vast database of audio, video, and text artifacts of political, religious, and even movie speeches. A great resources for Bible, history, political science, economics, drama, and media literacy courses.

image

Instantly reach ALL of Your Parents, Staff, and Students

In today's world it is imperative that we be able to instantly contact the entire school community, or sub-groups within it, with emergency or other important information. Recognizing this need, Briarwood Christian School recently assessed a number of emergency contact or rapid notification providers. For a number of reasons we chose NTI Connect-ED.

image

NIT Connect-ED may or may not be the right vendor for you but I encourage every school administrator to purchase a rapid notification system. This is a value added service that increases the marginal value of your school to your parents. Our parents love the new service!

American Institutes For Research

image

According to the site:

"The American Institutes for Research (AIR) is one of the largest behavioral and social science research organizations in the world. Our overriding goal is to use the best science available to bring the most effective ideas and approaches to enhancing everyday life. For us, making the world a better place is not wishful thinking. It is the goal that drives us."

E-Sword

E-Sword is an outstanding FREE software program that provides extensive resources including Bible, Commentaries, Maps, Devotionals, Greek and Hebrew texts, and much more. I use this tool constantly. Did I mention that it is Free?

image

Your Turn--Share Your Resource Recommendations

Do you have resources and tools that would be helpful to others? If so, share them by leaving a comment, including the URL.

Click to read full article>>>

Is This the Ultimate Binder or Notebook?

image The notebook or binder has been around a very long time and for good reason. It is a very useful organizing tool--it is reasonably flexible, portable, durable, and expandable. The notebook or binder also has its shortcomings--it is bulky, cannot be easily searched, cannot be backed-up, and cannot be shared without losing access to it. The major shortcoming is that it is not integrated with our computers--through which we receive most of our information. The binder is a 20th century technology that is not adequate for 21st century knowledge work.

Although I still have some binders, I now rely on what I consider to be one of my most important and effective productivity tools--Microsoft's OneNote program. This is one of the best software programs that I have. I use it to organize all of my major projects, to keep up with documents and reference material, and to integrate my emails, appointments, and tasks with Outlook. The following picture provides a snapshot of some of the components of the program.

image

In my opinion, OneNote is the ultimate organizational tool. The best way to appreciate the power and flexibility of this program is to watch the following video:


The program is inexpensive, easy to learn and easy to use. The features include:

  • Support for multiple notebooks—create a notebook for each class one takes or project one works on.
  • Table support, including easy creation while typing using just the Tab and Enter keys.
  • Hyperlinks into/between notes. Create an indexed personal or shared knowledge web and point to notes in OneNote from other documents or emails.
  • Server-hosted shared collaborative notebooks (like a rich, offline, editable wiki). Any user can edit online or offline at any time, and changes are automatically merged, as well as marked with who made them and when. Additional features allow highlighting changes made since one last viewed the notebook, or any pages one has not read yet.
  • Search system is now indexed constantly in the background for much faster response.
  • New ink model for ease of use as well as new features such as lasso selection.
  • Drawing tools (for diagrams, flow charts) work with pen, mouse, trackpads, etc. to get cleaner looking results vs. hand drawn. Shapes can be repeatedly stamped for easy reuse.
  • Support for email tools other than Outlook (emailing notes only).
  • Drag/drop support for easy rearranging of pages, sections, and notebooks.
  • Integration with Microsoft Office Outlook, including note pages linked to Contacts and Calendar items, as well as buttons to send emails to OneNote and direct creation of Outlook tasks in OneNote, which sync two-way with Outlook.
  • Integration with Internet Explorer, including buttons to send Web pages to OneNote for research and data collection purposes.
  • Automatic text recognition in scanned documents, clipped images or photos of documents. Target text is highlighted in context in the image
  • "Print to OneNote" capability to allow documents or web pages from any application to be sent to OneNote where they are indexed and made searchable
  • Support for embedded files such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, PDF etc. placed on a page but kept in native format so they can be launched and viewed/edited in their source applications.
  • Support for OneNote "packages", which consist of subsets of your notes plus embedded documents and recordings wrapped into a single file for easy distribution and sharing.
  • Support for searching audio and video files (match on phonetic equivalent of a typed word)
  • Save notes as PDF or XPS (XML Paper Specification) files for perfect fidelity when sharing notes with others who do not have OneNote.
  • Built-in "napkin math" calculator for quick in-meeting calculations. Type simple equations using arithmetic or trigonometry and OneNote solves them in-place (e.g. "19.72/12=", followed by a space results in "19.72/12=1.64")
  • New "full-screen" view with minimal UI to optimize screen real estate for note taking.
  • Support for blogging any content in your notes to common blog sites (requires Word 2007 to be installed)
  • Two-way sync with Windows Mobile-based Smartphones running OneNote Mobile (included with OneNote 2007). In addition to text notes, voice and photo notes taken with the device (such as business card photos) are indexed and can be searched using the PC version of OneNote.
  • Additional extensibility (API) to allow customization and tools that import or export data from OneNote to connect it with other systems (such as Customer Relationship Management tools or a Document management system).
  • Windows Desktop Search 3.0 (WDS) enables fast search on your computer using indexing technology. It helps you to find your documents, email, music, photos and other items. The search engine in Windows Desktop Search 3.0 is a Windows service that is also used by applications such as Microsoft Office Outlook 2007 and Office OneNote 2007 to index application content and deliver instant results when searching within an application.
Technorati Tags: ,,
Click to read full article>>>

March 16, 2008

The Worldwide Telescope is Coming-New Tool for Technology Integration

“The WorldWide Telescope takes the best images from the greatest telescopes on Earth ... and in space ... and assembles them into a seamless, holistic view of the universe. This new resource will change the way we do astronomy ... the way we teach astronomy ... and, most importantly, I think it's going to change the way we see ourselves in the universe,”...“The creators of the WorldWide Telescope have now given us a way to have a dialogue with our universe.” Dr. Roy Gould of the Harvard Center for Astrophysics

The following short video provides an excellent and exciting overview of this new and FREE tool. This is a prime example of what technology, properly used, can do to significantly enhance teaching and learning.


Response:

  • How do you envision a tool like this being used in your school to enhance science instruction?
  • How do you envision a tool like this being used in your school to enhance apologetics instruction?
Click to read full article>>>

March 15, 2008

The Possibilities of Technology-Slideshow

I recently ran across this short slide show that you may find of interest. I found this on the Internet site that I recommended in a prior post, SlideShare. You may find some of the quotes of interest. This slide show has background music so you may wish to turn your computer sound off.

Click to read full article>>>

March 13, 2008

Too Many Emails!!

image

Do you have too many emails in your inbox? Does it feel overwhelming? Are you using your inbox as a reminder system?

If so, you may find Getting Email Under Control a helpful article. This article was provided by The David Allen Company, Getting Things Done. I use a modified version of the principles in this article consistently--especially the liberal use of DELETE.

I get a lot of email. Here is a graph showing my monthly average incoming email. I get approximately 40 emails per work day.

image

By the end of most days (bearing in mind that I process a lot of email in the evenings), my email box, following a modified system outlined in the above article, looks like this:

image

My point is this--a modified system similar to the one described in the article works, reduces stress, and increases productivity.

I found the following graph even more interesting--I send a lot of email! This produces work for others and inevitably leads to more incoming email. This graphs shows that I sent more than 600 emails in September and November and nearly 600 in October. My lowest month was just over 400 emails!

image

I have begun to ask myself, "Is email the best approach to communication or should I call instead?" Phone calling has the advantage of cutting down on multiple responses to the same email, is more personal, and can lead to better understanding.

On the other hand, it can be unproductive to make multiple calls and not reach someone. There is also no digital trail for documentation and follow-up.

I have a love and hate relationship with email. I find it incredibility useful but maddening--no sooner than I empty my inbox I can literally see it filling up again! Given the number of emails that I send, I am sure my staff must feel the same! (Photo from Cartoonstock).

image

Managing email will be an ongoing battle but one that can be won by using the right tools and strategies. I have found the practices outlined in the aforementioned article, along with the rigorous application of GTD practices, to be very helpful.

Response:

  • Is the volume of your email overwhelming?
  • How do you manage email effectively?
  • Is email a blessing or a curse?

Technorati Tags: ,,,
Click to read full article>>>

March 9, 2008

2 Million Minutes

How do our students compare?


Two million minutes is roughly four years, the amount of time high school students have to prepare for life. The documentary compares and contrasts the education experiences of six students; two from each of the countries of India, China, and the United States. It includes statistics on the amount of time spent in the classroom, the influence of the student's parents on their decisions to pursue a certain career, and the degree to which those choices impact their free time during their high school years. Robert Compton talked about his documentary film and the education community's response. Video clips are shown."

Click to read full article>>>

March 8, 2008

Video Conferencing Videos & The Power of Technology Integration--Technology Integration III

Technology IntegrationThere is a great deal of confusion and apprehension surrounding the notion of technology integration in the classroom. Some of the confusion and apprehension is understandable. Technology use in the classroom has been over-hyped, oversold, and misapplied. Here are examples of technology use that does NOT reflect technology integration.

Not Integration:
  • Computer labs and courses in programming, using software products, etc. Computer labs are valuable but do not constitute integration. Relying on computer labs as a form of technology integration is akin to you going to your office with no computer. You would then go down the hall to an administrator's computer lab to do email, conduct research, type memos, etc. That is not integration.
  • Laptops or other electronic devices for taking notes in class. While this may or may not be acceptable and useful, it is not effective integration and has minimal to zero ROI.
  • Students creating PowerPointless presentations. Using PowerPoint for student presentations CAN REFLECT effective integration, but not in isolation from more substantive uses. Moreover, PowerPoint presentations can very easily elevate form over substance.
  • Internet research is not integration. Again, Internet searches can reflect authentic integration, but not when an isolated activity.
  • Using a word processor to write a report. Who doesn't do that?

The above activities are all valid and useful but do not reflect effective integration in and of themselves. So what then is effective technology integration?

Authentic Technology Integration

Authentic integrated technology is the seamless infusion of technology in both instruction and learning so that technology becomes a ubiquitous tool used by both students and teachers. It goes beyond computer labs to the natural incorporation of technology into teaching and learning as naturally as a white board and notebook. Using technology for the sake of using technology is not the objective.

The objective is to use technology when it is the most effective way to teach and to learn and to enhance teaching and learning. Technology is not the end; it is the means.

Example I

The following abridged example[1] for a high school class may help illustrate the concept. Although designed for high school, this lesson could be easily modified for junior high students.

Lesson objective: Students will deepen their understanding of the relationship between social and human capital to the creation of wealth and to educational levels in a first and third world country.

Lesson Content and Assignment:

The teacher will provide background reading and lectures on social and human capital, biblical concepts of economic justice, fundamental principles of economics, and the impact of educational attainment on the creation of individual and national wealth and reducing poverty.

  • Students are to use library and Internet based resources to research economic, demographic, and educational data for both a first world and a third world country using resources just as the CIA Fact Book, the Library of Congress, the U.S. Census, the World Bank, International Monetary Fund, etc.
  • Data is to be collected using an Access database. Student will export the data to an Excel spreadsheet. Graphs are to be created depicting important data. Working with the math department, students will run a simple correlation analysis using Excel or a program such as SPSS.
  • Students will use Word to write an eight-page research report. The report is to include embedded Excel charts and graphs. The report is to be in MLA format using Endnote for the citation of references and the creation of the reference section. This written report is to provide a discussion of biblical principles of social justice, a summary of research findings, and conclusions regarding the relationship between social and human capital to the creation of wealth and to educational levels in a first and third world country. Students will use e-Sword or similar software to conduct biblical research, in addition to online and library resources. Students are then to answer the following question:
  • “What does this mean to me?” An internal blog will be created for use by students for reacting to the findings and implications of the research.
  • Students will use PowerPoint to present a five-minute summary of their findings.

Assessment:

  • Students will be assessed using both a traditional assessment (test) and an authentic assessment. The authentic assessment is the quality of the research, the quality of the written report, the quality of technology use and integration, and the quality of their presentations. A rubric is used for the authentic assessment.
Example 2

A useful middle school example is Was It Murder? The Death of King Tutankhamun: The Boy King. This lesson can be found at the following Internet page: http://www.pekin.net/pekin108/wash/webquest/.

The above two examples represent mature integration efforts. Obviously there are simpler ways to effectively integrate technology. The above examples are provided to illustrate that effective technology integration means that technology tools are fully unutilized if and when appropriate. Technology tools are leveraged but do not displace effective use of traditional instruction and resources.

Example 3--Video Conferencing

Video conferencing offers tremendous opportunities for enhancing instruction, exciting students, extending the classroom beyond the school and raising achievement. An exciting video conferencing resource is called Global Nomads. The following two videos give an excellent overview of this particular program.

Global Nomad Overview

Actual Video Conference

Early on the morning of February 2nd, before the World Forum program began for the day, ten members of the YDP representing all the countries attended a videoconferencing hosted by JAMS in partnership with Global Nomads Group and Facing History and Ourselves. Connected to four high schools across the country from San Francisco to Sun Valley, Idaho to Virginia Beach, Virginia, classrooms of seniors engaged in dialogue for ninety minutes. Differences on the Iraq War emerged and a discussion on how to communicate those differences so that others' perspectives were heard was valuable for everyone involved. High school classrooms in ten other schools were participating as "view only" sites in the videoconferencing.


The Status of Technology Integration in ACSI and CSI Schools:

Unfortunately, there is little evidence that Christian schools are integrating technology in a manner even close to the lessons described above. In a national study designed to assess the current level of technology access and integration, defined as Technology Level, in CSI and ACSI schools, Mosbacker (2005) found that the majority of CSI and ACSI schools are not characterized by the level of technology integration required to prepare students with the 21st century skills needed in an information-rich, global economy.

The majority of CSI and ACSI schools are at a relatively low technology level as measured by the CEO STaR Chart[2] definitions:

  • Seventy seven percent (77%) of the schools are rated as Low to Mid Technology.
  • Twenty two percent (21.9%) of the schools are classified as High/Advanced Technology schools.
  • Only one school was classified as a Target Technology school.

Most CSI and ACSI Christian school administrator are providing access to technology but with limited curricular integration. Given the conservative culture of most evangelical Christian schools, it is not surprising to find that most administrators are not adapting school programs to the realities of the global-information based economy of the 21st century nor to the rapid pace of change and exponential growth in knowledge and information.

Now What?

How do we get from where we are to where we need to be? Technology is expensive, most teachers are not well trained, time is limited, funds are limited, and IT support is limited. How do we plan for, fund, and effectively implement technology in our schools? These are difficult questions, but it can and must be done. We will tackle some of these issues in upcoming posts.

Response:

It would be very helpful at this point to have input from the readers of this blog.

  • What do you consider to be the biggest challenges to integrating technology in your school?
  • Do you really believe in the importance of the integration or do you believe that there is too much hype and little actual educational benefit for the money and time required?
  • Do you have good examples of effective integration from your school? Bad examples (no names please)?


[1] The scope of this blog does not permit the presentation of a comprehensive lesson plan.

[2] For more information on the STaR Chart definitions, see http://www.iste.org/inhouse/starchart/index.cfm?Section=STaRChart&CFID=4488963&CFTOKEN=37864196

Mosbacker, B. L. (2005). An investigation of technology and school leadership in Christian schools in the United States. Charlotte, NC, University of North Carolina (Charlotte).

;
Click to read full article>>>

Finding What You Missed

Remember, you can check the blog archives for articles that you may have missed. The archives are located on the right side of the blog. Click image for a larger view.

image

You can also perform a search for articles using the search box on the top right of the blog.

image

Click to read full article>>>

How To Keep Your Mind

Brain Time ManagementThere is a relatively new concept in neuroscience called "brainspan". The brain ages like the rest of our body. One of our challenges is keeping our brains healthy throughout our life span. The following strategies are shown to be effective in helping you and I keep our minds!

The seven Tenets of the Plastic Brain

  1. Change can occur only when the brain is in the mood. Chemical on and off switches that allow learning to occur are turned on by your attention to novelty, and turned off by repeating already learned non-challenging behaviors or an intentional refusal to accept new experiences to be recorded. The brain is in constant flux, always either rearranging or reinforcing its pathways and patterns. Your point of attention is the key to what disectable physical formation the brain will soon be in.
  2. Change strengthens connection between neurons engaged at the same time. Learning is accomplished by testing combinations of connections then comparing observed outcome vs what the brain wants or doesn’t want. Changing hardwire connections selectively as the behavior approximates the desired outcome, previously formulated by the brain.
  3. Neurons that fire together wire together. Your sensory input is rich and complex. The brain strengthens its connections between that things that reliably occur in serial time and from that makes predictions of possible outcomes. By saving these connections it has the capacity to make continuous adjustable predictions about what goes with what, and what will happen next. The point of attention, where learning occurs is not compartmentalized; past memories, present sensory stimulation, and imagination all constantly blend as your brain weaves its own explanation of reality, and from that developes memories, skills and dreams.
  4. Initial changes are temporary. If the brain judges the experience to be interesting, exciting, or somehow novel and relates to either a desirable or undesireable outcome it will releases a chemical that makes these connections permanent. The brain is constantly making decisions on which thought or experience needs to be recorded. Permanent wiring change occurs in an over and over incremental layering system. The boundries of conscienceness will either expand or contract directly according to what the point of attention is focused on.
  5. Brain Plasticity is a two way street - The point of attention drives physical brain change just as easily positively as negatively. Many identified mental disorders can be explained with the plastic brain. Chronic pain syndromes occur when the electrical signal from a pain sensory cell is overstimulated for a long time, like riding a bike, the brain gets really good at using these connections. So that, any associated stimulation (a smell, someone you don’t like) will fire the whole wire and further attract the point of attention into a viscious cycle. Unwanted bad habits continue to pester us because through years of repeated behavior the brain has hard wired itself into that set of connections. Then by repreated timeline association of this behavior (set of connections) with other experiences, it becomes entrenched into our entire understanding of ourself. Obsessive compulsive disorders are treated by teaching the person that those obsessive fears are not real, they are just old wires repeating an incorrect message. As they learn to ignore that incorrect wire, the brain begins to unravel it, and all the while is connecting and reinforcing more rewarding behaviors. A word of caution, a maliable brain is also a vulnerable brain. Sensory bombardment is changing our brains as much as any other experience. Our brain is always changing towards the point of attention. That is why television is such a problem. Marketers know this information, and by holding your point of attention they are modifying the physical structure of your brain to include thier teachings.
  6. Memory is crucial for learning. The brain is continually setting up models about where it thinks it is headed. Constantly evaluating everything going on in the now, with similar past memories and imagined outcomes. Playing golf involves millions of nerve signals from the muscles of the body and commands to these muscles. To learn such a complex behavior the brain formulates a mental image of how it wants the effort to turn out. It actually stores desired outcome in memory. Then it fires the muscles, and at the same time, released “remember this” chemicals. Then like a picture it locks in this pattern, then weighs the observed outcome against the desired outcome, makes corrections by physically disconnecting and reconnecting synapses and trys again. Try by try it lays down the neuronal patterns until the behavior becomes literally hard wired into the brain and second nature to you.
  7. Motivation is a key factor in brain plasticity. The brain is far more plyable than we ever imagined. This knowledge is part of an amazing awakening to who we are and why we are here. Life is meant to be lived with enthusiasm passion and joy. Be careful of ruts, take up new challenges, constantly push the boundries back. The plastic brain will unwire old habits and begin laying down new hardwire circuits to increase your skills at new tasks. When something becomes second nature, it is time to find a new interest. Along with these new skills you regain your sparkle, your zeal for life. You become a part of the solution.

As a wise man once said, life is a jouney, not a destination, enjoy the ride!

Some tips to optimize the plasticity of your brain.

Cardiovascular exercise is needed to supply the oxygen to the brain to help it grow. Manual therapies like chiropractic and Skill training like Yoga are important because they cause the brain to grow in the area of body coordination.

Always challenge yourself, expand your capabilities, if a task is rountine find a way to do it better, or a better way to do it!

The ultimate goal is to get our brain span to outlive out lifespan. Exercise your brain and joy, vitality and enthusiasm for life returns.

Click Source for original article.

Click to read full article>>>

Touch Screen Ordering to Revolutionize Dining!

Speaking of technology integration, like it or not, restaurants are rapidly incorporating digital ordering. Click picture to read the article.

011008uwink.jpg

Technorati Tags: ,
Click to read full article>>>

March 1, 2008

How to Get Your Ideas and School Philosophy to Stick with Parents and Donors

How do we get parents to understand and buy into Christian education? How do we get them to understand what developing a biblical worldview means and why it is important? How do we get our staff to catch the vision of what is possible? How do we get more people to give and donors to give more?

I recently read the book Made to Stick, which I found to be excellent. The authors, one of whom is an educator, outline the essential ingredients for getting our ideas to stick with others so that they both understand and care/act. These principles are:

  • S--Simple (Short compact proverb)
  • U--Unexpected (Break the expected pattern)
  • C--Concrete (Put the message in language connected to everyday life, avoid abstractions)
  • C--Credibility (Appeal to authority and passing the Sinatra Test)
  • E--Emotions (People will only act if they care)
  • S--Stories (A story is powerful because it provides the context missing from abstract prose)

An easy way to remember these principles is to put them into this sentence: Put your ideas into a "Simple Unexpected Concrete Credentialed Emotional Story."

This sounds a lot like the way Jesus taught.

Each of the chapters explores each of the principles outlined above. I found the book to be very informative, well written, and practical. I highly recommend it.

Click to read full article>>>

Why Do Finnish Students Rank # 1 in the World?

[photo]In a recent Wall Street Journal report, the authors ask, "what makes Finnish kids so smart?" To get a taste for the disparity between US and Finnish schools, consider the following example of a Finnish student who had to repeat a grade after attending a U.S. high school for a year:

Finnish high-school senior Elina Lamponen saw the differences firsthand. She spent a year at Colon High School in Colon, Mich., where strict rules didn't translate into tougher lessons or dedicated students, Ms. Lamponen says. She would ask students whether they did their homework. They would reply: " 'Nah. So what'd you do last night?'" she recalls. History tests were often multiple choice. The rare essay question, she says, allowed very little space in which to write. In-class projects were largely "glue this to the poster for an hour," she says. Her Finnish high school forced Ms. Lamponen, a spiky-haired 19-year-old, to repeat the year when she returned. Lloyd Kirby, superintendent of Colon Community Schools in southern Michigan, says foreign students are told to ask for extra work if they find classes too easy.


According to the article, the following characterizes Finnish schools and students:

  • Basics only. Finnish schools have no sports teams, marching bands or prom.
  • Teachers and students address each other by first names. About the only classroom rules are no cell phones, no iPods and no hats.
  • Limited amounts of homework, a more relaxed atmosphere.
  • Teachers must hold master's degrees, and the profession is highly competitive: More than 40 people may apply for a single job. Their salaries are similar to those of U.S. teachers, but they generally have more freedom.
  • Finnish teachers pick books and customize lessons as they shape students to national standards. "In most countries, education feels like a car factory. In Finland, the teachers are the entrepreneurs.
  • One explanation for the Finns' success is their love of reading. Parents of newborns receive a government-paid gift pack that includes a picture book. Some libraries are attached to shopping malls.
  • There are fewer disparities in education and income levels among Finns. Finland separates students for the last three years of high school based on grades; 53% go to high school and the rest enter vocational school. (All 15-year-old students took the PISA test.) Finland has a high-school dropout rate of about 4% -- or 10% at vocational schools -- compared with roughly 25% in the U.S., according to their respective education departments.
  • Each school year, the U.S. spends an average of $8,700 per student.
  • Finnish students have little angstata -- or teen angst -- about getting into the best university, and no worries about paying for it. College is free.
  • There is competition for college based on academic specialties -- medical school, for instance. But even the best universities don't have the elite status of a Harvard. Taking away the competition of getting into the "right schools" allows Finnish children to enjoy a less-pressured childhood. While many U.S. parents worry about enrolling their toddlers in academically oriented preschools, the Finns don't begin school until age 7, a year later than most U.S. first-graders.
  • Once school starts, the Finns are more self-reliant. While some U.S. parents fuss over accompanying their children to and from school, and arrange every play date and outing, young Finns do much more on their own. At the Ymmersta School in a nearby Helsinki suburb, some first-grade students trudge to school through a stand of evergreens in near darkness. At lunch, they pick out their own meals, which all schools give free, and carry the trays to lunch tables.
Click to read full article>>>