A documentary that claims to “Expose the War the Media is Not Telling You About.”
We know that socio-political issues are never “black & white.” For me, the murkiness of the waters of Islam in society seems to stem from the conflict between the ideological and religious ideals to which I strive to adhere, and the inevitable contamination of deen by fallible humans struggling to make sense of it all.
Edutopia, the “tangible embodiment” of The George Lucas Educational Foundation, has an interesting online community section called Sage Advice. Here, readers (typically teachers and administrators) respond in 25–100 words to hard questions on what works in public education. For example, this month’s question is, “What is the most critical skill students should master to succeed?” I submitted the following response:
Ultimately, the most critical skill set students should master is how to take responsibility for their own learning. This includes effective searching, critical thinking, and developing learning networks. Success in life is greater than academic achievement alone. Being responsible for one’s own learning is critical to that greater success in that it includes the development of constructive social skills.
What would YOU say?
I’ve turned the corner on my paper and I’m headed for the home stretch… I’ll be back on the new tack in a few weeks! But wait….I’ll be heading up to the Harriet Tubman Free School in Albany, New York, for an interview — there’s bound to be some blog bop on that trek, you betchum ;o)>>>
BTW, this is my first post using Ecto - I’m diggin’ it!
Technorati Tags: harriet tubman free school, albany free school, unschooling, ecto, sonikcycle
It was a beautiful day in Billysburg, yesterday: sunny with temps in the low 70’s that held into the evening. Long about midnight, I stepped out for some fresh night air. As I stood jacket-less in bare feet on the deck, I was delighted by ethereal waves of large chimes carried on symphonic swells of big wind swooshing through the barren trees.
الحمد لله
READY ABOUT!… COME ABOUT!
Okay, we’re now close hauled on a new tack…
To date, this syndic has posted only whimsically and as the spirit moved. I now find myself wanting to blog more purposefully, if only for kicks and giggles, and to add a different dimension for my posterity to ponder come the distant future.
I shall attempt a more diary-like & Twitteresque approach…
I am now in the final phase of my dissertation: data analysis and discussion. I’m geeked & giddy because I have something to write about, and because I can see the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel… well, maybe not THE proverbial light, as that would mean there’s an oncoming train about to deliver a crushing blow, or that I’m passing on to the other side… no, it’s the other light, the light that represents the end of a very difficult task.
At the same time, my excitement is tempered by the mild sinking feeling I get as I thumb through my statistics notes and peruse the pages of the SPSS Brief Guide… oh, how quickly we forget! Fortunately, that sinking feeling is mild enough to be more motivating than panic inducing, and the challenge of it all is just right ;o)>>>
I registered an account with seesmic, today, so I got one more web-based conversation social thingee to be mindful of and to play with… we’ll see if it clicks eh!
Technorati Tags: sonikcycle, dissertation, seesmic, twitter
Last Friday, I happened to catch Science Friday, one of my favorite-est NPR programs. In the second hour, Ira was interviewing some folks who produced a play (”Serendib“) about a team of scientists studying monkeys in Sri Lanka. It sounds like a wonderful play and I should like to see it, but what inspired this post was something one of the guests had said. He made a comment about how a longitudinal study of monkeys (this research was started 40 years ago), is not considered (by some) to be “hard” science and therefore of little “value” — presumably because it lacks finely tuned instruments and huge data sets. I was reminded of an article on a recent physics experiment that turned up the weird factor of the already bizarre world of quantum mechanics. This article reports on some Frenchmen who successfully performed Wheeler’s Classic Delayed Choice experiment.
In lay lay terms, we know that light is both wave and particle, depending on how we measure it (see clip below). In this landmark experiment, the Frenchmen changed the outcome after they’d set up to measure particles (single slit) or waves (double slit) and then switched back and forth! The true significance of this is more profound than my feeble brain can grasp, but this much I know: the debate of “hard” or “soft” science is now swimming in the light of irrelevance — what do huge data sets and precision instruments really tell us when the results they produce are merely functions of our choices before and AFTER an experiment???
Which leads us to Princeton Engineering Anomalies Research ;->
I wrote a letter to the editor of the Charlottesville Daily Progress which was published on Saturday, February 3, 2007:
To the editor:
On January 23, 2007, six representatives from local (Virginia’s 5th District) and national faith organizations met with Rep. Virgil H. Goode, Jr. (R-VA), on Capitol Hill. The purpose of this visit was to make a “pastoral call” during which the representatives articulated their respective reactions and concerns over Rep. Goode’s recent statements about Muslims and the Qur’an. It was a concerted appeal for Mr. Goode to realize that his words had a negative local as well as global impact, and that we have much more to gain by seeking common ground thereby illuminating the darkness of the unknown other from which our fears are born. A petition to reconsider his position signed by 8000 people was presented to Rep. Goode, as was the following letter written jointly by a Charlottesville area interfaith network.
As expected, Mr. Goode generally stuck to his “I stand by my statements” stance, and argued a literal and context-less interpretation of his comments. However, his arguments were brief and his tone was not dismissive. In fact, judging from his expressions and body language, he appeared to be listening sincerely and processing what he was hearing. In the end, he was invited to visit an Islamic center to observe a worship service and/or engage in a dialogue of understanding about Muslims and Islam. He accepted the invitation, which, for the ever-hopeful, represents a positive shift in trajectory.
I just returned from a 5-day leadership training workshop down in lovely Lake Yale, Florida (just north of Orlando). I was sponsored by IMPACT (Interfaith Movement for Promoting Action by Congregations Together), a new, local affiliate of The Direct Action and Research Training Center (DART). It was an exciting and inspiring week for many reasons, but the one worth noting here is the remarkable potential of direct action as a means to challenging and redeeming the economic, political and social systems that create and perpetuate injustice.
The direct action model to be employed here stems directly from the strategies devised by Saul Alinsky, the “granddaddy” of community organizing, and is empowered by the respective “prophetic calls” to do justice shared by all communities of faith. The power comes from people, in this case local religious congregations, who are organized in such a way that they’re able to exercise power at an institutional level — individuals can’t negotiate with a transit authority, but IMPACT can! At street-level, here’s how it looks:
What excites me about this direct action process is that it is simple and effective. While writing to our representatives and elected officials, public demonstrations and sit-ins, and affecting change from the voting booth are all tried and true practices, tactically, such efforts seem to pale in comparison with “direct action.” When I hear of the many wonderful examples of how this process has served to bring greater justice to communities around the country, I can’t wait to get out and start building my network!!
Technorati Tags: DART, direct action research and training center, social justice, community organizing
Last night, I watched Good Night, and Good Luck. I found the cinematography to be the most enjoyable part of the film: black & white, tight shots, and billowing cigarette smoke. I also enjoyed getting caught up in the rush of live broadcasting, a process that to an outsider must appear as pure chaos. Unfortunately, the story of Edward R. Murrow’s assault on McCarthy was too familiar to be particularly engaging.
What really caught my attention enough to inspire this post was Murrow’s final statement in the film. He said:
This instrument [television] can teach, it can illuminate, and yes, it can even inspire. But it can do so only to the extent that humans are determined to use it towards those ends. Otherwise, it is merely wires and lights in a box.
Murrow was referring to television, I was reminded of educational technologies. Computers, the world wide web, blogs, wikis, PDAs, and such are only as valuable as we humans determine them to be. This is hardly profound and perhaps even cliche, yet given the way television has gone, we humans, as a whole, may not have the determination for which Murrow had hoped. We need to check our intentions, constantly.
Technorati Tags: Murrow, edtech, innovation
Generally speaking, it’s best to strike while the iron is hot. In this case, my “iron” is Habitat for Humanity’s “Home Builders Blitz” that occured 3 weeks ago in Charlottesville, VA. The iron has cooled, but I reckon that if I hit it hard enough, it may bend yet.
This project was part of a nationwide effort that resulted in nearly 500 homes being built in one week. The Charlottesville Blitz included 6 of those new homes. Habitat in C’ville plans to complete 10 additional homes this year. Habitat is a well-known organization, and for good reason. They provide “a helping hand, not a hand-out.” Habitat volunteers…
… work side-by-side with Habitat homeowners, known as partner families. The partner families invest hundreds of hours of their own labor and “sweat equity” into building their own houses and the homes of fellow partner families.
Habitat homes are sold to partner families at cost (no profit to Habitat) with a no-interest mortgage. Because there are no labor costs, no profits for the builders and no interest, most partner families pay less per month for their Habitat home than they paid in rent for a substandard dwelling.
It’s truly amazing how positive such endeavors can be. Not only for future homeowners, but also for EVERYONE involved. Volunteers are spiritually uplifted, communities are strengthened, and the quality of life just goes up. Last year I was blessed with the opportunity to be involved in a unique Habitat project known as the City Congregations Home. On this project, local religious congregations pooled their financial and human resources to sponsor a build. Particularly noteworthy was how the Jewish and Muslim contingents worked together on Sundays (while the Christian groups were at church ;->). On a Habitat project, the ripples of “good vibrations” extend far and wide.
I could sing the praises of Habitat all day long, but I’d rather urge you to get out there and see for yourself…VOLUNTEER!
Technorati Tags: habitat for humanity, charlottesville
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