Wayne Gretzky, Barry Sanders, Michael Jordan, Dr. Gary Ebrecht. What do those four names have in common? They all have defined what I know in regards to their craft. The first three are obvious. . . Sports heroes I grew up idolizing. They defined what I know and how I feel about their sport. What about the fourth one? What sport did he play? None. He is the most influential professor I had in college. What I learned from him defined much of who I am today. He taught me that education is more than just content. He helped me realize my strengths and weaknesses and how to use theme to become a highly effective teacher. I have been out of college for 7 years and I his influence is still one of the prominent factors of who I am today.
As I read through the Professional Standards for Michigan Teachers I am reminded of many of the things Dr. Ebrecht taught me. He taught me that education is 95% people skills and 5% content. He also said “3 glows and a grow.” Which means at least three compliments for every 1 constructive criticism. I see the 7th Standard of the Professional Standards for Michigan Teachers as a golden gateway to making education about the students. The face of education is going to change drastically in my lifetime. It will be necessary to accommodate our changing world. Technology allows us to provide more dynamic learning experiences. We are no longer limited by what’s in front of us. We can connect worldwide anytime and anyplace.
After last Monday’s class I was watching some educational videos and I came across one that had a couple of interesting points. In Dan Brown's Open Letter to Educators, he said that education is changing because access to information is changing. In the past we had to pay for knowledge. As time goes on, the cost of information is approaching zero. No longer do we have to attend a central hub where all the knowledge is, we can get it online. As stated in the RSA YouTube video, “Great learning happens in groups. Collaboration is the stuff of Growth” I completely agree with this notion. My blog posts are much better because I can look at other posts and get ideas. My teaching is also better because I can collaborate with my colleagues who are willing to work a little harder to make our school better.
www.theRSA.org , http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDZFcDGpL4U Accessed on February 5, 2011.
Brown, Dan. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-P2PGGeTOA4 Accessed on February 4, 2011
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