FREEDOM!!!!!

 

 http://images.dailyexpress.co.uk/img/dynamic/1/285x214/307772_1.jpg

Mel Gibson as William Wallace is looping through my brain as I listen to media chit-chat.  Does our  American society understand freedom does not guarantee protection and safety?  Freedom is risky!


Thomas Jefferson had some thoughts on freedom.

He said,

"Malo periculosam, libertatem quam quietam servitutem."  

The translation? 

"I prefer the tumult of liberty to the quiet of servitude."

Heavy....     (Want to read Jefferson's words in the context he offered them?  Go here.)

I hope our country considers the repercussions of the legislation our administration is examining and has passed lately.  I believe so much of our country cares only about themselves or doing what is "in" at the time.  How tragic!  Constantly citing Europe as the gold standard for what we should be striving,  concerns me.  I am confident the majority of Americans do not know what it means to be American.

Freedom is messy.  Freedom is about sacrifice... about denying self for what is right.  Is it possible to be harmed in the process?  Yes.

Would you want it any other way?

Imagine the Possibilities!

Image from tech.groups.yahoo.com

Upon arriving at the office today, I turned on the computer and immediately dove into my email. I found a great video from a student related to Bloom's Taxonomy. Well, that video sent me searching for other little gems on an educational technology blog. Although it took a couple of hours, my scavenging was not in vain. I turned up this great tool for gathering audience feedback in real time.

As a teacher, presenter, trainer, facilitator, consultant... one often likes to know what the audience is thinking and to be certain the points made are clear and well-received. TodaysMeet allows presenters to accomplish just that! It also helps presenters answer audience questions as they arise. Imagine what this could do for students too afraid to ask questions. TodaysMeet seems to provide a space for members of an audience to communicate with the facilitator while he or she is facilitating, without disrupting the presentation flow. It also allows the facilitator the opportunity to tailor the presentation as it is delivered, rather than waiting until the end to realize they have missed the mark. TodaysMeet lets audience members communicate with the presenter via Twitter on their smart phones and internet. What a powerful tool!

I would imagine some ground rules or norms would need to be set to ensure the audience frames their comments and questions in a positive manner. I would also imagine the use of such a tool is not for the faint at heart. However, set up is rather simple. Just create a room, identify how long the comments should be saved, create a Twitter hashmark (#) identifier, and start "talking". It is THAT easy!!

As teachers, lets embrace the backchannel (everything going on in the room other than that which is coming from the presenter) and make our classrooms or meeting rooms more effective. I intend to give this tool a try during the fall and I would encourage you all to do the same.

Risk boldly my friends!!!