William Farren

Monroe, Dominican Republic

Interested in making education an instrument of well-being. Believe that schools, as the most important shapers of mental models, need to seriously retool in an effort to address the problems caused by dysfunctional economic models, biophobia, “nature-deficit disorder” and an immense lack of planetary situational awareness.

Keep asking myself, "How is preparing students to enter a system that is at war with itself, preparing them for the future?"

Currently working on a new effort, ParticipatoryLearning.net, where students will get to tell me, their teacher, which countries I should visit. In this effort, I'll be trying to combine my love for world living, teaching, and active networked learning.

These are interesting times full of interesting people. Would love to hear your idea.

http://www.ed4wb.org

William commented on the article | over 1 year ago

Are Schools Killing Your Child’s Creativity?

Schools teach that answers are more important than questions; grades and class rank prevent risk-taking and experimentation; texbooks--with their homogenized, safe "ideas" sadly are the backbone of many a class; we label and categorize students as "creative", "gifted and talented" while ignoring the fact that creativity can be taught, talent acquired through practice...

Seems like problem based learning, based on real-world results and authentic involvement addresses many of the shortfalls in today's current system.
William commented on the article | over 1 year ago

Was Sarah Palin Worth the Money?

Funny. You didn't see the satire in his earlier reply.

Drill baby, drill!!!
William signed the petition | almost 2 years ago

Tell Congress to Permanently Protect the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge
William signed the petition | almost 2 years ago

Pass Legislation to Get Corporate Money Out of Politics
William signed the petition | almost 2 years ago

Don’t Let Big Oil Spend Millions Electing Its Friends
William signed the petition | almost 2 years ago

Urge Discovery Communications to Drop Sarah Palin's New Show
William commented on the article | over 2 years ago

Has One Laptop Per Child Been A Terrible Failure?

A detailed counterargument here:

http://undispatch.com/node/8859#comment-346
William signed the petition | over 2 years ago

Tell Lawmakers to Say NO to an SAT for 12-year-olds
William commented on the article | over 2 years ago

Dear Auntie Siobhan: She Won't Come to Class, but She Won't Leave Me Alone!

I agree that setting up a community can be part of the answer. Today, one can set up a forum, wiki, group, etc. Those emails the teacher was complaining about, instead, could have been answered by other class members--in the process, helping the helpers learn as well. Collaborative spaces can be set up so that students can work together without having to be face to face. (Reminded and guided, students can set up these spaces, as well.)

There are too many tools to mention here. The point being that these tools can lower the barriers to learning (like driving to class on a freezing morning). You might want to check out ning.com or wetpaint.com if you haven't already. If all you need is a forum, there are sites that offer those for free as well. (Gdocs and Zoho.com work well for all types of collaboration too.)
William commented on the article | over 2 years ago

"Evaluate that!" - Schools for Children

I second what Charlie said. Enjoyed reading your posts here.

"As we enter the 21st century, it is time to begin measuring what we value rather than valuing what we measure." Glaser Progress Foundation