Fredonia

Too long between posts - but a good excuse. H and I road-tripped back to Buffalo to visit family, see two sisters graduate high school, and do a bit of wedding planning. She's been teasing me about not updating this, and rightfully so. It was a lovely visit, overall, capped with a brief stop back at our alma mater to see how things have changed.

We walked around campus a bit, feeling every wonderful twang of nostalgia possible. I'll confess to being a bit worried before arriving - our small, state college holds a special place in my heart, and I was concerned that my memories had idealized the place and that the abundance of new faces (and new buildings) would leave me feeling left out, melancholy, or - worst of all - old. Luckily our pit stop proved to be less of a grasp at glory days and more of a pleasant return to a place that shaped us into smart, ambitious, and clever young adults.

After the obligatory stop at the new book store for campus swag (Why do college hooded sweatshirts always look so cool?) we had a pleasant surprise encounter with a former teacher. H had several classes with Bruce during our time at Fredonia, as did I. Eventually he became something of a mentor, offering frank advice outside the classroom as well. He happily greeted us, asking what we were up to now that we'd graduated and congratulating us on our engagement. It seemed our encounter was a bit serendipitous, as his department was just bouncing around ideas on how to keep tabs of graduates and what we were up to.

Why did Fredonia work so well for me? In retrospect, it's all about the relationships I made. The professors, the friends, the band mates, bartenders, trouble-makers, the woman I'm going to marry...

This entry is spiraling a bit, but what excites me is considering my students' futures - Will they come back? Will they seek me out, introducing me to their fiances? Will they be successful? Sure this is egotistical - they all have their own lives and for many my classes are just a drop in the bucket - but a large part of this profession is helping people develop and it's my sincere hope that a few years from now I'll be able to write about a happy encounter with a former student who's poised to light the world on fire.

The Millionth Word

According to this article, "Web 2.0" became recognized by the Global Language Monitor as the one millionth word in the English language.

Being a tech-savvy word nerd, this headline caught my attention immediately. My inner geek found this to be a poignant and appropriate moment, a definitive example of human possibility brimming with significance. Oh, how this millionth word represented the evolution of human communication, the endless opportuntiy for human growth! I thought what whimsy and meta-fun it would be to share this idea through facebook, as surely this would impress my peers and in turn validate me (this is pretty much the reason I do anything on facebook).

Then I read the article.

While the Global Language Monitor seems to have pretty admirable aims, the nebulous nature of language in itself makes the idea of counting words pretty pointless. Other "English" words making the list include "Jai Ho" and "n00b" - each derived from specific cultures, yet somehow further validated by working their way into American culture and being slapped on a list.

The melting-pot nature of American English is wonderful in its ability to adapt and incorporate. Claiming ownership of a word, however, opens the door to redefining it. At best, redefinitions become watered down versions of their original intention - the word "cool" for example is bandied about so easily and usually with the intent of a marketer, the original tone and concept is forever lost. At worst, redefinitions steal the language of marginalized communities, subverting attempts at expression and rebranding concepts as negative-catch-all-cliches-and-labels.

Personally, I'm continually for an expanding language. The more tools one has to articulate their beliefs and position in the world, the more likely they are to have an empowered role. I guess I should foster my original enthusiasm then at what possibilites this "millionth word" represents, while using the very medium it describes to acknowledge the millions of other words, not on the list.

An Introduction

It's with equal parts dread and enthuiasm that I consider embarking on this project.  Despite writing, erasing, and rephrasing this introduction for the past twenty minutes, the fundamental idea of this journey is exciting.  The dread, however, comes from knowing that I have a habit of starting projects that quickly become forgotten.  Without accountability to anyone but myself, an inclination towards laziness often debunks my best efforts - my gym membership alone can attest to this.  

A month ago I attended a conference where the keynote speaker introduced me to the concept of "adaptive expertise."  On the subject, he writes:

“The ability to change and continually innovate is where the concept of equipping students to be adaptive experts comes into play...Compared to routine experts, adaptive experts are more likely to relish challenges that require them to 'stretch' their knowledge and abilities.  They tolerate ambiguity, at least for a while, and they think of themselves as people who know a lot, yet still know little compared to all that is knowable.” 

– John Bransford, "Thoughts on Adaptive Expertise"

The Adaptive, then, is my attempt to fulfill several goals:

• Chronicle my growth as a professional educator, and also as one continually learning to teach.
• Discuss technology within the context of human thinking, learning, and development. 
• Maintain enthusiasm and engagement within my own thinking, learning, and development.
• Challenge myself out of complacency or boredom and maintain vigorous interest in the human spirit.  
• Be an active participant in global conversations about topics I find fascinating.

Ambitious?  Perhaps.  Yet it's my hope that I step beyond my initial "dread" in order to foster this ambition in order to learn - to grow - to adapt.