Coach Pabon | What Are You Doing?

Negative Nannies

Wassup everybody? Coach Pabon comin’ at you.
Listen – negativity is part of life. I get it.
But, for too many people it has become auto-freakin-matic.

Randomly ask anyone in passing at work, at school, or even at home, “Hey, how’s it going?” Many people will give you some kind of negative response:

• Ohhhh – I’m really dragging today …
• Same crap – different day!
• Is it Friday yet?

And, a host of other negative responses, generally speaking.

Criticism

Along this thought process is criticism.
Without having to go into a prolonged thesis, criticism comes in two flavors.

• Destructive Criticism
• Constructive Criticism

Generally speaking, criticizing someone or something, in and of itself, is not a bad thing if done properly and for the correct reason.

Are you employing destructive criticism for the sole purpose of being heard, somehow feeling you have some power over the person/thing you are criticizing, or because you are still holding on to a grudge?

If so, allow me to suggest that you may benefit from some self-evaluation.

• Why are you feeling so slighted?
• What part did you have to play in your negative experience?
• Are you just throwing a tantrum?

Constructive criticism should aim to improve someone or something. What you found wrong should be quantifiable and specific.  There should be some tangible suggestions being made about how to change and/or improve what is wrong.

Solutions | Choices

One quick solution here is to be the example. Be the change that others should follow.  I sometimes stop people dead in their tracks, because for several years my response is one of general positivity.

It’s very rare to hear someone say something like:

• I feel GREAT – how about you?
• Things are really Freakin’ AWESOME right now!
• Yo – I’m EXCITED – I’ve never been better!

Life is about choices & sometimes we have to make a concerted effort to choose the positive route.

Which path will you choose?

Teachers Talking | Mr. Bland & Coach Pabon | Digital Principal

Who Are You?

Are you the go to person when it comes to digital media?
Are you staying abreast of how technology can improve what you do?
Are you the Digital Principal for your arena?

Real “job security” comes from creating so much value that you become an asset that others cannot do without.  Be the MVP for your organization. Since this conversation focused around education – if you’re in that arena, be the MVP for your school or for your district.

We’re in the 21st century, and we still have people outright refusing to engage with technology.  It is not a fad. Do not fear the technology – embrace it.  Use technology to simplify your life.

Is there a learning curve?

Sure – absolutely.
But, it should not be as drastic as some people make it out to be. (I know this sentence is grammatically incorrect, but we’re on the interwebs – so loosen up a little, ok.)

You have to get out of your own way.
“You have to get past your old you to get to the new you.”
– Dr. Eric Thomas (ET The Hip Hop Preacher)

Teachers Talking | Mr. Bland & Coach Pabon | The Start

What do you get when two non-traditionally trained educators sit down to have an impromptu conversation?

You get an interesting & refreshing taste of positive thought process, solutions, & recommendations for various challenges experienced by education professionals everywhere. Enjoy the ride.

Mr. Bland and I always seem to have some very thought provoking conversations, and on more than one occasion we have said that we really should record our conversations.  That’s what lead to this first (of many) videos.

Mr. Bland came into my classroom during a planning period that we both share.  We were about to begin having one of our conversations when I said, “Hey we should record this.” I had a student aide in the classroom, and he recorded the conversation for us. It was completely impromptu – which I believe shows through the video.

Anyway, we wound up speaking about several different topics.  I believe we helped come up with some very viable recommendations and/or solutions for various challenges that are experienced by educators everywhere.

We hope our unplanned conversation will help someone out in the interverse, or at least give you some ideas with which to begin.

This was, literally, the beginning — setting up the video recording.
Make sure you check out my “Coach Pabon” youtube channel to catch the rest of the videos in this series, as well as, future videos.

Navigating the Web – Intelligently

Originally Posted: September 26, 2010

“Safety First. Security Always” – Navy Radioman Guiding Principle

Technology is something that should be embraced and respected, but not feared.

While it is absolutely true that technology is a wonderful tool with many great benefits, it must also be noted that there are some potential dangers to consider when using certain technology.

One of my goals is to utilize my background and experiences in cyber threat analysis to instill respect and awareness, in students and colleagues, for the potential pit-falls that exist with the use of internet-based technology.

The bottom line is that awareness is the key.
Remember, technology is something that should be embraced and respected, but not feared.

A web-based training outline for this Professional Development resource may be found here:

Oh! What a Web we Weave
Internet Safety, Privacy, & Other Considerations

Case Study in 21st Century Best Practices

Originally Posted: September 16, 2010

“My interest is in the future because I am going to spend the rest of my life there.”
~ Charles F. Kettering

What is a Best Practice?
According to Wikipedia.org, a best practice is a technique, method, process, activity, incentive, or reward which conventional wisdom regards as more effective at delivering a particular outcome than any other technique, method, process, etc. when applied to a particular condition or circumstance. (2010).

Taking Charles F. Kettering’s quote about the future into consideration, a 21st century best practice, as it relates to education, may be considered to be a procedure, or use of technology, that will continue providing the desired results well into the future.

Identify: Multicultural Literacy via Social Networking
AT&T’s 21st Century Literacies homepage describes multicultural literacy as the “knowledge of cultures, languages, and the ways multi-sensory data (text, sound, and graphics) can introduce bias in language, subject matter, and visual content” (n.d.).

Description:
Dime con quién andas y te diré quién eres. ~ Spanish saying

This is an old Spanish saying that translates into “Tell me with whom you walk, and I will tell you who you are.”

Digital social networks may be the biggest game changer in learning and what it means to be educated.  And yet the power of social networks to influence the nature of learning and teaching is barely understood by our institutional leaders.  All learners create an identity that determines their place in the social and economic order….identity equates to where an individual is on the learning curve.  And where traditional community relationships once defined a learner’s identity, emerging social networking technologies allow wholly new community associations to spring up organically and globally.  These community ties…exert a powerful influence on learning….And the more diverse, global, and heterogeneous a set of networks that one participates in, the more learning that occurs. (Wilmarth, 2010, p. 85-88)

Analysis:
This blogger, educator, mentor, IT Security “guru” to some (rookie to others) believes it is fairly safe to say that social networking is here to stay.  As mentioned in a previous post, we, as educators, need to become and remain culturally aware regarding the diverse student populations we will interact with on our chosen playing field.  Today’s generation of students are growing up in a completely interconnected world with access to endless information at their proverbial fingertips.

The fact is that we now live in a globally connected, diverse, and multicultural world.  Online games (computer or console based), blogs, and social networks in general have made it completely possible for anyone to develop an ongoing interaction with others outside of their own culture.  The specific technology may change over time, but the underlying activity has become firmly rooted in modern society.

Social networking is not a fad reserved for teenagers.  Corporations, small business owners, government agencies, educational institutions, etc. are all racing to increase their social networking footprint.

To what end? 
From an educational standpoint, social networking tools create opportunities to explore and cross cultural boundaries like never before.

Evaluation:
Evaluating the use of social networking to increase multicultural literacy may be as simple as making honest determinations regarding whether or not the chosen tools provide accurate representations of various cultures and perhaps their feelings towards education and educators.

An increased knowledge of students and their cultures may help the educators find different ways to work with the students.  Understanding how different cultures feel about education, and the teachers’ roles in the students’ lives, will help promote increased communication between teachers and parents. (Pabon, 2010, p. 25)

These are some simple questions for an educator to consider when evaluating the effectiveness of a chosen social networking tool:

• Do the students exhibit an increased knowledge of various cultures and/or languages?
• Is there any discernible display of bias in language, subject matter, or visual content?
• Are the students accepting ownership of the technology, and their proper use of the technology?

Social networking has arrived.  It is imperative for educators to learn how to effectively utilize the technology to facilitate a multiculturally successful learning environment that will continue outside of the classroom.

Works Cited

Best practice. (2010). Wikipedia: The free encyclopedia. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Best_practice&oldid=382363482

Jacobs, H. H. (Ed.). (2010). Curriculum 21: Essential education for a changing world.

Alexandria, VA: ASCD.

Multicultural literacy. (n.d.). AT&T knowledge network explorer: 21st century literacies

glossary. Retrieved from http://www.kn.pacbell.com/wired/21stcent/glossary.html#cultural

Pabon, A. M. (2010). Misdiagnosis of English language learners (Unpublished master’s action

research). National University, La Jolla, CA.