On the Trails

Which system do you think is better, bartering or money? Using details from the article, give at least two examples to support your answer.

It’s Only Money!
by Ben Sutter

taken from the New York State 2005 5th Grade ELA test

Did you know that money is not worth the paper it is printed on? It [...]

This is the technology integration model I use when working with teachers. It has worked wonders over the past 7 years. There are more teachers at the Solo level this year than last year.
Most of the people I work with are at the E and T stages.

Model technology integration (tech integrator or tech [...]

Skype does not have to be just a tool to communicate with others, you can also use it to brainstorm ideas and communicate with yourself.
I was writing a piece for a job application about what distinguishes me from others and I used Skype to let the ideas flow.
All I did was type in a topic [...]

There is not a tool that assesses a teacher’s level of technology integration in the classroom in an easy-to-use fashion. The tool I am speaking about has to be as simple as using a tire gauge or a cooking thermometer. My job is to teach teachers how to integrate technology [...]

The Five Basic Steps of Facilitating with Technology
If you plan to use technology as a facilitation tool, be prepared to take these steps:
1. Determine if there is a need for facilitating with technology.
2. Select the right technology for the right purpose.
3. Do session pre-work.
4. Take the measures needed to create a successful session.
5. Do follow-up [...]

MBTI Dimensions and Preferences
Dimension a
Related Dichotomy
Energizing—How and where people get their energy
Extraversion–Introversion—Are you energized by the outer world of people, things, and activities or by your inner world of ideas, impressions, and emotions?
Attending—What people pay attention to when they gather information
Sensing–Intuition—Do you focus on concrete data gathered through the five senses or on broad meanings, [...]

An expert is a fellow who is afraid to learn anything new because then he wouldn’t be an expert anymore.
—HARRY S TRUMAN
Behavior that’s rewarded gets repeated.
Learn where things went right and where things went wrong, and search out new techniques and approaches to enable improvement.
In 1987 Tom DeMarco and Timothy Lister Our ability to [...]

“Increasing tension often leads to the opposite of relaxation, which is increased stress. When under too much stress, most people undergo a measurable change in blood pressure, an increase in adrenaline, and an elevation in glucocorticoids, which are potentially destructive hormones. There may be an increase in respiration, perspiration, or even heartbeat. By the time [...]

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Materials

Easel, chart paper, dots, extension cord/adapter, yellow and
blue sticky notes, a timer, forced connections book

Agenda

Overview of Process

Roles - Client, Resource Group & Facilitator

Client - the person(s) for whom we are going to provide
ideas
Resource Group - a group of people who will use their
minds to generate ideas
Facilitator - a person who will guide the group through
the [...]

In the Exploring the Challenge section of the CPS process, the facilitator’s job is to help the client identify goal, wishes or challenges to bring to the resource group. The resource group, in the Explore the Challenge section, helps the client create the “right” problem to work on.
If a problem is known, solutions can [...]

Alex Osborn - Seven- Step CPS Process from Osborn’s Applied Imagination

Orientation
Preparation
Analysis
Hypothesis
Incubation
Synthesis
Verification

After 1982 tools were provided for convergent thinking. Prior to this point, divergent thinking was the main thinking model.
Mess-Finding

highlighted the importance of obstacles and outcomes
ownership of the problem became an important factor

Effective problem solving requires people to consider more than facts

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In a workshop I delivered the other day, I used brainwriting to get a group of 5th grade teachers to brainstorm curricular topics. They spent 5 minutes using the sheets and came up with over 100 curricular topics. We then clustered similar topics together. Within these clusters, teachers picked one topic to [...]

Check in with the client often
Use the back of the flip-chart to reveal the process
Get a process buddy
Know when to say when

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The trained group has a significantly greater chance of a breakthrough occurring because there were many more high quality ideas generated than in the untrained group.

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Check a few days before and on the day of the process - with the client - to see if there is any changes to the goal, wish or challenge.
Create an Agenda
Timer (or use the computer timer)
Sticky notes (blue for exploring the challenge and yellow for generating ideas)
Markers
Toys
Water
Food - snacks
Create a cheat sheet to put [...]

On a cold February afternoon, I sat in the office with the tech personnel and told them we were going to do an exercise in deferring judgement. I asked this because many of my ideas were shot down - only to be put in place after the techs had a chance to “think” it [...]

“Problems become opportunities when the right people get together.” - Robert Redford

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There are numerous pages that get created during a CPS session. It is important to number the pages for your client. When the session is done, it is important to put them in sequential order so that the client can review the process at their leisure.

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When faced with the issue of many problem statements, a facilitator should tell the client who can not choose:
Yes, all these problem statements are important, but if we make progress on one, the other ones become less of an issue. If we get to the end of the process and we find that we [...]

When the client has found a solution - What I see myself doing? - ask them what they like about this solution. This will allow them to think of the PLUSES that will occur by enacting that solution.

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One of the advantages of using Google services is their relatively new service called Google Documents and Spreadsheets.  Google Documents enables people to collaborate on ideas when they are not even in the same country.  We have been using google documents to work on our technology plan, to plan curriculum and to work on policies.
When [...]

Get a resource group to:
Apply their imagination for an extended period of time.

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