I've been researching about e-learning recently and I stumbled upon Khan Academy. I immediately recognized it as a collection of educational videos, but with there being so many videos I didn't know where to start. My initial thought was, "Man, I hope I can find a good teacher among all these videos but I don't want to watch a bunch of videos looking for a good lecturer." I clicked on a random video and the lecturer was really good. He moves at a quick pace and you learn a lot very quickly. Extremely engaging. Then I thought, "Who is the lecturer – he didn't put his name on his video." Turns every single video is from the same teacher. He's a one man online school. He is Khan of Khan Academy, lol.

Then I found a video of Bill Gates talking about him which lead me to Bill's site which leads to all kinds of interesting stuff.

By the way, Bill is on Twitter http://twitter.com/#!/BillGates

I've been researching about e-learning recently and I stumbled upon Khan Academy. I immediately recognized it as a collection of educational videos, but with there being so many videos I didn't know where to start. My initial thought was, "Man, I hope I can find a good teacher among all these videos but I don't want to watch a bunch of videos looking for a good lecturer." I clicked on a random video and the lecturer was really good. He moves at a quick pace and you learn a lot very quickly. Extremely engaging. Then I thought, "Who is the lecturer – he didn't put his name on his video." Turns every single video is from the same teacher. He's a one man online school. He is Khan of Khan Academy, lol.

Then I found a video of Bill Gates talking about him which lead me to Bill's site which leads to all kinds of interesting stuff.

By the way, Bill is on Twitter http://twitter.com/#!/BillGates

First Days as a High School Teacher

Shaun D. McMillan

October 26, 2010

I've only been a substitute teacher for three days now, but already I have some fun stories to tell. Today I want to share in detail about a spontaneous discussion that sparked a change of thinking within students I had just met. First I will tell of two other classes I substituted for and then I will speak more elaborately of one particular class.

On my first day I had a couple classes in the middle school between my high school classes. 20 7th and 8th grade kids, none of which I know by name, and they all begin interacting with each other as soon as they see a substitute at the front. Once I walked in there was already one student almost in tears begging me to stop his bully from tormenting him. This was the first of many constant problems to be solved. But unlike my bully student, most of the problems that arose were simply due to the boredom of the students. They want my attention so I give it to them, and try not to fall for the traps they set up for me. 

One student completes the assignment and he looks clever enough that he'll probably start causing trouble since he has nothing else to do. Another student can't figure out the assignment. So I ask the student who completed it to help the student who doesn't understand. Most of the problems that arise can be solved in this simple way, but some require more creativity. The most senior student in the class stands over the most stubborn student in the entire class demanding that he do pushups. It's an ROTC class so that means senior students are allowed to demand pushups from the more junior students. But the younger student is making it very clear that he will not succomb to this student's angry demands. I can't undermind the authority of the senior students, but I also cannot make the younger student lose face. They look like they're about to break into a fight by the time I get over to them. I quickly jump in with a very happy and jovial tone of voice, "Hey guys, let's all do the pushups. Both you [the senior student], you [the stubborn younger students], myself and anyone else who feels like doing pushups. If anyone would like to join – let's do 5 pushups together." I immediately take the lead by getting into the postion and they as well as two other students all begin doing pushups. I count as we do 5 pushups together. Problem resolved.

Towards the end of class the tallest oldest student hands in an unfinished assignment saying he doesn't feel like completing it. I find a creative way to get him back working on it then he comes up to me again, "I can't spell January so I can't do what the assignment is asking." He is one of three students demanding my attention at that moment and he clearly just wants interaction so I tell him, "Fine. If that's your excuse then write your excuse on the board." As he begins writing "I can't spell…" he finds himself writing January. Once he's done and I've handled the other two students who've come up to me he comes back to me to show off his work. On the board it reads, "I can't spell januaury." 

I immediately erase the apostrophe and T in "can't" and I erase the extra letter in january. The board now reads, "I can spell January." "Okay, very good. Now get back to your assignment." Yet another problem solved.

Another day, another class. I ask what the subject of this class is and they inform me that it is a special class designed for them to work on coursework from classes that they are having trouble with. I let them work on various different assignments but of course some of them just sit there and socialize. I began to understand that the teacher often plays dvd's for them to watch while they work. One girl asks me if she can play the dvd called "2012." The class is noisy enough without a dvd playing but I know that it is not unorthadox for them to watch movies so I strike a deal, "If you can explain to me the purpose for which you want to watch it, and the goal that you hope to accomplish by watching it then I will let you play it." In response to my formal language she begins her persuasive argument, "I myself am curious to see what the film is about since I myself will be graduating in 2012. I, being a Christian, would also like to know what this film says will happen in the end since you know, it's about the end of the world."

 As she speaks it arises questions from her fellow classmates, and they don't hesitate to interrupt her with their questions. They begin arguing about the end of the world and at some point she says to her classmate, "Yeah you know cause the bible says that at the end of the world the earth burst into fire." I use this as my cue to jump back in.

"Okay, so you just quoted the single most famous book in the world. Is your paraphrasing accurate? Can you tell us which book and which scripture of the bible that is in?" 

"Yeah, I think it's in revelations." 

I happen to know that its not in revelations but in 2 Peter chapter 3 so I question her further,"Are you sure?" She looks puzzled. "You're lucky. I just so happenned to find that your teacher left a bible on her desk." I reach for it and hand it to her. "Why don't you find that scripture and we'll see how well you referenced the single most famous but often misquoted book of the world. I know you said it is in revelation but I seriously doubt that. Feel free to look through revelations if you'd like." She immediately begins looks through the pages and reading voraciously.

At this point an entire discussion about the end of the world is taking place on that side of the rooom. As one girl who seems to have a vague idea of what is described in revelations begins sharing with her fellow classmates about the mark of the beast and how the end times will go down. Many students are listening with curiosity. Our friend thumbing through the pages needs some help so I offer,"You can take a look in 2 Peter chapter 3. I think you'll find something there." 

In their discussion another student begins paraphrasing the bible, "2012 doesn't have to do with the bible. It says in the bible that no one knows the day or the hour!"

I immediately jump in, "Wow, we have yet another student quoting the bible. Would you be able to tell us where it says that in the bible?" She doesn't appear to know but she seems interested. "I think you'll find it in Matthew chapter 24. Would you care to find it for us and so that we can see just how accurate your reference was?" 

By now our friend has found some scriptures in the book of Peter referencing fire and she begins reading it aloud. Every so often she asks herself questions like, "How is Heaven going to be set on fire?" Once she's done the other student begins reading the 24th chapter of the gospel of Matthew. I sit back and smile thinking of what Jesus must think as he sees the students read and discuss the bible. The class is still rowdy and unorganized like many of the classes I've substituted for, but at least Jesus is happy.

The class immediately after them is a sociology class. Sociology just so happens to be one of my favorite subjects. A classroom full of students is like a sociology lab perfectly setup for a human behavioral experiment. One student approaches me to personally introduce himself as "Giovanti" and commends me for the beauty of the callilgraphy with which I have written my name on the white board. 

As they all sit down I step up and begin explaining about the experiment I heard about when I took sociology in college. I speak loud and clearly and they listen with remarkably deep interest. I begin to share about the Harvard student who set out to prove that Germans as a people were so obedient in their nature that they could allow a holocaust to take place, but instead accidentally proved that there is almost no limit to what pain a human being (not just Germans) will inflict on another if asked to by an authority. He unexpectly discovered that there is an extremely obedient nature in human beings.

I then turned it over to them and asked what they thought of it. One student would answer and then another. One student named Tyler said, "It's possible because there's a little bit of Hitler inside all of us." The discussion carries on like this for maybe a few minutes before I restate one of the students' comments to help facilitate the discussion.

The desks are grouped together to form 4 separate tables. 3 of the tables participate in the discussion while one table does work for another class. This causes the class to be quite loud. Giovanti comes up to me asking if he can go to the class next door to work on something extremely important. Seeing that the girls at the last table are doing math I tell Giovanti, "You want to do work in another class and they are doing work from another class so let's put it to the vote. Everyone, we are going to vote on whether this table should have to participate or if they should be allowed to work on math. Everyone who feels they should be able to do math raise your hand." Giovanti looks upset as he returns to his seat and he exclaims, "You don't have to be like that, just say no if you don't want me to go."

The class seems divided on the issue, but one student wasn't paying attention and didn't vote. The students next to him are explaining to him what we're voting about so I point him out, "Alright. You are the tie braker so it's completely up to you whether they have to participate." 

"I don't care what they do. It doesn't bother me none." 

"Alright. The decision stands. The girls may do math if they are not too loud, but Giovanti will have to stay cause I can't let students just leave the class."

By now the class is beginning to get rowdy again and I overhear Tyler make a joking remark to the rest of his table, "If I had a gun all of y'all would have to do what I say." 

He wasn't at all serious but it falls in line with today's theme so I point it out, "Tyler here has made an interesting statement. He says that if he had a gun you would all HAVE TO do what he says. If a person points a gun to your head do you have any choice?" At first many say that you would have no choice. Giovanti decides to take a stand, "Even if someone points a gun to my head nobody can make me do anything." Now the rest of the class begin to change their tune. They agree with Giovanti. 

I then let them discuss about choice as I write two statements on the board. The first one reads, "I choose to die." The second statement reads, "I had no choice. He killed me." I then ask the class, "What is the difference between these two statments? They describe the second statement as weak and powerless, the first as having some element of control. The discussion is going quite well. 

Then I cross out "die" and "killed" and replace them with "failed" meaning a teacher gave a student an F. The board now reads "I choose to fail." and, "I had no choice. He failed me."

"Okay, now how is this different?" This example doesn't work as well as I had hoped and as the discussion begins to break down Giovanti asks once again if he can to go the neighboring class exclaiming that he, "has to" go. Little does either of us know that this disagreement of policy will become our grand finale.

I then begin to explain that when I teach a class I have a rule. My rule is this – no one is allowed to use the words, "I have to" or, "I can't" under any circumstances. I explain to them that just as Giovanti mentioned earlier you always have a choice.

Giovanti disagrees. He remarks, "It's just like you not letting me go. I have to go but YOU won't let me."

I smile, "That's right – this IS exactly like that. You knw what – If you HAVE TO go then why havn't you gone already?" The whole class turns to see his response.

"Cause YOU won't let me. Because of the rules. Because…"

"Look, if you HAVE TO go – Go!." Giovanti looks powerless. "You could just go despite the rules. It was you who said earlier that even if I pointed a gun to your head I couldn't MAKE you do what I want you to do. I am not even holding a gun to your head, yet you obey. You always have a choice." As Giovanti begins his sentence with, "you…" he instead looks up and wipes his face with his hands in frustration. The entire class turns against him, "NO no, you see!" Giovanti smiles fully realizing the point. The bell rings and he walks up "That was good man. that was good."

I'm also reading about different projects teachers have done with students.

One teacher took everything out of the room over the summer and the students came in the first day to a completely empty bare naked room. They then began to plan and build their class one piece at a time. They even brought in a carpenter to build desks together! The same teacher also has his well to do students create bread from wheat each year so they can figure out, understand, and appreciate the entire process.

In a class in Long Beach, a first year teacher had a bunch of students who were in opposing gangs write about their experiences in journals. The stories were so wild, and the class so eye opening, that they published their own book, "The Freedom Writers Diary" which was made into a movie, "The Freedom Writers" and is now required reading in classrooms of the Freedom Writer Teachers all over America.

I was doing some research for a new site design project I will take on and here are some inspiring designs I found. 

http://carbonmade.com/ - Fun social network for portfolios

http://www.tangentproducts.com/ - A little dark for my taste but it gave me an idea of how I'd like to layout my gallery.

http://www.nihonmatsuri.cl/ - Love the blue color pallette and fish illustrations

http://www.carlofranco.ca/ - Carlo has a great sense of design and user experience