tool or no tool, they are always in wow mode. they are always engaged with the world. it’s our job to make sure that the tools we put before them help sustain the wow, not fizzle out the wow. kids are not motivated by the latest and greatest thing. what really excites a young learner is the world. what they’ve learned, wish they knew... etc.
for the last 20 yrs, the sustainable wow in my life happens in the presence of young children nothing wows me more than watching our youngest minds at work. no one engages, wonders, examines the world like a young child. they have a natural ability to instantly be wowed.
challenge for you - how many opptys / day do you allow yourself to be wowed by learners like Haley?
I saw a half mile stretch of flyers along the path. These were no ordinary documents -- but rather a passionate plea for endagered animals; some which I was unaware needed saving. Hundreds of neigbors and friends committed signatures; leaving thier last dimes and nickles in collection jars placed strategically along the pathway.
So moved by the message and the reaction to it, I set out on a mission to find the source. Like Hansel and Gretle in the forest, I followed the paper trail which lead me directly to Haley:
In fact, she was wearing it! Haley had designed a T-shirt ; one for every day of the week, as a walking talking billboard for her passionate cause. Thrilled that wherever she went -- from the grocery store to the shopping mall -- people would receive her message.
i discovered that young haley had devoted most of her 4-1/2 yrs of her life to endangered animals. invited to her bedroom. strategy to her mission. saved $ to save panda. long way from her goal. needed to amp up her campgain. her t-shirt is her billboard. one for every color for every day of the week -- or as she says in case her mom forgets to do the laundry. willing to be a walking talking billboard for her cause. her plan to reach her audience. flip tshirt -- ask me more.
astronaut kid. this is who I am, what I’m all about, what I’m going to be. 3 yr old proudly announcing expertise as an astronaut. what they disoverc and how chg the world.
now I offer them direct access to the source. can share the world - help them pursue their learning.
Haley found passion in science. It was passion -- not technology-- that led her to investigage, research, and invest in the plight of animals in danger. Her passion gave her the courage to share her discoveries with others, exploring writing in different forms, mediums, and genres. Her excitement and committment to her topic, to her work, and to learning is eveidenced in her perserverance and tenacious spirit.
wikis blogs podcasts videos don’t mean anything if they don’t produce a face like this. or what ben zander calls smiling eyes. they are the future. they are the wow.
so I ask this question, how many times a day will you be wiliing to be wowed by learners, and not the tools themselves? when we let them know that [end with haley’s face]