Comments on: Surprise, your preschool teacher is a rock star! http://www.speedofcreativity.org/2007/07/06/surprise-your-preschool-teacher-is-a-rock-star/ Wed, 07 Jan 2009 20:04:29 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.7 hourly 1 By: Wesley Fryer http://www.speedofcreativity.org/2007/07/06/surprise-your-preschool-teacher-is-a-rock-star/comment-page-1/#comment-38379 Wesley Fryer Fri, 06 Jul 2007 18:24:23 +0000 http://www.speedofcreativity.org/2007/07/06/surprise-your-preschool-teacher-is-a-rock-star/#comment-38379 I agree with the observation that web 2.0/the flat world is not the enabler of Alana's musical talent. I see it as an amplifier her band is using to reach a broader audience and communicate in ways they likely could not have afforded in previous years. Good point on the use of MISS too. She is actually married, but that title is what some of the parents call her. Not sure if that is/was her choice or theirs. I suspect it was parent choice. I agree with the observation that web 2.0/the flat world is not the enabler of Alana’s musical talent. I see it as an amplifier her band is using to reach a broader audience and communicate in ways they likely could not have afforded in previous years. Good point on the use of MISS too. She is actually married, but that title is what some of the parents call her. Not sure if that is/was her choice or theirs. I suspect it was parent choice.

]]> By: Gary Stager http://www.speedofcreativity.org/2007/07/06/surprise-your-preschool-teacher-is-a-rock-star/comment-page-1/#comment-38377 Gary Stager Fri, 06 Jul 2007 17:29:33 +0000 http://www.speedofcreativity.org/2007/07/06/surprise-your-preschool-teacher-is-a-rock-star/#comment-38377 Wes, First of all, on MySpace <em>everyone</em> is a rock star! MySpace just provides some of the publicity, promotion and distribution afforded many fewer acts by the traditional marketplace. The question is whether or not all of these new "stars" have talent. It's great that "Miss Alana" has expertise aside from her job as a preschool teacher. Most (school-based) learning environments are severely hampered by an accute lack of expertise. Even if that expertise has nothing to do with content knowledge, there are all sorts of tacit lessons and habits of mind children learn by being in the company of a good learner. It does however seem a bit of a stretch to make Miss Alana's musical yearnings a result of Web 2.0, the Flat World or YouTube. Every primary teacher used to play the piano and sing. Computers didn't kill that. Education standards did. I hope that Miss Alana* finds her bliss and that the music career isn't a substitute for the minimum wage world of teaching preschoolers. =Gary * I always feel like Gloria Steinem when I see young teachers going back to being called MISS. Some of us (even guys) took the identity issues of feminism seriously. Too bad our memories are so short. Wes,

First of all, on MySpace everyone is a rock star! MySpace just provides some of the publicity, promotion and distribution afforded many fewer acts by the traditional marketplace. The question is whether or not all of these new “stars” have talent.

It’s great that “Miss Alana” has expertise aside from her job as a preschool teacher. Most (school-based) learning environments are severely hampered by an accute lack of expertise. Even if that expertise has nothing to do with content knowledge, there are all sorts of tacit lessons and habits of mind children learn by being in the company of a good learner.

It does however seem a bit of a stretch to make Miss Alana’s musical yearnings a result of Web 2.0, the Flat World or YouTube. Every primary teacher used to play the piano and sing. Computers didn’t kill that. Education standards did.

I hope that Miss Alana* finds her bliss and that the music career isn’t a substitute for the minimum wage world of teaching preschoolers.

=Gary

* I always feel like Gloria Steinem when I see young teachers going back to being called MISS. Some of us (even guys) took the identity issues of feminism seriously. Too bad our memories are so short.

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