Friday, October 11, 2013
Sci-Fi Short Story: Crowdfunded Video Game Drone Warfare
A near-future in which an empire fights its wars using drones almost exclusively. These drones are operated by gamers, who pay real money to outfit, customize, and expand their drones. They receive points and status. The military provides the technology and manufacturing, the gaming platform, and the missions. Citizens crowdfund the war machine, and "play" for free.
Free-form Learning
Khan Academy "History of Education":
Summary: The classroom "flipped" -- the place for interactivity rather than imbibing information. Learn the subjects at home, interact about them or get through stuck points in class.
With the internet, information and even world-class lectures are easy to come by. Creativity is not. Focus is not. Experience is not. Grit is not.
Creativity. Focus. Interaction. Experience. Grit.
The most free-form learning environment. A place where students pursue what interests them and the instructor constantly alters the structure of the program to accommodate those interests. A pod of learners. Multi-age. Add "Working Memory" ... the value of flash cards in gardening: information you want to have available with you at all times, or that helps you integrate other information during experiences. Plant families are a good example from gardening.
We will learn advanced subjects using books, Khan Academy and other online tools, and coaching. Real-world "immersion" experiences will be facilitated by the teacher. This will be centered around the farm, growing our own food and reflecting on systems, stewardship, and self.
"Plug Into Life"
Class Leader rather than Teacher.
Summary: The classroom "flipped" -- the place for interactivity rather than imbibing information. Learn the subjects at home, interact about them or get through stuck points in class.
With the internet, information and even world-class lectures are easy to come by. Creativity is not. Focus is not. Experience is not. Grit is not.
Creativity. Focus. Interaction. Experience. Grit.
The most free-form learning environment. A place where students pursue what interests them and the instructor constantly alters the structure of the program to accommodate those interests. A pod of learners. Multi-age. Add "Working Memory" ... the value of flash cards in gardening: information you want to have available with you at all times, or that helps you integrate other information during experiences. Plant families are a good example from gardening.
We will learn advanced subjects using books, Khan Academy and other online tools, and coaching. Real-world "immersion" experiences will be facilitated by the teacher. This will be centered around the farm, growing our own food and reflecting on systems, stewardship, and self.
"Plug Into Life"
Class Leader rather than Teacher.
Thursday, October 10, 2013
New program for existing school, and a professional bio
Or we could suggest the whole thing to an existing school -- for example, one of the KC area private schools -- as a new program. Sell it as a farm which could grow all the vegetables (at a minimum) for the school cafeteria, and which students could work on to learn about work, agriculture, and systems.
With 300 kids eating one meal per day, we would need about 3-5 acres. If we were to also grow our fertility (dairy cows, or egg flock, or windrow meadow composting), we would need another 10-15 acres.
Necessary equipment would include a tractor, or at least a walk-behind, a greenhouse, and irrigation infrastructure. Staffing needs would be at least two.
PROFESSIONAL BIO:
Matt is a system (self) within a system (society) within a system (biosphere) who teaches about systems. He turned his own at-risk youth around and went on to work in leadership positions with kids and young adults for 14 years at one school, two farms, three residential homes, and four experiential wilderness programs. He has spent 1,000 nights outdoors, traveled extensively in developing nations, operated large machines, worked in carpentry and landscaping, written policy reports and grants, and is an artist and graphic designer. A student of poetry at Berkeley, he returned to the academe to study social systems (Master of Social Work) and economic/political systems (Master of Public Administration) at the University of Washington, graduating as part of the Pi Alpha Alpha honors society. He developed the experiential curriculum for a respected wilderness therapy program, built the back-end administrative structure for a youth gardening program, has been farming for three years, and believes ecological agriculture provides the perfect context for the study of complex systems.
With 300 kids eating one meal per day, we would need about 3-5 acres. If we were to also grow our fertility (dairy cows, or egg flock, or windrow meadow composting), we would need another 10-15 acres.
Necessary equipment would include a tractor, or at least a walk-behind, a greenhouse, and irrigation infrastructure. Staffing needs would be at least two.
PROFESSIONAL BIO:
Matt is a system (self) within a system (society) within a system (biosphere) who teaches about systems. He turned his own at-risk youth around and went on to work in leadership positions with kids and young adults for 14 years at one school, two farms, three residential homes, and four experiential wilderness programs. He has spent 1,000 nights outdoors, traveled extensively in developing nations, operated large machines, worked in carpentry and landscaping, written policy reports and grants, and is an artist and graphic designer. A student of poetry at Berkeley, he returned to the academe to study social systems (Master of Social Work) and economic/political systems (Master of Public Administration) at the University of Washington, graduating as part of the Pi Alpha Alpha honors society. He developed the experiential curriculum for a respected wilderness therapy program, built the back-end administrative structure for a youth gardening program, has been farming for three years, and believes ecological agriculture provides the perfect context for the study of complex systems.
Tuesday, October 8, 2013
Growing your own food as core of curriculum
For both the experiential value, systems immersion, and home ec benefits.
A school that grows its own food, including a landrace wheat vs. modern, high-yielding variety (study inputs, outputs, stocks...in systemic context). Bakes its own bread in wood-fired oven. Corn, too -- the staple of the Old World alongside the staple of the New World. Produce eggs. Grow all vegetables. Have a dairy cow/goat or two. Even raise chickens and ducks for meat.
Five years, from age 12-16. Begin with a reading intensive: catch everyone up so they can all ready fast and effectively. By age 16, most students should be ready for transfer to college early, if desired, or to transfer to high school (for socialization) and kick butt.
Five Kids, One Teacher. $20,000 per child per year. $70,000 budget for the school, from which would draw wage ($50,000) and expenses ($20,000).
Is there a way to do this nonprofit? Provide this level of attention and quality?
A school that grows its own food, including a landrace wheat vs. modern, high-yielding variety (study inputs, outputs, stocks...in systemic context). Bakes its own bread in wood-fired oven. Corn, too -- the staple of the Old World alongside the staple of the New World. Produce eggs. Grow all vegetables. Have a dairy cow/goat or two. Even raise chickens and ducks for meat.
Five years, from age 12-16. Begin with a reading intensive: catch everyone up so they can all ready fast and effectively. By age 16, most students should be ready for transfer to college early, if desired, or to transfer to high school (for socialization) and kick butt.
Five Kids, One Teacher. $20,000 per child per year. $70,000 budget for the school, from which would draw wage ($50,000) and expenses ($20,000).
Is there a way to do this nonprofit? Provide this level of attention and quality?
Monday, October 7, 2013
Thought Experiment: One Teacher, Five Students
Learning stripped down to its essence. One person dedicated to a very small number of students, completely customizing their educational experience, with both individual learning experiences and group experiences/socialization.
Faith in this idea: Give me (or any competent teacher) five children to focus on, and I will ensure they are educated much better than most of their peers.
If we needed to take home a salary of $60,000 (equivalent to a 5-year Seattle teacher with an MA), then the per-child cost would be about $15,000, accounting for the need to pay taxes as a small business. Unless we ran as a nonprofit with the parents as board-members.
Alt model: A dozen kids with a co-instructor (paid $30,000) = $10,000 per kid, or about $7,500 if nonprofit.
This is assuming no costs. Work from home? No van?
If six kids per instructor, and 2*1.5 hour individual chunks per kid, half our time would be spent in individual sessions and half in group activities. That means the kids would spend half of each day either working on individual projects, or on team projects without direct supervision, or just enjoying group activities.
If we had a van ($1000/mo for payment and insurance), we'd charge and additional $1000 per student.
It would also be great to have
(a) a nice space to spread out for games and activities
(b) a battery of nice computers for online learning, projects, and games
(c) a yard/farm for outdoor activities, although field trips might suffice
Saturday, October 5, 2013
Beast
"Systems" and "systems thinking" apparently don't sound very interesting to most people. I find the words fascinating, but I can see how they might sound too technical. So, if I'm going to base a curriculum around systems thinking, I'm working on alternative terminology.
How about "Beast"?
A Beast. How do we understand this Beast?
beast (n.) 
c.1200, from Old French beste "animal, wild beast," figuratively "fool, idiot" (11c., Modern French bête), from Vulgar Latin *besta, from Latin bestia "beast, wild animal," of unknown origin. Used to translate Latin animal. Replaced Old English deor (see deer) as the generic word for "wild creature," only to be ousted 16c. byanimal. Of persons felt to be animal-like in various senses from early 13c. Of the figure in the Christian apocalypse story from late 14c.
A wild animal, or wild creature. That's what a system is. Except there are some negative connotations, too.
From the Fantastic Mr. Fox: "I'm a wild animal." Used as an excuse/understanding for why certain behaviors persist despite his best intentions. His behaviors are part of a complex system.
Thought on systems: The news (newsfeed) is an output of a system.
How about "Beast"?
A Beast. How do we understand this Beast?
From the Fantastic Mr. Fox: "I'm a wild animal." Used as an excuse/understanding for why certain behaviors persist despite his best intentions. His behaviors are part of a complex system.
Thought on systems: The news (newsfeed) is an output of a system.
Thursday, October 3, 2013
The School vs. Eastside GardenWorks
Two competing ideas:
Business: home school classes for middle-school aged kids
Non-profit: farming/employment/personal development/systems thinking program for at-risk youth, modeled after SYGW and similar programs but for the Eastside
The tuition for the school is expensive -- upwards of $90 per day per kid. The cost per kid per year would be ~$12,000. The salaries for 2 FTE's would be approximately $35,000 and $25,000.
The expenses per year per kid for the nonprofit would be
Key Educational Themes:
Business: home school classes for middle-school aged kids
Non-profit: farming/employment/personal development/systems thinking program for at-risk youth, modeled after SYGW and similar programs but for the Eastside
The tuition for the school is expensive -- upwards of $90 per day per kid. The cost per kid per year would be ~$12,000. The salaries for 2 FTE's would be approximately $35,000 and $25,000.
The expenses per year per kid for the nonprofit would be
Kids per year (continuing quarter-to-quarter): 14
Staff: 2 FTE + 1 Americorps
Annual expenses: $220,000 (including youth wages of $65,000)
Annual revenues: $20,000
Cost: $200,000
Cost/kid: $14,200 per year (including $4,600 youth wages)
Key Educational Themes:
- Systems thinking (economics, ecosystems, self) for understanding the world
- Financial Management -- use systems thinking concepts
- Based around the homestead rather than the commercial farm -- Oikonomaia
- Work skills and Intro to Entrepreneurship
- Nutrition and Health -- CSA for pregnant women
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