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short notes

Short Notes: Whereupon We Speak Our Truths and the Issue of Torii Hunter

by Jose on March 14, 2010 · 0 comments

in life

Angels' Torii Hunter Screams at Umpire

A few notes:

  • A great example of what happens when we try to control every little part of a staff’s speech in order to make them sound like they’re “normal.” [Vocalo]
  • Google buys into Pi Day. [Mashable]
  • An ed-techy’s case for pedagogy … in tech. [Box of Tricks]
  • You ever wonder what Twitter would be like if someone drew out everything some random celebrity said, spelling mistakes and all? Wonder no longer. [TweetMuseum]

There’s something funny that emerges whenever you put several opinionated, proud, and disconcerted members into a confined place and make them play nice. This doesn’t always happen. While in some places, there are no bosses manipulating the intricacies of these relationships, Major League Baseball is certainly not one of them.

In one of the more “controversial” stories of the off-season, Torii Hunter of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim said Black Latino players are “impostors,” later stating that they’re not Black players but Latin American players. The outrage behind the comments spread amongst many Latinos, especially those concerned with the racial disparities across Latin America and its implications here in the United States. That notwithstanding, I think the definition of “Black” to Torii Hunter falls in line with many African-American in the States, and that’s the part we lose in the sensationalization of this topic.

This is nothing new. People like Gary Sheffield have been discussing the lack of black players and the “replacement” of African-American players with Black Latino players or Latino players as a whole, and in a sense, I agree. African-American baseball players have been encouraged to go to other sports like basketball and football. I’m not a fan of baseball’s quiet underground market for Latino players either. I see there are tons of factors playing into Torri’s comment, much of which I understand.

Yet, the one thing that seems to perpetuate this divide is simply these misgivings about nomenclature and shared ancestry / struggle / heritages. This also unfortunately showed up at the SXSW conference, highlighting social media and technology use around the world, the biggest such conference. In the Blacks in Tech meeting, Kety Esquivel discussed an incident with a particular provocateur who questioned why she and an Asian panelist were included in this panel. Kety gracefull answered the question, and upon further reflection, posted this:

There is always not just one truth.  My father’s lessons from childhood when he taught me Aesop’s fable about the elephant are as true now as ever.  We are all blind men and women standing around the elephant and all of the pieces that we hold are true and yet none of them are true on its own individually.  The elephant has a tail that resembles a rope.  The elephant has an ear that resembles a fan.  The elephant has legs which resemble tree trunks.  And in the end it is in truth an elephant.

The elephant here is the truth, and while everyone has their truth, we become less blind when we work together towards finding the elephant, not by sticking to our assertions about what the trunk might feel like. That’s where we’re missing the point.

It’s also the opportunity where we get to talk about elephants as the larger beings they are.

Jose, who’s working with transformations this week in math …

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Short Notes: 14 Things I Learned from #TEDxNYED 2010

by Jose on March 7, 2010 · 4 comments

in life

TEDxNYED, Apples

This past Saturday, I had the fortune of attending the TEDxNYED conference, an independently run conference based on the TED conferences where they speak on an idea for a good 18-20 minutes about whatever topic they like. While some critics have come out in full force against the latest TED conference, wondering whether these events actually promote ideas for others or if they’re invite-only silos for information, people like me enjoyed the conference for simple reasons:

  • We never met any of these people before.
  • We actually understood the idea of this event.

I’ve learned tons of stuff. Here are 14:

Andy Carvin taught me about the potential of openness and allowing people to hack your stuff in the name of crisis prevention building. There’s something thoroughly revolutionary about letting people have all this information with no restriction in the name of mobilization.

Michael Wesch taught me that, when we think that we’re the creators of new media, the new media actually controls us. “Thus, we’re living in a razor’s edge” where the Internet can engender openness or it can be a system of control. Also, we have to take children from becoming “knowledgeable” to “knowledge-able” (the learned to the learner, a process of constant learning).

Henry Jenkins taught me about the idea of using popular culture to promote unrelated ideas, i.e. using Avatar the Last Airbender to discuss issues of race in Hollywood remakes, for instance.

David Wiley taught me that we should transform our definitions of education from an exclusive one to an inclusive one. Education should be defined as a relationship of openness and sharing, and successful teachers are those that do the most sharing with the most students (knowledge-wise).

Neeru Khosla taught us that textbooks need not be costly nor outdated. We can innovate in huge ways by just allowing us to throw out our convictions of what a textbook should be and using the right tools now to make this happen. And best of all, we can do this all for free.

Lawrence Lessig taught me that conservatives can teach liberals a few great things about being free. At least true conservatives anyways. (I don’t know if I took him up for this lesson, but I’d love to do more research on this).

Jay Rosen taught me about the idea of finding compensation through other methods than money. Sometimes, motivation and a “gift economy” is enough to spread the work around.

Jeff Jarvis taught me that the standard lecture need not be. We’re constantly puncturing holes in the one-way structure of current teaching with social networks and tech use in the classroom. Thus, the learning itself needs to be participatory for it to work well. (And of course, he reinforces his theorem by using the one-way model of lecturing. Hilarity ensues.)

Chris Abani, who TEDxNYED showed through video, taught me that the narrative of a people is just as important as looking at the geography. In other words, when we listen to the stories of a people, it matters less that you can identify their country on a map, for instance.

George Siemens taught me that networks, and not individuals, solve large problems. When we’re connected, we’re better educated as a whole. Fragmentation is easy to do, but tying it all back together is the hard part.

Dan Cohen taught me that the new millennium has a lot to teach us about the new order of information. Sometimes, even when chaos looks disorganized, it can actually provide the precision and order we need. (Think: 3.1415926535 …)

Amy Bruckman taught me that it’s important to help theory catch up with practice, and in that vein, value our students’ agency.

Dan Meyer, who I’ve discussed at length on this blog, taught me to encourage student intuition and be less helpful. Not that I didn’t learn that from his blog, but he does this so much more effectively in person.

Chris Lehmann, who I’ve also developed a good acquaintance with, taught me that children should never be the implied object of their own learning, so we’re teaching kids the subject we’re teaching them, not strictly teaching the subject.

The speeches varied from impassioned to collected. From mind-tickling to mind-blowing. And yet, all of them had this great idea and simply wanted to share it with everyone. It went off so seamlessly that it seemed less like a self-agrandizing conference and more of a meeting of the minds.

Now, if we can include the people who might never make it to these on purpose …

Jose, who wants to do one himself …

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Short Notes: We Facin’ The Storm, Homie, We Ridin’ It Out

by Jose on February 28, 2010 · 0 comments

in life

Talib Kweli at Rock the Bells

A few links:

Talib Kweli’s “NY Weather Report” off the album Eardrum rings true now as it did with such quotes as

“Revelation is first and Armageddon is after
Tsunamis and hurricanes, natural disasters …”

and

“I send this out to my people facin’ the storm, homey we ridin’ it out
You inspire what I’m writin’ about …”

In the song, Talib Kweli takes us through a virtual state of the world, at least the one around him. That’s probably the beauty of rap: the ability to expound and lyrically. With an artist like Talib, he’s able to integrate his real core beliefs over a great beat in ways that others can’t.

Also notice the couplets I pulled out. In a strange turn of events, I was listening to the song right about when the unfortunate news of the 8.8 earthquake hit Chile, and caused panic all across the Pacific. The power of this dynamic voice to relate things that happened 3 years ago (the song came out in 2007) says lots about how we as a culture have become more global. Rap, when used effectively, becomes the oral tradition and record for the culture under its influence.

One of the side effects of empires like the United States and other “Western” countries becoming more global is the alertness and sensitivity we have towards other nations and their struggle, as we see some common threads in the needs within their governments and others. The interconnectedness one feels when the reports come out from those countries essentially holds us together. The same feeling we got through the tragedy of Hurricane Katrina penetrated us through the tragedies of Port-au-Prince, Haiti.

Becoming global and humanitarian doesn’t just mean knowing where the countries are, or their dates of “independence,” but also their struggles and the themes and ideas behind those struggles. Also, are there glimmers of hope in these places? Do we still hold imperial biases against these countries, castigating them to the “Third World” that makes no sense if we’re still on the same planet?

This is the energy that moves us. We just gotta feel it.

Jose, who is still developing this ideal himself …

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Short Notes: Build Your Own Independence v.2010

by Jose on February 21, 2010 · 1 comment

in life

Malcolm X, "Our Freedom Can't Wait!"

A suggestion on building your own independence in the new decade, but first, a few notes:

Today, many of my compatriots celebrated the 45th anniversary of the assassination of El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz, or commonly known as Malcolm X. His legacy and works still penetrate and influence so many of us who strive for true equality in this country. While so many remember what many consider his angry and rebellious side, people also need to remember the peace he advocated for, and the man he eventually came to represent later on in his life.

One of his central points of his legacy was his advocacy for independent ownership. Much of his body of work existed precisely because his constituency supported him outright and financially, and that’s an important part of his legacy. When the people who you wish to address support your most revolutionary work or when the monies you’ve earned support your own product, that’s following the compass in the direction of freedom.

In 2010, succumbing to ease of use and style for a small fee of one’s own person has become easier than ever. Free services have a great way of bringing the most random people together, especially ones with a common interest. However, these corporations have a bottom line, and the minute you mess with that bottom line, like asking for a little privacy with your activities or making sure your material belongs exclusively to you, they take a little back. They change your privacy settings. They block your site for “questionable material.” They change the terms of service on you.

So what does someone who wants liberation do? Get their own .com.

That sounds simplistic enough, but let me expound. Not only do you get your own .com / .net / .wtf, you pay for your own hosting, and you get some open-source software, and voila! You’ve established some sense of independence on the web! Now, the next logical step is for those of us on sites like Ning to get our monies together, buy a bunch of great servers, and start our own hosting, but the hosting world, unlike Blogspot / Facebook / etc. are much more beholden to their customers since we’re paying and our ratios are far more favorable.

Whatever your background, we who have Internet access have to consider our roles in assuring that access and equity still exist and that we’re represented in as many arenas as possible. Once we can say we own, we’re truly understood what independence means.

And none of this is free of cost. But freedom is not either.

Jose, who wonders where people get off dissing Black History Month …

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Short Notes: Internet Explorer Is Only Good For One Thing … and It’s Not Being Good

by Jose on February 7, 2010 · 1 comment

in life

New Orleans Saints' Drew Brees

A few notes:

  • My website actually works for all! It’s been IE 7 / 8 optimized. I didn’t care for it … until I noticed the amount of people who were able to view my web page suffered. Until everyone switches over to Firefox / Chrome / Safari / anything but Internet Explorer, I’ll have to keep these things in mind.
  • 5′9″ New York Knick Nate Robinson gets blocked by Cleveland Cavalier Shaquille O’Neal. No big news. Robinson blocks Shaq. A bigger deal. [YouTube]
  • If I turned anarchist and wanted to destroy public education, here’s what I would do. [Why Do You Ask?]
  • Ever wondered what information designing the Beatles might look like? Well, here you go. [Michael Deal]
  • Rahm Emanuel’s use of the word “retard” is certainly inappropriate. Sarah Palin trying to get him fired over it? Not so. [Tiger Beatdown]
  • Baseballisms included some of my Yankee tweets as part of their free e-book about the 2009 MLB playoffs, thus solidifying my title as possibly the greatest New York Yankees livetweeter of all time. Easily. You gotta sign up to get the book. [Baseballism]
  • My guest post at The Future of Teaching. You’ll love it, I swear. [TeacherLeaders]

It’s Super Bowl Sunday, and it’s also the first time I’ve EVER actually liked both teams. Outside of Jeremy Shockey, there’s no one I particularly despise in the game. I love Peyton’s cerebral game and Brees’ energy. They have great dynamic players on both sides of the field and awesome coaches. They were the best all year, and they deserve to be where they’re at now. Thus, it’s hard for me to root for any one team.

With that said, I’d like the Saints to win, simply because I see that they’re actually playing for the city that their dome once housed. If the Colts win, though, I’m good with that.

This week, I’m going to discuss a little math and a lot about the phrase “I already have that.”

Jose, who won’t go through the next 90 days without a fight …

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Short Notes: Do You Believe In Me? ‘Cause I Believe In You (Help Me Sing It)

by Jose on January 31, 2010 · 0 comments

in life

Michael Jackson, Moonwalker

A few links:

90 days gone from my students’ 8th greade year. 90 more to go. Let’s do it.

Mr. V, who’s all mamse mamasa mama kusa …

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Short Notes: Because Everybody Can Serve

by Jose on January 17, 2010 · 3 comments

in life

Coretta Scott King

A few links:

There just isn’t enough I can say about the intimacy and immediacy of the past 5-6 days. This doesn’t include work-related or home-related business of my own. The situation in Haiti has made me rethink some of the core memories I’ve had about my Haitian background (and my Dominican background as well). Even after finding out yesterday that my brother eventually found his mother and brother in Haiti were alive, I found myself re-energizing the activist in me, and that felt great. Here are a few tidbits I left on my Twitter in essay form:

It’s funny; people ask me, “Jose, why rally for Haitians when for most of your life, you were ostracized by them?” “Your whole first 1/2 of your life, you barely acknowledged that part of you except in company of other Haitians …” “You don’t speak Creole outside of a few words here and there, and your collection of Zouk is paltry at best.” If people knew these things, they’d be right to wonder why I’ve rallied behind my Ayiti-ness for the last 7-9 years. Here are at least a few reasons why I decided to stand by Haiti, even after my father made me so bitter about that experience:

  • 1) No matter how much you try to deny your culture, I believe the soul of the land always calls you back. Home is funny that way.
  • 2) My mom always told me not to be bitter about it, and grow. It took me years, but I finally understand what she means.
  • 3) I look at Haiti everytime I wash my face in the morning. There’s no escaping that. The jaw. The eyebrows. The smile. Yep.
  • 4) When I learned about Haiti’s proud history, I realized just how much of that set precedent. Independence is not free.
  • and most importantly, 5) I am not part anything. I am full Haitian as I am full Dominican. No in-between.

When I came in contact with my elder brother, and my cousins, I came with a renewed sense of my identity after knowing this. Where before I barely felt like seeing them, I’ve formed a stronger union with my immediate Vilsons. Dug deeper into histories. For that matter, despite what anyone thinks, the island’s name is Quisqueya, not Hispaniola. I am full Quisqueya. More important than the donating I did today, the food drives I’m helping to organize, etc., it’s making sure the culture lives. I still can’t speak a lick of Creole, but I can’t let that define my culture. It’s not so finite. It re-hashes pain, but I grow.

“If you want to be important—wonderful. If you want to be recognized—wonderful. If you want to be great—wonderful. But recognize that he who is greatest among you shall be your servant. That’s a new definition of greatness.” – Dr. Martin Luther King Jr

Jose, who has maybe a week more until he drops the website. Let’s do this.

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Short Notes: You Gotta Be Real

by Jose on January 10, 2010 · 0 comments

in life

The Blue Bandana Look

A few links:

  • Anthony Mullen eats non-educators with only a paragraph and change. A must read for any and everyone. Another great Chris Lehmann forward. [Teacher Magazine]
  • Immigration reform becomes more necessary as incidents like this keep happening. Immigration jails, no matter what you feel about them, need not be torture centers. It’s downright criminal. [The New York Times]
  • A reality show here in the LES? Please no. Stop shooting now. Now. Now now now. [Gothamist]
  • Now this is how you redesign a boarding pass. [PassFail]
  • Kanye completely bites my idea. Again. [Rap Radar]
  • When New Yorkers were told that they’re the most unhappy people in the entire country, New Yorkers didn’t smile. That’s for sure. [New York Mag / Intel]

As of late, I’ve had little to no drama with friends. Some may say that’s only attainable when you have no friends (I promise I do), but others may point to the company one keeps. Thus, as I’ve gotten older, it’s become easier to cut those off who try to outweigh my priorities.

In the same way, the things we do and the groups we associate with should be treated the same way. The organizations I’ve worked with just in the past week, whether in a leadership role or otherwise, align themselves with my core beliefs and reward me with opportunity. It’s not about the money; that’s what a job is for. It’s about the ability to help connect people with a greater purpose in some distinct arenas. When Media Make Change addresses the digital divide (one of the big reasons I graduated as a computer science major) or the Latino Alumni Network of Syracuse University focuses on retention of Latino students there, I’m there. When the Acentos Foundation invited me to be one of the first Acentos Fellows or MiBodegaOnline.com created this special video correspondent for me, I obliged. Because I don’t just believe in the immediate work I’m involved in, but in all the work done at the organization as a whole.

That’s important.

I say this only because oftentimes, I hear some of my friends complain about the company they keep, but don’t want to offend because they have some sort of connection, whether personal or business. I say quit it. If it’s not an imperative part of your livelihood, let it go. Early. It’s a little deeper than “if it doesn’t make dollars, it doesn’t make sense.” The people we’re associated with, whether friends, loved ones, or otherwise, represent us as much as we represent them.

The best thing anyone can say about anything they’re a part of is raising their hand and voting, “Yay.”

Jose, who’s 2 weeks away from the new …

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Short Notes: Replete With Blessings

by Jose on December 27, 2009 · 7 comments

in life

Peace of Mind ... by Ty Moore

Peace of Mind ... by Ty Moore

A few links:

A few weeks ago, I set firm on making sure I upgraded my health. The last time I visited a doctor, he seemed competent until he told me my air conditioner was the reason for my allergies (it wasn’t) and, upon setting up an appointment with me on the phone, said I need to stop smoking (I don’t). That and a crazy bill for what I call a “stepping one’s foot into the hospital” fee implicitly disenchanted me with the health care industry. While signs kept pointing me to not let these little incidents prevent me from staying at full health, I just got disgusted.

Then the pains came. Not just when my cousin died. When I was ready to sleep. When I was getting ready to take the train. On my way to and from work. During work. While I blogged.

All the while, people around me began to fall by the wayside, celebrities and family members alike. Even after my bouts with an extended flu and crazy allergies, I still didn’t visit after all of that. Even the crazy toothache (and eventual pullout) a few months ago, after taking care of that, I decided I’d just ride it out.

Then it happened: Cincinnati Bengals wide receiever Chris Henry and actress Brittany Murphy died.

Usually events like this wouldn’t affect me too much. We’ve become numb to semi-idols dying through various causes. However, their ages alone (26 and 32 respectively) forced me to look myself in the eye and check my ego at the door. No matter how intimidating and insecure the health industry seems, we have to look at our health as paramount to our continued survival.

Finishing my book outline. Redoing my website. Making sure my students graduate. Those other beautiful promises I could see over the horizon of 2010. And the idea that I couldn’t wait until January 1st to make changes in my life. These are the things I would have missed out on if I didn’t take care of these things. So I trooped it over to my new doctor, who did a couple of checks and exams. Then he looks to me and said, “Jose, you just need a peace of mind.”

Alas, Christmas came early. The biggest Christmas gift I got this holiday came in the form of believing once again that things will be alright. Since then, the little pains and aches I had simply went away. My sleep has improved. Even my mind feels less cloudy. Never underestimating the power of pleasant thinking.

I may not be rich, but I am replete with blessings.

And if you’re reading this, the same can probably be said for you. Never forget that.

Jose, who’ll do a year in review post again. You know you love them.

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Short Notes: I Like Living This Way, I Like Loving This Way

by Jose on December 20, 2009 · 1 comment

in life

Michael Jackson

Michael Jackson

A few links:

  • Clay Burell makes his triumphant return to blogging with this random yet well-prosed musing about where he’s been for the last … ever. [Beyond School]
  • Speaking of which, Clay pointed me to a great Seth Godin blog pointing out why you, yes you, need to stop complaining when you finally get a job that gets tough. [Seth Godin]
  • Yes, you heard right: James Chartrand … is a woman. Pointed criticism of the business blogosphere as it pertains to sexism and credibility. Zing. [Copyblogger]
  • Are teachers not professionals? That’s what Damian wants to know when he posted this little bit at his blog. [Apace of Change]

For some reason, these posts always have a thematic serendipity I couldn’t quite finger until tonight. The general theme of melding the personal and informative sing to me the way others probably can’t understand. While most of my actual reading comes in the form of reports, fact sheets, and newspapers (information-driven mediums), I gravitate to the great balance between the personal and informative. While I like having informational blogs, I often find that they regurgitate the same things I’ve read elsewhere. Then, at the other extreme, I find blogs that solely discuss the personal only graze the factual and don’t pack the punch necessary to cross the boundary from OK to good (or for that matter, great.)

Oh, and as promised, a poem:

Brisk evening
Unbuttoned collars
Sweat drops cross foreheads
Inebriated breeze pass noses
Wooden floors streaks with Corona and rubber sole streak
Birthday princesses and quasi-popular stars
Dimly lit lounge with citadel skyline views
Syncopated vibrations knock at each other’s ears
Some voices of family and friends
Others scream for their next taste of forgetfulness
My lips lock and embrace yours
Still  like deers watching automobiles close in
My right hand on your knee, enclosed with your left
Sitting
Danger
Soft, delicate, inevitable
The memory lasts longer than the contact itself
You left me awash with bubbles surfacing to the top of my once calm stomach
Time and space about 5 seconds displaced from my actions
Heart and blood throbs to the beat of our new theme song
Hours pass while my liver goes to work
In time I wake up
Apologize secretly
To the well-dressed man right above us as we partook in each other’s favor
The man who women stared at from all over the room right past me
The man whose rights to you I ignored
Then I caught myself lying
I’m not sorry.
He had to find out about us
The way I found out about her kissing
In passing.

Jose, who was in a giving mood today …

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