Me Looking Out
A week or so ago, I ended a blog entry about my appearance at GothamSchools.org’s fundraiser likeso:
While at times in that gathering, while chewing on some wonderful chocolate chip cookies, I mulled over whether a Black / Latino man severely outnumbered ethnically and culturally in the many educational arenas I’m involved in even really belonged in this set, I couldn’t help but feel like part of a community genuinely interested in bringing positive change to life through this relatively new media.
That’s mostly true, and in my heart of hearts, I’d like to tone down the color consciousness in favor of understanding how many true and sui generis teachers and administrators, promulgating fantastic ideas, and continuing to push a larger agenda of honest education reform here and across the states.
And then it hit me: I might be in a small handful of Black / Latino bloggers who people consider part of this edublog echelon. That scares me.
I didn’t pay much attention to this fact until I saw the latest nominees for The Edublog Awards, a forum I’ve rarely ventured except when asked to do so. I often find that award nominations of this caliber in any arena often help to read the pulse of its constituents, sifting through millions of published bytes by the same process that a microwave heats popcorn. They have as little control over how people vote as the Black Weblog Awards does (except in how they choose nominees, I assume).
I’m neither claiming discrimination nor racism on the part of the organizers, simply because omission from the popular vote works just as well on the Internet as in real life. I’m simply stating that this digital divide even within the edublogosphere makes even the most popular among us question the representation of “popular” as a whole.
The digital divide here not only exists with Black and Latino children and children from urban districts, but also Black and Latino teachers, many of whom still fear the negative effects of putting their efforts on the Internet. Then again, if we think about the digital divide amongst Black and Latino children with access to technology compared to their White counterparts, we still see a big gap, even with all the initiatives used to decrease that gap. This will inevitably add another dimension to the already stratified experiences of education for different groups of students.
The same can be said for teacher bloggers.
Personally, I understand many of the questions Black and Latino teachers have about using blogs and other technology not under Microsoft’s domain. I thusly admit to a few advantages I have compared to other teachers of my culture(s):
- I have a degree in computer science, so I don’t have trepidations about technology or information.
- I have a good eye for web design, so I don’t worry too much about making things look presentable.
- I’m younger, so I grew up with some tech savvy.
- I’m also situated somewhere that has a strong union that (however controversial) actually fights to make sure I get due process for whatever I may say and / or do. (here’s hoping the UFT sticks to their guns here.)
- I have some serious cojones. Either that or I never developed a real off-switch.
- I’ve been told I can write.
Yet, my nervousness lies with knowing just how many strides teachers have made in helping build a movement online pedagogically, professionally, and technologically, evolving the image of “teacher” in many off-shoot but assorted versions that put holes through the silhouette of the aforementioned image with speed … and Black and Latino teacher bloggers have often been overlooked in that process BECAUSE we are so few and far between.
What’s more amusing about this whole thing is that the White educators who I have met have frequently validated and congratulated my work here. From The Weblog Awards of 2007 to the Teacher Leaders Network, these outlets where I’ve consistently found myself as the sole Black voice or 1 of 2 in a room have also helped me my voice as a teacher, something my other spheres of influence on the web haven’t done for me as effectively.
Maybe because of my role as the urban Black / Latino teacher in the edublogosphere, I’m able to have some influence in this dialogue and not leave it up to higher ed professors on TV or people who left the classroom long ago writing in popular newspapers. Maybe my continued focus on writing about that abandoned and desolate bridge where it’s not “edu-tech” and it’s not “edu-politics” will help sand the wooden figure that is our discussion on K-12 education just enough so more people like me see themselves talking more about their experiences.
Maybe I’ll find the answers across that bridge …
Mr. Vilson, who’s always willing to engage in this dialogue …
Light Bulb
I‘m going to pull a Dan Meyer here and quote someone, then tell you to replace every web tech word with an edu-jargon word, then tell you that I’m in concurrence with that statement. Check the brilliance that is Aaron Halford (on 5am unrest and too much caffeine):
….Jose might be kind to you on this front. I won’t be. Web design takes time, skill, and effort just like any other professional, technical level job. Should a skilled worker work for free? Ever? Jose is not opening up photoshop and playing around with joy and glee for 15 minutes to design you a web site.
Web design is HOURS of HARD work, not half an hour of OSX play.
Should I point you at a 500 page CSS manual? Should I point you at all the complexity of WordPress? Should I break out the Jquery, Blueprint, 960gs, Ruby, and PHP notebooks? Do you want a crash course in box model hacks, IE6 shenanigans, or jquery validation?
No, of course not. Web designer’s obviously conjure magical powers that somehow arrange a pixel perfect web page with minimal effort.
(for more, click here)
As a matter of fact, let me do it for you:
….Aaron might be kind to you on this front. I won’t be. Real teaching takes time, skill, and effort just like any other professional, technical level job. Should a skilled worker work for free? Ever? Mr. Vilson is not opening up his classroom and playing around with joy and glee for 15 minutes to get your kids an education.
Teaching is HOURS of HARD work, not half an hour of child’s play.
Should I point you at a 500 page book on pedagogy? Should I point you at all the complexity of differentiation? Should I break out the Marzanno, Delpit, Understanding by Design, math history, and quasi-inspirational notebooks? Do you want a crash course in algebra 1, workshop model shenanigans, or test prep validation?
No, of course not. Teachers obviously conjure magical powers that somehow arrange a low performing student into a great student with minimal effort.
After this week, I have to say I’ve raised my level of teaching to a whole new echelon. Maybe it’s because I have less classes or because I’m exposed to more (and more meticulous) teachers, but I’ve pushed myself harder than ever to walk the talk. I’ve always worked hard, so Aaron’s quote is apropos to my thinking. A lot of web designers get off doing their wack websites settling for second-rate WordArt from Word, or using a template from Microsoft. Those of us who know better get into a website and crank up the visuals just a bit to match a vision, and go back to the tutorials and books to find the best means of achieving our goals. Even when we’re just modifying a template, we take our best shot at looking at every detail of the site, making sure it works to our specifications.
How’s that for an analogy?
Mr. V, who recently got the news that one of his blog postings is being used in a college class wiki. Nice.
Kids In Shock
Yesterday, my Google Image results showed up in my classroom computer. Not that it’s uncommon, but more who made it show up. A few of my students looked me up online and thought it’d be cute to revise my photos for some reason.
Photo #1: Looking out towards the sky. Photo #2: Fresh in greyscale. Photo #3: Here’s lookin’ at you, kid. By the time I realized what was going on, 1/2 the glass was staring at my pearly whites, wondering how their teacher actually found his way to the top of the search results, and what was this double life he was leading. On the one end, here’s this mean teacher who only talks about math, has a smart mouth, and a mean scowl. On the other end, the same man’s out there with his own .com, his long-form poems, and a “girl” by his side in picture #4.
Naturally, I do the first thing that came instinctively: I shut down the monitor. No, really. I said, OK, time’s up people. For one, I was annoyed that these gentlemen, all of whom merit an 85+ grade in my class, were focused on something else besides their quarter project. But more than that, maybe it’s my recalcitrant attitude towards my kids finding out that I have this whole ‘nother online personality.
And I took care to introduce them to my “Mr. V” entity. I have an account on AIM, GMail, and MySpace specifically dedicated to most of the inquisitors. Alas, that was not enough. People still got inquisitive.
Teachers in my building have this thing on their RSS feeds. Administrators skim over it to see if I’m alluding to them (I’m not). NYC Department of Education has my site blocked indefinitely.
And isn’t that kinda what I wanted all along anyways? To be ubiquitous and everpresent, particularly for my writing purposes? Isn’t that what’s given me all these opportunities I hold so dear to me? The reason why I’m able to positively influence the lives of dozens (possibly more) past, present, and prospective teachers and so quickly? The platform to voice my opinion when every other section of my life is met with some form of censorship?
Well, looking back at the incident, I probably should have addressed it better. It’s not that I don’t want them to know about this side of me. It’s really freakin’ easy to do so. On the other hand, maybe I should have told them that blogging isn’t a crime. Freedom of expression is a treasure we often don’t take advantage of. Yet, as with anything we do, there is a time and place to do what we do.
And looking up your math teacher in the middle of school when you have a project to do? Nott appropriate.
Anywhere else? Who am I to tell you what to do outside of school? After all, it’s that very freedom that let me write this story to begin with …
Jose, who wishes his younger brother a happy birthday.
The Urban Scientist recently posted a meme in honor of Latino Heritage Month (Sept. 16th – Oct. 16th). Here’s an excerpt:
“Can you name 5 Latin/Hispanic Scientists?
Rules:
1. Be sure to name their discipline or field.
2. You can’t choose people from your own institution or company. (I may go soft on this one, this time)
3. You can’t Google or use the internet to aid in your search. (But if you know someone is a scientist, but not sure what disciple, you can look that up).
4. You can consult textbooks, journals, and class notes.
5. You can ask others to help you brainstorm, but they can’t use the internet just to get 5 names fast (see #2).
6. Living and deceased scientists are acceptable.
7. Links to or references about the named scientists are greatly appreciated. Let’s share the knowledge, and tell as many as you can, even if it isn’t five.”
::gulp::
Ladies, and gentlemen, I only knew one of the top of my head. Only one. Jamie Escalante, and he’s not known so much for his mathematical achievements as he is for his classroom achievements. In other words, I, along with thousands (if not millions) of Latinos out there as well as millions of Americans have been deprived of the contributions of these scientists, engineers, astronauts, mathematicians, and leaders in their respective technical fields. Granted, there’s a dearth of said individuals in the field (which is why organizations such as the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE) was created), but Black innovators in the technical fields are a little easier to come by (George Washington Carver, Benjamin Banneker, and Madame C.J. Walker come to mind almost instantly).
Thus it behooves us to encourage students, especially those proficient in math and science to continue pursuing those careers. Many fellow teachers don’t encourage those occupations because, frankly, they don’t know enough about engineers and what they do in our society besides the stereotypical assemblance of machinery and messing with multi-colored potions. It also seems that, in Black and Latino communities, the lack of people actually working in the technical fields perpetuates this cycle of technical condemnation.
Of course, I’m coming off a meeting where we’re discussing education and how lack of funds and social inequalities promote the digital divide across demographics, wondering if, after some of my fellow technical people graduate, they go back to the hoods where they came from and inspire others to become more than just computer-literate. It’s one thing to know what a computer does and how to get on your cool social network and quite another to understand the computer’s inner workings.
This will take a concerted effort from those of us who have scientific backgrounds to concentrate our efforts into letting children know that there’s this whole industry that we’ve had such a pivotal role in, but have very few trailblazers in. I know I’m doing my part, but I’m sure I can do more.
And maybe the next time someone asks me how many I can name, I’ll have a scroll in my back pocket, waiting to be read aloud …
jose, who thanks Urban Scientist for reviving my computer science background …
p.s. – If you think starting off Latino Heritage Month by honoring J. Lo is the way to go, you’re out of your mind. As an astute administrator said in reply, “OK, so should we start Black History Month off with Diddy?” Well said, sir. Well said. J. Lo, like Diddy, are cool with me, but … really?
by Jose on July 28, 2007 · 0 comments
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by Jose on April 9, 2007 · 1 comment
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Breakthroughs in the way people communicate often leave the older technologies at a search for its own identity. This is especially true in today’s media (most visible within sports and news). Sometimes when the old media tries to find its identity, it finds ways to destroy any and every other media outlet without much success and with a heavy backlash.
For instance, there’s been a few instances in which radio or television personalities will lash out at bloggers for simply reporting on rumors or offering their (often popular) opinions on certain topics.. While it’s true that sometimes the bloggers get it wrong, it’s equally true that these entities have also gotten it wrong. Hence, bloggers end up looking like saints while these older media entities look like morons for not adapting.
Of course, there have been many trailblazers on the corporate level that have adapted to the ever-growing blogosphere. Some, such as Keith Olbermann and Mark Cuban took it upon themselves to become more accessible through this media, and that’s awesome. Also, some of the independent bloggers have been bought up by the bigger media companies, and that sounds like a win-win: the blogger gets more publicity for their own writing and the corporate looks like it’s in tune with the people’s wants.
But, but, but … there we run the risk of another big-company takeover. The trend happens all too often: small startups start a trend and shift the way people think, and the media company, whether it be fear or similar goals (usually the former), take that company over before it becomes too big and out of their control. While it profits both entities in some way, the movement itself usually suffers. It hurts to say, but blogs will go from buying in to selling out.
Does this mean that whenever the masses have an independent and opinionated movement, it’ll get bought out by one of the big companies out there trying to control every and any form of communication out there? Who knows? Personally, because there is a movement that still hasn’t been squashed (“illegal” downloading), there’s hope for the people just yet. Until then, I can only hope that blogs carry on the independent tradition we’re so desperately in need of.
(By the way, I’m doing alright after having written my most personal post on here. I’m only scratching the surface in terms of my writing / poetry / publicizing, but it’s coming along. )
jose
I’m now a writer for 
