After watch Tim Tyson’s Closing Keynotes video and visiting Mabry Middle School’s websit, where he is principal, I had a greater understanding of the opportunity we now have to global distribution. In the closing lecture he made, he started off with a student that called on the frist day of summer vacation because he wanted to come in and continue work on a school project. He would not take no for an answer as the secretary tried to explain this just wasn’t possible. He insisted on speaking with Dr. Tyson. Do Tyson explained report cards were already finalized and ready to mail out, and he responded that he already made an A on the project. All this student wanted was to make his project good enough to be posted online, as Dr. Tyson had promised. Can you imagine a student, on his first day of summer vacation wanting to come back to school to work on a project that he had already made an A on? This is the kind of environment that is needed in most schools today, a place of learning that the kids long to come to–not dread.
Dr. Tyson creates this atmosphere with his students, his employees, his teachers, his school. He is active in the school and the student’s lives, but what he is most known for is putting into action the idea of ”School 2.0.” The Mabry website is amazing. If you haven’t seen it, go check out the film festiville they participate it with awards and everything. I’m not talking a couple of dollars and a hand clap. These kids were getting iPods and creating amazing informative movies about topics they were passionate about: abortion, religion, organ donning! I tip my hat to Dr. Tim Tyson. This guy is amazing.
dcrovitz Said:
on October 20, 2009 at 10:42 am
Yes, a student who wants to work and learn for reasons beyond a grade would seem to be the ultimate goal. It does seem rather odd that schooling generally works to make students actually dislike learning…instead of the opposite…