TED Community » Mike McCabe

More About Me

I'm passionate about

Learning the next truth so I can see the flaws in my current truth goggles. Also, taking a break and relaxing in truthlessness, walking, breathing, singing, writing, and playing.

An idea worth spreading

There are an unlimited number of ways of looking at anything. None are perfect, flawless, or universally true. We all have different ways of looking at these situations because of our different pasts. Because of these differences, it is painful for many students to endure the education they are fed. Two TED talks in particular by energetic, young, and highly creative educators: Dan Meyer (http://bit.ly/cVWrfE) & Sal Khan (http://bit.ly/hDa26d) bring a refreshing new way to look at using technology to deliver tools which facilitate learning in a way which was never before as affordable and deliverable to so many. I'm in. Help me find ways to apply their innovative approaches to other areas of education.

Talk to me about

Education

Comments

• TEDCred score: +1.00 TEDCred reflects your contribution to the TED community.

• A comment on Talk: Chip Conley: Measuring what makes life worthwhile

  Feb 11 2013: This makes me think about "The Story of Stuff" by Annie Leonard
  http://www.storyofstuff.org/movies-all/story-of-stuff/
  
  I love the idea of now thinking about GNH:
  http://www.grossnationalhappiness.com
• +1

  A reply on Talk: Sugata Mitra: The child-driven education

  May 19 2011: I like your question about the safety and rationality leaving a child in the chemical filled lab without supervision. I'm wondering, however, if there is a way to successfully apply Dr. Mitra's ideas in this case?
  
  What would happen if you ask the kids to work out the actual lab itself online? By asking the leading questions so kids explore these chemicals, bunsen burners, etc on the web, find out how safe they are and what to watch out for, then they could even decide amongst themselves when they would be ready to master the "real" experiment.

• A reply on Conversation: Let's build a school around the idea that motivation is internal, not external. Using the 20% Model like Atlassian, Google, and others.

  May 19 2011: Hi Mark,
  Have you seen any examples where the Results-Only Learning Environment can be set and successfully implemented by the kids? Patricia's note makes me think that she is feeling (as I and many of us in our environment have felt) that there is so much to do that nothing much matters. It's all too hard and breaking it into smaller pieces won't help.
  
  I wonder if Sugata Mitra's talk, The child-driven education,
  http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/sugata_mitra_the_child_driven_education.html
  could be taken to an extreme here in the US where we could somehow allow the child to really develop their own program? Then, maybe, students like Patricia would not feel so busy and unmotivated.

• A reply on Conversation: Let's build a school around the idea that motivation is internal, not external. Using the 20% Model like Atlassian, Google, and others.

  May 19 2011: Hi Patricia. I wish my Spanish was half as good as your English. I need to find the time to practice, but just haven't been able to do it.
  
  Your note makes me think of yet another great TED talk I saw recently. In this video, a designer, Emily Pilloton, talks about teaching design as a way of helping kids and communities who need it:
  http://www.ted.com/talks/emily_pilloton_teaching_design_for_change.html
  
  Hopefully watching it will keep you motivated to be a positive force in whichever community you choose to be in after you graduate. I know that it may not sound like I've addressed your frustrations, but your note made me think the work that designers at Project H are doing might give you some fuel to get through all the junk.

• A reply on Conversation: Let's build a school around the idea that motivation is internal, not external. Using the 20% Model like Atlassian, Google, and others.

  May 19 2011: Thanks for your comment and link to your blog, Mark. You have a great collection of information and resources. I'll definitely keep tabs on your blog to watch for posts I can use or pass on to my colleagues. Just out of curiosity, have the positive things you have seen so far made you wonder if there is even more value in eliminating grading altogether?

• A comment on Conversation: Let's build a school around the idea that motivation is internal, not external. Using the 20% Model like Atlassian, Google, and others.

  May 4 2011: I may be reading too much into your comment, but it sounds like, in an ideal world, we don't need the framework to motivate us at all. We simply exist and act in a complementary, healthy and harmonious way. If that's what you are describing, I'm in. I was listening to a piece on NPR where, unfortunately, one of our elected representatives at the highest level, displayed joy that an enemy of the state had been killed. Ironic that his joy made me sad. What would it take to have a world where we don't dance when an enemy is violently killed, but maybe we silently hope for peace? That congressman's display of joy made me feel much like your closing statement does. But I'm hopeful. I imagine a better place. Hopefully enough will give the model a try and, one day, it won't be a contrived model.
• +1

  A reply on Talk: Josh Silver demos adjustable liquid-filled eyeglasses

  May 2 2011: Do you really feel he's asking you to believe him based on this short presentation alone, or (given the context of the presentation and the ability many of us have to connect to all the resources available on the web) is he really asking us to explore the question a bit more deeply along with him by visiting his web (http://www.vdw.ox.ac.uk/) where we can see his work and we can review the research in more depth?)

• A comment on Talk: Roger Ebert: Remaking my voice

  Apr 21 2011: Stunning. Roger Ebert's brave statement left me speechless, humbled, grateful and inspired.

• A reply on Talk: Rob Harmon: How the market can keep streams flowing

  Mar 13 2011: Great question Nicolas
• +8

  A comment on Talk: Benjamin Zander: The transformative power of classical music

  Mar 13 2011: I want to grow up to be as inspirational, passionate, and wise as Benjamin Zander.
  
  My new "mantras" ~ ~ ~
  "I will never say anything that couldn't stand as the last thing I ever say."
  "Who am I being that my children's eyes are not shining?"
  Both quotes from the end of this video....