Family members help to keep Tablet PC Education grounded. They expect postings to make common sense. I agree with this expectation.
Saturday, cousin Clair told me he reads Loren’s blog Incremental Blogger. “He’s a good writer. I also read Lora’s whatisnew. I learn a lot.
“Sometimes I read your blogs. I just took auto mechanics shop (in school). I don’t understand what you write.”
“Then, probably I don’t either,” I responded. We exchanged smiles. “Anyway, you can make a car go faster than I can,” I added. (He still rebuilds and runs his race ready almost 70 year old Ford V8 60 that once powered an early 1950s dragster. The driver went on to fame as a custom car builder and production and model car designer.)
I have learned much from Clair. He listens carefully. His straight talk demonstrates that he thinks like an engineer, as do many farmers.
Without speaking these words, his comments remind me to use the common sense we learned from our parents’ generation. Here are a few examples:
1. It’s what you do with what you have that pays off in the end. Everything’s made up of small things, so put whatever you have to good use, so it can return something greater than its parts.
2. Don’t expect someone else to do something for you. Return the favor in appreciation for their effort when they do so.
3. If you don’t know how to do something, watch how someone else does it. Then, figure out how to do it yourself.
In blog posts as well as in consulting papers, I try to describe parts of that common sense.
I translate common sense principles into observable steps that learners take to adopt new behavior patterns. I try to make these steps useful for designing education software, for using Tablets for learning, and for providing sources of Tablet related facts in emerging sciences that learners might miss in school curricula.
Thanks, Clair, for reminding me to make these descriptions easier to read. And, please, keep sharing your evaluations. I respect and count on yours.
Loren’s Incremental Blogger
Lora’s whatisnew