tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7689571.post8359872207647597000..comments2023-11-05T12:59:29.404+02:00Comments on Csíkszereda musings: Evangelism and its discontentsAndyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11294221123964774524noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7689571.post-62427917152203249522010-05-05T12:40:50.037+03:002010-05-05T12:40:50.037+03:00There's some pretty good literature about that...There's some pretty good literature about that subject by Larry Cuban, like 'Machines in the Classroom' (on school television, slideshow, school radio, language labs, 'old school technology') and 'Oversold and underused' (on classroom computers.<br /><br />In both books he makes a strong point on the essence of teaching and its reesistance to technophile innovation.Liesbeth en Karlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16859920679736825433noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7689571.post-83608619433151374222010-03-06T12:07:59.602+02:002010-03-06T12:07:59.602+02:00Great post! I think you're right about it bein...Great post! I think you're right about it being hard to draw the line between envangelism and enthusiasm. I've found myself wondering about it since moving to the US from the UK, and think there maybe cultural differences going on too. <br /><br />We've been raised to respect the 'scientific method' so collecting data, observation, experimentation and testing hypothesis is what we're used to. We're trained to respect facts that are qualified by specific contexts along with maybes and tendencies and we feel uncomfy when things get painted black and white. <br /><br />Plus evangelists have universal priciples of politeness working against them. When you put other people down you're likely to put yourself down in the process. <br /><br />Look forward to reading more.Vicki Holletthttp://www.vickihollett.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7689571.post-71585595479290516962010-03-05T16:32:00.628+02:002010-03-05T16:32:00.628+02:00Hi all! I think the key here is be deeply suspicio...Hi all! I think the key here is be deeply suspicious of any illuminated individual who seriously believes that they have a monopoly on truth. These are the type of people who at any historical - or technological - tipping moment have the annoying habit of putting other people's heads on the chopping block and lopping them off. The specific crime is immaterial (heresy, meat-eating, not breastfeeding your baby, using PowerPoint etc etc) but the problem is always the same; Those who are put up against the wall are condemnend for not seeing the light … as of course it is seen and defined by the Illuminati. Heed my words, I used to illuminate a bit too much myself! ;-)<br /><br />BTW, I didn’t know Gavin was from Cornwall!Ian Jameshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18299830514454139612noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7689571.post-86083471069926245812010-03-05T12:57:08.126+02:002010-03-05T12:57:08.126+02:00Thanks, Andy. Interesting, although I feel a littl...Thanks, Andy. Interesting, although I feel a little sheepish, being a Mac person. One thing that religious and technological evangelism seem to share is faith in something that will often let you down.<br /><br />It seems English teachers often wind up lumped with these types. I have seen more than a few people using ESL/EFL teaching as cover for proselytizing one faith or another. <br /><br />Evangelism is about certainty, and I have long distrusted certainty. To maintain that, in a big, complicated world there is one sure-fire way to deal with everything and you just happen to know what it is, strikes me as, to say the least, arrogant and scary. As I recall, Stalin had a vision, too.Bill Kennedynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7689571.post-63016940889197461592010-03-05T12:36:01.170+02:002010-03-05T12:36:01.170+02:00That is still not as clear as I'd like about T...That is still not as clear as I'd like about TCCGFB (that certain Cornish gentleman from Barcelona), so to clarify - he's enthusiastic (and very knowledgeable) but not an evangelistAndyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11294221123964774524noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7689571.post-25050540163490696862010-03-05T12:33:01.008+02:002010-03-05T12:33:01.008+02:00Hi Richard, Ken, thanks for your comments.
Ken: I...Hi Richard, Ken, thanks for your comments.<br /><br />Ken: I think there is a line between enthusiasm and evangelism, though I'm not entirely sure where that line is and what constitutes crossing it (it may have been obvious that as the post wore on my initial rant gave way to a certain uncertainty about what exactly I was ranting about). There are people in our mutual network for example who are very enthusiastic about technology and very forthright in their enthusiasm, but somehow they don't cross over into what Richard rightly calls "self-righteous, smug and annoying". A certain Cornish gentleman from Barcelona springs to mind in this latter category, for example.Andyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11294221123964774524noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7689571.post-62454071837421415872010-03-05T12:31:52.526+02:002010-03-05T12:31:52.526+02:00Another well-expressed and thoughtful post, Andy.
...Another well-expressed and thoughtful post, Andy.<br /><br />You give 'evangelism' a negative connotation here, and I would agree with you on that. But I wonder if it is, as it were, in the ear of the beholder. I recently posted something about educational technology, and got some views of the kind you suggest -'if you're a teacher and you aren't using technology, then you're short-changing your students' etc etc. <br /><br />The thing is, because I'm feeling less vulnerable to these criticisms these days, I read them as expressing enthusiasm rather than evangelism. <br /><br />Do you think there's a difference? Or are all evangelists trying to stuff stuff down your throat?<br /><br />Don't think I've ever written 'stuff stuff' in a sentence before!<br /><br />Keep up to good musingsKen Wilsonhttp://kenwilsonelt.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7689571.post-67769574141493072702010-03-05T12:22:28.375+02:002010-03-05T12:22:28.375+02:00This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.Ken Wilsonhttp://kenwilsonelt.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7689571.post-12250489129299294112010-03-05T12:18:20.477+02:002010-03-05T12:18:20.477+02:00Totally agree. I've been thinking about this r...Totally agree. I've been thinking about this recently. To me, all evangelism comes across as self-righteous, smug and annoying and there's quite a lot of that around. I love technology, but each to his own and all the technology in the world will not make a bad teacher good.<br /><br />RRichardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04498348608169698035noreply@blogger.com