It’s true. The geeks have inherited the earth.
Self-proclaimed “geek,” Dr. Brian Housand, is living proof of this when he took center stage as the keynote speaker for the Florida Association for the Gifted’s annual conference recently held in Tampa.
Housand, an associate professor at East Carolina University and technology whiz, made references to such 80s teen icons as Anthony Michael Hall of Sixteen Candles fame, who was simply known as “The Geek” in the film. But Housand turned it around, proving that “geeks” and “nerds” are highly intelligent, creative people, who possess unique interests-not a bad combination. He encouraged teachers to have talks with children about what it means to be gifted and to explain to them that being smart is not a bad thing.
Housand’s talk culminated in sharing “five seeds” of thought, which I have outlined below.
1. Access
Use technology to provide students with more access to new ideas and programs that will spark their interests and giftedness. For example, Youtube features videos on “doodling in math class” and there’s thinkgeek.com, mentalfloss.com and howstuffworks.com.
2. Create
4. Responsibility
5. Necessity
Finally, Housand stressed the importance of having a specific purpose for using technology. Before jumping onto a tablet or other device, students should get in the habit of asking themselves why they are using the device, for what purpose.
When concluding his keynote, Housand challenged his audience to set a goal for the current school year. Rather than go through the motions, he asked them to consider how to make it “the best year ever.” Now, that you have hopefully planted five new seeds in your mind, what steps will you take to make it a great school year?
Thanks for reading,
Steve
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