Week 5: The Fischbowl
![Picture](/uploads/8/7/3/6/87361546/karlfischprofilesquare.jpg?172)
Karl Fisch's blog "The Fischbowl" immediately caught my attention with its bold criticism of not only the general American education system, but specific education issues as close to home as Fisch's own high school. He does not pull his punches in the least, frankly stating his (seemingly harsh) opinions about his workplace, tackling issues ranging from unfair credit recovery programs to the hypocrisy of his coworkers failing to meet deadlines. It seems rare (in my own limited experience) to find even a veteran teacher openly picking at such a variety of policies and practices, and I have an enormous sense of admiration for the willingness to challenge his administration. Furthermore, I like to see a teacher concerned about all aspects of a whole school, and not just their own classroom and teaching practices. His commentary is not limited to The Fischbowl, but extends to his Twitter, where he also interacts with schools, teachers, and students, and updates his followers on his class and personal life.
I want to briefly discuss one specific post of Fisch's from last month (August 2016) about a K-State anthropology professor's brand new podcast series. I recognized Dr. Wesch's name from a class I took my freshman year, in which we watched some very inspiring videos he put together with his classes. I spent an hour listening to his first episode today, which was about his adventurous night out in Manhattan connecting with his students. Dr. Wesch climbed buildings, went to a frat party, and ended the night by bar-hopping, all in the name of learning to teach. The podcast included audio from his surroundings, interviews with participants, personal commentary, and music. Fisch extracted the most important lesson from the podcast in his post with the quote "You can't just think your way into a new way of living; you have to live your way into a new way of thinking" (Michael Wesch). He wrote about how teachers really need to evaluate what truly matters to them and to their students, and incorporate learning objectives that reflect those values. I also like that this post is a clear reminder of the value of connecting with other teachers across the world, because we are all living, learning, and teaching our own important lessons, which deserve to be shared with others in the name of education. There is always more to know, and Fisch does a fantastic job linking to other resources and materials in his posts.
I was initially confused by the bareness of The Fischbowl, which creates deep, meaningful discussions that many people are passionate about, yet lacks even images and a biography. Although I am a full-grown adult more than capable of reading enormous blocks of text without supporting visual material, I have become accustomed to having my eyes assaulted with images and buttons and sidebars. I quickly realized that I did not need these things to engage with Fisch's material, as he dissects every issue very thoroughly and discusses it from multiple angles. I did not miss the unnecessary visual effects while reading his blog. Additionally, the point of The Fischbowl clearly is not to draw attention, but to professionally break down education issues. I scrolled through his Twitter and found many more pictures and links, which demonstrates the importance of remembering that not all outlets need all the same media, and focusing on the purpose of a blog keeps it clean real. The Fischbowl is perfect for stripping down the issues to their bare and honest bones, without distractions, to analyze problems and solutions.
I want to briefly discuss one specific post of Fisch's from last month (August 2016) about a K-State anthropology professor's brand new podcast series. I recognized Dr. Wesch's name from a class I took my freshman year, in which we watched some very inspiring videos he put together with his classes. I spent an hour listening to his first episode today, which was about his adventurous night out in Manhattan connecting with his students. Dr. Wesch climbed buildings, went to a frat party, and ended the night by bar-hopping, all in the name of learning to teach. The podcast included audio from his surroundings, interviews with participants, personal commentary, and music. Fisch extracted the most important lesson from the podcast in his post with the quote "You can't just think your way into a new way of living; you have to live your way into a new way of thinking" (Michael Wesch). He wrote about how teachers really need to evaluate what truly matters to them and to their students, and incorporate learning objectives that reflect those values. I also like that this post is a clear reminder of the value of connecting with other teachers across the world, because we are all living, learning, and teaching our own important lessons, which deserve to be shared with others in the name of education. There is always more to know, and Fisch does a fantastic job linking to other resources and materials in his posts.
I was initially confused by the bareness of The Fischbowl, which creates deep, meaningful discussions that many people are passionate about, yet lacks even images and a biography. Although I am a full-grown adult more than capable of reading enormous blocks of text without supporting visual material, I have become accustomed to having my eyes assaulted with images and buttons and sidebars. I quickly realized that I did not need these things to engage with Fisch's material, as he dissects every issue very thoroughly and discusses it from multiple angles. I did not miss the unnecessary visual effects while reading his blog. Additionally, the point of The Fischbowl clearly is not to draw attention, but to professionally break down education issues. I scrolled through his Twitter and found many more pictures and links, which demonstrates the importance of remembering that not all outlets need all the same media, and focusing on the purpose of a blog keeps it clean real. The Fischbowl is perfect for stripping down the issues to their bare and honest bones, without distractions, to analyze problems and solutions.