Wednesday, December 19, 2018

Big Ideas 2019?


I think too often we are infatuated with the thought of the next big thing. However, that is not the way the world works or life works. Life does not have big problems every day and there are not big discoveries every day. Big problems are often made of many little problems we let build up, and big discoveries are often built on the backs of several smaller discoveries.

Rather than focus on the big, maybe we need to focus on the basics. In education, we need to focus on what we can truly do to change and innovate education to serve the next generation of people; we really have not done that in decades. Remember, technology is a tool not a change.

In life, perhaps we need to focus on the minutia such as: respect, courtesy, acceptance, and we need to judge less. We need to understand rather than just listening to respond. We need to remember that social media is not an excuse to act like a horse’s behind. We need to remember that we are all human, and we will probably all need each other at some point; whether we know it or not.
2019, the big idea is a small idea; let’s just be kind to one another, and not just on Christmas. This is a perfect world thought, but what is bad about reaching for perfection?

#BigIdeas2019 #education #leadership #TheETeam

Dr Flavius Akerele III
The ETeam

Saturday, November 17, 2018

Communication in the day and age of electronic messaging: an educator’s thoughts


We have so many more formats for communicating our various messages currently, and that is not a bad thing because we all communicate a receive messages in different ways. This has the possibility of creating understanding for everyone.

However, we all have to regularly do some soul searching sometimes ask ourselves: could those complaints about bad communication I keep getting be my fault? No one likes to have to self-reflect on the possibility that something is their fault, but we because of all these new modes of communication, that is exactly what we have to do from time to time.

·         Is the message about you or about various things that have happened?
·         Are you aware of the other people various daily struggles?
·         What is the message you are trying to convey, and does it have a purpose towards the greater good?

I am not talking about walking a mile in someone else’s shoes, I am simply saying that we are all wrong sometimes so stop blaming others. Maybe it isn’t even that big of a deal and just small request. Maybe the message has never been clear.
As a leader, you must remember that it is not about just you, it is about the people you are trying to lead in the direction of your vision. You need to share that vision first, and make sure it is understood.
Lessons from a 2.0 MBA Program

Dr Flavius A B Akerele III
The ETeam

Wednesday, October 24, 2018

Do you believe in equality for all or just for some?


The country is fairly polarized at the moment, our tribal divisions are strong, obvious, and getting in the way of things like social justice, police reform, and poverty. These are thing that no matter what your skin color you want for your family.

“We hold these truths to be self-evident: That all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. That, to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed; that, whenever any form of government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or abolish it, and to institute a new government, laying its foundation on such principles, and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to affect their safety and happiness”. Beautiful words are they not? 

Despite these words, the country still pushed the hypocritical line:

·         Slavery. Nothing more needs to be said about this abhorrent practice

·         “Women did not obtain the right to vote in the United States until 1920. In fact, until 1922, a woman born and reared in the United States would lose her citizenship if she married a foreigner. She had to assume the citizenship of her husband. However, an American man could marry a foreign woman without losing his citizenship”.

“In 1676, seventy years after Virginia was founded, a hundred years before it supplied leadership for the American Revolution, that colony faced a rebellion of white frontiersmen, joined by slaves and servants, a rebellion so threatening that the governor had to flee the burning capital of Jamestown, and England decided to send a thousand soldiers across the Atlantic, hoping to maintain order among forty thousand colonists. This was Bacon's Rebellion”. Imagine that, people not in charge banding together against those in charge. That was scary for the powers that be. So, the state used some of its tools to keep this from happening. Currently this tool is law enforcement.

It is amazing how often police get away with excessive use of force or outright killing of those they are sworn to protect; but actually it is not that difficult to understand if you accept an unspoken truth. The police are not hear to protect and serve the public, they are here to protect and serve the people who create the rules. There are many unjust rules and policies that are excused because it is “within policy”:

·         852 people have been killed by police in 2018. This should be considered a public health crisis, but it is considered routine https://mappingpoliceviolence.org/


Law Enforcement is about enforcement

We have heard the saying that race is social construct; and it is because humans are all one race. However, we are not one tribe, and to err is to be human. Humans will find a way to try and put someone down to status below them, and this idea continues to blossom with the encouragement of opportunists. Why don’t people who have similar gripes, issues, and concerns band together? 

Divisions continue even if they are not in people’s best interest, because, the people in charge want to stay in charge.

Believe in the constitution for all, believe in equality for all, do not continue ignore injustices to a group simply because of your skin color, because they are not part of your tribe, or because you have been programmed to believe that. Right is right, and wrong is wrong; every holy book in the world says the same truth if we only listen.

Dr Flavius A B Akerele III
The ETeam

Are you using the proper rule? A generational question


We talk about the golden rule “treat people the way you want to be treated”, but in actuality it is wrong; and this becomes evidenced more and more each generation it seems.

Simple things like:
·         If you are considerably younger than me, do not be offended if I do not invite you to use my first name
·         I do not appreciate attempts at imposing your values and ideals about what I should eat upon me, no matter how passionate you might be about them
·         If we have a discussion, I expect you to be able to clearly articulate your message with specific examples and to be able to listen to my counter arguments in calm manner without resorting to silly phrases like “agree to disagree”
·         I am very good with technology, I just do not feel it is necessary to jump on all the new untested technology right away like a sheep

Manners, debate, critical thinking have not gone out of style, and they are just often overlooked today due to the speed at which things move. Slow down, and remember life needs to be lived.

The correct rule is not the golden rule, but the platinum rule: “treat people the way they want to be treated”. In order to find out what they want, it means you are using real communication skills, and not just a text or email message. Get to know people and not just through google and social media.
Thoughts of an educator

Dr Flavius A B Akerele III
The ETeam

Thursday, July 26, 2018

Universities closing


Corinthians, ITT, and now Coleman. All oldish alternative institutions (same accreditor ironically), and the thing they also have in common is they are all closed. But guess who suffers? The student.

The money the students spent they will never get back, and the time they spent was wasted. Promises made, but not kept. This is a failing of educators and administrators for not paying attention to what they teach in their own schools. There are case studies being taught on what has happened to these schools, by these very schools teachers!!!

I have said it before and I will say it again: there needs to be a certification or training for those taking leadership potions in higher educational institutions. Seniority is no longer a valid reason to promote someone in today's educational environment.

What is your institution doing to make sure your administrators are job ready?

Dr Flavius A B Akerele III
The ETeam

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/education/corinthian-colleges-shuts-down-ending-classes-16-000-overnight-n348741

https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2016/09/07/itt-tech-shuts-down-all-campuses

https://fox5sandiego.com/2018/07/26/coleman-university-to-close-at-end-of-current-term/

Sunday, July 22, 2018

Sharing an article 7/22/2018

3 Approaches for Confronting Microaggressions

Tyrone Fleurizard gives advice for reducing subtle yet discriminatory actions and comments in the classroom.
 
July 20, 2018
 
Phil Goodman -- a pseudonym -- has been teaching the psychology of prejudice for almost a decade. He has every lecture memorized and every punch line down. Throughout the semester, students explore the many ways prejudice manifests, interrogate prejudice research and, at the conclusion of the semester, develop ways to reduce prejudice in their own lives.
Goodman’s favorite lecture is on stereotypes. His reading for this particular lecture includes an experimental study from Stanford University social psychologist and 2014 MacArthur “Genius” fellow Jennifer Eberhardt and her colleagues. They sought to determine how stereotypic associations influence visual processing and attention. To do that, participants were primed with either black faces, white faces or no faces and then shown images on a computer screen of crime and noncrime objects that started fuzzy and became progressively clearer.
The researchers were testing reaction time, so participants were instructed to press a key as soon as they could make out the object. What they found was astonishing: participants took less time to identify a crime-relevant object when primed with black faces than with white faces. When primed with white faces, participants took longer to recognize dangerous objects -- so much so that if in a real situation, they could have been in fatal danger. During the class discussion, one student eager to contribute began reciting the study’s methodology. When they described the primed faces, however, they referred to the white faces as “white” but the black faces as “colored.” After they finished, there was a long pause. Microaggressions like these happen all time.
Microaggressions are subtle, discriminatory actions and comments toward people of color that may be racist, sexist or ableist. The late Chester Pierce, emeritus professor at Harvard Medical School, first coined the term in the 1970s as “subtle, stunning, often automatic and nonverbal exchanges which are ‘put downs’” by offenders. These seemingly trivial slights have been shown to be related to negative health and academic outcomes for black students.

Read the rest here: https://www.insidehighered.com/advice/2018/07/20/how-deal-microaggressions-class-opinion

Monday, April 2, 2018

When did we stop accepting responsibility? When did we stop talking?


At some point, we have to realize that we are no longer communicating, all we are doing is data dumping. Everyone thinks they are right and everyone else is wrong. We are divided into tribes that hate each other for no other reason than they believe in something slightly different us. We spend hours trolling each other on social media to the point that social media is no longer social.

How do you expect to find common ground if you cannot talk about simple stuff? How do you solve problems when you cannot define the problem?

At some point, we will need to work together to solve things; at some point, we have to remember we are all under the same flag, constitution, and it supposed to be equal under the law.

Reject the labels, rejected the memes, and for Pete’s sake stop deflecting bad things to innocent people!

Dr Flavius A B Akerele III
The ETeam

Tuesday, February 20, 2018

Seeking Higher Education Grant to help Educational Leaders and Adult Veteran Students

Seeking Higher Education Grant to help Educational Leaders and Adult Veteran Students | Education & School Fundraising Page with GoGetFunding https://gogetfunding.com/seeking-higher-education-grant-to-help-educational-leaders-and-adult-veteran-students/ via @GoGetFunding

Friday, February 2, 2018

The ETeam will be at CCME 2018!


Marriott Marquis Marina
San Diego, CA


(Council of college and military educators)

Wednesday March 28

Concurrent session six 1415 to 1515

“Certifications can help get transitioning veterans into the workforce faster”


Dr Flavius Akerele III and Dr Chris Pilkington

https://www.linkedin.com/in/fakereleiii/     https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrispilkington/ 

Saturday, January 27, 2018

Should You Get a Certificate Instead of a College Degree?

"Certificate programs have become increasingly popular in the American education system, but is a certificate a smarter choice for you than a traditional college degree? Let's explore some questions you should ask yourself to make the right choice for you!

What's the Difference?

Generally speaking, certificates offer 'bite-sized' pieces of education that usually provide practical workplace skills in a short period of time. Meanwhile, college degrees provide a larger educational base and take a bit longer to complete. You are probably most familiar with associate's and bachelor's degrees, which generally take two and four years to earn, respectively. Certificates vary in length, too, but nearly all take less than two years and most last less than one year, according to the Georgetown Center on Education and the Workforce (GCEW). Certificates are also more focused on occupational-specific training instead of the broader general education goals of traditional college degrees"
Read the rest here: https://study.com/blog/should-you-get-a-certificate-instead-of-a-college-degree.html

Monday, January 15, 2018

Sharing some facts 1/15/2018

African Immigrants and College Attainment


"President Trump's comments last week about immigrants from African nations have led to discussion of immigrants from different parts of the world. The Pew Research Center has studied the topic, and it found that black immigrants from Africa, aged 25 or older, are more likely than the U.S. population as a whole, or the wider immigrant population, to have a bachelor's degree or advanced degree".

Read the rest here: https://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2018/01/15/african-immigrants-and-college-attainment?utm_source=Inside+Higher+Ed&utm_campaign=caca40e3cc-DNU20180111&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_1fcbc04421-caca40e3cc-198173850&mc_cid=caca40e3cc&mc_eid=337f2d56fa

Dr Flavius A B Akerele III
The ETaam