The Big Fresh from Choice Literacy January 10, 2009 Feature Bloat

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The Big Fresh from Choice Literacy
January 10, 2009
Feature Bloat

Yesterday my friend Jen and I were chatting, and we discovered

coincidentally that we'd upgraded to the same new cellphone over

the holidays. Jen loves the phone; I don't. I won't give you the

brand name, but here's a hint - if you want to build up the muscles

in your thumbs, this is the phone for you!

To understand our reactions, you need a little context. Jen

received her phone as a gift, and it was a present she really

wanted. What she prizes about the phone is the feature that allows

her to check and delete emails on quick breaks throughout the day.

"It makes me feel so much less overwhelmed when I open my email at

the end of the day and there is so little there," she told me.

On the other hand, I had to get a new phone because my ancient

cellphone looked like it had been thrown into a grinder and then

left out in the rain after years of abuse. The thing was nearly

obsolete, but then again, I'm the kind of person who would be

happily pecking away on my Apple 2e if the world hadn't made me

upgrade my computer a dozen times since 1982. I like the ease and

convenience that technology can bring, but I also always feel like

I'm stumbling my way through life trying to understand the latest

new gadgets.

Jen and I both agreed a problem with the new phone is "feature

bloat" - there are 34 icons on the tiny screen. The first one is

for a social network neither Jen nor I (nor most business

professionals over 40 who are the prime audience for the phone)

ever use. The 4th icon is for messages, and somewhere beyond that is

the link to stored phone numbers. Messages and phone numbers -

those two features are the ones I use 99% of the time, and it's

irritating to have to squint at 32 icons I don't need to find them.

As Jen and I were chatting, I thought about how easy it is to fall

prey to feature bloat when you're designing professional

development offerings across the year in a school or district. In

our quest to provide a range of options, tailored to different

needs, schedules, and interests, we may be fostering some

"opportunity bloat" among our colleagues.

When we offer a new study group or workshop, there will be people

on staff who are sincerely grateful because it's exactly the option

they need at that moment in their lives and teaching. But some of

the Apple 2e lovers among us will only see it as yet another of the

48 (or 148!) opportunities they barely have time to notice on the

calendar, let alone participate in this year. These are the folks

who pine for the days when you could show up for the monthly staff

meeting, knitting in hand, and know you'd fulfilled your pd duty.

How can you avoid feature bloat when it comes to the professional

development offerings you're providing? You may know the community

literacy breakfast next month is the most important literacy event

of the year, if only because half the school board, the mayor, and

many parents who never come to anything else will be there.

But does everyone else know why it matters more than the study

group, book room reorganization meeting, or team meeting on the

calendar for the same day or week?

It's never easy to streamline and prioritize offerings when

audiences and needs vary so much among educators, but you might

begin by asking yourself these questions:

How have I helped colleagues decide which offerings are most

important for them? How do I help them balance these priorities

with those of the whole school or district?

What is our process for pruning professional development

opportunities that no longer meet our needs?

How flexible am I in allowing and providing alternatives to

attendance at events?

This week, we've got some suggestions for improving conversations

at meetings, and a nifty online tool to keep those who can't attend

events informed about what they've missed. Plus more as always -

enjoy!

Brenda Power

Editor, Choice Literacy

Free for All

If you are launching teacher study groups for the new year, or just

looking to energize the groups you currently lead, Cindy Hatt

recommends 6 Ways to Improve Group Discussions. The article

includes pre-discussion writing prompts:

http://www.choiceliteracy.com/public/796.cfm

If student discussions in literature circles and book clubs are

getting off-track, you might find Edutopia's reading roundtable on

literature circles helpful. The essay includes examples from

different grade levels and classrooms, and concludes with links to

other web resources on fostering conversations in literature groups:

http://www.edutopia.org/literature-circles

Social networks online couldn't be more popular, and new tools are

available to help literacy leaders harness the power of these

networks to foster discussions around reading and writing

instruction in their own schools and districts. A Ning is one

example of an online social network and resource bulletin board you

can design and tailor for curricular discussions in-house. It's

also a helpful tool for posting materials for discussion after

staff meetings and study groups. If you want to browse a Ning in

action, Jim Burke has created the English Companion Ning for

literacy educators nationally, and it has brought together many

elementary and high school teachers discussing a wide array of

topics:

http://englishcompanion.ning.com/

If you'd like to form your own Ning, you can get started and learn