Timothy King – Page 11 – Mechanical Sympathy

Raging: how empowered learners respond to being outside the Zone

Getting a student into the zone of proximal development is a tricky business. If students don’t have sufficient background knowledge and skill in what they’re learning, they tend to switch off. This often shows as distraction, disengagement and disinterest. In extreme cases students become disruptive, knocking others who might be on the cusp of their ZPD out of a learning opportunity. This seems to be happening more often in classrooms, I have an idea why…

That disruptive approach is common in online gaming. It might be useful to look at how raging, trolling and ‘Umad‘ online interaction points to a foreign set of values that many students are familiar and comfortable with. The vast majority of educators have no experience or knowledge of gaming culture. When a student in the class room acts on values they’ve learned while gaming, shock ensues.

Teabaggging is one of many tactics designed to belittle an opponent

In a player versus player game, game balance and the opportunity for everyone to participate in a maximal way (in their ZPD) depends on the players all having sufficient skill to make a game of it. In a randomly generated game, it’s common for a team of n00bs to get pwned by a more skilled team. This is often accompanied by flaming with the intent to anger your opponents to such a degree that they quit (ideally vocally angry, allowing you to throw in a umad? before they storm off). In gaming, ‘schooling‘ your opponents is a vital part of the learning process. It’s the clearest way to state your superiority in skill over an opponent. The goal is to make it so clear to a weaker player that they are out of their league (way outside their ZPD) that they give up in anger. This is going to sound very foreign to the overly compassionate, no-bullying, we’re all to be treated as equals approach found in education, but this is where many students spend hours of their time when not in the manufactured environment of their school.

A gamer who is forced out of a game in this fashion is very angry in the moment, and quits the game, usually to pick up another game immediately. In this game, if they are within their ZPD in terms of their gaming skills (which involves knowledge of the game environment, hand eye coordination, strategy and cooperative play, among others), they are immediately re-engaged. Their recent failure does not hurt them or follow them in any way, and the adrenaline burst of anger has prompted them to intensively refocus on the game. I suspect the stats for a player in a post-rage situation improve due to the residual anger and energy released. They increase their skill with this hyper focus and rage less often.

When you meet a master player, they tend to shy away from the trash talk and simply demonstrate their skill, rather than yapping about it. This kind of mastery is every player’s goal. When they get there, they often adopt the degree of awesomeness Jane McGonigal talks about in her TEDtalk. As nice as it is to see someone recognizing gaming awesomeness, it’s also important to recognize that gaming intensity requires accessing a full range of emotional response in players. These responses can often seem cruel or unusual to non-gamers.

Gaming’s all-in philosophy is completely counter to the risk-averse, failure-follows you approach of education. Rather than being allow to epically fail, suffer and re-engage, education does everything it can to ensure that epic failures (or failures of any kind) never occur. Failure is increasingly impossible to achieve in the class room, and the result moves students further and further away from the culture of one of their richest learning environments.

If you want intense engagement then you need to offer access to a full spectrum of emotion, and a real and meaningful opportunity for failure, but you can’t be an ass about it and hang that failure around a learner’s neck forever. Until we grasp this simple truth found in the forge of intense gaming, we’re going to appear increasingly foreign to our students, and they are going to keep learning more from World of Warcraft than they ever will from a teacher.

http://www.pbs.org/kcts/videogamerevolution/impact/myths.html (lies debunked about gaming)
http://janemcgonigal.com/: a great look at the positive power gaming can produce (I’m arguing here about how it’s negative aspects still offer useful truths too)
http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/14.04/genX.html: an interesting summary of the gamer generation
http://www.avantgame.com/: recognizing the power of gaming

Ninja in my Garage

The Ninja finally crept into my garage last night. She’s crouching there quietly as freezing rain falls all about, waiting for that first chance to ease out onto the open road and put some wind behind us.

She’s under used and poorly looked after. Someone took her pretty electric blue and painted it an angry, flat black… now flaking. As we get to know each other I’m going to see what she needs to feel better about herself; a paint job is in her future.

In the meantime, as the freezing rain falls outside I’m going to take off her fairings, clean her up and make sure everything is squeak free, topped up and ready to go. A bit of time to become familiar with the bike isn’t a bad thing.

I was wandering around Canadian Tire the other day and saw a little, electric air compressor and started dreaming about a garage that’ll do it all for me. A little compressor, a lift to get the bike off its feet for work, and a shopping list of synthetic super fluids.

I’ll be figuring out how to get into all the maintenance and starting to look the body work and what I can do to make my Ninja pretty again.

Connie

cob-webs and rust…

The Kawasaki Concours was a rough looking old thing, but very mechanically sound. It only has 56k on it and was tight, dry and sounded strong. The owner was a long time rider who is being sidelined by arthritis, he knows how to look after a bike. Mechanically this Connie is well cared for, it’s just a cosmetic mess. I’m good at cosmetic messes. I offered him $800 and he says OK. Hopefully I’ll have it home next time I post.

I’m going to be spending some time stripping this old girl down and cleaning her up.

In the meantime I think I’m going to take a friend’s advice, get both bikes! My current plan is to transition to the Connie from the Ninja at the end of this season, sell the Ninja and go looking for that Interceptor of my dreams. Since the Ninja was a much newer bike, I think I’ll be able to diversify my two wheel portfolio without putting any more money into it.

One More Bike Is Never Enough

My cousin-in-law posted this on Facebook. Funny how the proliferation of bikes is a common theme. Few people are happy with just one, probably because one bike can’t do it all and if you love to ride you probably want to ride in as many different circumstances as possible.

I’ve posted several times on bikes that have caught my eye and after realizing that there is math to support this I’m going to do it again!

Based on the bikes I’ve sat on at various shows over the winter these are the ones that felt special or stood out for me. Given a chance I’d love to test ride them.

A big, naked Kawasaki Z1000

I wanted to love the Triumph Street Triple, or the Suzuki Gladius, but they felt on the small side. I was also keen to try the Yamaha FZ-09, and while it fit ok it didn’t offer much in the way of an emotional charge.

As far as naked bikes go there was only one that felt special, and that was the Kawasaki Z1000. The big, newly re-engineered Kawasaki has a kind of bonkers ode-to-Japanese-anime look that really gets to me. That it also fit me nicely and offered an astounding openness (the dash all but disappears into the fairing), made it a love at first sight experience. I’m still a few years away from a litre bike, but when I’m ready, this one is on the short list.

A need for speed

I went to shows this winter thinking I’m all about the adventure bike, but they aren’t what got me going. Sure, sitting on the big Ewan McGregor adventure BMW felt grand, but it didn’t really get me excited. I’ve always been a sports car goof, I guess I’m the same way about bikes.

What surprised me was sitting on the Suzuki Hayabusa. This was another big bike that felt like it was proportioned right for me (6’3″ 230lbs). The mystical reputation of this speed machine as well as its visual presence surprised me. It isn’t a rational response (the BMW was much more sensible, which is saying something), but sitting on the ‘Busa felt special.

That sport bike appeal rocked me again when I sat on the Kawasaki ZX-14R. With Testarosa strakes over the air intakes and the way you fall into the bike, it quickened my pulse. Once again, not a rational decision, but the emotion couldn’t be denied.

I still want to expand my riding repertoire beyond sports bikes, but as the weather starts to warm up and the Ninja looks at me from the garage, I find myself not wanting to give it up for some blatting adventure bike that feels like it’s on stilts. I intend to find my way to a day or two of off-road training because it’s a good way to better understand the physics of riding, but that feels like a rational choice, what I want to do is get some track time in.

In the future I may have a couple of three bikes in the garage. I hope I’ll love each one in a different way, but it looks like the sport bike may have a special place in my heart. I guess I’m going to have to come to terms with being a big guy with a sports bike addiction.

Dreams and Realities

It’s the bike on my bedroom wall when I was a kid.

As near as I can tell the ’84 Interceptor is still for sale, though the owner isn’t responsive to emails. I’ll end up phoning and see if I can get up there next week to look at it.

In the meantime, a Concours appeared nearby that looks like a good buy. Mechanically good but a bit rough looking, it’s priced to sell.

So here I am again at the intersection of fantasy and reality, wondering which way to turn. The Interceptor isn’t running, will need a complete rebuild (it’s been sitting for a decade), and costs $700. It’s also a good couple of hours away and would need me to find/rent a vehicle to bring it home. The Concours is twenty minutes away, roadworthy and is $1000 or best offer. Price wise there is little between them.

Owning a bike at all is a dream come true, so the dream versus reality distinction is finer here. The question now is which direction do I want to go next? Last year I did a lot of miles on the Ninja. This year I’ve been riding a lot of different bikes and the Ninja hasn’t seen me as much. I want to continue to expand my riding repertoire. Both bikes offer bigger engines and variations on the sport touring theme. The Interceptor would be my first Honda, the Kawi would introduce me to shaft drive.

The purpose of buying a fixer-upper is to have something to spanner in the winter months, so the idea of repairing the Honda isn’t fearsome, it’s something I’d look forward to, and parts seem to be available for it. There are also a lot of information sites on the web about it. I’d always assumed I’d buy a Honda bike, but I’ve been waylayed by Kawasaki’s awesomeness. I’m trying not to be brand specific but rather honour the engineering. Having said that, I’ve always had a crush on Hondas and Triumphs.

She doesn’t look like much, but she’s got it where
it counts… If it worked for Han Solo, it’ll work for me.
Is this my diamond in the rough?

That Concours needs some TLC too though. The Concours is ten years newer with lower kilometres. This seems like a no-brainer, but this is where emotion clouds the decision. The Interceptor has been my dream machine forever, I’ve always wanted to own one. The Concours is a much more usable machine. My son and I could tour on it comfortably and do a lot of miles.

The Concours is also a gentler machine, and while I’m still an adolescent when it comes to riding a motorcycle, I’m 45 years old otherwise. That the Concours is a big guy who can move with surprising speed is a much better fit for this balding, middle age guy than an ’80s superbike. There comes a time when you don’t want to look absurd on a bike, or maybe that just doesn’t matter.

In a more perfect world I’d have a big enough garage to get both. The Interceptor would get stripped down and prepped as a vintage race bike. I could then live out my dreams of riding it on the safety of a track. The Concours would get fixed up and cover some huge miles, occasionally finding some twisties to show off its athletic prowess.

Buying a bike has been such a visceral experience that I think I’ll have to see both in the flesh before I make a decision. I’m hoping that the Kawi strikes an emotional nerve with me because if she can get under my skin I know she’d be a better fit than a feverish teenager’s dream.

A Good Kijiji Week

Last week a pair of Alpinestar boots popped up on Kijiji that happened to be just my size. The Alpinestars I have are totally next level, so the chance to own a second pair for the price of tax on a new pair was impossible to ignore.

A ride over to Kitchener on an idyllic Sunday morning and I’m the proud owner of my second pair of Alpinestars, this time for twenty five bucks. Only used for a season, and in fantastic shape, they’re waterproof and much better for wet/cold weather than the summer boots I currently have.

*** Kijiji Part 2

I love riding with a purpose. Today I went to Guelph and then Orangeville to check out two dual sport bikes. I’m looking for something as different as possible from the Concours, so a light-weight off-road focused enduro machine fits the bill.

The first bike is a 2007 Kawasaki KLX-250. 250ccs is on the small side, but this is a very light bike. At 298lbs, it’s 374(!)lbs lighter than the Concours. It barely makes any noise, felt spritely and has a radically different riding position. No windscreens, very open and a tall riding stance. It’s been immaculately cared for by the original owner and comes with all the right farkles. You couldn’t ask for a nicer machine and it’s much newer than I thought I could afford. If I’m worried about the power, there are always options to buff up the bike.

It’s a bonus when you hit it off with the owner and end up having a good chat. He is an experienced trails rider who offered up all sorts of good advice about where and how to do it. As he said, this is the ideal bike to learn on. I may eventually want a more powerful bike, but as a starter this one is as good as it gets.

After a ride over to the Forks of the Credit, and a quality coffee at Higher Ground, I rode the Forks for the first time on the Concours (which always feels lighter than it is in a Millennium Falcon kind of way), and then headed up to Orangeville.

The XT350 looked like the ideal bike. Air cooled, super light weight, with a medium displacement, but this one was a poor example. It looked like it had led a life that alternated between abuse and neglect. Not only was it filthy, but it looked like it was going to rust through in some expensive places. It didn’t start and after a dozen or so kicks, when it finally did fire up it sounded like a tractor. It couldn’t have been more different to the only marginally more expensive, lower kilometer, six year newer, much loved, whisper quiet KLX. I’ll trade a few cc’s for a bike that won’t strand me deep in the woods any day.

I emailed the owner of the KLX standing on the street as the XT owner tried to get it started again and told him I’m all in. It’s nice when the right thing falls into your lap just when you need it, and in my case that always seems to be a Kawasaki. The KLX will be my third Kawi (though my first green one). I can’t wait to get to know it.

Brand Loyalty & Bilingualism

Brand loyalty seems to affect motorcyclists more than most. Even when they don’t work, motorcycle riders are partial to their rides in a way that owners of other modes of transport aren’t. With that in mind I just completely ignored my Kawasaki only motorcycle history to this point and just picked up a bike for my son: a Yamaha PW80. I guess we’re now officially bilingual.

It needs a cleanup and some TLC, but the bike is straight and solid. Once I’ve got it sorted we’ll be practising circles on the dead end road out front of our place.

They were asking $800, but rather than start there I asked what they were asking. Since the Mom had put it up for sale and she wasn’t talking to me, it was suddenly $700. I suggested $600, they went with $675. For a seldom used, nicely stored 2004 Yamaha PW80, I think I came out ahead. I could sell it tomorrow for a couple of hundred more than I got it.

I’m still looking for something off-road for me to head out on with Max. If I had a mint to throw at it I’d go pick up a late model DRZ-400 or a KLX-250, but I don’t. I’m hoping for a an older enduro bike, but sub 500cc; they don’t come up often. This is going to be a primarily off-road machine, so lugging a 600+cc ‘adventure’ bike on the trails isn’t a thrilling prospect. A big enough for me but light off-road machine is the goal.

I’m going to take Max out to the Junior Red Riders course early this summer, then I’m going to make as many trips to Bobcageon as I can manage to get us some time on two wheels together.

Getting into the PW80 was an easy prospect. The seat pops off with a couple of nuts under the fender and the tank with a couple of bolts. I’m not sure if two stroke oil can go off so I left it as is, but I emptied the gas tank and put in new gas (the former owner guessed the gas was at least a couple of years old).

I got it started and running smoothly and took it for a run around the circle we live on. It took off like a scalded rabbit! I could barely hang on. The only issue is a broken exhaust. I’m hoping our metal shop genius at school can sort it out tomorrow. With a tight exhaust we’ll be off to the trails!

Brand loyalty did play a part in this. Another bike we went to go see was a Baja 90cc dirt bike. It looked pretty cobbled together and the fact that it was a Chinese bike gave me the willies. I might not be a Kawasaki or nothing guy, but I know better than to buy a dodgy, Chinese knockoff.

BYOD: Build Your Own Device

Proof of mastery: you build your own tools.

Perhaps we can work this Jedi logic into education?

Want to make use of educational technology? Unless you’ve built it yourself you don’t get free access, you haven’t demonstrated competence! Access to technology based on demonstrated understanding rather than the net income of a student’s parents? That sounds like a more sound pedagogical model than current BYOD policies we have. It’s time for education to take technology fluency seriously.

I’ve already argued for a pedagogical model for technology access…

http://prezi.com/bjmmmgc3aka5/?utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=copy&rc=ex0share

I think I rushed into mastery too soon there, it’s commonly overused in education anyway. Unless the digital wizard can produce their own wand they haven’t demonstrated real mastery. Recognizing all elements in your discipline is a vital element to mastery, including the tools that you need to demonstrate your mastery!

The hunter who hunts with the bow they made? The rider who rides a bike they built? The artist who stretches their own canvases? No one could argue that their understanding of their craft isn’t deeper than a consumer who purchased off the shelf, yet we’ve modeled educational technology on consumerist ideals rather than pedagogical imperatives.

From board provided technology to a mini-lab to bring-your-own-device to build-your-own-device, there is the new continuum. Until you’ve built your device from the components up and mounted software on it, you haven’t demonstrated mastery of technology, you’re still just a user.

Until we begin to do this in education we’ll continue to produce technologically incapable students who are slaves to their habitual technology use.

Travelling Ninja

A Vicious Cycle got me the kit for the topbox mighty quick (the day before they said it would get here). It was a quick fit and install. With the topbox and backrest in place, my son has a much more comfortable pillion to sit on. A Vicious Cycle makes it easy to get sorted with the right kit, letting you search by bike and get kit specific to your machine.

The setup is very solid. The Givi monolock seems very stable and the frame was all first rate. There were no problems with installing it.

The 26l topbox might seem small, but for a svelt bike like a 650r Ninja, it’s a well proportioned fit.

$320 all in (including shipping & taxes) for the Kappa case, the Ninja specific mounting bracket and the Givi monolock base.

Track Days & Dirt Days

Two goals over the summer as far as biking goes: go to a track day and get in some off road experience. Fortunately I’ve got choices for both nearby:

That’s not too far!

1… Track Days: Grand Bend Motorplex does beginner track days at various times throughout the summer. I’m going to make a day where I can go down there and give the Ninja a workout in a track environment. It’ll be an early start, but if I can time the weather right it’ll be a great opportunity to develop more fluid riding and gently get a feel for how the bike handles in more extreme conditions. A hundred bucks doesn’t seem bad for a full day of track time.

If not Grand Bend then there are other options. Cayuga is $125 for a day and an hour and forty five minutes south through Hamilton. Mosport and Shannonville are both venues for Riderschoice.ca, who offer track days there. I haven’t been to Shannonville since I did the Nissan advanced driving school in the 1990s, it’d be nice to go back. Shannonville does their own track days, for $145 a day. Calabogie is way out Ottawa way, but it ain’t cheap, though the track is supposed to be fantastic.

2… Off Road Training: Yamaha Adventures is a lovely hour and a bit ride north of where I am. The full day package on their bike isn’t cheap ($329), but it would give me a chance to get a feel for off-road riding without the equipment overhead.

Trailtour also offers trials and dual-sport courses, both of which are cheaper alternatives, and they happen to be under an hour south of the family cottage. Trials riding is very technique intensive and would do a lot to improve my balance on any bike.

As many different experiences in as many different circumstances as I can manage, that’s the goal this year.