So I am a huge Cubs fan. Yup, one of "those guys" that cheers for a team destined to lose (I am an Iowa State grad as well, there is a theme). So as it rains outside, and my daughter naps, I subject myself to the Cubs vs. Phillies. I used to do the fantasy baseball, but I got so caught up in numbers, I stopped enjoying the game. I have been two years clean of fantasy baseball (although I still play fantasy football). But the numbers are my point.
Baseball has always been about numbers: BA, RBI, ERA, OBP, OBP + Slug, Fielding %, and the like. But scouts (old men who go out and "see" how a player plays) are becoming the way of the past. I read Moneyball, by Michael Lewis, when it first came out (well before the movie, which I thoroughly enjoyed). I understand that there are some very intricate numbers and formulas for objectively figuring out who will be a good player (sabermetrics). And I love getting caught up in that, but it doesn't have to be one way or the other.
So I thought about education. How are we using the tools, the numbers, and the information we're given to make "the game" better? Add the technology: the one thing baseball may be missing, and I think we are giving the students the right tools to make the most of their learning experience. Can we make it better? Absolutely. We need the human element to make the technology useful - make the numbers mean something. If we give students tools, teach them the right way to take advantage of them, then we are doing more good for our future (for lack of a better adjective).
Len and Bob (the Cubs' television announcers) are introducing sabermetric stats throughout the season (Stats Sundays), and today introduced and explained BABIP (Batting Average on Balls in Play). One idea per week will eventually change the knowledge base of the audience. And in the end, isn't that what we're doing as educators?
~Rob
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| Baseball scouts are kind of like teachers not embracing tech; but they still bring the human element. |
So I thought about education. How are we using the tools, the numbers, and the information we're given to make "the game" better? Add the technology: the one thing baseball may be missing, and I think we are giving the students the right tools to make the most of their learning experience. Can we make it better? Absolutely. We need the human element to make the technology useful - make the numbers mean something. If we give students tools, teach them the right way to take advantage of them, then we are doing more good for our future (for lack of a better adjective).
Len and Bob (the Cubs' television announcers) are introducing sabermetric stats throughout the season (Stats Sundays), and today introduced and explained BABIP (Batting Average on Balls in Play). One idea per week will eventually change the knowledge base of the audience. And in the end, isn't that what we're doing as educators?
~Rob
