Category: Annoucements

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NHSEBOne Regionals Debrief

Virtual bowling was definitely different. On the plus side, we didn’t have to get up as early, got home sooner, and could dress casually from the waist down. On the downside, technology! Awesome when it works. Maddening when it doesn’t.

zoom image

However, we persevered. Despite bandwidth issues, system crashes, barking dogs and FedEx deliveries, rounds proceeded per usual. Tough issues were thoughtfully discussed. Minds were expanded. Civility was modeled. And ultimately, regional champions were crowned.

Was the NHSEBOne format perfect? No. But having used it to both judge (Texas and New York / New Jersey HSEBs) and coach (Tennessee HSEB) over past week, it was pretty darn good. The only constructive suggestion I can think of – add phone numbers to the Zoom rooms so participants can call in when all else fails. Because sometimes, all else fails.

Overall, I liked it, as well as the similar Zoom-based platform used by the Michigan HSEB. So much so that regardless of whether and when Covid subsides, I encourage regional bowl organizers to retain the opportunity for judges, teams and even moderators to participate remotely. There’s no way I would have flown to Long Island or Tyler (Texas) or Ann Arbor to judge those events. Yet it was awesome to connect with ethically-minded leaders in those communities. We all know there are thoughtful folks out there somewhere considering the same issues, thinking through the same discussion questions, enjoying the same “anti-debate” format. But prior to the pandemic, apart from the regional champs at UNC, we rarely interacted.

Being able to collaborate and share talents across time zones has the potential to synergize the bowling community’s impact in ways disjointed bowling never could. So here’s my vote to find ways to keep it up, pandemic or not, temporary system crashes or not.

What were your own experiences remote bowling? What went well? What are your ideas for making the next event even better?

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Final Call for Ethics Bowl Book Submissions

If you’ve been meaning to submit a write-up for Ethics Bowl to the Rescue! but just haven’t gotten around to it, don’t miss your chance!

Pour a hot cup of Joe, put that pesky smartphone on airplane mode, and shoot me your thoughts on why ethics bowl rocks, your hopes (and fears) for its future, and anything you’re inclined to share.

Leave the fancy writing to me — literary perfection is neither required nor expected. I’ll simply be pulling key quotes and weaving them into the book’s narrative. So you don’t even have to worry about writing a coherent essay — just answer the prompt. Submissions welcome from organizers, coaches, judges, moderators, competitors and simply fans.

Ethics Bowl to the Rescue! Interview Questions – please submit to matt (at) mattdeaton.com by Oct 31 (shortly thereafter is also OK if you mail me Reese’s Cups):

1) Why were you initially attracted to ethics bowl and why do you continue to support it?

2) What do you see as ethics bowl’s primary benefits?

3) What’s your vision for ethics bowl’s future?

4) Anything extra you’d like to add?

5) What’s your role and how long have you been involved?

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Virtual Bowling Zen from A2Ethics

If you’re an organizer scrambling to pull together virtual bowl training materials, take a deep breath, strike your favorite yoga pose, and click here. Michigan HSEB organizer Jeanine DeLay and her team at A2Ethics offer a relaxing, reassuring judge training video sure to chillax volunteers and participants worldwide.

One of the things we love about A2Ethics – their style! Here’s Jeanine encouraging judge trainees to stand and stretch.

If you’re an organizer, Jeannine can empathize with the worries that keep you up at night, likening bowl coordination to “mosquito control at a nudist camp.” Luckily we learn from one another’s mistakes and build on one another’s successes. Past problems have inspired redundant point-tallying officials, recruiting, courting and training more volunteers than needed, and in Michigan this year implementation of a new alternate judging system.

While only three judges’ score sheets will be counted, four judges will log into Zoom to view and score each match. Why? If one of the official judges’ computers decides bowl time is the perfect time for a forced reboot, the alternate judge will be promoted, their scores included in the totals. Tada! Simple, seamless, effective.

One note: the scoring interface featured in the video is unique to the Michigan Bowl. I’ve tested it and it works great – suspect creator Wayne Eaker of Zengenuity, Inc would be willing to discuss how to do something similar at your bowl if interested. Thanks for your devotion and leadership, Jeanine and team! The best of luck with your upcoming V-Bowl.

That familiar match format, even if via an unfamiliar platform

Have your own virtual bowl disaster avoidance ideas? New virtual bowling materials others might benefit from? Share in a comment or shoot me an email and we’ll get the word out in an article – collaboration and cooperation are what ethics bowl is all about.

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Introducing NHSEBAcademy

Our friends at the Parr Center have been busy, recently launching the brand new all-online NHSEBAcademy. The best part? Live, Zoom-based bowling clinics. The first two are scheduled for later this week (register here). Depending on how interactive they are, this could be a game-changer. But wait, there’s more!

I believe that’s our friend Kyle Robertson at UC Santa Cruz featured on the organizer kit image. Looking good, Kyle!

The Library contains zip files packed with material tailored for teams, coaches, judges and organizers. You can download the current NHSEB rules and guidelines, case pool, score sheet and rubric (coaches and teams – don’t overlook those scoring criteria!), and even moderator scripts. Resources planned for future release include a guide to coaching a bowl during COVID (tip: buy a webcam), a manual for organizers interested in growing their bowl (I have an older version from my time as the original NHSEB Director of Outreach – email if you can’t wait for the new one), and “Ethics Bowl in Class: Resources for the Classroom and Beyond.”

The Theater includes an “Ethical Reasoning Toolkit” playlist beginning with a vid by Yale’s Kelley Schiffman. Prof Schiffman deftly distinguishes between descriptive and normative claims, and is followed by an exploration of the nature and moral implications of consent. While the consent vid uses the language of rights far too much (rights claims are too clunky for quality ethics bowl work), it’s redeemed by a cookie-eating illustration. Cookies cure all, and since we’re bashing rights claims, I hereby proclaim a universal human right to Toll House chocolate chip lovers cookies.

The second playlist, “Arguing About Morality,” begins with a vid similar to the descriptive vs. normative distinction from the first list, only this time delivered by John Corvino and focusing on facts vs. opinions. Corvino next overviews how arguments by analogy work, and how to analyze them. Arguments by analogy are common and persuasive – a team’s entire bowling strategy could be built on them (a possible strategy for my own team…).

The library and theater are certain to benefit teams, coaches, judges and volunteers. But the most welcome, innovative and value-adding feature is NHSEBAcademy Live.  

NHSEBAcademy Live is a new series of specially-designed online events for NHSEB students, coaches, organizers, and volunteers. These programs will provide new ways to engage with Ethics Bowl content, mechanics, and skills. Our full schedule of events is below, and more will be added throughout the Fall and Winter in the lead up to NHSEB Regional Season.

NHSEBAcademy.org/live

First up is a new ethics bowl clinic scheduled for Thursday, Oct 22nd from 3-4:30 EST and Saturday, Oct 24th from 4:30-6 EST (the second will be a repeat of the first). The workshops promise to cover “presentation techniques, responsive commentaries, practice Q+A sessions, and more.” Registration is required and will enable access to the Zoom link. If you check it out, let us know how it went. We may digitally bump into one another at the Saturday session.

Thanks, UNC, for this innovation. Looking forward to all the Academy has to offer. Readers can check it out via the menu at NHSEB.unc.edu or by clicking here.

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2020-2021 NHSEB Case Pool Released

A brand new NHSEB case pool was released today, and the topics are promising. There are cases on mask wearing, police de-funding, TikTok, and my favorite — Tiger King!

We’ll begin sharing initial analyses soon. But guest posts are often the best posts, so if you or your team would like to claim one of the cases (not Tiger King – I got dibs), shoot me an email (matt (at) mattdeaton.com) and we’ll get your thoughts posted soon.

Check out the cases via nhseb.unc.edu -> Cases or directly here. And happy analyzing, you cool cats and kittens!

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Ethics Bowl to the Rescue! Update

Huge thanks to the organizers, judges, coaches and competitors who’ve already agreed to submit or who’ve submitted write-ups for Ethics Bowl to the Rescue! From founders Bob and Joanne in California, to organizers Richard and Rachel in Utah, Fred in Baltimore, Leo in Shanghai, Jeanine in Michigan, Matthew in Perth, Greg in Texas, Matt in Ohio, Alex in Oregon, Roberta in New York, Alex in North Carolina and George in Florida, to judges Tim, Andrew and Dirk in Australia, as well as Ted, Rob and Claire in Portland, to coaches Michael in Washington and Lance in Tennessee, it’s great to have so much support this early. Thanks to all!

I’ve attempted to invite all National High School and Intercollegiate Ethics Bowl organizers (well, almost all — still a couple of names left on this very long list), so if you haven’t received an email, please check your spam folder and/or please contact me directly.

I’m asking organizers to nominate judges, coaches, moderators, participants and others they think might be able to contribute. However, ethics bowl organizers are notoriously busy people, especially with this COVID-corrupted semester underway, and most are understandably preoccupied with trying to figure out how to best host their bowl via Zoom. (I understand bowl leadership is ahead of the game on this, which is very good news – maybe everyone can relax?) So I hereby personally invite anyone sharing a love for ethics bowl, including you, to answer the following:

1) Why were you initially attracted to ethics bowl and why do you continue to support it?

2) What do you see as ethics bowl’s primary benefits?

3) What’s your vision for ethics bowl’s future?

4) Anything extra you’d like to add?

Nothing fancy or complete required. I’ll simply be pulling key quotes from submissions as I write the book. Please send your responses and any questions to matt (at) mattdeaton.com by October 31st.

Thanks in advance. The world needs to know why ethics bowl is such an impactful and awesome event perhaps now more than ever. It’s Ethics Bowl to the Rescue!, and there’s no reason we should keep that good news to ourselves. Cheers, Matt

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Ethics Bowl to the Rescue! (made possible by YOU)

Wouldn’t it be nice if the Ethics Bowl community had a concise, accessible, fun book to gift prospective coaches, competitors, judges and sponsors? A book that explained in plain, relaxed language why ethics bowl’s collaborative, mutually respectful approach is exactly what the world needs, possibly now more than ever? A book that weaved together stories and quotes from competitors, coaches, organizers, judges, moderators – quotes from you?

Wish no more! Introducing Ethics Bowl to the Rescue!, coming early 2021, with your help. With support and endorsement from ethics bowl creator Dr. Bob Ladenson, we cordially invite you, dear ethics bowl participant, organizer, volunteer or fan, to share why you love and continue to support ethics bowl. Nothing fancy required. The plan is to share the many benefits of ethics bowl into chapters on topics such as:

  • Civility
  • Friendship
  • Social Change
  • Self-Knowledge
  • Public Speaking
  • Critical Thinking
  • Moral Development
  • Personal Confidence
  • Philosophical Appreciation

Don’t worry that you’re not involved or advanced or impressive enough to contribute – it doesn’t matter if you’re a first-year Jr. High bowler or a tenth-year Intercollegiate Ethics Bowl organizer, the reigning National High School Ethics Bowl champs or the last-place team from our smallest Regional – there’s a place for your input in Ethics Bowl to the Rescue! and I’d love to include it.

I’d even love to include input from Australia’s Ethics Olympiad and Ethics Slam – ya’ll might get your own chapter 🙂

If you’re not sure what to say, a funny or heartwarming ethics bowl-related story would be fan-freaking-tastic. Or simply share from the heart what ethics bowl means to you.

The book will be affordably available (Amazon’s cut + printing costs) in paperback for those who still like to hold physical books, and also in open-source PDF (and Kindle, Apple, etc. if I can figure out the conversion…) for free that the community will be welcome and encouraged email, host, post and otherwise share as they see fit.

Submission Window: July 1st – October 31st, 2020

Email Submissions to: matt(at)mattdeaton.com (<- replace “(at)” with “@” – the parentheses are a crude spam deterrent). Or if you prefer, simply post in a comment here.

Again, don’t think of this is a complete essay, or an academic (stuffy) article, or even an ethics argument. But rather a relaxed telling that I’ll pull from and incorporate into a book that explains why more people should try ethics bowl.

Questions welcome. And feel free and encouraged to share this widely. Organizers, please tell your volunteers and coaches. Coaches, please tell your teams. Teams, get to writing 🙂

Thanks in advance, and looking forward to reading why you continue to love and support ethics bowl, just like me, Matt

You can’t say no to SuperSocrates…
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2020 (Virtual) Ethics Bowl Summit Invite

This week our friends at the Parr Center announced a virtual ethics bowl celebration scheduled for mid-June – the 2020 Ethics Bowl Summit.

“[T]he NHSEB invites you to join in a review, recognition, and celebration of some of the extraordinary things our community has accomplished this year! The 2020 Ethics Bowl Summit is scheduled for 7pm (ET) on the evening of [Saturday] June 13, 2020 and will feature exciting updates and developments from NHSEB leadership, perspectives from students, coaches, and organizers across the U.S., and, of course, recognition of our regional winners, case competition winners, national finalist teams, and more!”

The event will be viewable via live stream on YouTube and on the NHSEB’s social medial platforms. Full information will be posted at NHSEBonline.org. So mark your calendar, and hope to see you there (online).

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Write a COVID Case for the Michigan Bowl?

Organizers of the Michigan High School Ethics Bowl invite you to write a COVID-themed case for the 2020-2021 season.

Art by Raphael. Captions by A2Ethics.

From an email distributed by A2Ethics late May, “There are so many ethical dilemmas we are witnessing and going through… [W]e urge you to include the moral dimensions of what is happening. Or not happening… to broaden and embolden your diary and journal-keeping by: Writing an ethics case study for the 2021 Michigan High School Ethics Bowl. Now is a perfect time to practice risky thinking–during a time of extreme risk. What political philosopher Hannah Arendt calls ‘thinking without a banister.’” 
 
If you’d like to submit a COVID-themed case for consideration, visit https://www.a2ethics.org/write-contributing-ethics-bowl-case-study 

And don’t be shy! Maybe you’ve never written a case before. Maybe your case won’t be selected. But simply giving it a shot will make you a better writer, a better bowler, and probably a braver, more action-oriented person. Somebody’s case has to be chosen. Why not yours?

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Introducing NHSEB Online

Last week National High School Ethics Bowl Director Alex Richardson shared the following with regional organizers. Reprinted here in full (with complementary video) Alex outlines the move of NHSEB online, includes links to several engaging resources, and (unless I’m misreading – have messaged Alex to confirm) expands inclusion beyond winners of the regional bowls to all NHSEB participants(!).  May 8th UPDATE: Alex confirmed — the new online resources are open to all NHSEB Regional participants! Kudos to UNC for making these changes to sustain (and grow!) ethics bowl during this challenging age of COVID.

I hope you are all staying safe and healthy during what is shaping up to be a challenging time for us all.  

My team at the Parr Center and I have been working hard in the past few weeks to bring parts of the NHSEB experience online in the wake of the cancellation of our National Competition due to COVID-19. Today, I’m thrilled to introduce you to NHSEBOnline, a new slate of programming to engage our students virtually and keep up the conversations that make our activity what it is.  

The program will include three central initiatives: (1) asynchronous online Discussion Threads which allow students to engage each other in conversation about an abridged Case Set via video, audio, and text-based messaging, (2) weekly Group “Huddles” where students can discuss problems and prospects with NHSEB staff and volunteer organizers via videoconference, and finally (3) a virtual Ethics Bowl Summit in late May which will bring together students, organizers, volunteers, and parents from across the country to recognize and feature our National Finalists, celebrate with all of our students, and close out the 2019-2020 season! More information about format and scheduling for the Summit will be released in the coming weeks.   I hope you’ll share this message and the video above with your coaches and students. Registration for participants is now open. We are also continually looking for volunteer organizers to help out with the administration of the program and planning for the end of the year. Your help is most welcome! Conversation is the essence of this activity, and I’m so excited to see it continue, particularly during the complex and challenging times we find ourselves in.

I hope you’ll join us in this experiment, and encourage your students and coaches to do the same.

Alex Richardson,  Director, National High School Ethics Bowl, Parr Center for Ethics, UNC Chapel Hill