When I was a kid, I remember my parents harping on me about who I hung out with and how important it was to choose my friends wisely, to surround myself with "good" influences. Honestly, I got pretty sick and tired of their advice and had to make some mistakes of my own before I figured out they were right.
Now I'm a dad, and I can see exactly how right my parents were, and even how carefully they led me without forcing me, and I can take their parenting cues to lead my own children.
I'm also a teacher, and I notice the relational decisions that face the middle schoolers I see every day, not to mention my own 5th grade son who is approaching middle school himself.
But I would like to speak to the relationships we form among teachers and how important it is to surround ourselves with good influences. I can share with you how I try to do this, and you can use my opinions to shape your practices if you wish.
Beware the teachers' lounge...
You've heard it before. That teachers' lounge can be a hotbed of negativity. Yes, I understand it's your sanctuary, a place to escape the little rascals running through your classroom, somewhere you can let it all hang out. I can't count how many times I've heard (and said), "Little Johnny is driving me crazy today!" It's only natural to seek out other teachers with whom we can commiserate, but I think we must be careful when venting without looking for solutions to problems we come across. Use the lounge for problem solving, and then celebrate your successes together! You might need to be the one who turns a conversation around.
...but don't isolate yourself
I am an introvert. I like to study up and do my own thing. I've had many times in my career when I've hidden away in isolation and have taken care of my classes, quietly proud of my own accomplishments. As I reflect, I see an issue when teaching in this manner.
I don't want it until I see it
I view it like I view advertisements for products on TV: I don't want it until I see it. In my own little bubble, I design my lessons the best I know how, but when I pay attention to what and how my colleagues are teaching, I can consider my approach afresh. It's when I open myself up and share my ideas and listen to others' perspectives that I feel I need to continue to extend my pedagogy; I have a desire to improve my teaching. My wife checks Zulily almost every day, and man, I didn't even know I wanted new flip flops until she had me looking through that awesome deal online. Similarly, when I see the innovation in education, I want it for myself, too.
Enter social media
I like setting goals. I continually need to earn continuing education credits. Put the two together, and I signed up for the Innovative Educator Advanced Studies Certificate, aka the IEASC. Fast forward 6 months...I finished the 18 credits and have a fresh perspective on technology and the need to be informed. Within the program, I took an elective course through FPU called Twitter for Educators from a stand up instructor who jumpstarted my twitter heart. Through the online course and the interactions he encouraged, I was brought way back to my parents' advice: "Choose your friends wisely."
The Twittersphere
With Twitter, I can choose who to follow and build a Professional Learning Network (PLN). I can consider their ideas. I can unfollow them if I feel like it. I can have a big group of tweeps, or I can keep it small; it's completely up to me. I don't follow any celebrities (I don't care that LeBron James just gave his mother a new car--and I only know that because I just Googled it for my purposes here), but I've slowly learned to focus in on the cutting edge themes, ideas, and technologies in education. I can choose my friends wisely, those who can counsel me and help me grow as an educator. And with the Internet being the social monster that it has become, I have multiple options: Google Plus, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, EduClipper, even individual blogs through RSS feeds like Feedly. For me, I keep my social networks to a minimum and try to dive deep into the few I care about. They say Twitter is an ocean in itself, and you can really only take a dip.
A little help from my friends
I'm finding, too, that educators on social media are truly helpful and positive, just the sort of influences we all need in our lives. I've been watching back some episodes of The Two Guys Show with @Techbradwaid and @Techminock. One of their guests (see episode 7 with @4_teachers) created an app called QuickKey that acts as a scantron machine right from your device. I thought I'd try it out and give him some feedback, you know, as an encouragement, so I created a quick video demo of his app and shared it on twitter with him. He was ecstatic with the demo and retweeted it right away. I wanted to share with teachers at my site as well, so I shot them an email of the video. Alternately, I've been encouraged by others to try new and innovative things, and others have given me a +1 on a blog post within Google Plus. To steal a line from The Beatles out of context: "I get by with a little help from my friends."
Take back the teachers' lounge
Somehow we've got to transform the teachers' lounge into the type of place where ideas are shared, problems are solved, and real innovation occurs. It starts with you; yeah...it starts with me. We have got to make our schools safe places to try new things, where failure's just a quick stop on the road to success. And as teachers, we have to build our students up, not only in front of them, but also behind their backs. Surround yourself with the teachers who you know will help you do that.
One last challenge
I learned an important lesson as a kid that I didn't fully realize until I was much older--influence is a two-way street. I strayed a bit off the straight and narrow to become friends with the guy across the street, and though he may have been a poor influence on me (granted, I was no angel), my positive influence turned out to be life-changing for him, my best friend. Is there a teacher who needs your positivity today?
Friday, February 21, 2014
Monday, February 17, 2014
4 Excuses of the Tech-Nervous
I recently led an iPad workshop for our elementary and middle school teachers. Valentine's Day was an inservice day at our school mostly for curriculum mapping, but I was given 45 minutes to share how the iPad could be implemented into classrooms K-8. While the middle school teachers have been sharing an iPad cart of 30 since early in the school year with varying degrees of success, elementary teachers recently received 2 iPads per classroom. Some teachers have been researching iPad implementation on their own, but others struggle with where to start. Others don't want the iPads anywhere near them or their classrooms.
I know a widespread issue surrounding technology integration in general, and iPad implementation specifically, is the lack of professional development for the teachers. I think sharing within the workshop was a good first step, and I supplied a resource for iPad implementation that logically takes a teacher from learning the basics of the iPad to full integration into the classroom. You can see it here. But after presenting, I feel some common excuses abound. Before the iPads get shoved into drawers and forgotten, I would like to refute a few of the excuses I commonly hear.
Excuse #1: My current strategies work just fine.
Now, if you're okay with "fine", I can understand where you're coming from. A few years back I was on cruise control. I taught Spelling, English, Reading, and Social Studies in the sixth grade, and I had fine-tuned an efficiency standard for myself and my students. I taught well, the kids learned well, and I merely tweaked lesson plans from year to year. While I still feel I had designed above average lessons for my students that taught depth of reading and writing skills, there was something missing. The something that was missing was a focus on student learning style and strength; I relied on my strength as a teacher. Students learned the way I taught, but since then I've discovered that I need to teach the way students learn, and technology is a huge piece of that process.
One thing I hate to see on my iPad is the little red notification on my app store icon that shows how many of my apps are in need of an update. The higher the number the more frustrating it is. One thing I love, though, is how simple it is for me to tap into the app store and press "update all". App developers are always looking for ways to improve their particular apps, and they listen to the critiques of their customers by using the reviews we submit. What an ideal situation for the classroom! What do our students and constituency need? What do they want from me? Am I willing to change with the times? Am I willing to ask my students or their parents what they desire? Check your current strategies and see if it's time for an update. I am willing to bet that using your iPad(s) or other tech tools will add to the students' learning.
Excuse #2: The 3 R's R all we need.
Reading, 'Riting, 'Rithmetic. I teach the reading and the writing in my role, so you're preaching to the choir if you say these things are important, but I have two things to say about the 3 R's. First, I think we need to be careful about how we approach the 3 R's in education. Instead of a focus on the actual reading, writing, and math skills as an end, the 3 R's must be taught through discovery using critical thinking and problem solving. Second, we've got some new literacies to deal with. Since the explosion of the Internet into our culture, new purposes for reading and writing and even mathematical thinking have emerged. Students access the Internet daily and sometimes exclusively. The reading skills we need to teach students include interpreting and discerning the mass of information on the web. Information on the Internet is much more current than the textbooks we keep referring to in classrooms year after year; literacy education has changed dramatically. Students must be taught how to navigate the types of writing that appear online; it's our task to put the proper tools in students' hands in order for them to understand the world around them. Writing has also changed. I am teaching my sixth graders to blog--see my blog2buds site--for the first time this year, and their purposes for writing have expanded greatly with a chance to connect with others across the globe. Teaching proper responsibility while posting and commenting online is necessary when understanding the new literacies that result from an always connected culture. Additionally, mathematical thinking in our digital age will likely produce the computer programmers of tomorrow. Times have changed, so our teaching must as well.
Excuse #3: The technology is too overwhelming.
This one, I believe, takes a change in mindset. Do you remember when you were in college earning your education degree, or afterward earning your masters' degree or taking classes, going to workshops, perhaps earning a certain certification? I've done each of these things, and I constantly fight the temptation to achieve a letter grade and then fall back into my old routine, the one that I was so comfortable with before I was challenged within the classes I took. I have to battle the mindset that my continuing education is a series of hurdles to leap over in order to finish the race. Don't get me wrong, it is nice to finish, take a breather, and celebrate. But what if we could change our view so that we're not jumping (or stumbling) over hurdles. Instead, we could choose to see those hurdles as gateways, and with each pass, the new opportunities that abound.
When I was in school at Calvin College (Go Knights!), the catch phrase in the education department was that we were preparing to become "reflective practitioners". Instead of taking a course or workshop to earn a required credit, we must use the courses we take to carefully reflect on our current teaching and learn new strategies for quality implementation. The same is true for technology integration. You've been handed an iPad--now what? It will take time and research to figure out how to use it to the students' advantage within the classroom, but isn't it worth the work load? Have you seen the student outcomes when you try a new cutting edge technique? Have you seen the student engagement? Do you have class management issues that have disappeared? I have. The students are excited to try new things. Please continue to be a "reflective practitioner" in your teaching and don't fall into the trap of efficient routine. Energize your teaching with some engaging possibilities, including tech, and I think you will find new joy in teaching rather than focus on how overwhelming your job is.
Excuse #4: I'm too afraid to make mistakes.
I am an analytical person, and I like predictable outcomes, but this school year after completing the Innovative Educator Advanced Studies Certificate (IEASC) through Fresno Pacific University (FPU) and Computer Using Educators (CUE), as well as receiving an iPad cart in our middle school, I've chosen to let go of the reins (mostly) and allow the students to run out of the gates so that I can feel out where their strengths lie. Interestingly, I found that toward the beginning of the year many students were wary of my new approach. Though sixth grade is typically quite a transition anyway, a lot of kids still weren't prepared when I handed them a Google Apps for Education (GAfE) email, and only now they are beginning to better understand the power behind the Web 2.0 tools I've presented. It was slow-going at first, but now my students are coming up with their own solutions to problems that occur.
They and I have made mistakes along the way, and we've found that failure is a completely natural piece of the educational process. My students have seen me try to present something (with or without technology) that failed to work, only to see me make decisions to alter my approach. From there, they settle into taking their own risks with the iPads I hand to them on particular days. Similarly, I've heard stories from frustrated parents who have had tech breakthroughs at home because of the problem solving they've had to spend time on related to course work I've assigned.
Every day we ask our students to take risks and to try things that are uncomfortable for them. Why won't we?
What now?
In my previous post, I played with the phrase "failure's not an option" and instead titled it Failure's Not Optional. I just re-read the last part of it, and one of the sentences I shared about students was this: "Let them loose." I guess a related idea would be, "Let them lose." And by losing, by failing, students learn to approach the problem from another angle; isn't that what learning is?
So what about you? Have you used one of the above excuses when considering technology? Do you visit the teachers' lounge and complain about what is required of you regarding the technological nuances you face? Do you find that your established routine is paramount to your teaching? I would encourage you to step away from your comfort zone.
View the hurdles in education not as an obstacle to overcome but as a gateway toward further success. Perhaps your change in mindset will spark a movement in your classroom or school. Collaborate with your colleagues, check with your PLN on social media, and get on the cutting edge.
I know a widespread issue surrounding technology integration in general, and iPad implementation specifically, is the lack of professional development for the teachers. I think sharing within the workshop was a good first step, and I supplied a resource for iPad implementation that logically takes a teacher from learning the basics of the iPad to full integration into the classroom. You can see it here. But after presenting, I feel some common excuses abound. Before the iPads get shoved into drawers and forgotten, I would like to refute a few of the excuses I commonly hear.
Excuse #1: My current strategies work just fine.
Now, if you're okay with "fine", I can understand where you're coming from. A few years back I was on cruise control. I taught Spelling, English, Reading, and Social Studies in the sixth grade, and I had fine-tuned an efficiency standard for myself and my students. I taught well, the kids learned well, and I merely tweaked lesson plans from year to year. While I still feel I had designed above average lessons for my students that taught depth of reading and writing skills, there was something missing. The something that was missing was a focus on student learning style and strength; I relied on my strength as a teacher. Students learned the way I taught, but since then I've discovered that I need to teach the way students learn, and technology is a huge piece of that process.
credit: www.usm.edu
One thing I hate to see on my iPad is the little red notification on my app store icon that shows how many of my apps are in need of an update. The higher the number the more frustrating it is. One thing I love, though, is how simple it is for me to tap into the app store and press "update all". App developers are always looking for ways to improve their particular apps, and they listen to the critiques of their customers by using the reviews we submit. What an ideal situation for the classroom! What do our students and constituency need? What do they want from me? Am I willing to change with the times? Am I willing to ask my students or their parents what they desire? Check your current strategies and see if it's time for an update. I am willing to bet that using your iPad(s) or other tech tools will add to the students' learning.
Excuse #2: The 3 R's R all we need.
Reading, 'Riting, 'Rithmetic. I teach the reading and the writing in my role, so you're preaching to the choir if you say these things are important, but I have two things to say about the 3 R's. First, I think we need to be careful about how we approach the 3 R's in education. Instead of a focus on the actual reading, writing, and math skills as an end, the 3 R's must be taught through discovery using critical thinking and problem solving. Second, we've got some new literacies to deal with. Since the explosion of the Internet into our culture, new purposes for reading and writing and even mathematical thinking have emerged. Students access the Internet daily and sometimes exclusively. The reading skills we need to teach students include interpreting and discerning the mass of information on the web. Information on the Internet is much more current than the textbooks we keep referring to in classrooms year after year; literacy education has changed dramatically. Students must be taught how to navigate the types of writing that appear online; it's our task to put the proper tools in students' hands in order for them to understand the world around them. Writing has also changed. I am teaching my sixth graders to blog--see my blog2buds site--for the first time this year, and their purposes for writing have expanded greatly with a chance to connect with others across the globe. Teaching proper responsibility while posting and commenting online is necessary when understanding the new literacies that result from an always connected culture. Additionally, mathematical thinking in our digital age will likely produce the computer programmers of tomorrow. Times have changed, so our teaching must as well.
Excuse #3: The technology is too overwhelming.
This one, I believe, takes a change in mindset. Do you remember when you were in college earning your education degree, or afterward earning your masters' degree or taking classes, going to workshops, perhaps earning a certain certification? I've done each of these things, and I constantly fight the temptation to achieve a letter grade and then fall back into my old routine, the one that I was so comfortable with before I was challenged within the classes I took. I have to battle the mindset that my continuing education is a series of hurdles to leap over in order to finish the race. Don't get me wrong, it is nice to finish, take a breather, and celebrate. But what if we could change our view so that we're not jumping (or stumbling) over hurdles. Instead, we could choose to see those hurdles as gateways, and with each pass, the new opportunities that abound.
When I was in school at Calvin College (Go Knights!), the catch phrase in the education department was that we were preparing to become "reflective practitioners". Instead of taking a course or workshop to earn a required credit, we must use the courses we take to carefully reflect on our current teaching and learn new strategies for quality implementation. The same is true for technology integration. You've been handed an iPad--now what? It will take time and research to figure out how to use it to the students' advantage within the classroom, but isn't it worth the work load? Have you seen the student outcomes when you try a new cutting edge technique? Have you seen the student engagement? Do you have class management issues that have disappeared? I have. The students are excited to try new things. Please continue to be a "reflective practitioner" in your teaching and don't fall into the trap of efficient routine. Energize your teaching with some engaging possibilities, including tech, and I think you will find new joy in teaching rather than focus on how overwhelming your job is.
Excuse #4: I'm too afraid to make mistakes.
I am an analytical person, and I like predictable outcomes, but this school year after completing the Innovative Educator Advanced Studies Certificate (IEASC) through Fresno Pacific University (FPU) and Computer Using Educators (CUE), as well as receiving an iPad cart in our middle school, I've chosen to let go of the reins (mostly) and allow the students to run out of the gates so that I can feel out where their strengths lie. Interestingly, I found that toward the beginning of the year many students were wary of my new approach. Though sixth grade is typically quite a transition anyway, a lot of kids still weren't prepared when I handed them a Google Apps for Education (GAfE) email, and only now they are beginning to better understand the power behind the Web 2.0 tools I've presented. It was slow-going at first, but now my students are coming up with their own solutions to problems that occur.
They and I have made mistakes along the way, and we've found that failure is a completely natural piece of the educational process. My students have seen me try to present something (with or without technology) that failed to work, only to see me make decisions to alter my approach. From there, they settle into taking their own risks with the iPads I hand to them on particular days. Similarly, I've heard stories from frustrated parents who have had tech breakthroughs at home because of the problem solving they've had to spend time on related to course work I've assigned.
Every day we ask our students to take risks and to try things that are uncomfortable for them. Why won't we?
What now?
In my previous post, I played with the phrase "failure's not an option" and instead titled it Failure's Not Optional. I just re-read the last part of it, and one of the sentences I shared about students was this: "Let them loose." I guess a related idea would be, "Let them lose." And by losing, by failing, students learn to approach the problem from another angle; isn't that what learning is?
So what about you? Have you used one of the above excuses when considering technology? Do you visit the teachers' lounge and complain about what is required of you regarding the technological nuances you face? Do you find that your established routine is paramount to your teaching? I would encourage you to step away from your comfort zone.
View the hurdles in education not as an obstacle to overcome but as a gateway toward further success. Perhaps your change in mindset will spark a movement in your classroom or school. Collaborate with your colleagues, check with your PLN on social media, and get on the cutting edge.
Friday, February 7, 2014
Failure's Not Optional
I was watching as the sixth grader was tossing his pencil in the air, then catching it.
I gave him about 10 seconds to have his fun, after which I firmly reminded him to keep it locked down in his hand. We've had this conversation many times; it's a work in progress.
It got me to thinking about how distractible my middle school students can be. If the pencil isn't in the air, it's on the floor or in a neighbor's lap. Chairs scrape noisily on the ground, materials slam on the table, zippers unzip and zip again, pens endlessly click, and if somebody has something they really want to say they grunt as their hand goes up, as if the visual cue wasn't enough.
Does this mean the students are bored? Maybe... But there's no lack of discussion in my room. At every pause there is some sort of response. Tommy has to nudge his buddy Jack and tell a 2 second story in what he thinks is a whisper but definitely is not. That's not a problem necessarily, but Jack has to respond for 2 seconds and Tommy has to finish his thought after that. In the meantime, they've lost track of the larger discussion and distracted Charlene and Maria across the way who have missed their cue to respond to the teacher's question. The noises continue, and as I look around to see whose low, recently "changed" adolescent voice is rumbling continuously in the distance, the classroom has been thrown into a random series of separate conversations. I've been teaching for 15 years and I still struggle with keeping the environment fun while maintaining control.
Is there a lack of engagement? No! In fact, I think it proves the students are excited about their learning; but it does show a lack of respect for the rules of the classroom, which is why a clear management system is necessary. Once all systems are go, it's the classroom teacher's task to harness that middle school, or elementary, or even high school, energy.
Does traditional teaching work? There are teachers who would tell you it does, but I'm torn. I want students to be disciplined. I believe there is character to be gained by sitting quietly and listening to somebody speak, teach, lecture, what have you. Just because students' attention spans may not be what they used to be doesn't mean we should throw out lectures when frontal teaching is the best option. Students still need to receive information sometimes. I also want students to figure things out for themselves, to solve problems without the teacher's solutions, to discover information. I want them to come up with new ideas and create things I couldn't predict for them.
Tap into the students' energy. In my experience, students (especially middle schoolers) are up for anything. If they have a tough time sitting still, get them out of their seats into groups and put a challenge in front of them. They're not shy, particularly when they can lean on their peers for support.
This is the first year we've tried to use iPads in the classrooms. In our middle school, we share an iPad cart for check out. We've discussed security, privacy, policy. We've tried to be careful in the technology integration. When we finally got the iPads the way we wanted with the right procedures and the right apps, and when we felt the students had been prepared enough, we put the iPads in the students' hands. And do you know what they did?
They dove in. Without inhibition.
They were craving the discovery.
Yes, students need some structure. But they also need some freedom. Freedom to explore, to create...to learn. To get on the wall to look out at their world. And sometimes they need to do this on their own terms.
Listen. You've got some pretty intelligent little humans in your class. Ask them what they'd like to do, how they'd like to learn. With a little feedback from your colleagues on site, your PLN, and your students, you could design some amazing lessons using the technology at your fingertips...ahem...your students' fingertips. Ask them what tech they use, with which apps they've been successful, what's fun, what's boring...you get the picture. You'll have those rambunctious little rascals eating out of your hand in no time.
Fail. My biggest fear going into the classroom 15 years ago was failure. My biggest fear 15 years later is still failure, but I'm finally learning to take risks, especially when integrating technology into my classroom. There are days when the tech doesn't work and we have to try Plan B or Plan C. My students don't look at me and decide the period was worthless. They know we'll try again another day. What a terrific way to model problem solving and perseverance, ingenuity and innovative thinking. Take the risk. What did Thomas Edison say? "I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work."
I tell the kids almost every day that I'm easily distractible. They probably don't care, and yes, they continue to distract me and others. I learned a long time ago that mini-lessons are best. Take that first part of class to explain what's going to happen, to teach content and to show students what it is to sit quietly and listen, but don't drag on too long like I do. As soon as you can, get the students physically involved, whether they're moving around the room, working on a particular assignment, making a poster, targeting a certain project or problem to solve, or manipulating the iPad or some other tech tool.
Let them loose.
Let them fail, and see what they discover about the content and themselves.
I gave him about 10 seconds to have his fun, after which I firmly reminded him to keep it locked down in his hand. We've had this conversation many times; it's a work in progress.
It got me to thinking about how distractible my middle school students can be. If the pencil isn't in the air, it's on the floor or in a neighbor's lap. Chairs scrape noisily on the ground, materials slam on the table, zippers unzip and zip again, pens endlessly click, and if somebody has something they really want to say they grunt as their hand goes up, as if the visual cue wasn't enough.
Does this mean the students are bored? Maybe... But there's no lack of discussion in my room. At every pause there is some sort of response. Tommy has to nudge his buddy Jack and tell a 2 second story in what he thinks is a whisper but definitely is not. That's not a problem necessarily, but Jack has to respond for 2 seconds and Tommy has to finish his thought after that. In the meantime, they've lost track of the larger discussion and distracted Charlene and Maria across the way who have missed their cue to respond to the teacher's question. The noises continue, and as I look around to see whose low, recently "changed" adolescent voice is rumbling continuously in the distance, the classroom has been thrown into a random series of separate conversations. I've been teaching for 15 years and I still struggle with keeping the environment fun while maintaining control.
Is there a lack of engagement? No! In fact, I think it proves the students are excited about their learning; but it does show a lack of respect for the rules of the classroom, which is why a clear management system is necessary. Once all systems are go, it's the classroom teacher's task to harness that middle school, or elementary, or even high school, energy.
Does traditional teaching work? There are teachers who would tell you it does, but I'm torn. I want students to be disciplined. I believe there is character to be gained by sitting quietly and listening to somebody speak, teach, lecture, what have you. Just because students' attention spans may not be what they used to be doesn't mean we should throw out lectures when frontal teaching is the best option. Students still need to receive information sometimes. I also want students to figure things out for themselves, to solve problems without the teacher's solutions, to discover information. I want them to come up with new ideas and create things I couldn't predict for them.
Tap into the students' energy. In my experience, students (especially middle schoolers) are up for anything. If they have a tough time sitting still, get them out of their seats into groups and put a challenge in front of them. They're not shy, particularly when they can lean on their peers for support.
This is the first year we've tried to use iPads in the classrooms. In our middle school, we share an iPad cart for check out. We've discussed security, privacy, policy. We've tried to be careful in the technology integration. When we finally got the iPads the way we wanted with the right procedures and the right apps, and when we felt the students had been prepared enough, we put the iPads in the students' hands. And do you know what they did?
They dove in. Without inhibition.
They were craving the discovery.
Yes, students need some structure. But they also need some freedom. Freedom to explore, to create...to learn. To get on the wall to look out at their world. And sometimes they need to do this on their own terms.
Listen. You've got some pretty intelligent little humans in your class. Ask them what they'd like to do, how they'd like to learn. With a little feedback from your colleagues on site, your PLN, and your students, you could design some amazing lessons using the technology at your fingertips...ahem...your students' fingertips. Ask them what tech they use, with which apps they've been successful, what's fun, what's boring...you get the picture. You'll have those rambunctious little rascals eating out of your hand in no time.
Fail. My biggest fear going into the classroom 15 years ago was failure. My biggest fear 15 years later is still failure, but I'm finally learning to take risks, especially when integrating technology into my classroom. There are days when the tech doesn't work and we have to try Plan B or Plan C. My students don't look at me and decide the period was worthless. They know we'll try again another day. What a terrific way to model problem solving and perseverance, ingenuity and innovative thinking. Take the risk. What did Thomas Edison say? "I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work."
I tell the kids almost every day that I'm easily distractible. They probably don't care, and yes, they continue to distract me and others. I learned a long time ago that mini-lessons are best. Take that first part of class to explain what's going to happen, to teach content and to show students what it is to sit quietly and listen, but don't drag on too long like I do. As soon as you can, get the students physically involved, whether they're moving around the room, working on a particular assignment, making a poster, targeting a certain project or problem to solve, or manipulating the iPad or some other tech tool.
Let them loose.
Let them fail, and see what they discover about the content and themselves.
Tuesday, January 28, 2014
Lessons from the Loom
Back in the day, I remember putting a colored band on my wrist and calling it good. The cool kids would collect like a thousand multi-colored bands and slide them on and off their arms with ease. If I felt creative, I might take a green band and then a yellow band, twist them together and have myself a piece of authentic Oakland A's fan gear. That was 5th grade for me.
Recently, we've seen friendship bracelets, slap bracelets, and Silly Bandz, but the latest fad in wrist decor has found its way into my home 25+ years later with my own 5th grader (and 3rd grader). The Rainbow Loom has arrived; it even fit snugly in the boys' stockings at Christmas time. Raise your hand if you've received one as a gift this school year...
What is it about this new evolution of bands that has kids like my own two boys spending hours of their California 70 degree Sunday afternoon indoors watching how-to videos and making bracelets for themselves and many others?
I've got a few ideas about this and how it can transfer to your classroom. Here are a few Lessons from the Loom, which you may find helpful when organizing your teaching.
Make It Visually Appealing. It's in the name, isn't it? Rainbow Loom. Colors so multitudinous (there's even camouflage kits) they'll make you dizzy. And we all know kids do dizzy. When I was a kid, my friends and I would just spin in circles and then stagger around just for fun! Using this draw for the Rainbow Loom, we teachers pick out colors for our bulletin boards very carefully so that our classrooms make visual sense. We decorate the edges of our worksheets and newsletters with our favorite clip-arts to go along with the theme of our classrooms. We may begin class with video clips or presentations that engage our students from the get-go. We know how visually appealing the media has become and how this intrigues our students (and ourselves). I want to grab students' attention in the same way. Speaking of visuals...
Meet Auditory Needs. When my children are watching a how-to video of a specific type of Rainbow Loom bracelet, they couldn't make sense of it with the volume muted now, could they? My own two boys decided today that being in the same room wasn't working, so they retreated to their own sanctuaries for the simple fact that they wanted to hear the audio instructions of the presenter (who was a kid, mind you). They knew if they missed a piece of the audible instructions, it could prove disastrous for their particular bracelet. Oh to have students in the classroom who hang on every word I say! Perhaps you've mastered this technique, but my middle school students tend to care more about each others' stories than they do mine. I constantly need to readjust my speaking methods to hold my students' attention.
Keep It Structured. Now, I understand that not all students love to focus on the details like I do, but I would be a happier person if they did! Learning how to do something new is a detail-oriented process, and you will notice a very sequential approach when reading through instructions for a board game or for viewing a step-by-step process online. This is the reason my boys couldn't be in the same room at the same time when watching their own videos and making their own bracelets--they didn't want to miss one of the steps. However, if they did, the instruction could be repeated. The beauty of an instructional video is the pause button, not to mention the "rewind" action. So when I give instructions in class, I work to be very clear. Sometimes this occurs at the beginning when I give the sequence of the class period. Other times, it's in written form for project instructions or grading rubrics. Students need the structure, especially if they're in a class with 30 other kids. I want the students to know the direction we're headed, the goal that's ahead of us.
Provide a Clear Goal. I don't know about you, but I personally need something to work toward. Why would I exercise if I didn't have a goal? For some of us, the motivation comes in the form of a race--a half marathon or a 5K mud run. For others, exercise may be simply for a heart healthy lifestyle. Still others may be working toward a degree or certification. The training only matters if you're training for something. In my teaching, I work hard to be clear as to where we're headed in class. You know how students love to ask the question, "Why?" Well, I love to be able to give them an answer to that question...and if you think about it, that's why we set goals in our classrooms; that's why we have identified expectations. In our classrooms, what reasons can we give students to train hard toward a goal? Are we making the learning meaningful? Do the students see a need for our subject material? More importantly, do students see the application of their critical thinking and problem solving within their "training" and how it matters now and in the near and distant future? Within the Rainbow Loom context, kids can literally see the end result ahead of time in pictures and video. They can literally see their progress, a sort of timeline moving forward, and the anticipation can build stronger with each loop until it's "race day" and the bracelet is finished. At that point, just as in a finished race, there is a feeling of accomplishment, a "medal", a "badge of honor" if you will. If that doesn't serve up further motivation, I don't know what does.
Keep It On a Small Scale. Making a bracelet on a Rainbow Loom isn't such a huge task that it seems too daunting to attempt in the first place. Though it may take a some time to figure out, kids go through these bracelets quickly with a bit of practice. And though there may be some frustration when a mistake is made, because it's on a small scale, the mistake can be easily reversed, or the student can view the lesson as learned and start over, knowing that the next time through will be easier and quicker. I saw a lot of perseverance in my boys in their creations, and I think it's because the projects are broken up into smaller pieces. I can take that lesson and apply it to my classroom when I assign projects of my own. Breaking up the project into smaller pieces makes it much more manageable for the kids, and keeping them on pace continues to allow for clear progress toward a goal. Many of those little bands break on the loom, but the mistake is small, and this provides for a smaller solution as well. Again, less daunting for the kids.
Give Choice. First of all, I'm different from you. Secondly, that's a good thing...for both of us; we are both unique individuals. Looking at our students as individuals every day is tough to do, but necessary in our profession. Because I'm unique, I have a different set of interests, viewpoints, dreams, problems, and values than you; and I most definitely have different avenues in which I prefer to reach my goals based on my nature and my nurture. The students are the same way. The Rainbow Loom gives a lot of choice. I've already stated the plethora of colors and color combinations and the dizzying effect these can have for me. But the students also have varying tastes and interests. What's great about the Rainbow Loom is that there are many different bracelet styles and difficulties from which to choose when creating. You have fishtail, starburst, waterfall, and ladder...and those are just the ones off the top of my head. My 5th grader is attempting more difficult styles than my 3rd grader, which makes perfect sense. Similarly, we teachers know we have different skill levels in our classrooms. Why do we continue to make our students reach the goal we have set for them, each in the same exact way? I suggest, along with many other educators, that we make projects about the verb and not the noun. Instead of telling the students to do a PowerPoint, I think we should tell students to present their information using a tool of their choice. Aerosmith said it well: "Life's a journey, not a destination." I say, "Each student's journey should be their own."
Provide the Proper Tools. The Rainbow Loom comes with all you need: a loom, a hook, some bands, and some starter instructions. Add a bit of elbow grease, and you're good to go! Simply put, we should get the right tools in the students' hands. These often need to be taught. For example, if all I've taught is PowerPoint, then I shouldn't expect a lot of variety in the end presentations, or even the process. Once students understand other tools like Prezi, Google Presentations, iMovie, or other presentation possibilities, more choice is possible. Giving students access to a wider array of tools encourages more innovation in the end product, whatever it may be.
Allow for Innovative Creation. Sure, the Rainbow Loom holds specific outcomes, but the practice and repetition involved in making a bracelet designed by somebody else will lead to a new and innovative technique for a brand new model. In essence, isn't that how these bracelets came about anyway? Didn't somebody end up pulling ideas from friendship bracelets, Silly Bandz, and other places to create a new fad for our children? Perhaps my own two boys will learn to make a design of their very own. I would hope that's what they're learning to do in school: using present strategies and practices taught to them by their teachers so that they can build on these for their own futures. Our world continues to change at an alarming pace, and I want my students, not to mention my own children, to have the skills necessary to innovate their world.
I was thinking of titling this post "Perseverance". Well, I thought that would be a bit boring, but in the end I think that's what I want for my boys; that's what I want for my students. I want those who are under my care to learn how to deal with hardship, in whatever form it comes. I want them to set goals and believe that they can be accomplished. When they succeed, I want them to be proud of their success and use that success to their advantage for the future. When they fail, I want them to learn from that failure and try again. How can I teach perseverance to those under my care? Based on my observations of my boys spending hours indoors during an unseasonably warm January afternoon when I should have taken them on a bike ride, I could see that there was something deep down that sparked this perseverance, even when a band broke, or when the video was interrupted, or when it got confusing and tough. I believe we can take lessons from the Rainbow Loom, among other things (video games, for example), and analyze the journey toward perseverance, the route toward a determined grit. As teachers, we can meet the students' visual and auditory needs; we can present clear structure and end goals; we can keep things on a small scale and allow for choice, giving students the tools needed to finish a job well done. Building motivation toward innovative creation should prepare our youth for the future problems they will need to solve.
What other lessons can you take from the perseverance your students demonstrate? Where do they get this grit? How can you teach toward it in your class? Comment if you'd like.
Recently, we've seen friendship bracelets, slap bracelets, and Silly Bandz, but the latest fad in wrist decor has found its way into my home 25+ years later with my own 5th grader (and 3rd grader). The Rainbow Loom has arrived; it even fit snugly in the boys' stockings at Christmas time. Raise your hand if you've received one as a gift this school year...
What is it about this new evolution of bands that has kids like my own two boys spending hours of their California 70 degree Sunday afternoon indoors watching how-to videos and making bracelets for themselves and many others?
I've got a few ideas about this and how it can transfer to your classroom. Here are a few Lessons from the Loom, which you may find helpful when organizing your teaching.
Make It Visually Appealing. It's in the name, isn't it? Rainbow Loom. Colors so multitudinous (there's even camouflage kits) they'll make you dizzy. And we all know kids do dizzy. When I was a kid, my friends and I would just spin in circles and then stagger around just for fun! Using this draw for the Rainbow Loom, we teachers pick out colors for our bulletin boards very carefully so that our classrooms make visual sense. We decorate the edges of our worksheets and newsletters with our favorite clip-arts to go along with the theme of our classrooms. We may begin class with video clips or presentations that engage our students from the get-go. We know how visually appealing the media has become and how this intrigues our students (and ourselves). I want to grab students' attention in the same way. Speaking of visuals...
my 5th grader--who I have since found "sneak-looming"
instead of sleeping
Keep It Structured. Now, I understand that not all students love to focus on the details like I do, but I would be a happier person if they did! Learning how to do something new is a detail-oriented process, and you will notice a very sequential approach when reading through instructions for a board game or for viewing a step-by-step process online. This is the reason my boys couldn't be in the same room at the same time when watching their own videos and making their own bracelets--they didn't want to miss one of the steps. However, if they did, the instruction could be repeated. The beauty of an instructional video is the pause button, not to mention the "rewind" action. So when I give instructions in class, I work to be very clear. Sometimes this occurs at the beginning when I give the sequence of the class period. Other times, it's in written form for project instructions or grading rubrics. Students need the structure, especially if they're in a class with 30 other kids. I want the students to know the direction we're headed, the goal that's ahead of us.
my 3rd grader--who was getting annoyed with the young
presenter who kept asking him to "like" her video
Keep It On a Small Scale. Making a bracelet on a Rainbow Loom isn't such a huge task that it seems too daunting to attempt in the first place. Though it may take a some time to figure out, kids go through these bracelets quickly with a bit of practice. And though there may be some frustration when a mistake is made, because it's on a small scale, the mistake can be easily reversed, or the student can view the lesson as learned and start over, knowing that the next time through will be easier and quicker. I saw a lot of perseverance in my boys in their creations, and I think it's because the projects are broken up into smaller pieces. I can take that lesson and apply it to my classroom when I assign projects of my own. Breaking up the project into smaller pieces makes it much more manageable for the kids, and keeping them on pace continues to allow for clear progress toward a goal. Many of those little bands break on the loom, but the mistake is small, and this provides for a smaller solution as well. Again, less daunting for the kids.
Give Choice. First of all, I'm different from you. Secondly, that's a good thing...for both of us; we are both unique individuals. Looking at our students as individuals every day is tough to do, but necessary in our profession. Because I'm unique, I have a different set of interests, viewpoints, dreams, problems, and values than you; and I most definitely have different avenues in which I prefer to reach my goals based on my nature and my nurture. The students are the same way. The Rainbow Loom gives a lot of choice. I've already stated the plethora of colors and color combinations and the dizzying effect these can have for me. But the students also have varying tastes and interests. What's great about the Rainbow Loom is that there are many different bracelet styles and difficulties from which to choose when creating. You have fishtail, starburst, waterfall, and ladder...and those are just the ones off the top of my head. My 5th grader is attempting more difficult styles than my 3rd grader, which makes perfect sense. Similarly, we teachers know we have different skill levels in our classrooms. Why do we continue to make our students reach the goal we have set for them, each in the same exact way? I suggest, along with many other educators, that we make projects about the verb and not the noun. Instead of telling the students to do a PowerPoint, I think we should tell students to present their information using a tool of their choice. Aerosmith said it well: "Life's a journey, not a destination." I say, "Each student's journey should be their own."
Provide the Proper Tools. The Rainbow Loom comes with all you need: a loom, a hook, some bands, and some starter instructions. Add a bit of elbow grease, and you're good to go! Simply put, we should get the right tools in the students' hands. These often need to be taught. For example, if all I've taught is PowerPoint, then I shouldn't expect a lot of variety in the end presentations, or even the process. Once students understand other tools like Prezi, Google Presentations, iMovie, or other presentation possibilities, more choice is possible. Giving students access to a wider array of tools encourages more innovation in the end product, whatever it may be.
Allow for Innovative Creation. Sure, the Rainbow Loom holds specific outcomes, but the practice and repetition involved in making a bracelet designed by somebody else will lead to a new and innovative technique for a brand new model. In essence, isn't that how these bracelets came about anyway? Didn't somebody end up pulling ideas from friendship bracelets, Silly Bandz, and other places to create a new fad for our children? Perhaps my own two boys will learn to make a design of their very own. I would hope that's what they're learning to do in school: using present strategies and practices taught to them by their teachers so that they can build on these for their own futures. Our world continues to change at an alarming pace, and I want my students, not to mention my own children, to have the skills necessary to innovate their world.
I was thinking of titling this post "Perseverance". Well, I thought that would be a bit boring, but in the end I think that's what I want for my boys; that's what I want for my students. I want those who are under my care to learn how to deal with hardship, in whatever form it comes. I want them to set goals and believe that they can be accomplished. When they succeed, I want them to be proud of their success and use that success to their advantage for the future. When they fail, I want them to learn from that failure and try again. How can I teach perseverance to those under my care? Based on my observations of my boys spending hours indoors during an unseasonably warm January afternoon when I should have taken them on a bike ride, I could see that there was something deep down that sparked this perseverance, even when a band broke, or when the video was interrupted, or when it got confusing and tough. I believe we can take lessons from the Rainbow Loom, among other things (video games, for example), and analyze the journey toward perseverance, the route toward a determined grit. As teachers, we can meet the students' visual and auditory needs; we can present clear structure and end goals; we can keep things on a small scale and allow for choice, giving students the tools needed to finish a job well done. Building motivation toward innovative creation should prepare our youth for the future problems they will need to solve.
What other lessons can you take from the perseverance your students demonstrate? Where do they get this grit? How can you teach toward it in your class? Comment if you'd like.
Sunday, January 19, 2014
Table Top Experiences
Have you realized true rewards in your teaching? Have you noticed the route you took to make it happen? What role did your students play?
During my freshman year in college (a long time ago), my buddy and I took a road trip with his older brother and friend to the Southwest for our Spring Break. After traveling over a thousand miles from Michigan to Colorado, we hiked up St. Mary's Glacier, mountain bikes on our backs, sweating in the sunshine. The journey was draining, but wow what a view when we reached the top!
A few days later we biked the Slick Rock Trail in Moab, Utah, and trekked through part of Arches National Park; we spent the day gaining in elevation, up, up, up. I didn't think I had it in me to make it through the day, but after arriving at Delicate Arch, there was a sense of giddy pride as we explored the deeply bowled area surrounding the beautiful monument.
As if we hadn't had enough adventure on our trip already, we traveled through Mesa Verde National Park (Spanish for "Green Table") with its ancient cliff dwellings, settled into a relative's house for the night in Rehoboth, New Mexico, and during dinner, decided to climb the random mesa we spotted in the distance the following morning. This isn't the mesa we saw, but you get the picture.
Sure enough, we got up early, drove over, and parked at the bottom. I don't remember the climb that well, except that it was grueling. I do remember the "table top experience": we were in the midst of a significant, green expanse of trees, and we ambled across the flat top of the mesa from one side to the other, exploring what we'd never known before. Arriving at the far edge, we viewed the awe-inspiring landscape spread out before us. What a sight!
This is the journey we're on. We put in the work, often times with blood, sweat, and tears, as we groan with the effort to reach new levels in our teaching. Doesn't it seem to always be an upward climb? And there really is no guarantee that our students will follow our leading. Will our children climb with us? Will they hike up the mountain, often with heavy loads to carry? Will they click through the correct gears for the ascent? Will they use the handholds and footholds we're pointing out to them?
I continue to climb that wall with my class so that we can look with faith at our world.
I hope you've all had your table top experiences--your rewards for all your painstakingly hard work. Remember that view! When you stand on your particular wall, take note of how far you've come, and make sure your students know what they've accomplished. Rejoice in your reward.
I've had days in my teaching when I've scrambled and clawed my way to reach that summit, taken a breath, and looked out at the wonderful scenery below. I've turned around and noticed the steep road I conquered and felt proud. Those days it seems I can do anything I set my mind to. But where do we go from there? We've got to descend.
That Colorado glacier wasn't all that solid. As I biked down, my front tire kept sinking into the snow, causing me to flip over the handle bars...not once, but many times. That multi-mile road descent from the height of Arches National Park was exhilarating but extremely nerve-wracking at the speeds we hit. And that climb down the mesa was the scariest experience of my life. To make a long story short, I envisioned my youthful 19 year-old life coming to a rocky end with one mis-step and was frozen with fear for a good 10 minutes before I braved the next foothold down. But I survived and am better for it.
The descent takes courage. After the difficulties of the research, the prep, the plans, the implementation, the assessment, the management, the communication, the standards, you know...that upward climb...you just might gain the well-earned perspective you've been striving toward with your students. Take your time breathing in the beauty of it all. And remember how you got there. Then you can descend with courage, knowing that you can do it all over again.
During my freshman year in college (a long time ago), my buddy and I took a road trip with his older brother and friend to the Southwest for our Spring Break. After traveling over a thousand miles from Michigan to Colorado, we hiked up St. Mary's Glacier, mountain bikes on our backs, sweating in the sunshine. The journey was draining, but wow what a view when we reached the top!
credit: Jon Cook
credit: alierturk.deviantart.com
As if we hadn't had enough adventure on our trip already, we traveled through Mesa Verde National Park (Spanish for "Green Table") with its ancient cliff dwellings, settled into a relative's house for the night in Rehoboth, New Mexico, and during dinner, decided to climb the random mesa we spotted in the distance the following morning. This isn't the mesa we saw, but you get the picture.
credit: indigenousknowledge.org
Sure enough, we got up early, drove over, and parked at the bottom. I don't remember the climb that well, except that it was grueling. I do remember the "table top experience": we were in the midst of a significant, green expanse of trees, and we ambled across the flat top of the mesa from one side to the other, exploring what we'd never known before. Arriving at the far edge, we viewed the awe-inspiring landscape spread out before us. What a sight!
This is the journey we're on. We put in the work, often times with blood, sweat, and tears, as we groan with the effort to reach new levels in our teaching. Doesn't it seem to always be an upward climb? And there really is no guarantee that our students will follow our leading. Will our children climb with us? Will they hike up the mountain, often with heavy loads to carry? Will they click through the correct gears for the ascent? Will they use the handholds and footholds we're pointing out to them?
I continue to climb that wall with my class so that we can look with faith at our world.
I hope you've all had your table top experiences--your rewards for all your painstakingly hard work. Remember that view! When you stand on your particular wall, take note of how far you've come, and make sure your students know what they've accomplished. Rejoice in your reward.
I've had days in my teaching when I've scrambled and clawed my way to reach that summit, taken a breath, and looked out at the wonderful scenery below. I've turned around and noticed the steep road I conquered and felt proud. Those days it seems I can do anything I set my mind to. But where do we go from there? We've got to descend.
That Colorado glacier wasn't all that solid. As I biked down, my front tire kept sinking into the snow, causing me to flip over the handle bars...not once, but many times. That multi-mile road descent from the height of Arches National Park was exhilarating but extremely nerve-wracking at the speeds we hit. And that climb down the mesa was the scariest experience of my life. To make a long story short, I envisioned my youthful 19 year-old life coming to a rocky end with one mis-step and was frozen with fear for a good 10 minutes before I braved the next foothold down. But I survived and am better for it.
The descent takes courage. After the difficulties of the research, the prep, the plans, the implementation, the assessment, the management, the communication, the standards, you know...that upward climb...you just might gain the well-earned perspective you've been striving toward with your students. Take your time breathing in the beauty of it all. And remember how you got there. Then you can descend with courage, knowing that you can do it all over again.
Wednesday, November 27, 2013
Weeding Wasn't Enough
The girls trudged in lugging bags of compost, flats of flowers, and gardening tools.
"What's all this?" I asked.
"We're planting flowers today, remember?" one of them replied.
I was impressed. "I thought you were just weeding today. Did you change your mind?"
"No, we just thought we'd plant flowers, too!"
Hearts to Love, Hands to Serve. That's our school theme this year, and it was developed from the passage in 1 Samuel 12:24: "But be sure to fear the Lord and serve him faithfully with all your heart; consider what great things he has done for you."
These girls, and each of the other students in my class, were going all out.
Now it could have been that they knew they were getting out of regular class work. I am not so naive to rule that one out, but each student in my 4th period homeroom came to school excited to serve that day.
It began with an Apptivities type of lesson I had planned. I didn't have the iPads in my classroom at the time, but there was a promise...and I rolled with it. The rough lesson would revolve around the Hearts to Love, Hands to Serve theme from 1 Samuel 12:24 and a bulletin board I had created for my sixth grade classroom. I love putting up blank bulletin boards that the students can work on as the year progresses. For one, it kindles a curiosity, but it also allows students to create. And I found out that weeding wasn't enough for these girls. They didn't want to simply erase the blemishes on campus; they wanted to beautify it. In a small way, the girls were reclaiming their world.
Once a month in our middle school, we have a class period devoted to serving others, so we took our first day to plan out what we wanted to do. I released groups of students to all corners of the campus to identify problem areas. Some found areas riddled with litter; some found fence lines taken over by bermuda; some found play areas unsafe; and of course some wanted to pull weeds.
With the iPad, students needed to take a "before" picture of the problem area. The rest of the process would be to plan work materials to bring, get to work for 45 minutes, take an "after" picture, share the pictures with me, and then write a response to the activity on a blog post (I am an English teacher after all). When it is all said and done, we'll post pictures to our class Flickr account and create QR codes (linked to the blog page) on store-bought handprints to post on our bulletin board.
For our second session, then, we took our before pictures during our Wednesday homeroom service day. Students planned out materials, and I promised them they could have the regular English class period on Thursday to perform the work. They came prepared, and they served. It was unusually warm for the end of October, and many students were dressed in neon clothes for a "Red Ribbon Week" dress up day, but amidst the sweat and the dirt stains, the students attacked their jobs with energy. Some weren't even finished with their work before lunch time, so they asked if they could spend their recess finishing the job, to which I answered a resounding, "Yes!" Here are some pictures of their work in progress (you can even see one of me in there if you look closely).
The work is done, but we're still completing our after pictures and QR coded blogs, which will occur in our next homeroom session. I would just like to say I'm proud of those kiddos. They took an opportunity to serve and made it their own. I laid the foundation, but they built the house with their planning, gathering, and creating. I look forward to continuing our discussion on how we can serve the Lord in big and small ways.
"What's all this?" I asked.
"We're planting flowers today, remember?" one of them replied.
I was impressed. "I thought you were just weeding today. Did you change your mind?"
"No, we just thought we'd plant flowers, too!"
Hearts to Love, Hands to Serve. That's our school theme this year, and it was developed from the passage in 1 Samuel 12:24: "But be sure to fear the Lord and serve him faithfully with all your heart; consider what great things he has done for you."
These girls, and each of the other students in my class, were going all out.
Now it could have been that they knew they were getting out of regular class work. I am not so naive to rule that one out, but each student in my 4th period homeroom came to school excited to serve that day.
It began with an Apptivities type of lesson I had planned. I didn't have the iPads in my classroom at the time, but there was a promise...and I rolled with it. The rough lesson would revolve around the Hearts to Love, Hands to Serve theme from 1 Samuel 12:24 and a bulletin board I had created for my sixth grade classroom. I love putting up blank bulletin boards that the students can work on as the year progresses. For one, it kindles a curiosity, but it also allows students to create. And I found out that weeding wasn't enough for these girls. They didn't want to simply erase the blemishes on campus; they wanted to beautify it. In a small way, the girls were reclaiming their world.
Once a month in our middle school, we have a class period devoted to serving others, so we took our first day to plan out what we wanted to do. I released groups of students to all corners of the campus to identify problem areas. Some found areas riddled with litter; some found fence lines taken over by bermuda; some found play areas unsafe; and of course some wanted to pull weeds.
With the iPad, students needed to take a "before" picture of the problem area. The rest of the process would be to plan work materials to bring, get to work for 45 minutes, take an "after" picture, share the pictures with me, and then write a response to the activity on a blog post (I am an English teacher after all). When it is all said and done, we'll post pictures to our class Flickr account and create QR codes (linked to the blog page) on store-bought handprints to post on our bulletin board.
For our second session, then, we took our before pictures during our Wednesday homeroom service day. Students planned out materials, and I promised them they could have the regular English class period on Thursday to perform the work. They came prepared, and they served. It was unusually warm for the end of October, and many students were dressed in neon clothes for a "Red Ribbon Week" dress up day, but amidst the sweat and the dirt stains, the students attacked their jobs with energy. Some weren't even finished with their work before lunch time, so they asked if they could spend their recess finishing the job, to which I answered a resounding, "Yes!" Here are some pictures of their work in progress (you can even see one of me in there if you look closely).
The work is done, but we're still completing our after pictures and QR coded blogs, which will occur in our next homeroom session. I would just like to say I'm proud of those kiddos. They took an opportunity to serve and made it their own. I laid the foundation, but they built the house with their planning, gathering, and creating. I look forward to continuing our discussion on how we can serve the Lord in big and small ways.
Sunday, October 13, 2013
blog2buds
Well, I finished the Innovative Educator Advanced Studies Certificate, the IEASC, an online educational technology certification through Computer Using Educators (CUE) and Fresno Pacific University. I can say to everybody who cares that it has transformed how I teach. It was quite a ride: I was able to succeed in completing 18 units in 6 months from April to October. Completely done.
From learning Google Drive...to exploring numerous Web 2.0 tools...to implementing iPads...to taking the plunge into classroom blogging with my sixth graders, using technology as a tool to help students create deeper meaning has become an expectation I have of myself, and I hope to spread the joy within my sphere of influence.
As a class, we have published our first blog posts to our Australian
friends. In the welcome paragraphs that the students shared with the Australian class, they made sure to begin with a jovial greeting, continue with some information about themselves, and end with a few questions for their buds across the globe. After a 2 week term break in Australia, we eagerly await responses within the blog comments. This will be our first real communication with our buddies who live almost 8,000 miles west of us!
We have just completed one quarter of our school year, so you could say that our road has been slow-going. But I believe it is extremely important to do something like blogging for the very first time in a deliberate manner. We laid the groundwork in August, September, and some of October, and now we will continue our journey and see what's around the bend.
As a teacher who just completed an intensive series of courses to earn the title "Innovative Educator", I feel as if a journey is ending, but if I'm completely honest with myself, I know my journey is far from over. And I want to take as many as I can along for the ride.
Part of the requirement of the IEASC program was to create a project that could innovate education and be effective on a global scale. As I took an elective course as part of the program through FPU called Web 2.0 Tools for the Classroom in June and July, my eyes were opened to student blogging, and I decided then that I wanted my Language Arts students to blog their way through sixth grade. I didn't quite know where to start: some pieces fell into place and some had to be pounded into the proper shape, but my final project became blog2buds. It is a website that documents my blogging journey with my students, offers suggestions for other teachers who would like to start blogging in class, and connects educators by using my blog2buds Google Plus global community.
If you haven't already clicked on the link above, you should check out blog2buds now!
This is an unveiling of sorts. It's the road I'm taking. As I travel, I hope to see you along the way. Perhaps we could travel together for while and get to know each other and share some stories as we walk along toward our destinations.
From learning Google Drive...to exploring numerous Web 2.0 tools...to implementing iPads...to taking the plunge into classroom blogging with my sixth graders, using technology as a tool to help students create deeper meaning has become an expectation I have of myself, and I hope to spread the joy within my sphere of influence.
As a class, we have published our first blog posts to our Australian
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| photo credit: Lisa Nielsen |
We have just completed one quarter of our school year, so you could say that our road has been slow-going. But I believe it is extremely important to do something like blogging for the very first time in a deliberate manner. We laid the groundwork in August, September, and some of October, and now we will continue our journey and see what's around the bend.
As a teacher who just completed an intensive series of courses to earn the title "Innovative Educator", I feel as if a journey is ending, but if I'm completely honest with myself, I know my journey is far from over. And I want to take as many as I can along for the ride.
If you haven't already clicked on the link above, you should check out blog2buds now!
This is an unveiling of sorts. It's the road I'm taking. As I travel, I hope to see you along the way. Perhaps we could travel together for while and get to know each other and share some stories as we walk along toward our destinations.
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