tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-49454788584221058912024-03-13T07:44:14.875-07:00Chez BullockAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17209664217531515445noreply@blogger.comBlogger18125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4945478858422105891.post-78631152454911869602018-02-13T11:24:00.000-08:002018-02-13T11:24:40.879-08:00Art or Artisan? Thoughts around teachingThis post lives on Mark Carbone's blog. He, Derek Rhodenizer, and I chatted recently on what defines "the art of teaching". Thanks also to Stephen Hurley for hosting us on VoicEd Radio.<br />
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<a href="https://blog.markwcarbone.ca/2018/02/05/tvcs-9/">https://blog.markwcarbone.ca/2018/02/05/tvcs-9/</a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17209664217531515445noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4945478858422105891.post-89929237313488121172016-10-03T06:52:00.002-07:002016-10-03T06:52:57.221-07:00The Case for RetweetsI sometimes feel like the same things pop up on Twitter over and over again. I look to Twitter for innovative technologies, new ideas in education, or great reading to push my thinking. There are moments when I don't find anything that grabs my attention as something to explore; I feel like I see the same things being shared multiple times....and that's when I stop and think.<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1uuQxGXZr2I/V_JielpQjII/AAAAAAAAFeM/f2JolsePQhACexNikQgUcnWD7s7vGYB5wCLcB/s1600/penny-farthing-vintage-bicycle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1uuQxGXZr2I/V_JielpQjII/AAAAAAAAFeM/f2JolsePQhACexNikQgUcnWD7s7vGYB5wCLcB/s200/penny-farthing-vintage-bicycle.jpg" width="160" /></a>1. Consider a metaphor, where transportation equals learning; everyone travels differently. Some walk leisurely down a quiet country path, embracing the peace that is stirred only by a single songbird in a tree; others blast through subway tunnels, high on the anticipation of where the trains may take them; still others are welding a supersonic, time-travelling submarine in their garage, preparing for a mind-blowing journey. Each journey is valid, and has value for the traveller.<br />
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2. What may be a familiar idea to me, may be brand new, exciting, and motivating for someone else. I joined Twitter to be part of a Learning Network; I should contribute as a team player to augment others' learning. You may not need to read at length about a new tool or pedagogical practice; don't let that govern whether or not you retweet. Someone in your PLN is likely to find this tweet useful and valuable. <br />
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While it can at times be tedious to wade through the current, your "aha" tweet, retweeted by someone else, will float by any time soon.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17209664217531515445noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4945478858422105891.post-27986020927768029542016-08-19T10:57:00.000-07:002016-08-19T10:57:24.675-07:00Leverage Google Hangouts in classToday at CATC Camp, a group of 30 educators took part in a discussion about online assessment tools. During the chat, we invited in <a href="https://ca.linkedin.com/in/sandracinqmars" target="_blank">Sandra </a>from <a href="http://sesamehq.com/" target="_blank">Sesame</a> to answer any specific questions about this tool. She used a screen share to visually walk us through various steps using this tool. We were able to share some questions with her in advance with a google form and corresponding answer sheet, so she was prepared before hand.<br />
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As a classroom teacher with a GAFE environment, we have access to the amazing Google Hangout tool to invite experts into the room too. Teachers no longer need to feel pressure to know every answer, or to feel inadequate because s/he cannot answer a student question immediately. Everyday learning can happen in a larger, virtual community outside the four walls of our classrooms. Who can you invite to teach your class as a virtual guest speaker?<br />
<span id="goog_957104059"></span><span id="goog_957104060"></span><span id="docs-internal-guid-9833db6e-a3e8-f64e-4dea-9435489353ba"> </span> <br />
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-J1gfNEpfRpE/V7dICZO0LoI/AAAAAAAAFNE/56-E-kfaYoMYoNLevvdIo11KWg1O7U0NACLcB/s1600/Awakening%2BBook%2BMagic%2B%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-J1gfNEpfRpE/V7dICZO0LoI/AAAAAAAAFNE/56-E-kfaYoMYoNLevvdIo11KWg1O7U0NACLcB/s400/Awakening%2BBook%2BMagic%2B%25281%2529.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div>
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Students chat with author Kit Pearson about <u>The Sky is Falling</u></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17209664217531515445noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4945478858422105891.post-75705204911896589962016-07-14T12:25:00.002-07:002016-07-14T12:26:51.807-07:00Igniting Connections 50 Years LaterI tried to light some fires today. I took a risk and used social media to contact people I don't know. Part of me felt a bit like a sales weasel, but I persevered through that uneasiness because I believe in what I did.<br />
In 1966 my mom graduated from Imlay City High School, in Imlay City Michigan. Her class is coming back together in two weeks for their 50th reunion; those who are able to anyway. My mom is not in that group, and I feel badly that she cannot travel to attend, when I know she would love to see her friends back in their home town again.<br />
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I decided to take a risk to create a way for grads to connect virtually. I made a Google Form, and a map, where grads could input their current location, and add email if they wished to get in contact with anyone again. Sounds great, right? Why do I still feel like I'm locked out of the school with no way in? The '66 grads are almost 70 years old, and I worried that many of them would not have a strong social media presence, so I could push this idea to them. I was surprised to find a good number of graduates on Facebook (after some careful sleuthing through reunion photo credits) so I decided to shoot them all a message explaining who I am, and would they mind sharing the form and map links to anyone else from that era, thanks very much?<br />
<a href="https://twitter.com/aliringbull/status/753645923343994880">https://twitter.com/aliringbull/status/753645923343994880</a><br />
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I know social media isn't meant for cold solicitation; I don't appreciate when companies "follow" me with the hopes of peddling a product. However, my product is Human Connection. I believe in the positive powers of my product, and its benefit to everyone who uses it. All I want is for my mom to feel a part of her class reunion. To me, it was worth taking the risk to tap a few strangers on the shoulder to see if they'd like to play along. I'm now trusting the Universe and my faithful PLN to help RT and spread the word for me too. I'll put the matches down for now.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17209664217531515445noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4945478858422105891.post-87813519769435544032016-03-01T07:27:00.000-08:002016-03-01T07:27:00.751-08:00What If...?<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-i8QKJrqF-EU/VtW0Vegf10I/AAAAAAAAEHs/BhsVZRVSNSY/s1600/question-mark-460869_960_720.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="background-color: black;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-i8QKJrqF-EU/VtW0Vegf10I/AAAAAAAAEHs/BhsVZRVSNSY/s320/question-mark-460869_960_720.jpg" width="320" /></span></a>I have combined 2 responses into one thought; asking teachers to behave like learners, stepping down from their figurative platforms, would be an enormous risk for many. The idea of not having every answer goes against the ingrained idea of teacher as fountain of wisdom. That said, I think that is self-imposed, and not the way we view our colleagues. (it only matters if <b>we</b> are the all-knowing)<br />
If I were a student, it would be comforting to watch my teacher learn along with me; it might even be a great opportunity for me to teach him/her, upping my self-esteem, and letting me consolidate my own learning.<br />
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Here are more what ifs:<br />
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What if we could all practise the <a href="https://goo.gl/CzjPa3" target="_blank">Law of Two Feet</a> every day in our schools? <br />
What if I could spend time learning from colleagues and other students at my own pace?<br />
What if students could pick and choose simply based on inspiration and curiosity?<br />
What would the general public think looking in from the outside? <br />
How might that change if they could also experience this model?<br />
<span id="goog_973562809"></span><span id="goog_973562810"></span><br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17209664217531515445noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4945478858422105891.post-65325134460414522252015-12-09T11:59:00.001-08:002015-12-09T11:59:59.181-08:00Measuring up to Maker SpacesI often have conversations with myself about balancing progress with the rest of Life. At times I find myself feeling like I'm behind my edge-pushing colleagues when it comes to the latest, greatest ed trend, app, book, or pedagogical method; I feel like I should be pushing harder to be in the know.<br />
One area I feel a bit removed from is the Maker Space. One definition of a maker space says:<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">"<span style="background-color: #fbfaf8; color: #5f5f5f; font-family: myriad-pro, sans-serif; line-height: 32.4px;">Makerspaces, sometimes also referred to as hackerspaces, hackspaces, and fablabs are creative, DIY spaces where people can gather to create, invent, and learn. In libraries they often have 3D printers, software, electronics, craft and hardware supplies and tools, and more." </span></span><span style="background-color: #fbfaf8; color: #5f5f5f; font-family: myriad-pro, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 32.4px;"> </span><span style="background-color: #fbfaf8; color: #5f5f5f; font-family: myriad-pro, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 25.0001px;"><a href="http://goo.gl/jIj41i" target="_blank">Ellyssa Krosk</a>i</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: #fbfaf8; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 25.0001px;">My first thought is, 'how come I never did this?' Then I start thinking back on my own teaching experience, and remember craft tables smeared in glue and glitter and googly eyes; finding pipe cleaner snippets in the ruler bucket, or a neglected doll's shoe ditched between the bookshelves. Those items were all part of a maker-activity at some point, but it just wasn't called that. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: #fbfaf8; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 25.0001px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: #fbfaf8; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 25.0001px;">I'm not suggesting that the craft centre and a maker space are the same thing. Organizations like <a href="http://makermedia.com/">Makermedia.com</a> </span><span style="background-color: #fbfaf8; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 25.0001px;">assert that maker spaces encourage DIY projects using technology. </span><span style="background-color: #fbfaf8; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 25.0001px;">Until recent years my hands-on projects were for an art activity, or perhaps an artifact to compliment a book or science concept.</span><span style="background-color: #fbfaf8; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 25.0001px;"> </span><span style="background-color: #fbfaf8; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 25.0001px;">Mary Beth Hertz, in </span><a href="http://goo.gl/hnIIA" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 25.0001px;" target="_blank">this blog post</a><span style="background-color: #fbfaf8; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 25.0001px;"> points out that maker spaces are an answer to the US's mediocre performance in STEM education. It seems schools are more frequently investing in kits, 3D printers, and other high-end tech products to help students develop creativity and problem-solving skills; yarn and Tinker Toys at the cozy craft table don't cut it any more. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: #fbfaf8; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 25.0001px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: #fbfaf8; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 25.0001px;">What if that's right where we are today? Are we doing a disservice to kids by offering modest tools to foster creativity? No. </span><span style="background-color: #fbfaf8; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 25.0001px;">While we need to give ourselves props for being capable, competent educators in this moment, we want to be better than that in twenty moments from now.</span><span style="background-color: #fbfaf8; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 25.0001px;"> A next step would be to think about when and why students should be makers: </span><span style="background-color: #fbfaf8; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 25.0001px;">Is this particular context an appropriate one to introduce techno-DIY, model building, movie creation? </span><span style="background-color: #fbfaf8; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 25.0001px;">Why not let students build or create something as one option to express their learning? Are they fully engaged in their learning without having an extensive creativity space? </span><br />
<span style="background-color: #fbfaf8; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 25.0001px;">Part of why I'm not there yet is because I haven't tried much myself. I owe it to students to grow, improve, ask questions, try stuff, fail, and try more stuff, all in the name of being satisfied that I tried to push and own my learning. There are countless websites, blogs, books, and Twitter feeds that can all help us; we are far from alone here. Like we tell our students, set a realistic goal, and work towards that one small improvement that makes us more comfortable with maker spaces.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: #fbfaf8; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 25.0001px;">What are your favourite maker space resources?</span><br />
<span style="background-color: #fbfaf8; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 25.0001px;"><br /></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17209664217531515445noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4945478858422105891.post-80534624011801518652015-11-26T11:04:00.002-08:002015-11-26T11:27:24.896-08:00The Case for Collaboration<b id="docs-internal-guid-e34e7c21-452c-d72e-a7c3-ac2322b73155" style="clear: left; float: left; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /><img height="164px;" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/cscQG3_rzmlNnSYRV0_E-XMn9zWQVzCnCS7G7D31wwbToJFv_tJaIzE_xsbstPG6qFRndqmzMS7icXhtDOCUYhccGcSzZjY4ZKF7re4PLqWHBjtMi3sAju0HYp4KoY-PSSio6DI" style="border: none; transform: rotate(0rad);" width="164px;" /></b><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Collaboration is a big buzzword in education right now. We’re told that employers want creative team-players, who can solve problems with critical thinking. Working together often allows students a place to bounce around and grow ideas, yet I find some teachers still reluctant to take a risk and change their practice to include a collaboration project. There is pressure to hit all the curriculum expectations, to deliver quality test scores, and to regularly communicate with parents about student progress, be it in person or through written reports. To contemplate, on top of all this, a new way of teaching that involves another class, possibly another school, and technology-infused learning can seem daunting and intimidating to even the most seasoned veteran. So the question then begs: Why would anyone do this?</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I have now completed two different collaboration projects involving my grade 4 class, and a grade 10 class in a neighbouring city. Both projects happened towards the end of the year, and integrated a few subject areas, as well as the “soft skills” like communication, compromise, and teamwork. The first year we had one end product- an interactive history museum, featuring structures from Ancient Times; the second one resulted in a variety of passion projects, ranging from constructing and operating a drone, to designing a music school and lessons for the less fortunate, to running a bake sale and flag football tournament to raise funds for a local sports charity. (as a team we raised $600)</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">All well and good, but in your educator’s mind, you are asking: how did this push students forward? How is this an improvement on what I’m already doing? </span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The first Grade 10 class was at the Applied level; kids who were not ordinarily in leadership roles suddenly became mentors; grade 4 sought opinions and valued their input into the design process. The older students acted as “contributing citizens” fostering “respectful relationships”, both qualities outlined in our </span><a href="http://goo.gl/8VGZVV" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Board’s Improvement Plan.</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The learning products weren’t just another task in the vacuum of our classroom; the exhibits were for someone else. Parents, grandparents, and other school visitors came to our museum to learn from the experts. Students became more confident and creative with how they used technology tools. Students blogged about the entire process, often getting comments and feedback from their high school partners, and family members too. Growing confidence, practising metacognition, developing critical thinking; all of these elements push students forward.</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I believe one of the most important features that kept students engaged, was creating something for others. Students enjoyed opportunities to help the less fortunate, or to teach other students, and in both cases helped to create the conditions for success. Kids made a difference on their own, to people in the real world. As a team, with constant communication in an environment of respect, kids felt great about what they accomplished. At that point I knew this was something bigger than just a cool, innovative project. The students grew as people. A year after the fact, my high school colleague still had students coming back to him, asking if he was going to do another project with this year’s class. </span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Was it difficult and at times messy? Yes. Did we know what the exact outcome was going be? No. I am not in the classroom this year, otherwise I would absolutely do this again. In my current role, I can share my experience with other education innovators, and hopefully persuade them to try a collaboration project too.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In my experience, this approach was well received by both our school administration and the parent community. If you are interested in learning more, chatting about this or ready to find a project partner, please follow the link to a form where you can leave me your contact information.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://goo.gl/bePPgi" style="text-decoration: none;">https://goo.gl/bePPgi</a></span><br />
<img height="150px;" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/bQybL991fReS0ppQunc1KcpHuYvTyVbSNVdpVFZtWCC2CswxOAvrggyUS2SGAMqwMM3jdjnvbpCYtbeHy8TGhZkCT6BahZzEDAJjcN9zGSpP9ulEVzcGS4YzubqnTe16tbRINkU" style="-webkit-transform: rotate(0.00rad); border: none; transform: rotate(0.00rad);" width="150px;" /></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">cross-posted at http://teachers.wrdsb.ca/aliringbull/blog/</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17209664217531515445noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4945478858422105891.post-20861637714709075852015-08-31T07:25:00.000-07:002015-08-31T07:25:12.109-07:00Transparency and TrustThis year I am beginning the school year in a different role; I will be away from direct classroom instruction, and working with colleagues around the Board as a Digital Literacy Support Teacher. That means I get to help teachers as they think about ways to incorporate technology into their practice, making positive changes that keep kids engaged and excited to learn.<br />
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I'm already feeling the change- no classroom set up; no class lists, duty schedules, etc. I do miss the first few days in late August when many of us roll back into the school and re-connect after the summer. The energy is motivating, and I'm often excited to get back to it with my colleagues. I'm now just thinking about last fall, and the single best thing I did as a teacher to set myself up for support from the parents.<br />
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I invited my class parents to all come at a specific time on Meet the Teacher night, for a 15 minute demo of the major technology tools I would be using in class with their kids. The "techno-slam" gave parents a chance to see Twitter, Google Apps, and Weebly in action, and to hear why I was using them. We even had personal movies ready for our parents (see link to Mark Carbone's blog post) telling them how excited we were to be in Grade Four.<br />
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-W1KmRKEk2S0/VeRjRV5C7bI/AAAAAAAADk4/3250iFzhTyI/s1600/IMG_0542.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-W1KmRKEk2S0/VeRjRV5C7bI/AAAAAAAADk4/3250iFzhTyI/s200/IMG_0542.JPG" title="" width="200" /></a><br />
In addition to our Board's standard Media Release form, I also created <a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/18Wcex9UFhRQi0LCGADPh0rChqvzzrCzzjd-3wU3Q808/edit?usp=sharing" target="_blank">my own specific form</a> to allow students to be seen and heard on social media. I felt this was critical in order to make <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QLhWM1ebon0&list=PLOS_FhwtozK7M_vCYw_qnQsfQwIRZcfpk&index=3" target="_blank">monthly news</a> videos, rather than send home a monthly news letter.<br />
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At the end of my fifteen minute blurb, every family present had signed the permission form; a clear message to me that they were on board with my program! Thanks to <a href="https://twitter.com/markwcarbone" target="_blank">Mark Carbone</a>, the evening was documented in <a href="http://blog.markwcarbone.ca/2014/09/09/meet-the-teacher/" target="_blank">video</a>, so I could share it with others. Parents commented throughout the year that their students we so excited to be using tech tools; some commented that this was the most motivated their children had been so far as students. The products I received from kids, as well as the sharing we did through social media, made for experiences that would not have been possible without embracing the positive powers of technology as learners. Looking back on how much we created, learned, and shared, I can say The Slam was the smartest move I made to guarantee support and success.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17209664217531515445noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4945478858422105891.post-64229349660196030252015-02-16T06:57:00.000-08:002015-02-16T06:57:20.204-08:00I know what my word is...In response to a question posed by <a href="http://blog.markwcarbone.ca/2015/01/20/one-word-for-2015/" target="_blank">Mark Carbone</a>, I have figured out what my word for 2015 is. I like the idea of choosing one word to focus on; something that makes me ask why I do what I do in my classroom, and professional practice.<br />
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Push. That's my word. This could be interpreted several ways; I don't mean the evil shove of a cold, steel hook as you stumble bound and gagged, heart thundering, terror-struck down a gangplank to circling sharks.<br />
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The push I want to consider is the insistent little voice that reminds me to just go ahead and try it. It's the nudge to go ahead and submit proposals to present at conferences; to overhaul units so kids create the content; to attempt a re-working of my current work flow to work smarter.<br />
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I want to pay closer attention to when I should push. When I find myself thinking "I've always done it like this" or "It worked fine last year..."<b> that's the precise moment</b> to consider a push in a new direction.<br />
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What stops me sometimes? Fear of failing in front of the students; looking incompetent in front of colleagues and peers, although I feel it less and less, the more I feel convinced that my new push is a good idea. Mark's word is 'model'. I can certainly model for students and colleagues that I'm trying something new; it may or may not work, but at least I tried something new. Sometimes the push is hard, when previous leaps got me nowhere, or weren't widely accepted as successful. It just takes that one real fire-cracker of an idea, with positive impact on everyone involved, that excites me to keep trying. It's like getting that one sincere, heartfelt note from a parent telling expressing great appreciation for what I do- regardless of what happens that day, I'm in a confident, happy place, and can handle just about anything.<br />
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One day I won't need the affirmation from outside sources. I will share my explorations regardless of outcome; I know I learn tremendously from colleagues and peers through their shared experiences; it's only right to share in return. My own gut instinct tells me if my push is a good idea or not. What matters to me is that I just keep gently pushing.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17209664217531515445noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4945478858422105891.post-33886293075435442882014-08-17T18:00:00.000-07:002014-08-17T18:02:09.999-07:00Reflections on AB2 Museum Day projectIt has been two months since our <a href="https://twitter.com/ESTP4/status/477077229365891075/photo/1" target="_blank">Museum Day</a>; this was our day to showcase our learning, with physical models we had built, along with incorporated QR Code guided tours. Tonight I look back and reflect on how this project changed my teaching.<br />
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I was excited to give others students the opportunity to take a mentoring role. Andrew's (Mr. Bieronski) Grade Ten students became mentors to my Grade Four students in the planning and execution of each phase of our 6 week project. I was impressed by their meticulous planning processes, and considerable thought given to each stage of the project, from design to build. Upon meeting these young adults in person, I realized just how much more they got from this than just offering a set of printed, guided instructions. In our whole group discussion, one student shared how great she felt after having helped someone else. As a teacher, knowing that I helped someone realize the sheer joy and power of doing good is highest degree of success.<br />
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Life is not about getting good grades, landing the cushy job, and making scores of cash. The true joy in life lies in intrinsic rewards. If I can allow 16 year old kids to realize the power of philanthropy (whether guided by school or not), I have touched on a powerful nerve. If they can use a simple tech tool to touch base with their 9 year old partners, offering encouragement and constructive criticism that result firstly in a positive step forward, and secondly in the deeply satisfying feeling of having done good, I have done what I set out to do.<br />
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Museum Day proved to be the highlight of our year. Even though my students worked for 6 weeks on the constructing, designing, and preparing for their exhibit, they showed no exhaustion or indifference to The Big Day. Without the use of iPads, the internet, or Google tools, this project would have undoubtedly taken twice as long, with far more frustration, both from students and teacher. <br />
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I am grateful that I could use Google Hangouts to confer with <a href="http://about.me/andrewbieronski" target="_blank">Mr. Bieronski</a>, and his students immediately, and frequently to make sure we were all on the right track. I am also grateful to Ian Tao, who introduced me to his app Sesame Snap, that allowed the students to collect their own assessment data in a personal digital portfolio, that I could also share and use in my evaluations.<br />
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This project introduced me to several new ideas and people who propelled my learning along the way. I explored new Google tools like Hangouts, Drive, and Google Apps for Education to keep myself on the forefront of assessment and feedback, without needing to work harder. Ian Tao's <a href="http://sesamehq.com/" target="_blank">Sesame</a> and <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/sesame-snap/id839909271?ls=1&mt=8" target="_blank">Sesame Snap</a> allowed my students and me to immediately collect, reflect upon, and evaluate our data as we built the project.<br />
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Watching kids bustle through the door twenty minutes before the bell in order to get a head start on building for the day told me that I had something special going on in my room. Engaged in their task, my students forgot that they were still learning and growing. Education needs to be more of this, and less of monotonous, irrelevant tasks that do not relate to their lives. As a teacher, one may need to throw out last year's plans and jump off the cliff into something new, exciting, and motivating. You may fail; you may be gloriously successful. The point is, you tried to stay relevant and inspiring.<br />
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I feel like I made a major step forward in my teaching. I undertook the planning and new learning that was required to facilitate the Museum Project for my students. It wasn't perfect by any means, but it lit the fire of motivation in me; motivation to be better, to stay current, and to inspire children to love their learning. I will take those tenets with me as I strive to grow and stay relevant to newer generations of kids as they cross my threshold on their journey through education. This project has given me an inspirational, rewarding start on this trip.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17209664217531515445noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4945478858422105891.post-75840483584027267512014-05-16T10:50:00.002-07:002014-05-16T10:50:52.850-07:00Reflections from Week 2This week our museum project has made great gains. We managed to resurrect the Roman Coliseum, investigate the Great Pyramids, and reconstruct a Mosque. Students have been resourceful and cooperative when it comes to sharing their materials. I was very pleased to see students share hot glue sticks, paint, nails, and even Play-Doh to help eachother progress with their respective exhibits.<br />
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On the technology front, we learned how to add photos and video directly into our Google Drives on the iPads. We struggled at first trying to execute moves we can do on desktop computers, and found that we had to become more creative with our creations on the iPad version.<br />
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We made folders that we shared, and dropped our photos and videos into these folders. Thanks to a quick conversation on Twitter with Mr. Bieronski, we were able to share with as many of our coaches as the program would allow. (We're still working out obstacles with differences between the desktop and mobile versions.<br />
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I can tell we're on the right track, because when I explain what our class is doing to other teachers, or even non-educators, the reaction is usually one of surprise and riveted curiosity. So far no one has expressed doubt or scepticism with our plan.<br />
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I hope that next week the students will have a chance to "meet" with their coaches on line to share their progress. We also need to start writing and recording the interactive portion of our exhibit. If we keep going on the same trajectory, I feel we'll be in a good place very soon.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17209664217531515445noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4945478858422105891.post-75434011510243448442014-03-30T17:37:00.002-07:002014-03-30T17:38:33.482-07:00Harnessing the Power of Collaboration (AB Squared, part 1)This past week began the meticulous, definite planning of a cross-divisional project. My partner in collaboration, Mr. Andrew Bieronski and I have laid the foundational stones for a physical, virtual, digital playground. He and I coincidentally engaged in a lunchtime conversation during the RCAC Conference in London, ON. this past December.<br />
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I wanted to create another great digital project; the last one, Canada Connection, was a tremendous success. Five different classrooms and grades combined the study of Canada into a bi-monthly online meeting, where we shared our learning about a region of Canada, focussing on the curriculum expectations of our respective grades. The result was several interactive presentations, dances, stop-motion films, slideshows, Prezis, all rooted in our discovery and learning about Canada's history, geography, and culture.<br />
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This one is different. Grade Ten students will mentor Grade Four, as they endeavour to create museum exhibits, related to the study of Ancient Times. The idea simmered, bubbled, and became convincingly possible during that fateful lunch hour discussion; thanks goes to David Dowhaniuk, who pushed and provoked with thoughtful questions.<br />
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So, after much discussion, theorizing, fantasizing, and planning, the project is a go. I often see the finished product in my head; students proudly standing beside their exhibits, engaged in discussions about how it all came about, and how these civilizations impacted our modern world.
Much must be accomplished before that vision becomes a reality.<br />
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I must trust our plan, my vision, and my belief that this is the right group of students to undertake this task. I promised myself that I would blog about the process as a model, because the students will be required to blog about their experience as well. I am eager, excited, and confident that this will be a learning experience that is rich and lasting. I hope this to be "the one they remember", (for all the right reasons). Let us hope that my instinct is right.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17209664217531515445noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4945478858422105891.post-34379553536585973592013-10-27T15:14:00.000-07:002013-10-27T15:14:19.205-07:00Thoughts from #ecoo13Reflections on ECOO 2013
And now to decompress....
My brain is chock full of teaching ideas, tips, tools, resources, could-dos, should-dos, all of which I want to spend more time thinking about. Thank goodness for note-taking apps (or even the humble pen) that have allowed me to try and remember every shred of infoI collected in 48 hours. I will go home, pull out my trusty tablet, and stare T these notes thinking, "yeah, I should totally do that...I should start Monday". Who's kidding who though, it's much more involved than that; here are the points in common that I'm taking away with me:
. Learn it yourself first. Playplayplayplay. You can't break anything! Become more comfortable with a tool before foisting upon your children win aspirations of learning greatness. Armies need a general, not the Walmart Greeter.
. Give myself permission to fumble and drop the ball. Kids will think no less of me if I totally mess up a presentation, or accidentally erase files or links. They'll laugh along with me if I start laughing first. It's all good- I'm new at this stuff too! (More like, "here, _____, find out what this app does, and come tell Mme all about it!")
. Fuel the passion. My professional goal for this year is to assess without paper. I've tinkered with Evernote, skitch, Edmodo! Google docs, livescribe, all with the end goal of finding a new workflow that works for me. Note: this should make you uneasy at times. This is the shift hitting the fan. Worm around, scratch your head, and say "what next?" Instead of "what now?" If you're slipping back to an old way of doing things, perhaps this wasn't the passion you were really trying to foster and grow. No problem, just keep trying to evolve and improve in ways that make you excited, and that make you look objectively at your practice and say "yes! This is awesome!"
I'm likely going into my classroom this weekend to see what went down in my absence, and to try jumping back into the fray. I will find myself thinking about total pedagogical upheaval, about ditching everything I currently do, this is the nature of ECOO and like conferences for me; I wouldn't change that. I need to love myself with the skills I bring to the table today. I need to allow myself time and learning curves like water slides to get better at the role I play in this journey called Education. It doesn't matter if I'm not a guru tomorrow; what matters is my students leave me feeling empowered, excited, and good about continuing down their learning paths more equipped than in September. Thanks to conferences like ECOO, I'm going to feel that way too. Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17209664217531515445noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4945478858422105891.post-59222946280477071222012-10-05T18:26:00.001-07:002012-10-05T18:26:19.067-07:00Reflections on starting a PLPYesterday I joined the world of PLP, or Powerful Learning Practice. I will be working with a group of 5 other WRDSB educators, as well as colleagues and mentors from around North America and the world. After having had a day to let it all percolate, I'm thinking about how I'm going to incorporate this year-long learning experience into my already quite busy life. Sheryl Nussbaum-Beech and Will Richardson both gave us advice to take this slowly and carefully, so as not become completely overwhelmed and discouraged by its enormity. Like tour guides at the trailhead, they warned us to take the flat, scenic path first, rather than madly sprinting off by ourselves to the jagged cliff edge.
From what percolated, I think PLP is about constantly keeping an eye on your own practice in education, just to make sure that you're up to date, lessons are relevant to learners, and that you're preparing young people to be fully functional, capable, happy members of society. In our specific context, it means embracing and blending in the wonders of technology that are everywhere, so that kids a) know how to use technology for good not evil; b) are taking evolutionary steps along with society, building growth, change, and adaptation into their lifestyles.
I like how Sheryl described the PLP journey. She described the internet as a river. Constantly flowing, approachable and inviting. Sometimes we want to dip our feet to relax and cool off; other times we dive in head first and swim for a while. Still, there are other days (particularly in Canada) when we're not really into swimming or getting wet; the river is still there- quietly going about its business, and there to welcome us back when we're ready to go there.
Before she made that analogy, I had a visual in my head of how I felt about this journey. I picture a great scene from "Finding Nemo" where Crush the sea turtle is grooving along in the EAC (East Australian Current) along with hundreds of other fish, and has Dory and Marlin in his care. When the current blasts ahead, he screams "Righteous! Righteous!" loving every minute of it. (incidentally his turtle kids happily go with the flow, just trusting that everything is going where it should). When Dory and Marlin jump from the stream at Sydney, they look around, a bit unsure of what to do next, but not panicking that they may have made some kind of mistake. I think that's the key- wherever PLP may take you, it's not a right or wrong destination. The trip there changes who you are, and now you need to absorb that little piece of the journey into your being, and carry on to the next stop, trusting that this is all going to be a good move in the end.
I have yet to attend the first webinar- I'm still learning to navigate the ning. So right now I'm on the banks of the River PLP content to watch it flow by me, doing its thing. I know that soon my feet will be in it and I'll be talking to the little fish that go by. Don't tell me if the river sneaks around a bend and opens into some furious rapids; I want to find that out for myself when the time comes.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17209664217531515445noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4945478858422105891.post-66756452386554740242011-03-20T17:21:00.000-07:002011-03-20T17:28:15.453-07:00I'm curious....Tomorrow we'll all head back from a week off on various March Break activities. I'm asking myself what the kids are going to tell me about first; something they saw? A new experience they got to try? I'm going to be looking to see whether authentic learning situations took the front seat this week over any other more mundane activities like going to the movies, dining out, or shopping. (Note to reader: I value all of those activities for various reasons; I'm thinking specifically of how one's holiday may quietly contribute to learning through moments of authenticity.) Ben went to California like I did; I wonder what he's going to tell me about first? When Hailey comes back from the Dominican, will she tell me about an enriching experience first? I think what I'd tell the kids about first is walking through the tiny steel corridors on the USS Midway in San Diego, and how I learned so much about military aviation and its connection to that area. (I don't know if they'll really care that I shot 89 on a fairly challenging Palm Springs golf course....) I'm going to wait and observe what comes up first. If it's all about cool learning experiences, I'll be sure to post and share what came up first. If not, it was a worthy experiment in observation.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17209664217531515445noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4945478858422105891.post-57531144966367331922011-03-06T14:13:00.000-08:002011-03-06T14:22:07.295-08:00The Power of RespectI am so proud of my students for how they practise good digital citizenship. We were lucky enough to have Susan Watt (@susanwatt) come to our classroom in the fall to teach us about the respectful use of other people's intellectual materials, and how important it is to give credit where due. My students in grades 4/5 are now compiling images for an art/Keynote assignment and are automatically seeking out "labeled for reuse" images and recording the URLs in their slideshows to give attribution. Even if the idea of plagiarism is incomprehensible at this age, it still makes me proud to see that the kids realize that someone else prepared this material for them, so simply learning how to give credit teaches them respect for other users and contributors on the net. To other elementary teachers out there: please know that students in grades 4 and up (in my personal experience) can truly comprehend the value and importance of being honest, and of giving attribution to their sources when required. I hope that when these same students arrive in college or university courses this will be as automatic as blinking. I can proudly say, Lesson Learned.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17209664217531515445noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4945478858422105891.post-18718024861877538862010-09-02T18:48:00.000-07:002010-09-02T18:49:11.660-07:00Twitter ideas for class groupsJuly 23rd, 2010<br />Using Twitter has been a fabulous PD discovery for me. It’s only been 8 months since I’ve hopped on, and already I feel quite at home learning from my PLN. I plan to try using Twitter in the following manner this fall: (before I get there, I will share the details of my classroom set-up). We have one desktop eMac, and I have created a student log-in on my MacBook. Otherwise, we have a 30-machine lab that we can access once or twice a week as a whole class.<br /><br />1. Twitter updates for parents. I have a job board in my junior class room, with responsibilities like “Courier/attendance runner”, “Phone person/secretary”, etc. This year I am adding “Tweeter”, simply printing the Twitter logo onto an Avery label sticker, and adding it to the job board.<br /><br /><br /><br />The tweeter’s job will be to post a message every day, telling our parent followers about what we learned/did/ or guests we had in the school. I am hoping this helps in 2 ways: 1. To consolidate the fine art of summary. 2. To promote digital citizenship, using the web for positive messages, and education.<br /><br />2. The next idea is to create four or five permanent accounts, know as “group 1″ – “group 5″. When students collaborate throughout the year, they will be responsible for logging in to their appropriate group numbered account, and discussing what they did. I would post guiding prompts and questions for them to help stay focused on what is being asked. For example, Susie, Bill, and Paul are group 3, learning about the circulatory system. Once they’ve presented they will log onto to Twitter in the “Group 3″ account, and share about their learning. In the next learning activity, if Paul is now in group 1, he will log into that user account and share there. If anyone out there has already tried this, I would be curious to know about how it worked for you; is it efficient? Are students motivated to use Twitter in this fashion? I suppose this set up could work well for Wikis as well. Simply create group pages, and allow student groups to share there.<br /><br />I think it’s a prime time for teachers to model the positive uses of technology for students, especially K-6 when parents are likely offering more computer autonomy at home. By incorporating Twitter and wikis simply as additional learning tools, I hope to “build better users”.<br /><br />Filed under technology | Edit | Comment (1)Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17209664217531515445noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4945478858422105891.post-14642751413789043462010-09-02T18:47:00.000-07:002010-09-02T18:48:14.744-07:00Learning to blog @ #catc10August 12th, 2010 <br /><br />Web 2.0 tools offer us and our students a million ways to use technology in education. Twitter and blogs are the most popular tools being learned about here at camp. Care to share how you plan to use these tools this year? How have you already employed 2.0 in the classroom? What are you doing to make it even better this year?<br /><br />Filed under technology | Edit | Comment (0)Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17209664217531515445noreply@blogger.com0