Thoughtfulness

I've read a couple interesting posts/articles the last couple days. This isn't really unusual; I seem to do this on a fairly regular basis. You know, read stuff. Anyway, it is the content of these particular pieces that has me thinking. Thinking about HOW we teach what we do, and WHY we do it these ways.

Beyond this new information, there has been a lot of discussion at my school over the last six months centered around standardized grading and standards-based teaching methods.

Sometimes what gets lost in the debate over the merits of the 'flipped' classroom, allowing retakes and other educational issues is the simple fact that thoughtfulness is so extremely important. Worried that students will not study enough for the first testing go-around and take advantage of multiple retakes? Develop a thorough process students must go through to achieve ONE retake; make them prove they have evaluated what standards they are not proficient at yet, how they plan (with your support) to gain the needed knowledge, what sacrifices they are willing to make - before- and after-school help, lunchtime sessions, etc. - to reach this goal before they can have another crack at a retake. Worried that the 'flipped' classroom idea isn't a good one - not for you or other staff at your school? Again, think. Best practices still apply. Students still need to be engaged, the chance to problem-solve, collaborate, and apply content in various forms. Simply replacing a lecture format upheld by outdated teaching principals won't change too much...I liked what the author of the blog entry on the 'flipped' classroom had to say about this. It's exactly what this is all about - thoughtfulness.


Finally, I read an article written by Alfie Kohn last week - complete with snark - regarding some of the popular phrases teachers can say over time. Granted there's plenty of sarcasm, and probably extreme in some cases, but in a fun way it just drives home the point: thoughtfulness in what we do is important!

The Power of BYOD

This is probably going to be a shorter post, but one that I can't help but write. It is a really, really cool time to be teaching what I'm teaching where I'm teaching. Why? There are plenty of reasons for this: solid colleagues; understanding, supportive and flexible bosses; great support from curricular and technology people; and for the most part, sweet parent support and kids willing to learn.

Beyond all those reasons, there is a new one this year: because of our district's 'Bring Your Own Device' push for students, more and more of my students are taking advantage and using their own devices in school. The set-up is fantastic: students and parents must attend an informational/training meeting and get the device registered. Expectations are clear, from Admin on down. Our building is wireless, enabling students to access online course material, collaborate with other students, and utilize our district's strong Google Apps presence.

So far this year, students in my Language Arts classes with their own devices have shared rough drafts with me in real time, before they have even left my room; submitted assignments ahead of schedule - because they could, and also completed and submitted work from the online portion of my class. Why is this great? It's supported top-down, students are very engaged, work efficiency is increased, and collaboration goes up. What's not to like?! I can't wait to see how this continues to develop throughout the year!

...And We're Back!

Greetings/salutations! It's been a while. So much to say and get caught up on. For now, I'll keep it short.

Summer was dynamite. Fast, furious, and fun. Lots of play and travel with the family. Really cool work finishing up the teaching and technology cohort with great teachers and colleagues.

We're 8 days into the school year, and I am still feeling quite a bit of excitement towards this new year. I think a big part of that is the great springboard effect from finishing the Tech cohort with such great people doing really cool things.

Incredible the difference a year has made. After being a part of the cohort, tech integration has been a part of my classroom this year from day 1. For example, every student is enrolled in and using my LA Moodle Course. Additionally, students have had access to my class website since open house night even before school started, when they and their parents could scan the Qr Code for the website with their smart phones.

Hopefully I will write more this year than last. I'm also considering an EduBlog for more networking and classroom features. More to come...

...And Exhale

It's been a busy few weeks. End of quarter and grade reports, finishing work for the latest class in our technology cohort, bringing the kids to all sorts of area attractions over Spring Break. But finally, a quick respite, and a chance to catch my breath. As an added bonus, the weather finally decided to cooperate with some warmer air and sunshine. Go figure. While the work has been plenty, and stress levels have had their momentary spikes, I have to say the experience in the tech cohort class has once again been rewarding; two for two so far in that regard. Not only rewarding...challenging, inspiring, thought-provoking and engaging would also be appropriate superlatives to use. What's been great about this experience is how much I've learned as a professional, as well as how much I've immediately taken away and/or created to use directly with my students. To me, that's what valuable learning is all about. Another nice quality about the type of work we are doing in this cohort is how elastic and ever-evolving the products and learning seem to be. Take our latest project, for example. We needed to develop an Integrated Technology Unit; something that could be used in a subject we teach. Many of us put multiple hours of work into this unit. It's worth it, though, because I will begin implementing this work with my own students in a few short weeks. What makes it elastic? Just this morning, I was already thinking about how I can add to & modify my unit...and I just submitted it last night! Even though I spent a ton of time on it, and am very proud of where it is so far, the best part might be the fact that this is just the starting point...from here I can continue to develop this unit, make it exactly how I want it to be once I start to see how it interfaces with my students. Exciting stuff - it makes the work and journey all the more worth it - and I can't wait to see what lies ahead with the next class. But for now, I'll enjoy the next 5 days off...from that at least; Spring Break is over!

Correction

As per yesterday's thought on the weather:

Scratch that; things totally suck now. A solid 3-4 inches on the ground, preceded by sleet overnight and this morning. Glad we're a few days into spring; it looks like mid-January out my window.

Looking up - the first few days of "Spring Break" will be in the low- to mid-30's, so we'll have that going for us...which is nice.

Thoughts...

So much going on these days. Plenty of thoughts on my mind:

-As I continue to look at learning in the 21st century, how will that continue to look & evolve in my classroom? school? curriculum? delivery?
-The role mobile devices will have in learning, specifically where I teach: Reading and Language Arts. E-readers, iPads, smartphones are all capable of so much. Opening windows for utilizing these technologies in a responsible manner will be crucial in my teaching over the next few years. Even the effective use of sites like polleverywhere.com will give kids a chance to have their voices hear by using their smartphones. My guess is that will engage many students.
-Spring Break probably needs to get here fast...the kiddos are barely hanging on right now!
-Weather: dreary...although I'm thankful there's not a foot of snow falling right now.
-Winter sports around these parts - Minneapolis - this year. In a word: brutal.
-My wife is a fantastic 1st grade teacher who maintains a blog of our family. This month she has been stepping up to the challenge of writing every day. To borrow a line from Ferris Beuller, if you have the means, I highly recommend it. She's a wonderful wife, great mom, and a talented teacher & writer.

That's all for today...

Dipping the toes in; Why My job doesn't suck

This has been a year of new endeavors in my classroom. For the first time, my students are now using Google Docs as their primary tool for writing in Language Arts. They are able to share their works with me on-line, and I am able to give feedback to them at any time. At first, the thought of doing this with 45 LA students seemed daunting, but I was blessed with a lot of support, and the results have been very positive. I never worried about how the kids would handle it - this stuff is such a part of their lives - it was getting over my own fears that mattered the most.

Another frontier I have entered lately has been expanding students' use of cell phones - specifically the smart phones so many of them have - in both my Reading and LA classes. There are some good resources out there, and for each class I am finding more and more reasons to create an environment in my classroom where students can effectively use their phones, while being responsible & thoughtful users. In Reading, some of my students now use their smart phones as e-readers, and download free books for independent reading time; they share great new books they've discovered with classmates. In Language Arts, I have had students who need to get some quick research done for a multi-media project...I only have 1 student computer in my classroom, and some days the computer lab is booked. Solution: use your smart phone, spend 2-3 minutes searching what you're looking for (our building is wireless), write down the facts & cite the source, good to go! I look forward to discovering more ways to take advantage of this technology, and further develop my classroom expectations & policies (along with the kids) to govern student use.

A big part of this has been the support of my principal, and that can't be overstated...it's a huge deal to work in an environment where you're supported & encouraged to do what's best for kids and learning, even if it is "new" and "untested" to a certain degree. That, along with many other things, is why on this particular Friday, my job doesn't suck. In fact, between that and the exciting new opportunities for learning and collaborating with and between my students, it can be downright rewarding at times.