My Blogs
Legacy
As a middle school teacher, I never really believed that my students could leave behind a "legacy." However, after watching this video with Alan November, I strongly believe that I was wrong. The idea of a legacy usually consists of a major accomplishment or discovery, but in my opinion, it is simply making a meaningful contribution. So why did I ever think that my students weren't old enough to make a contribution at their school, in their community or on a larger scale? How can this concept of not only finding purpose in their legacy, but actually achieving it happen at the middle school level? I agree with November that students need to be more involved in looking at purpose in their education.
Education has made two major shifts: one in technology and one in state standards. The reality, though, is that students do not feel the impact of that shift. Therefore, more often than not, they're bored in class. Why? Because they are being asked to complete meaningless assignments that a group of students completed the year before that and the year before that and the year before that. Assignments are recycled and an irrelevant cycle continues. Since I have only been teaching for 6 years, I'd like to think that I don't put my students in the hamster wheel as often as some, but I definitely have assignments that are my favorite. Whether or not they are meaningful is a different question. Foundational and timeless lessons are different. Studying the classics is different. This concept of purpose is simply about how students can be more involved, more engaged, more motivated, and more purposeful in their journey through the few years that they are in a classroom by law so that when they leave, they continue to look at the mark they are making around them by choice.
Education has made two major shifts: one in technology and one in state standards. The reality, though, is that students do not feel the impact of that shift. Therefore, more often than not, they're bored in class. Why? Because they are being asked to complete meaningless assignments that a group of students completed the year before that and the year before that and the year before that. Assignments are recycled and an irrelevant cycle continues. Since I have only been teaching for 6 years, I'd like to think that I don't put my students in the hamster wheel as often as some, but I definitely have assignments that are my favorite. Whether or not they are meaningful is a different question. Foundational and timeless lessons are different. Studying the classics is different. This concept of purpose is simply about how students can be more involved, more engaged, more motivated, and more purposeful in their journey through the few years that they are in a classroom by law so that when they leave, they continue to look at the mark they are making around them by choice.
Flipping Class
Creating a flipped classroom is a teaching trend that continues to increase in popularity. According to the article, "The Flipped Class Manifest," no two flipped classrooms look the same. Translation? There is more than one way to flip a classroom. Well, that brings a huge sigh of relief. That doesn't mean, though, that all flipped classrooms are successful. Flipping a class may look different room to room, but effective flipped classrooms seem to have a similar recipe. In short, the teacher needs to place the responsibility for learning more heavily on the student, not the teacher. The teacher is not excused from teaching, rather the method of learning looks different. Students are given a form of a lesson to preview before class such as a podcast, a video or maybe an article to read. When they come to class, they have already been introduced to the lesson and are able to spend more time collaborating with each other and the teacher is able to tune in to those who need more help. Sounds great! Like every new trend, there may be problems with accessibility or lack of responsibility, but with careful monitoring and accountability, flipping lessons can become both fun and beneficial for students.
The most appealing aspect of flipping a classroom to me, as an educator, is that students are required to become advocates for their learning and that a flipped classroom can embed other 21st century shifts such as, "Reverse Instruction, Inquiry Learning, Universal Design for Learning, Blended Learning, and Online Instruction through the use of podcasting or screencasting, Web 2.0 resources, and inquiry activities." Another appeal is that there is less lecturing from teachers and more engagement from students. Students need to look at how to connect to the content and are able to use various resources besides the teacher. Figuring out how to make the content accessible forces students to persevere, problem solve and think critically. I don't see myself flipping lessons on a daily basis, but instead when appropriate for students to become more engaged in a unit, lesson or project. Setting up a flipped classroom will take time and preparation, as well as insight into whether or not changes need to be made. Hopefully, with time, students will see the benefit and be able to smoothly and efficiently prepare for a lesson and take the time to "flip" the classroom. http://www.thedailyriff.com/articles/the-flipped-class-manifest-823.php |
Digital Citizenship Infographic
Bullying is one of those topics that has now been covered in schools for many years and continues to require discussion and education. While students may roll their eyes when it is brought up, teachers may also breeze through the topic quickly, assuming that students who are older (middle and high school) don't need a detailed lecture on the topic. Sadly, that's not true. Bullying and online cruelty is more prevalent than ever before. Sadly, students will continue to require a firm reminder of the consequences of bullying and how it can negatively affect others. Teachers need to be willing to have those serious and sometimes uncomfortable conversations with their students in order to contribute to creating a safe environment in their classrooms and ultimately their schools.
New Tech
BYOD
The trend of students being asked to "bring your own device," or BYOD, is still relatively new in many districts. Students have traditionally been told that all electronic devices must remain in their backpacks and turned off for the entire day until school is over. Teachers often depend solely on the technology available either in their own classroom or on campus to provide the technology-related lessons that are required of them and expect students to engage completely using these outdated and old desktop computers or laptops. Some districts have purchased tablets or Chromebooks, but many still rely on older technology. So again, when teachers hear of other teachers telling their students, "BYOD," a lot of them raise their eyebrows or silently cry inside, trying to think about what possible benefits there are and how they will embed the "BYOD" concept in their classroom. While the trend is a strong one, it is still a few years out before it's feasible in many classrooms. The benefits are exciting to think about and there are many success stories to read about. Teaching students to take ownership of their learning and how to safely navigate through the Internet is necessary. Allowing students to discover how technology can further assist them in their studies is wonderful. But expecting every student to come to school with their own device is not a reality yet. Beyond that, expecting every student to responsibly use their devices at school is even a larger concern for educators. The thought of giving "the mouse their cookie" is a delicate topic. Some hallways are filled with students who are more connected to their mobile devices than their friends during lunch. Technology in schools is a good thing, but how much? The reality of BYOD is dim, but growing lighter across the nation. Whether students use their own tablets or devices that are provided by their school, it's a fact that those devices are crucial in our schools. Teachers need to realize and accept that. When they have done that, they then need to determine how they will get on board with telling their students to "BYOD." This is one of those trends that is going to stick around. |
20Time
To most people, 20% doesn't sound like that much. But this trend is by far my favorite. Why didn't I think of this before? Scratch that, why didn't my administrators think of this? Teachers know that eventually, students need breaks. They need to move around, collaborate, participate, engage, invest, focus and then do it again the next day. Teaching middle school allows for all of that to happen, but in one class period, more often than not, students just sit in their desks and force themselves to "invest" in the lesson presented to them. Their engagement is often artificial. That's not to say that all lessons are dubbed, "boring," but rather that students need opportunities to create their own lesson and the means to create something that shows what they learned. The 20% trend is fairly simple with documentation of great success. Stemming from Google's 20% policy where Google offers it's employees 20% of their time to use for free exploration, schools have also jumped on board with the 20% idea. Very similar to Genius Hour where students spend one hour a week working on a project of their choice, the 20% time offers students a chance to spend part of their time in school working on a project of their choice where they must research a topic and create a final project. There are boundaries given and guidelines to follow, but for the most part, students are able to responsibly explore a topic and, in turn, become an "expert" on it. The role of the teacher is simple but not easy. Monitoring student assignments and ensuring online safety is a priority. As students participate in 20% time more frequently, it's reasonable to assume that the process will encourage them to continue the journey of being life-long learners, both inside and outside the classroom. |
EduPodcast
After listening to the podcast, "What Systematic Barriers Prevent Teachers From Being More Innovative?", I agree that innovation is necessary in the classroom today. A common theme in education in the past 10 years is that we must look at teaching the 21st Century learners. The problem, as mentioned in the podcast, is that the majority of teachers are products of 20th century education. Teaching was widely administered via lectures and direct instruction. Therefore, teachers must look at continuing to shift the 21st century paradigm in education and look at new ways of teaching.
In order for the shift to be effective, teachers must look at the culture of their school and whether or not it is supportive of innovation. Changing traditional views takes time and patience, but most importantly it takes practice. Implementing innovative ideas will more than likely result in failures and mistakes. Teachers tell their students that they must learn from those mistakes, yet they're afraid to make their own. They want to wait until a colleague implements something new and then hear the success stories before implementing it in their own class.
Personally, it is challenging to implement new strategies and ideas. Lessons that have been taught traditionally are difficult to change. Even though I am a relatively confident and experienced teacher, I find myself thinking of older strategies and techniques that I grew up with as I'm in the middle of teaching a lesson. On the flip side, I strongly believe that those instinctive strategies that were imprinted into my memory need to take a back seat to the dynamic shift that is progressing in classrooms across the nation. My teaching style is personal, yes, but my methods of teaching must reflect the generation of my students. In order to effectively connect lessons to my students, innovation needs to be present. That's not to say that all lessons should be radically new and unfamiliar. Innovation looks differently throughout the day and demands reflection and response. When lessons are not effective, teachers need to look at how to improve them. Ignoring the importance of innovation is not my intention. It may be a struggle for teachers to innovate, but that doesn't mean that they shouldn't try.
http://www.bamradionetwork.com/edchat-radio/2607-what-systemic-barriers-prevent-teachers-from-being-more-innovative
In order for the shift to be effective, teachers must look at the culture of their school and whether or not it is supportive of innovation. Changing traditional views takes time and patience, but most importantly it takes practice. Implementing innovative ideas will more than likely result in failures and mistakes. Teachers tell their students that they must learn from those mistakes, yet they're afraid to make their own. They want to wait until a colleague implements something new and then hear the success stories before implementing it in their own class.
Personally, it is challenging to implement new strategies and ideas. Lessons that have been taught traditionally are difficult to change. Even though I am a relatively confident and experienced teacher, I find myself thinking of older strategies and techniques that I grew up with as I'm in the middle of teaching a lesson. On the flip side, I strongly believe that those instinctive strategies that were imprinted into my memory need to take a back seat to the dynamic shift that is progressing in classrooms across the nation. My teaching style is personal, yes, but my methods of teaching must reflect the generation of my students. In order to effectively connect lessons to my students, innovation needs to be present. That's not to say that all lessons should be radically new and unfamiliar. Innovation looks differently throughout the day and demands reflection and response. When lessons are not effective, teachers need to look at how to improve them. Ignoring the importance of innovation is not my intention. It may be a struggle for teachers to innovate, but that doesn't mean that they shouldn't try.
http://www.bamradionetwork.com/edchat-radio/2607-what-systemic-barriers-prevent-teachers-from-being-more-innovative
Google and Digital Citizenship
Among the 10 lessons that Google created on digital citizenship, an important lesson to discuss with my students is the importance of turning on the safety mode. While the actual process of turning the safety mode on and off is extremely easy and will only require a short tutorial, the more important component of the lesson is the discussion that surrounds the question of whether or not to use the function. All they would need is to be able to view on the board what is being projected from the teacher's computer in order to watch the tutorial. They could also practice in a computer lab, but the lesson is only meant to last a few minutes, so it would be perfect at the beginning of class when students are beginning a project that would require embedding videos. It could also be a frequent reminder when students are viewing educational videos on YouTube.
My students range in ages from 11-14 and typically have already begun using YouTube by the time they get to middle school. Therefore, it's important for them to understand that there is content online that is not appropriate for them to view at school. While most content is blocked at school, it's important to be responsible students with integrity who understand that they need to be aware of what they look at online. Not everything they see is geared for teenagers. Being patient in on online world and avoiding temptations is difficult for most teens. They honestly believe that if they find it, it's ok to look at, which is not true. Blocking inappropriate content using the safety mode is just one example of being a responsible student. |
PLN Assignment
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Twitter
As I have been browsing through Twitter this past week, I have quickly learned that my apprehension to using Twitter with my students was fairly senseless. While most of my students have social media accounts, up to now I have been unfamiliar with Twitter and haven't had time to see how it works and how it can benefit my teaching environment. To add another element to the classroom takes time and energy, but something I would like to look into. My district has created a Twitter page and I know that several teachers in the district have incorporated Twitter into their classroom in various ways. For the upcoming school year, I would definitely like to become more versatile in terms of the forms of technology that are embedded into my lessons and instruction, including Twitter. These are just a couple of links that I have found with some great ideas for the school year. http://www.edudemic.com/the-30-newest-ways-to-use-twitter-in-the-classroom/ http://www.teachhub.com/50-ways-use-twitter-classroom |
What is a PLN?
PLN stands for personal learning network. I liked the definition found on edutopia.org where it states that in a PLN, "participants are both personal and professional learners. A PLN is a tool that uses social media and technology to collect, communicate, collaborate and create with connected colleagues anywhere at any time. Participating educators, worldwide, make requests and share resources. Each individual educator becomes a potential source of information." Essentially, a PLN is a group of people who share ideas about a common topic of interest. Personally, I am connected to my closest friends and family via social media and email. Professionally, I am connected to colleagues solely through email. As I begin to build my PLN, there are definitely educators in my district that I would include in that network. I would also like to see if some of my previous mentors in other districts are on Twitter or Facebook and connect with them. My main goal as I create a well-established PLN is to connect with educators that have either made a positive impact on me personally or have created a strong impact on education in general. There are educators who I have never met that can add helpful insight and perspective as I continue to develop my pedagogy. I'm excited to see how my PLN will contribute to my teaching overall. |
Education Twitter Chat Reflection
Recently, I attempted to participate in my first Twitter chat and was instantly overwhelmed. I essentially lurked during the #CAedchat on Sunday, June 16 which discussed who to choose for a PLN. There was a large number of responses to seven separate questions that discussed choosing fictional characters as a mentor, a leader or team member as well as questions related to actual PLN members. The experience was fast-paced and very interesting. The questions were posted ahead of time and for someone who is a bit indecisive, it was hard to come up with answers quickly. I also just enjoyed reading other comments. It was nice to quickly see the atmosphere was fairly easy-going and not rigid like I expected. Since I didn't actually post anything, I was able to really see how comments were posted. I learn best by watching and then doing. Jumping in cold was scary and of course my computer began installing updates that I had postponed for a while. It took about 10 minutes to update and then I had to start catching up on the comments. After reading through the questions and comments, I could see that the discussion was both in good fun since it was Father's Day and also relevant for the purpose of this assignment. Unfortunately, by the time I felt comfortable joining, my daughter was crying in the background because she fell outside. By the time I got back and read the previous posts, time was essentially up. The overall experience was good and it will be nice to continue to pop in and read other's comments as well as contribute my own ideas during future chat sessions. |
Pinterest!
Of all of the websites available for curation, hands down Pinterest is my favorite. I have used Pinterest over the past several years for organizing mostly personal interests and ideas. I have come across some wonderful resources and ideas for a multitude of facets including crafts, recipes and parenting tips. Pinterest has also opened the door for me to find resources that I have used in the classroom. I remember a district staff member once telling a small group of us at a curriculum meeting that Pinterest was not a valid source for lessons and curriculum. I quietly disagreed with her and continued to look for ideas to use with my students. I have been using the curriculum provided by my district while infusing some engaging ideas that have been found via Pinterest. From interactive notebooks to study tips, Pinterest has been a valuable tool for adding interesting activities to lessons. I have also found some great teachers with similar interests and "pins" that have led me to other helpful educators. Granted, the majority of the people that I follow on Pinterest are friends and family, I have also begun following other educators as I continue to build my PLN. As time permits it, I hope to eventually have a strong Pinterest board devoted to my PLN exclusively. |
Changing Education Paradigms
This video definitely captured my interest and struck a chord with me. Education has changed more for teachers than it has for our students. I agree that teachers cannot expect to meet the future needs of our students by using methods from the past. I don't consider myself old yet, but the education classes I took are no longer relevant. Standards, curriculum, technology, so much has changed in the last 10 years. In order to make teaching effective, it's essential that teachers utilized resources that students will connect and invest in. It's sad but true that school is more often than not boring for most students. Students are categorized by ability and required to complete rote tasks.
The video makes a strong argument for the fact that schools need to focus more on encouraging students to become divergent thinkers and provide more aesthetic experiences rather than anesthetic ones. I agree that students need to wake up and activate their minds more. Learning needs to be engaging and teaching needs to be different than it was 10 years ago. Studies show that students learn more from their peers than their teachers. They need to have opportunities to work together and be challenged instead of complete worksheets and write 5 paragraph essays. Students don't need to learn how to fit inside a square box or round peg. They need to invest in what they are learning.
The video makes a strong argument for the fact that schools need to focus more on encouraging students to become divergent thinkers and provide more aesthetic experiences rather than anesthetic ones. I agree that students need to wake up and activate their minds more. Learning needs to be engaging and teaching needs to be different than it was 10 years ago. Studies show that students learn more from their peers than their teachers. They need to have opportunities to work together and be challenged instead of complete worksheets and write 5 paragraph essays. Students don't need to learn how to fit inside a square box or round peg. They need to invest in what they are learning.