Saturday, August 14, 2010
Monday, August 9, 2010
What
I have spent the summer reviewing, learning new, and experiencing new ways to use technology in my classroom this summer. When I saw this, I am once again reminded it is not about me but about my students. As the new school year begins I am going to keep this in the forefront and not just do things because I think they are fun. Even though fun is appropriate some of the time.
I am going to twitter. I am going to glog. I am going to blog. I am going to create students pln’s. I am going to mentor others. I am going to collaborate with other educators and have my students collaborate with other students. I am going to learn, unlearn, and relearn and be a 21st century educator.
Sunday, August 1, 2010
SEE Calgary
Wow, what can I say about the SMART Exemplary conference in Calgary, Canada. First of all they treated us like we were the most special people in the world. Second I made fifty new friends. Third I got some new tools for my classroom. Fourth I have a new project to work on. Fifth I reaffirmed my 21st century goals. Lastly I can say that I am going to spend this year reaching out to others and trying to share my knowledge on how to use technology to inspire the students in their classrooms.
In my district we live in a bubble. I learned from the other SEE’s that in my district we don’t have to be afraid of the students knifing us but we also do not have a unified vision of how technology should be used in the classroom. I hope to help foster this with my fellow teachers. Our students want it, need it, and deserve it.
Monday, July 26, 2010
SEE conference day 1
Here are my take always from the first day in Calgary.
1. It is nice to be in the company of like minded educators and experts.
2. The goal is to make the classroom experience magical, innovative, creative, and vibrant.
3. Are we asking our students to be extraordinary? Can they articulate the secret to their own success? Are they an eager learner?
4. Are we asking students to be combiners of ideas so that they can be inventors and innovators?
5. Can I get the students and teachers in my building or district to share my vision? How are we transforming education?
Friday, July 23, 2010
Winter Resources
I have been hard at work on my resource google site for my school chums. Let me know what you think. This is my attempt to give back and hopefully entice my fellow educators to take a chance on using resources outside of the textbook.
Great quotes for us all to ponder
“Teach kids for their futures not our past.”
“Kids are no longer on the web but OF the web.”
“You get out of the web what you put into the web.”
“Teach learners TO BE not simply TO DO or TO KNOW.”
“This is a PEOPLE revolution, not a technology revolution.”
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
But, but, but! How do we turn the but’s around?
Don’t Forget Your Audience! 5 Ideas To Connect with Real Audiences http://theinnovativeeducator.blogspot.com/
Please take the time to read this post from Lisa Nielsen. She highlights some of the difficulties that can occur as we are trying to change the culture in our schools and move all of the stakeholders into a 21st century education. Publishing our materials and getting feedback is essential to our growth. We need to gently pull the ‘but’s’ along with us. Show them a positive road map to follow with easy directions. I learn something new from The Innovative educator every time I pull up her blog. Put her on your must read radar.
Monday, July 19, 2010
Sunday, July 18, 2010
lessonsnips
Lesson snips is a resource that provides reading comprehension lessons for your students. These can be used at all ages for differentiation. I am going to use them to have my students practice for the state’s 8th grade reading and science test. Since one of my goals for this year is to help them improve their test taking skills I think that these will be a good resource to use.
Saturday, July 10, 2010
Virtual Summer
This looks very interesting. Thanks to Mike Fisher for putting all of this together. I know that I will be learning something new this summer.
Friday, July 2, 2010
Winter Resources
It is the first part of July and there is no sunshine in Oregon. So I have finally started myself imposed project, ‘Winter Resources’. The overall goal is to put together resources for the teachers in my district to access. Sometimes having a web address is not enough to get you to go to a site and experience it or to see if it would be helpful for our students. My goal is to at the very least include a picture and hopefully a little blurb that might entice them to visit the site and incorporate it into what they are already doing.
Remember that this is a work in progress and I have just begun.
Thursday, July 1, 2010
I need to read this!!!
http://ineedtoreadthis.com/ I signed up for this. It looks like it will be useful. Try it out.
What is a 21st Century teacher?
I did not go to the Denver and attend ISTE, but I have been following along the blogs of my PLN. I hope that they publish more of their notes and thoughts as the weeks of summer wane on. A couple of things have already stood out to me.
1. The keynote did not go over well. Something for me to think about and revise how I make presentations.
2. We can laugh at ourselves and our situations. http://www.thenerdyteacher.com/ I do this already and most of my collogues and particularly outsiders do not think I am funny. Oh well, I think that I will continue to do so and retain my sanity.
3. I need my PLN. I have never met these people but I know that they are amazing. I still want a local face to face PLN group, though. So if anyone out there is interested let’s meet once a month or so.
4. I have finally found a definition of what a 21st century educator is that I really like. I have tried to articulate my thoughts and ideas to others and I just get stares and rebuttals. But now I have the words to use. Thank you to Beth Hertz.
http://philly-teacher.blogspot.com/2010/06/dissecting-21st-century-teacher.html
21st Century Educators/teachers are really contemporary teachers.
“A contemporary teacher is one who maintains relevant content and delivery and allows students to explore content through whatever medium or pathway that is appropriate for the task, whether it is using technology or not. A 21st Century teacher is a contemporary teacher, integrating technology seamlessly with content, transforming lessons and building global citizenship amongst his/her students. S/he is an advocate for his/her students, s/he connects with like-minded educators and never stops learning.” Hertz
Like Beth, I too, think that teachers today need to take the time to transform their lessons so that they allow for the students to think outside of the classroom. I want to be a risk taker and an innovator. I need to seek the opinions of others so that my students are networking and growing. I want to be with other educators that are seeking out their own resources or even creating them. I actually need the teachers of my own children to be as committed as I am. I admire those that spend extra time thinking of ways to to challenge my kids and finding resources to use beyond a textbook. I would rather present a project that challenges students and have it fall flat than use the tried and tired old stand bys. I have found that students learn a lot more even when something fails than if I just cookie cutter out my lessons.
So, can we slowly but surely change the minds of the system that we live in or should we just change our own little corner. I am for speaking out or even shouting out and making a scene. Let’s get everybody to to realize that students really can get excited to be in the classroom. Technology is not the answer but sometimes the use of technology can be the hook that grabs a student and excites them. I say it is not really about the facts and figures that we must test them on but on how they can reconfigure the material into something new. It’s the process.
I am finally getting excited for the next school year. I am going to blow up and change up what I have been doing. I have a dynamic and creative classroom already but when I think of the possibilities I almost begin to shake with excitement. I teach in a district that is technology rich, with an amazing tech person for a resource, I have terrific students, and a budget that allows me to do what I want. So it seems to me the ball is in my court and I can have a fabulous new year.
I am a contemporary educator, are you?
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
What a fun Guy?
So, one of my goals for this summer is to organize my lessons and create a Google site for my students to use to enhance their studies. Another goal is to set up a Google site for the teachers in my district of web sites they might find useful in the classroom with their students and to for them to use to grow as educators, and my final goal is to get together with other teachers and be a mentor for them. I am going to meet with a teacher next week and I am very excited. We are going to look at how she can use her smart board and cps system in the 3rd grade. If anybody else would like a personal mentor for a day, please let me know. I am free and willing.
I have also decided that my students are going to focus on reading comprehension in science and interpreting data next year. So I am beginning today to set up lessons and activities that will focus on this. One day a week is going to be spent on these activities. As well as math in science. I think that I already do this but I am going to make it a focus this year. Hopefully, this will help them on the 8th grade state test. We will see. I make myself these promises and then I get side tracked by all the other fun things that I want to do, like model building, labs, group work, and projects using the web. I want to blog, glog, and google site it as well.
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
No edtech for me
At the end of the year, this is how I feel after many discussions with the other educators that I work with. I know that they have little time for a life, I know that new tools are hard to explore and figure out how to use and incorporate, and I know that they are essentially dedicated teachers. But when I hear them say that they can’t teach math at a certain level, or that they need their new textbooks to teach with or the students will be lost, or that they never use their computer at home for school work, then I am mystified about how they can ever really become great educators that students can follow and identify with. I am inspired by Ms. Francisco on many levels.
http://alexgfrancisco.webnode.com/
She has identified my frustrations but she has also inspired me to use these tools to create instructive materials for my students and to have my students create with them. I have passed on her information to aspiring students that want to be teachers and I my goal is to inspire at least some of the teachers in my district to explore edtech and its uses with students, parents, and their own personal growth.
People should explore her blogs and I know that they will be inspired by the things she relates and the people that she is connected to.
Saturday, June 5, 2010
In September and In June
How do I feel in September.
I am hopeful, excited, and eager. I have spent the summer learning, researching, and planning. I cannot wait to collaborate with my peers and students. I look forward to seeing the lights go on as my students learn and explore.
How do I feel in June.
I am tired, lost, and alone. I pray that I can make it through each day. I don’t understand why they don’t bring a pencil, paper, or their work. I want to scream, wake up, is anybody in there, and why don’t you care? Did anybody learn anything this year? Why am I the only one that cares? What is wrong with me?
Luckily this summer I am going to relax, refresh, and regain my perspective. I am going to refine my style and learn something new.
I am going back to school in September a new and improved me ready to engage my students and provide them with a terrific example of how to be a life long learner.
Monday, May 31, 2010
Sunday, May 30, 2010
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