This morning as I attempt to get back to reality after a great couple of days attending the Wisconsin State Reading Association annual convention and picking up an award for Leadership in Literacy Technology, I am busy decompressing and reflecting on all of the great new ideas and knowledge that I gained. Some of the useful nuggets include better ways to manage our iPads, new apps, great new books, and better ways to implement online Lit Circles.
While so many great ideas were shared, I was most struck by a session presented by author and veteran teacher, Kate Messner. In her session about creating student leaders, she inspired her audience to create authentic and meaningful learning experiences beyond standard classroom-based instructional activities. One of the ideas that she stressed throughout the presentation, and the message that struck me the most, was that in order to create thoughtful, reflective, forward-thinking future leaders, we need to give kids experiences that force them to be brave. This type of bravery does not mean exposing kids to life-threatening activities, but rather giving them a chance to go outside of their comfort zones and outside of their usual safe boxes. Many of us have this fear of failing, of not looking perfect in the eyes of our students, of somehow not appearing to know everything. I know that I personally put a lot of pressure on myself to feel as if I can solve any problem and find the answer to anything. I often worry about not keeping up and not staying one step of everyone else. I worry that when I put myself out there, others will think that I am not good enough or smart enough. As I listened to Messner, I reflected upon how I limit myself by giving in to these insecurities. I realized that I gave less of myself when I did this. Do I really want to do this to my kids as well? If I am supposed to be their leader and their model, how can giving in to my fears and putting limitations on myself teach them about being brave and the rewards that come along with that?
Kate inspired me to take more steps to be brave. How can I do that? First, by expanding my PLN, especially through Twitter. Second, by making more of a personal contribution to my school district, associations, and the other educational communities of which I am a part. While we all often make the excuse that there is not enough time, the real excuse is sometimes our fear of not appearing to be perfect to others and worrying that others will think less of us.
On the other hand, I have always been a brave teacher. I am not afraid to try whatever new tool I discover immediately within my lessons. I believe in giving kids as many real-world learning experiences as possible. I use Skype regularly to connect kids to authors, other classrooms, and world experts. The same class that I have been teaching for three years has looked almost completely different every semester that I begin anew. That's why I am really excited about Messner's new website Kid-sourcing. Kid-sourcing was created to connect kids to experiences where they are able to solve real-world problems. As shared by Messner, the data collected by students engaging in some of these projects will be used for real research. What better way is there to give kids real-life opportunities, take them outside of their comfort zones, and allow them to participate in the body of knowledge that is being created? When opening our students to these types of experiences, we not only engage them in real-world activities, but we are also teaching them to be brave. Bravery, of course, is essential to creating great generations of future thinkers and leaders.
I encourage you to consider your own classroom. How are you instilling bravery within your students? What opportunities are you giving kids to connect with the world outside of their classrooms? How are you modeling bravery?
This blog has been a big step for me. As I continue to add new posts, I attempt to put aside my fear of worrying about what others will think of me and my ideas. I continue to put more of my voice into it, which is really the key piece in contributing to the world. It is one way that I choose to be brave.
Thanks, Kate Messner for inspiring me!
Showing posts with label professional development. Show all posts
Showing posts with label professional development. Show all posts
Monday, February 11, 2013
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
Lessons from TIES
I was lucky to attend the TIES Education Technology Conference in Minneapolis from December 9-11. The awesome speakers there highlighted best practices in educational technology and reminded us all of how 21st century teaching uses technology to engage students in meaningful experiences. Among these lessons were the following other reminders with which I walked away:
1. Using a technology tool does not equal innovation. Innovation does not equate to throwing in a project or tool to say that you use technology in your classroom. Innovation is using a technology tool as an extension of meaningful learning. Innovation is using a technology tool to take students deeper into the learning and connect them with real-world experiences that lead to a better grasp of how the concepts are used outside of the classroom.
2. Stuff is not what is important. So many use the excuse that there are not enough computers, SMARTboards, iPads, etc. for the reasons that they do not regularly integrate technology. My argument is that so much can be done with one computer and a multimedia projector. Through these you can engage your class with online interactives, videos, virtual tours, ebooks, Google Earth, or podcasts.
3. Kids need license to be creative. A 21st century student needs to be an innovator, thinker, and creator of new knowledge. Our assignments and projects need to give kids the opportunity to do this.
4. The 21st century classroom is collaborative and connected. Workers of today have no walls. They can freely communicate and work with someone on the opposite end of the world through Skype, Google Docs, Today's Meet, and many other tools. Classrooms of today need to model these same practices. Why not have students create something with a student from another part of the world? Or even with another student from another school in our district? It is important that we not limit learning to the confines of our classroom to allow students to explore collaboration and communication in a 21st century work environment. There are so many resources that will give you opportunities to connect your class to another. My favorite: Skype in the Classroom.
5. You do not need to be an expert on all things technology to integrate it into your classroom. The great thing about technology is often it is easy to learn through experimentation. If you give kids a class to try out a tool, I guarantee that the majority of them will figure it out. Use your school technology specialist to help you brainstorm ideas and teach lessons to ease the burden of having to feel like the expert in all areas. Most of all, don't be afraid to fail. Things are not always going to go as planned. The risk is definitely worth the chance of a flop.
6. Technology should be integrated into every class as a natural extension of the learning, not as an add-on course or unit. To repeat what is stated above, technology should be used to enhance the learning and not as a tool to simply state that you are using technology. It should not be an "extra" or a "bonus", but rather something that is just a part of our everyday life and the way we learn.
7. Don't assume that kids know how to use technology properly. Kids must be taught effective use, safety, ethics, and copyright. There are many important rules to consider as creators of new information. We MUST teach our students how to properly give credit, what is legal to use, and what information is safe to reveal online. As educators, this is our responsibility to teach as well as model in our own use of technology.
To access resources and handouts from the conference, visit the TIES wiki.
1. Using a technology tool does not equal innovation. Innovation does not equate to throwing in a project or tool to say that you use technology in your classroom. Innovation is using a technology tool as an extension of meaningful learning. Innovation is using a technology tool to take students deeper into the learning and connect them with real-world experiences that lead to a better grasp of how the concepts are used outside of the classroom.
2. Stuff is not what is important. So many use the excuse that there are not enough computers, SMARTboards, iPads, etc. for the reasons that they do not regularly integrate technology. My argument is that so much can be done with one computer and a multimedia projector. Through these you can engage your class with online interactives, videos, virtual tours, ebooks, Google Earth, or podcasts.
3. Kids need license to be creative. A 21st century student needs to be an innovator, thinker, and creator of new knowledge. Our assignments and projects need to give kids the opportunity to do this.
4. The 21st century classroom is collaborative and connected. Workers of today have no walls. They can freely communicate and work with someone on the opposite end of the world through Skype, Google Docs, Today's Meet, and many other tools. Classrooms of today need to model these same practices. Why not have students create something with a student from another part of the world? Or even with another student from another school in our district? It is important that we not limit learning to the confines of our classroom to allow students to explore collaboration and communication in a 21st century work environment. There are so many resources that will give you opportunities to connect your class to another. My favorite: Skype in the Classroom.
5. You do not need to be an expert on all things technology to integrate it into your classroom. The great thing about technology is often it is easy to learn through experimentation. If you give kids a class to try out a tool, I guarantee that the majority of them will figure it out. Use your school technology specialist to help you brainstorm ideas and teach lessons to ease the burden of having to feel like the expert in all areas. Most of all, don't be afraid to fail. Things are not always going to go as planned. The risk is definitely worth the chance of a flop.
6. Technology should be integrated into every class as a natural extension of the learning, not as an add-on course or unit. To repeat what is stated above, technology should be used to enhance the learning and not as a tool to simply state that you are using technology. It should not be an "extra" or a "bonus", but rather something that is just a part of our everyday life and the way we learn.
7. Don't assume that kids know how to use technology properly. Kids must be taught effective use, safety, ethics, and copyright. There are many important rules to consider as creators of new information. We MUST teach our students how to properly give credit, what is legal to use, and what information is safe to reveal online. As educators, this is our responsibility to teach as well as model in our own use of technology.
To access resources and handouts from the conference, visit the TIES wiki.
Friday, June 1, 2012
Staying Up-to-Date this Summer
Ahh...summer! What a time to relax and refresh. Summer is also my time to read all of my back professional journal copies that I never had a chance to read, play around with that list of websites that I never got around to, and browse for some fresh teaching ideas. You don't have to take a college course to learn something new and stay current. Below is my list of easy, free, and painless ideas for gaining some quick summer professional development.
1. Subscribe to and browse other educator blogs. There are some amazing bloggers out there who are willing to share a wealth of ideas! Here are my favorites:
2. Join an educator group on a social networking site. Pinterest has many interesting educators and educational organizations who share their links and clever ideas. I'm also a member of the Classroom 2.0 Ning, which offers a great social network to connect with other educators. I encourage everyone to also become members of Skype in the Classroom and browse through the many different connections and project ideas available there. While I find Twitter overwhelming at times, it is just an incredible source of ideas! There are so many amazing educators out there to follow, willing to share all of their knowledge at any given moment.
3. Check out a conference website. The K-12 Online Conference is an annual online only event, but the past conference videos and presentations are archived on their website.
4. Visit iTunes. iTunes has "iTunes U" which allows users to create and upload educational content. Searching iTunes will give you access to great professional growth opportunities that you can listen to at your leisure.
5. Listen to TED Talks. TED Talks are a collection of interesting videos on a variety of different topics.
6. Steal ideas from your colleagues. I publish on another blog called What's Up in Your LMC. I have used this blog not only to share information about the library, but also as a portfolio of student technology-related projects that I have worked with this year. Take some time to browse through my blog and see what others have done. Maybe it will give you a fresh idea to try next school year.
Thanks for another great year! Happy summer vacation!
1. Subscribe to and browse other educator blogs. There are some amazing bloggers out there who are willing to share a wealth of ideas! Here are my favorites:
- Free Technology for Teachers
- iLearn Technology
- Tech Transformation
- Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day
2. Join an educator group on a social networking site. Pinterest has many interesting educators and educational organizations who share their links and clever ideas. I'm also a member of the Classroom 2.0 Ning, which offers a great social network to connect with other educators. I encourage everyone to also become members of Skype in the Classroom and browse through the many different connections and project ideas available there. While I find Twitter overwhelming at times, it is just an incredible source of ideas! There are so many amazing educators out there to follow, willing to share all of their knowledge at any given moment.
3. Check out a conference website. The K-12 Online Conference is an annual online only event, but the past conference videos and presentations are archived on their website.
4. Visit iTunes. iTunes has "iTunes U" which allows users to create and upload educational content. Searching iTunes will give you access to great professional growth opportunities that you can listen to at your leisure.
5. Listen to TED Talks. TED Talks are a collection of interesting videos on a variety of different topics.
6. Steal ideas from your colleagues. I publish on another blog called What's Up in Your LMC. I have used this blog not only to share information about the library, but also as a portfolio of student technology-related projects that I have worked with this year. Take some time to browse through my blog and see what others have done. Maybe it will give you a fresh idea to try next school year.
Thanks for another great year! Happy summer vacation!
Monday, April 2, 2012
Great Tools for the 21st Century Classroom
Below is my presentation from the School District of New London's April 4 teacher inservice. There are so many great tools to share; it was difficult to limit it to 21!
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Learn it in 5- Online Technology Professional Development
Monday, November 28, 2011
K12 Online Conference Begins Today
People often ask me "how do you keep up with all of the new tools on the web?" Other than being an avid reader and having a great PLN, I take advantage of the many free professional development tools on the web. One such amazing resource is the K12 Online Conference. This annual event features online sessions from the world's educational technology leaders. While many presentations are streamed live, all sessions are archived and can be viewed 24/7. Want to learn more? Click here to view an informational flyer. This year's session topics include computer-based math, creating ePortfolios, educational apps, creating self-grading quizzes using Google spreadsheets, and Edmodo. In a time where funding for professional development has basically dwindled to nothing, it is awesome to still have some free opportunities still available. The best part: I can attend a conference from the comfort of my own home.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)