My friends' kids refer to me as the manner police. What can I say, I expect that people use their manners! When children (my friends' children or the students in my room) don't use their manners, I automatically correct them. I just want them to grow up to be respectful young adults. But, what happens when adults don't use their manners? Nothing. I do nothing because I don't want to be rude to them.
My biggest manner related pet-peeve right now is centered around adults and technology. I find it incredibly rude when people ask you via email to do something for them, or for your input, and then don't respond to your emails. I have recently sent 3 emails (in response to something someone asked me to do) and heard nothing back from any of the receivers. For all I know, they didn't even receive the emails; I worry about if they got it or if I should resend it. And, if I resend it and they did get it the first time, are they going to think that's rude?
All I'm asking is for a simple reply and thank you. That's all. 15 seconds. Then, I'll know they received it and I might even think they appreciate that I took the time to do whatever they were asking me to do. So, the next time that you ask someone a question, or for a favor, please be sure to send them a great big THANK YOU back through email!
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
The Common Core State Standards & My Classroom
Last week I attended a math pilot training for the Common Core State Standards. I knew a little about these new standards before the training (and I know I still have a lot to learn), but I am so excited about them now. I know that this will be great for our students once we get everything put into place and we all have time to get acclimated to the new standards.
I am looking forward to re-doing my curriculum and finding ways to incorporate technology into the new standards. I had already vowed to do things differently in my classroom this year, but now I feel like I have been validated in my ideas. I was pleasantly surprised to realize how much my ideal teaching style matches the mathematical practice aspect of the common core state standards.
I am not waiting around for the real training to happen before I start implementing these new standards; I am getting the change started in my own classroom as well as my school. I am lucky to work for administrators that believe in me, trust my professional opinion, and support me in my endeavors. We have already met about the training and have decided what our first action steps will be: get others on board with the practice standards immediately, get the curriculum lined up and ready to implement the common core state standards next year, and discover what gaps will need to be filled during the transition years. At the pilot training, I met some great math teachers and school leaders that I have added to my professional learning network. I will definitely use them and my administrators to make this adventure better for my students.
I am looking forward to re-doing my curriculum and finding ways to incorporate technology into the new standards. I had already vowed to do things differently in my classroom this year, but now I feel like I have been validated in my ideas. I was pleasantly surprised to realize how much my ideal teaching style matches the mathematical practice aspect of the common core state standards.
I am not waiting around for the real training to happen before I start implementing these new standards; I am getting the change started in my own classroom as well as my school. I am lucky to work for administrators that believe in me, trust my professional opinion, and support me in my endeavors. We have already met about the training and have decided what our first action steps will be: get others on board with the practice standards immediately, get the curriculum lined up and ready to implement the common core state standards next year, and discover what gaps will need to be filled during the transition years. At the pilot training, I met some great math teachers and school leaders that I have added to my professional learning network. I will definitely use them and my administrators to make this adventure better for my students.
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Learning by Leading a Training
Today I was the leader of an "Introduction to the iPad" professional development in a neighboring community. I believe it was a learning experience for all of us. I learned that I should ask more questions before I arrive. Some things I thought that other people would have taken care of before a training on iPads hadn't happened when I arrived. I am not blaming anyone, except myself; I should've reminded my connection at the school of the details that would make an "Introduction to iPads" training meaningful for the teachers. For example, it would have been more meaningful if everyone had an iPad and their iTunes account set up on it.
I think the teachers still learned a lot about the iPads and got some ideas of ways to use them in the classroom. I think the experience also reminded them what it's like to have to share a piece of technology with a small group of people. One participant told me after the training that she now remembers how students feel when we introduce totally new concepts. She was feeling overwhelmed and like she had so much to learn. I assured her that it's normal to feel that way, and that it's ok to go slow and take baby steps. I will remember to stress this point more in my next training!
Overall, the participants were great and I really enjoyed the experience. I will remember what I learned today as I prepare the final details for the next training that I lead....which is for a group of new teachers on Friday!
I think the teachers still learned a lot about the iPads and got some ideas of ways to use them in the classroom. I think the experience also reminded them what it's like to have to share a piece of technology with a small group of people. One participant told me after the training that she now remembers how students feel when we introduce totally new concepts. She was feeling overwhelmed and like she had so much to learn. I assured her that it's normal to feel that way, and that it's ok to go slow and take baby steps. I will remember to stress this point more in my next training!
Overall, the participants were great and I really enjoyed the experience. I will remember what I learned today as I prepare the final details for the next training that I lead....which is for a group of new teachers on Friday!
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Support from Home
Our awesome technology director and I gave a Web 2.0 training at our school yesterday and it was GREAT! The teachers that were there were from 2nd grade through 12th, but they were all supportive, intuitive, and glad to be there. They asked great questions and wanted to know details about the sites. They were brainstorming openly with the whole group, even though some of them barely know each other; remember that this is a very rural community that has three school buildings all in different towns. When the trainings were over, they stayed in the room and discussed additional ways to use the sites, worked on making those ideas start to come to life, and collaborated with each other. I was glad to see that they must've gotten something out of the training because they didn't all run directly out of the room when it was over!
Next professional development....How to use an iPad in the Classroom!
Right after that....SMART Notebook training for our district's new teachers!
I'd be tickled (as my Grandma Jean would say), if these sessions go half as well as yesterday went! Thanks for all of the support, Camp Point!
Next professional development....How to use an iPad in the Classroom!
Right after that....SMART Notebook training for our district's new teachers!
I'd be tickled (as my Grandma Jean would say), if these sessions go half as well as yesterday went! Thanks for all of the support, Camp Point!
A Schoology Surprise
Originally written last July ~
Our amazing technology director and I provided Web 2.0 training at our school yesterday and it was a great experience! The teachers were supportive, intuitive, and overall glad to be there. I was worried about having a wide enough array of sites to make everyone feel like they took something away from the training, but everything worked out just fine. The morning session had a wider span of people in it than the afternoon group, but I believe everyone walked away with something they will be able to use this school year. When both sessions were finished, people stayed to look around the sites more, ask questions, brainstorm on additional uses, and collaborate with each other. This was an encouraging site to see; I was glad we had sparked enough interest that they didn't all take off running out the door as soon as we were finished!
One of the most educational things that happened all day was by accident. Last spring, a first year, 6th grade, history and language arts teacher who I mentored showed me Edmodo. At the beginning of the summer I thought I would use this site next year in my class...but that was before I discovered Schoology. I wanted to show him Schoology and bounce a few ideas off of him. The discussion between 3 middle grades teachers (him , a new-to-our-district JH science teacher, and me) turned into a discussion larger than I ever imagined. Three high school english teachers were still in the room and they LOVED the idea of using Schoology! They were so excited about it and asked great questions. We brainstormed ways to use this site for a half an hour. People were saying things like, "when you do your Romeo and Juliet unit, you could have the students post blogs as one of the characters." They were asking about posting SMART Notebook presentations on the site, building collaboration between some of the upper and lower grades in the room, and discussing ways to keep parents informed through Schoology.
I stayed at school to do a little work in my classroom, but by the time I got home last night two of them had already set up Schoology accounts, got the courses entered, and were letting me know all about it! The teacher I had originally began the discussion with and I created a "fake student" so we could see what it was like from a student's point-of-view. It was so easy to join his 6th grade class and my 8th grade class. The links loaded quickly and it was easy to get around the site. We decided that the students are going to love Schoology; we can't wait to share it with them and everyone else we know!
Our amazing technology director and I provided Web 2.0 training at our school yesterday and it was a great experience! The teachers were supportive, intuitive, and overall glad to be there. I was worried about having a wide enough array of sites to make everyone feel like they took something away from the training, but everything worked out just fine. The morning session had a wider span of people in it than the afternoon group, but I believe everyone walked away with something they will be able to use this school year. When both sessions were finished, people stayed to look around the sites more, ask questions, brainstorm on additional uses, and collaborate with each other. This was an encouraging site to see; I was glad we had sparked enough interest that they didn't all take off running out the door as soon as we were finished!
One of the most educational things that happened all day was by accident. Last spring, a first year, 6th grade, history and language arts teacher who I mentored showed me Edmodo. At the beginning of the summer I thought I would use this site next year in my class...but that was before I discovered Schoology. I wanted to show him Schoology and bounce a few ideas off of him. The discussion between 3 middle grades teachers (him , a new-to-our-district JH science teacher, and me) turned into a discussion larger than I ever imagined. Three high school english teachers were still in the room and they LOVED the idea of using Schoology! They were so excited about it and asked great questions. We brainstormed ways to use this site for a half an hour. People were saying things like, "when you do your Romeo and Juliet unit, you could have the students post blogs as one of the characters." They were asking about posting SMART Notebook presentations on the site, building collaboration between some of the upper and lower grades in the room, and discussing ways to keep parents informed through Schoology.
I stayed at school to do a little work in my classroom, but by the time I got home last night two of them had already set up Schoology accounts, got the courses entered, and were letting me know all about it! The teacher I had originally began the discussion with and I created a "fake student" so we could see what it was like from a student's point-of-view. It was so easy to join his 6th grade class and my 8th grade class. The links loaded quickly and it was easy to get around the site. We decided that the students are going to love Schoology; we can't wait to share it with them and everyone else we know!
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Living the 7-Habits + Living Technology = Successful Classroom
To me, a habit is something that you do over and over again until the point that you don't even realize that you are doing it anymore....then you do it some more! We develop habits at a very young age and continue those same habits, or new ones we pick up, throughout adulthood. Every teacher in the district where I work has been trained in the 7-Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey. The idea is to develop these habits within ourselves so that we can help students develop them throughout their school days. The Habits will be beneficial to students long after they graduate. This year, every student in our district (PK-12) will receive some form of 7-Habits education. These Habits are:
I'm sure a few teachers look at these two topics (7-Habits + Technology) as "two more things I have to do in my classroom," but most of us are excited and can't get enough of them. We realize that the 7-Habits and technology aren't additional subjects to teach, but they are tools to help us teach our curriculum in more effective ways. We also realize that we have to LIVE both of them to be successful in our endeavor. You can't fake living the 7-Habits and you can't fake living technology. Students will know if you are genuine with both of these things or if you're only mentioning it because your boss told you that you have to teach it, and his boss told him he has to make you teach it. Students will know the same way that adults know.
Leaders will emerge in each of these areas, but I see the best leaders in our school district as being the people who live BOTH of these amazing tools. A good leader doesn't just tell you what to do and how to do it, they LIVE it and they make you want to live it too. We have to live the 7-Habits and we have to live technology. This is what will make the integration of the 7-Habits and technology into our classrooms a success!
- be proactive,
- put first things first,
- begin with the end in mind,
- think win-win,
- seek first to understand, then to be understood,
- synergize,
- sharpen the saw,
- find your voice (not an error - this is the 8th Habit)
I'm sure a few teachers look at these two topics (7-Habits + Technology) as "two more things I have to do in my classroom," but most of us are excited and can't get enough of them. We realize that the 7-Habits and technology aren't additional subjects to teach, but they are tools to help us teach our curriculum in more effective ways. We also realize that we have to LIVE both of them to be successful in our endeavor. You can't fake living the 7-Habits and you can't fake living technology. Students will know if you are genuine with both of these things or if you're only mentioning it because your boss told you that you have to teach it, and his boss told him he has to make you teach it. Students will know the same way that adults know.
Leaders will emerge in each of these areas, but I see the best leaders in our school district as being the people who live BOTH of these amazing tools. A good leader doesn't just tell you what to do and how to do it, they LIVE it and they make you want to live it too. We have to live the 7-Habits and we have to live technology. This is what will make the integration of the 7-Habits and technology into our classrooms a success!
Monday, June 13, 2011
Flipping Out!
Summer break has only been here for two weeks and I've been thinking non-stop about what I want to do in my classroom next year! One of the things that I have heard of other educators doing is "flipping" their classrooms.
Flipping a classroom is when the teacher presents a lesson for the students to watch in video form outside of class time (this would be their "homework" each night) and then spends class time working with the students on the information covered in the video lesson. Some teachers are using videos from Khan Academy, Teacher Tube, and You Tube, while some people are creating their own videos. Watching a video of the lesson would allow the students to watch, rewatch, or fast forward in the privacy of their own home. They could work through the lesson at their own pace and even search for similar videos online if they wanted a different point of view on the topic.
I am going to provide the students in my 8th grade and high school algebra classes with choices of projects to complete based around the topic we are covering in class. This way, they could work on practice problems related to the video lessons during class time (by themselves, with other students, or with me) and when they finish, they can work on their on-going project.
One of the main things that holds me back on this idea is the fact that not everyone has equal access to technology to watch the lessons in the evenings. I have come up with a few solutions, but they're not going to work with every student because of timing issues. The students could come into my room and watch the lessons before school starts (assuming their bus arrives early enough), they could stay after school (assuming they can find a ride home from our very rural school), or they could watch the video during their homeroom - 17 minute study hall- (assuming they don't have any meetings to attend and they get a pass before hand to be able to leave their class room).
Has anyone tried flipping their classroom? Do you have success stories and/or lessons learned that you would like to share? Does anyone have ideas to promote equity in a rural, low-income, farming community? Any and all feedback would be appreciated!
Flipping a classroom is when the teacher presents a lesson for the students to watch in video form outside of class time (this would be their "homework" each night) and then spends class time working with the students on the information covered in the video lesson. Some teachers are using videos from Khan Academy, Teacher Tube, and You Tube, while some people are creating their own videos. Watching a video of the lesson would allow the students to watch, rewatch, or fast forward in the privacy of their own home. They could work through the lesson at their own pace and even search for similar videos online if they wanted a different point of view on the topic.
I am going to provide the students in my 8th grade and high school algebra classes with choices of projects to complete based around the topic we are covering in class. This way, they could work on practice problems related to the video lessons during class time (by themselves, with other students, or with me) and when they finish, they can work on their on-going project.
One of the main things that holds me back on this idea is the fact that not everyone has equal access to technology to watch the lessons in the evenings. I have come up with a few solutions, but they're not going to work with every student because of timing issues. The students could come into my room and watch the lessons before school starts (assuming their bus arrives early enough), they could stay after school (assuming they can find a ride home from our very rural school), or they could watch the video during their homeroom - 17 minute study hall- (assuming they don't have any meetings to attend and they get a pass before hand to be able to leave their class room).
Has anyone tried flipping their classroom? Do you have success stories and/or lessons learned that you would like to share? Does anyone have ideas to promote equity in a rural, low-income, farming community? Any and all feedback would be appreciated!
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