"The only thing that stays the same is everything changes." Tracy Lawrence
As technology continues to develop and a majority of the nation moves into Common Core curriculum, we as teachers need to continue to adapt to meet our students' educational needs. We will need to look at standards and think about what is important for students to learn.
This summer, I have been asked to be part of a Common Core committee for ninth grade standards. However, I am most likely not even teaching ninth grade next year. To the best of my knowledge, I have been moved up to teach to the test (again).
I kind of feel like I'm lost in the shuffle. The more I think about it, the less I am certain of what is important and how I can best impact students. A big part of me wants to move back to Minnesota so I can teach in my home town and help take care of my dad.
I will try to stay current with technology through my tech facilitator, through Pinnacle conference, and through personal exploration. I have really embraced technology with my Creative Writing class this semester, but perhaps I went too far with it. I have to remember, balance in all things.
I'm not sure to what degree Common Core will affect my teaching. I plan to spend a good chunk of my personal time this summer figuring out what and how I will teach next year.
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
Professional Development Experience
I have to admit that I was a little nervous about delivering training to my colleagues. I have no problem with talking in front of a group of people, but I don't always feel confident in my ability to prepare to do so or in my ability to appear to be an expert on a given topic.
I chose to deliver optional professional development rather than mandatory professional development. I made this decision for a number of reasons. First, most of my peers seemed exhausted after all the common core workshops and other training activities we have had this year. Second, I remember feeling frustrated when being forced to participate in professional development that I didn't feel I needed or could apply in my classroom. I wanted to target a small group of teachers who would be very eager to incorporate technology integration activities that would enhance their students' learning experiences.
I couldn't have made a better choice. I had a group of about 9 teachers for Quizlet training, and a group of about 5 for LiveBinders. The interesting thing was that it wasn't all the same teachers at both, and some of them were people I didn't expect to come to a training like that! They were really eager to use the tools and strategies that I provided. I even had a few people come work with me outside the workshop time to help them better use the tools.
Quizlet training was really smooth. I had a solid online handout that I began developing last summer and that I completed this spring. Using the handout, I guided teachers through creating an account, creating flashcards, and implementing interactive activities using Quizlet in the classroom. We also had a follow-up session in which the teachers shared their successes and asked questions. I was able to teach them some more advanced tricks with Quizlet, too.
LiveBinders training went well also. It was a small group, but that worked well. I was lucky to be able to use Jason Mammano's handout for the training, and I adapted it to include some additional features that I thought would be helpful. I gave ideas of how LiveBinders could be used in the classroom, and I showed some examples of each. We will have a follow-up training next week on Monday, and I am looking forward to hearing how my teachers have been using their new tool.
All in all, delivering professional development has been one of the most rewarding parts of the Pinnacle process. It renewed my own enthusiasm for technology integration and reminded me that there are a lot of teachers who really want to constantly improve their practice.
I chose to deliver optional professional development rather than mandatory professional development. I made this decision for a number of reasons. First, most of my peers seemed exhausted after all the common core workshops and other training activities we have had this year. Second, I remember feeling frustrated when being forced to participate in professional development that I didn't feel I needed or could apply in my classroom. I wanted to target a small group of teachers who would be very eager to incorporate technology integration activities that would enhance their students' learning experiences.
I couldn't have made a better choice. I had a group of about 9 teachers for Quizlet training, and a group of about 5 for LiveBinders. The interesting thing was that it wasn't all the same teachers at both, and some of them were people I didn't expect to come to a training like that! They were really eager to use the tools and strategies that I provided. I even had a few people come work with me outside the workshop time to help them better use the tools.
Quizlet training was really smooth. I had a solid online handout that I began developing last summer and that I completed this spring. Using the handout, I guided teachers through creating an account, creating flashcards, and implementing interactive activities using Quizlet in the classroom. We also had a follow-up session in which the teachers shared their successes and asked questions. I was able to teach them some more advanced tricks with Quizlet, too.
LiveBinders training went well also. It was a small group, but that worked well. I was lucky to be able to use Jason Mammano's handout for the training, and I adapted it to include some additional features that I thought would be helpful. I gave ideas of how LiveBinders could be used in the classroom, and I showed some examples of each. We will have a follow-up training next week on Monday, and I am looking forward to hearing how my teachers have been using their new tool.
All in all, delivering professional development has been one of the most rewarding parts of the Pinnacle process. It renewed my own enthusiasm for technology integration and reminded me that there are a lot of teachers who really want to constantly improve their practice.
Friday, March 16, 2012
Reflections on Google
I can't believe it's already March. Second semester is flying by and it's going great! I have been giving professional development on Quizlet and I'm about to do one on Liveninders. I've got a small group who are really interested and who are already implementing Quizlet. It's awesome!
I've been implementing a lot of technology in Creative Writing. All my students have LiveBinders portfolios. We are putting all of our writing assignments in Blogger and Google Docs. It's going pretty smoothly. One issue we have been having is that students forget their passwords all the time. We could use an easier way to reset them. Also, I'm concerned. Will students lose all their documents when they graduate from GCS? I'd really like for them to be able to keep their portfolios even after graduation.
Has anyone played with Aviary yet? We are going to do a performance poetry piece and I was trying to decide if we should use Audacity or Aviary or something else.
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Writing Brought Me Back to Life
We are already in the third week of the new semester, and I have discovered a new vigor for teaching. For the first time in my eight years of teaching, I have finally gotten to teach one of my two ideal classes: Creative Writing (the other would be Public Speaking). Creative Writing is a blast, and my other two classes are pretty good, too. I'm actually pretty happy.
One of the best things about Creative Writing is that I have been able to integrate technology into my lessons. I have taught my students to use Live Binders, Mixbook, Prezi, Blogger, and Google Docs. We are posting our online portfolios to my classroom website. You can see some samples of my students' creative nonfiction pieces below:
My portfolio: http://www.livebinders.com/play/play_or_edit?id=289307
D'Andre's Portfolio: http://www.livebinders.com/play/play_or_edit?id=297363
Shelby's portfolio: http://www.livebinders.com/play/play_or_edit?id=297361
Lindsay's portfolio: http://www.livebinders.com/play/play_or_edit?id=297355
Our class's favorite assignment by far has been the Six Word Memoir. Want to play? You can listen to the story behind the Six Word Memoir at http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=123289019&ps=cprs. Then try to come up with your own six word memoir and post it as a comment to this blog entry. I'll bring you some chocolate at our next Pinnacle meeting if you post one! :)
I'm so happy this semester. I hope you are too! I can't wait to hear everyone's success story at the next meeting!
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
A Letter to My Younger Self.
Hey Mr. B.,
It's hard to believe you're (I'm) starting your first year teaching. I know you're nervous since you've been placed in a high school even though you did your student teaching in an elementary school, but you'll be fine. Be confident in yourself. You are a patient and strong person; you will really be able to excel with the "at risk" students you have been hired to teach.
Just don't go too crazy. I know you tend to bury yourself in your work. Take some time for yourself. Sure, you have to do the work, but don't let it consume your whole world. You're moving to a new town--you need time to develop a social circle and a life.
Don't panic if you don't know everything. You've always been good at faking it. Don't be afraid to take risks and try new techniques--and technology. You may think it's superfluous now, but in the future you won't be able to imagine teaching without it.
Most importantly, don't forget why you went into this profession to begin with. You had two special teachers in high school who touched you deeply and changed your life. You probably wouldn't be here today if it weren't for Mr. Groves and Ms. Fabish. Mr. Groves stood by you for six years while you were in choir. He taught you to be part of a team and to work with others. You were part of something special then and you'll never forget that. Ms. Fabish was an awesome math teacher, but the thing you remember more than anything is the day she pulled you out of class to talk. You didn't say much, but knowing she noticed something was wrong and that she took the time to talk... well, she cared about you.
That's why you teach. Anyone can teach content. Not everyone can touch lives.
Don't forget that. "Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle." -Plato. If you ever forget that, reach back to those memories of why you started teaching and remind yourself that you love this job and that you love kids.
Now go change lives.
Your Future Self,
Mr. B.
P.S. "Save the cheerleader, save the world!"
It's hard to believe you're (I'm) starting your first year teaching. I know you're nervous since you've been placed in a high school even though you did your student teaching in an elementary school, but you'll be fine. Be confident in yourself. You are a patient and strong person; you will really be able to excel with the "at risk" students you have been hired to teach.
Just don't go too crazy. I know you tend to bury yourself in your work. Take some time for yourself. Sure, you have to do the work, but don't let it consume your whole world. You're moving to a new town--you need time to develop a social circle and a life.
Don't panic if you don't know everything. You've always been good at faking it. Don't be afraid to take risks and try new techniques--and technology. You may think it's superfluous now, but in the future you won't be able to imagine teaching without it.
Most importantly, don't forget why you went into this profession to begin with. You had two special teachers in high school who touched you deeply and changed your life. You probably wouldn't be here today if it weren't for Mr. Groves and Ms. Fabish. Mr. Groves stood by you for six years while you were in choir. He taught you to be part of a team and to work with others. You were part of something special then and you'll never forget that. Ms. Fabish was an awesome math teacher, but the thing you remember more than anything is the day she pulled you out of class to talk. You didn't say much, but knowing she noticed something was wrong and that she took the time to talk... well, she cared about you.
That's why you teach. Anyone can teach content. Not everyone can touch lives.
Don't forget that. "Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle." -Plato. If you ever forget that, reach back to those memories of why you started teaching and remind yourself that you love this job and that you love kids.
Now go change lives.
Your Future Self,
Mr. B.
P.S. "Save the cheerleader, save the world!"
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