11/12/14 Response to NL

1.  Your take-away from Sept staff day and selected focus for professional learning  

I found the response from the audience to be a bit disheartening. A few teachers sitting behind me were very opposed to the ideas presented. Upon refleciton, I think it is because they feel uncomfortable with the idea of change and with the subtle suggestion that the way they are doing things isn't what is best for students.  

2.  What you've tried w your students (good, bad & ugly) with respect to your selected focus **Bonus Points**for sharing artifacts of your efforts (student work samples, student and/or teacher reflections, etc). in hard copy or digital format

I have tried having them blog, I have tried honor the social part of learning by not feeling guilty about giving them time to talk about learning with partners. I have made the mantra of my class be failure is a means of learning. I have attempted to do this by honoring mistakes rather than dismiss them and look for ht right answer. I have been more explicit than ever about that process. I have answered fewer questionsand built more ladders.

Thursday I will be sharing the day with our returning teachers!  WooHoo!!!! In addition to the above, would you please take a few moments to consider your personal "Then & Now"...what you thought this journey was about when you initially signed up early spring last year ("then") and what you believe this journey to be about "now". 

Then, I thought this was about learning to use technology in the classroom. Now I think it is so much more about shifting mindset, building community and becoming the best teachers we can with the students we have now. It's about recognizing these things take time and about accepting perfection is not expected but that it is the journey that counts and makes us grow. It's about recognizing that choice matters and students will give their all when they feel it matters. We need to make it matter!

Tuesday

Today I introduced the students to a collaborative google doc and had them write down all of their ideas for simple acts of kindnesses they might perform in order to make the school a more welcoming place.  I found that 8th graders had to have a bit more time than me to play around and see how it works, and that I struggled a bit with not being abe to track what each student wrote. I'm not sure it was a huge success but I am thinking it might be a door into the digital citizenship conversation I need to have with them.  I also realized that I thought showing them one video that presented the idea of paying it forward was enough to get them thinking, but man they are literal creatures at this age. I think for my afternoon class, I will direct them to a few online random acts of kindness pages and have them explore a bit before they share their own ideas--I need for them to be more creative.  It comes down to time ALWAYS!
I also realized that as adults in the role of teacher we often want to swoop in and save, and while it is difficult, I have to make my classroom a  space where they can be left alone to figure it out.  I am going to consistently implement "ask three before me" (or any other teacher in the classroom!).

I would really like to get moving on this maker space downstairs. I see it as a place where I could go during my 3rd period prep and learn from others or just use the time to explore the thousand interesting tech ideas I hear about but never do.

My kids are excited about the upcoming project for community ties and that's encouraging!

Monday

As Don and I were talking about RTI classes and how we are going to approach them this year, it struck me how easy it is to give suggestions about what to do in the classroom and how very difficult it is at times to implement the very same in my own classroom.  This is what makes me respect those who are truly still practicing this very difficult profession and their opinions so much more than those who have been out of the classroom for any length of time and certainly more than those who have never stepped foot in the classroom.
I am hopeful that this could potentially be a space where we can share ideas that not only are tried and true in our classrooms but also those that work within our small community.  A big push for me this year is going to be reflection. I will do some of that in this space, feel free to ignore my posts but I have committed to attempting to learn out loud more than I currently do.
I know some of you do a better job asking kids to reflect on what they have learned. I am wondering where you have them record this reflection? I am thinking I am going to move forward with a blog for the students. I have a kidblog account and am thinking of using that. Do any of you have experience with something else?

Welcome

I am not sure what will become of this space but I see it as a means to share ideas, to begin conversation about what is going on in our classrooms and to seek or give support to one another.  I am hopeful that from time to time, we may use it as a space to reflect or to muse on what it means to teach.