I am quite excited about my involvement in Project 24. Project 24 is an urgent call to action on the need for systemic planning around the effective use of technology and digital learning to achieve the goal of “career and college readiness” for all students.

Each of the members of the Project 24 team share experiences in the visioning, planning, implementation, and assessment phases of digital transformation. My piece focuses on the planning phase. Enjoy my article, Five Steps For Creating The Digital Learning Plan You Need.

This outstanding project is sponsored by the Alliance for Excellent Education in conjunction with other notable efforts, such as Digital Learning Day.

 

Take a moment to read about the transformation at Childersburg High School on Education Week Teacher.  This article tells part of the story of how we’ve worked to increase student ownership.

We have placed a strong emphasis on creating a college and career ready school.  While we have much to do, we are making tremendous strides.  Check out some of other things we are doing at CHS posted here.

I look forward to sharing more very soon.  For now, enjoy!

 

 

I have the classic case of blogging ADD. I think about writing.  I record loads of voice memos about what I need to write about. I even map it out in my head. But then, I get distracted. I must find a way to push through because I have a story to share and I need to be the one to share it.

So here goes.

Five years ago I developed, launched, and began leading a teacher-led  technology initiative in my school district in Talladega County, Alabama.  I was certain this would work for a number of reasons.  A culture for collaboration  existed among teachers. (Not actual collaboration , but an eagerness to learn together)  The district administration trusted teacher leaders with the future of our schools.  (And began to trust us even more as time passed) We knew what we were talking about.  (I’m always amazed how easy it is to do something when you REALLY know what you are doing)

Today, I am astounding with our results.  We’ve changed the way teachers teach in Talladega County.  We have personally trained and mentored  over 65% of the teachers in our district. Those teachers have reached 100% of our teachers each year.  When you come to our district to teach, it is not only the expectation at you will integrate technology into your instruction, but that you will be provided (soon, if not immediately) with what you need to do it.  Teacher-led training and mentoring, equipment, support and vision is part of the package.  We have 553 certified staff and 7650 students, an average sized district in Alabama. We have 17 schools and serve seven distinct communities, each unique in needs, resources, and challenges. Yet, our result amaze me thus far.  Over the last five years our district math proficiency scores  have increased 20.75% and science proficiency scores have increased 27.5%. Last year’s graduation cohort increased 23% over the previous year’s cohort.  We have transformed two high schools into a 1:1, another slated to transition in January and fourth school in the fall.  We have many pockets of 1:1 by grade levels in other schools. Visit any Talladega County School and you’ll see equipment.  But that’s not what astounds me. As flashy and cool as it is, the technology is NOT center stage.  Learning is.  (Can’t wait to tell that story!  You’ll love it!)

Now understand, we are NOT a wealthy district.  In fact, we’d be pushing it to claim to be a “middle class” district. But the commitment is there. I plan to write more about our efforts in hopes that these reflections will help others while providing clarity as we grow.  I’d love to know your thoughts, as well.

There are many lessons in this story.  Something to chew on for now…. Teacher leaders CAN transform schools.  I look forward to sharing more about how this has happened in my world!

 

Last summer my pool was somewhat useless.  We couldn’t get the chemicals to cooperate, forcing us to look at a really giant green lake.  Then there was the pool turtle.  This creature stayed so long we should have collected rent.  By the time we got the pool suitable for summer fun, it was time for school to start again.  (It’s totally insane that Alabama schools started back the first week of August.  At least kids have two more weeks this summer!)  One of the reasons this house appealed to me when we bought it was how wonderful it would be to take a little “vacation” to the backyard every day in the summer.

This summer the pool is totally ready for action.  The water is clear and has been since before school was out.  No creatures have invaded our crystal lake causing us to run and take cover.  The weather has been blistering hot and hardly any rain has threatened to spoil the vacation to the backyard.  I have new pool toys, a new swimsuit, and virtually no distractions to keep  me from jumping in.  And I haven’t step foot in the pool yet. What’s up with that?

Is this true?  The more we have, the less we appreciate and use what we have.  Is it human nature to take special things for granted?  All of us have something that we begged for, longed for, saved for, and promised ourselves we’d use everyday.  Those things end up collecting dust, pushed in the corner of the attic, or worse – sold at a yard sale.  (My list includes a treadmill, air hockey table, various kitchen electrics, and the fish aquarium.)  Each item experienced at least one day of exceptional value.  The desire to own and use it WAS great.  This frightens me.  And here’s why.

The coming school year I will have my dream classroom.  I will have a 1:1 classroom with desktops, a projection system with Smart® technologies (Board, Document Camera, and Slate), and a giant multimedia display.  New furniture – excellent computer tables and chairs, and round tables for group work – await me and my students.  I am in a “non-traffic” area of the building.  And I’m teaching 9th grade English and history and 11th English – which is really perfect for me.  I’ve spent twenty years longing for this and now I have it.  WOW!  So, how to I keep from letting a single day go to waste?  How do I maintain my enthusiasm and sheer joy for living what I swore was my dream?  How do I make sure that absolutely NONE of this equipment ends up dusty, unused, and ready for the next trash pick-up?  Here are a few commitments I will make to myself:

1. Prepare myself.  Plan, plan, and plan some more.  Stay out of the pool this summer and get prepared to have vacation all year around in my dream space.
2. Stay deeply involved with those who do not have what I have.  Constantly see what it is like to be without your dream in order to appreciate being with your dream.
3. Allow students to get from my class what I get from teaching it.  I want autonomy in planning and teaching.  I want challenging, exciting work.  I want a strong relationship between my efforts and my rewards.  Focus on making sure students have that as well.  If that happens, this 21st Century classroom will naturally become extraordinarily useful for them.

So, now I’m looking for your suggestions.  How do you avoid taking something for granted?  What have you done to make the most of having your ideal classroom?  Can’t wait to hear from you!

When I first began my journey to the center of the web, I didn’t have much in my backpack.  I started with a wiki.  It turned out to be something of a Swiss Army Knife for me.  I still feel much the same about my wiki as I did years ago.  It was such a natural web tool for me and my students.   We worked together to create an online representation of what we were learning in the classroom.  To see a bit of what we did together, visit the FHS Wolves Den wiki.

I learned so much about all other web tools trying to master the use of a wiki.  People ask me often where to begin learning web tools.  I still believe using a wiki is one of the best possible places a teacher can begin.  It really is the coolest tool.

When I became a Technology Integration Specialist a couple of years ago, I shifted my attention to a different wiki.  This wiki bearing my name (Jennifer Barnett) houses examples of technology integration, presentations, links to sites, tutorials, and other information.  But, this one isn’t nearly as fun.  It doesn’t function like a wiki where a group of people own the site and create content together.  I add things to this wiki almost every day, but I’d love to have other contributors.  I think my mistake was naming it after myself.  It is easy for teachers to find, but not very inviting for them to participate in creating content when it bears someone else’s name.  So, lesson learned.  If I really want a true wiki, I should have approached this differently.  But, the wiki is full of good information.  Here’s a little taste.

Wiki Hot Spots

Links to the Pages in the Chart Above:

My Web Wardrobe;  My Digital Sewing Kit;  Tutorials and Tip Sheets;  Integration Pages: Students Using Their Voice;  More Integration Examples;  Character Metaphors;  Active Learning Strategies Consider this your invitation to join this wiki and become a contributor.

Where to Begin?

Where did your journey to the center of the web begin?  How did you become an advocate for using web tools with your students?  Did you teach yourself or learn from a trusted colleague or other professional development experience?  Share with me your thoughts on the best beginner web tool for a teacher. I’m very curious as to your opinion on the best tool for a teacher to use to begin his or her own journey to the center of the web!  Thank you so much for taking time to share your experiences and opinions.

John David will compete in his first technology competition on Friday at Jacksonville State University. He is a 3rd grader at Watwood Elementary School and is extremely blessed to have Kim Broadhead as his teacher. He is so excited about this competition. I am so proud that he has worked so hard to make his project exactly what he wanted. John David’s wiki houses all of his work. John David’s love of all things Harry Potter has actually proved very useful for a school project. Hopefully, his first technology competition will be a magical experience for my little buddy!

The National Educational Technology Plan (2010) outlines a very specific path for supporting teachers in the difficult process of integrating technology into their practice. I especially like the visual to the right. This nice graphic from the Teaching: Prepare and Connect section of the plan demonstrates the complexity of just this aspect of the process. I’d like to briefly address each part of the graphic, examining each role with respect to technology integration.

Teacher
The teacher must see the need. Without a sense of responsibility for providing students with rich experiences using technology to learn, a teacher will not move forward with his or her own development and learning to integrate technology into their curriculum. It cannot be sold simply as a way to make their job easier. Teachers must believe that students need to use technology in the learning process. Also, teachers who lack confidence in learning new technologies must be adequately supported. This delicate situation must be handled carefully, always showing great respect for others and the challenges they face learning something so difficult for them.
How?
All levels of administrators must set the agenda. Superintendents must speak to the need. Principals must set the expectations. District and school based technology experts must provide resources, information, and hands-on support on a daily basis. Department leaders and teacher leaders must demonstrate their successes. Time for structured conversations must be made. A virtual onslaught of expectations and information will help prepare teachers to clearly see the need and develop the confidence needed to learn something new.

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Other Teachers
Colleagues are truly the single most important force in pushing along the process of technology integration. Teachers love to talk and share and will do this no matter what. To take advantage of this happy situation, leaders must structure even more opportunity for teachers to share with teachers.
How?
Here’s a simple list of ideas: Common Planning (report the conversations back to an administrator); “Tech Tuesdays” or “Tech Thursdays” (informal share time after school for 30 minutes to an hour – I do know of schools that make this formal providing PD credit, with different teachers leading each session and announcing the tool/technology to be presented to generate interest each week); Lunch Meetings; Create a group blog or wiki to share; Open House or Technology Showcase for parents or community or just each other

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Students
Let’s face it. Sometimes students know more than we do about certain technologies. USE their expertise. There’s no better way to engage students in the learning process than to relinquish some of the responsibility for success to them. Be sure to prepare them ahead of this. They should have a quick lesson in working with other students. Also, make your expectations for them very clear. Don’t just turn them loose. Be very explicit with what you want. Also, take time to talk to students about technology and tools they are using in their lives. You may get some great ideas for you using those tools in your instruction.

How?
Try creating a Tech Team (SWAT (students willing to assist w/ technology). Have a group of Tech Tutors to farm out to teachers just beginning to use technology as student assistants. Have share sessions with Tech Teams or Student Advisory groups. (Our use the school’s SGA or other organization to connect with them if you aren’t ready for a tech team.) It’s important to learn from them – wherever they are.

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Parents
Parents in every school are willing to share – they just need to be asked. Sometimes teachers aren’t sure about what to ask of parents. (Sometimes we don’t exactly know what we need) In the case of technology integration, you might simply need for parents to comment on student work posted online. Maybe you need a guest speaker willing to skype with your class. Or maybe you need a parent to help build a website for your class. The list is endless. You may be surprised how many would love to help!

How?
Newsletters, email, and other formal communications can be utilized to get your parents involved. But don’t forget to talk to them in Wal-Mart or the grocery store about what you need as well. Those less formal requests are personal and meaningful. There are loads of parents ready to be that involved in your child’s class if you’d ask.

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Youth Development Workers
There are advocates for our children throughout our society. These youth development workers share in the responsibility of students and want to be connected and involved. Using technology can make this happen seamlessly. To identify who the specific youth development workers might be, talk with your school counselor. He or she can point to groups and individuals with special interest and capabilities for serving certain students. (Some examples are government social service organizations, churches and religious groups, retired educators and other retired groups, non-profit service groups, literacy organizations, and much more.)

How?
Invite these individuals to be a part of your class, especially virtually. Invite them to visit in person and allow the students to teach them how to be connected using technology.

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Data

Data is your most dependable resource for identifying the needs of your students. Using technology to organize data to more clearly understand your students’ needs is happening more and more throughout the country. Identifying the methods that technology can help you meet student needs can be a little bit more difficult. Teams of teachers and administrators must address these issues together.

How?
Frequent discussion of student data is necessary to create an authentic learning plan for each learner. Data discussions should become an integral part of every meeting.

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Personal Learning Networks
Early in my learning, the teachers in my school provided the most significant nudge into true tech integration in my classroom. When I began to itch for more, I began building a wider network for learning. You can see my PLN here. Today, this network impacts my development in profound ways. I’ve grown and learned beyond my own intentions and expectations.
How?
Connect with others in educational technology. I use Twitter. Participating in #edchat, #edtech and other such discussions has been phenomenal. I offer help and ask for help often on Twitter. Also, I read what influential ed tech folks write – both in blogs, books, and other articles. I use my RSS feed on iGoogle to keep up efficiently. Commenting on blogs and articles will help you develop a presence and a network. I use other social networks – Facebook and Ning – for connecting to educators. I use social bookmarking and participate in a variety of webinars and other discussions available to interested teachers for free. The more you begin to search, the more you find. Ask for help if you get stumped. It’s the point of developing a PLN.

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Online Courses
In Alabama we have fantastic eLearning online courses, available several times during the year for free. These wonderful courses earn valuable CEUs and provide excellent training in dozens of areas of educational technology. I also love the free K-12 Online Conference. It’s an asynchronous conference allowing you to participate when you can. Another excellent opportunity for online learning is to look into Education Week’s webinars. These webinars are fantastic! (most recorded and available later)

How?
Register for eLearning. (Alabama State Department site for eLearning) Learn more a K-12 Online. Learn more about Education Week’s webinars.

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Technical Assistance Providers

The nuts and bolts of a new piece of equipment can frustrate even the best of us. Make certain the vendor of your technical devices provides training for using the equipment. If possible, give teachers enough information to get them started with the equipment and have them use it a bit before the training. You want them to ask the most sophisticated questions possible while you have experts on site. If you have one teacher that really goes that extra miles, see if your outside trainer will spend an extra half hour with that teacher, creating a “semi-expert” at your school site.

How?
Negotiate this assistance as a part of your purchase. Always push for follow up training. If additional equipment is purchased, ask if the training for the new teachers can include some of the other teachers as well. Get as much as you can from this valuable training.

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Tutorials
Providing simple tutorials for teachers is really very simple. Video tutorials already exist in abundance on a variety of websites. Short step-by-step written guides can be useful for teachers interested in learning to use new equipment or new web tools as well. These resources are also available on the web. Important Advice: Choose the tutorial and give it a trail run with a couple of teachers. Then ask for some feedback on the tutorial’s usefulness. Too much detail can scare teachers away and not enough detail might frustrate them so much that they give up.

How?
Go to the websites of the vendors for the equipment purchased and search for video tutorials. PDFs may also be available. Use your Personal Learning Network to ask for other great tutorials. Many technology specialists have created some of these types of tutorials themselves and may be willing to share. Just ask!

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Experts
Research the field of educational technology integration. You will find certain names and organizations appear over and over. Make it part of your week to read what they are writing and publishing. Don’t forget to subscribe to online periodicals, blogs, and other media sources by the leaders in the field. If you aren’t sure who you’d like to include in your “reading list” don’t worry. Find one organization or person and get started. They all seem to reference one another and soon you will be bouncing around reading what lots of different people are saying about how to effectively integrate technology.

How?
Learn to use RSS feeds. A good place to start is with iGoogle, Google Reader, or Pageflakes. You can organize everything you’d like to read on one page and simply click to read the latest blog entry or article. Easy as pie!

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Content
Sometimes the content we teach can be the best source of inspiration for how we might use technology to teach it. Thousands of sites exist in every field on every grade level for actively engaging students with content.

How?
If you’ve made it through all of the resources listed above, you’ve already found some amazing resources for integrating technology with your content standards. If you haven’t made it through all of the steps above, use your technology specialist to help you locate these resources. It’s his or her job to find them and assist you and your students with using the resources to make learning authentic. Enjoy!

Geek Paradise

For the past three days, I’ve been in geek paradise.  Around 50 geeky teachers came together at Guntersville State Park to play with their Mac or PC to produce podcasts.  It’s always fun to be with other teachers – we are a breed of our own.  But this group has been especially interesting.  When we lost power (the wind blew a bit hard on day two), no one seemed to be bothered a bit.  It takes a special type of teacher to roll with loss of power when creating web-based and computer-based products.  Love it!

These types of workshops and camps are designed to be a great learning experience.  And it has been.  Yet, the inspiration I have received watching others play has been the best takeaway this week.  When other geeky adults have so much fun playing with their work, you can’t help but enjoy your own work even more.  I must remember this lesson this coming year.  WE NEED TO PLAY MORE!  I know Dan Pink would agree.  I know our students will agree.  Having fun IS what life is about and I plan to have more of it at work, even if I have to schedule fifteen minutes a day just for laughing.  Cheers!

Alabama Learning Exchange

Here’s the podcast that I’ve submitted to ALEX (Alabama Learning Exchange).  The Podcast Treasury, Gallery 360, houses the podcasts from teachers and other institutions in Alabama.   As soon as my podcast, The Ellis Island Experience, is up on the ALEX site I will update with a link to that site.  More information on this project can be found on my class wiki.

What does it say about you when you can’t catch a turtle?  I’ve been wondering this the entire month of June.  When we returned from our beach vacation at the beginning of the month, we discovered a new houseguest.  This not-so-small creature has the biggest room at our place – our pool.  We have an insanely big pool, key shaped.  It’s not like a housekey; it’s shaped more like one of those big fat baby teething keys.  So, the turtle picked a giant place to live, as pools go.  We immediately tried to get him out with a net – no luck.  He got away.  It didn’t help that the pool was as clear as rootbeer.  Now that we’ve dumped enough chemicals in the pool to blow up Childersburg, you’d think we could get him now that we can actually see him.  Alas, no.  He seems to be home and I feel like the intruder!  We keep pretending it’s not gross and that we’ll be able to get him out tomorrow.  Of course, my two boys think it’s cool.  My youngest son is dying for a new dog, but seems to think the turtle will do in its stead, for now.

So, have I learned anything from my pool turtle?  Maybe.  Some problems are more complex than they seem.  I’ve dedicated enormous amounts of time in my school district to helping teachers discover the imperative for a 21st century skills focus in education.  While tremendous progress is being made (in fact, so much so that I almost feel guilty for saying this), so many teachers are like me trying to catch the turtle.  They don’t really want it, don’t know how to “get” it, and not so creative in trying to really capture the concept.  Just like me with the turtle, they don’t call for help.  They have grown used to things and the accept how things are – even if instructional strategies are out of place and unsuccessful.

Turtles Will Be Turtles

Southerners really understand turtles.  They are slow, methodical, loyal, and tough.  It’s not always so obvious to others, but they are quite intelligent as well. Most southerners aren’t so concerned that others don’t “get” them.  The wisdom I find in many of my colleagues is so practical and humane.  They place so much more value and trust in people, not systems and institutions.  They don’t really care to argue about esoteric matters.  Philosophy is a cereal box religion that make little sense to study.  This is why it’s so hard to get them to act on new understanding about what students need in the classroom.  It’s not just the old idea “that what worked for me…”  It’s much deeper.  They just don’t care to think about it.  People from other places might call my colleagues simple minded, but I don’t.  It’s just not their style to think that way.  So, how do I offer myself as a bridge?  I have to do it their way.  I have to speak about our needs in education from the southern perspective.  We care so much more about raising “good younguns” than worrying about the outsourcing of opportunities for our youth in India.  We want good jobs and kind people to run businesses in our communities more than we need to be on the cutting edge of new technologies, business, and politics.  Rarely does the average southerner see the connection between what we want and what we need.  Why? A thousand reasons.  Our history, lack of leadership, our weather (yes, I have a theory on that), the sense of empowerment missing from our core set of beliefs about life.  I can’t change all of that.  In fact, I can’t change any of that.  But I can engage others in a discussion of who we are, what we need, and how we can get it.  I have to find a place in conversation to talk about the need for more collaboration, critical thinking, and creativity in our instruction.  I need to be strategic with what I choose to discuss, understanding what people naturally care about and following that with new perspective and insight.  My grandfather always used to say, “Jennifer, nobody cares about your sh** but you.”  Wise man.  I have to make my sh** theirs. I have to do the work it will take to pull them along and inspire them to think about the education of our children from new perspectives.  I have to take the time to see where they are, clear a path to them, and encourage them to lift themselves out of the water.  Something I haven’t done with my turtle.

 

Note:  I’m planning to do a series of book studies next school year to push thinking about why 21st century skills should be a top priority in our schools.  Do you have suggestions?  Please post.  Thanks!

 

Americans love treasures.  In fact, we really love searching for treasure.  In the last two National Treasure movies we discovered that a national treasure could be buried beneath another treasure (Cibola beneath Mount Rushmore) or in plain view (map on the back of the Declaration of Independence).   We love the adventure, the intrigue, the romance, and the intelligence necessary for such heroic characters to make those amazing discoveries.   And we stand and stretch at movie’s end knowing it only happens on the silver screen.   Right?

Our National Treasure

Talladega County Schools have a national treasure and her name is Sallie Chastain.  She is the Coordinator of Community Education and Electronic Curriculum.  But that’s just her title.  Like any great treasure, she is so much more than that.  She is a visionary leader, thinker, and mentor.  She is an advocate for every student and every teacher.  She loves people and has a passion for making progress in education.  And she knows how to get things done.  Sallie’s opinion counts.  If you wonder if something can be done, you ask Sallie.  If you wonder how to do something, you ask Sallie.  If you need something to be done right, you definitely put Sallie in charge of it.  Yep, Talladega County Schools have a national treasure and we aren’t letting her go.

Book of Secrets

Many of us have wondered if that infamous ”Book of Secrets” really exists.  I can reveal the truth.  Sallie has it!  Well, I haven’t actually seen it.  But I’m sure it has a page or two on the following:  how to write and win grants, how to stretch dollars to cover every need a school has,  directions for putting together furniture, how to find and finance the technology tools schools need, and how to inspire the trust of your colleagues when telling them that we don’t need to buy a new instructional program – we can create one for ourselves.  Sallie would probably swear there is no book.  She’d say that she’s just doing what she should do.  While I can’t imagine her digging for the City of Gold under stone statues of our presidents, I know that she approaches her work with the adventurous spirit and intelligence  we’ve come to expect of our heroes.  I’m so glad she picked Talladega County to pan for gold.

Celebrating our Treasure

Each year at the Alabama Educational Technology Conference  a teacher, principal, central office administrator , and superintendent are recognized with Alabama’s most prestigious technology award – the Marbury Award.  This award recognizes those who reflect passion for advancing educational technology and who are exemplary models for innovation in the field.  Sallie Chastain will receive the Marbury Award on Wednesday, June 9, 2010 at the conference.  We are so proud of everything she has done for our school system and truly thrilled that the state of Alabama recognizes her as the leader she is.  Congratulations, Sallie.

When I think about a Friday coming, I always smile.   And after nearly three years of supplying my school system with what I call a “Friday Five,” I almost start laughing.  I laugh because I am shocked that I’m still going strong and looking forward to the challenge again next school year. 

What’s the Friday Five?

Let me tell you about “The Friday Five.”  When we began technology training in Talladega County, we knew how important it would be to gently remind our new learners to constantly search, learn, experiment, and discover for themselves.  So I began emailing these learners each Friday.  I offered them a short list of things to browse, read, and explore.  Each of the five tips/inspirations are very short, but always provide links or attached documents for further reading.  To my great surprise, this public email, read and explored privately, has become an amazing teaching tool.  My elementary counterpart began her own Friday Five in the second year for our elementary teachers.  My Friday Five has expanded to every educator in our system in the third year.  I especially enjoy the challenge of trying to inspire secretaries, CNP managers, support personnel, and others in our system to find ways to use technology to improve their lives. 

Why do I do this?

Learning is social and personal.  I knew that colleagues would be more likely to read a personal email from me on technology than go out in search of information on their own.  I made a commitment to provide them with encouraging, concise information on a regular basis.  That was extremely important.  If every person serious about learning had to email a group of colleagues a top five list of what he or she had learned each week, amazing things would happen and happen fast!  I knew I wanted to be a leader with credibility.  So, I had to work for it.  It’s just crazy that it turned out to be easier to learn that I thought.!

How do I do this?

So many people ask me where I find the content for each Friday’s email.  They never believe me when I say that it’s easier than it looks.  ”Use your personal learning network.,” I tell them.  “Don’t have one?  Then, create one.”  I have a “potential Friday Five” email folder for items that come in from random sources that might need further exploration.  My RSS feeds of blogs and other news that I follow lead me to some great pieces.  My facebook friends, Twitter contacts, and delicious network provide countless places for me to explore what’s new and interesting.  I read constantly, stay in contact with teachers throughout the country, and listen to my colleagues with new purpose.  I always have a bit of my mind on my self-imposed Friday assignment.  And I’m so glad that I do.  By paying attention to what’s going on around me I am able to serve others with information, advice, and perspective.  When  I see teachers and colleagues use information obtained from a Friday Five, I know that I’m on the right track.  

Check out over 500 tips, links, bits of inspiration, and tricks from the last few years.  Enjoy!

Friday Five 2008

Friday Five 2009

Friday Five 2010

Hundreds of help sites exist for teachers trying to integrate technology into their practice and their students’ experiences. With a grateful heart to the many who have allowed me to lurk and learn, I am offering my help site to others. As with all learning experiences, it is a work in progress. I am trying to put together the things that have helped me as well as presentations I’ve put together that I wished someone had done for me.

Should you like to see my efforts, visit my wiki.

Like most expectant moms, I put a lot of thought into naming my two boys. Names are very important labels, offering insight and credibility to a child if carefully chosen. And, in my line of thinking, the name is important because my child’s name would be something I would say every day for the rest of my life. So, I really need to like it. Luckily, I like saying Jackson and John David. And even if I tire of the names, I shouldn’t mind saying them since they are two pretty cool kids.

When I first heard the word wiki I laughed. It rhymes with icky, sticky, picky, tricky, and Vicky (my sister). I laugh when I say most of those words. And wiki is the silliest of the group. When I learned more about wikis by creating one and exploring on my own, I was still laughing. I wasn’t laughing at the word, now I was laughing at how much fun this would be. I was raising an adopted Wiki! I didn’t name him or really give birth to him, but Wiki was mine and if he was going to grow up, I had to feed him, clothe him, and make him do his homework. God knows if I was passing out names, I would choose anything but Wiki.

Since I take parenting seriously, I decided to help Wiki adjust to life as a school teacher’s child. Of course, I filled him full of important information. And if his little brain couldn’t hold all of the lessons I had for him, I made a note for him of where to find it. I taught him to make friends easily and initiate conversations with his new friends. We spent lots of late nights looking around the world for the most stylish clothes and popular possessions. (It’s important for kids to feel like they fit in. They need to know that others think they are cool. Wiki’s friends think he is pretty cool.) Somehow, Wiki and I have successfully made it through adolescence. He was completely unorganized, lacked focus and direction, and seemed to be in a permanent state of rebellion. Miraculously, he has grown into a fairly mature young man. Don’t get me wrong, Wiki looks like a strapping young lad on the outside, but has lots of growing up left to do!

Wiki is growing up so fast and has changed so much since I adopted him. He’s so popular with his friends that I’m seeing some changes in him. He doesn’t stick so close to mom anymore; he wants to go out on his own. Wiki is always bugging me to get him the most flashy videos, the newest music, and the coolest gadgets (he calls them widgets…kids!) He tells me that his friends have actually started expecting him to have the best stuff. I guess Wiki doesn’t want to disappoint his friends. And I don’t want to see Wiki fail to realize his potential. Just like with Jackson and John David, I am willing to make some sacrifices to make sure Wiki is raised with plenty of attention, genuine affection, and thoughtful guidance.

This parenting adventure has been such an unexpected pleasure. It’s a real rush that my husband and I are parents to two great kids and that I’m a single parent to a precious adopted child. I have a serious desire to raise my actual children with a desire to impact this world. I hope I am raising my virtual child with the same hopes. When I agreed to adopt Wiki I didn’t think I could get used to his name. Since he’s a pretty cool kid, it turns out that I don’t mind saying his name every day at all!

Visit my adopted child at FHS Wolves Den

My six-year old son has made it perfectly clear to me that he thinks being small is a drag. When we discussed this catastrophic situation I discovered that John David’s biggest concern is really what his friends might think about him. According to my little fellow, car seats, plastic mattress pads, and water wings are a dead giveaway to the smallness of a person. I can identify with his heartache. No one likes for his friends to laugh at his smallness.

John David’s struggles have prompted me to think about why being big is desired by so many. Isn’t this the great American goal? Big portfolios, bigger salaries, the biggest toys, the most myspace friends, the most prestigious awards, the most hits, the greatest influence. Being small has never really captured the imagination of most Americans. Bigger is better. And the biggest must be the best.

So, is this bad? Is it simply a collective American fault, a bad seed planted in the proverbial evil garden causing us to chase the wind? Maybe. And maybe not. Maybe being big is the point of it all and the undiscovered purpose for unfulfilled dreamers. Growing is as natural as desiring, indulging, and seeking to make ourselves laugh. Somehow John David knew being big would bring greater rewards. Who wouldn’t want the reward now. I agree with him. Why wait?

Now, what about other kinds of growth? Few adults seek growth with the passion of a child. And most of us clearly understand the rewards of personal growth. Teachers acknowledge the necessity of professional development, but lack passion for it. We are quick to point out the obstacles to our growth. When others encourage our development by designing opportunities for us we complain. They ask too much. They don’t challenge me enough. They, they, they. We rarely take responsibility for our own growth and create our own opportunities and situations. We just sit back and expect others to “grow” us, like we are a plant being watered with air.

And then there are others who love to grow. I love these folks. I call them Jolly Green Giants. They are always trying on pants every place they go. And most of the time the pants they find are Jiminy Cricket’s. But they keep searching for big pants to wear. Big pants. That’s what I want to wear and I want them to fit. So while John David works his way out of a car seat and water wings, I’ll work my way out of Jiminy Cricket’s breeches and into some suited for a giant.

Do you remember the short-lived high energy drink, Jolt? I think today’s modern version of Jolt is a Coke product called Vault. I don’t drink it, but I see it everywhere. It’s funny how many folks need a product like Jolt or Vault to get them in gear. Like many busy teachers, I’m not ready for my day without a little caffeine. But a Jolt or Vault might be more than I’m ready for early in the morning. I usually try to ease into my day, slowly working toward an even, manageable pace. The pace abruptly yet pleasantly changed on October 25th for lots of Alabama teachers.

Yesterday the Alabama Best Practices Center held its first face to face meeting of the year for the schools involved in its 21st Century Learners project. Five people from twenty Alabama schools convened in Alabaster to prepare for a year of professional technological growth in the third year of the program. I don’t remember being served a Jolt or Vault cola, but somehow an energy source was poured into me and many of the other teachers present. This energy could be found everywhere. You could feel it in the messages each educator left to another on our networking site, Ning. You could hear the energy in the noisy conversations. You can see the energy on the abpc wiki, in the emails to each other, and in today’s conversations in the halls among the teachers who attended. And it hasn’t even been 24 hours since it ended.

The day was loaded full of instruction for meaningful uses of technology in our classrooms. All of this can be seen by the world at the abpc wiki. The leaders of the project, Cathy Gassenhieimer and Sheryl Nussbaum Beach, can be counted on to thoroughly plan a meaningful experience for teachers. This kind of attention to detail provides the motivation to engage the message and transfer to practice. Today, the transferring began.

But what made the F2F (Face to Face) launch such a great jolt into this professional learning year was how the group felt about the project. It is our mission to prepare our students for this century. We no longer need to teach kids how to work on the railroad, we must teach them how to adapt and work on things we haven’t yet conceived. Not only does everyone believe in this mission, 21st Century Learner teams refused to make excuses for failing to carry out that mission. It’s exciting to be a part such a trailblazing group of educators.

I am looking forward to so many things during this next year. Deeper connections to other “mission-minded” educators is somewhere near the top of my list. Sharing, talking, and blogging will be great fun in 2007-08. I’m even feeling pretty good about failing when I try something that doesn’t work. Basically, it’s a year to take risks, reflect, and learn from taking risks. And none of us have to do that alone. A supportive structure for learning is not easy to create. But this has been accomplished over the last couple of years by the hard work of lots of teachers and their leaders at the ABPC.

Jolt and Vault promote themselves as energy in a bottle. Trying to bottle and sell what is happening in Alabama might really be worth a venture capitalist’s efforts. Our 21st Century Learners project doesn’t have an official energy drink as its corporate sponsor. Now that I think about it, maybe it should!

Click here for picture of FHS team at Microsoft’s Innovative Teacher Forum

Where to begin?

Participating in Microsoft’s Innovative Teacher’s Forum in late September continues to cause me severe pain. My enlarged brain is now so full, I’m sure it will blow any time now. Trying to figure out how to organize my many thoughts is almost as painful as trying to make space for all the new stuff I have in there now.

Some of the greatest lessons in life are the simple and unexpected discoveries we make about ourselves. I went to Seattle hoping for the best, but secretly worried that I had little to offer others. Being wrong never felt so good. It was a wonderful experience realizing that I need to speak up, take more action, push harder for the changes I know need to take place. So, one of the best things I got from the Innovative Teachers Forum was realization that I am a truly innovative teacher.

Collaboration. I like that word. It’s a great word. It brings lots of positive things to mind and makes me feel sort of like I used to feel when I travelled the world with Up With People almost 20 years ago – hopeful, global, neighborly. It takes a village to …… well, you get the idea.
But I understand it differently now. It’s less about the process (which brings back that loving feeling), it’s actually about the product. Everyone gets something from collaboration. The networking concept is not new to me. Collaboration is not new either. But talking to strangers about common interests and goals is new to me. And I’m sold on its effectiveness. I can’t wait to make this a common daily practice.

Time deserves respect. I need to change my attitude about time. For some reason I have been working really hard to “beat” it as if it were an opposing team, the plague, or the Crimson Tide football team. I can’t remember ever trying to work with it as if it were my trusted friend. If I’ve learned anything over the last couple of amazing weeks about time it’s this: I’d like more time in my day than everyone else has and I can have it. Yes, I can have more time for what I really want to do. I have just given myself permission to take what I need. If it means a little less sleep, cutting corners on other things, or removing some things altogether, I can do that. I hear so many teachers tell me that they don’t have time for this or for that. Actually what they are really saying is, “I don’t care enough about this or that to do it.” It’s simple. We do whatever we really want to do. I really want to dig, learn, collaborate, grow, explore, and use all I learn to become a better teacher. So, that’s what I am going to do. I am so excited that MY spare time is actually going to be MINE!

The last couple of weeks have been full of new opportunities for me as well. I may soon be writing for the Teacher Leader Network. There is just no better way to find your voice than to exercise your hands. Thinking on the most pressing issues facing teachers and other educators is a challenge I’m excited to accept. Moreover, I’m beginning an amazing journey in the study of engaging instruction. Working with gifted professionals from the Alabama Best Practices Center in Montgomery, I am thrilled help plan special training for teachers AND students in designing and implementing engaging 21st century curriculum. There are many other interesting projects on the horizon for me in Talladega County as well. These opportunities offer me the professional validation I need to spur me toward all that awaits me on the horizon.

Before setting out to win favor with the seletion committee for Microsoft’s Innovative Teachers Forum in Redmond, Washington, I knew it would take a lot of work. I never dreamed that after returning from the forum that I’d want to work ten times harder to win favor with myself. Now that’s the kind of professional experience I’d like to bottle and give to every teacher on the planet.

The “K12 Online Conference” is for teachers, administrators and educators around the world interested in the use of Web 2.0 tools in classrooms and professional practice! The 2007 conference is scheduled to be held over two weeks, October 15-19 and October 22-26 of 2007, and will include a preconference keynote during the week of October 8. The conference theme is “Playing with Boundaries.”

Years ago an eye doctor told me I was near-sighted. After wearing the eyewear he prescribed, I had to agree. If I want to know what’s going on ten yards away, I better wear them. I’m not sure why this has bothered me all these years. I don’t like being labeled with a “vision” problem. Last night, while grading my junior English class’ essays online, I realized that I have the kind of vision that really matters.
High school juniors are a unique breed. They are full of eagerness for their future. They are also full of questions, complaints, worries, conflict, and obsessions. All of this gives me so much to work with. I love to help them iron out a path for themselves. These youngsters are like my own children. I want them to achieve more they they dream. I want to plant ideas in their heads about their capabilities that even they can’t see. I want to show them that the questions, complaints, worries, conflict and obsessions serve great purposes in life and help us find our way. I want these high school juniors to see what I see. They are truly unique individuals with special gifts designed to make our world better.
21st Century teachers are a unique breed. They are full of eagerness for their student’s futures. They work hard to provide them with the skill base necessary to compete in our global environment. They realize the importance of students mastering new technologies and creating purposeful work products. A 21st Century teacher understands why today’s students need opportunities for collaboration, investigation, and analysis. They are truly unique individuals with special gifts designed to make our world better.
Mix high school juniors with a 21st Century teacher and you might just have something amazing. It’s not enough to care for your students. It’s not enough to push them toward their potential. We must have a destination in mind for them. I know where my students must go. I’m working on doing the best job I can to get them there. And who knows? One day I might get a new diagnosis and learn I’m not near-sighted after all.

Today in English class I listened to the teacher. Even though the teacher was me, I heard her say, “It’s not about the product right now, it’s about the process.” We were writing essays focusing on personal conflict – with all of the fun of analyzing and picking apart the dramatic issues of today’s teens. But that “process” comment seemed to become glued inside my head all day long.

I am techno-toddler trying to grow up too fast. My serious efforts to use technology in my classroom began under a year ago. Yet, I want so much to be a grown-up blogger, podcaster, wiki wizard, and web tool handyman. I find so many inspiring examples of teachers doing all sorts of amazing things that I figure I should be among them. That passionate urge to be the “best in show” settled deep within me such a long time ago. But that urge to be patient with myself never took root in me. So, I find myself more frustrated than anything – just like my students writing essays about conflict.

So, I must take my own words to heart. The process of discovery and understanding takes time. It is essential that I grow through techno-adolescence and beyond at a slow, reflective pace. With a clearer perspective of tech methods, I can better serve my students and other teachers. The process of becoming “best in show” is much more important than the final product presented in the show itself.

Sometimes the teacher actually says something worth remembering.

A few days ago I was searching for some additional resources to help teachers at my school develop their wikis. My principal has decided that all teachers in our K-12 school should have a wiki for their class. We have done some basic training on creating wikis last year and will be working toward the principal’s goal this school year. But, just as in the classroom, some wonderfully eager educators are ready to jump in. They just need someone to push them. So, I guess I’m the pusher.

Even though I created a wiki last year on how to create a wiki, I thought I’d look around and see if anyone had one better than mine. As I expected, most were better than mine. I found lots of different things that will help the teachers at my school and I added the links and descriptions to my wikihelp page. But what I found in the process made my day!

A wonderful little wiki called walthamhigh on wikispaces caught my eye. It is an attractive, easy to follow help page for teachers at a school, evidently Waltham High School. I read the author’s list of reasons for creating wikis, directions on how to go about it, and the list of resources for helping teachers along the way. Then, I saw it. She listed my class wiki as an example of a good class wiki! WOW! How cool that the same author that I was busy admiring, admired me!

This web 2.0 thing never ceases to amaze me. We tell our students that people are always watching us, always judging our work. “Always, do your best. You never know who might notice.” I wonder if we teachers realize the power of our words. Many of us who have jumped at the opportunity to use web tools in the classroom must be mindful of our example. Our unconvinced colleagues are constantly evaluating our methods, messages, and effectiveness. We can’t be sloppy. Since this happened, I have been busy cleaning up the messy spots I hope my admirer missed. We all know that you never get a second chance to make a first impression.

This time, I was lucky enough to stumble upon someone who noticed something good about my work. Next time, who knows?
http://walthamhigh.wikispaces.com/