Musings

Famous Brit Lit Poets "invade" our classroom to discuss current events

This year at CCA, all teachers are required to complete a portfolio, reflecting on their personal academic journey. What assignments worked well? What flopped? How can I be a better teacher?

As I look back on the assignments completed this year, I notice that not one assignment exactly replicates what I did last year. There is a drive within me to always push onward & upward. I don't ever want to stagnate as a teacher, nor presume to have my profession figured out. This is tough for me as I am a perfectionist. I want to get things right the first time, and am sometimes frustrated to look back on the failures of yesteryear. Those failures may have pushed me to be the teacher I am today, but failure still smarts.

I have improved in crafting quality assessments. These are not formal tests!! At any given time, I usually have a pretty good feel for the pulse of my classroom community. Who understand what we are doing? Who is lost? I don't need to know if a student can recite the plot lines of a given book - that information is at the tip of their fingers. What I do want to see is passion, heart, inspiration, creativity... does literature inspire my students? Does it teach them about themselves and their world? That is my measure of success.

I still have much work to do improving my classroom management. I wrestle with this. Sometimes it feels like I need to become a different teacher to gain control of the classroom. I am not dictatorial (usually). I do not like to have all focus on me. I prefer students to be creating, crafting, discovering, building their own knowledge with me as a guide. But when things are crazy and chaotic and students can't understand directions because no one is listening and no one is reading instructions, things fall apart. It does not matter how interesting the project is, if a student doesn't want to listen, there is only so much flash/bang! that will garner their attention. And so, I am left with trying to wrangle my philosophy into order. How can I better craft units to suit the needs of my various students? How can I effectively teach, without resorting to being the loudest voice in the room?

I love each and every one of my students. Honestly. They are what make the long nights and the frustrating failures worth it. I want to be able to look every student in the eye at the end of the year and say, "I like you. I hope you like me, too. Hopefully this year, you learned a little about yourself and the world around you. Hopefully you mastered some practical skills. Hopefully you are leaving my classroom a better version of yourself."

Exploring IT

Stay Curious!

My two passions are teaching and technology. I've always enjoyed tinkering with computers and pushing boundaries.

Recently I've started exploring options to add a Masters in Information Technology or Information Systems to my M.Ed. I have come up short time and time again for one reason or another. This program is too expensive, that school doesn't offer the right courses, and so on and so forth. After pulling my hair out, I finally decided to do what I knew I should have done all along: design my own path.

The knowledge is out there, free for the taking. Yes, it would be nice to have another formal degree, but it isn't necessary to prove my competency. So what did I do? I navigated back to Coursera, where I've dabbled in a few MOOCs, and signed up for every IT & Computer Science course I could. I'm dabbling in programming, systems analysis, security issues... you name it, I'm curious. I'm jumping back into Codecademy and Code Avengers. I want to learn! I want to expand my potential! I want to know instead of pretending I know.

Does this mean I'm thinking of leaving the teaching profession? Absolutely NOT. I love my job and my students. My heart is in the classroom. But, I would like to leave the door open to explore new opportunities. What would it look like for an English teacher to also be involved in IT? Maybe it's something I can do on the side or during my summers. Maybe it's something I can integrate into the classroom. Who knows! The possibilities are endless, and I'm ready to learn. Wish me luck.

Padcamp 2012

I presented today at Padcamp in New Jersey. It was a packed day full of networking and collaborating. Padcamp is an unconference where the participants create the schedule. We learn best from each other. I presented on using the Nearpod app and Ignite Presentations in the classroom.

If you would like to check out some of my slides, I posted them on the Padcamp Wiki here.

Thank you to all the organizers, volunteers, and attendees. It was a productive, inspiring day.

Advice for New Teachers

1. Take Risks

So what if no one in your building has a classroom website? Be the first. Be brave and be bold. A new teacher is expected to not immediately fit into the norm, so this is a wonderful opportunity to carve your own path.

2. Take Time

Not just for spa treatments, but to connect with other educators at your school. You are not in this alone. Find a mix of teachers to surround yourself. I suggest the following:

• An older teacher who is wise to the ways of classroom management and is an expert in understanding your school's particular culture
• A younger teacher who has fresh ideas
• A crazy history teacher who will have you in stitches during your lunch break
• A coffee-friend - someone who will listen to your success and frustrations

 3. Take Yourself Online

As important as face-to-face interactions are with your school colleagues, it's also in your best interest to network online.

• Use Twitter to share and find resources, participate in weekly chats, and follow interesting educators. I suggest following #ntchat if you are new to the classroom.
• Use Facebook to share important info with parents and students. If you are uncomfortable friending, then create a Page on Facebook. (Here's mine)
• Use Google+ in a similar way to Twitter, but with the added features of: extended conversations, picture and video viewing, and Google Hangouts. I strongly suggest finding Google Certified Teachers on Google+ and watching their Hangouts on Air.

4. Take Yourself Offline

I'm a fan of educational technology (obviously), but some of my best ideas come from times when I step away from my laptop. Take a walk, go for a bike ride, watch a ballet performance, snuggle with your kids, or reread a favorite novel. These breaks allow us to take a step back and get excited about our profession all over again.

Faculty Meetings: Edcamp Style

If you know me, you know I'm a fan of the Edcamp model. These free unconferences offer participants the opportunity to share in an engaging, inspiring environment. The result? Everyone walks away with something practical - teachers teaching teachers is after all one of the best forms of professional development.

What if our faculty meetings followed the same pattern? Dream with me here. The day before a meeting, a Google Doc is circulated where teachers share what topics and subjects they are interested in learning about. The doc could contain a table with columns. Teachers can fill out the first three columns based on their interests. In the first column, teachers can write in any idea or topic that they would like to know more about. The second column is for other teachers to indicate their interest in that topic. The third column is for teachers to sign up to lead discussion on the proposed topic.



On the day of the faculty meeting, use the interest stars to guide room and time decisions. Remember, if you don't have time to address all the topics, that's ok! Continue to use the form week to week.

Encourage facilitators to start the sessions promptly to allow maximum discussion in the time slot. If participants want to discuss a topic further, offer the session again another time, or even better, start a discussion about the topic in a faculty Google Group. I would suggest keeping the in-class discussion time short. This will keep interest level high.

If the model works well for afternoon faculty meetings, consider using it for a full day of in-service professional development.

Collaboration is key!

The Crunch

School starts in four weeks. Teacher orientation starts in two and a half weeks. Summer is almost over and it's crunch time.

I spent most of my summer gleaning information from twitter, webinars, blogs, google+, facebook, and face-to-face conversations. At the beginning of August, I created a blueprint for my classes, mapping out the where, when, and hows.

Now, it all comes together. This week, I've been focusing on google accounts. My school does not use Google Apps for Education, but my students do use many google apps. To make this easy (ha!) I set up a google account for each student to use while in my class. I give them a password and link the accounts to my google account so I can monitor and address issues as needed. It's not a perfect system, but it works. It takes massive amounts of time to set up. Breaks are a must.

My plan for this year: PBL. I have a lot to learn and a lot to explore in the next few months as I start to implement PBL in more of my classes. I've used PBL on a smaller scale for the past two years - it's time to expand.

While my mind is mostly focused on curriculum, I'm also thinking about my classroom setup. Last year I was fortunate enough to be able to swap out desks for tables. This year, I will continue with the tables, but I'm desperately searching Craigslist to see if I can change my long tables for round tables. Round tables would allow me to move easily around my classroom, and check in with table groups. I would love to do something like this.

My plan for the walls is much like the design in my GTA video:

I'm currently working on adding wood grain to butcher paper to make the railings and parts of the cabin. Here's where I got that idea.

It may be crunch time, but I still have two and a half weeks to enjoy sleeping in (which, really, is the best part about summer)!

Google Teacher Academy

So... I didn't get accepted.

Am I upset? Sure - it's a huge opportunity and honor.

Am I despairing? Not a bit. Instead of wallowing, the wheels are already turning in my head. What can I do myself to make this year amazing? How can I be more creative? How can I use Google Apps to their fullest potential and spread the word?

Maybe I'll create my own action plan. Maybe I'll put together a mini-GTA with my coworkers where we can collaborate and learn from each other. I'm most definitely still going to apply to present at Pete&C in Hershey, PA this year.

While I would have loved to have the opportunity to hang out in New York with some of the most energetic, brilliant teachers, this is not the end for my journey. If I want my students to see that failure is a part of the process, then I need to model this in my own life. I will keep trying. I will keep trying.

Webinar Oberservations

Over the past few years, I've participated in many different webinars, usually related to education. The free webinars are a mixed bag - sometimes they are inspiring, other times they are a yawn. Here are my observations:

The Good Webinars are...

• clearly defined 
• well advertised
• on-trend
• well-taught
• recorded and archived

The Bad Webinars are...

• boring
• uninspiring
• confusing

The Ugly Webinars are...

• thinly veiled advertising for another (paid) course or product
• a waste of time

The worst webinars have presenters who don't present any new content. Instead, they talk about how wonderful a particular product or methodology is, without ever providing a clear definition or demonstration. I've attended webinars where the first twenty minutes are spent introducing the presenters. Here's a tip: give your audience an amazing webinar, and a link to your curricula vitae.

The best webinars are inspiring and intriguing. They leave you with practical information and the desire to know more.  Great webinars stimulate conversation on Twitter and Google+.

The webinar format is perfect for delivering professional development on the go to teachers and administration. However, it's only as good as the facilitator. I encourage you presenters out there to think through your talks, streamline the message, engage your audience, add to the conversation, and change the world - one educator at a time.