I Am New

There is a Christian song I like that says, "I am not what I was, being remade, I am new."  I love it.  I live it.  I sing it to myself and hear the words in my head often to remind me that I am always changing, always being remade, always new.  Every experience I have and every person I encounter bring me closer to who I am meant to be.  God is making me New. 

I have always wanted to earn my Masters, but my life gave me 1,000 excuses not to.  When I finally decided to, the state changed the rules.  I will no longer receive an instant bonus to my salary, leaving me hitting the ceiling with a student loan debt to boot.  That might have deterred me a year ago.  Not now.  I trust that God has put me here because I need to be here.  There are benefits to be gained that won't show up on my bank statement.  I never gave it a second thought.  Know why?  Because the day I applied to Indiana Wesleyan, I felt a peace that told me, without a doubt, that I had done the right thing.  I am not always sure of God's plan for me or if I am following the right path, but I knew that day.  I felt God's hand in it.

Question:  Assess your learning in this class.  In what areas did you see the greatest growth? 

I love teaching, even on the days when it seems that I don't.  All of the changes the state is making to our curriculum, our evaluation, our...everything...add stress that makes teaching a chore when it really should be a joy.  This class has given me a new excitement about teaching.  I have new tools.  It has been a long time since I have added so many new ideas to my teaching repertoire.  I have more knowledge of the technology available, and even though I am still in the beginners' bracket, I can actually use and apply all that I have learned.  I am learning that my kids don't see that world as I do, and that I have to see it through their eyes.  The problem isn't so much WHAT I teach...but HOW.  I see that now, and that, overall, is the greatest change.  It's a journey, and I am moving out of the rut that was keeping me stuck in one place.  I am going.

“Be not afraid of going slowly; be only afraid of standing still.”

Chinese Proverb

Question:  How will your teaching practice change as a result of what you have learned?

I  have already changed!  I have a new willingness to try technology, even if things don't go perfectly.  My kids did a Web Quest this week and built their own websites.  We ran into issues, we got frustrated, but we learned together, we problem-solved, and in the end, they did an outstanding job.  You know what the coolest thing is?  They were excited.  They wanted to get to the task.  They liked it.  That says a lot when a 9th grade English teacher can say it. 

I don't know how specific my answer should be, but just as an example...We are now getting ready to read The Odyssey, and my students struggle with the content every year.  So what can I do to make it better?  Well, I am starting by creating a Prezi that shows all the stops on Odysseus' path home.  I am making it funny, bright, fast...and I am sneaking in a lot of information.  :)  I think they will pay attention, if only because they have never seen anything like it before.  I am also going to make it available for them to view as a study tool. 

How will my teaching practice change?  I am moving again.  I am learning again.  I am working at being a good teacher again.  That is how my teaching practice will change.  (Thanks, Mr. Davis)  :)

Teacher, teacher, won't you teach me?

How can I encourage my colleagues to engage in technology integration? 

My first thought is to do it myself and share what I am doing.  The ones who are interested will join in; it's the ones who aren't interested who would be the challenge.  Maybe the best way is to throw a whole bucket of water on them and hope a few drops stick; inundate them with ideas and resources and hope that they will try one and that one leads to another and another, and so on.  If I were so brave (oh, and I am ;) I could even offer short trainings before or after school for people who are interested.

How can I serve as a teacher leader for technology integration? 

Isn't that the same question kind of?  I think the best way to be a leader is to model the desired behavior, provide resources and support, and have open lines of communication.  If some of my colleagues are like me (and they are), they don't know what free technology is available to them right at this moment.  They don't yet understand that our kids are not us and they learn in a way that is foreign to the people who are to be teaching them.  I can share information, invite them to join some of the PLN sites, and establish a dialogue that we are not currently having.  "How do you use technology in your classroom?"  "Is there something you would like to learn to do?"  "Does anyone on our staff know how to use that technology?" 

What tools have I learned in this class that help me facilitate this?

I have taken in so much information from this class that has changed my way of thinking.  I have shared the "Digital Natives/Digital Immigrants" article with many people, including those outside of education.  I have found networks of educators on the Classroom 2.0 and The Educator's PLN websites.  And I have found technology that is free for the taking, easy to use, and instantly applicable to the classroom.  I have learned to create a webpage, a web quest, a Prezi presentation, and I am working on a podcast.  Oh, and even though  I am not sure I have anything blog-worthy to say, I learned how to create a blog.  Those each deserve a "WOW."  Wow. 

I have proven (at least to myself) that any old dog can learn a new trick.

What's the old saying?  Knowledge is power?  I think that is my best beginning to facilitate helping others see the light.  :)  I not only have knowledge to share, but I have experience to share.  Instead of "I heard this is cool" I can say, "I tried this.  I conquered this.  Man, is it cool."

Now that's edutainment...

Education + Entertainment = Edutainment, my new favorite word.

Okay, it is daunting to think about all of the technology looming out there waiting for me to pick up my game and get on board.  There.  I said it...daunting.  I would be an incredible fibber if I said, "I got it."  My biggest concern?  Hmmm...perhaps that even if I try to incorporate new technology, my learning curve will be much slower than my students'.  They really will "get it" and I will be behind them trying to catch up.  I have no problem learning from my students, as long as I do eventually learn.  What if I don't?  What if my immigrant status and thick accent hold me back?

I have now created a webpage and a webquest, and even though  I think they are acceptable, they are not as cool as I would want.  I feel like I have the basic idea, but I want them look better, more professional maybe.  I guess I am expecting too much from myself (and maybe from Google :).  This process, though, of attempting to use a technology that is new to me, is my ticket out of the old.  I know that.  For me, the way to alleviate my fears is to face them head on.  I learn best by feeling free to try without fearing failure.  If I have enough information to get started, I can at least figure out what questions I need to have answered.  That is the way I learn. 

I wish I knew how to instruct my kids to create video games to learn The Odyssey.  Odysseus would have to fight his way off each island in his quest to return home.  He would have special powers, special weapons, and a team of warriors to assist him.  That would be "winning" as my students (and Charlie Sheen :( would say).  That's edutainment, and I am loving that idea.  Even though I am not quite ready to design that nerdy but super neat video game, I am edutainment, or at least the 90's version of it.  I have always been a weird teacher.  We don't just read The Odyssey, no, we create "Odyssey, the Musical."  Right in the middle of a dramatic re-creation of the Cyclops scene, a kid pulls out his ipod (Oh, yeah, I'm cool like that), plays a song, and lip syncs the words.  That is edutainment.  I guarantee that kid remembers the story. 

Edutainment...a way for kids to take old stuff and make it new.  Our musical might not be as techy as a video game, but are the kids learning?  What are they learning?  They are learning to take some ancient story and make it their own.  They are connecting this fairy-tale to music that they know and love.  (Odysseus and Lady Gaga...what a pair!) In order to do this, they truly have to understand the story.  They are learning that they can understand something that seemed foreign to them, and they can master it.  They are learning to never underestimate their abilities.  Isn't that the point?  Edutainment...entertaining education that captures kids and gives them a way to bring something to themselves in a way they understand.  I wish I could make video games, but until I can, I will turn on the marquee and let the music play...

Too late to un-know it now...

Ah, peaceful obliviousness...

My mom always said she never wanted to learn how to pump gas because then people would expect her to do it.  I can relate at times.  As I read the software adventures of my classmates this week, I found myself feeling jealous of what they had discovered and clicking on every link to see what it was all about.  Now I know.  There is cool stuff out there, more than I knew.  It is too late to un-know it.  I want to use the program that creates and grades tests and sends kids e-mails.  I want to publish my kids' books online and make presentations that I would be proud for parents to see.  I want all of that, and I have a list. 

Do I really have to say what I use now?  I am embarrassed to admit my short list.

• I use STI, a grading/attendance program, because I have to.  When I taught in Wyoming, we had a grading program created by teachers called "Making the Grade."  It did.  It was so much better and sophisticated and teacher-friendly...but STI is compatible with state data collection...blah blah blah.  I use it--a lot.
• I also use Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, basic Internet searches, and e-mail. 
• I have a staff page on our school's website, and I did create a blog with my Honors' students last year, but then the IT (the one who understood the website) left, and everything we were all learning left with him.  My staff page has not changed since last year.

As the Brady Bunch kids once sang:

"When it's time to change, then it's time to change

Don't fight the tide, come along for the ride, don't you see

When it's time to change, you've got to rearrange

who you are into what you're gonna be."

Just like Peter Brady's voice, it's time for me to change.

I am already beginning to use Google Docs and the site builder.  I have shown it to some of my students and to my building principal.  Everyone is excited to use it, excited to learn it, and extremely excited that we can actually access on our school's server.  I have already started the webpage for the Honors' project.  I have also created a Google Document for the kids to practice logging in and adding to the questions I have posed to them.  I was surprised that none of them knew how to use it.  (And, ok, I was a little thrilled that I got to be the one to tell them!)

I would also love to explore podcasts.  I have so many ideas about how to add this tool to my classroom.  I will most likely begin by making it a requirement for the Honors project.  Working with a small group of kids on a focused project seems like a great way to ease into something new, help me find the glitches, and work them out before I take on 110 kids. 

My action plan...

1) Connect my Honors kids to a Google Document before Christmas break and require that they all login and answer the questions I have posed to them, add their own questions, leave comments for each other, etc.
2)Set up a time to meet with my Honors kids after Christmas break to go through the tutorials on the Google site builder so they may begin adding to the website.
3)Learn how to do podcasts so that I can teach my Honors kids.
4)Make better friends with the broadcasting teacher in my school and have him train me and my kids on how to use some of the editing equipment available through the radio station housed in our school
5)Have our website up and running by the end of the third nine weeks. 
6)Share the site and my newly acquired knowledge with my fellow staff members.

I once learned how to pump gas, and now I don't even have to think about that simple process in order to perform the task.  I am sure the first time felt weird and clumsy and not like something I thought I could do well.  But somehow, I am now proficient.  I am hoping that I will be able to say the same one day soon about some of the new technology that I have learned about this week and now cannot un-know.

"Sha na na na, na na na na na, sha na na na na

Sha na na na, na na na na na, sha na na na na"

Ready or not, here it comes...

21st Century Learning...

I am open-minded, willing, and aware of my shortcomings.  I think this prepares me to learn to teach and learn to learn in within the 21^st Century, but that really is not what the question was asking.  Sigh.  A few months ago, I had never heard of 21^st Century Standards, but I think I was already emphasizing some of them in my classroom.  21^st Century Curriculum and Instruction emphasizes “…inquiry and problem-based approaches and higher order thinking skills.” (www.p21.org/overview/skills)

This I do or attempt to do.  I want my students to be able to learn outside of a classroom, without a teacher, without specific instruction or guidance.  I want them to be able to identify a problem, consider solutions, and choose the best approach.  I also encourage my kids to explore life beyond school, involve the community in learning, and help them to be community-minded individuals.  I think I have at least put the foundation in place for these skills.

My lacking is in the technological aspect (see Blog 1 :).  I do not think my students are totally prepared for success using 21st century skills, but I hope they have strengths in place that will help them adapt and learn what I have not given them.  That being said, I am not their only teacher, so perhaps other teachers are helping to balance out my weaknesses.  That is a nice thought.  I think I will go with that.  I know that many of our students are amazingly successful once they leave us, but I can't say ALL; therein lies the problem.

My strengths are the same as they have been throughout my career:  I want what is best for kids, and I want them to be successful human beings, not just people who can pass a state test.  My weaknesses are my limited knowledge and the amount of information I need to process in order to use it effectively in my classroom.  This is what being a life-long learner looks like, kids.  Just like homework, if you do a little as you go along, you won't have to cram it all in at the end. 

Technology...thou art mine fair and lovely enemy...

As I read through the NETS for teachers' standards, I found myself thinking that I rock these standards...
                              if every technology word were removed.

I "facilitate and inspire student learning and creativity," but do I use technology to do so?  Not really.  I use technology for word processing, research, the occasional PowerPoint.  Snore.  I doubt that these simple uses inspire my "digital natives."  I do try to give students opportunities to use technology that they have access to, even if I don't.  When assigning projects, I give students the option of using any technology they would like.  I have students who create YouTube videos, PowerPoint presentations, movies using movie making software, etc.  I let them take the project and present it in a way that works for them. 

If I have one sad, fading feather stuck in my cap :o), it is for my Honors English 9 project which does push the limit of my technological prowess.  Students use the blogging area of our school's website and also create a webpage that includes video, voice recording, and at least one hyperlink.

So what is keeping me in my technological slacker state?
I would say there are two components:

District/school level:  $$$$$$$$$Money$$$$$$$$
Personal level:  I wouldn't know what to ask for.  What do I need?  What would help my students most?
              "We let our fear stop us from trying new things or taking risks."
                                                  (from the devotional page for my online class this week...)
The fear that swirls around me regarding technology is that I have already missed the boat.  There is so much out there that I don't already know, where do I begin?
Another fear is very specific and quickly becoming an issue in my small town.  How connected should teachers and students be on social networking sites (Facebook), Twitter, or in regards to texting?  Hmmm....enquiring minds want to know but will have to wait for a later date.

Okay, so have I whined sufficiently about my lack of technological savvy?  I am thinking yes, so it is time to make a plan and give myself something new to whine about.  My personal goals in regards to this topic are as follows:
1.  to learn to better utilize what I already have available to me
2.  to develop a prioritized wish list, complete with justification
3.  learn to write grants and try to bring more technology into my school

If one is going to dream, one may as well dream big!
:o)