Adjusting to the Process

I recently worked with a teacher and her students introducing a new app.  The students were quick to learn and anxious to get started creating on their own.  The students had done preliminary work on the information to be shared using the presentation app.  They were still working on their final presentations when I left, but I could tell they weren't going to have a bit of trouble.

A few days later I spoke with the teacher.  She was delighted, and admittedly surprised, by their performance.  She stated that she was the one who had to adjust.  The creative process was a bit noisy.  It just didn't fit into the structure that was normally such an integral part of her classroom environment.  She had to adjust her thinking and her expectation for behavior.....and she did.  Kudos to her!

So many of us that have been educators for years find it hard to let go of the structure that we think constitutes a quality learning environment.   We came from (and created) classrooms that discouraged talking, placed students in straight rows and where the expectation was to receive responses from students that fit nicely into a right or wrong category.

If that's where you are, it's time to adjust your thinking.  Students have tremendous creative potential and their creative process gets a little noisy!  It seems a little disorganized.  But, trust them.  They will surprise you.  Yes, you need to set expectations for an outcome.  You can give general parameters under which their product must fall.  But give them an opportunity to show you how the learning works for them.  Let them dazzle you.  Enjoy them.....and let them enjoy learning!

Hello,

This is a test.

John

Providing a Service

I have spent 32 years in education. Working with students and teachers has truly been a passion for me.   So much so, that I came out of retirement to work part-time with those students and teachers that I truly care about.  Maybe I don't consciously think everyday about what I can do to make education better for these people....and perhaps that's a good thing....that I don't HAVE to think about doing it.  It just IS what I do.  I want to serve and it gives me great joy to do so.

It is a great day for me if I can share one thing that makes the education process better for someone!

I hope that happened today.  I hope that I served my colleagues in a way that made life better for them.

Today I had the great pleasure of providing a professional development session for Cullman High School Social Studies teachers.  They were receptive and eager to try new things. I hope that they found something in today's PD that will make instruction rich and rewarding for them and their students!

Here are the resources that I shared....iPad Apps in the High School Classroom

Who Choreographs Your Happy Dance?

So, when you break into your happy dance, who has choreographed your moves?  Was it you? Or....are you waiting on the actions and decisions of someone else to make you "bust a move"?  Observation yields the following: In the day-to-day of relationships, career/work, spirituality, etc. there are the people who are inventing the new moves, and those who are following the lead of someone else and....unfortunately, the wallflowers who haven't stepped onto the dance floor!

So, when it comes to life, which are you?  Are you making deliberate choices that put you in control of your own happiness? Are you surrounding yourself with others who are doing the same?  Do you find yourself in the middle of a daily line-dance of  happy, positive people? We are out there....those of us who don't wait for someone else to take the lead....heck, most times we don't even wait for the music to start...we are dancing...join us!

And So It Grows.....

I haven't posted about PLNs in a while, but recent events have me thinking about their power again. At this particular time Twitter is my PLN vehicle of choice.  Why? Because it is a 140 character or less synopsis of the who/what/when/where and how of my fellow educators at a moment in time. Their posts may be exactly what I am looking for or may lead me to something that I didn't even know I needed (or existed)!!!

Sometimes my connections are purposeful.  I go looking for people who fill a certain need for me or I respond to people who need something I have to give.  But the real gems are those connections that happen completely by accident.  That's my most recent experience.....

I mentioned in a previous post that I had taken the ThingLink Teachers Challenge.  The facilitator for that event is Susan Oxnevad ‏@soxnevad. She's my most recent "gem."  If you go poking around the who/what/when/where and how of Susan you will discover why I have given her that label.  The knowledge, information and skills she has to share are incredible.

I hope you have a PLN and I hope it is providing you with the support that you need.  Check out Susan and the Thinglink Challenge if you need a kick-start.... you will be glad you did!

Susan's Cool Tools Blog

Accepting the Challenge

I recently accepted the Thinglink Teacher Challenge! This challenge is a professional development opportunity that has been joined by 300+ educators thus far.  I have used Thinglinks for several months and have made quite a few for students and teachers.  I wondered if accepting this challenge would actually provide me any new knowledge....well, it has already....just in week one!

This served to remind me that challenging myself, even in things I THINK I already know, results in personal or professional growth, the acquisition of new skills and a shift in mindset!

If we could just keep that attitude......accept the challenge....have a mindset that we WILL learn something new then we will....just like I did in week one!

I'm ready....let the learning continue!

Today's Favorite!

I'm always checking out tech tools I see mentioned in Tweets, blogs, chats, or even informal conversations, etc.  So, a week or so ago I heard about Thinglink.  I'm hooked!  I can see tremendous potential for the use of this tool in any classroom, any grade level, any subject or even any professional development session.  I have begun to build Thinglinks to share with my colleagues in hopes of encouraging them to use or create!  Check it out.  If you have a suggestion for a Thinglink or would like to learn how to do it yourself,  just let me know!

http://www.thinglink.com/search?query=sharon+drake&list=Search