Good points in the following post about the fear-mongering regarding teachers being on Facebook.
The Innovative Educator: Facebook Doesn’t Get Teachers Fired - Inappropriate Behavior Does
Monday, October 18, 2010
Sunday, October 17, 2010
Almost as good as the stair test...
I just read this post from the sister of Red Deer teacher, Joe Bower. It reminds me of the story Del Litke liked to tell about his experience teaching an assessment course to education students at Red Deer College where he was told his final marks were too high. Didn't matter that the students had met the criteria of the course; the final marks didn't fit the curve so they needed to be changed. I think we're getting past that in K-12 education, especially in our division where we've focused so much on valid assessment. But it makes me think hard about my assessment practices -- am I really assessing what I want my students to learn? I have to look at that on a daily basis and do the check on myself to make sure.
But now I need to go back and read some more of Joe's blog posts -- I suspect there is definitely some food for thought there.
But now I need to go back and read some more of Joe's blog posts -- I suspect there is definitely some food for thought there.
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Change is good....
Well, I've been at my new school for about six weeks now, and things are going well. I'm working at getting to know both the kids and my colleagues, and I haven't had to do that all at once for a long time! I have to say I'm very appreciative of the support I've received from the staff in the school as I've stepped into a 'coaching' role. As a group, they are receptive to new ideas and willing to take some chances on some different ideas. I think that says a great deal about the type of people they are -- taking on new challenges in the interest of doing what's best for kids. It's hard to fault commitment like that!
My biggest challenge so far has been adapting to not being part of a ubiquitous computing project any longer. I'm trying to not change the way I present lessons to my students, but sometimes it just can't be helped. Without that instant access to the technology, it's really hard to do certain types of things on the fly. They can still be done, but I have to be very planned in order to book the computer lab. I do have access to 15 minis, but until they're removed from the 'managed' pool of computers in the division, issues around long wait times for booting and logging in remain.
I've been working with our staff so they can really start working on teaching skills around 'digital citizenship.' Once we get to a certain point, some filters for staff will be removed (no more wholesale blocked blogs!), and staff and students will be able to bring in their own devices. I can't wait. The sooner I can get more access for my students, the sooner we can get back to the way I've become accustomed to working. Even having kids being able to Google something on their iPods will be a huge step in the right direction. I also find it much easier to teach responsible use on the fly -- there's a lot to be said for the 'teachable moment.' I really miss that spontaneity.
In the meantime, I'll just keep checking all the cool things being tweeted -- and figuring out what the best sync program will be for my new Torch...
Change is good...
My biggest challenge so far has been adapting to not being part of a ubiquitous computing project any longer. I'm trying to not change the way I present lessons to my students, but sometimes it just can't be helped. Without that instant access to the technology, it's really hard to do certain types of things on the fly. They can still be done, but I have to be very planned in order to book the computer lab. I do have access to 15 minis, but until they're removed from the 'managed' pool of computers in the division, issues around long wait times for booting and logging in remain.
I've been working with our staff so they can really start working on teaching skills around 'digital citizenship.' Once we get to a certain point, some filters for staff will be removed (no more wholesale blocked blogs!), and staff and students will be able to bring in their own devices. I can't wait. The sooner I can get more access for my students, the sooner we can get back to the way I've become accustomed to working. Even having kids being able to Google something on their iPods will be a huge step in the right direction. I also find it much easier to teach responsible use on the fly -- there's a lot to be said for the 'teachable moment.' I really miss that spontaneity.
In the meantime, I'll just keep checking all the cool things being tweeted -- and figuring out what the best sync program will be for my new Torch...
Change is good...
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Moving On...
It's been awhile since I've added something here. Reading some blogs by some people on another online community has given me the inspiration to finally come and update.
After 11 years, I'm changing schools. It's my choice; familiarity may not breed contempt, but it sure can breed complacency. It was time for me to move to a different environment and try something new. The Emerge project is finished (all except for the final paperwork), my former school is in good shape with their AISI project, and the new math program is completely implemented. There's a strong team at that school that will continue to do great things for kids.
I'm going from a K-9 school to a K-12 school, and getting the opportunity to work with some Grade 10 math in the second semester. We still have to figure out how we'll handle it, as a team-teaching situation or something different. I have a great deal of respect for the other teacher who is an excellent math teacher, and I hope to learn from her.
I'll still be working with junior high kids in math and social, but moving to the new school is giving me a chance to rebuild some of my plans, especially since I've been immersed in the 1-1 project for the last three years. I'll be going from a situation with ubiquitous computer access for students to a place where I've been 'given' a cart with 15 mini-laptops. That will require some adjustments, but I hope the move by our division to allow staff and students to use their own devices will encourage some of them to bring their own laptops, or iPods. Certainly, with a limited number of machines at our disposal, *collaboration* and *teamwork* are going to be key, especially in the social studies classes!
There will be plenty of opportunities to work with kids on digital citizenship, as I plan to use wikis for both the social classes I'll be teaching, and perhaps the math. I want the kids to take charge of their learning; to learn how to learn and to learn from each other. I know how kids can be engaged by technology; I would really like to take advantage of that. I suspect I might be kicking over some applecarts while I do that, but that wouldn't be the first time. Would it?
After 11 years, I'm changing schools. It's my choice; familiarity may not breed contempt, but it sure can breed complacency. It was time for me to move to a different environment and try something new. The Emerge project is finished (all except for the final paperwork), my former school is in good shape with their AISI project, and the new math program is completely implemented. There's a strong team at that school that will continue to do great things for kids.
I'm going from a K-9 school to a K-12 school, and getting the opportunity to work with some Grade 10 math in the second semester. We still have to figure out how we'll handle it, as a team-teaching situation or something different. I have a great deal of respect for the other teacher who is an excellent math teacher, and I hope to learn from her.
I'll still be working with junior high kids in math and social, but moving to the new school is giving me a chance to rebuild some of my plans, especially since I've been immersed in the 1-1 project for the last three years. I'll be going from a situation with ubiquitous computer access for students to a place where I've been 'given' a cart with 15 mini-laptops. That will require some adjustments, but I hope the move by our division to allow staff and students to use their own devices will encourage some of them to bring their own laptops, or iPods. Certainly, with a limited number of machines at our disposal, *collaboration* and *teamwork* are going to be key, especially in the social studies classes!
There will be plenty of opportunities to work with kids on digital citizenship, as I plan to use wikis for both the social classes I'll be teaching, and perhaps the math. I want the kids to take charge of their learning; to learn how to learn and to learn from each other. I know how kids can be engaged by technology; I would really like to take advantage of that. I suspect I might be kicking over some applecarts while I do that, but that wouldn't be the first time. Would it?
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