May 23, 2012 · 8:40 am

The Why

There has been a kind of running joke between my students and me about how I deconstruct Disney movies with my kids to reveal the “deeper” meaning of the film for them.  Actually, I do that, but that’s not the purpose of this blog.

I love to hear, “My brain hurts.”  I think I do a good job at creating lessons that reach a deeper level for the students.  Many times my students do better on their Literacy Skills AR test than the Reading Practice test.  But, at some point a student will ask, “Does everything have to be so deep?”

Yes, yes it does.

OK, maybe not so deep but I think we have to have a serious WHY to what we do.  Teachers have to answer that question all the time, but maybe it is something to really consider.  And not just for a lesson, but for our lives.

In school, sometimes we have to practice a skill, like math or welding.  Sometimes we have to learn new vocabulary so that we can look at a subject on a deeper level.  And sometimes a lesson is just fun or relaxed.  Many times in school the WHY is based on test scores or grades.  A look at those parameters and learning is for another blog.  But schools have to have some measurement and we will leave it at that for now.

Let me give you a stat: “Thirty percent of college and university students drop out after their first year. Half never graduate, and college completion rates in the United States have been stalled for more than three decades,” from US News and World Report.

Is the WHY of school to prepare students for college?   Or should it be to help them live up to their greatest expression of their talent and dreams? WHY are we doing what we are doing?  I know that I am in a unique situation that lets me investigate education from a different aspect while also being in the “classroom” dealing with the real world of teaching.  Being at this intersection is frustrating and motivating.  I would love to change education, but in reality I am not much of an influence.  But like you, I have a classroom, students, and a life to live.

This year I had one of those great teacher moments when a former student tagged me in a photograph on Facebook.  The photo was of a slide that had graffiti scratched into it, the worst kind.  This former student is a father now and was spending time with his son at the park when he came across the graffiti. Part of his post, “Made me think of the book The Catcher in the Rye. Kids and their innocence.”

What we do in the classroom matters.  What we do in life matters.  It might make your brain hurt, but I ask you to answer your own WHY questions this summer.

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May 18, 2012 · 10:33 am

Choice or Indecision?

As stated in Barry Schwartz’s TED Talk, too many options can be paralyzing.  We all feel empowered by choice.  It gives us a sense of control of our lives, of our own happiness.  But I agree with Barry Schwartz’s there is a negative side to choice.  Whether it is too many choices, or an unexpected choice, we don’t feel empowered.  We feel frozen and unsure.

Personally, I went through this last week.  I was presented with an unexpected opportunity to return to the classroom.  Understand; this was a choice that was totally unexpected.  It challenged me to think about my future: where did I want to be in five years?  Where did I want to be next year?  Instead of feeling free and honored to be considered for the position, it froze me.   I decided to stay with ESU 10 at the moment because I needed to finish what I had started.  Where will I be in five years?  I can’t say for sure, but that is for another blog.

But I’m starting to see this paralysis in education.  Many schools are considering going to a 1:1 environment with iPads.  I think that is awesome, but there is a hurdle that needs to be addressed: app choice.

7415 free apps in the area of productivity.  How productive would I be sifting through all those choices? I know what you are thinking; use the search option.  OK.  I’ll use the keyword “Grammar” (Hey, I’m an English teacher).

Results: 720 apps, both free and paid.

As the landscape changes in the classroom with mobile technology, it is good to be aware of different hurdles that a school, a teacher, or student may face.  In this case the option of choice regarding apps.  A great benefit of mobile devices is the ability to personalize content and the learning experience a student has through the apps and tools provided for them. But which app to choose? There is not a “right or wrong” answer here, but Barry Schwartz’s does present a philosophy to consider.

We are in a transitional period, a reconstructing of our “fish bowls” you might say. It is not easy, but it is exciting to be in the mix of this change.  What will education look like in 5 years? The choice is ours…

 

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May 15, 2012 · 2:58 pm

A Small Change

I have a question.  Did you drive the same route to work today?

Because I was working from home today, I got to drop my two little girls off at daycare. There were hugs and kiss and some crying, but the girls were happy to have me drop them off (and pick them up later today). Then, I drove my wife and three older kids to school, but I took a different route than normal.  Just to mix it up. At school I played Uno with my three oldest children before school started, and then I headed to get coffee before I headed home.

The morning was filled with more energy and laughter just because of the difference in the routine.  Sometime we just need a little difference in our lives to get us out of that rut feeling.  Driving a different route, getting a different coffee, or doing one thing different can add a shot of life into a normal day.  Will you “Take the Long Way Home”?

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May 7, 2012 · 9:08 am

Grand Idea

In the month of April I had the privilege of presenting at two outstanding conferences: Mobile 2012 and NETA.  My goal was to inspire ideas on how to be a mobile teacher:  how to use the iPad to bring the world into the teacher’s classroom.

This week at work I am brainstorming ideas on how to make my CCC and TECHS class better.  I’m calling them my “Grand Ideas.” I filled my whiteboard with them for the TECHS class.

Grand ideas are exciting.  When we attend any conference, we come away with these ideas.  We feel energized.  We feel inspired.  The next year is a blank canvas for us. We are ready to take those ideas and create new lessons, but…

Grand Ideas are scary.  They push us out of our comfort zone.  We know the new lesson might just fail.  That is OK.  Run with your Grand Idea.  Fuel that inspiration by striving for it.  It will take work, a step back sometimes, but for teachers our lessons are our creative process.  The lessons are works of art for us.  But you have to pick up the brush.

One secret to success is to tell someone your goals, share your Grand Ideas with others in the comment section.  Contact me if I can help you in any way.  Just imagine what your classroom will be like next year…

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April 24, 2012 · 10:58 am

FAIL

What a year… As the academic year winds down I have time to reflect on how much I failed this year.  But I have learned some interesting things about education and myself through these failures.

The first lesson:  Teaching is really about the relationships we build.  By teaching from an office over a codec system 100 percent of the time has reinforced how important personal interaction is.  For the students and the teachers.  And it is not just the connections we develop during the class; it is the daily vibe of school.  The interactions between class, lunchroom banter, and the questions before and after school.

I was unprepared for the drastic change in the environment of my classroom.  Trying to remember names, understanding strengths and weakness, and interacting with students to understand their personality.  I failed.  I have a few ideas for next year that I will try to use to create a better personal connection with the students.  Because, at the heart of learning, is the relationship between student, teacher, and the subject matter.

The second lesson: Technology is not a separate component to learning.  It is not a bonus feature to bring into the classroom and use because it is cool.  I failed in the use of technology this year.  Part of my teaching responsibilities is the TECHS course that ESU 10 has developed over the last seven years.  Since the class is centered on teaching all aspects of technology I thought I had to use technology everyday.  Which isn’t my personality (lesson three).  So, I saturated the class with technology instead of using the best tool for the lesson.

The third lesson: Teaching is an art.  I know that there are strategies that support an effective classroom, but I think those strategies work because they support a teacher’s personality. For the TECHS class, I used everything that was in place from last year (I did add some lessons but I used the timeline, test, and other assignments that were already set up unchanged). And I failed.  It was like trying to dance with another person’s shoes on.  Hard to find your groove.

Ironically, Mr. Stritt told me how each year the class changed, lessons were moved, new ideas added.  But I tried not to change it, to follow the great lessons that ESU 10 had built.  But it wasn’t mine.  It didn’t fit my personality.  Which connects back to lesson one; learning is a relationship between students, teachers, and the subject matter.

The fourth lesson: Failure can be a good thing.  I have learned a lot this past year.  Would I do it again? Maybe not, there were some hard times for me.  But to have the opportunity to come to a deeper understanding of education was worth it.  I am excited to see what I do with my failures next year.  I hope I can write a success blog next year.

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April 20, 2012 · 9:02 am

Snap Bracelets

My two little girls were excited this morning to go to daycare.  Fridays are show-and-share days and they had something cool to show today.  Snap bracelets.  I gave the girls the snap bracelets last night.  The girls had no idea how they worked until we showed them.

I brought out the bracelets straighten out, then held my girls’ hands and then snapped the bracelet on to their wrist.  They responded with a wide-eyed expression that then turned into laughter.  My youngest hollered, “Again!”

For the next five minutes my wife and I snapped the bracelets on our daughters’ wrist, on our wrist, and of course even the older ones had to get into the fun.  The girls soon wanted to snap the bracelets themselves.  My youngest had a tougher time getting enough force behind her snap to get the bracelet to curl around her arm, but she did get it a few times.

My second daughter, though, took off with it.  She had it on her ankle, “Look daddy, look at the lizard on my foot!”  She had it on her upper arm; she was snapping it on her brothers’ wrist.  And she had to take it to bed with her.

This morning they had their snap bracelets on and excited to share with their friends at daycare.

As life does, it got me thinking about education.  Without getting too bogged down with deep issues, the snap bracelets are a great example of learning.  When my girls were presented with the bracelets they recognized the animals, but did not understand the apparatus the animals were sitting on.  We “told” them what it was.  They still didn’t totally understand, but they knew what jewelry was and this didn’t look like a bracelet.  Then my wife and I demonstrated how it worked.  It was the coolest thing they had seen.  My girls understood, but weren’t ready to do it themselves, so we demonstrated for a while then handed the bracelets off to them to play with.

Now comes the powerful aspect.  My youngest daughter could make it snap once and awhile, but she still needed assistance.  Plus, she only wanted it on her wrist.  That’s were she is as a two-year-old.  But my second daughter, almost a year and a half older, took off with the snap bracelet.  Understanding the concept, she tested it out on her ankle, on her upper arm, on her siblings.

Isn’t that what we want in learning?  As teachers we are there to show our students the subject matter (a poem, cell division, drawing perspective).  We can “tell” them stuff, but once we show them how powerful the subject is, to practice the concept with them until we let them go to expand their own learning.  To test the ideas out, to experiment with the concept, to create a new idea… to learn.

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April 18, 2012 · 3:53 pm

Using iBook for Lecture Notes

This is the semester that I teach American Literature for CCC Grand Island via distance learning.  For the first time we are reading Tuesdays With Morrie. Instead of creating my notes on a notepad or with 3 X 5 cards, I decided to use the highlight / note option in iBook.  Plus, I decided to project the book on the screen as I lectured and presented notes on the whiteboard.  Day one went well.

My Lecture Notes

As you can see above, my “notes” are crazy and always have been, even in my traditional classroom. The iPad 2 added some unique aspects to my delivery. A cool aspect was integrating YouTube videos into my lecture.  I love connecting pop culture references to my lessons.  As I formulated my notes, a couple of references came to mind and I cued them up on the YouTube app.  Then, placed a cue in the notes when to show them.  With a swipe of my fingers we went from book to video (slight buffering).

Another aspect I liked was that, in most cases, my notes did not hide the highlighted text, so the students could easily see both.  This didn’t happen 100 percent of the time, but over all both were visible.

The rough spot was me.  First, I am use to having my notes on paper or 3 X 5 card, and would have the same craziness on my own notes as you see on the whiteboard. That is the way I think (and usually talk, but I get to the point).  Also, my timing was not perfect in switching from me to the book.  Not a big issue, but I found myself writing on the board when the book was still on the screen.

Talking with a few of the students after class, they said they liked the approach.  They said that seeing the highlighted sections helped.  They also enjoyed the videos; it allowed them time to think and presented a different insight to an idea in the book.

I hope to collect some quotes from the students (an assignment they have) and use those in the lecture as discussion points.  Overall, I like the ease of using the book with the highlights and notes imbedded in the text.  Plus, being able to use one of my favorite tools, pop culture allusions, adds some fun to my lecture.

Share your story of how you are using the note and highlight option in iBook in the comment area.

A sneak peak at the book if you haven’t read it.

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April 15, 2012 · 9:52 pm

Mobile 2012 Reflections

As the weekend winds down and I get some time to reflect on the Mobile Learning Experience, a couple of things come to mind right away.

Point One: The energy from the conference was intense.  The conference was big enough to meet a new person at every breakout session, yet intimate enough to make real connections with people.  Even the schedule worked into this with the meals.  I was able to sit with my colleagues, yet have new people to meet at every meal.  The keynotes were also an integral part of the energy.  Each message was connected to the conference, but unique to each keynote.  I walked away with different ideas because of each speaker.

Point Two: The power of mobile devices. The first aspect is from Graham Brown-Martin’s keynote, which is we are still not tapping into the power of mobile technology.  We are using a technology designed to be mobile in an immobile environment. Now, what educators and schools are doing with them is awesome!  I’m pushing the idea farther, as I was thinking during Graham’s keynote and tweeted the idea that teachers use Mondays as a “Keynote” day, then, let the students go the rest of the week.

I understand that wouldn’t work all the time, but it brings up the second aspect of the mobile devices and technology: options.  There is a time for lectures (think about how powerful the keynotes and breakout sessions were), a time for worksheets, a time for tests even.  A buzzword right now is differentiation.  Simply put, options.  Mobile devices equip both students and teachers with that.  As an example, I will use simple story structure as a lesson.  In class we might read, listen, or even watch a YouTube video of the story.  I would have some vocab, which I could have a stack of flashcards for them to study, or even have them design their own.  Then, allow the students to show they understand story structure by writing a story, filming a story, or creating a cartoon.  All of which can be done on a mobile device.

Which moves me to the third point: the Teacher – Student relationship.  I started an interesting discussion about app development for teachers between breakout sessions, but I didn’t get the opportunity to finish.  Understand this discussion had the chance to be one of those incredibly deep pedagogy challenging discussions, but I never had the chance to bring it up again.  At the beginning, my inquiry was on the idea of equipping teachers to be able to build apps that would help students in their study of a lesson.  The opposite side was that the students should build them.  I don’t disagree with that, but one aspect I see of technology is the empowering of teachers to be what they went into this profession for, to teach.  Teachers can be the experts again of their field.  If fostered correctly, teachers should be the experts of the curriculum, not the textbook or a website.  The “options” available to connect to the content pushes teachers to raise their game.  And that, as a professional, is exciting.  Our jobs are changing.  Our challenge is to actually design a learning experience that gives students the tools and motivation to live by the highest expression of their talents.

Mobile 2012 was an incredible opportunity for me as a teacher.  I cannot wait to hopefully be a part of Mobile 2013.

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April 12, 2012 · 11:45 pm

Keep the Fire Burning

The 2012 Mobile Learning Experience has been an incredible opportunity for me as an educator.  The sessions and face-to-face conversations have ignited ideas that I can’t wait to try.  I also had the privilege to present a session, which allowed me to examine the tools and ideas I use in my classes.  My goal for the presentation was to hopefully generate one idea for the people who attended.  I am excited to continue building relationships with the people, that up until now, I have only known through Twitter.  I am sure many of the educators are feeling on fire, full of ideas, and then….

Monday morning.

How do we keep the fire burning?  Like any fire, you need to keep it fueled and give it space to burn.  And the first step is to take one of the ideas and just try it.  Even if the first attempt fails, it still sparks our passion because we want to do well.  The first step is the hardest, but is needed if we want to keep the fire going.  So, when Monday morning comes be ready to fuel the fire and try a new idea.  Who knows what stories you will have for us next year!

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April 6, 2012 · 9:54 pm

Student Work

The following slide show is a collection of pictures from students revealing a look at the father – son theme in The Natural.

The following is a student presentation. (Click on presentation to advance)

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