Personal Learning Network

There's strength in numbers.  Anybody knows that.  As a teacher, you've got to rely on those who have gone before you.  Life has a funny way of repeating itself and so more than likely if you're going through something tricky someone else has the solution because they've been through it.

 So, it's time to get connected.  You are not an island.  You might feel like Tom Hanks in Castaway, but you are not.  There's help right beyond your username and password.  In just a few clicks, help is on the way!  Start with facebook if you're not already on it.  It's essence is connectivity.  Then, set up a Twitter account.  Start following educators who you can find by just typing "educators" in the search bar.  Subscribe to teacher blogs.  Get a social bookmarking account.  Check all of these places periodically.  Get a system where you read from your personal learning network consistently.  Now, the instructions I just gave you are the 1.0 version.  Richard Byrne describes in more details how to really make the most of your Personal Learning Network:

Develop a PLN by Richard Byrne

Kathy Schrock is another educator who I am following now both on Twitter and her blog.  She posted on her blog about a month ago how much she loved her Twitter PLN.  I have copied the link to this blog post.  It's extremely interesting how she found a solution to a problem by putting a question out there on Twitter and her PLN came to her rescue.

Kathy Schrock's blog post

I'm still learning about the Personal Learning Network.  I think it's a wonderful idea and a marvelous solution.  I'm not sure if you're supposed to let folks know that they're in your PLN.  I think I would want to get t-shirts made but I'm pretty sure that would be over the top.  Maybe I'll just make them cupcakes.  Now, I just have to figure out how to tweet a cupcake.  Stay tuned...

Go to the movies for inspiration!

I must qualify that this is not a post about technology.  It's going to seem like it's trying to be.  But it's not.  It's a post about the movies.  I LOVE THEM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  I love everything about movies.  Even though I could watch a movie on my laptop right now while I'm typing this post, my favorite thing to do in all the world is go to the movies.  I love the wafting smell of buttered popcorn, the melt in your mouth goodness of M&Ms, and the cold, refreshing soda as it washes down all the refreshment. I sit and eagerly wait for the previews to begin.  Yes, I love the previews.  They are not an excuse to get to a movie late.  They are a part of the movie experience. 

So, as a first year teacher, you're going to need some breaks...some bonafide down time.  I think you should leave school after the last bell and go to the late matinee.  Treat yourself to the Silver Screen and let Hollywood take you away.  Or if you prefer to sit and watch movies in the comfort of your own home.  Then, I have some home "work" for you.  You need to watch movies about teaching. 

I took a classroom management class about 6 years ago when I was getting my Masters.  One of our assignments was to watch and write about a teacher movie.  I had to watch Dangerous Minds with Michelle Pfeiffer.

Dangerous Minds Trailer

I had seen this movie about 10 years before in the movie theater with all the movie magic that I mentioned earlier.  I loved it!  I thought Michelle Pfeiffer was an awesome teacher who changed lives.  Well, once I had taken some education classes, my opinion changed about her as a teacher.  I'd be interested to see what you think after you watch.  But my review of this famous actress and her role as an educator is beside the point.  The point is you're going to need a break and you're going to need to be inspired.  Why not kill two birds with one stone?  Watch a movie.  Be inspired.

I searched "movies about teaching" on Google.  I tried the Delicious website but no one had started a stack yet or had anything for that particular search.  And up came the following link:

Movies About Teaching

This blog has to keep you connected and I think an easy, chill way to be connected is to watch other "teachers."  Sometimes just being an outsider for a second can rejuvenate you for the next day or week or month or year.  And then you're ready to jump in!

So pop the corn, get settled on the couch and hit play!  It's time to go to the movies!!!

The Power of Relationship

Your first year of teaching- you are going to make some mistakes.  You will make somebody mad.  You will have to talk to a parent or several parents.  You will come to class ill-prepared or you’ll work all night on a slam dunk lesson and the students will not cooperate.  You will have days where you feel like you nailed it and other days where you will want to crawl under a rock and then hope the next day doesn’t come.  At least one of these scenarios will go down your first year of teaching.

I know you’re not shocked by this.  You didn’t choose this profession because you thought it would be easy.  However, knowing it in your head and experiencing it first-hand are very different.  So what is the point of my warning you with what you already know?  I want to encourage you.  I know.  I’ve got a funny way of doing it, don’t I?  So with the ups and downs and the challenges that await you in your first classroom, you have something very powerful on your side…relationship. 

Your students want to know you care about them, that you truly want them to succeed in your class.  They want to connect with you.  They want to trust you.  As you prepare your lessons and grade the tests and teach your content, don’t forget to notice your students.  Teachers have to spin a lot of plates and it’s easy to put the plate that is your students in the cabinet.  It’s easy to focus on your own agenda.

Try to get to know your students.  When they come into class, ask them what they did over the weekend.  Ask them how they’re feeling that day.  If they say, “Not great,” ask them why.  They may not say anything, but if they feel like your genuine eventually they will answer you.  Let them know it's okay to be honest in your classroom as long as they’re respectful.  Find out what they’re into.  Play one of their favorite songs in class and plan a lesson around it.  Talk about one of their favorite movies and let them write about it.  Let them know they matter if they really do matter to you. 

Do you want to get your students’ attention?  Then notice them.  Do you want them to engage with what you’re teaching?  Then help them believe they matter to you.  Go to their games.  Go to their choir concerts.  Get behind a cause they believe in.  Don’t be afraid to talk to them beyond, “Where’s your homework?”  You want them to be on your side.  No, the goal doesn’t need to be that you're popular with your students.  The goal needs to be that you create a wonderful learning environment that includes relationships with your students inside your classroom.  Reaching this goal will make your classroom a safe place where students can grow and learn.  The average student just wants to come to class, sit there, not be noticed and leave when the bell rings.  But the average teenager feels self-conscious about walking into your classroom and wonders if you like them much less notice them.  They’re craving something wonderful that sets them apart and helps them feel a little more than average. 

You can be that something wonderful.

 It may take a little while.  Slowly but surely, after you’ve been consistent in getting to know them, they will trust you and not only learn what you’re teaching but will strive to do well because they want to please you. 

There is power in relationship.  Relationships with your students bring about change.  So notice them.  Let them matter to you.  That’s how you teach and that’s how they’ll learn.

Life is Delicious

My first year of teaching I found myself scrambling all the time.  I hated it.  I felt like I was only one step ahead of the students.  I hated it.  Because I really had nothing in my arsenal when it came to resources, I went to the internet quite a bit looking for good ways to teach certain standards in the course of study.  I found good things, but they could only be on my computer in my classroom and so I would have to email the link to myself.  This process was cumbersome and redundant.  And then 6 years later came social bookmarking.

If you're reading this as a first year teacher, you are sooooooo lucky.  Not because you're reading my words of wisdom, but because you are in an age where somebody out there is thinking for teachers and how they can work smarter not harder.  Social bookmarking is another check mark on that proverbial to-do list.  The 21st Century is all about being connected and not reinventing the wheel.  Why should you spend hours and hours and hours on how to help students decipher Romeo & Juliet if someone else has already done that?

So here's how it works.  Let's go with the Romeo & Juliet scenario.  So you go to a social bookmarking website called delicious- Delicious Starter Page and set up your account.  (There are other sites out there.  That's just the one I chose.)  When you click the Add Link tab up by the search section, it will prompt you to add the "save on delicious" bookmarklet.  Definitely do this!  Once you've put this in your browser's tool bar, you can search and just click on that button when you find something you like and want to hold onto.  When you click on that easiness, another tab opens up for you and lets you add tags, a description and save the link.  When you go back to your Delicious page and refresh the page, you'll see your new find sitting there waiting for you to use it.

After you've set up your account, you can also search the the other links that have been saved on Delicious that are related to your search.  I took the liberty of searching for Romeo & Juliet.  This link is the result of that search- Romeo & Juliet on Delicious.  The good news is you can also click on the tags that have been assigned to each link and see where that takes you.  The possibilities are seemingly endless.  It's a beautiful thing!!!

What did I learn in this process---how easy life could be!  I think sometimes  we think for something to have value or worth it must require a long and arduous process.  That's simply not true.  I learned that someone else has gone before me and made my way easier.  For instance, did you know there are other blogs out there not only for teachers but for first year teachers...crazy!!!!  All of these things I'm teaching you about are things I'm learning too!  I'm learning that as I re-enter the classroom again I can search Google, but I can also search my Delicious site.  Did you know you can search Twitter?  See my post on the Twitter List I created.  There are people, educators out there who are finding things just like you and me and posting them all over the internet.  It's amazing!  It connectivity!  It's collaboration!  It's Delicious!

What's next for me and my Delicious page?  I'm going to create stacks....stacks for me, stacks for my students, stacks for my PLN (more on that later.)  These stacks can be specific to lesson plans or professional development or technology, or assessment, etc. Instead of having to scroll through my entire page, I can whittle it down to the specific need I have and keep a running, working list.  This resource is like a recipe book with tabs and I will be able to cook up a career of engagement and success for me and my students.  (Sorry for the cheesy analogy, but I just had to keep going with it.)

What does my Delicious page offer other professionals?  Inspiration and Creativity.  I'm drawn to color and visual, so the links I save to my page will probably be sites that provide pictures and user-friendly steps spelled out and easy to follow.  I like concepts explained to me by a person, so I look for videos or clips that connect with the concept.  If a video isn't available, then I will look for a site that lets me click on obvious resources and is fairly easy to navigate.  Professionals looking for language arts ideas, theatre ideas, and technology resources will find these on my page.  Relevant articles about hot education topics will be collected on my site so that I can read them when I make the time or that other educators can read because I've tagged them and they show up in the search.

Here are some examples of the colors, sounds, and relevance I found while creating this page:

1.  http://www.schrockguide.net/bloomin-apps.html-
2.  Playfic- a writing website
3.  Sticky Notes for Teachers- I haven't really tapped into this site yet, but I am excited to do so!
4.  http://school20.wikispaces.com/-
5.  Digital Storytelling Link by Richard Byrne

The bottom line?  The searching work has already been done for you.  Now, set up your page, save your links, use these resources, and be a better teacher because life is Delicious!!!

Oh, p.s.- here's the link to my Delicious page- My Deliciousness

Technology and Theatre

So this post will be a shout out to my bread and butter...theatre!  When I think about adding technology to the teaching of theatre, it throws me a little bit.  Putting technology into a live theatre production is par for the course.  The amazing technology going on in New York City on the Great White Way is beyond my wildest dreams.  Even the musical Spider-man which hosted 1 million problems and was the brunt of 1 million jokes was trying innovative technology to add to the live art form.  Live art- that's where I have come into conflict.  Teaching theatre especially acting classes which is what I have taught almost exclusively is about the human being expressing the human condition.  How in the world do you integrate technology into a very human environment?  Well, as I've been thinking about this, I've realized that one of the reasons I'm energized by writing this blog is that in theory I have an audience.  People enjoy facebook or social networking because of the platform it provides for whatever it is we want to display.  Now, it's not necessarily live as in person to person physically existing in the same room, but it is very much alive!

Not only do I like the idea of an online audience, but I like a place that I can be reflective and express what I'm feeling.  So here's my idea for my theatre classroom...we do a reflective wiki.  I'm still learning about wikis, but I do know that they are collaborative and changeable.  I think we use this Web 2.0 tool as we study a particular playwright or a different technique or style of acting.  As we learn about a certain concept in the classroom, students go home and reflect about it on the wiki or blog we've created.  And on the wiki they add knowledge and contribute information about the current topic.  Theatre is project-based learning, so collaborating not only in the classroom, but also online takes this ancient art form into the 21st century in the classroom.  It's already gone technological in the theatre itself, but I have not had any experience teaching theatre using these tools.  I also like the idea of podcasting to do a radio drama with sound effects or even having groups of students teaching via podcast about different genres of theatre.

Okay, I know I am speaking to .00001% of the population...the first year theatre teacher.  But I know you're out there and you know how to hang lights and build costumes and mount a beautiful set and help students find their beats and objectives, but what are you doing in the classroom?  How are you helping those students who aren't connecting with the material?  Or those students who are sitting around because they are waiting to do their monologue for you?  As interactive as theatre can be, there can be a lot of hurry up and wait time.  Don't let this happen.  Get those students off the floor and into a corner recording a podcast or adding to wiki or creating a video that advertises the school production.

Now for the English Language Arts teacher, our worlds collide.  You teach more from the author's side of the table and I teach from the character's point of view.  What if we collaborated and the characters interviewed the author using digital media?  What if our classes Skyped with each other to discuss the a play like Romeo & Juliet?  What if your writing class wrote scenes or monologues for my students to perform and they blogged about it?  I'm telling you the possibilities are endless and I'm just now realizing this. 

I have attached a clip of a student made video that explains the characters of Romeo & Juliet.  I felt like this was a great idea for Language Arts as well as Theatre.  I love that students created it and it was sent in as a contest entry which is another venue for our students to have an online audience with our content...contests.

So, I've settled it.  Technology in the Theatre Classroom...it must exist.  Just like all the other content areas, these tools will add to the students' experience and raise their expertise.  So get your fingers ready to type and let the show begin!

Romeo & Juliet Video

Here's a little tidbit on Spider-man the Musical as well!

Time Management- the clock is ticking.

I promised in my last post that I would talk about getting it all done.  And how that was impossible.  I know that's not looking on the bright side.  I know I sound like Debbie Downer.  (See video on the right for a little comic relief if you're an SNL fan.)  I think that's what I've found to be the most distressing besides not feeling prepared for a lesson is that the work outside of the classroom is never ending.

The first thing I can say is- Get Organized!  Now, you may have to tweak your system, but remember this is a marathon not a sprint.  If you are already an organized person, what is your blog address?  I must add it to my Google Reader.  Seriously, if you're naturally organized, some of the challenge of being a first year teacher will be eliminated because you will naturally find a system that works for you and stick to it.  For those creative, free spirits out there, can I get a What What?!?!  We do make good teachers, but we have to work REALLY HARD TO KEEP IT ALL TOGETHER.  It can be so stressful and everyone-you, your family, your friends, your students, your administrators, suffer.  So even though it takes more thinking and perhaps a little more up front planning, it's worth it.  Find a system that works for you when it comes to grading, when it comes to communicating with parents and students about their grades, when it comes to lesson planning and doing those extras that are always looming.  Make yourself stay after school for 20 minutes to get ready for the next day.  Go ahead and make those copies or now that we're in the Web 2.0 Era, get the computer set up or the room arranged the way you want it.  You tell yourself, "Oh, I'll just get there early in the morning."  Nope.  That's when the uber-organized teacher is already at the copier making copies for a lesson that is 2 months down the road.  Whatever.  Do it now.  Don't wait.  You will regret it and then you'll take it out on everybody and they weren't the ones who decided to wait.  You were.  You waited.  Don't wait.

Secondly, try to anticipate that the next day is coming, the next unit, the next 9 weeks.  They're all coming.  Try to do a calendar for each unit with at least pencil lessons so that you have an idea of where you're going.  Map out each unit in pencil and of course if something shifts go in and edit those mapped out units so you don't surprise yourself later.  Even as I'm typing this tip, it seems so elementary to think about, but thinking and doing feel very differently.  Teaching is micro and macro.  You have to think about the minute details like how many copies you need or books to order or papers to grade and then you have to think about the big picture like- when am I going to teach the Research Paper Unit.  Do the big work ahead of time looking at the whole school calendar and the Course of Study and how long you will need on certain concepts.  Remember, you can always go back and adjust it.

Thirdly, don't be afraid to do a little bit along the way.  Grade a few papers.  Work on your lesson a little bit.  Do a little bit everyday that will get you closer to feeling prepared and at least in the game if not ahead of it!  You will never have 4 hours to sit and drink coffee and grade papers or prepare for a lesson.  And even if you do get those 4 hours that's something we like to call SLEEP.  You should do that.  You should sleep.

Fourth, take care of yourself.  I'm a hypocrite.  When I'm stressed, I don't crave apples and oranges and water.  I crave coffee, chocolate, and cheese dip.  And if I'm working late and burning the midnight oil, I am not reaching for healthy snacks.  Nope, I'm stealing from my son's stash of Dum Dums or justifying some sort of horrific binge that I will later regret.  There will be late nights, but when you are able, go to bed.  Do not get sucked into a rerun of The Housewives of Beverly Hills or Conan or Letterman or a Friends episode.  You will HATE yourself and it is not worth it.  Because I'm energized by teaching, I will lay awake thinking about all that I need or want to do and so sometimes, I have to wind down.  The wind down cannot begin at midnight.  Pace yourself and know when to call it a night.  After prepping one night until 4am, I knew a lot about Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, but I had no presentation skills because I was EXHAUSTED.  Ultimately, what you may lose in prep time, you will gain in the improvisation skills because you had sleep and your brain is ready for anything.  Not that you want to operate off of smoke and mirrors, but there will be days that you do not have every second planned.  And if you've had plenty of rest, you will be able to pay attention to what your class needs and adapt on the fly.

Fifth, watch the video clip on time management for teachers.  I think it offers terrifically practical advice that I hope to use as a part of my system.  Let me know what your system is or what you would like it to be.  I definitely work better in community so comment on this post so that I can learn and grow with you.

Sixth, go to sleep.

I'm all a-Twitter!!! This is the 2.0 Post where the links actually work.

As I have admitted in an earlier post, I have been intimidated of technology and resented having to incorporate it.  I haven't resented it personally, but professionally, I have felt inept, slow, and old as this new wave has crashed upon the quiet, sandy shores of my comfort zone.  Then, to keep pushing me, I've had to create a Twitter List.  I barely knew how to read Tweets before this week and now, I'm clicking away in amazement at all the smart resources and people that abound.  I find myself proud of the links I know how to post and look forward to finding more!

I learned how insular I've been just using Google search and email.  I learned that learning in education is happening all around me and without me if I don't jump on the train.  It's amazing the classroom resources, insights, ideas, and funniness that awaits anyone who is willing to set up a profile and start clicking.  Here is the result of my clicking bonanza...drum roll please...

My Twitter List- Teachers Helping Teachers

https://twitter.com/#!/amymarchino/teachers-helping-teachers

While this blog is for first year teachers who don't know what hit them, I really have a heartbeat for theatre teachers and language arts teachers.  I looked for people tweeting practical ways to use technology in the classroom, specifically the language arts classroom.  I searched for educators, teachers, language arts teachers and then I would choose from those selections based on what their profile said.  My favorite was a writing teacher in Colorado, Bud Hunt.  His profile read- "I'm learning."  Love love love this!!!!  LOVE IT.  Then, when you read his tweets, sometimes there are links to click on, but other times there are exhortations and comments that just resonate or bring a smile.  Another educator and artist that I'm looking forward to following is Mary Ann Reilly whose profile reads, "I like making things, especially mistakes."  Of course, reading a provocative profile would lead me to click and either my search would end because they were not relevant or they would have giant things to say and resources to offer that energized my search to continue.  I chose certain folks for my list that didn't just comment on other people but had something to say that a newcomer could understand and work with.  I also looked for content feeds like Shmoop, Shakespeare Girl Eds, and Student Handouts.  These Twitter accounts were specific to language arts.  In order to be fair, I also found some theatre in education feeds as well. 

During this Educational Scavenger Hunt, I found the following resources that you can just click on and enjoy because I started the work for you:

1.  http://budtheteacher.com/blog/- Writing Teacher Bud Hunt's Blog

2.  http://www.freetech4teachers.com/- Richard Byrne's blog

3.  http://technorati.com/- a search engine to help you find blogs that discuss certain themes

4.  http://www.youtube.com- for obvious reasons

5.  http://www.nextvista.org/collection/light-bulbs/literature-and-writing/- an awesome website where videos are posted  and can be used as a resource for content or to spark creativity about a similar classroom project.

6.    http://www.shmoop.com/- I love this website for literature and writing!  I actually suggested it as on option for some of my writing students this semester.  It was their first shot at writing a literary analysis essay and they came to class after using the Shmoop writing lab and were excited to tell me what they learned.  And I noticed an improvement in their writing. I was pumped and they were too!  Win-Win!

I hope teachers will find my blog as well as my Twitter List as a beginning for searches that lead to productivity in their classrooms.  I hope that while they may have set out for a search for one thing that after reading my posts and clicking on the contributors in my Twitter List perhaps what they find will force them happily into a different, scarier, riskier direction that encourages more 21st Century interaction in their classrooms.

Technology is great, but what if the students don't care?

 I have been beside myself the last several days while taking this online class.  The world has opened up to me and I'm blinking into the sunlight.  Deep breath.  Ready.  Learn.  By the way, that is what you should say to yourself every morning as you approach your school, walk down the halls, and enter your classroom.  Deep breath.  Ready.  Learn.  Now, the good news is you only have one first day.  And slowly but surely you will have another day and another and another and your classes will gel and each period will have a life of its own.  Some periods (if you're a secondary teacher this applies to you) will bring you joy and other periods you will dread and watch the clock like it's haunting you.  But you will find your rhythm.  You might be reading this and it's the end of the school year and you've just completed your first year.  And?  What surprised you?  What frightened you?  For me, the first year was full of ups and downs which is normal, but I was surprised at how attached I got to my students.  I was also surprised at how hard I worked but didn't feel like I was going anywhere.  I could not conquer the never-ending pile of papers on my desk or in my chair or in my bag.  There was never enough time.  I'm hoping the longer I teach either I will learn how to make better use of my time or I will just surrender to the idea that I will never get it done...probably a little bit of both. (Check out my next post.  Much pontification awaits!)

Another surprise was how fabulous I thought I was and yet sometimes I could not get my students to really ride that bus.  I went back and forth mentally from stern, harsh you-will-do-this-or-else bad mood teacher and then the next day -hey-what's-up-it's-all-good teacher.  My students didn't know whether to scratch their watch or wind their butt.  (Please let me know if you get this Steel Magnolias reference. )  The answer to this Jekyll/Hyde scenario is consistency and follow-through and a little bit of fake it 'til you make it.

Now that I'm a parent and have to make consequences real and not empty threats, it's a little less scary, but I am reprimanding a 3 yr. old at home and not a tall 15 yr. old beefy football player whose mama thinks he's precious.  Or a fragile, extroverted 7th grade girl who loves Justin Bieber more than Jesus and she talks ALL THE TIME.  However, the principles to parenting and teaching when it comes to student behavior are not too far from each other.

"But I'm not a parent...."you wail and gnash your teeth.  Deep breath.  You don't have to be.  It's just an added bonus that you get to practice as a parent each morning before you hit the classroom.  Teenagers and toddlers are very similar.  So, you're not a parent.  Start thinking or reflecting on what bothers you in your classroom.  If you can't handle chit chat, nip it in the bud.  If you HATE gum chewing, nip it in the bud.  It won't matter that it's against school rules.  The real school this and that happens in the classroom and you are going to earn a reputation.  Are you the teacher the students love and the other teachers roll their eyes about?  Do some students like you and others are indifferent?  I know for me I envy the teachers that students say, "Wow, their class is really hard, but they're a really good teacher."  I'll ask a student, "What makes a teacher good?"  They reply, "They're just really smart."  Now, that's not the most articulate description, but what they're trying to say is that their teacher knows their content.  The students are challenged enough that they're too busy for chit chat, sleeping or maybe even chewing gum.  Bottom line, be prepared to engage your students well and behavior will be a small issue. Communicate the expectations you have.  Decide what bothers you.   Nip it in the bud.  Follow through on consequences.  Your students will get the picture.  Every now and then, the little Teacher Chihuahua on your shoulder will bark, "Can you believe these knuckleheads are actually listening to you?"  Drop kick that Tiny Discourager to the curb.  Of course, they're listening to you.  You're their teacher.

Another issue is following through not just on behavior but also on students turning work in.  Get ready because the excuses and the sob stories abound.  Are you the teacher that looks at the Excuse Maker with a stoic smirk ready to say, "I'm sorry, but you know the consequences for not having your homework"?  I am guilty of starting out strong and the students know very early that I will check their homework and I will give you a zero for not turning it in.  Well, I took up all these papers and then I never looked at them.  Did you hear that clink?  That's me being put in Teacher Jail.  I was too busy thinking about the next day's class to sort through a bunch of handwriting I couldn't read and try to get a handle on what they accomplished.  So, I slowly started not taking up the homework and they slowly stopped doing it.  Before you assign homework, be prepared to at least look at in class and know how you want to use it the next day.

The list of student choices and behaviors and how they can thwart your good intentions could go on and on.  I have attached a link that gives a few practical ways to combat some more common classroom issues that aren't "office worthy."  It seems that if you could implement some of these activities and strategies, you and your students will be able to function more like a well-oiled machine and not a clunky old jalopy.

Above all, you MUST BE PATIENT WITH YOURSELF.  You will get another try the next day.  Learn quickly how to let the day go after you leave school or even after 5th period is over.

Deep Breath.  You're Ready.  Teach.



Teach Students Teacher Interaction Skills For Better Classroom Management And Control :: Careers and Employment

Technology Can't Be An Afterthought

When I was in graduate school learning how to be a teacher, we had to add technology to every lesson plan.  When I started my first year of teaching in 2006, I tried to keep up with that practice, but I started resenting it.  I am embarrassed to say that I actually put that I would use a cd player as technology in my lesson plan and I felt satisfied with that.  I think one of the reasons I resented having to "work in" technology into my lessons is because there were so many hoops to jump through to get to technology, not to mention that I barely knew the ropes at my new school/job and so it all just shut me down.  You had to reserve the computer lab.  You had to check out the Document Reader from the library.  You had to make sure the projector had all the cords...nevermind actually teaching some content.  Now, technology is not just devices or tools.  It's the Internet!  And students already know how to use it, so it makes sense to work it into a lesson plan.  It should be natural at this point and not an afterthought. 

I love the idea from "The Networked Student" video of the teacher being a Learning Architect. To me this goes hand in hand with the concept of "customized education" mentioned by the authors in Web 2.0. Students know how they like to learn and where they like to go to find information. For example, in my classroom today we were watching a film that coincided with a book we had just read and a student asked if he could look up facts or trivia about the film and share them with the class as we watched the movie. The first time he asked if he could do this I told him, "No." I assumed he just wanted to get out of watching the movie. Then, today as we were finishing up the movie, I gave him permission to use his phone to look up facts and share them with the class.  He was more engaged and not disruptive at all. The facts he shared were interesting and facilitated great conversation about the film and the literature. Another interesting fact is that he was not the only student who liked to do this activity while watching movies. At least three other students also shared facts once they knew I was okay with it. They all had their own devices and had access to the Internet. I think the biggest issue that Web 2.0 starts out with in chapter 2 is that schools must provide better access to the Internet if not also devices. As a Learning Architect, I must connect students with Web 2.0 resources and they in turn can connect with other students to collaborate and pursue higher-level learning. I think we start with access and new methods of learning in order to meet the standards of education.

 As a first year teacher, study what technology can bring to your classroom.  Look at it as a way to engage your students not an extra headache you have to survive.

Networked Student- this the video I referenced in the last post.

Dr. Raulston at the University of Montevallo had us watch this video in order to learn more about students in the 21st Century.  She teaches the graduate level class, Curriculum Integrated Technology.

Drexler, W. Drexler, A. (2008, November 26). "Networked Student [YouTube].  Video retrieved from 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XwM4ieFOotA&feature=player_embedded

Here's a little treat to inspire...

Welcome...it's gonna be okay.

Hello First Year Teacher! I am here to help you by creating a space that allows you to process what is going on in your classroom and how different it is compared to what you thought it would be. I hope to offer plenty of resources that will make this challenging opportunity easier and more energizing. I am going to take advantage of what the 21st century has to offer you and I by creating this blog so that we may connect and share information that will make us stronger facilitators in the classroom. Please comment and keep the conversation going! That's what it's all about these days!