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
"Don't reinvent the wheel" is what I've been learning as I explore Twitter, blogs, and social bookmarking sites like Delicious. I know critics of social media and edtech claim that all this screen time is dumbing down the population, especially the children. I'm not sure how this age of technology is making us more stupid than the age of television did. At least social media has the potential for increased writing and research practice. One of my colleagues fears that the BYOD movement will create a generation of non-thinkers who use a google search to find the answer to everything before processing questions and problem-solving. What do you think?
ReplyDeleteI think just like anything there needs to be a balance. I think that yes, students need to figure their way out of a paper bag without relying on GPS or Google, but I also think that those resources aren't bad. We just have to find a way to coach our students in both directions. Even though you and I are having to learn about Twitter, it doesn't mean the common sense we had before Twitter is out of date. I like that I knew what television was before a remote control. I remember when my parents got an answering machine after I had left for college. (My parents are slow with technology.) I also like that I am rockin' Twitter and social media without really missing a beat. I guess I think there's room for both- problem-solving online and offline.
ReplyDeleteVery clever posts! I've had a lot of time reading your thoughts. I hope you will continue to inspire the 1st year teacher!
ReplyDelete