A Week of Faves

Tonight I sorted through about five days worth of links I had tagged as favorites on Twitter.  Some I retweeted out immediately.  Others, those listed below, I wanted to send out but pose my own take or question for further reflection, inviting discussion on those issues.  So, without further ado . . .

• The Reflective Teacher: a Taxonomy - These are great ways to reflect upon our practices. How can we ensure that we incorporate such reflection in our practices, PLC's, etc.?
• How to Put a Laptop in the Hands of EveryStudent - Are any of us willing to sacrifice to make this a reality?  How forceful should administrative policy/direction be to make this happen?
• We Have to Model Failure - How many of us really think failure is a good thing?  How many of us are willing to admit failure? How many of us are ready to let a student demonstrate they know more than we?
• Making Teaching a Profession - Some will be offended or insulted by this article.  Once you get over that, reflect on how you implement some of the recommendations even though you are already out and working.  I like this suggestion: "the problem he has seen at dozens of programs was that there was 'no connection between the clinical experience and what went on in the university.' Ideally, he said, students 'would teach in the morning, spend the afternoon learning theory connected to what went on that morning, and then preparing for the next day.' ”

• A 21st Century Drill/Warmup -  An awesome exercise.  A great springboard to help us create other similar practices with our students and utilize all the tools out to their fullest.

I liked several others enough to bookmark them on Delicious.  Check out the one's I saved today .

Share, Share, Share

Motivated by Kelly Hines (whom you should follow) and her post on her goals for the new year, I've been thinking about my own. I already had goals, but it's always good to write them down. It's going to be a different type of year for me. Even though this will be my eighth year teaching, I feel like it's my rookie year. Twenty years ago I began teaching high school math. After fifteen years away from the classroom, I came back to my first love last fall. That in itself was an adjustment. This summer my principal asked me to get certified in science and teach 6th grade! And more changes will come next year for me.

I've been blessed to land a position in a school with a progressive minded principal who is willing to let his teachers take risks. I never have to worry about trying to convince him why we should try to implement something new or different that will benefit the students. It's great having lots of technology options. When I left teaching the first time, cutting edge technology was the graphing calculator. But it's not about the technology - just read here and here. It's about how you use the technology. Both are part of my goals and here they are.

1) Learn from Others

2) Provide Plenty of Opportunities for my students, colleagues, and myself to Explore, Inquire, and Create

3) Implement Technology with Good Pedagogy

4) Share, Share, Share

Honestly, when I look at my goals, I really only see two - Share and Implement. I'm excited about the sharing part but it's hard. I came up with what I believe are some cool activities to do this year. It would be so easy to keep them to myself and then say after the fact, "Look at the cool lesson I developed." But, if I'm doing it for the good of my students, shouldn't all students in the school benefit? Shouldn't I want to help my colleagues instead of sitting back and pointing out how they never do stuff like this? So, I shared these ideas with the whole faculty. Now they can all modify my activities to fit their situations. All students will be better off.

I've learned a lot about sharing this year. The other math teacher on my hallway last year was a huge help. She shared her experience, wisdom, and resources with me. My kids were so lucky I had her as a teammate. I began my PLN on Twitter and literally hundreds of people have shared their experience, wisdom, and resources with me. My students will continue to benefit. I look forward to continuing to share back and forth with my PLN.

Sharing is the only way to make positive change. Some people really want to change but have no idea where to start. Remember what it was like to be a first year teacher and you had all those questions? There might be a twenty year veteran who feels the same way about implementing technology in an effective way. Soon your generosity will have others coming to you, asking for help. In the end, students benefit all the way around. And that's what it's all about.

Digital Projector Fun

Looking for ways to integrate technology into your classroom without  having to create some complex lesson plan on a technological piece of equipment you are not comfortable with?  Here's a list of things you can do with digital projector.  There's something for every content area teacher.

More tools for Twitter-ers

Here's a list of Top 100 Tools for Teachers on Twitter.  You find some of these helpful especially if Twitter is blocked at your school (check out EmailTwitter)

If you don't use Twitter and/or just want to know what the heck it is, check out this handbook for teachers.