K-12 Online Conference

In early October, I saw a tweet about the presentations for the 2009 K-12 Online Conference. I was excited to check out what great things I would be learning. I can’t begin to tell you how shocked (and totally stoked) I was to see my name on the list! In a time of budget crunches and travel restrictions and limited availability for professonial development, I am honored to be a part of this online conference that crosses these boundaries of time, location and budget. The theme of this year’s conference is “Bridging the Divide” and will kick off the week of November 30 with a keynote speech by international teacher and inspiration, Kim Cofino.  My session, “Little Kids, Big Possibilities” is part of the Getting Started series during the week of December 7-11, 2009. I am looking forward to sharing detailed tips, resources and testimonials straight from the kids themselves about free sites and programs that can bring our elementary students into the forefront of teaching and learning with technology and web 2.0 applications. I encourage you to check out the list of sessions and start making plans to “attend.” No matter what you teach or how old your students are or how advanced your current participation in social media might be, there’s a session (or ten) for you!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/candiedwomanire/ / CC BY-SA 2.0

Just an Idea: Make n Take

Last night a wonderful conversation emerged in the #edchat session last night on Twitter about how we might facilitate discourse about technology in the classroom with our fellow classroom teachers. It was mentioned that people were tired of being inundated with tools without context, presenters with sales-pitches and no real-life connections to what they are being shown. If we are hoping that teachers will adopt educational technology for use in their classrooms, we have to provide the instruction, direction and on-going support to help them make the experience a success. Many wonderful ideas were shared and I am hoping that others (ahem! Todd Williamson and Tech in 20) will blog about how they implement teaching and sharing about all things ed-tech within their school communities. I thought I’d give a few more details about our school’s monthly “Make n Take” sessions.

Over the past few years, our administration has been outfitting each classroom with SMART Boards. We were the first in the district to really put our money where our mouths were, so we were well ahead of the curve of what professional development was being offered by the system. From that need, and an expressed desire by teachers to learn more about how to implement technology in the classroom, came the idea for monthly “Make n Take” sessions. Each month, a “Make n Take” was hosted by a different grade level in the school in one member of that team’s classroom. The host grade level was in charge of an hour-long sharing and question session that highlighted how they used technology to enhance instruction in their grade level. The members of the grade level team decided together what they would like to use as a focus, and they were also allowed to ask for “help” coming up with a topic if needed. As a result of these monthly “Make n Take” sessions, there were many excellent outcomes:

1. School community was focused. It’s often difficult to organize vertical curricular planning. By having each grade level in charge of one month, and by having all staff attend, we were able to see one another and see first hand how our strands of curriculum were fitting together. Wonderful dialogue was generated when we were around others who weren’t in our “normal” collaborative  planning groups.

2. Authentic professional development was offered. We were learning about technology integration strategies from our peers – people we trusted, people we knew were in the trenches, and people who we knew had the same “stuff” sitting in their classrooms and were teaching the same kids. No matter the discrepancy in ages between the sharing groups, there was always information that could be gleaned and adapted.

3. It fit our local requirements. It was focused on our curriculum. It integrated 21st century skills. It was free.

4. We covered a myriad of topics without being overwhelmed. Because each team took on a “theme” for the month, you had a month to go back to your classroom and try one or two of these ideas before another one was thrown at you. This time to implement was key. Having a team full of specific tech support was also essential in the success of this model. Over the course of the year, we got excellent real-world examples of using SMART boards, SMART Response Systems, Podcasting, Blogs and Wikis, Our School Webhost, and more. As each topic was addressed from the perspective of a “real” classroom teacher, it was invaluable and inspiring.

So if you are looking for a way to bring more educational technology to your school or your district, consider looking in. Teachers are often doing more than we give them credit for and they have amazing ideas. And why not harness what great ideas are already floating around in your own building and district?!

PLN’s Redefined

In October 2008, I was introduced to Twitter as a PLN, a Personal Learning Network. From that moment on, I was convinced. My love for learning was reignited as I found other educators who thrived on conversations about learning, teaching, technology and leadership in education. I was suddenly challenged, engaged and enriched professionally and personally. My students benefited from this personal resurgence because it was contagious. My enthusiasm for my own learning translated into a renewed passion for teaching. I looked at their learning as more than something that I could offer them. It was something that I could teach them to dig deep below the surface to find in themselves. Attending NECC 09 this summer in Washington DC took on a special personal meaning as I made face to face connections with the people in my virtual networks. Today, my view of my PLN shifted.

I will still shout from the rooftops that everyone should have a PLN, but do not compartmentalize this wonderful resource to your learning and teaching. It struck me tonight after I shared with my PLN that I was experiencing some stress in my family’s recent decision to become certified foster/adoptive parents and the stringent regulations that come with it. We may have to move because the historic home we live in now (which I love) won’t meet the strict fire codes. I was immediately bombarded with encouragement, support, sympathy and blessings. If it hadn’t already, that moment cemented for me that my PLN is not a Personal Learning Network. It’s a Personal Living Network. And who couldn’t benefit from that?!

Flickr photo by Aussiegall

Set Up for Success: Procedures

I recently got the opportunity to get into my classroom and get the physical space set up for the new school year. I rearranged bookcases for ease of access and organization. I moved my desk to a different location in the room to maximize flow and efficiency. I rearranged the computers in my room to change focus of their use. I arranged students’ desks to foster collaborative working relationships between students. Although my arms and back may have been a bit tired, the real work is still waiting to begin. The arrangement of the physical space of a classroom is a core component to creating an inviting learning environment, but I believe that there are more important needs in a classroom: Procedures.

Procedures and routines are, in my opinion, the critical factors that separate successful classrooms from those who are not. When students know what to expect and feel comfortable in how to carry out their daily routines, there is an ease that fosters success. So, what in your classroom requires a pre-determined routine? Well, everything. Can there be more than one routine for a particular objective? Sure, as long as you teach it. Here are a few of the routines that I establish (and practice religiously) in the first days of school.

Handing Out Papers:

• Each student in my classroom has a “mailbox” constructed from a standard office mail sorter. I return all papers to the individual student’s mailbox. There are designated times throughout the day when students are allowed to check their boxes. Anything that must be returned is stamped/sticker-ed with a brightly colored notation and also written on the homework board.

Absent Students:

• If a student is absent, I put all of their papers from the day they are out into their mailbox. Students know that if they have been out, that’s where they should check for their work. I also go ahead and write all due dates on that paper (traditionally, one school day for each day absent).
• I also keep my own mailbox in our sorter. Students turn in their excuse notes (and any other communication from parents) to my mailbox. I can check it and take appropriate action when it is convenient for me, and I know where they are!

Hallway Travel:

• Obviously, this tends to be a more primary/elementary issue, but it’s always something to consider. I have students treat hallways like a two-lane road, and they must follow traffic rules for an intersection each time they reach one. I teach students early to stop at each intersection (or if it’s a long hallway, a particular “landmark” like a fire extinguisher or teacher’s door). This helps me to keep my stragglers in check and not end up with half of my line at the destination and the other half still in the room.
• I don’t do door holders. I know lots of people do. I have adopted the idea that students should work on general, real-world courtesy. They learn to hold the door for the person  behind them with a “tap and go” practice. Hopefully this idea will translate as they are walking into community buildings, as well.

Starting the Day:

• My students come in the room each day to background music and explicit directions on the board. Even on day 180, I do not assume they remember what to do. They become conditioned to check the board as they walk in each day. I usually remind students to unpack, check their mailboxes, sharpen pencils and use the restroom before the announcements. I also often have a starter assignment for the day. If the starter assignment is a worksheet, it is in their mailboxes.

Housekeeping:

• I use a passing system to collect papers. I don’t usually let students go around and pick them up. I don’t always have students pass the exact same way, but there’s always a target.
• I usually don’t mind if students get up and sharpen pencils during independent working time of a lesson. If I am teaching though, the grind of the sharpener can get a bit distracting. I use an empty cubed tissue box to help my students know when it is not acceptable to get up and walk to the sharpener. The tissue box slides neatly over the sharpener as a great visual cue not to get up right then.
• When students need help during work time, I have a couple of different ways to organize that. Usually, I have students ask their tablemates for clarification. If the lesson needs to be individual in nature, I hand out red plastic drinking cups. If a student is in need of assistance, he/she can put the cup on the corner of the desk as a cue for me. This trick also works great when in the computer lab because the cups will easily prop on top of the computer monitors.

There are dozens more procedures and routines that are integral parts of my daily classroom life. I probably could not even begin to list them all because they are so ingrained in my own head. They have certainly been honed throughout my ten years of teaching. We often set routines to make our lives easier, but we do not think about how that make learning more effective and more efficient. So, how will you make your students’ lives easier this year?

My Hair Is Not on Fire

When the summer began, Lee Kolbert made a call for recommended summer reading for educators by educators. One of the first titles that streamed across my PLN was Teach Like Your Hair’s on Fire by Rafe Esquith. I picked up the book at a local bookstore and started reading write away. I was initially impressed and even blogged on the first chapters of the book here. I was excited about what it set up to be and how it was playing out, but something changed for me as I continued to read.

I have struggled over the blog post because there are lots of things I want to say about my reactions to the book, but I do not want to undermine what  Esquith does with his students. I think the dedication he displays to the children in his room is remarkable and admirable, and his students are very lucky to have a teacher who is devoted to help them develop as learners and leaders. Esquith offers great ideas for engaging students in reading, writing, math, science, social studies, and the arts. He even talks about teaching students about testing as a process, rather than a stressor. That being said, there were several moments in the book that I found myself questioning what was going on – the how’s of it all.

How does Esquith get students to arrive at school at 7:00 AM and stay until hours past the official end of the day?

How do students get to school and get home?

How do his students feel who don’t want to or can’t participate in all of these extra events?

How do the students in other classes feel who aren’t having these experiences?

How do his students react to their teachers when they leave him and move on to other grades?

How do the students balance their lives outside of school?

How does Esquith balance his life outside of school?

Throughout his book, I wondered how he had the time. I worried about new teachers or those getting ready to enter the teaching profession might feel when reading this book. I give a lot of myself to teaching and to my students, but even I was overwhelmed. If you are not putting on plays, teaching how to play musical instruments, teaching from 7:00 am to 6:00 pm, driving kids on cross-country college tours, facilitating home-based film clubs and organizing tours of the nation’s capital, you are still an amazing teacher. As this post evolves in my own head and on the screen, I am finally figuring out how I can love this book and dislike it at the same time. Only a small percentage of us can do what Rafe Esquith does. I am not one of them, but what can I do?

1. I can know what my students need. Esquith recognizes that his students may not ever get the opportunity to “know what they don’t know.” We, as teachers, have the unique chance to open our students’ eyes to a world they may not know exists beyond their neighborhood. While I may not be able to make a cross-country trip with them, I can emerge them in great literature, take them on virtual trips, and connect them with others world-wide through technology.
2. I can find a way. Esquith set up his Hobart Shakepearans as a non-profit organizations to raise money for their expenses and trips. If he can do this, I can certainly fill out the occasional grant application to offer a new experience to my students. I can encourage parents and community members to put their monies where their mouths are. I can communicate regularly with my elected officials to keep funding and adding more funding to public education.
3. I can encourage service-learning. In Teach Like Your Hair’s on Fire Esquith highlights his students’ holiday meal service. Even if this is too much of an undertaking initially, take from it the idea that you are providing a priceless lesson for your students by teaching them the value of service. The experience of service-learning cannot be written in a lesson plan or numerated through goals and objectives. It touches the heart, and lessons that do that will last much longer than any science lab you will ever do. Collect cans for a food drive. Sing holiday carols at a nursing home. Write letters to troops serving overseas. Find a way to make students dig deep into their hearts, not just their parents’ wallets.
4. I can let students have it. It may be your classroom. It may be your materials. But it is their learning. Allowing students to own their work and to share it with others in their classroom, school and community will instill in them pride for learning. They will learn discipline and hard work. They will learn problem solving conflict resolution. If you you hold so tightly to the control of your classroom, everything you try to accomplish will stay within your walls. If you let your students have it, they can take it with them.

So, no, I don’t teach like my hair is on fire. I don’t really think that Rafe Esquith does either. He teaches like his heart is on fire, and that’s the greatest thing a teacher can offer his/her students. And when you are reading about astounding things that others are doing, don’t get overwhelmed by the how’s. Focus on the why’s. When you do that, you will find inspiration to light the fires of your students.

Photo from Flickr: Balancing Act by SashaW

If No Textbooks, Then What?

You hear a lot of talk these days about ditching the textbooks and moving toward a more open-source means of creating content for our students. Donelle O’Brien shared her enthusiasm for the idea in a recent blog post but posed some great questions about what and how this works in a traditional classroom setting. I stopped using textbooks in science and in social studies a few years ago, so I thought I’d share a little bit about why, alternatives that I use and how it has impacted student learning in 3-5 grade classrooms.

Because textbooks are written to be mass marketed, the curriculum covered in them is actually much more broad than what most state-standards require at a particular grade level. In our school’s science text, we could only use three of the eight units that are published in the book and it doesn’t include one unit goal that I am required to teach. Our social studies book is specifically designed to teach about our state, but it does so in a static and unengaging manner. Why would I want to use these materials? We know that textbooks do not equate knowledge, which is why I appreciated this Flickr photo because it is titled “Just the Ones I’m Getting Rid Of” by Plutor.

So, if you are pondering the great journey of letting go of the textbook or you are entering a classroom where there weren’t any textbooks to start with, here are a few ideas.

Fiction and Non-Fiction Literature:

Last year, my grade level team decided to forgo the adoption of a new textbook and to spend a fraction of that budget on purchasing various class sets of novels that serve as foundations for most of our curriculum. Carole Marsh, author and founder of Gallopade International, has a great series of mysteries that teach about many areas of our curriculum. She has great titles such as Mystery on the Underground Railroad and The “Gosh Awful” Gold Rush Mystery. These books put children in the middle of historic places to teach about them and why these places are important to our history. We also research picture books that would help tell the story of events in American history in their context of North Carolina’s past, such as Freedom on the Menu: The Greensboro Sit-Ins. We visited the State Archives and ordered many publications from there that were collections of primary resources to add to our students’ research experiences. For a fraction of the cost of a set of textbooks, we have a collection of literature that adds life and unique voice to our curriculum. Studies Weekly is another of my favorite resources, as it is a content based weekly newspaper publication for students that teaches in exciting and engaging ways. I usually get a mini-grant for these (about $5 per student/per year) and the kids have a consumable resource that evolves from year to year – and, of course, they have excellent on-line support.

Check out community resources:

There are dozens of community resources that will provide free or very reasonably costing programs for classrooms. There are also many who will “lend” these resources to educators. Here are some links to some resources that I have used.

Ag in the Classroom: Ag in the Classroom offers resources for science and social studies lessons, including lesson plans, contact information, a Teen Zone and a great Kids Page.

4-H Programs: 4-H puts together amazing “kits” for educators across the curriculum. We have their Electricity Kits which teach everything from circuits to motors in an inquiry based manner that is designed to get kids thinking and experimenting. The resources for teachers are top-notch and the training/support by 4-H is also excellent.

Government Officials: Who better to talk about state and local government than government officials? Invite your elected and appointed officials into your classroom to talk about what they do all day and how government works. Don’t forget that with the ease of free video conferencing (like Skype), distance no longer has to be an option. When we studied Louis and Clark, we talked to a class in St. Louis who had been studying all about them in their home state!

Museum Speakers and Lending: Check with your local and state museums about sending programs to you, if you cannot go to them. Also, consider the possiblities of the Lending Libraries that many museums, like the North Carolina Museum of Art, have to offer.

Colleges & Universities: Need resources to teach about geology? Who better than a geologist (or at least someone studying to be a geologist)? Universities and colleges are often thrilled to send professors and or graduate students to do programs for K-12 classrooms. They have access to amazing specimans and samples that a regular classroom teacher could never afford to collect. For example, we study rocks and minerals. A graduate student from East Carolina University was more than willing to come out to our school, bring a huge rock collection, streak plates and other activity materials for my students to get hands-on learning experiences with rocks. They also bring the interesting dynamic of how to turn curricular passions into a career!

Getting Organized:

I have to admit that I love plastic storage boxes. They are stackable, fillable, and easily labeled. To start our textbook-less movement, our grade level team organized what we already had. We grouped like topics, added supplemental resources we already had, stuck in any videos/multimedia materials that we owned, and we created a folder on our school’s share drive for each unit. When you check out a unit box, you are agreeing to use the materials from inside that interest you and to add anything that you create/find to supplement it. After a year of six teachers using the same unit, it was exciting to watch those resources grow and evolve. We also have a shared folder of resources (documents, multimedia presentations, findings from Discovery Education, and links to online sources).

One Unit Box we have is the “Kitty Hawk” box. Contents include:

1. Class set of The Wright Brothers at Kitty Hawk
2. Teacher created reflection questions and comprehension/vocabulary practice to accompany novel
3. Link to Animated Hero Classics: The Wright Brothers on Discovery Streaming
4. Photos and literature from a family visit to the Wright Brothers’ Memorial National Park in Kitty Hawk, NC
5. Various supplemental books about Kitty Hawk and the Wright Brothers
6. Writing prompt ideas/support for newspaper writing exercise (as if the student were the witness to the first flight)
7. Curriculum connections to the science of flight
8. Coloring pages from various sources that teach about others in the race to fly
9. And more and more every time someone uses the unit box

So, don’t be afraid to let your textbooks start collecting dust. Use your personal learning network (both face to face and online) to collect resources that will enrich and enhance your teaching and learning!

I’d love your comments, suggestions and tips on more ways to teach without a textbook.

*Added June 30

A few people have asked me to talk a little bit about how I teach math without a textbook, so I thought I’d just talk about my typical math lesson (90 minutes daily). I divide my class into 4 flexible groups and they learn our routine early in the year.

I work with 1 group at a table at one side of the room on introducing new concepts or reviewing skills that need attention. We do guided hands-on activities together, use personal dry erase boards, etc.

At the same time, another group is at the interactive whiteboard doing a lesson that I have chosen/created that reinforces skills that we have already worked on. This station might also be used for a learning game or other educational experience disguised as something fun.

Another group is working collaboratively on problem solving skills as a group. They each have their math journals in which they record their problems, strategies and results. Each Monday of the first several weeks of school I introduce a “new” problem solving strategy. Throughout that week students focus on practicing that skill. In following weeks, problems demand that students choose a skill or multiple skills to solve their problems.

The final group is working on an independent assignment at their seats, from Accelerated Math or on a specific computer site that I have chosen (like AAAMath, Multiplication.Com, or even an assignment on Edmodo).

We rotate through these groups daily on about a 20 minute rotation for each space. I get to sit down face to face with every student every day. I have found that my need for grading daily papers, etc. has been reduced drastically. I know how my kids are doing because they have to prove it to me and their peers on a daily basis. We establish such a solid routine that even substitute teachers are happy to carry out these rotations. The students have told me how much they like the varied opportunities within each day to have time together to talk and time to process on their own. I pull resources from across the internet, design projects with my peers and even use worksheets (gasp) occasionally. By carefully choosing the worksheets I want to use rather than just relying on what comes with the book, I know that these papers are going to meet specific needs and targeted objectives. Again, we stay with the county’s pacing guide, take common assessments with other 4th graders and jump through the necessary hoops. Using these methods of instruction, I can effectively and seamlessly differentiate learning for my students and help to ensure their success.

Advice to a Newbie: Unwritten Rules

Are you a new teacher just starting this fall? Are you a veteran teacher who is transferring to a new building this year? Then you are a newbie. And whether you like it or not, you are probably being viewed that way by your peers on your new school staff. It’s never easy to be new. There are people to meet, names to remember, and unpacking to do. There are bulletin boards, handbooks and lesson plans. There is Open House, opening faculty meetings and finding the bathrooms.

It’s also important to recognize that schools have a culture. There are rules and norms in place, along with traditions. Part of what makes a school a positive or toxic place includes these cultural phenomenon. There are also a few unwritten rules, but they are often the key to a smooth transition and a personally successful school year. I thought I’d share some of the little secrets with you…

1. Know where to park. This may sound silly, but at some schools it is serious business. Should be park in the back? Should you park in the front? Can you park by your classroom? In some schools, there is unlabeled (self-proclaimed) designated parking for staff.

2. Ask how to find/acquire a substitute. Different school systems have different ways of acquiring a substitute teacher. Find out if you need to get your own subs. If you do, be sure to ask around about who are the most effective subs at your grade level/subject area. In some places, you have to call in to a central phone system and report your absences that way. Be sure that you find out what to do and how to do it before you find yourself in an emergency and need the information.

3. If you open it, close it. So that’s just a start, but be mindful of others and respectful of personal and physical space. If you use the last of the copier paper, refill it. If the toilet paper runs out, let someone know or replace it. If you jam up the copy machine, don’t just leave it for the next person. There’s nothing worse than being on a time constraint and finding a backlogged laminator. Take the time to leave things the way that you found them (or better). If you aren’t sure how to do something, ask!

4. Understand your student demographics. Take a nice long Sunday drive. Find a copy of your school’s district lines and tour your students’ neighborhoods. Don’t close your eyes and really see what is there. There are homes that will look uninhabitable. One of your students may live there. Do you see a group of kids playing at a local playground late into the evening, and totally unsupervised? They may also be yours. Stop at the local store. Look around. Know what your students know. See what they see. It will give you a valuable glimpse into their lives.

5. Be kind and respectful to everyone. In an interview for a principal position, a friend of mine was asked who she thought was the most important person in the school building. Anne answered, “The custodian.” Now, I don’t know if I agree that any one person is more important than another but it is essential that all staff members are viewed as being contributing members to the success of the school. I cannot over emphasize the influence of non-teaching staff members on the school climate.

6. Be like a duck. In other words, when the rainy days come pouring down, just let it roll off your back. This is something with which I still strive regularly. Teaching is a stressful profession that is tightly wrapped in emotional connections with students and peers. People say things off the cuff and sometimes with lots of emotion. Try to learn not to take it personally.

7. Just smile. When you pass someone in the hall, say “Hello.” Just smile. Nod. Acknowledge the other person. It goes a long way. If you are having a bad day, the addage of “faking it until you make it” is actually pretty effective. School culture is greatly affected by perceived interactions, and the simple ability to pass others in the hallways and smile goes a long, long way.

8. Be yourself! No matter where you are going, you can’t forget where you have been. It has shaped your personal journey and, in turn, your path for shaping the lives of your children. Make your personal culture an integral part of the school’s culture. You are valuable and deserve to be heard. Do not sacrifice who you are in order to fit in to a specific set of expectations. Hear and be heard.

Good luck with your journey! For others out there reading this who are already integrated into their school’s culture, what advice would you give?

Photo Credits:

“Falling Teacher” by pitel

“Washington Ducks” by phpein

“Prof Kouvel at the Copy Machine” by marc_buehler

“Moss Park Ride” by striatic

Core Beliefs

I have spent this week in a week-long study of Professional Learning Communities (PLC’s) and how to begin implementing them in the schools in our district. About 100 teachers from across the county came together to share ideas, while gleaning enthusiasm from one another for our upcoming projects. I especially appreciated how our trainers empasized that the focus of any PLC should be student learning and how to maximize it. Today, as a closing activity, we were each asked to write down our core belief about student learning. We also had to create a visual representation of this core belief. I was immediately curious about what my PLN would say since their opinions are ones that I have come to respect and honor very deeply. I got such insightful responses that I wanted to share them with you all!

Question: What is your core belief about student learning, in 140 characters or less?

Wow! What wonderful views of teaching, learning and of students as individuals. Are we truly using these personal beliefs to guide our development of curriculum, technology use and learning experiences? If we can keep the focus on the students and these ideals, I am whole-heartedly optimistic.

By the way, my core belief is:

For students to be perpetual learners, we must instill in them enthusiasm, information literacy, and networked collaboration.

What is YOUR core belief about student learning?

Set Up for Success

It is just mid-July, but I’m already starting on getting myself organized for the start of the new school year. I thought I’d share a little bit of what that process looks like for me. I’m entering my 11^th year of teaching, but each year it changes just a bit. As a fourth grade teacher, you may find some of my procedures to be a bit “elementary.” Please feel free to use what you can and I would love some feedback and suggestions as I move forward. Each school year is certainly a new adventure. Just as my students enter a new phase of their academic careers with anticipation and excitement, I approach the new year with fresh goals and personal expectations.

1. I choose a theme. I’m not a fish or teddy bears or apples kind of girl. I try to pick a theme that will help build cross-curricular connections. This year my overall big idea is “Healthy Living.” Many of our activities will revolve around this concept. For example, we will be tracking our steps using pedometers and be “walking” to different places in our home state and stopping to study them as we get there. We will be learning about different kinds of exercise and I hope to expose children to things like yoga, pilates and kick-boxing as ways to stay fit. Another health issue we will be tackling is stress. Throughout the year we will explore different ways that stress affects us (both positively and negatively) and ways to deal with that stress.

2. I write my parent letter. Maybe it’s just an elementary thing, but I start each year with a parent letter that outlines expectations for the classroom, explains my procedures and can serve as a general introductory letter. I start fresh every year. I used to recycle and edit, but I find that I keep my ideas fresh and new if I don’t rely on pulling out aging files. This year my classroom “rules” are (1) Take care of yourself (2) Take care of others (3) Take care of business. I don’t set up my classes for external behavioral rewards. I believe that the enjoyment that comes from learning and exploration is its own reward. At the same time, I don’t set up a check list of “Gotcha” consequences either. I deal with each incident and each child on an individual basis. I haven’t had to make more than phone call in 3 years. I think I’ll stick with that process for now.

3. I review my Digital Citizen Contract. This is my first year creating this contract that will guide participation on our class’ wiki, blog and other forms of digital media. I have a section of the contract for me (and my student teachers), my students, and their parents/guardians. We will review this contract in the first week together and each student will be expected to sign it. At our first parent meeting, I will review these expectations with the parents/guardians and they will be expected to sign them as well. I want the chance to engage parents in what we are doing, why it is so important and to offer them the opportunity to ask questions if needed.

4. I organize my resources. I make sure I have all my state and local standards organized, up-to-date and handy. I bookmark all of the textbook supplements that I can find on my computer and begin organizing the bookmarks that I already have to supplement them. I sketch out the first grading period on a calendar (gasp, I know, I use paper and a pencil). I make any changes to my file cabinets that I need (I keep them in order of the curriculum that I’m going to be teaching them). I decide what major projects I am going to tackle and start sketching them out in my head. For example, I can’t wait to resurrect the WI-NC Project with my friend Tammy’s class in Wisconsin!

5. I check my calendar. What days to I actually have available to prepare for the year? I make sure my personal calendar has all of the start of the school year events marked on it. I block out days for faculty meetings, in-service trainings and team meetings. I hate to feel stressed and rushed at the start of the year, so I am one who always gets into my classroom early to put up bulletin boards, rearrange furniture, etc. It helps me to feel much more calm and relaxed.

6. I set up the digital resources that I am planning to use consistently through the year. Here are a few of my favorites that I will be using regularly this year.

• Spelling City: I love Spelling City! As a teacher, you can create a free account. All you have to do is type in your weekly spelling list, and the site will generate review activities, engaging games and even assessments for your words. Students just go to your class’ profile page, and all of the spelling lists are listed there. I don’t release them ahead of time, but I do leave previous lists up for students to review. They love it, and it is always my review station on Thursdays before our spelling tests on Fridays.

• Edmodo: I started dabbling with Edmodo last year, and I’ll admit that I didn’t use it to its fullest potential. I am looking forward to making this incredible “walled garden” a place for students to engage in Twitter-like discussions and expand and challenge their own thinking. Look for blog posts throughout the year as I challenge myself with this medium.

• Class Webpage: While this is somewhat of a static page, I will be updating it daily with information, homework assignments, important files, etc. for parents. You can see my Digital Citizen Contract and Parent Letter here. It is also the portal to host our class podcasts and video files. Our website host has also included wikis this year. I have traditionally used PBWorks for my wikis, but I want to try out ours first. We shall see. You can see last year’s wiki here. It was my first one, and there are elements that I am very proud of, but there are also many ways that I would like to see it evolve this year.

• Class Blog: This was my greatest personal classroom accomplishment last year. I watched this blog come to life and saw the transformation in my students’ abilities to reflect on their own thinking, the ideas of others and more abstract concepts. Even outsiders noted the increased maturity and growth in writing abilities of my students, and they asked my secrets. I attributed much of it to our blog. I am excited to see the direction the blog takes this year because it is truly student driven. While I will start with some initial ideas for reflections, I love that the posts take on a fluid quality. This year I am hoping to allow students to be guest posters, who can generate the topics of conversation for their classmates and our global visitors.

• Discovery Education Network: Some wonderful changes have come to the format and resources available at the Discovery Education Network, and I would encourage you to become a DEN Member right away. Don’t worry – it’s free! There are so many things available to educators as a way to learn, share and expand the opportunities for your students. I use the resources here for my personal learning, as well as supplementing student interactions with the resources here. Students and teachers, alike, will find information here that will surprise and challenge you in the best ways!

7. I do something fun and totally non-school related! The weekend before the madness of teacher workdays, meetings, and flying bulletin board paper begins, I always try to get away. It may be a day at the beach. It may be a concert with my girlfriends. It may just be a night or two “off the grid” with a great book. Even though I’ve had my toes in the waters of school all summer long, like most teachers do, I need that last little break before I dive in head-first.

Good luck with your start of the school year. I’d love to hear what you do to get the year off to a good start and some of your favorite resources for an efficient and productive year.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/merelymel/ / CC BY-SA 2.0

Be a Follower

Scott McLeod recently challenged bloggers around the world to create a post for Leadership Day 2009. This request could be used to address students, teachers, administration, community members, policy makers or any other various audiences that we might reach through this medium. I would encourage you to check out the other posts that have been created for today. I am positive that you will be inspired!

On a slightly different theme, I have been thinking a lot lately about being a follower. We often hear expressions that put greater emphasis on the leader, the person who is in the public forefront of a particular public issue. Yet, there is certainly a greater percentage of the population who do not consider themselves to be leaders. Some say that they are not followers either. I would encourage you to be a follower, even if you don’t consider yourself to be a leader. Now, why would I choose to encourage following on Leadership Day 2009? There are a myriad of people in society who see themselves as leaders, and a fraction of those people are considered by others to be leaders. In order to be a follower in the education and technology fields, I believe that you have to complete a personal checklist.

1. Evaluate your role in the learning process. Before you can subscribe to one school of thought or another in the education debates facing our nation today, you have to know your role and involvement in the education spectrum. Are you hands on in the teaching and learning process? If you are an administrator, do you really know what is going on in the classrooms in your school building? As a parent, are you engaged in on-going two way communication with the teachers who work with your child daily? As a community member, are you supporting the education process in your neighborhoods? As a student, do you take advantage of the opportunities that are afforded to you and seek other chances to expand your learning? As a teacher, how often do you honestly reflect on the effectiveness of your practice in encouraging students to set and reach high learning goals for themselves?

2. Know what’s going on in the news. In order to be a follower, you must be able to make informed decisions about the education policy and trends that are facing education in the world today. You need to understand the outlines of the No Child Left Behind Act. You should be aware of how national and state financial crises are causing deep cuts to the education budgets for many states. These cuts are causing losses of teacher positions, technology funds and per student spending. Make sure that you are abreast of the debate for national standards in core content areas, which would usurp a state’s rights to set their own curricular standards and expectations at each grade level. Know the testing policies in your state and how they affect students at different grade levels. Many times as parents, and even teachers, we seem to know what policies and procedures have the greatest impact on our day-to-day lives and those of our students. It can be difficult to see the broader vision of how each level’s challenges and successes make vertical impact. Community members who do not have children in our nation’s school systems must also be keenly aware of these accountability procedures; for if a school fails to meet these state and national standards, the consequences will have short and long term effects on a community as a whole.

3. Defend your position. If you are a teacher or administrator currently working in our nation’s schools, I cannot express the importance of taking time to honestly reflect on your own teaching and learning. Don’t just do things the way you have always done them or because that was the way you were taught. Those are not reasons; they are excuses. If those are your defenses and reasons for the methods and materials that you use when talking about your teaching practice, I feel sorry for your students. Examine how and why you choose the methodologies for instructing your students. Are they research-based? Are they creating multiple paths for success for all students? Are they appropriate for the age and developmentally abilities of your students? Are they aligned to what expectations have come before and what will come in the future for your students? Most importantly, are you preparing your students for the future in which they will be living, working and hopefully thriving? If you can answer “yes” to these questions, then I would love for my own children to be in your class. If, upon reflection, you cannot answer “yes” to all of these questions, it is time to step back and work on a new strategy. This would give you an excellent opportunity to research different methods and ideals and to become a well-researched follower. Even if you aren’t planning on being on a panel or serving as a keynote speaker at an upcoming educational conference, you should still be solid in the foundation of what and why you do what you do.

Even if you don’t think you have time to be a leader, I would encourage you to consider these three items. Know what you are doing and why you are doing it. Be aware of what trends and policies are facing our field and our children now and in the future. Be able to pro-actively defend yourself and your decisions and their basis in sound educational practice. So, be a vocal leader. Be an empowered follower. Just don’t be indifferent!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/pedrosimoes7/ / CC BY 2.0