Reflection # 4

These last few units have delved into staff development and becoming a leader in this area.  I'll say again that I definitely don't feel as if I know enough about technology to be a leader within my school.  But I guess the fact that I am continuing to learn in an environment that is constantly changing rather than relying on old methods is a sign that I can at least be a mentor to others.  I particularly connected to the discussion of qualities of a good leader, as I'm sure we all know how difficult it can be to be a productive, motivated teacher when our leaders do not have these characteristics.  I'm reminded of how I need to interact with colleagues if I want to encourage them to use technology in their own classrooms.  I'll also reiterate the need for time and starting small as it relates to knowing your limits.  When planning for the extended learning of our colleagues on top of what we do with our own students it's important not to bite off more than we can chew.  As I already do a number of extra curricular activities both for my staff and students I would not want to be the sole organizer of a technology initiative within my school.  I think I would burn out rather quickly.

Looking back at our activities I can see that we used a lot of what we had already learned about to extend our thinking beyond our classroom to the school as a whole.  This is a much bigger task and one that will take further planning to implement.  Conducting the school survey not only taught me how to design a survey but was also enlightening in its results.  I would be curious if more staff would have answered if it was part of an collaborative group rather than just me asking.  At any rate it's given me some food for thought for planning. I've bookmarked several resources for future reference but this one stood out to me the most as one that I will need to further my blogging in the classroom.  Blogging About the Web

These last units encourage me to continue working on my Standards of Practice in relation to Leadership in Learning Communities.  During the course we have worked together on growing our professional practice within the realm of technology.  Now it is for me to continue that growth at my school level with colleagues, passing on my own knowledge and engaging in new inquiry and practice.  I definitely want to continue on to take my Specialist in this course but feel that a pause and time to implement more of these practices is necessary before continuing on this journey.

Reflection #3 Leadership and Collaboration

Where to start...this last unit has taken us through so many tasks around sharing our ideas with colleagues, being mentors, and creating collaborative communities.  Some of the main challenges with all this continues to be time, resources and collective buy-in.  At this point in time schools and boards have hugely different approaches to the time and money they are willing to give to technology as well as to the types of technology they are supporting.  Added to that is that most of our PD provided by the board is already set up according to their own agendas and often does not include feedback from teachers.  Part of the problem of collective buy-in is tied to this and its easy enough to say make it mandatory for teachers to do but that opens up other concerns.  Who would be deciding what technology would be used and how?  Frankly I'm way happier making my own choices about that and talking it up with my admin to ask for more funds if necessary than I would be otherwise.  I feel like it would eliminate a lot of my own creative potential in the classroom if I didn't have choice.

I do feel that I have a better grasp of the collaborative tools at my disposal both in term of classroom use and working with colleagues.  Although now the choice is a bit overwhelming....Google Docs, Google Classroom, Wikispaces, the Hub, Blogging....I've said it before but I think choosing one or two elements and sticking with them for a while is a good idea rather than attempting everything at once.  Paperwork is the bane of my existence but remembering which space I posted what document on for which class, colleague etc. could be problematic as well.  I do like the idea of a shared space to work with colleagues and document what works with tech in the classroom in order to help others become more involved in tech.  How that looks in the future will be something to work on.

This absolutely ties to the Standards of Practice.  We do need to recognize our responsibility and leadership roles to facilitate student success.  We do need to be aware of how we choose to maintain that role.  I would much rather be a role model and mentor than to insist that people follow my lead. You will find more people are willing to take risks and go outside their comfort zone when approached in that way.  I shouldn't have to add but I will the fact that my actual job is not to tell colleagues what to do and goes against our actual Collective Agreement.  So this is in fact a delicate balance that we have to strike if we want people to see technology in as positive a way as we do.  Not saying it can't be done, just that a soft approach is going to be the better way.

As with many things about teaching and changing the way you work in the classroom...think big, start small.

Reflections on Technology

Something that popped into my head while I’ve been working my way through the course is having an awareness of the amount and type of tech we choose to use in the classroom.  While great ideas have been emerging fast and furious throughout it is key to remember that we should be using technology with a clear purpose in mind and not simply for the sake of it.  It has a great many benefits for students with or without special learning needs so there is no doubt that we should be using technology as educators.  That being said sometimes there needs to be a limit, for example when implementing new products, apps etc. we need to learn to use them well in order to convey that to students, otherwise we ourselves will become overwhelmed.  The key is finding a balance.

I think one of the things that I like best about online courses is sharing stories of successes and failures when using new technology.  It is always more helpful when someone can tell you about what they have done with a task, new technology etc. From there you can decide which elements to try out for yourself, tweaking things to make them fit your own classroom.  Within the Standards of Practice, this is the kind of open collaboration you need to continue to grow in your own practice. It's the kind of collaboration we encourage our own students to do so why wouldn't we do it ourselves?

Assistive Technology: Necessary for Some, Good for All

The idea behind this statement had been cropping up in my mind throughout the latest unit of my course.  I kept feeling that in a lot of cases, when deciding on where and how to use technology in the classroom it automatically made it easier for my students with specific learning needs to be more successful.  When carefully choosing what tech to use, the process of meeting students’ needs becomes more fluid.  All students benefit from resources that can help with organization, engagement, creativity etc.  Having multiple options open to students, like in my lesson for Settlers of New France for example, each student is able to jump in where they feel comfortable and everyone is still accessing the same information and activities.  While many students would have been able to complete a pen and paper task, my students with special needs would have struggled.  They need assistive technology to reach their potential.  But the benefits are not just limited to them.  Having a variety of options open means everyone can try and explore something new to them.  All students can access material that they might otherwise not be able to and do this independently. This leads to more confidence, better discussions, understanding, collaboration and ultimately performance for everyone in the classroom.

Reflections on Learning Experience #1

I think a key idea that I had even during the first part of this course and that keeps coming back again and again is to choose one thing and try it.  Stick with it though, not just a one-off attempt and then abandoning it, but a really solid go with something new in the classroom.  It could be that it just needs tweaking to work for you and your students.  I'm learning to just take a deep breath and relax when I'm bombarded with new apps and programs for the classroom because trying to fit in every new idea that comes along will drive you crazy pretty quickly and usually ends up with you doing that same lessons that you've always done in the same way because you are frustrated.

I like that I have the chance to work on a blog separate from my school account because it is a) my own personal thoughts and b) helps me work through ideas that will eventually make their way back to the classroom, either through direct activities or positive changes through reflection.  I've learned more about VoiceThreads and using Skype in the classroom which are the two things highest on my list to try this year along with refining my use of my class website/blog. (I think I may have broken my just try one thing rule there)

"Who dares to teach, must never cease to learn." John Cotton Dana

A quote in keeping with my last thoughts on reflecting on learning and ultimately why I continue to take courses like this one.  They connect to all our Standards of Practice.  I'm looking to discuss and learn from other professionals who feel the way I do about teaching. I continue to look for feedback and improve what I do not just for myself but for my students. If I want them to grow then I need to continue to grow. I want them to know that I am a life-long learner and that acquiring knowledge doesn't end when you get handed a diploma. Without continuing on your own path of learning you can't hope to keep pace and nowhere is this more true than in the field of technology.  There is always something new to learn.

Reflection is Part of Your Work

Okay so this is me officially becoming a blogger. This first one is in response to George Couros' blog post, Another Reason to Blog; Proactive Through Reflection.  As teachers we've all reflected on our work either on our own or as part of teaching teams.  But let's face it, most of us last remember writing any of those post-lesson thoughts down during Teacher's College when it was mandatory.  I agree that reflecting on what we are doing is the only way to grow and continue to meet student's needs so it should be considered "part of our work", that's the only way we'll ever make the time for it.  

As Couros' pointed out in his original post, time is what we lack.  Taking the time to sit down and actually reflect makes you really slow down and take a look at things, rather than barreling through curriculum expectations, meetings and all the other day to day items that fill our plate.  Having attempted reflective journals before, as well as personal journals, photo scrapbooks etc. only to give them up after awhile, I can see the benefit of setting up a blog as your base.  Tags and categories mean you can actually find specific information when you need to go back to it.  That's why most journaling type activities failed for me in the past...I rarely went back to look at them again...and then the novelty wore off.

Hopefully by beginning my own blogging journey I'll finally have a way to keep my learning accessible and meaningful to me.  I'd also like to think I'll become more comfortable with the whole creative process in general and be able to use it with my students.  So far I have a classroom blog that I'd like to take beyond the simple posting of notes, videos and homework for my classes.