Learning Mosaic

With my first year as an international educator behind me and the comfort of being in my native country with family and friends, I feel ready to reflect on my past 10 months in Madrid. There was a lot to the adjustment in my personal life but also professionally.

The issue I’m currently mulling over is, What IS the best way to encourage change in an individual school?

From personal experience and talking to teachers in other schools, there seems to be 3 main options:

1. Hiring leaders who nurture, model and encourage 21st century change in the form of “education technology specialists or integrators” who work with teachers.

2. Teacher/tech mentors who work within their team.

3. A computer lab teacher/integrator who provides grade level curriculum lessons with technology as a tool in the lab

My experience in the states was as a classroom teacher in a school of 600 students with one tech support person and one lab plus 1-3 desktops per classroom. We had a small district-wide program to encourage “tech integration” and professional growth with limited success. Basically it was up to the individual teachers interest in professional growth and change.

My experience this last year as a K-5 “technology integrator” (the first one for the school) had it’s ups and downs. The pros are that we have an administrator promoting movement towards the future, an excellent head of technology and tech support team, a teacher laptop program recently implemented and individual teacher interest starting to percolate. The down side was the newness of the integrator position and teacher expectations that the integrator would “take over” the tech implementation as the PE, music and art teachers do- even though this was never communicated as the plan.

A friend in another international school is a teacher/tech mentor for her grade level team. This has been successful in a limited way, and as with the previous examples, it is reliant on individual teacher motivation.

The third path, the lab teacher/integrator is effective in that students are provided with 21st century learning experiences for at least one hour a week, the rest depending on the individual classroom teachers. But this may be more than students in any of the other options receive. On the other hand, classroom teachers may be less inclined to attempt updating teaching methods at all in their own classrooms.

I’m not sure which is the best path, perhaps none of the above. In my experience and what I have heard from other teachers and edtech professionals and read on blogs, the greatest need is professional development time outside the school day and/or during the summer. It takes a motivated teacher to investigate and create more relevant classroom experiences during the school year. With that in mind, I think the first and third options are best because it allows a designated person to serve as a resource who supports those willing teachers to take risks and move into the future.

Lastly, on the topic of lack of time and professional development… yesterday morning my dad saw me at my laptop with papers strewn around and commented on my confusion with what “vacation” meant. Like Bob Sprankle and the Seedlings group, I see summer as a time for fun, relaxation AND professional development. I’ve started with Brain Rules as my first beach book and plan to alternate professional and fiction books over the summer. I plan to get caught up on reading my favorite blogs and post here more often. Also, I am attending the Laptop Institute in Memphis in a few weeks and virtually attending NECC next week.

The beginning of summer is so wonderful; stretching out in front of you with the promise of much sunshine, picnics, late nights and (for educators) time for catching up and recharging! Too bad it goes so quickly!

There’s nothing like an idea full of promise to bolster one’s spirits!

I have been talking with one of our 2nd grade teachers who has kept a garden for a few years, has dreams to develop it but never enough time and help. I created and maintained a butterfly garden in New Hampshire and fully understand this. Susan is also a teacher who is very interested in learning more about using technology as a tool for student learning and her teaching. I need a fresh idea for next year’s after-school group and a garden group would allow me a group of students I can work with regularly, as well as with Susan’s class…Voila!

So I have spent the last hour searching for other classes to collaborate with us as we develop our garden. A general search didn’t yield much but when I went back to my old favorite kidsgardening and searched their registered gardens I found many that inspired project ideas for the garden and collaborative opportunities. I also found the blog of Rafael I Merchan’s AGDES blog. His latest post is about school gardens in Nicaragua that are creating a gardening program because “A school garden encourages local children to transfer the gardening techniques learned in the school garden to gardens in their homes, introducing new vegetables into their diets and that of their families. In addition, the garden products can be used as complements to a School Lunch Program, whereby food can be taken home by the kids, or sold at the local markets.” Certainly a privileged school such as ours can assist their efforts and we can also learn about gardening together.

If you are interested in collaborating with gardening and/or developing a project that will help support the gardens in Nicaragua or International Agriculture and Development, please contact me!

It’s been almost a week since my last post or comment on another blog. These last two weeks were exceptionally hectic- presenting 2 orientation sessions about 20 times for all LS staff for use of their new designated laptops. The response from teachers ranged from grateful to overwhelmed to negative. I won’t go on in a negative vein, but I have ended this week feeling drained, hopeless and unloved. : ) And I don’t understand the negativity!

Which leads me to think, move my focus to those in my environment who are positive and proactive and prioritize an amount of time each night for those in my virtual environment through podcasts, blogs, twitter, etc. I come to this realization over and over, some day it will sink in permanently I hope. It’s time to reread Kim Cofino’s post,  Work with the willing… again.

I’ve been spending some time reading the Comment Challenge members blogs. The first one that snagged me was a post from The Journey by Carla on Project-Based learning. In it is a fantastic video about the Student Inspiration Center at San Fernando High School that started in a custodian’s closet. Students are collaborating, communicating and learning- some videos reaching around the world to inspire others on world issues.

Another blog that inspired me (and has in the past) is Kevin’s Meandering Mind in his post about sharing our thoughts in a variety of ways related to his Day in a Sentence “project.” I love listening, viewing video and Voice Thread-type sharing in addition to reading text- it’s differently engaging and adds elements that text alone can’t as easily. A mosaic of forms of expression!

Lastly, a blogger who is not part of the comment challenge, but I’ve read her on Twitter and elsewhere and decided to check out her blog. Maria Knee is a Kindergarten teacher in New Hampshire and her blog is as engaging as her classroom is. First of all, as an ex-pat from New England, it was wonderful to read and listen to the kids sharing about snowy days, maple syruping and eating mud and worms. Her blog is a wonderful visit to her classroom. It is also a potpourri of communication tech tools I plan to start trying out (link to inspiration from Kevin’s blog) in my own blog and with students.

We rolled out our designated laptop program for teachers this week which meant the IT director and support staff spent many hours last week prepping the laptops and my colleague and I spent hours designing 2 orientation sessions for teachers to become familiar with their new laptops. This week and next is spent in orientation sessions with teachers and our IT director and support staff are attending to quirks with the new PCs. So, I have already failed to meet my blog goals to post and comment. However, it is uncharacteristically rainy here in Madrid and is forecast to be so all weekend- so I’ll have the time and energy to dive into the Comment Challenge blogs and recharge.

I have more thoughts on the thread of “not enough time”. Essentially, there isn’t enough to learn and apply many of the ideas I catch when reading or listening to blogs, news and podcasts. Progress is slower than I would like at times and I am saddened with the amount of time wasted. Finally, the way we use the minutes in our school day needs to change if we want to grow and improve the quality and relevance of the school day and what we are asking our students to do all day.

I have heard often enough, “Even if we had more computers in the classroom, there is no time for the kids to use them.” They are right given the way we currently teach. However, it is time to update the way we teach and allow students to “graduate from the slate and chalk to the pencil.” Use of computers should not be seen as an add-on but a useful tool. And it doesn’t have to wipe out the use of pencil, paper, books, crayons, etc. either. All the tools can be used in the classroom.

Let that reluctant writer (or all students) pre-write and then write a first draft on the computer- the power of flexibility with word processing is so freeing!

Tell students, “I don’t know the answer to that, let’s find it” or “Let’s find a video to show this concept or content so you can all see what I’m talking about.”

Don’t answer all your students questions or feel you have to, when they ask “what do I do next?” when learning a new application or software activity. Answer their question with, “Let’s look at the screen, what do you think?”

As a “tech integrator” who is not a lab teacher but “housed” in the LS lab, I model this for teachers by responding to students in this way when they are in the lab or I am in their classroom. I, carefully, apply this with staff and suggest ideas that rethink old ways of teaching. I firmly believe in show don’t tell. Telling is easier and faster, but rarely as effective.

Finally, I am definitely building the plane while flying it in terms of my growth as an educator who wants to be present in the 21st Century. I have so much to learn, which I find exciting rather than chilling. I am also challenged by continuously reflecting on what I do and asking myself, this is better but is it good enough? Is there an even better way? Plus, what is best in one classroom or for one student will not always be best for another classroom or student. Differentiation is another powerful consideration. So, I do the best I can each day, reflect, and wish there were more hours in the day!

As an edtech instructional specialist, it often feels as if in order to “do my job” I am trying to push collegues down paths they don’t want to travel. It’s also tempting to fall into that “glass half empty” frame of mind. In order to feel successful on a daily basis, I make every effort to focus on how full the glass is each day.

Yesterday I listened to 2 podcasts that had a lot in common. One from Jeff and David in On Deck Podcasts, Celebrating Shifted Teachers and the latest Seedlings @Bit by Bit podcast from Maine. Both podcasts provided the encouragement and focus I needed for a Monday and I’ll save them as favorites for the rainy days.

In Seedlings, Bob shares his use of Scratch with fourth grade students. As he begins telling about his process to introduce Scratch, he relates that he decided that he would not be the expert in the room, but rather proposed that the students discover how to use the program. He realizes that some students will always exceed his skill levels, that they can identify and work through problems with his help as facilitator and guide. To create an environment where students can feel challenged and successful is so empowering! They do need us for guidance and presenting challenges, but we don’t need to “always be the smartest person in the room.”

Jeff and David “celebrate the teachers in their schools who are making the shift. No philosophical discussion tonight, just concrete and practical instructional strategies.”

Again I find it would be so lonely without the network of like-minded educators out here who inspire and encourage me!

When I was a first, third and fourth grade teacher, my students used our lab and classroom computers as a tool to learn, practice skills, research, communicate and create. It was easy to allow this in the classroom as we set ground rules for proper purposes and times for use. I taught the students to save often when writing and what to do when the computer froze as our classroom desktops were very old. I figured out their quirks and they worked well for our purposes; a classroom tool like the pencils, papers, and books. Except the desktops were capable of opening up the world to us, gave us answers/images/audioclips/ videoclips, gave us fun and engaging games to promote skill practice and develop thinking, and best of all encouraged reluctant writers and readers to communicate through original writing. What did the teachers use? One of the classroom desktops when needed.

In my current school, we are now rolling out a program that provides a designated new laptop to all faculty members. This is a fantastic opportunity for teachers to explore tech as teaching and learning tool and gain skills with computer use. I am also excited because those older desktops the teachers have used will be moved away from the teacher’s corner out into the classroom for student use. With the upgrade of our LS lab this summer, each elementary classroom will have at least 2 classroom desktops for student use in the classroom in the fall!

As a technology integrator (and previous classroom teacher), it is my opinion that for students to use computers appropriately and at a skilled level, they need exposure beyond the once a week hour in the lab. What is your opinion and experience?

Here are the questions for day one with my responses:

How often do you comment on other blogs during a typical week? I started with podcasts and podcasting (the listen-talk web?) in my classroom and professional development. It’s either a slight case of ADHD or being an auditory learner, but I really love downloading and listening for enjoyment and personal and professional growth. I am a beginner blogger- I used them more as a classroom teacher with my class the last few years than to collaborate professionally. I also find it easier to make time for receiving (reading) than giving (posting comments.) Sooo, my answer is rarely- in the past.

Do you track your blog comments? How? What do you do with your tracking? No, see above.

Do you tend to comment at the same blogs or do you try to comment on at least one new blog per week? NA, see above.

Today’s challenge is to read and comment on a new blog, which I plan to do as soon as I publish this post.

First, it was great getting comments on my blog as this is my first professional blog. I have one to keep friends and family current on my life abroad- but they aren’t bloggers and only comment by email.

I connected with Christy and then checked out her blog. I learned more about the position of an instructional designer and my eyes glazed over when reading about her use of Synergy- that’s down the road for me. Then I read a bit about mini-PC laptops and the future of laptops from Learning2.1. It’s so tempting to go spinning off in different directions when reading online and I need to remind myself to read, absorb what I can and save it for later.

Being a busy person like everyone else, I tend to learn new skills on a “need to apply” basis. To participate in the 31 day challenge, I’ve created a Technorati account and am now writing a post to see if I can tag this post. Day one, one new skill! Thank you Sylvia for your guidance!