Saturday, July 26, 2008
Monday, July 21, 2008
EduCon 2.1
Chris Lehmann just posted some information about EduCon 2.1 on his blog. I want to go!
In some fairly superficial ways, the Science Leadership Academy reminds me of my own SILSA. The EduCon Axioms would sound familiar to my school's students, parents, teachers:
The Axioms / Guiding Principles:
1) Our schools must be inquiry-driven, project-based and empowering for all members. (Honestly, I'm beginning to look for something more meaningful than "project-based..." I don't think it speaks to the deep-level we want to get to. Inquiry does, Understanding does, Empowering does. Dunno.)
2) Our schools must be about co-creating -- together with our students -- the 21st Century Citizen
3) Technology must serve pedagogy, not the other way around.
4) Technology must enable students to research, create, communicate and collaborate
5) Learning can -- and must -- be networked.
(Retrieved from http://educon20.wikispaces.com/planning on July 21, 2008.)
If I make it, I will need to do it under my own steam. (I wonder if I could write a grant for this?!?) If I can't go to Philly in January, maybe I can visit EduCon2.1 in Second Life. Gives me a good reason to get off Orientation Island, huh?
In some fairly superficial ways, the Science Leadership Academy reminds me of my own SILSA. The EduCon Axioms would sound familiar to my school's students, parents, teachers:
The Axioms / Guiding Principles:
1) Our schools must be inquiry-driven, project-based and empowering for all members. (Honestly, I'm beginning to look for something more meaningful than "project-based..." I don't think it speaks to the deep-level we want to get to. Inquiry does, Understanding does, Empowering does. Dunno.)
2) Our schools must be about co-creating -- together with our students -- the 21st Century Citizen
3) Technology must serve pedagogy, not the other way around.
4) Technology must enable students to research, create, communicate and collaborate
5) Learning can -- and must -- be networked.
(Retrieved from http://educon20.wikispaces.com/planning on July 21, 2008.)
If I make it, I will need to do it under my own steam. (I wonder if I could write a grant for this?!?) If I can't go to Philly in January, maybe I can visit EduCon2.1 in Second Life. Gives me a good reason to get off Orientation Island, huh?
Sunday, July 20, 2008
Working on attaching a file!
I know you can't read my diagram. I am trying to learn how to put the file on the blog. Any ideas?
Technology in the Classroom
I hope you can read my Inspiration tree about how we might use technology in the classroom. I worked on this draft this morning. I know it isn't complete. Please feel free to remind me of ways to use technology in the classroom that I have forgotten.
Three Weeks? Just three weeks?
Someone said to me yesterday, "I bet you dread going back to school." NO, I am extremely excited about going back to school. BUT, I am beginning to feel a bit frantic about all the projects I need to complete before then.
In the summer I love taking my kids to the pool, biking around the neighborhood, reading novels, camping at the beach. I am thankful, though, that our family schedule also allows me a few uninterrupted hours of schoolwork most days. Since my kids adjust their summer schedule to maximize time with Dad, they don't usually go to sleep until he does at 10:30 or 11:30 pm. Then they sleep in until 9:00 or 10:00 am, and I have three or four hours for schoolwork.
As a teacher, the summer is my most creative work time. Next year I will teach American Lit for the first time in 11 years. I began the summer with no plan, but I will have mapped out the entire school year for this class before August 20th. Will we go chronologically or thematically? What novels are available for my students to use? How much of the textbook will I use? What online resources are worthy of our attention? How much collaboration can the American History teacher stand? How will school-wide PBLs affect my curriculum and our schedule? I am creating a new curriculum from almost nothing, and the sheer creativity involved tingles my brain.
Sometimes I can't make myself sleep until 6:00 am. Sometimes I have get up at 5:00. Sometimes it's 4:30, and I will myself back to sleep.
I am also trying to assemble a coursepack/textbook for Survivor, our study skills PLUS class for ninth graders. Most of the textbook is just a compilation of resources we use regularly in SILSA, but there are a few pages that require me to write a few paragraphs. I am sure this will be a very helpful tool when it is finished, but I this work is dragging for me a bit.
Much of this summer has been spent thinking about how I can be more successful with integrating technology into my classes. There are so many possibilities to consider. I would like to have my students working online as much as possible. At the district level, we are still trying to determine which resources are the best fit for our schools and our students. Of course I would prefer to know sooner rather than later. I would like to be able to set up the groups before school starts. I would like to use the tools myself before I need to teach my students how to use them.
We finished our WNC IMPACT workshop on Thursday by presenting our implementation and evaluation plans to the group. I was very pleased by how much we had accomplished in the two and a half days. In the coming year we will focus on using instructional technology to build our professional community and to help our students grow as learners. The SILSA faculty will use technology tools for our own work, so that we can become more knowledgeable, proficient and efficient. We will also use the technology in our classrooms with our students. We made some specific plans for this work and determined how we would measure whether or not it had been done.
We will present all of our summer work to the rest of the faculty at our SILSA Faculty Retreat beginning on August 11th. I have three weeks to finish several projects. Just three weeks?
In the summer I love taking my kids to the pool, biking around the neighborhood, reading novels, camping at the beach. I am thankful, though, that our family schedule also allows me a few uninterrupted hours of schoolwork most days. Since my kids adjust their summer schedule to maximize time with Dad, they don't usually go to sleep until he does at 10:30 or 11:30 pm. Then they sleep in until 9:00 or 10:00 am, and I have three or four hours for schoolwork.
As a teacher, the summer is my most creative work time. Next year I will teach American Lit for the first time in 11 years. I began the summer with no plan, but I will have mapped out the entire school year for this class before August 20th. Will we go chronologically or thematically? What novels are available for my students to use? How much of the textbook will I use? What online resources are worthy of our attention? How much collaboration can the American History teacher stand? How will school-wide PBLs affect my curriculum and our schedule? I am creating a new curriculum from almost nothing, and the sheer creativity involved tingles my brain.
Sometimes I can't make myself sleep until 6:00 am. Sometimes I have get up at 5:00. Sometimes it's 4:30, and I will myself back to sleep.
I am also trying to assemble a coursepack/textbook for Survivor, our study skills PLUS class for ninth graders. Most of the textbook is just a compilation of resources we use regularly in SILSA, but there are a few pages that require me to write a few paragraphs. I am sure this will be a very helpful tool when it is finished, but I this work is dragging for me a bit.
Much of this summer has been spent thinking about how I can be more successful with integrating technology into my classes. There are so many possibilities to consider. I would like to have my students working online as much as possible. At the district level, we are still trying to determine which resources are the best fit for our schools and our students. Of course I would prefer to know sooner rather than later. I would like to be able to set up the groups before school starts. I would like to use the tools myself before I need to teach my students how to use them.
We finished our WNC IMPACT workshop on Thursday by presenting our implementation and evaluation plans to the group. I was very pleased by how much we had accomplished in the two and a half days. In the coming year we will focus on using instructional technology to build our professional community and to help our students grow as learners. The SILSA faculty will use technology tools for our own work, so that we can become more knowledgeable, proficient and efficient. We will also use the technology in our classrooms with our students. We made some specific plans for this work and determined how we would measure whether or not it had been done.
We will present all of our summer work to the rest of the faculty at our SILSA Faculty Retreat beginning on August 11th. I have three weeks to finish several projects. Just three weeks?
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Western NC IMPACT Academy
Day one of IMPACT Academy saw us develop two IMPACT goals for SILSA for the coming year. We created a Logic Map that illustrated the links among those two goals and their related strategies and measures.
Our first IMPACT goal describes using technology to build our professional community, and our second IMPACT goal speaks to using technology to facilitate our students' growth as learners. I was quite pleased that we incorporated verbatim two of our SILSA Learning Outcomes for Graduates into our IMPACT goal about students. How much easier will it be to work toward IMPACT goals that are directly tied to our NSP goals?
Today we will develop an evaluation plan. I am looking forward to the work.
Our first IMPACT goal describes using technology to build our professional community, and our second IMPACT goal speaks to using technology to facilitate our students' growth as learners. I was quite pleased that we incorporated verbatim two of our SILSA Learning Outcomes for Graduates into our IMPACT goal about students. How much easier will it be to work toward IMPACT goals that are directly tied to our NSP goals?
Today we will develop an evaluation plan. I am looking forward to the work.
Monday, July 14, 2008
Another Visit to Orientation Island
I returned to Orientation Island this morning. On the NECC 2008 ning, I read a post by a fellow teacher who also lamented (as I often have) about wanting to check out Second Life but not being able to do anything but fly around Orientation Island. A wonderful fellow told her he would be happy to help her and any others who were stuck there.
Just knowing that someone else was struggling like I did, just knowing that one successful Second Life person would help, rather than make fun of me, gave me the confidence to try again.
I am still on Orientation Island, but now I know how to fly and how to use a Segueway and a car. I know how to use a torch and put on a different shirt. I know how to read a notecard. I am making progress.
As insanely stupid as it sounds, my overriding desire is the same as it was when I tried this a year ago. As soon as I get off Orientation Island, I am going to go straight to Diagon Alley. I can't wait! And who knows where else I might go? What if there is Ender's Battle School or, more importantly, what if I could visit those piggies on Lusitania?
And I wouldn't mind trying to find out where those SL edtech people are hanging out.
In Second Life the stories will be happening in real time, and I will be a character in the story who is helping write the story.
I am such a reader and such a geek. I can't even stand myself.
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