Technology: Can be powerful

The other day, a teacher asked me a question about professional development and (while driving home on a snowly wintry night I was thinking) attending an "inperson" class / wokshop never came up in the conversation! 

This morning (while sniggled in my puffy bathrobe), I read Peter DeWitt's post this week is about the ongoing conversation about the role of technology in our education community.  You really should check out the whole conversation here, but several of his comments really struck really strong chords with me!

"Building Professional Learning Networks (PLN) through Twitter can be very powerful. It provides the ability to connect with people who can stretch your thinking. Yes, we have those people close to us as well but sometimes we are more open to it when it involves people that are not in our immediate lives."
That sure is true for me!  One of the best things I did last summer (other than my days at the beach) was to sign onto Twitter and start "following" some of the people I had "found" through blogging!  It has made me feel "connected" to a world that is bigger than my classroom and reminds me every day that I need to think deeply about what my students need and how I can provide for their needs in ways that will engage their 21st Century learning and thinking styles. 

"Technology is not going away. It has both positive and negative attributes, just like anything else we use. The reality is that we have kindergartners who can surf the web better than some adults and we need to learn from that. Those young students need to understand that technology is not the end all to be all and the adults need to understand it is a viable option that can engage students in different ways."

 So this is why I do this http://drferreri.blogspot.com/  and this https://twitter.com/Anitaferreri  and will "attending" this http://www.globaleducationconference.com/profiles/blogs/how-to-attend-the-global-education-conference-2012 and visiting this http://www.edweek.org/dd/articles/2012/10/17/01profdev.h06.html?cmp=clp-edweek&tkn=QQOFPwVoskO2VG4HOba7TDcJIeTkItInHNYL

It's thinking I need to share at the Teacher Center meeting this week! 

 

Teachers as Writers: Yes, Indeed

Today, I wrote a short piece about things for which I am grateful (my career choice).  I know the kids will be excited to see what I wrote, but the interest will be seconds rather than hours.  My writing, while meaningful to MY students, is not (yet) published.  Yet, there are those among us who are practicing what we preach and writing for a broader audience about timely topics. 

Beck McDowell is a teacher turned young adult author, whose This Is Not a Drill sounds absolutely scary and yet compelling at the same time! "It’s the story of two teens who must protect the first graders they tutor when a soldier, returned from Iraq and suffering from PTSD, opens fire in the classroom when not allowed to check out his son." She’s a former middle and high school AP English teacher who’s sponsored newspapers, literary magazines, Shakespeare festivals, medieval banquets, book fairs, art exhibits, and trips to museums, operas and plays."

While the topic is a bit intense for my K-3 students, I recognize the potential in her writing to spur thinking and discussion about controversial issues.  I'll be reading it. 
 

A Little Place At The Beach

I've long dreamed of having (retiring to) a "little place at the beach" where sand and blue skies would be the backdrop for book-filled days and peaceful guests.  In my mind, the "place" is furnished with comfy, sand colored sofas and accents reflecting the blue of the sky and the vibrant yellows of sunrise at the beach.  It's filled with unique shells, clean sheets, and comfy beach chairs.

The dream might be called foolish, specially after Megastorm Sandy wiped out homes, businesses, beach and shoreline communities.  Like those among us who have experienced unthinkable tragedies, the ocean and it's feeder rivers have been savagely beaten and horribly battered.  Homes have been lost, the beach-front has changed, miles of boardwalk have disappeared into the sea, and lives have been altered by forces of nature.

Yet, the promise of the ocean and its tributaries as sources of peace and renewal has not been shattered by the tidal swells that have swept the shores. I hope and pray that with help (ie.financial, material, Red Cross, Army Corps of Engineer), our shores and the lives of those who seek livelihoods and peace there, will, slowly but strongly, be rebuilt.  The ocean is strong and resilient, I believe, like those who have "come back" after life altering events have changed the course of their lives. 

Getting the Message: Sermons and Twitter

Yesterday's sermon focused on helping our neighbors and "using our gifts" in any way we can.  It was particularly poignant in light of the devastation from last week's storms; yet, it's a familiar refrain that permeated my classrooms back in the day when I was a Saturday morning CCD teacher!

Then this morning, Laura's heart string tugging tale of hankfulness and /Stacy's post about Cleaning out My “Basement Classroom” for a NYC School struck that familiar cord again.  I wish I could figure out how to do more I was thinking, and then I realized I was writing "Bravo for helping, Stacy."  I am sure we could pack up some boxes from my school in a heartbeat and I know how I can do more. 

The deeper message here is that we all have "gifts, talents, treasures, and stuff."  We can and should use them to help others.  It helps them, and it's good for us, too.

PS (Lots of people are getting this message, one way or the other!)
 

 

Peer Feedback: Teachers Supporting Teachers

Sharing another piece of my PLN reading for the week.  This one is from Educational Leadership's November 2012 edition.

http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/nov12/vol70/num03/Taking-Peer-Feedback-to-Heart.aspx

Terry Bramschreiber, of Colorado Springs, describes a model where twice a year, during designated Campus Crawl weeks, teachers use their planning time to visit other classrooms.  He shares that teachers offer really great feedback such as these:

"You did a really good job with modeling at the board and having the students come up in front of the class and do some problems. I think I'll try to incorporate more student work in my room as well. I also really liked your room setup with partners. I have been trying this lately, and it does work better than the group seating chart."

"Your grouping strategy seemed very intentional. Assigning the role of a Quality Controller to one student enhances that student's leadership skills. How can you encourage each group to set a goal and monitor its own progress toward that goal?"

What I like about all this is the message that everyone can be better and that they have a more open professional learning community. 
 

There was a school in Chicago that had IPads

It's been my PLN for a few months now! This early morning reading of my Twitter "friends" never fails to strengthen my resolve that today's teachers are a dynamic and powerful group whose creative uses of technology are strengthening teaching and learning everywhere. 
This morning, I read about how a teacher in Chicago shared the Hurricane Sandy experience through the eyes of one of her own students who happened to be in NYC at the time of last week's storm.  It's amazing to think that Twitter really is a powerful social media, but it has the potential to be far more than a way to keep track of the Kardashians!

Ms. Ziemke Fastabend noted in her reflection, "For the first time, students saw Twitter as a place to ask questions, conduct research and gather new information. Previously we had only used it to tell others about our learning. Now, students see Twitter as a tool for learning. I spend a lot of time in first grade teaching my students where they can go to find answers to their questions; now they can add school-supervised Twitter to their list of resources."

A student in the class certainly used Twitter as a tool for personally meaningful and "real purposeful" writing!


I believe the CCS refer to all this as using primary resources for reading, writing, listening and speaking.

http://ipadsatburley.blogspot.com/2012/11/hurricanesandy-authentic-twitter.html?showComment=1352030939958#c8891672648991108543

It's Digital Writing Month

I must admit, I miss lots of holidays (I never quite got cards out for Grandparent's Day?) and lots of special months slip by me (Did you know that November is a month of daily Thanksgiving?)
I am going to TRY to do some posts about aspects of my professional life for which I am grateful this month; however, Kevin, my virtual, technology mentor says, this morning, "It's Digital Writing Month," so I figure this one is worth at least sharing.  Check it out! 
http://www.digitalwritingmonth.com/
https://twitter.cohttp://www.digitalwritingmonth.com/

Home of DigiWriMo

Latest: 1 Day. 1 Novel. 50,000 words. Hundreds of Authors. Breaking Google Docs will be half the fun.

How Does One DigiWriMo?

1. First of all, if you haven’t registered, do that right away by filling out the form below.
2. There are no discussion forums anywhere! Because digital writing takes place everywhere on the web, so will our discussions. Plan to join our Twitter chats using #digiwrimo, head over to our Facebook page, and post plenty of comments on any and all DigiWriMo-related blog posts (here and everywhere). Virality is the best form of dialogue!
3. Not all digital writing has to be public. But, if you want to share your work with others, do so by posting it on our Facebook page, on Twitter using #digiwrimo, or tag your blog posts with “digiwrimo”. That way, you’ll have all the audience you deserve for your grueling hours of digital brilliance. We’ll be curating content created on the web via the #digiwrimo Scoop.it topic.
4. Check the calendar! All the Digital Writing Month events (including not-to-be-missed guest blog posts) are posted there. We’ll have weekly discussions and writing exercises all month long.
   And be double sure to check out the Night of Writing Digitally!
5. There are no secrets to doing DigiWriMo, no right way and no wrong way to do it. Some people may write a novel using their computer and call it a day; while others may write hundreds of Twitter haiku. The key to success is your imagination and your love of experimentation, exploration, and fun.

But first, register…

Thanks for the Memories

Today, I am thankful for my Uncle, a  generous and spirited soul who loved good food, wine and his family.  While his 90+ years were a good long run, he will be missed, that is for sure.  Thoughts of  my cousins, and him, flood my mind this day as I reflect on his legacy.  The French berets, the hand carved chests, trinkets from travels, will be part of his tangible legacy.  His loving reminder that we could always move to the beautiful West Coast (in spite of the risk it would sink into the sea) and his references to the ubiquitous, Herman, (a coping device so as to not worry about remembering names) will help us to remember his spirit. 
 

New Word: Hurrication (that's when a hurricaine causes a sort of vacation)

hur·ri·cane/ˈhəriˌkān/

Noun:

A storm with a violent wind, in particular a tropical cyclone in the Caribbean. A wind of force 12 on the Beaufort scale (equal to or exceeding 64 knots or 74 mph).

hur·ri·ca.tion/ˈhəriˌkā/shun

Noun:

A storm caused time of vacating your normal premises and staying in a hotel or with people who have heat and of electricity and water. A time when some people take an unplanned vacation because their work is closed / flooded / without power and others work in different locations where there is Internet service. A somewhat stressful time for all involved can lead to stresses of force 12 (on a scale of 10) A time to move beds to the first floor of the house to make sleeping handicapped accessible for all guests. A time for sharing meals and stories, An opportunity to step out of our busy and consuming day to day lives and spend hours putting glitter on book fairy wings. Where daycare meets eldercare and soap operas are replaced by Violet the Piolet and Strega Nona stories. An opportunity for diverse generations to bond over frozen pizza, cutting out pictures and spreading glitter.

little voices in your head

The other day, he told me he heard MY voice in his head and it impacted the series of events that ensued in a positive way.  Truth be told, I was not (am not) a perfect mother (wife, sister, daughter, aunt, cousin, or friend).  I often regret or second guess decisions I make.  I often regret or second guess words I say.  I wonder if I could or should do more to help those around me.  I wonder, if in my drive fpr them to be strong and independent, if I pushed them away? When my kids were young, I restricted their activities and did not provide the latest sneakers.  I did not always arrived to pick them up from events on time.  I forget to send birthday cards and I miss many events. I do not socialize nor participate in as many events as my peers. I am far from perfect.  Yet, I am grateful that my voice, my thoughts and values, while imperfect, just might be my legacy.