In the world of scuba, a giant stride takes you effortlessly into a new environment. It’s not so different from the steps we take everyday - a giant stride is all that exists between you and a new experience.
A small group of ITRTs gathered at the DOE this week to learn how to use data gathered from standardized tests to support teaching and learning. Not necessarily a setting where you’d expect a discussion about Blogging to begin.
The workshop was informative. We spent a good deal of time analyzing test data and learning to identify strengths and weaknesses within demographic and program areas. We strategized about how to best work with teachers and building administrators to use this information to improve instruction. The magic didn’t happen, though, until the discussion turned to how technology could facilitate instructional changes.
With a group comprised of Instructional Technology Resource Teachers there was no need to worry about technology “buy in”. We all understand how technology can improve instruction. What was interesting to me was the way information was generated. Enthusiasm electrified was what I witnessed. It started gently, just a few polite suggestions about technologies that might support certain curriculum areas. Soon, though, a group of curious educators were exploring how technologies were being used in different districts and with each inquiry, the energy level grew. Blog, wiki, De.icio.us and twitter accounts were shared and the learning grew exponentially. Soon, we were sharing, exploring, teaching, learning, and creating simultaneously. The room took on a life of it’s own.
It occurred to me that this was exactly the type of learning that today’s learner should be experiencing in school. If we can help teachers use technology to generate this type of energy for learning, there might be less need for data analysis.
I was scrolling back through a week of Twitters tonight when I discovered that I’d missed a tweet from fellow ITRT, Tina Coffey. Tina tagged me with a meme…a Passion Quilt. By accepting the meme, I need to share why I’m passionate about teaching with technology. I also need to add an image that captures my passion.
Like my friend, Tina, I’ve struggled with narrowing my focus to just one reason that I’m passionate about technology as an avenue to learning. Technology opens doors and it certainly levels the playing field for learners everywhere, but what I love best about technology is that it allows me to bring another passion of mine into the classroom from anywhere in the world.
So I’ve chosen this image, one that my husband snapped on the reefs of Cozumel in 2005. It is one of many images available on my flickr site. The title I give it is “Seeing What Is.”
I love that I can use technology to bring the ocean to my students in a very real way. I love that I can give my students a “fish-eye view” of the world beneath the waves. I hope that it also inspires them to express and share their own passions. And while using technology to learn about the ocean environment is certainly not the only trick up my sleeve, it is by far, my very favorite.
And so, I pass on the passion with a little Meme toss of my own!
The rules are simple:
Post a picture from a source like FlickrCC or Flickr Creative Commons or make/take your own that captures what YOU are most passionate about for kids to learn about…and give your picture a short title.
Title your blog post “Meme: Passion Quilt” and link back to this blog entry.
Include links to 5 folks in your professional learning network or whom you follow on Twitter/Pownce.
I know I’m supposed to share with five, but I’ll have to get some Blog addresses at VSTE this week and toss to the rest. Tina swooped most of the bloggers I know, so I’ll have to find a few others.
I was playing with Tumblr this morning and trying to figure out how to post a video clip on my page. I headed over to Voicethread to grab one of the threads I’ve created and when I logged in, I found a brand new Voicethread in my panel.
One of the classes that I worked with when I was diving in Cozumel created a “What I’ve learned” Voicethread. I couldn’t resist - I had to respond to the kids. This has been such a great project and I look forward to doing more projects of this nature. I’m no Jacques Cousteau, but I’m willing do what I can to help people understand the ocean environment.
Last weekend, Tina Coffey, fellow ITRT and a field reporter for GenTech, interviewed me for <gasp> my very first Podcast! We discussed many aspects of the ocean unit I’ve been involved with lately. Since I can talk about the ocean all day, it was easy to talk about this project.
It was an honor to have the opportunity to share how technology could connect information to content in a different, and hopefully meaningful, way. I look forward to sharing more tidbits about the project when posting student creations.
I had the opportunity to teach students across the Roanoke Valley about the ocean last week.
That’s not an unusual statement for a teacher to make. After all, we work with students all the time and if we’re lucky, we get to teach about the things we love.What made these lessons unique was the vehicle for lesson delivery. I was scuba diving in Cozumel, Mexico, while teaching and used VoiceThread to answer the questions that students asked.
For as long as I’ve been diving in the ocean, I’ve struggled to find a way to bring this experience to the classroom. I’ve brought back pictures,videos and stories, but I’ve never been able to really “nail” the content. The kids are always interested in the things I bring back and the lessons always go well, but I always walk away from the lessons feeling like I’ve generated interest, but not necessarily understanding.
This is as close as I’ve ever come to helping students understand the balance of the ocean ecosystem. I’ve posted my lesson invitation, the one used to harvest questions before leaving for Cozumel, below. The other Voicethreads are posted on the page called Ocean Voicethreads.
Our regional Teacher Training Institute was held last weekend at the CATCE center in Franklin County, VA. 85 educators gave up most of their weekend to learn how to effectively use technology-rich lessons with their students. I ran sessions on Digital Story Telling, a teaching technique that is near and dear to my heart, and co-taught a presentation on Internet Safety with fellow Master Teacher, Sharon Bolan.
All in all, I feel like the weekend was a success and that the educators that attended came away with several easy-to-use ideas and activities. Several of the educators asked for our Internet Safety presentation, so I’ve uploaded it here and will link it to the Web Safety Wiki. http://websafety.wikispaces.com
I’ve had my blog for quite some time…well, weeks anyway. I’ve kept it all to myself because I have no blog confidence at all. I haven’t told my colleagues, I haven’t told my students.
If no one knows it is here, I can just blog away and no one will know…no one will judge.
I doubt that I’m the only one out there with blog anxiety, but it is, to say the least, a limiting factor. Enter, the K12 Online Conference. What a learning opportunity this conference presents! The best presenters on the planet are now in my living room. And while I hope my blog will still remain secluded, I don’t feel like I can benefit from the conference without attempting to blog it. Tonight’s giant stride is a blog link on Attendr…the next, blogging about the conference.
So, this is it. My first blog.
I’ve been thinking about blogging for quite some time. In my mind, I’ve even written a few imaginary blurbs. Never got to print, though. I’ve wanted to start blogging, but the doubts keep popping up….what do I have to say that anyone would want to read? Will I have enough material to keep my blog current? I’m not a good writer like my friend, Thom. His blogs are well crafted, entertaining, insightful. He’s the type of writer that makes you see what he sees. I don’t know that I can do that. Still, I feel compelled to try. I want to use blogs with the students I work with and can’t honestly support a practice that I don’t, well, practice.
So I’m taking the big step. And just like when I’m diving in open water, the uncertainies whisper in my ear as I step to the edge of the platform. And just like when I’m diving in open water, I know that endless possibilities are just one step away.
