Learning, Leading, and Connecting

To think that an educator can maintain a professional outlook by attending 2-3 professional development workshops a year is almost laughable. To keep up with new learning, you really need to be plugged in to an ongoing source of professional discourse and resource sharing. It  needs to happen regularly, at least several times a week. Professional development should provide educators the opportunities to Learn, Lead, and Connect.

Ideas for Learning

The first idea is learning by doing. We all learn better when learning is part of doing something we find really interesting.

The second idea is learning can be uncomfortable. We learn and work best if we enjoy what we are doing. But fun doesn’t always mean “easy.” The best fun is often difficult work . If you aren't uncomfortable, you aren't learning.

The third idea is learning to learn. You can't expect to rely on someone else for learning everything. You have to take charge of your own learning.

The fourth idea is taking the time to learn. You must learn to manage time for yourself.  Choose a time in the day when you can schedule time for yourself to drop everything else and spend time learning something new.

The fifth idea is embracing failure. Every difficulty we run into is an opportunity to learn. The best lesson we can give our learners is to let them see us struggle to learn.

Ideas for Leading

When you learn something new, pay it forward. Share new ideas and resources with your colleagues.

Some ways educators can lead:

• Create a blog and share your ideas with the world.
• Present at conferences
• Invite your colleagues to observe a lesson you are teaching
• Host a teachmeet
• Share ideas on social media networks
• Start a book study
• Lead a webinar
• Share an idea at a staff meeting

Ideas for Connecting

Connecting has never been easier. With the internet, it is now easier than ever to connect with others and learn from your peers locally and around the world. Learning  is ongoing. It can be done anytime and anywhere.

Some ways educators can connect:

• Skype or Skype in the Classroom
• Twitter chats
• Facebook posts and conversations
• Connect globally with the Partners in Learning Network
• Face to face meetings
• Conferences
• Blogs and wikis
• Chat rooms
• Webinars

In todays society, information is bountiful. Learning is literally at ones fingertips. Educators have more access to the latest research, learning activity ideas, and resources from not only the educator down the hall, but from the educator across the world. Since our world is ever changing, the ways in which we approach professional development should also change. Hail to the school districts opening the doors to global networks such as Twitter and Facebook and even recognizing educators who learn in untraditional pd environments.  Whether one is learning via a Twitter chat, webinar, or in a face to face class, shouldn't the focus be on the learning that is occurring rather than the seat time as credits for continuing education? 

As an educator, I learn more each day from the educators that I'm connected to via Twitter, global Facebook groups, and the Partners in Learning network than anywhere else. While I have sat in many traditional professional development workshops and gained many valuable insights from them that I have changed my way of thinking about teaching and learning, I still hold on to the value that global networks provide me. I need a place to ask for help, explore opportunities for discussing latest research and trends, and a place to just chat with educators that are experiencing some of the same issues that I face each and every day in education.  For me, professional development is ongoing. It's the opportunities for just in time learning that challenge me to be a better educator, learner, and leader.

Want to get started using social media for professional development? I have compiled this list of influential educators to follow on Twitter.

For ways to connect to educators from around the world, join the Partners in Learning Network.

Not Just a Teacher...a Learning Designer

Recently when working with a group of educators, I asked the question, “What is the role of the educator in the classroom?”  I received many responses such as facilitator, coach, encourager, content provider, and organizer. While all relevant answers, the response I was hoping for was designer. I feel that one of the most important roles an educator can take is that of being a designer of rich learning experiences.

Designing rich learning activities always begins with the end in mind. What is it that we want our learners to have achieved and learned at the end of the unit? How will the learners demonstrate understanding of a concept? What is the problem the learners will solve? What skills will the learners obtain? Will the learners be working in a collaborative environment? What modes of communication will the learners be using? How will the learners share what they have learned with others? Can technology be used to construct knowledge in ways that were impossible before? What choices will the learners have in the activity to guide their own learning? As educators, these are the questions we must ask ourselves if we want to truly plan for and design learning in the 21st century.

A couple of years ago, I had the opportunity to participate in a professional development training with 49 other educators from around the world. One of the goals of this training was to build a common language among educators so global collaboration would become more of a reality in our schools. To build this common language, we began discussing, debating, and analyzing learning activities with a set of rubrics developed by ITL Research which was sponsored by Microsoft Partners in Learning and conducted by the Stanford Research Institute. Working with the 21st Century Learning Design rubrics provided me with the tools necessary to view lesson design in a new light and really begin to make transformative decisions in my approach to teaching and learning. The research challenged me to be a better educator and raise the bar for learners in the classroom. 21st century skills aren’t just another thing to teach; they are essential skills that every learner should have as they leave our schools.

Being able to break down an activity and focus on one dimension of learning at a time provided me with not only a better understanding of the 21st century skill but also how to design learning activities  to ensure these skills were being  purposefully implemented in the activity.  The ITL research identifies the six dimensions  of learning  as Knowledge Construction, Collaboration, Use of ICT, Real-world problem- solving and innovation, Self-Regulation, and Skilled Communication.  The rubric below is an example from the learning dimension of collaboration. Once an educator has a clear understanding of how collaboration is defined, they are able to analyze learning activities to understand to what degree that dimension of learning was implemented in the activity. In a nutshell, educators grow to become designers of learning activities. With enough practice, debate, and discussions with other educators around the rubrics, over time, educators are then able to change they way they think about learning design to integrate these skills purposefully into future lessons.

Collaboration Rubric

 

5 = Students DO have shared responsibility AND they DO make substantive decisions together about the content, process, or product of their work AND their work is interdependent.

4 = Students DO have shared responsibility AND they DO make substantive decisions together about the content, process, or product of their work BUT their work is not interdependent.

3 = Students DO have shared responsibility BUT they ARE NOT required to make substantive decisions together.

2 = Students DO work together BUT they DO NOT have shared responsibility.

1 = Students are NOT required to work together in pairs or groups.

The one thing that all successful schools have in common is a collaborative staff. I encourage educational leaders to start conversations around learning design in your learning communities. Use the ITL Research as a guide for having rich discussions, debates, and  implementation plans that are measurable by the types of activities educators design for their learners. Let’s not just talk about 21st century skills;  let’s show the world how our learners are achieving success in the 21st century. Let’s encourage all educators to not be just a teacher, but to be a learning designer.

This is a cross posting- original blog post can be located at http://educationismylife.com/not-just-a-teacher-a-learning-designer/

Do our classrooms inspire and cultivate intellectual curiosity in children?

When I was a child, I used to watch shows like MacGyver. I would often take found objects around the house that were essentially garbage, and use items like tape, glue, nails, paint, and of course glitter and build things from the “junk” because I wanted to be an inventor/designer of something new. I also used to own a home chemistry kit and often found myself trying to simulate science experiments at home from household items. I know what you are thinking, and no, I wasn’t that kid trying to make a bomb. I just was curious by nature to discover how things worked and what would happen if things were altered. Just like MacGyver, I was always looking for ordinary items around the house that I could use to create something new. I was fortunate enough to grow up in a home with a set of supportive parents who were always willing to let me build that dining room fort, assist me in my household chemistry experiments, and provide the “junk” and tools to build something out in my dad’s workshop.
So when I think about intellectual curiosity, I immediately think of Cane’s arcade.

With only cardboard boxes, a great imagination, and the loving support of his father, this child’s curiosity has sparked the interest of not only of his community but the world.

So, my question is, how do our classrooms support this creative intellectual curiosity? Does your classroom have supplies readily available for students to create, explore, and construct? Are you the educator who when a learner asks how to do something or if they can do something you give them the encouragement to problem solve and tackle the question on hand?


I think the main key is having supplies readily available to experiment with. It’s much easier learning things hands on. I think we see these types of classrooms more frequently in the elementary setting, but these exploratory skills need to embraced in all classrooms. We need to support the creative inquisitive nature of learners and foster a classroom in which learners can feel free to collaboratively work to construct knowledge, which often begins with an empty cardboard box or popsicle stick.

This is a cross posting- original blog post can be located at http://educationismylife.com/do-our-classrooms-inspire-and-cultivate-intellectual-curiosity-in-children/

Behavior Management Made Easy

Looking for a FREE tool to help manage classroom behavior? Try using Class Dojo! 

Class Dojo allows educators to award feedback points for specific behaviors, learning habits, and accomplishments in class with one click. With a few clicks, you can set up your class and hit the ground running. The simplicity of use is great! Avatars, behaviors, and virtual badges are all pre-loaded for you or you can easily customize for your own needs. No need to carry around an old clipboard and have to manually enter in data after class. Use your mobile device (phone or tablet) to track behavior and skills while actively moving about your room. Learners can easily login to check their own progress and reflect on their performance in real-time. Want to share progress with parents? No problem. With one click send a report to parents so they can assist with negative behaviors and reward good behaviors at home. 

Sign up, explore the possibilities, and then pay it forward. Share with your fellow educators!

Good intention but poor outcome. How tech tools shouldn't be taught...

So, as I was making my weekly visit on one of my campuses, I kept getting requests for assistance with Blabberize. My first thought was...cool, an educator is having their students create a "Blabberize" for one of their learning artifacts. My initial thought was wrong. Booo! She just wanted to make one for herself. Very shortly after, I received more and more requests for support using Blabberize. So, on my next stop I asked, "Did someone recently show you guys Blabberize?" The answer was we have to create one for some ELL training as a homework assignment. 


So now...my thoughts on that. While I do think it's a good idea to expose educators to a variety of tools they can use for learning, I think it's a poor idea to require every educator to produce something using that tool as a homework assignment. For one, the problem is that they are using the tool for teaching purposes and not for learners to use as a creation to demonstrate understanding of a topic. Secondly, by having all educators use the same tool, learners will quickly be bored of the concept when they see the same idea/tool used in each of their classes. I know the intent of exposing them to the tool was good, but the mandatory assignment makes the tool dull and repetitive. Just as we should be differentiating instruction in the classroom, we as adults should also differentiate instruction for adult learners. I love choices! Give adults choices, and they will see the value of giving our learners choices. 
Weigh in your thoughts....Do you think requiring every educator to produce something with the same tool is beneficial or not very productive in means of technology integration?

Want to experience a  professional learning event like no other and collaborate with teachers from around the country? Apply today and share your ideas on how technology is positively impacting education.
The Microsoft Partners in Learning 2012 US Forum is Microsoft’s premier educator recognition program is open to all K-12 educators. The Forum seeks to find and showcase examples of innovation happening in classrooms and schools. It is easy to apply, and if accepted, Microsoft pays expenses for you to come to a unique 2-day professional learning experience that will include project exhibitions, professional development and the ability to collaborate with like-minded colleagues from around the country. Finalists from the US Forum will go on to represent the U.S. at the 2012 Global Forum in Athens, Greece. Learn more and apply: http://bit.ly/US_Forum   Deadline to apply  is May 15, 2012.


I can speak from experience as I personally participated in the 2011 Forum. It was an inspiring, life changing opportunity! It allowed me to grow my professional learning network with educators from around the country and reignite my passion for learning.  The forum motivated me to continue to strive to make changes in public education so our learners of today will shape a great tomorrow. Educators aren't often recognized for the hard work they do each and every day, but at this event all educators are truly celebrated. This experience is one I never will forget, and I thank Microsoft for making it happen!