And Now For Organizing...

Wow!  Day 4 had so much to explore and I'm excited to delve a little deeper.  I first began with Diigo (I believe that was the logical order intended by Michelle and Andrew) and that program took me the longest to navigate.  I still miss the visual aspect that Pinterest provides but I have found some REALLY great resources!  I joined a few groups - I'm excited to explore the content in the groups iPads in Education and sites_for_education.  And I was able to bookmark some articles/websites from my Twitter exploration.

My favorite of the three, though (of course - visual!), is Flipboard.  Completely amazing!  Even my husband got into the action and has subscribed to the Fantasy Football magazine (his draft is in a few weeks).  I just discovered how to create my own magazines so I know I'll have fun with that.  The only thing that was frustrating for me was I couldn't get my Feedly account into Flipboard.  Google+ was an option but Google Reader was not.  Suggestions on how would be great!

Exploring Twitter

In the past, I've dabbled a bit in Twitter but, to be honest, I wasn't quite sure how to use it.  I'm thankful Andrew's little tutorial in regards to re-tweeting and editing.  That definitely helped!  So, for the past few days, here are some things that I've discovered...

In the time I spent exploring, I found some people to follow as well as hastags that were definitely appealing to me as an early childhood teacher.  One person, @mattBgomez, had a link to his Pinterest profile, which I can't wait to explore!  I'm an avid Pinterest fan so I decided to look for other teachers on Twitter whose blogs I've discovered on Pinterest.  I found a few and I am now following them on Twitter as well.

Two hastags that are worth mentioning (so far) are #kinder chat and #ipaded.  I have a feeling that I'll be searching those quite often.

Ok, so now for a little venting.  The one thing that frustrates me about Twitter is the lack of a visual for links tweeted.  I think this stems from my affinity to Pinterest, which is very much a visual platform.  Interestingly, some links I found on Twitter took me to Pinterest...and I found that I had previously "pinned" the blog or idea!  Pinterest is an excellent teacher resource, much more than wedding and craft ideas.  I like that I can organize and save the information I find on Pinterest in a way that suits my needs, from blogs to apps to, yes, crafts and recipes...and it's all visual!

Seth Godin - Stop Stealing Dreams

Wow!  Someday, when I have more than an hour, I need to re-read this...not just deeply skim.  Parts of me, whole-heartedly agree with various sections, other parts have me shaking my head and contemplating whether I just had a history lesson in one of the biggest conspiracies of the past century.  A conspiracy that continues to this day!

Here are a few one-liners or sections that caught my attention.

#16  "Learning is not done to you.  Learning is something you choose to do."  As a teacher, as  parent, I completely agree.  I can show and demonstrate how to zip a coat (yes, I'm going basic here) but my students will not learn until they actively choose to learn and participate.  I know that I have said this to my own children - If you don't try ___, you'll never learn ___.

#51 How They Saved Lego
This one really struck my attention, perhaps because I see this all too often.  In my kindergarten class, I have students that are so focused on something being right.  I know that didn't come from me.  I believe in discovery, process.  Yes, there are times when things have to be completed a certain way.  But in many cases, I want my students to know that there are multiple solutions to a problem, different ways to create an art-piece, a gazillion and one ways to build a Lego car-airplane they fly around the classroom during an indoor recess.  Please parents, please stop worrying about instructions every once in a while.  Let your child explore, create.  You are there to guide, not complete the project for them.

#112 The schisms over blocks
See above!  Seriously, I wanted to give a standing ovation after reading this.  Blocks in Kindergarten?  Sorry, only during indoor recess now...or math when they're the small ones and used as manipulatives.  I have a little one this year, who, at the beginning of the year, asked almost everyday (around 10 am), "But teacher, when can I play?  I just want to play."  He doesn't ask that anymore.  I'm sorry sweetie.  I want you to play.  I want you to expand your imagination, your communication skills, your spacial-reasoning skills.  But I have to worry about your reading skills.  I have to make sure you can pass a reading test when you're in third grade.  Otherwise, you'll have to repeat third grade.  And my evaluation/pay is tied to your academic success.  So, let's work on these sight words now.  You can play when you get home.
What are we doing to this generation?  How can we expect them to be innovative and creative when we're too busy teaching to the test?

Thoughts on Will Richardson...and a few confessions

I have a confession to make – I can’t watch television or movies without multi-tasking.  I can read for hours on end, oblivious to the world around me, but when it comes to relaxing and watching a show after the kids go to bed?  Well, I might as well forget about it unless I have my phone, iPad and school work with me.  On a typical night, my husband (who is entirely too perceptive) will have to rewind at least 3 times during a show because I’ve missed a snippet, joke or something that should have garnered a reaction from me but failed to do so…because I was too busy doing something other than watching tv.  Perhaps it is a part of my personality or perhaps it comes with the territory of a working parent of 3 kids.  Maybe it is combination of both.

So, when I sat down to begin my Journey coursework (of course, after the children were in bed, dishes were cleaned and I had a cup of tea next to me), I dutifully followed the directions of “Start from the top and work your way down.”  Fair enough.  Step one: Introduction.  Check.  Step two:  Watch Will Richardson video.  I opened the video and began to panic – 1 hour, 1 minute and 43 seconds.  If I have a difficult time putting all of my focus into a 30 minute television show, how would I make it through an hour long video?!  I launched the video and within 5 minutes, I had multiple windows open – I was editing photos, checking e-mail and pinning on Pinterest, all while “listening” to Will Richardson.  Occasionally, I would jot down a word or phrase that struck me as interesting but for the most part, I went about my various activities.  I finished watching the video and looked at the next step – create a blog.  Check.  And then, when I read Challenge One for Day One, I had one of those “Oh man!” moments.  For when I “listened” to the Will Richardson video while busying myself in other “to do” tasks on my list, I failed to process 99% of the video.  At that time, I threw in the towel for another night.  And, yes, when I found another hour of free time in my crazy schedule, I watched the video for a second time and kept my hands busy by taking notes.  It worked!

What I found interesting about Richardson’s presentation is that it is from his perspective of a parent.  I found myself agreeing with him on many aspects of his speech.  What is the point of learning in schools if it is for the assessment of knowledge?  Unless one is planning on a career in game show trivia, then schools are failing our students in preparation for now – the future.  As a parent, I want my own children to be passionate about learning.  They are still so young and have that enthusiasm for school.  But will it remain?  With the pressures of high stake testing and the intense focus on content driven instruction, which has put creativity and social development aside, I question if schools are doing the right thing for my children, our children, all children.  As Richardson states, “We need to prepare our kids for the world in which THEY live…”

The question is how?  How do we balance the demands of high stakes testing or student performance/teacher evaluations with systematic changes of delivering technology rich content to schools?  What does that look like?  I read an article today that likened schools to a business.  We need to be in the market to change our product to meet the needs of our clients.  Otherwise our clients will take their business elsewhere. Learning is anytime – anyone – anywhere.

Richardson made another comment that resonated with me – Children need to use technology to create and collaborate, not play with it.  Guilty as charged (confession two - I thought I was making only one this evening).   My students play on the iPad during stations or centers.  Are they learning and practicing literacy and math skills?  Absolutely!  But I am failing them in finding ways to be creative and work together on projects.  This is where I see change beginning at my grade level – kindergarten.  At the elementary level, I think children will still need schools for those foundational skills.  But in addition to this, as teachers, we need to be innovative in providing access to technology that inspires creativity while balancing the demands of high stakes testing.

And so, I need to put my multi-tasking skills to better use.  I feel compelled to use that time in the evenings to explore ways to provide creative learning.  And luckily, I have three guinea pigs at home to test these findings before I present it to my students (confession three – I am not one who embraces failure).  I am excited to start this journey.  I’m not sure where it will lead and what it’s going to look like but I know it will be definitely an adventure.