Thursday, November 13, 2014

Some Ramblings from 504

I LOVED Grant Lichtman’s TEDx Talk, I sent it to all our district administrators! Honestly I think I got more out of that than this week's Keri Facer reading.  I loved the comment he made that change is hard, “complicated, uncomfortable, and messy” and the connection, that to get our school back to the way Dewey, and Montessori intended it to be, it will be “complicated, uncomfortable, and messy". However, in order to produce “self-evolving learners” we need to become “self-evolving organizations”, ecosystem like organizations. With that said...

As I have mentioned we are preparing to pass a bond that would allow our schools the opportunity to have new collaborative spaces, that offer our students resources for movement building, opinion shaping, and accountability (pg 89). Our worry is that our community (because many are still in the “old school” mindset) will not understand why the change is needed. As much as we can "show and tell" with tours of the spaces, explain how it helps follow our IB program needs, and how education is changing, will they be willing to “help” make the change. Facer says on page 103-104 “we need educational institutes to act as midwives...nurture the capacity for democracy...that we have a responsibility to intervene…”

My belief is that most schools know what their “future-building school” looks like and in order to become “self-evolving organization” they need the support (AKA $) from community/state/local/federal to make it happen. As it has been said here before, there is a great movement for change happening. We ALL see the need for it, sometimes if feels like we have our hands tied though.
I am a huge believer in the “do something” mindset. So, I plan to be a loud voice in the community to pass the bond.  I am on the committee that has planed the spaces, and of course as an instructional coach I will be involved in helping the teachers learn how to change instruction to be more inquiry based and student centered (because if not, you just have a lot of cool furniture), and of course I will vote Yes!

“...If we fund today, as we funded yesterday, we rob our children of tomorrow…”

Facer, Keri. Learning Futures: Education, Technology, and Social Change. London: Routledge, 2011. Print.

Friday, October 17, 2014

hi

just trying this

--
Joel Przygodski
Social Studies Teacher
Adrian Middle School 5/6
 
"WIN THE DAY!"

Sunday, October 5, 2014

Gatekeepers and Keymasters: Moving reluctant teachers forward


For most that grew up in the 80’s when we hear the words Gatekeeper and Keymaster we automatically here the Ghostbusters theme song and picture Sigourney Weaver (Dana) and Rick Moranis (Louis). However, over the past few months the term “gatekeeper” has come up in many discussions I have had with classmates and colleagues about content knowledge and educational technology. The term “gatekeeper” is used by Larry Cuban in his book Teachers and Machines:The Classroom Use of Technology Since 1920,The impact of any technology pivots upon its accessibility, purpose, and use. If a television set sits in the classroom unused week after week, its influence is lost. If television consoles rest on shelves in closets for most of the year, excepts for infrequent trips to the classroom, the impact of technology may be insignificant.Thus, teachers are gatekeepers for instructional technology” (Cuban, p. 37). Teachers as the “gatekeepers” of content knowledge is brought to attention in Teachers As Architect: Instructional Design and Delivery for the Modern Teacher, “In the 20th century, teachers were masters of content knowledge. Thier primary job was to help students learn subject matter content...However, today students can learn anything anywhere, anytime. Access to information is immediate. Content experts are only a click away” (Smith,Chaves, Seaman, p. 16). So what makes a teacher a "gatekeeper" and what makes a teacher a "keymaster"? How do we move or reluctant teachers forward?

Technology is here to stay. Many technology enthusiastic teachers are embracing and using technology to teach students how to create and play, be innovative, collaborate and communicate with others, use critical thinking and problem solving skills, gather, evaluate, and use information, along with using technology properly both ethically and operationally (just as stated in the National Technology Standards for Students). These teachers understand that “technology creates real opportunities for students to improve their performance over time” (Collins & Halverson, p.27). Technology is present and used purposefully in their classrooms with a learning target/objective in mind. The technology is almost invisible and routines make management and transitions seamless.  
These teachers realize that they are not the “gatekeepers” of the content and teach in, or “envision schools where students are working on realistic tasks and adults play a supportive role to guide them to new activities and help them when they encounter problems.” (Collins & Halverson, p. 29). These teachers are our “keymasters”. They know they are not always the experts.They unlock the gates of learning. They allow technology to take learning outside of the four walls in the classroom.

On the other side are the technology skeptic teachers. These teachers believe that.
“technology makes life more difficult for teachers. It requires new skills that teachers often have not learned in their professional development” (Collins & Halverson, p.6)
They are the teachers Cuban describes above, that only use the technology when it is convenient or when they are being evaluated (they need a check in the box), AKA “gatekeepers”. These teachers are keeping technology out. Do I think technology needs to be used all day every day? No. But I do believe teachers owe it to students to “adapt schooling to prepare students for the changing world they are entering” (p.9). As an instructional coach I move from classroom to classroom; in one hour I could see the same lesson taught in three different classrooms. There is a huge difference between the lessons when technology is being used and being use properly. In a classroom with technology the students are more engaged, have more to discuss, and ask more questions. In a “gatekeepers” class teachers are talking, students are sleeping, and no learning is happening.

Why? Is the questions I keep coming back to. Why are teachers so reluctant to change? I have a few ideas:
  1. They are at the end of their career and it is too much “work” for them to change.
  2. They are afraid of making mistakes and looking vulnerable in front of their students.
  3. They are still in the mindset that technology is not completely trustworthy.
  4. They do not use technology much themselves
My list could go on. So how do we unlock the gates? We can offer lots of professional development, we can model and co-teach with them, we can be on call to help them with technology is not working, we can share ours and others success and learning, we can invite them to a Twitter chat, we can force them with evaluations...

In the end, I think it comes down to being afraid to fail. They ARE the gatekeepers in their classroom, they ARE supposed to know everything and look like they are always in control. As I continue to work with these teachers my goal is to show them that it is OK to fail in front of your students. You model a lot when you fail successfully with technology. You model how to problem solve, think on your feet, communicate, and devise a plan B quickly. We need to unlock the gates and keep the keys to open new ones.

I would love to hear your comments and thoughts on making "gatekeepers" into "keymasters".

Collins, A., & Halverson, R. (2009). Rethinking education in the age of technology: The digital revolution and schooling in America. New York: Teachers College Press.

Cuban, L. (1986). Teachers and machines: The classroom use of technology since 1920. New York: Teachers College Press.

Smith, S. K. (n.d.). Teacher as architect instructional design and delivery for the modern teacher. Eugene, OR: International Society for Technology in Education.




Wednesday, September 3, 2014

So Excited To Be A Moderator For #michED

I will say it again, I LOVE this group of educators. Every Wed at 8pm I am uplifted and inspired by teachers who want to make teaching a more positive profession. We share ideas, make connections, talk about what is best for kids, and have a few laughs. 
Tonight Tara Maynard and myself will be moderators for the chat, so excited!! 





Thursday, August 14, 2014

2014-15 Off To A Great Start!

WOW! What a great week! I learned and shared so much with educators from across the state and county.


Monday: I spent the day shopping with my mom (and 4 year old son). My mom has been an educator for 40+ years and our conversations always include stories, ideas, and insight into education.


Tuesday: EdTech Kickoff with #TeamJXN. I spent the day learning from some great Jackson area teachers. People always wonder why I love to go to conferences/workshops, “Don’t you already know enough about ___?” My answer is always, “No, I don't know everything. There is always something to learn.” I learned three new things on Tuesday that I can’t wait to share and start using back in Adrian.

1. Making an email address for a Blogger account. This allows you to send a blog post
   to your blog by simply typing an email and sending it to the blog address. Last year
   I tried to get a blog started for our district. Took the time to show admin how to
   use the blog but the only one posting was me. I am going to try out this method
   to see if this will be an easier way for them to post. Thank you Ramsey Musallam.

2. If This Than That. I had looked at IFTT before but never really used it. I learned on
    Tuesday that you can set up an IFTT for Instagram pictures to post to a blog as 
a new
    post. Thank you IFTT! Thank you Ramsey.

3. Voxer. Again, I had an account but did not really understand the value. Until I sat in on  Ben Gilpins session and learned that it can actually be a pretty powerful tool for giving instant walkthrough feedback to teachers. Thank you Ben.


Wednesday: It was my turn to present at the Lenawee ISD on CRAFTeTechnology. I spent the day showing groups of educators apps and sites that will help aid them in getting students to show understanding, respond to text. I loved the impromptu sessions they wanted at lunch to learn how to setup Google sites and one at the end of the day on Google Forms. It is great to work with others who are appreciative of your help and work. We all learn a lot from each other.



Thursday: I turned around and presented (with Kellie DeLosSantos) back in Jackson at the first ever Digital Leadership for Learning conference. What an amazing opportunity for us to share with others the hard work we have been doing at APS. Many times we do not feel like what we do is that special. The response we got was AMAZING and so uplifting. I was also inspired by others with the sharing and networking that took place. I took a risk and lead an Idea Buffet group on Google, I asked questions that in the past I would have been afraid to ask, and I was happy to know that our team is on the right track to making APS a great place for our students.



2014-15 is off to a great start!  

Tomorrow I rest...

Monday, August 4, 2014

4 Tried & True Reading Strategies Revamped

This summer I started my first class for my Ed Tech degree through UofM Flint. Of course, like usual, I am not doing this in order and I am actually taking one of the last classes of the program first, Course Design. I spent the first two weeks of the course debating the course I would design. I began designing the curriculum for our 5th grade computer course, which I do not teach. In week three, I decided I would redesign the course I teach at Adrian College. The course is College Critical Reading and Thinking, it is through the Academic Service department, and is for freshman who scored low on the Reading ACT or came to AC with a low GPA. Most of the students play sports and have very demanding/busy schedules, they are beyond raising their reading levels, and have never really been "readers",  so I like to focus the class on teaching them strategies that will help them efficiently read and organize text. 

When I sat down to redesign the class I wanted to narrow down the strategies I teach and focus on three to four that cover efficiency and organization. These three strategies are what I like to call Tried & True strategies. They are strategies that have been around for a very long time and are still seen today in reading strategy books. What I tried to do was make these strategies computer reading friendly. As you look at each lesson plan of the four you will see/hear apps and web tools that will help students use these same strategies when reading online. Be sure to watch the video links! 

Online Active Reading 

SQ3R

4C

Triple HIghlighting

Enjoy! 

Wednesday, July 30, 2014

Daily 5 Revamped

I had the pleasure of working with elementary teachers from all over the county at the LISD's Daily 5 Revamped. I was asked to share apps and websites that engage, support independence and stamina. I was lucky enough to "present" in the new CMat center. I loved the comfy, collaborative space to talk and discuss with others.  



I titled my session 5 for 5,  the purpose of the session was to focus on 5 engaging apps to use during Daily 5: Explain Everything/Educreations, Aurasma, Nearpod, Write About This, and Zooburst.

Aurasma was fun to show the teachers. I used the book Grace for President and with the help of my 7 year old daughter we made the book interactive using Aurasma and Explain Everything (check out the video, sorry not the best quality). We made AR flashcards using vocab terms from the book also. 




Video your students reading a piece of writing and make the piece a AR trigger for parent teacher night. 
I become more and more impressed with Nearpod. Publishers like Time for Kids and ReadWorks.org have started producing Nearpod lessons to go along with the magazines and articles. I shared with the teachers that Nearpod is a great way to formatively assess students during and after a lesson.  

In two weeks I will be back to the CMat to present at CRAFTing on A-Z Science, Evernote, and Google collaboration.

I can't wait for our classrooms to start looking more like this! 

  

Monday, July 28, 2014

I'm Back

Whenever I am feeling a bit overwhelmed
this picture comes to mind.  
Summer is coming to an end and school work is starting to pick back up. Even though I have had a little down time over the past month and a half, I have been working on preparing for a few PD events and designing a course for a class I am taking for my Ed Tech endorsement. I love when people ask me if I enjoy having my summers off, I like to reply with "I am on a different shift". It is not easy being a stay at home mom and full time teacher in the summers.

Over the next few weeks I have the privilege of presenting at the Lenawee County Intermediate School District. First is July 30th 5 for 5, The session will focus on 5 engaging apps to use during Daily 5. On August 4th I will be assisting at the LISD's writing camp. August 13th I am back for CRAFTing showing teachers how to use Blogs, Google collaboration tools, and Science A-Z. I am super excited to have been invited to present at Jackson ISD's Digital Leadership for Learning on August 14th. Kellie and I will be presenting on Which comes first? Instruction or Technology?

So, yes I am enjoying my summer. I enjoy working with teachers who are passionate to learn (during their summer) and make their classroom more engaging for their students. 
Back to work. Lots to do! 



Monday, June 16, 2014

Year 10 In The Books

Year #10 is in the books! I really believe everything happens for a reason. Ten years ago my husband and I took a leap of faith and moved to Breckenridge, Colorado. I was able to pick up a one year teaching position in a elementary school while also coaching C-Team Volleyball. A year later we were moving to Bellingham, Washington where I was lucky to get hired as a volleyball coach at a small school literally at the end of the road, Mount Baker High School in Deming, WA. GO Mountaineers! About one week into my coaching job they hired me as a High School Reading Specialist/Literacy Coach, did I mention I had a major in PE and a minor in elementary? The school was in trouble, it needed to raise reading scores. The principals thought I would be a great fit in the role because I could connect to the students. Did I mention I was a PE teacher? I did not know much about secondary reading, let alone coaching other teacher on how to teach reading. I was lucky in that they allowed me to spend the first semester figuring out what the heck I was going to do because this was a brand new position in the district. They also asked me to coach two more sports that year, basketball and golf (never really played golf before either). To make a 5 year story short, in those five years I learned how to become a reading teacher, I was trained in a direct instructional model, I do, we do, you do. I liked to call it the “do do model”. I learned how to grow a thick skin while working with reluctant staff members who did not believe I was qualified to do my job (I can’t blame them, it was a lot of trial and error). I was part of a school that went from the bottom of the list according to state scores to the top! I watched teachers work together to make this happen, whether they agreed or not, they did what was best for students. Little did I know...

I am excited for the last day, Grace not so much. 
In May of 2010 I was on maternity leave with my second child, I had also just come off knee surgery (that is a whole other story). So the drugs were good, and when the opportunity arrived for us to move back to Michigan we went for it. I was hired as a middle school Reading teacher. Funny enough, I was hired back at the middle school where my mother taught for 20+ years and where I attended 6th-8th grade. I remember the superintendent at the time saying “so you came back to die?”, um yep, pretty much.  I was scared to death to teach middle school. However, once I got use to all the pimples and hormones I really liked their kind. Ironically, the school district was in trouble, reading scores were bad, the high school was giving a federal School Improvement Grant (SIG), $3,000,000, and told to make changes or else. SO, in my second year I was approached by the superintendent and asked to become a high school Literacy Coach (at the high school I graduated from almost 15 years prior). Ironically, I was trained again in Direct Interactive Instruction, given a group of teachers to work with and told to help raise scores. One year later I was made into a full time 5th-12th grade ELA and Social Studies Instructional Coach. I am in charge of 30+ teachers, instruction, PD/PLC, curriculum, data, scores, and so on. It’s not easy, but I love it. This is why I know everything happens for a reason. Over the past four years I have fallen back on what I learned those first six years of my career to help improve my alma mater. I have grown so much as a person and professional. I work with a great team of people who all want nothing but the best for our schools.  

Of course with teaching there is the ugly side. I am in my 10th year of teaching and still being paid as a first year teacher (due to a frozen contract after receiving one year of service when I accepted the position). I struggle with the reality that others in the same position as me make MUCH more money that I do. I struggle with the fact that I love where I work, but will we ever be able to really make the changes we need to make to take us to the next level. I struggle with reality that I am going back to school this summer to get ANOTHER certification because as professional  we need a certification after certification to “prove” ourselves.

I tend to feel down at the end of each year. I wonder did I do my best this year? What could I have done better? Did I miss an opportunity? I feel bad for all the teachers that get laid off because of funding or bad staffing decisions. I get angry at the ones who get greedy.  I wonder what will next year hold? This year during that time I was scrolling through Facebook and saw this video somebody had posted. It is Jim Carrey giving a commencement speech. One of his final lines is “do what you love”. Those four words reeled me back in. If I was not a teacher that what would I be? I can’t answer that.

I love what I do. Yes, the pay sucks, yes it’s not easy, but I could not imagine it any other way. I have learned so much in these past ten years not only about the profession but about myself as a person and learner. I hope the next ten years are just as crazy as the last because, “Experience only teaches the teachable” -Aldous Huxley


Monday, April 21, 2014

Blame No One, Expect Nothing, Do Something

Blame No One, Expect Nothing, Do Something
I first heard this quote when I was in my second or third year of teaching. I was half listening to some ESPN reporter interview a football coach about how he motivates his football players. My head shot up from whatever book I had my nose in and when I heard him say those seven words. He has this quote in the team locker room as a reminder, you are the only one to blame for your mistakes, you are not entitled to anything, and if you don’t like it, do something about it, at least that is how I remembered. I immediately grabbed some paper and wrote down the quote.


This quote meant a lot to me at the time for three reasons. First, I was a coach myself, I was coaching high school volleyball, basketball, and golf. There were so many times on the court and course I would talk to my girls about respect, work ethic, and entitlement (aka playing time). This quote became my coaching tagline. Second, I was a 9th and 10th grade reading intervention teacher. I have always believed that students need to take ownership of their own learning. I put this quote up in the front of my room. Whenever a student was complaining or making excuses I simply pointed to the quote and told them to “do something. It was amazing how quick the conversation would change. Last, I was also a literacy coach. A new teacher attempting to coach teachers that had been teaching longer than I had been alive! For this reason this quote became my personal motivation. When things got tough and/or frustrating (usually to the point when I was sitting in my office crying) I would remember these seven words, pull up my big girl panties, and “do something” instead of continuing to cry about it.  


Over the years this quote has not only become my tag line, it has become my philosophy.


Blame No One
  • Even with all the negatives in education, we are still responsible for how and what our student learn, how they perform, and who they become.
  • When our students do not learn or perform we can’t blame them, we need to think “what could I have done better?”
  • You can’t think that you can’t ever do something.


Expect Nothing
  • No one is entitled.
  • No one will do it for you.
  • Go out and learn it yourself.
  • Set high expectations for yourself and your students and remember, you get what you expect.


Do Something
  • The longer you talk about it, the longer it takes to get it done.
  • Find others with the same thoughts and ideas.
  • Make a plan, tell your plan to others, pitch your idea.
  • Do it now, ask later.
  • Be the change.

Thursday, April 3, 2014

PLN'n with #michEd



Over the last few years I have been hearing more and more about Twitter chat groups. The only thing that I could picture was this scene from Napoleon Dynamite. One week ago I joined #michEd. That first week I simply stalked the feed and I liked what I read. Teachers talking about good teaching, sharing positive stories, collaborating on ideas, sharing materials and resources! What? I know! 

I feel that somehow teachers have gotten away from sharing the positive, sharing what works for them, and asking for help when they need it. However, #michEd (like I am sure many other chat groups) was a happy place full of positive people sharing. Some even just checking into say "Hi" and then leaving because of other obligations. 

Last night I decided to take a more active roll in the chat. As I tried to post my thoughts I found myself a little slow to get my responses out. Others were beating me to the punch. I made this comment to #michEd host Jeff Bush and this is how he responded:






HOOKED! I have found my first PLN. I came away with more professional connections and some great new ideas in only one hour! I look forward to making more connections to some great teachers in Michigan and hopefully once I get a better hang of the chat I will be able to contribute more (and a little quicker). Now if someone could just tell me what Ss and Ts stand for?? 


   Thanks #michEd, Ann Smart





Augmented Reality Brings New Dimensions to Learning | Edutopia

Augmented Reality Brings New Dimensions to Learning | Edutopia

Tuesday, April 1, 2014

Maple Pride: Lincoln's Got Worms

Maple Pride: Lincoln's Got Worms: That's right, Lincoln's got worms!  We are in the process of building the Sam and Joan Beal Outdoor Education Center at Lincoln.  A ...

Monday, March 24, 2014

Moving Forward

Today when I got home from school I opened up Twitter in hopes to do some unwinding. The first post I came across was from Tom Whitby a well known blogger and founder of #Edchat. I had the privilege of siting next to him at MACUL this spring in a pre-conference session, he is a very inspiring man to listen to. His post was titled "Blogging: Who Should, and Why". This caught my attention right away. As a newbie to the blogging world I have been working for the past few weeks at getting other teachers and administrators on board to start up their own blogs. I am happy to report that I have had nothing but positive responses. This week I met with a few kindergarten and first grade teachers along with the principal and technology coach to get them started on grade level blogs. I was also brave enough to start a blog for all the administrators in the district to begin blogging good news reports. I will meet with each admin individually to show them how to make their first post. 

Like all things in education you wonder how this will really go. How many will buy in? Who will stick with it? How will this impact our students? Our parents? Our community?  Tom makes a great point about blogging "it takes an act of courage to publish that first blog". Getting teachers to understand the value in blogging is easy. It's getting them to actually do it and feel comfortable putting themselves and their students out there. More importantly if this is something our administrators want to see from our teachers they need to blog right along side them. 

I love that blogging not only teaches our students about reading and writing but it allows them to be reflective, thoughtful, and critical thinkers. We have a responsibility as educators to teach our students digital citizenship. Tom writes that we need to model for out students how to responsibly question, respond, and comment to blogs. We need to model learning and how to share ideas. 

Our parents and community become our audience. Parents, grandparents, and community members want to read and hear what their kids have to say. They want to know what our kids are learning in school. They want to know that their schools are safe and loving learning environments. In return we want parents and the community to comment on our blogs to encourage, question, and give direction.   

Tom sums it up best, "Since becoming a blogger, I view things differently. I question things more. I try to understand things well enough, so that I can explain them simply. Most importantly I have been recognized as a person to be taken seriously, because I have a voice. These are things I wish for everyone to experience. What good is education, if we do not have a voice to share what we have learned in order to benefit all?"

Thursday, March 20, 2014

My New World

It was ten years ago when I was sitting in Anacortes, WA at the NESD 189 learning how to write Classroom Based Assessments when I came across this text titled The New World of Blogs by Tyler Cowen. When I first read the article (which I was to write assessment questions for) I thought to myself, what they heck are they talking about? Not only was I confused about what this Cowen was talking about, but how the heck are my 9th grade students suppose to read this and understand what he was talking about? We struggled through it every year. 

Over the years I have heard more and more about blogging. I always thought of it as a bit narcissistic, why would you want to write about yourself? Who cares? Until recently. The past two years I have attended the MACUL (Michigan Association for Computer Users in Learning) conference and blogging has been a hot topic. This past year I made it a point to attend some of the sessions on blogging. I was hooked. 

What I learned is blogging is not narcissistic, but more of a place to reflect and showcase who you are. It can be for the whole world to see or an intimate place to get your thoughts down. It's a place to watch yourself grow as a person or professional. Its a place to document important times and accomplishments in you life.  

My intent for this blog is a place for me to reflect on my professional career and showcase my professional accomplishments.