It's hard to believe I've been advising, developing curriculum and teaching at AB Tech for a year now. My time has been ripe with building lasting partnerships with industry leaders in the community, collaborating with teachers all over the city, learning massive amounts about the GED, TABE, and vocational courses. I've built curriculum for four different courses, two of which are ESL & GED blended classes, all of which serve students' needs in a vocational context. In "Jump Start to Hospitality and Tourism" we've traveled to Biltmore Farms and Aloft- Asheville to meet their hotel executives. We've met with Asheville's Independent Restaurant Group. We've learned English and soft skills for customer service interactions. And, we've had endless conversations about how to give the best service possible. Up next, knife skills & owning the front desk!
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Journey
Creating a Professional Learning Network (PLN) online has taught me a ton. While the tools I learned weren’t necessarily new to me, my mindset has definitely shifted from the beginning of the semester to now. I started the semester thinking that online tools and digital networks were good for connecting professionals, period. As in, I thought that tools like blogging, Twitter, Delicious, Wikispaces all were so that teachers could connect and share what they were doing/what they know. This idea always made me a little uncomfortable because I have never felt like I had/have much to contribute. I wanted to see what others were doing, and I wanted to learn new ideas... that seemed obvious to me. I just didn't want to really share my journey. So, I kind of wrote off the whole PLN idea. But, I have found this semester that I am more interested in what I can find; meaning, I am more interested in Professional Learning Networks as a means to teach myself. I've learned that I don’t need to be connected to the most awesome teachers to ride their proverbial blaze of glory. I can use podcasts, YouTube, Twitter, and Feedly to learn about new trends, research new tools, and consider their application in my own classroom. The shift in my thinking went from, “copy what the pro’s do” to “try that theory or tool out in your own way” and I think this will make a huge impact on my practice.
Reflection
When reflecting back upon this semester and this course, I find that the one central idea that I will carry with me for years to come is an idea about leadership. A 21st century leader must embody a whole slew of dispositions and carry with him or her a plethora of skills. EDL 7510, “Improving productivity and practice with technology,” has been a great experience for me to see those skills and traits in action.
What does 21st century skills & traits mean? According to Hidden Curriculum (2014), it “refers to a broad set of knowledge, skills, work habits, and character traits that are believed—by educators, school reformers, college professors, employers, and others—to be critically important to success in today’s world, particularly in collegiate programs and contemporary careers and workplaces.” Sounds incredibly vague, I know. However, through this course I think it is clear that a 21st century leader must not only know the ins and outs of several key tools in order to be personally productive, but they must embody a collaborative spirit in order to bring people together to accomplish a goal or task. In EDL 7510, the assignments that required me to demonstrate the skills of a 21st century leader were the “Professional Productivity” module and the “Personal Learning Network” module. In the PP module I worked to learn the ins and outs of using digital tools that help with productivity in the work place. I used the Microsoft Excel program in ways I hadn’t before, and I made a presentation that I would be proud to give to any one of my colleagues on an emerging technology tool. In the PLN module I worked very hard to broaden my online horizons. I connected to a variety of online tools, made profiles, contributed to digital communities, connected with peers, and felt the power of a great web of online professional resources at my finger-tips. I believe that I will spend the rest of my career broadening my network, and I don’t mind that idea one bit. It’s refreshing to think that I can continuously learn so effortlessly. Beyond being a productive professional and competent in not only basic digital tools but also savvy in online networks of information, the dispositions of a 21st century leader are essential. Through the “Virtual Teams” module of study I felt that these dispositions and abilities truly came into play. Llopis (2015) notes that there are key traits that every 21st century leader must embody. He cites the importance of having a shared “sense of the reality you are approaching” and how this can “[bring] people together to share a journey and a vision [and] lead to infinite possibilities.” In the VT module, I worked with individuals in another country to develop a project, from conception to production, that could be implemented to improve my school. Our shared sense of reality came easily through the use of collaborative media in order to establish a realistic and achievable goal. In this case we used an online survey to learn about our shared reality. In a White Paper published by Gap International, Yeramyan (2011) notes that 21st century leaders “focus on connecting people to purpose and aligning multiple groups from every direction. They are authentic and open. Leaders like this bring out the best performance, creativity and expression in everyone.” In other words, leaders must be a master at communication, bringing out the best in others, and aligning individuals to reach a shared purpose. In our Virtual Teams we worked hard to collaborate online. We met once a week to talk, review our central purpose/goal, and we collaborated to make sure that each member was able to make a unique contribution to the end goal that, ultimately, played to their strengths. If any one member couldn’t meet their individual goal the other members helped out. While Yeramyan may be referencing successful business leaders, my Virtual Team undoubtedly fell under his definition of success. It’s hard to think how these skills and dispositions won’t help me in future endeavors. Truth is, education may not always be in my future. I may not always be nose to grindstone in my classroom. I may not always be in a position to lead my peers. But I will, for as long as I’m living, be alive in the 21st century, and it is for this precise reason that I believe the dispositions of a 21st century leader will stay with me forever. Microsoft Office may be replaced by something bigger and better tomorrow. Those skills that I’ve gained will be fine tuned and then replaced with new and more relevant skills. Collaboration; bringing out the best in others; being authentic and open: these are traits that won’t be replaced. They won’t go out of style. I will carry them with me into whichever endeavor I take on. References Hidden curriculum (2014, August 26). In S. Abbott (Ed.), The glossary of education reform. Retrieved from http://edglossary.org/hidden-curriculum Llopis, G. (2015). Six Characteristics Define 21st Century Leadership. Forbes. Retrieved 26 April 2015, from http://www.forbes.com/sites/glennllopis/2015/04/01/six-characteristics-define-21st-century-leadership/ Yeramyan, P. (2011). 21st Century Organization: Being Competitive and Leading Edge (1st ed., pp. 1-5). Springfield, Pa: Gap International. Retrieved from http://www.gapinternational.com/assets/base/gap/pdf/21stCent_WhitePaper.pdf
For a course I am currently enrolled in, I completed a Video Analysis of Teaching. I watched the high school lesson delivered by a teacher on YouTube and then I went through various ways in which the lesson could be improved with the application of different learning theories. While this is, indeed, a lesson for another class with other objectives, I think the manner by which I completed this assignment is totally applicable to EDL 7510, "Improving productivity and practice with technology." From learning about learning theories online to watching other teachers deliver lessons in a class that I currently teach, the use of technology in this activity has opened my eyes to further ways in which I can improve my practice with technology.
My first objective in completing the Video Analysis of Teaching (VAT) was to first study the various learning theories that are out there. I searched Delicious and I searched Diigo and neither site had anything on learning theories. Then I searched Twitter:
Twitter didn't have a ton to offer that was applicable, but it had enough. It was a great place to start, and from there I saw the network of information blossom into a giant web of resources and options. I found websites and YouTube videos and a number of documents to help me understand the complex theories out there.
After researching through an online network, I needed to watch a lesson. This to me was one of the most eye opening experiences of completing the VAT. There are SERIOUSLY a TON of resources out there for my AP Literature & Composition course. Notably, I was able to find flipped lessons, student projects, and a plethora of lectures. I used one of these lessons, "Katy Massey Teaching Lesson Day 2" and completed my necessary reflection and screencast. From conception to product, the use of technology and my professional learning network helped me in this assignment. And, I have found a new appreciation for the amount of stuff that is all over Twitter. It's like tuning in to conversations all over the world about what ever topic I'm interested in. That's just scary cool.
So, I have been grappling with the idea of how to introduce projects to my class. I often try to have students work toward a big project in groups as a way to be more constructivist in my approach to teaching and learning. I want students to take ownership of their learning, and I think project-based learning is a great way to do this.
I've been doing it for years. However, I get so frustrated on project roll-out day when I introduce the project and hand out all of the necessary paperwork (job descriptions, schedule of everything that is due. ever., rubrics for assignments, rotation of responsibilities, etc.) and some kid (our four) invariably leaves all of the papers at his or her desk and are without all of the necessary information for the REST OF THE QUARTER. This unit I have vowed to make a change, and I think I have found the solution in Google Docs.
*Key the choir
Google Docs allows me to save all of the necessary files in one shareable folder. From this folder I can include rubrics, schedules, group assignments, and the overall objectives for the lesson. Heck, I can include all of those things in one very sophisticated document with hyperlinks and tables. This document can be emailed, saved in a shared google drive folder, or posted to my LMS (learning management system) for those forgetful few to access as the quarter progresses, and I am saving a few trees in the process!
The unit was centered around the essential question, "Are we born with an inherent sense of morality?" and I wanted students to answer this question in an argumentative essay that synthesized a plethora of informational texts (both of which are standards that I needed to address before the end of the school year). However, in order to make any of this work for me and my students, I needed to do a lot of research on what UbD is and how to properly employ it in my classroom. Therein lies the challenge. Educating myself. And, this gets at the true nature of my current course, EDL 7510 "Improving productivity and practice with technology."
I find that so often I consider a professional learning network as a means to connect and communicate with others. A digital sewing circle in which people share ideas and grow. But, what I am quickly learning is that this is a very one-dimensional view of "network." A network involves being connected, yes. But it doesn't quite matter what I bring to the table. It matters that I can professionally grow and learn through the vast expanse of the internet. I can take a brief YouTube course by Grant Wiggins on Understanding by Design and feel confident enough to employ such ideas in my own classroom. Everyone has the potential to be an expert. That's a pretty cool thought. Everyone has a specific concept or skill that they struggle to teach. In fact, one may wonder to themselves, "How can I get students to engage in such a non-engaging topic?" For me, this concept is rhetorical vocabulary. In the context of literature and informational texts, the author's rhetoric comes alive. And, when students have the foundational knowledge of rhetorical strategies, they are able to read in a more critical and appreciative way. It essentially unlocks a whole new world to reading. The trick is, how do you get students excited about vocabulary words... not just any vocabulary words, but vocabulary that is just dense and, lets face it, boring?
So, you understand my lament when, last year, I realized I couldn't avoid rhetorical vocabulary any longer. I had to teach it, and I had to teach it well. And, I didn't want to spend longer than necessary. It was in this pit of despair that I had the idea to put WikiSpaces to use. I devised a lesson with the objective of getting all students to a "proficient, target, or mastery" level for all of the essential terms for the unit. I won't go into details of the terms or the unit, because this isn't an English blog. But I will divulge some of the benefits and drawbacks to using WikiSpaces. First thing the kids notice about the platform is it's appearance. Most Wikis are pretty bare and sparse. There isn't any fancy font or graphic you can add to make it look better either. They complained a lot about this. But not as much as they complained about the annoying formatting issues they had. Some of them, and I am the same way, wanted everything to look uniform and organized. But, the formatting in WikiSpaces was clearly not a priority with its developers, and making a uniform project takes a lot of time, dedication, and patience... lots of patience. Along that vein, simultaneous editing was very challenging. Students' work was constantly written over and deleted if they were working on the same page as another peer. They came to distrust WikiSpaces to a comical degree, and they copied everything they had done one too many times. Better safe than sorry, I suppose. The benefits were pretty great, though. The Wiki that the class created was an awesome opportunity for students to create their own official page, and share their own wealth of information on a rather boring subject. It created for me a comprehensive guide to rhetorical vocabulary, and I have since passed the website on to other teachers as a reference guide for them. So, the process wasn't awesome, but the product is long lasting. I was reading an article on Edudemic.com, which is a website that researches and posts information regarding technology in education. The article was about going paperless in the classroom, more precisely the article was titled, "Ultimate Guide to the Paperless Classroom." I found the information to be quite interesting, particularly because I have had a goal to be more contentious about the amount of paper I use in my own classroom. Especially because I come from a school in which students all bring their laptops to class everyday, and we have adopted a new and pretty efficient learning management system (LMS), I figured I should face little opposition. I oversimplified the challenge. I didn't take into account the challenges of organizing the mountain of digital work that I would acquire. I mean, it's quite easy to collect a stack of papers, and keep them in a file labeled with the appropriate label. I put a paperclip to keep like files together, and I keep them on my desk to grade... eventually. But organizing the mass of emails and GoogleDocs that comes with going paperless is a nightmare. I was drowning in emails, and my GoogleDocs, an application that I use both professionally and personally to keep organized became inundated with random documents labeled the strangest things as students randomly shared their work with me. While the positives were quite strong: collaboration in and out of class, peer editing and multi-tasked group work is so easy online; less excuses from students, I haven't heard, "I lost my paper" in I don't know how long; instant creation of documents, I don't have to worry about making copies before class ,or running out of copies at the worst possible moment when everything we need for class is online, I found myself making more copies. I found myself asking students to print out their homework more frequently. I found myself straying from my goal. The first tutorial, by David A. Cox, was really well put together, and very good for learning the basics of Evernote. It helped me learn a few new features that I didn't know exsisted, such as the ability to create stacks, or the awesome editing features that are available for notebooks. These are great things to distribute information to students AND to keep organized. But, as awesome as the tutorial was, it didn't really teach me how to use it in the classroom. So, I found myself looking for more resources.
I found a great resource, by accident, when I came across "Going Paperless with Evernote". Going paperless is the goal, and Evernote is the tool. I figured this had to be the best resource for me. And, I think it was. Seeing Evernote used in the exact way in which I plan to use it in my classroom was awesome! While the production value and organization was a little distracting, I definitely found the content of this online session much more applicable to me and my classroom. For the past couple of weeks I have been working with the technology department in my school to help my school transition from Outlook to Google Mail. The transition hasn't been incredibly easy. In fact, I have had to go to every teacher, individually, to install a migration program and transfer all of their files to gmail. We're talking hours. However, I think the transition will be best for the school in the end.
With Outlook we were receiving a ton of spam emails and the features weren't too good considering what we were paying. And well, gmail is free, and there are significantly less security issues with gmail. So far, so good. But the tech. department and I are all starting to realize is that the staff's ability regarding Google Apps varies significantly. Some people are contacting the technology department because they need help logging in to their gmail account. This is the lower end of the spectrum, but it is indeed an issue that must be addressed, and unfortunately, I don't think that the technology department planned on such a need. So, I've volunteered to help. I met with the head of the technology department and the technology coach to discuss what the next plan should be. We all agreed that we can't really help until we know what people can or can't do. Therefore, the first step will be a general survey on Google mail, calendar, and drive. After we know what people can and can't do, we can start targeting the major areas of need in the staff. Hopefully this works. My worry is that the staff that don't know how to login to gmail at this point will really need a lot of one-to-one time and training in the tool. Change is hard for everyone, but some just have a bit more trouble with it than others. |
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