633 Intro Video

So just how am I doing?

"Criticism like rain, should be gentle enough to nourish a man's growth without destroying his roots." -Frank A. Clark (Hall ch 6)

Wow! What a quote.  The key is to have tact when you are giving criticism.  Whether the criticism is given informally or formally it can make or break the spirit of the person being criticized. 

I can remember my first year as a teacher.  I had a principal who was very critical and had zero tact.  She was truthfully just plain mean.  The things that she said to me informally throughout the year had really broken my spirit.  She initially said that she hired me because I was so enthusiastic about teaching - and in fact I was.  However by the end of the year I was truly questioning my decision to become a teacher. 

As a leader we have to understand that it is our responsibility to lift up are workers.  We are responsible if they fail, we are responsible to help them succeed and to grow.  Being a leader is not just being the boss.  Where a boss may rule with an iron fist and a sharp tongue, a leader must rule with caring hands and gentle words.

Teams and Groups

As I was reading in Hall I found myself thinking about the groups and teams that I had worked in and I am currently working in.  I really liked the way that the book broke down the stages of teams and groups. 

When groups are just beginning, or "forming" they are just getting together and they are in what is referred to as the "honeymoon" stage.  Everyone is happy and they are careful not to offend eachother and so on.  They do not want to make anyone mad....yet. 

After that they go through a period of "storming" where the time is a bit rocky.  The members have settled in and become comfortable enough with eachother to tell be more open and honest whether it hurts or offends. 

After they have survived their rockiest point the group begins "norming" where they have set the standard that they as a group or team feel is what they must live up to.  Finally the group begins "performing."  Once the group reaches this stage they are working at their best and the result is of quality. 

This can apply to groups in the classroom (brick and mortar or virtual) or it can apply to the work environment (which can also be brick and mortar or virtual).  Currently I am working with a team and I really think that we have hit our "performing" stage.  I feel like this group that I am with right now is the best that I have ever been with as far as a grade level team - or maybe this is the first group that I have been with that has reached this stage so quickly. 

I think this would be a great way to have secondary and post secondary students evaluate their groups at the end of a project.

Integration and Applcation of Technology: Taking the Leap

Our text this week talked about integrating technology and making it work.  Integrating technology is way more that just using it to outline your lessons.  It is much more than a PowerPoint.  Though I would say for someone who is just starting to use technology in their Teaching, PowerPoint is a good place to start.  The key is to move out of the traditional mode of teaching.

This is not to say that you should just take the technology and throw it out there without any instruction.  It will take a lot of modeling and practice for the students to truly benefit from the use of technology.  It is important to remember that even though the students take hold of their own learning the teacher does not just sit back and let the students run wild with their new 21st Century skills.  Students should still be monitored and the teacher should still give input. 

I have really been working toward a true integration of technology.  I know I have talked about it before, but I am so enamored with the success that my students are having in their use of Edmodo.  I have such  a hard time getting my fifth graders to open up and actually participate in class.  Now that I have given them an alternative method for discussion they have really taken the bull by the horns and are showing huge growth in their thinking.  I have gotten away from leading small group discussions around a table to simply monitoring my students lead groups and giving input as needed.  I never anticipated that my groups would be student lead but I am totally amazed!

Leadership in Technology

As I reflect on the reading and discussion that we have been doing so far I have really tried to think about what kind of leader I am.  When I think of leader one of the first things I think about is the control that a leader possesses.  Yes, being a leader is much more than being in control, but I do feel that how you handle the control determines the type of leader that you are. 

I do know that I like being in control, sometimes I can be a bit of a control freak I guess.  A lot of times my mode of leadership depends on the situation that I am in.  For example, I am a new mom and when it comes to my son I feel that it is my way or the highway.  The only person that I feel has to right to share that area of control is my husband.  We want to be positive, Godly leaders for him in every aspect of his life. 

In my work environment I don't mind being a follower.  I teach reading (which is not one of my favorite areas) so when our reading team is planning I am more than willing to sit back and let others take control.  However, when it comes to something that I feel more passionately about or something that is my brainchild I do have a harder time not taking the reigns.  I tend to like to step up more when I feel comfortable.  Technology is one of those things. 

This school year I have been taking a different approach in my classroom.  I have gotten brave and decided to take on technology with fifth graders.  Let me tell you, that is an eye-opening experience.  I have had to become their sensei!  I work with a lot of low socioeconomic students and many of them do not even have computers at home so this has been an adventure.  When teaching students to use a technology that they are not all that familiar with there has to be a level of patience.  It is so easy to get frustrated when they don't know what you mean by "copy" or "file" or even "right-click".  I have a tendency to want to just do it for them, but I know that I can't.  I have to take a step back and then give them step by step directions. 

My students have been very successful and I am so proud of them.  They are completely engaged in my classroom now and I think that they are even taking more of an ownership of their learning experience.  As  leader that is an area that I still have control over, but I have been able to hand it over to them. 

All of this brings me to what we talked about in our meeting; what does success look like?  Well, in my classroom I feel that my administrator can walk in a see that my students are having some true success.  We have stepped out of the box in my reading class and we no longer use the basal textbook.  Our reading is all novels and short stories.  My students are grouped by their instructional reading level and each group is reading a different novel.  Trying to get students to have a conversation about their book is like pulling teeth.  You run into students who don't want to talk out of fear that they will be wrong, students who don't do the reading and so on. 

This year I have begun using Edmodo with my reading class.  I use it for exit tickets, reviews and reading discussions.  I no longer sit at a table with my students trying to pump information out of them.  They are now facilitating their own discussions and really digging into the meat of their novels.  I think that this is really helping my students because they are learning some real life skills on the computers, they are more inspired to get into their novels so that they can work on Edmodo and they are not as reserved about talking because they are able to think about what they are going to type. 

I believe my students and I have reached a level of success in our classroom.  I gauge that success based on the fact that they are all engaged, they are all learning and they are learning to manage their own learning. 

Tech Trends: eBooks

I have found that eBooks have pros and cons.  I like them better for fun rather than education.  With the Nook and the Kindle it is a great way to have your library everywhere you go.  I can see that it is very beneficial for someone who is an avid reader, like my brother-in-law.  I have a couple of Dr. Seuss books on my iPhone for my son - he LOVES them because they read to him and have sound effects (by the way, he is only 4 months old!).

On the other hand, as far as eBooks at textbooks, I am not a huge fan.  I purchased an eBook out of a "help I need my book now" situation and it was the biggest waste.  First of all, the book expired so the money that I spent on it is now gone...and so is the book.  Second, I could only view it on one computer.  Thankfully I had downloaded the book to my laptop otherwise I could have only read it at my desk.  Even then I could only read it on the computer; I couldn't just pull it out on a car ride.  Third, I really do like being able to flip through the pages rather than scroll or click.

Some people really like eBooks.  They are environmentally friendly and they do cost less.  I cannot say that I am a huge fan.  Even though my little one loves his iPhone versions of Dr. Seuss, nothing beats sitting down with the actual book for a bedtime story (plus if he chews on the pages it is cheaper to replace than the iPhone).

Day to Day Technology

There used to be a time in my life when a computer didn't matter and neither did a cell phone...I was about ten years old then.  I remember we got our first computer when I was in 5th grade.  I remember my dad being so excited because it had a 56MB hard drive!  Now I carry sixteen times that amount in my pocket on a flash drive and thirty two times that on my cell phone.  When I was younger the computer was more of a privilege now it is a necessity. 

With technology being so prevalent all around us it is important to work to balance your physical life with the virtual one.  I do feel like I have two separate lives at times.  I have a physical job and I have a physical social life.  I also have virtual job (school) and a virtual social life (texting, email and Facebook).  No matter what I am doing I lead both lives simultaneously.  With a new baby I would much  rather be spending more time in the physical world, but the demands of school keep me well occupied with the virtual one.  I am ready to be finished with this degree so that I can truly find a balance. 

Sometimes the two lives come together as a hybrid when I find myself in a stimulating game of "Words with Friends" with my friend right beside me.  Why don't we get out the Scrabble board?  Because our cell phones do it all!  In a magazine article I was reading the author spoke about the "mobile command center" (aka, the cell phone).  It is so true.  I can access my personal email, my work email, and my school email all through one application.  I have done class assignments on my iPhone when in a pinch for time and not able to be at my computer.  I unfortunately feel like I am missing something important when I don't have my phone.  The cell phone has become like an appendage.