Time to reflect...

 Well folks… another Walden class finished and a million more ideas to implement next school year! Haha! Sometimes I think I should spread out these classes so I can work with each set of tools before moving on to even more. Regardless, the course is coming to a close and I have so many great plans set up for next year.

My GAME plan was two separate parts and the first was to set up a learning community within my school and help the teachers move towards a more technology-infused base for their lessons.  Many teachers need help with the simple tasks with technology and I wanted to create a presentation to offer up a few examples of how they can integrate different technology tools in their lessons.  I met with our principal and the tech coordinator to set up a time I could present to the other teachers in my building.  Being the end of the school year, most of my plans were put on hold until the fall, but I have a presentation ready and a date set.  The other teachers within my department helped me come up with some basic uses of our Mimios (similar to SMART boards) I will present to the rest of the staff.

The second part of my game plan was to improve the morale of our staff.  To often the day-to-day drama bogs us down and my goal was to provide little reminders of why we started teaching in the first place.  I also am setting up a day to have a cookout in August to start our school year off on a good note.  I work with a lot of wonderful people and I know we could do a lot better in our own classrooms if we relied on each other just a little bit more.  Here’s hoping next year goes better than this past one!

This GAME plan setup is a great one to keep you continuously thinking of how to reach your goal.  To know you need a goal and some kind of action to follow through with is a great start, but also creating a monitoring plan with an evaluation is something we should definitely be teaching our students.  It’s a great method to follow anytime we are problem solving.

 The two main things I am taking away from this course is a new desire to incorporate more problem-based learning rather than lecture.  I think it is a remarkable way to have students teach themselves throughout experience rather than just giving them the information and asking them to just practice over and over until they understand.  I will try to incorporate as much technology as possible, i.e. blogging or using online collaboration with these problems, but that depends entirely on how much access I can get to computers at my school. 

The other huge part I am taking away from this course is the importance and possibilities associated with social networking.  I can use this to my benefit in many ways in my classroom and of course the students will be very appreciative that I am incorporating something they are familiar with.   There are so many wonderful plans I have for next school year and I’m glad I kept a log with all of my ideas so I can sort them out over the summer.  Incorporating new technology not only makes a class more enjoyable for the students, but it also reinvigorates me and adds new life into lessons I have taught over and over again.

So here’s to another class finished and so many great ideas for this next school year!

-Kate

And the GAME continues...

   I’m starting to get a bit frustrated with my first goal in my GAME plan.  I had set up a date to share a few technology tidbits with my colleagues but recently I was told it would have to wait until the fall.  I also am having trouble getting my department together to work on Mimio material and lesson plans.  I hope to remedy that this week (we have final exams) and the beginning of next in order to have a set plan for August. 

            

Because of the setbacks, I need to modify the timeline of the plan.  I had been hoping to share the information with other teachers at our final professional development day, but now it looks as if it will have to wait.  If anything, I’ve learned quite a bit of patience. J Nothing ever turns out the way we initially plan it, so I feel very silly having thought it would in the first place.  I also have several questions for the technology department at my school and would like to speak with our tech coordinator again.  I would like to know the allotted budget for technology ever year and maybe see some kind of overview of where the money has been spent over the last few years.  I think the high school has gone quite a long time without any updates and it would be interesting to see the break-down of the district-wide expenses.

            

On the other hand, my encouragement to other staff members seemed to go well.  I haven’t heard much discussion about it, but generally the staff seems to be in a better mood.  I am thinking of planning a few dates in the summer.  Perhaps a cookout where the staff is invited, or dinner on the first day we go back to school in August? I’m not really sure, but I’m still brainstorming different ways.  I’ve also thought about setting up observations with teachers observing teachers, so we can give constructive criticism and actually have someone who works with the same kids, offer up pointers in our classrooms.  I don’t know if I’m sold on this idea.

Thoughts?

-Kate

*making progress*

            After speaking with our tech department, I will be focusing my plan on using our Mimio boards (similar to a SMART board) and students’ cell phones.  These are the resources most readily available in my district and most teachers would have access to them.  I will be using the technology knowledge within my department (five math teachers) and we will come up with a presentation for our professional development day on the first day of school in August. 

            I’ve been able to meet with my administration and determine a day we will be able to present to the entire staff.  I have also met with a few individual teachers to talk about the benefits and uses of their Mimio boards (which they don’t use).  I still need to meet with my department and discuss the progress of our technology use in the school.  Our department makes use of the technology available to us and I know the five of us will brainstorm great ideas to promote tech-based teaching with other teachers.

            As for my second standard which focuses on contributing and encouraging effective teaching and renewal of the teaching profession, I have started by bringing up the moral a bit.  Over the last week, I have been leaving anonymous notes for teachers that have positive and encouraging messages.  I want to start by creating the positive atmosphere amongst the teachers and then move to a place where we can all rely on each other and encourage other staff members without falling into the same dramatic fights over and over again.  

Any ideas to help with encouraging my colleagues?

-Kate 

you've gotta have a GAME plan

Well folks, here we are again… another class with Walden so my blog is switching gears a bit and re-focusing on fun educational stuff! :) 

This week were asked to set up a “GAME” plan to strengthen our knowledge and proficiency using the National Education Standards for Teachers.  Now I will be the first to say that there are a LOT of standards and sometimes the less-important ones get overlooked when teachers try to cram as much into a semester as possible (I have block scheduling so I have semester courses rather than full-year ones).  That being said, the ISTE Standards (formerly NETS) are the kind of standards that can be met through many different avenues.  If anything, these are the standards I like the best because they focus on student learning and creativity.  The one standard I would really like to focus on is #5: Engage in professional growth and leadership.  The two specific standards would be 5b: “Exhibit leadership by demonstrating a vision of technology infusion, participating in shared decision making and community building, and developing the leadership and technology skills of others” and 5d. “Contribute to the effectiveness, vitality, and self-renewal of the teaching profession and of their school and community.”

My GOAL is to set up a learning community within my building (specifically my department) and use that team to create a positive example for the rest of my school.  The teachers I work with will often times struggle to get along which leads to a self-distructing team of teachers.  My goal is to create a positive atmosphere within my school to promote teamwork and camaraderie.  I also want to help some of the teachers (very set in their ways) become more tech-savvy.

My ACTION will be to meet with my department and brainstorm ideas to take to our principal. These ideas could be ones that will affect the school or the entire district.  We can come up with ideas to present at our professional development days and coordinate with our tech department to have tutoring sessions for teachers who need help with the latest pieces of technology.

MONITORING my process will come in the form of journaling.  I think this will be the best way to keep track of our successes and failures when it comes to building morale and helping teachers incorporate more technology in their lessons.

Researching different ideas to use in my own classroom and then pass those on to other teachers will be my way of EVALUATING and EXTENDING my learning.  I will study different cases and focus my efforts on creating a positive impact in my school first, followed closely by my district.

International Society for Technology in Education. (2008). National education

standards for teachers (NETS-T). Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/standards/nets-for-teachers

never too lost

You know that obsession you can get when you find a song you really like? It happens to me a lot.  Sometimes it’s a song on the radio, like Gotye’s hit “Somebody That I Used to Know” and I shush everyone so I can sing along.  No talking. None.

Well, it happened again, but this time I’m obsessed with an entire CD.  That almost NEVER happens. 

Let me explain…

This past weekend, I went down to Kentucky to visit my sister and it was so unbelievably refreshing.  On Saturday morning, we hiked up her ‘backyard’ to the top of a mountain.  We reached the top and sat up on a rock, basking in the sun while Kali scanned the trees for squirrels and deer.  

While up there, we talked about lots of things, but the topic that really stuck with me was that of faith and how I handled it while Tim was gone. 

Unfortunately, it’s been a rough road and I don’t like talking about it…

…I was born a restless child and I could hear the world outside calling me…

Last time he left, I grew so much closer to God and relied on Him to get through each day.  This training has been different; I’ve struggled to stay focused, prioritized just about everything above reading the Word and have let different situations fill my heart with bitterness and resentment.  I’ve been lost.  VERY lost.

*and heaven knows how hard I tried, but the devil whispered lies I believed*

I rely on the comforts I know and the safe places I’ve been before.  I seek reassurance from food and movies, cuddling with my dog, and relationships with other people.  I don’t like to move out of my comfort zone and trust something or someone other than myself.  Unfortunately, that’s not what we’re suppose to do.  I see my sister out there, beyond her own comfort zone, embracing the crazy path God set her on.  She has no fear because she trusts THAT MUCH. Isn’t that amazing?

Sometimes I feel brave…  I am Peter, walking towards Jesus on the water.  But then my eyes shift and I lose focus.  I am sinking beneath the water and I have nothing to blame but my own lack of faith.

“Spirit lead me where my trust is without borders, let me walk upon the waters wherever You would call me.”

Faith is such a bumpy road for me and when I get lost, I sometimes feel like just giving up.  Wouldn’t it be easier then starting over again?  But then something (or someone) always puts it in perspective for me.  I’m never truly lost anymore.  Three years ago, I joined ‘Team Jesus’ (as my sister puts it) and from that point on, no matter how lost I feel, I’m not too far away for Him.  He can still find me.  He can still mold me.  He can still comfort me. 

I just have to let Him.

So the CD… it has the songs I desperately need to hear.  I’ve been listening over and over again, letting the words sink into my skin.  The music soothes me and the words comfort me.  I am NOT alone. He’s still here… waiting for me. 

"On the shores of my soul I give you permission 

to wash my tears away

And take all my disappointment

Fill me with joy once again"

We're back!

After three days stuck in the house last week, I’m so happy to go back to school! Of course, there is always a part of me that enjoys the snow days… mostly the overwhelming amount of sleep I can get, but the larger part wishes to be back in the classroom, fighting through the whirlwind of teacher friends, teenagers and math.

This semester is coming to a close and I have to say, it has been one of my favorites.  Every once in a while you get that group of students you just love interacting with each day… this is one of those semesters.  Any teacher can tell you, each class is different; some you easily forget about once they’re gone, some are infamous for the stress and terror they bring to your life, and others are wonderfully memorable.  I can still picture every face from my ‘favorite class’; I had 25 kids and theirs were some of the most charming, hilarious, brilliant and mature personalities I’ve ever taught.  Now, I know you’re not supposed to have favorites, but if we’re all honest with ourselves, favoritism just happens. 

Wednesday, the new semester will start and I’m looking forward to meeting all of my new kiddos.  It’s an exciting day… one where most of them realize I’m not as mean as I seem to be in Study Hall.  My classes are a little big this time; I have 29 in one class and 26 in the other.  Whew! That’s a lot of tests and quizzes to grade.  On the other hand, my study hall only has 36 students and that sounds fantastic!

My big project for the semester is incorporating a few lessons that I’ll ‘flip’.  If you don’t know what a flipped classroom is, check out this cute video.  I think this might be something that helps break up the monotony of the lessons, and help some of the students find better ways to soak up the material. I’ll keep you posted on how it goes.

For everyone else out there getting ready to start up a new semester with new faces, good luck and have fun! Remember how wonderful those kids can be... and hilarious. Click HERE for a delightful video.

-Kate

“Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do.”

Steve Jobs