Back to School - September Session

Had a great time today seeing everyone again! (Except Silence...he wasn't here.  Hope everything's OK for you and your family)

We all shared what we've been up to since the summer and how the year's going.  Everyone seems to have had a real positive experience and has really adjusted to the post-Common Core implementation better than most. 

I really feel recharged coming here today.  It was just the pep session I needed to get me rolling into really getting my classroom on solid ground. 

I really want to get more into the material from the conference and get my curriculum supercharged. 
This first unit DID NOT go as planned.  Perhaps I can kick more rear on the next one.  I also plan to gel my subject area peeps more.  7th grade social studies is going to have to advance to level: next. I will have to be the one to make that happen.  Especially working with 2 coaches.

I think my next move will be to set up a group dropbox for the group to collaborate with. Also going to get my kids more computer lab time, and the rest of the school be darned to heck.  If they are not going to sign up for it, I will.

Been a great ride and look forward ot seeing everyone in the Spring.

Day 20

Saw some great technology plans from our awesome group this morning.  Capped it off with a phenomenal potluck lunch.  Unfortunately I had to leave early due to a family emergency. Thankfully, everything is going to be fine.

I really got a lot out of this conference. This past school year was a difficult one for me. So much that I was contemplating a change of career.  Of course, all teachers say that at the end of the year, but I was actually updating my CV.  I took a chance in applying for this conference and was fortunate enough to get in.  It has exceeded every single one of my expectations.  I have learned so much about how I need to be thinking, planning and teaching completely different than before.  More importantly, I feel empowered to do that.

I also feel renewed to go back to work in august with a new outlook on my job.  I had gotten into a rut.  Times they were a-changing and I was plodding my way through fossilized instruction.  I had begun to experiment, but without the knowledge I have now, they had a tendency to blow up in my face. It became easier to put on that comfortable pair of pants that was my old way of doing things.  Little did I realize that they had become threadbare and beyond repair.  I can see that clearly now.

It has been an honor and a pleasure to have participated.

Day 19

Heard a lot of great presentations today.

Everyone presented their lesson plans and demonstrated how they plan to integrate what they've learned in the conference into their classrooms.

Totally stealing the idea from Tomlin about hashtagging.

Mine will be #taoofodom

What is liberating is knowing that I can successfully avoid the old way of doing things.

Day 18

And so, we are fast-approaching the end.

Worked on a presentation to show my district or school or whoever may be interested.  Planning to make an audio file with it so IF I am asked to present, I won't go hoarse or forget key points.

Finished up my lesson plan and I am satisfied with the product.  May need tweaking before it goes live in the fall, but it'll do for now.  Now I just have to do a handout. 

Went over accommodations this morning for special needs students.  Gave me a lot to take in and think about.  Always good to expand that toolkit.

Toured the TK Martin Center.  Had to keep it together because it was SO emotional being there.  Jacob learned so much there and they were so good for him. He still talks about the children he interacted with there and all the adventures they had.  I can still hear him saying "No crying in ball!" to that kid who was crying during the Christmas pageant.  I also remember how nerve-racking it was for me the first time I went with Margaret to drop him off.  I remember looking at the building and saying "He's is on the second floor.  Oh. My. God." This was followed by every possible nightmare scenario flooding through my thought stream simultaneously.  We kept just about every piece of art he made there. 

Day 17

The art project is complete.  Der Mauerspringer (walljumper) ist komplett. 

For better or worse.

Today we experimented with audioboo.  I think I can use this for my visual/auditory kids.  Plus, I won't go hoarse repeating the same thing over and over again.

We also learned how to integrate audio into powerpoints and upload them. This will be a tremendous help because kids can actually access my lessons with the powerpoint which will help kids like the young lady I had last year who emphatically told me "I can get it when you explain it."

We also adventured into the bizarre and terrifying world of copyright law and fair use.

Can't believe it's winding down.  I don't know what i'll do next month!

Day 16

Had to leave early (at 3:45) to close on my mother-in-law's house.  All I can say is:

So today we put together a course in Canvas.  Really user friend'y and a lot preferable to Coursesites I think.  Gonna try some experimentation this July and see what I can put together for the fall.  Lots of planning to do!!

We also went over powerpoint and how to do some neat tricks with it.  This seemed counterproductive to what we were doing yesterday with Prezi....but I see the point.  One of my concerns about the whole flipping of the classroom is:

What happens when the internet is down.

I guess we can use our backup (jumpdrives, powerpoints) which actually makes a lot of sense.

Art project is on hold til the glass is ready....really excited.

I have truly found myself in art.  I am abstract, and this project has allowed me to explore that side of myself with more depth and articulation than ever before.

Day 15

I missed day 14 but managed to get caught up on a webquest and storify.

Today we were learning how to integrate the iPad and Apple TV into our classrooms.  Not sure if this will help my situation with us getting Mac Books next year.  My kids will have them as well.  Of course, I suppose that's kind of a beautiful problem to have seeing as how this time last year my new technology amounted to a new textbook. 

We also hit Prezi really hard and I ended up making one.  I think I will like using it.  It seems more user friendly than Powerpoint. 

Cut some glass in art class today.  Very nervous-making. 

This is what my pieces look like before they are put in a really hot kiln.  Really anxious to see how it turns out.  I do not excel at glass-cutting.

The Dreaded 13.

Triskaidekaphobia is a real thing.  I do not have this condition (fear of the number 13).  In contrast, I embrace and celebrate this dreaded number.  There are enough legitimate things in the world to be afraid of, why waste time with something that has only the power you give it?

So, on to the topic at hand:

What did I learn today?

-I learned that I can use baseball cards (of which I have plenty) to teach literacy.

-I learned that the possibilities for crossover between me and language arts are endless.

-I learned that my art project is evolving into something I am quite happy with.

-I learned that I can scoop articles and build a nice portfolio of web resources using scoop.it

-I learned that canvas is something useable IF I can get approval to get my kiddos a google account.  If not, I always have coursesites.

-I am not as terrified today of teaching in the fall as I was yesterday, but that is subject to change.

-Maybe I am over-thinking the whole formative assessment thing.  Perhaps it is simply a matter of establishing a baseline.  I think going down to 7th grade will make that process more fluid.  My last bunch of 7th graders required a lot of baseline support as I recall....and there are numerous similarities between this group and those.  Of course, I was in a much darker and confused place then as opposed to now.  Far too much brain fog and belief in my own invincibility in those days. 

-I learned that the arguments that people put forth against common core is probably some of the best evidence out there for EXACTLY why we need common core.

Day 12

Lots going on today.  Heard a presentation from the Federal Reserve.  Very entertaining and informative about how to integrate economics into class instruction.

Began working on lesson planning.  Lots of work involved...more so than I usually do, but that's another story. I am planning a lesson for the first few weeks. In its genesis and i'm already nervous about it.

I am in a different place now and I want to stay there.  But I am afraid that once I go back, i'll fall back into familiarity.

I don't want to be that teacher anymore.

Art project is coming along nicely.. here's an update.

Finished out the day talking via Google hangouts to Professor Chin Chi Chao of Taiwan.  It was pretty mind blowing to be communicating instantaneously with someone via video on the other side of the world.

Day 11

Went over MStar and began lesson planning today. Gonna kill two birds with one stone and get my first lesson planned for 14-15 school year. I can adapt to MStar sufficiently, but I fear that we may have opened the door to corruption by using it to introduce merit pay. If it is just tied to MStar, it's not as problematic as tying it to test scores...I don't know what the answer is.

We also talked about how to address the issue of district "No device" policies. How can we introduce tech into the classroom if the latest tech (from several years ago) is not allowed in class? Classic case of the law lagging behind society.

Updated the website, that's going to be a nice portfolio once we finish it. Read a great article at the Baltimore Sun today about Common Core: http://goo.gl/yIsLfJ

Check it out! I just used google url shortener!
 

Day 10

Today we exploded all over the internet. We had training in Twitter, Google Drive, Aurasma, QR Code creators, Google+, and a host of other blogs, screen recorders, video makers and things to make our lives easier and our instruction more 21st century. Here's the problem though... The rules are behind the technology. When schools have a strict "no device-if you see it, write it up" policy, what are you to do? Suppose we could start with a "do what you can where you can" idea.... Use the lab more, put more things online and in app form so the kids can access it outside of school. It is a lot to process and will require a bit of salesmanship on my part where administration is concerned.

Day 9

21st Century Skills! Very similar to the "coachability" thing I have preached for 7 years. It is basically the whole "are they good team players? Do they take directions? Do they take critique? Can they work with others?" A lot of kids don't have these skills anymore and have to be taught. LaShonda and I had a great idea for a service-learning activity to help her kids with the pre-consolidation process next year. I think one at my school would focus more on the transition from elementary to jr high. Of course, if the whispers of consolidation with West Lowndes are to be believed, who knows? Mr. Joblin's brochures activity was top notch. I am definitely going to use that one next year.

Day 8: Economics and Service Learning

Day 8 found us at Lloyd-Ricks-Watson for a session on economics and service learning. The session on economics was very useful and touched on many key points that I frequently hit on throughout the year (what economics is, what it isn't, how understanding it can help us make better individual and collective decisions). There were two separate session on service learning. One face to face and one via teleconference. The first dealt with a project here at MSU that takes students to the Delta. The other one, at USM, has middle school kids going to nursing homes to learn about senior fraud, which robs people of about $3 billion a year....mostly through relatives and caregivers. The main difference between service learning and community service is that service learning is far more in-depth about causes and effects and solutions, where community service is a one-time deal. There was also a session on the extension service's personal finance programs for middle and high schools. Two points of note: During the personal finance discussion, things got a little interesting when discussion generational poverty and the reality facing people living in poverty. It is one thing to teach a skill set when it comes to dealing with money, it is another matter entirely when you have a whole lattice work of perception based on social class. How do you tell a kid in poverty to abandon his family and give up his relationships to "better himself"? "How," he might ask, "is making myself lonely 'bettering' me?" Things also got interesting when our morning facilitator brought up belief and how it impedes positive change here in Mississippi (but you could extrapolate it out to pretty much the whole South). How do you teach people about science and politics when "their pastor" is who many of them trust to basically think for them about such matters? It just about got real...and then it vanished with a poof.

Day 7: Games and simulations

This is an area where I have to tread carefully. On the one hand, I really enjoy games and think they can be a very valuable tool in the right context and with the right supervision. However, I am so into games that it would be difficult for me to not get wrapped up in the game itself and neglect the purpose of it. I can see this happening with students as well. The key will be planning and making sure that we stick to strict guidelines and timetables. Two readily available things that we learned about today would be the smartboard technologies and the game creator techniques we learned for Excel and Powerpoint. I have had a promethian board for several years and have yet to fully unlock its potential. The techniques for making board games can be applied two ways: 1. General classes can use them for review/reinforcement purposes. 2. Pre-AP can make their own games for the same purpose. I also think I may allow for some computer game play: maybe Colonization or even a specific scenario in Civ 5 (Which I WILL OWN by the end of the month!) Got my background done for the art project. Used chalk to set the texture and colored in with watercolors. Experimented with acrylics and markers...I think markers are going to be more of a guide for the acrylics. It seemed to go better that way. The foreground will require precise geometry. That's what worries me. If the shapes are off, it will skew the whole thing....but maybe it needs skewing. The first two (from top to middle) are the experimental portions with watercolors, markers, acrylics and pastel chalks. The one on the bottom (the project) is pastel chalk and watercolor.

Day 6

Two quick and helpful things about today: 1. The Literacy strategies book. 2. Modeling. I have struggled with modeling. The strategies book provides great clues as far as how to do that. I guess this is part of why I have seemed so lost in the classroom and it explains the disconnect between my plans and the actual execution of my lesson. I am glad that I finally have a "how to" guide for that particular area. I really like the strategies guide. Getting the kids to read has been an uphill battle and I feel like I finally have a tool to turn the tide back in my favor. While I do not fully understand the jigsaw method, it intrigues me. I tried some cooperative learning this year with mixed success. Some groups simply deteriorated, some wanted to play around, but many kids who sat in my class completely clueless all year got it together and did phenomenal. Gonna read more on jigsaw, because I think it could potentially be a game-changer. Art session is proving to be very therapeutic. However, I feel a great deal of anxiety about it. I guess it's because I feel a great deal of anxiety period. There is so much I want to do and it seems that I have so little time to do any of it. You get to a point where you just say "to heck with it" and do nothing. The art is helping me work through that in some ways.

Day 5

What are the two things you find most helpful today? bubbl.us is going to be useful. I can use that when teaching things like the Protestant Reformation to show how modern Christianity all diverged from Catholicism. I have a better comprehension of understanding by design than I would have said that I had before today. All too often we get lost in coverage and planning and topics and on and on and on. We lose focus on what matters: where we are and what needs to be done. With UBD, your primary focus is the objective. I also found the art project not only helpful, but therapeutic. It is so hard for me to focus and concentrate sometimes and art tends to calm me down and "right the ship." I have noticed that many of my students (especially the male ones) tend to have the same problem. How can you potentially apply them to your lesson planning and teaching? The more tools you have in your toolbox, the more jobs you are able to do. Teaching is a very organic profession and doing it requires at least a basic understanding of evolution. Your teaching experience depends on a myriad of factors; some random, some deterministic. Either way a well-prepared teacher needs to be on their toes and ready for whatever. I feel like the deeper we get into this Institute, the heavier my toolbox becomes.

Day 4

SO we traveled back in time a few million years and dug fossils from the Cretaceous period and looked at othe fossils in Hilbun. Went to see artifacts from the dawn of human civilization in both hemispheres. Spent the afternoon talking civil rights, culture and social justice along with a brief detour into free verse poetry. Just finished looking at interactive games that the kiddos can use to do a little stealth learning. From free verse time today: "A blow at commerce and civilization." from the Mississippi Declaration of the Causes of Secession Reminded me of how social justice always faces this as an obstacle. Reminded me of this line from "The Breakfast Club" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HQhd-KUXrWI

Day 3: Virtual Tours

Given the limited resources and impossible logistics of taking students to places like Clovis, NM or Sagres, Portugal, virtual tours are a great tool to use with classes. One of the first ones I did in class was of the USS Constitution. http://www.history.navy.mil/USSCTour/movie.html Google Earth opens up way more possibilities. I'm thinking that for Pre-AP this year, I will send the kids on a scavenger hunt with place names withheld and only coordinates given, while the regular classes will get a list of places and be required to fill in coordinates. Both classes will perform research questions once they are at the locations. Differentitation would necesaitate peer groups. No more than 2 per.

Day 2: Use of spatial data and maps in the classroom

I have pretty much used maps and spatial data from day one as until this past year, the first chapter in my US History book dealt with the five themes of geography.  I do not believe you can separate history from geography because geography determines so much in history.

I do feel more liberated as far as how I can integrate more geography into the curriculum.  In the past I have simply insisted that the students draw their own maps of the areas under study. Now, I feel that I can insist on demanding more than just spatial knowledge as so much more information is available to them.  Not only can they present a map, but a map that includes so much more than mere place names.

The challenge for me will be not to get too far ahead of them and expect too much too soon.  I guess this will be relegated by formative assessments.  But what kind?

Day 1: And here we are...

Morning: Feeling good about the program.  Turns out I know two people here as Pankey and Joblin both are attending.  Once initial anxieties were answered as they relate to logistics, I settled in to hear what we are actually doing.  Looks like it's going to be useful and entertaining.  Did a tour of campus. Got dismissed then did my own.  Visited some of the old haunts. 

Spent most of lunch hour in the library reading about the Crusades in Mackay's "Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds." Wanted to read Hitch but couldn't find him.  Oh well.  How often do I get to sit in a quiet room and read? Not very.  I will like this aspect of the conference.

Afternoon: Got a primer on Magnolia.  Need to do more research-based stuff this year.  Fire alarms were blaring at the building when we got back.  Once we got back in we went over the standards.  This followed a rap session about our thoughts on CCSS. 

I feel like after this, I will be well-equipped to make a real impact. Hopefully, I can find my niche and really turn things out in the district.  Tired of just existing at my job.