So I was at my contract ratification meeting today and one of the major changes that the negotiation team decided to highlight was that the contract now explicitly states that all meetings will be on Mondays. Being the professional development groupie that I am, I immediately thought about my Technology Implementation Plan and the implications that this new lingo has on asynchrounous discussions and digital PLCs in general.
Do the same rules, as stated in the contract, apply to PD based on Web 2.0 tools? Can administrators only ask for people's participation in asynchrouns discussions on Mondays afterschool from 3:15-4:00? Will teachers be opposed to this type of PD because it requires them to use their available time any day of the week? I know I am totally getting ahead of myself, but I couldn't help but think how this new offical language affects my professional development plans for my building.
Monday, November 28, 2011
Sunday, November 27, 2011
Slow Going
So, I've been waiting to introduce my TIP idea to my colleagues, but parent-teacher conferences, contract ratification meetings (yay!) and conflicts with my Principal's schedule have postponed my presentation for the entire month of November. Hopefully I will be able to begin to implement my plan before the winter holiday break. Keep your fingers crossed.
On another note, I have been working on "beefing" up my school's professional development website. I added some video clips that we watched in our Teaching with Digital Tools class. Most recently I added the McLeod TEDx talk and his original Shift Happens and subsequent unauthorized Did You Know updates. Like I mentioned in my discussion post, I feel a lot of the teachers I work with are completely in the dark about how serious the need is to change the way we educate our youth really is. I mean I know that a lot of this stuff is on the news, but it is presented in an asynchronous format. I feel that those presentations have all of these facts presented in way that is so compelling that is has to effect a person in some way, shape, or form. Watch for yourself, if haven't seen them already and let me know what you think.
On another note, I have been working on "beefing" up my school's professional development website. I added some video clips that we watched in our Teaching with Digital Tools class. Most recently I added the McLeod TEDx talk and his original Shift Happens and subsequent unauthorized Did You Know updates. Like I mentioned in my discussion post, I feel a lot of the teachers I work with are completely in the dark about how serious the need is to change the way we educate our youth really is. I mean I know that a lot of this stuff is on the news, but it is presented in an asynchronous format. I feel that those presentations have all of these facts presented in way that is so compelling that is has to effect a person in some way, shape, or form. Watch for yourself, if haven't seen them already and let me know what you think.
Saturday, November 12, 2011
I'm Back!!
Okay, since the great power outage of Northern New Jersey is now over and I am caught up on all of my other assignments I can now concentrate on my blog posting. Yay! Over the past month I have been very busy in regards to designing my Technology Implementation Project (TIP). Lots of great PD things have been going on all around me, verifying why my TIP idea is so important to my colleagues.
About the third week of October, my district sent all of its Professional Development (PD) committees to an NJDOE sponsored event. The main topic of this conference was of course the 2012-2013 school and district PD plan. The state really didn't go into too much detail about what constitutes a PLC this year, as opposed to last year. They seemed to believe that we all were already implementing them in some way or another, because it is a requirement. Instead they focused on knowledge generating opportunities amongst teachers and the importance of those opportunities for professional growth. They then linked those professional learning experiences to student achievement, via different logic models and research. On a side note, being an Ed.D. student, I was especially excited that they were discussing a possible additional theoretical framework that I could use in my dissertation work. Although they made my day in that regard, they really were trying to demonstrate to the many sceptics out there that there is value in collaborative forms of professional development for teachers and students alike.
I feel that many traditionalists do not view teacher time to talk, plan, and create as valuable learning experiences. All of us have been conditioned to believe that true learning can only take place when an expert is in front of a room disseminating knowledge to whomever is listening to them. That is the way we as adults have learned as children and that is the way that many teach their students today. It is the way that many feel comfortable learning. The point the state was trying to make was that we need to break away from those types of traditional learning environments, for both our teachers and our students sake.
I was thoroughly surprised when the NJDOE discussed infusing technology, especially Web 2.0 tools, into teacher and student learning opportunities. They showed a video clip of a 1st grade classroom that used all of the technology we have been talking about, wikis, blogs, discussion boards, podcasts, and video streaming to learn about everything around them. When the clip was over the room was a buzz with people talking. At my table people couldn't believe what they saw. They said that there was no way that could take place in their classrooms. I asked one of my colleagues why she felt that way. She responded that she had no idea how to use those types of technology and didn't understand how they could be valuable learning tools. She felt that texting and typing made communication impersonal and that she felt that typing all of the time rather than speaking to someone face to face, has been taking away from her students' social skills. I asked her if she ever had used any of the tools that the video discussed. She said no, and that she would have no idea how to use them herself or in her classroom. To make a long story short, I followed up with some more questions and in the end the teacher agreed that if she was exposed to and supported throughout her use of one of the Web 2.0 tools mentioned in the video for her own learning she may begin to see the importance of that tool as a learning device and may be inclined to then use the tool in her classroom.
Throughout my development of my TIP I have thought about what this teacher said to me. I must make sure that I support my colleagues through this process while showing them the importance of this tool not only for their own personal growth but for their students growth as well.
About the third week of October, my district sent all of its Professional Development (PD) committees to an NJDOE sponsored event. The main topic of this conference was of course the 2012-2013 school and district PD plan. The state really didn't go into too much detail about what constitutes a PLC this year, as opposed to last year. They seemed to believe that we all were already implementing them in some way or another, because it is a requirement. Instead they focused on knowledge generating opportunities amongst teachers and the importance of those opportunities for professional growth. They then linked those professional learning experiences to student achievement, via different logic models and research. On a side note, being an Ed.D. student, I was especially excited that they were discussing a possible additional theoretical framework that I could use in my dissertation work. Although they made my day in that regard, they really were trying to demonstrate to the many sceptics out there that there is value in collaborative forms of professional development for teachers and students alike.
I feel that many traditionalists do not view teacher time to talk, plan, and create as valuable learning experiences. All of us have been conditioned to believe that true learning can only take place when an expert is in front of a room disseminating knowledge to whomever is listening to them. That is the way we as adults have learned as children and that is the way that many teach their students today. It is the way that many feel comfortable learning. The point the state was trying to make was that we need to break away from those types of traditional learning environments, for both our teachers and our students sake.
I was thoroughly surprised when the NJDOE discussed infusing technology, especially Web 2.0 tools, into teacher and student learning opportunities. They showed a video clip of a 1st grade classroom that used all of the technology we have been talking about, wikis, blogs, discussion boards, podcasts, and video streaming to learn about everything around them. When the clip was over the room was a buzz with people talking. At my table people couldn't believe what they saw. They said that there was no way that could take place in their classrooms. I asked one of my colleagues why she felt that way. She responded that she had no idea how to use those types of technology and didn't understand how they could be valuable learning tools. She felt that texting and typing made communication impersonal and that she felt that typing all of the time rather than speaking to someone face to face, has been taking away from her students' social skills. I asked her if she ever had used any of the tools that the video discussed. She said no, and that she would have no idea how to use them herself or in her classroom. To make a long story short, I followed up with some more questions and in the end the teacher agreed that if she was exposed to and supported throughout her use of one of the Web 2.0 tools mentioned in the video for her own learning she may begin to see the importance of that tool as a learning device and may be inclined to then use the tool in her classroom.
Throughout my development of my TIP I have thought about what this teacher said to me. I must make sure that I support my colleagues through this process while showing them the importance of this tool not only for their own personal growth but for their students growth as well.
Saturday, October 1, 2011
Getting Started
Will Richardson (2010), in his book Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, and Other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms, suggests that teachers who would like to start blogging should become familiar with the process before they start using that aspect of the Read/Write web with them. I guess this is why we are starting our own blog. I feel that I know how they work, but I myself have not had much experience writing one on my own without the guidance of a prompt for a class. Richardson (2010) also suggests that teachers new to the Read/Write web reflect on their learning and web usage. I use the web to access and gain knowledge. As a child I used to teach myself how to do things I was interested in by reading books and watching experts on TV. I taught myself how to ice skate and swim by reading library books and watching the winter and summer Olympics. Today I do the same thing, but instead of visiting the library I search the web, and instead of waiting for TV shows to air I look for video clips on YouTube. Two summers ago I started to teach myself how to skimboard and as a new homeowner I use the web all the time to learn how to become more “handy” and how to become a gardener.
As a graduate student I use the Read/Write web all the time in classes and I would like to use it in the same way with my students and colleagues. I agree with Richardson in the fact that I need to become more comfortable with the process of using wiki’s and blogs before I can adequately teach my students and colleagues. So in a way this class exercise serves an important purpose. I look forward to sharing my learning experiences and ideas with you. I am sure it will serve as a valuable learning experience for us all.
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