Don't Sweat The Technique

Learning with iPads/ Teaching with iPads

I recently attended a seminar on how to use iPads in the classroom (users being both teachers and students - all learners I should say). I have been eager to learn about this subject matter since iPads began to pop-up in classrooms in and around my school board and jumped at the chance to attend this informal “how-to” day.

Clearly, being able to effectively incorporate technology into your lesson plans to engage students and help them to express themselves, be creative, collaborate and look at things from new perspectives is one of the best tools a teacher can have. iPads have amazing functionality that is so intuitive for even the very youngest of children. Even my two year old son knows how to turn it on, and navigate between apps. I have seen him sit, absolutely glued to his games for counting, shapes, colours, animals and the alphabet. My mind began to whir as I thought of the possibilities for literacy and numeracy in the K-8 classroom.

How relieved I was to learn that the focus of the day was not going to be on “which apps to invest in” (there are a million great blog posts, infographics and Livebinders out there curated by experts on this very thing). What we narrowed in on were very basic iPad 101 things and then a detailed explanation of some instructional strategies to become expert at.

Topics we discussed for iPads and young students:

All of these things are linked above for further information.

However, there was one topic which really captivated me and had my mind running all over the place for the multifarious ways it could be used in the classroom and this was Airplay or Screen Mirroring

What Airplay allows you to do is to send a signal from your iPad to the computer that is hooked up to your digital projector - thus allowing you to control your projection screen from anywhere in the classroom. Using Apple TV and an HDMI cable or programs which you can install on your computer like Reflectionapp.com or Airserverapp.com you can display multiple devices (say 5 different iPads) side by side up on your SMARTBoard or other interactive whiteboard (or even plain old projection screen though you won't be able to control your iPad by touching the projection screen in this case).

Many teachers are nervous about “letting go” of control and allowing students the autonomy to choose what they will be working on or how they will self-regulate using such technology. I am one of those teachers. However, this functionality showed me that if you can engage students in a task using tech tools to make the job easier, the finished product look better and have the experience of using it be pleasurable and, heck, even fun! Then why not?

These apps also allow you to record what is happening on all screens as a presentation which you can then save and export (upload to YouTube or embed on a class website).

The teaching idea that immediately struck me was for literacy - the retell (beginning, middle, end) for primary students. If you were to give students 1 iPad for every 5 students you could, in groups have the students be responsible for one part of the story, and using PuppetPals or Toontastic along with Airplay and iBrainstorm you could allow the students to bring their part of the story to life and support their metacognitive awareness by having them document with words and pictures the process they followed to create their retell. When all of their productions are finished, you can play them up on the screen - movie time for the kids! Who doesn't love to share their creative work with their peers - especially when it was fun to create and fun to watch.

Of course, I would have to play around with this to finesse the process and even pick and choose better suited apps, perhaps, but what matters the most is that I now have an awareness that this exists for students and teachers, that it triggered a million and one neat ideas that I can’t wait to try, and that I have that passion and desire to find out more. On the anniversary of Steve Job’s death one year ago today - I have to hand it to him - he is one genius. The iPad is already starting to revolutionize learning in classrooms in Ontario. Will your classroom be next?

Home From (ed)Camp! - Reflections from EdCampTO 2012

if there were ever a time for cloning,
picking a session would be it!

I left EdCamp TO 2012 with more questions than answers, but that is usually the sign of a great conference. Wouldn’t you say? After a few days of reflection, I find that I’m ready to voice my own questions roused from the days organic conversations (parking lots, “plenary/ party room”, breakout rooms, hallways, bathroom, etc.) THEY HAPPENED ALL DAY LONG. A colleague of mine called the day “energizing” and I couldn’t agree more (and while I did consume about 6 cups of coffee, the stirrings inside were due more to the captivating ideas than the constant caffeine drip). Everywhere I turned there was another smiling face, ready to look you in the eye and hear what you had to say. Its rare to find people so open and ready to delve into deep education topics as varied as inquiry-based learning to public accountability and standard/ standardized tests.

So what’s next?

How do we really define 21st century learning?
What is our purpose as educators?
What makes an educator innovative?
How do we enact TPACK and best make use of available technology inside (and out) of the classroom?
What makes a great learning space?
What are the essential skills that a human needs? Are they found in the curriculum?
How do you truly evaluate a child?
How can our reporting tools better reflect authentic assessment?
How can you truly embody inquiry-based or problem-based learning and make it work given a school’s rotary schedule?
How do we bridge the transition between the full-day kindergarten program and Grade 1?
Are we guilty of schoolifying children?
Teacher autonomy - where did it go?

Some tidbits to look into further:

Deborah Meier and The Coalition of Essential Schools
Canadian Coalition of Self-Directed Learning
Creating Innovators: The Making of Young People Who Will Change The World Tony Wagner
Aaron Sams Flipped Classroom
Dr. Michael Gurstein and community infomatics
Design thinking

Getting Ready For My EdCamping Trip - TO Edition

Its only a few days away and I can already feel the excitement building with colleagues I work with for the second annual EdCamp TO at York University. If you're unfamiliar with the EdCamp model, its an unconference, meaning that the day's topics and schedule are decided by the participants the day of. This is fabulous because it encourages organic discussion about topics that really matter in education. And the discussions themselves are moderated rather than led and so you're not sitting, twiddling your thumbs listening to a rehearsed speech delivered alongside a powerpoint presentation. Stakeholders from all angles in education - administrators, parents, students (from highschool to MEd, PhD) teachers, teacher teachers, professors (public, private, catholic), etc. are all in attendance. What a great opportunity to expand your mind with viewpoints on a variety of ed topics!

If you are interested in coming - its FREE and registration is still open. Register Here

This year I am eager to discuss: learning frameworks for literacy, creating classroom communities, inquiry-based education, new classroom models, technology integration and PD for teachers.

What are YOU interested in discussing?

Why We Should All Unplug

People with passion change the world - @jjash, written on a piece of tree struck by lightning at the edge, and given to me...

Having arrived back at home after a soul-stirring weekend with 39 fellow educators up at Northern Edge Algonquin for Unplug’d 12; I sit and marinate on the weekend’s experiences. Inside, I feel calm and centered, odd adjectives to describe me, a person who is usually antsy and anxious. No, I haven’t taken up meditation or even yoga, and no I haven’t cut out the 4 cups of coffee I enjoy a day, but I have built some pretty solid relationships and set the ground work for many others with a most inspiring set of passionate individuals. People who care a lot about education, and who opened up to me, in extremely brave and powerful ways this past weekend. I won’t go into great detail about each experience planned for us over the 3-day retreat, but I will try to capture some sketches of the zeitgeist of the thing for those who haven’t been (yet!)

Why you should make a point to Unplug:

connect to nature (the locale is extraordinary - quiet, serene and peaceful), and yourself (numerous solitary retreats and activities exist to steal away and just ruminate), then connect to others in a deeper way to strengthen your practices, broaden your perspectives and go deeper into your role as a lifelong learner.

create a written piece to help explore, question, thank, apologize or celebrate a significant person in your life as a learner

collaborate on an e-book with individuals from a broad range of backgrounds, experiences, outlooks and places through a unique peer-review process which is both frightening and mind expanding

hear a loon, smell some moss, see the lake ripple, see some stars twinkle and shoot across the night sky, hike a trail to a hidden lake, plant an apple tree, stretch your muscles and your mind, open your heart, eat together (food that will BLOW YOUR MIND) and sleep - dreaming of the change you’ll be sure to make now that you’ve been to The Edge.

Thank you to: Zoe, Rodd, Kelly-Ann, Ben, Jowi, Erin, James, Lisa, Brenda, Bryan, David, Lorna, Jenny, Jess, Jessica, Heidi, Kathy, Andrew, Karen, GNA, Alan, Rob, Rod, Jenny, Marci, Gail, Todd, Martha, Iain, Jackie, Giulia, Gill, Guilliaume, Wes, Betsy, Aerin, Danika, Kim, Donna and Matt, all for your earnest reflections, smiles, jokes and encouragement.

Not 'Pulling the Plug'! UNPLUG'D

Who am I other than a "new teacher"?

When I was asked by my colleague and friend to come camping with her in the summer to this thing she called Unplug’d up in Algonquin, I thought: awesome! I’m not very outdoorsy, but it sounds really cool! A whole bunch of people interested in being better educators than they already are? Sign me up. My husband thought I was nuts for a few reasons. First he said: You? Camping!? You’ve got to be kidding me. Then he said, “but you JUST finished teacher’s college and you haven’t even been hired yet! Why are YOU going? Isn’t this kind of thing a retreat for teachers to recuperate over the summer?” Yes, I suppose I am not mother-nature’s best girlfriend and the idea of pitching a tent or hiking are somewhat foreign to me, but his “new teacher” comment really got under my skin. “You don’t think I need to recuperate after the year of school I’ve just finished!?” and also, “I don’t think that’s the main idea of this trip, honey. Its bigger than that. The drive for these people coming together is not solely to get together to relax.”

After visiting the website for the Unplug’d community and speaking more about what the trip entailed, I couldn’t register fast enough. And now its upon us. Next Thursday I will be going to Toronto to begin this “life changing experience”. I am eagerly awaiting it. The countdown has begun!

So what IS my motive for going other than the sunrise yoga which I hear is pretty stellar? Well, its threefold, actually. 1. In the face of a highly competitive job market I need to be inspired and shaken into a more positive “I can do it!” mindset. 2. I already know from my limited experiences with team teaching, tweetups, blog collectives and group unit planning, that I grow and flourish when I’m connected to other passionate educators - AND I can officially call myself an educator now, so why not? 3. I truly believe that you can be a better educator if you nourish your PLN, and build relationships of support and cheerleading. What better way than to connect IN PERSON to other teachers, administrators, parents, trustees and, well, people for education in general, to discuss what matters most? Learning. This year we are going to share stories about education from a variety of perspectives and addressing a broad range of pressing issues. Maybe its risky to sign on for this trip and to come at it from a new teacher perspective. I don’t know. With great risk comes great reward, right? Oh, I hope so.

Rapport For Beginner's

Building Rapport with Students is Half the Apple Photo courtesy Ivy Dawned http://www.flickr.com/photos/ivydawned/7404061774/in/pool-26241990@N00/

I always find it inspiring to chat with fellow teachers on effective teaching practices as well as the characteristics of memorable educator's that they have had in their past - who have had a positive impact on their own pedagogical approach. Talk runs the gamut from behaviour management techniques, assessment and evaluation, to creative and engaging lessons and activities, but what I find the conversation always comes back to is building relationships with students to create a community of learners. For teachers and students alike, the memorable teachers were fair, kind, funny, passionate and human. They looked their students in the eye. Admitted when they were having a bad day. Were interested in their students on a human level - cared about their growth, interests and struggles inside and outside of the classroom.

If I were to bet money on it, I'd bet that most teachers (or people who are drawn to teaching) have a handle on what it means to build rapport with a student. I'm not talking about something that new or innovative here, but I'm writing about it because I feel it is the MOST important part of being a good teacher. Once you have relationships, your classroom family is built and onboard and that is half the battle (or "half the apple") ;)

I'll admit I was complimented by my own faculty advisors and associate teachers during my bachelor of education for my ability to build rapport with students. This shocked me, and made me feel warm and tingly inside. According to them I appear to have an extremely self-depricating side, and yet am able to come across as confidently vulnerable and am ready and willing to show my weaknesses in order to model that anyone can "get better" at something if they put the effort forth to do so. I am also dry and sarcastic - which works for the junior set, but is a bit confusing for primary - or so I have discovered. It is something I am naturally able to do, but I'm not sure how I do it and so I decided to research what it is I might be unconsciously doing when I do what I don't know I am doing....

Interested on the topic of building rapport, I came across this great article from Social Psychology.org.

entitled: Creating Positive Emotional Contexts for Enhancing Teaching and Learning

According to the article characteristics which lend themselves to building rapport are, "showing a sense of humor; availability before, after, or outside of class; encouraging class discussion; showing interest in them, knowing students' names; sharing personal insights and experiences with the class; relating course material in everyday terms and examples; and understanding that students occasionally have problems arise that inadvertently hinder their progress in their courses."

Why focus on building relationships? "the most common positive effects of rapport on their academic behavior were, in order: to increase their enjoyment of the teacher and subject matter; to motivate them to come to class more often, and to pay more attention in class. Thus, rapport seems to facilitate both student motivation for learning and their enjoyment of the course, and enhances student receptivity to what is being taught." The days of scolding, and throwing chalk and the strap are long over. Hopefully writing lines and detention and sending students down to waste time sitting in the principals office are too. I realize that there are students with certain behaviour exceptionalities, and it might be difficult to have a break through with them at first, but don't abandon hope. Work at it. Building rapport with your students is a wonderful pre-emptive behaviour management strategy.

The tips found in the aforementioned article are for post-secondary education, but I feel are greatly needed in any good teacher from JK-12! Its not just teachers and EAs that can benefit from keeping these things in mind, but principals and other administrators as well.

Volunteering recently, I witnessed a principal who is top-notch at building rapport with the entire school community (staff, parents and most importantly - the students!) It is inspiring to watch him burst his head through the crack in the door of a kindergarten class and yell joyously, "You're the best! You're the best! You're the best! You're the best! You're the best! " over and over until all the kids feel inspired and like they could conquer the world. How cool is that?

The Vicinity of Success

Photo Courtesy of Stefan Andrej Shambora via Flickr

After an enlightening speech at Brock's Bachelor of Education Convocation ceremony last Wednesday by Kevin Kee, I decided to use his thought-provoking quote as the title of this post; a reflection on my post-grad, pre-job frame of mind. What he said inspired me:

You’re in the vicinity of success, the conditions are right for you to succeed. But you can’t just sit there and wait....

These days, graduates, you have to go after your own success.As you know far better than me, it’s a difficult time to become a teacher in Ontario. There are peaks and troughs in the hiring of teachers, and right now we’re in a trough — too many late-career teachers, too few students entering schools. If you’re interested in the details, you can read the report from the Ontario College of Teachers called “Transition to Teaching”....

The report points out that recently graduated teachers like you are highly committed to your profession: nine of ten of those polled were devoted to long-term teaching careers because they want to make a difference in students’ lives. But relatively few have secured long-term jobs. Last year, among first-year teachers, one in three was unemployed; only one in eight had secured a regular teaching job....

You can read the rest of his speech on his blog if you're interested - his message contained a great metaphor that gave the crowd shivers - it rang SO true.

So here I sit, recently graduated from my bachelor of ed program with primary/junior qualifications and even an extra certificate denoting that I've completed Brock's inaugural year of the Educational Technology Leadership course. I am brimming with hope, but not a lot of positivity (I'm working on it!).

I have done quite well, and, despite not being employed in the public education system (yet!), I am very proud of my accomplishments. "Kudos to me!" says me. I got great marks, highly successful teaching evaluations, I learned a lot, had excellent associate teachers during my practicums and, more impactful than any of this, met some awesome kids and some wonderful colleagues in the process. This was the year that I built myself, what will be, in many ways, my inspiration, my sounding board, my think tank, even my lifeline in my future career, my PLN. How lucky am I? Very.

But something is troubling me! I've been looking all over for the post-bachelor of education survival guide. No such luck. So here is my only advice: if you need support you've got to speak up and ask for it. I've been fortunate enough to receive quite a lot of helpful (and some not-so-helpful, but "well-meaning") advice in my quest for a job in education.

A Taste:

Get a principal to recommend you to the supply list.
Get an interview with a school board.
Do the interview of your life.
Take any job they offer.
Apply to all the boards.
Move up north.
Teach in a first nations community.
Go abroad.
Take AQ courses.
Do your Masters of Education.
Keep volunteering and get "known".
Build your experience profile.
Don't resort to bar tending (unless absolutely necessary).
You'll probably get a job within the next five years if you keep volunteering.

*gulp*

Being a life long learner (on my own AND through accredited universities) yes, I'll spend thousands of dollars past the initial 10-20K for my degree to take extra AQ courses (and no, not solely for getting placed in a higher earning bracket while I still can, but to actually broaden my horizons and expand my mind). But as I browse my options on a local university's Continuing Teacher Education website I find myself at a bit of a fork in the road. Do I take the course(s) that I hear principals are "buzzing about," that boards must see in order to even consider your resume? Or do I specialize in something that I'm really extremely interested in? At a recent career fair, a representative from the TDSB said, "Focus on one area and specialize. Make sure that area is one that rocks your world."

Along The Rocky Path... Some Things To Consider

I went to the Conference of Independent Schools of Ontario open house/ job fair at the Ontario Science Center a few months back. After waiting 45 minutes to turn left into the jammed parking lot, I waited about 30-40 minutes in each of three lines to speak to 3 schools. Not necessarily schools that I wanted to teach at, but the schools with the shortest lines. None of them were hiring. Keep hoping.

A professor of mine told me to "look for dirt". She meant, if you see an area that is expanding and building new homes, hang in there, volunteer in the new schools where new surveys are opening up. They might have understaffed and brilliant things can happen if they know you. Keep searching.

I was told by a well-meaning elementary school VP that in order to get hired by my local board, principals can only recommend teacher candidates who have FSL, Music or double qualifications (P/J/I or J/I/S) - to be maximized in a K-8 rotary system, I suppose. Keep learning.

Friends say, we don't know what the fall holds. If teachers are getting their banked sick days taken away, many close to retirement will retire. I don't feel hopeful when I hear this! I feel bad for the teachers who have earned those days. Those teachers who don't get pension until they're 67 and have a hard decision to make. Keep perspective.

They remind me that teacher attrition within the first 5 years has a staggering statistic. "Don't forget!" they say...many of your colleagues at teacher's college weren't intending to teach in traditional classrooms, or even in Canada. Keep realistic.

In the washroom after the convocation ceremony was through, I overheard a conversation happening between 2 stalls (not sure if men do this, but its a common occurrence in women's washrooms). "My interview is next week!" said one grad excitedly. "Oh really?!" said another. "Mine was 2 weeks ago. I start an LTO in September." As I listened, I wondered to myself, "How is this turnaround time even possible!? We just graduated!" As I pondered this, I continued to apply my lipstick and had to remind myself to stop circling over and over again (I was starting to look like the Joker from the Dark Knight). I am happy for these successful teachers. They've made it through the "vicinity" of success and have hit the bullseye.

I don't pretend to speak for all new teacher candidates. This is just my experience. But for any new teachers out there, looking for jobs, a modicum of advice: as we new teachers forge our own paths toward success, I urge you not to be sucked into the negativity that can consume us in this sometimes negative, jobless realm. Stay positive. Keep your eye on the goal. Keep your hand in it. Try something new and above all: don't give up. Teaching is about supporting one another, collaborating and working together. Just because our beginning into the profession is a competitive one - it shouldn't remain that way once we're in.