Heading Back to Where it All Started....PIL Global Forum

This week I get to return to where it all started. My "transformation" as an Innovative Educator began last year with my Microsoft Partners In Learning experience and I am looking forward to being a visitor at the Partners In Learning Global Forum for their closing day of events.  I've been trying to figure out why I am so excited to attend....and I haven't come up with a definitive answer, but I do know that:

• The people that I met last summer helped me to see where education was going and why we, as educators, need to follow that path.
• The new ideas and excitement that I experienced gave me the courage to try out some of those ideas and look for new ones.
• My eyes were opened to the BIG ideas of education and the fact that I can find support around the globe as I experiment with making technology and 21st century learning a regular part of my classroom.
• The thought of just "knowing" that there are others in different states, and different countries that are also experimenting and sharing has helped me to take the risk in my own classroom.

So....I am travelling into Washington, DC on Nov. 10 to listen to the closing keynote address featuring educators from around the world sharing what is happening in their part of the world.  Then I will have the opportunity to wander through the exhibit hall and witness the "World Cup of Technology Education."  I am looking forward to...for just a few hours...experiencing that excitement and passion for education that I was immersed in last summer, and possibly engage in a few conversations that will give me another spark or idea for my classroom journey.

The fact that Microsoft Partners in Learning extended the Global Forum invitation to those Innovative Educators that live in the Washington D.C. area shows their commitment to continuing to support us in our learning and teaching adventures, and for that I am grateful!!

Choices - good for students and teachers!

Choices - students need them and I have learned to appreciate them.

choice: noun
1.an act or instance of choosing;
2.the right, power, or opportunity to choose;
3.an alternative
3.an abundance or variety from which to choose:

Teachers are always making choices.  They are choosing which assignment to give, which book to read, when to give a test, how many days it will take to teach this lesson.....but when are we allowing students to make choices?

I've come to realize that students need choices to be successful learners.

My students this year are making as many choices in a single school day as I am.  I have begun to limit the traditional methods of passing out a piece of paper to every student and they all complete it and turn it in. My students need to "stretch their brain" (as I tell them many times a day), to complete the assignment and figure out what to do next.  I am not going to hold their hand this year.  They are going to walk alone - with me by their side as they go forward in fourth grade. This is very difficult for some students to grasp, and yet...others love it and are moving forward independently with ease.

The concept of choosing what they want to do, or how they will complete the task is foreign to most students.  They are used to teachers telling them exactly what to do to be successful.
     "But how many sentences should I write?"
     "How long should it be?"
     "What do I do next?"
     "Where do you want me to draw the picture?"
     "I don't know what you want me to do..."
     "This is too hard, I need you to show me what to do..."

These statements and questions are already becoming less common in my classroom, as the students are beginning to realize that they have choices, and they are able to decide how to complete the assignment.  Many still need the reassurance that they are on the right track, but don't we all?  A nice pat on the back that we are doing a good job is essential for anyone!

Through formative assessment I am able to see if the kids are grasping the concepts, but I don't need to have everyone complete the same worksheet to get that data.



I used to say, "I am Queen of this Kingdom" to my students.....now to quote a popular phrase that has been floating around the ed blog community...  

I have gone from being the Sage on the Stage, 

to the Guide by the Side. 

So..another learning experiment this week is coming. I need to finish our district mandated reading assessments, so the traditional way of doing this is to pass out "busy work" to the other students while I work independently with each student on the assessment.  The kids are used to this (from previous years) and expect to get  pile of worksheets to complete as seatwork, and DON'T bother me while I am working with another student. Who says seatwork needs to be worksheets?  I presented the kids with my version of seatwork on Friday afternoon...

They will be tasked with creating an 8-10 slide powerpoint show demonstrating their knowledge of Virginia's Native Americans as a culminating activity for our Social Studies unit. They will be integrating Research, Writing, Reading, Spelling, Social Studies, and Technology skills into this project.  They were amazed at how many "subjects" they would be doing at the same time. :)  We are not a 1:1 school district, so this task will take some logistical maneuvering to accomplish.  We have 3 computers in our classroom, a laptop cart with an additional 12 available, and an empty classroom across the hall with 4.   Hopefully that will be enough. They were told that there may be times where they had a question and would have to find a friend to answer it and help them because I might be busy with another student. Can they collaborate and help each other?  Definitely!!  They were thrilled, and asked on Friday afternoon... 10 minutes before the final bell rang if they could start now!  

Project Based Learning

Student Choice

Independent Thinking

Creativity

Collaboration

I think these kids are on their way to becoming 21st century learners and global citizens and it all begins with letting them choose! 

A novice with a passion to make it real for myself and my students!

21st Century....we've been here for close to 12 years now, but I am just beginning to realize what it means to today's students.  I have been teaching for 22 years and it is definitely one of my passions.  I had wanted to be a teacher for as long as I remember, and 22 years later...I still wake up and look forward to what the day holds with my fourth graders. Having had experience in second, third, fifth and now fourth grades I can see the large amount of diversity and differentiation among the different grade levels, but also within the single classroom.

My classroom vision and the direction that my teaching is going took a sharp turn last April as I was invited to participate in Microsoft's Partners in Learning 2011 Innovative Educator's Forum in Redmond, Washington.  I was using technology in my classroom, but it was an "extra" thing we did when we had time. As I worked with my Technology Resource Teacher on our project to be presented at the IEF in July, I began to see technology in a different light.  I was told by Microsoft to list which 21st Century Learning Skills I was using in my classroom...I didn't even know such a thing existed.  Reflecting back, I must have been teaching in a bubble.  Collaboration, Critical Thinking
Skills, Global Communication, Authentic Learning, Creativity, Problem Based Learning...I was doing it, but didn't even know it.

In July, I spent 3 FABULOUS days with over 100 educators from around the country who were passionate about education and technology.  I felt like I didn't belong, after all, 3 months earlier I didn't even know that I was doing half of those things...but...I chose to take that opportunity to LEARN and absorb everything that I could about education in the 21st century. 

I had been told  by one of the educators attending the IEF, that the experience would change my life as a teacher. I thought I was a pretty good teacher, and didn't know if I truly believed her, but...yes...it did!  The teacher I am now is a totally different person than the teacher that I was a year ago.

It took being surrounded by people with open minds, passion and know-how to change the way I want to teach. I came back and started a Twitter account.  My Twitter account is education based only and I am continuing my quest for knowledge, new ideas and that need to be surrounded by those in the know....I LOVE it!!

Self Reflection is what the past few months have been all about - Why am I doing this? What is the benefit for the students? How can I change this and bring in those 21st century skills? How can I convince the parents of my students that this is all good? and most of all...Where can I find others to share in the joy that I am feeling this year?

I have felt alone in my "educational transformation" this year. My husband, also a fourth grade teacher at the same school is happy for me and also "into" a lot of the same technology things that I am doing. He and I share ideas and actually share students also, but I wanted that place to share my successes with others who understood the "why" and had the same ideas.  I am working with the same Technology Teacher at my school and I am actually sharing some things with her that she didn't know about. My administration is accepting of some of my experiments and my classroom parents are very excited about some of the changes this year.  I am not one to toot my own horn or force my ideas down someone's throat, so I am growing and transforming silently in my classroom.

After reading so many educational blogs and realizing that there are others out there with the same dilemmas that I have, I decided it was my turn to share!  I am a novice with a lot of these concepts and ideas, but I am learning and am proud of the progress that my students and I are making together.

Some of the discoveries that I have made in the past few weeks and are already attempting to find ways to integrate into my classroom are: Kidblog, Wallwisher, Tagxedo, and I am currently exploring the Flipped Classroom concept.

So here I am...my attempts at "Making It Real" for myself and my students!

Please comment and I look forward to hearing the thoughts from anyone who is willing to help me as I embark on this journey to help my students become global citizens of the 21st century!