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!