Teachers Learn Best from Other Teachers

Sheila R. sharing the power of SPLAT!

It's TRUE! Teachers learn best from other teachers.  Perhaps that is why EdCamps are so popular! They are so popular that  our district has dedicated a whole professional development day modeled after the Edcamp style. (Not familiar with Edcamp - read about it HERE.) 

Paula B. sharing Osmos to Kindergarten Teachers

This is the 3rd year our district has participated in a "modified" Edcamp.  Each year the call goes out to all educators in the system to submit a topic to either "lead", "facilitate" or "explore".  This year more and more teachers shared their craft and experiences with colleagues.  We even had some out of district teachers present. (And a keynote presentation by Alan November!)

It's TRUE! Teachers learn best from other teachers!  Why? Because teachers are passionate!  When teachers are passionate about what pedagogy, it's hard not to get excited right alongside them.  

Ed kicking off EdCampWalpole - Family Feud Style!

Several of the teachers from the two buildings where I work decided to go out of their comfort zone and share their passions with the rest of the district.  These teachers believe in what they are doing with their students.  

These are teachers who share their expertise with their elementary students on a daily basis, but who aren't usually in front of their colleagues. However, their passion helped them come forward, take a chance and present new and relevant information. 

Suzanne G. sharing Flexible Seating in the classroom

It's TRUE! Teachers learn best from other teachers!  Why? Because teachers are sharing real world experiences.  The teachers are sharing what has worked in their very own classrooms (or  how they revised what might not have worked).  

Erica, Laurie & Diane sharing Google Sites

Teachers from my schools shared how they are using tools to communicate with parents through the use of Seesaw or through the use of a website built using Google Sites. These are teachers are fairly new to presenting. Other teachers shared ideas for various Math topics and another on Flexible Seating.  So proud of their hard work and efforts!

It's TRUE! Teachers learn best from other teachers!  Why? Because teachers know they can relate to and reach out to a colleague if they have a question.  

Discussing Standards Based Report Cards

   All who presented shared their contact information and offered to come and help participants if ever assistance was needed. Even after the the allotted time was up conversations continued where further information was given.  

Carolyn K. sharing 3 Act Math Tasks

It was a great day had by all! Again, to the teachers that presented...I'm so proud that they took a chance and shared their expertise!  I encourage others to do so as well.  We all have gifts that we can and need to impart with our colleagues and other educators across the globe! (Thank you also to all those behind the scenes organizers who made the day successful too!) 

So, even if you are not going to an Edcamp or some other professional development day, think about communicating your ideas with your colleague next door, down the hall, across town or share via Twitter or Facebook.  We love learning from YOU! 

In the comments section, feel free to share a topic you'd like to learn more about or even a topic you shared at a conference or workshop! Thank you.

Connected Educators Sometimes Do This

October is Connected Educator's Month and I just arrived home after a great experience at the Edscape Conference held in New Milford, New Jersey.  On the long ride (4 hours) home, I had plenty of time to reflect upon the events of the day. One of the recurring themes was the topic of the "Connected Educator." The following is what occupied my thoughts.

A Connected Educator sometimes:

• Goes out of their comfort zone - Met a gentleman at Edscape who happens to NOT be connected on Twitter.  In front of a crowd he mentioned this, but also how he wanted to learn more. We've all been in his shoes but might not have had the courage to speak it out loud.  Way to go Mark! (FYI- This little country bumpkin went out of her comfort zone and drove over the GW Bridge!)

  

  Jessie, Dan, Billy, Nancy, Dave #4thchat PLN

• Opens up their home to those they know 'virtually' - My PLN pal, Billy Krakower and his wife not only invited me to stay at their home but they treated me to a wonderful dinner at their favorite restaurant.  While @wkrakower and I have worked on projects together for 2 years - this is the first time we met face-to-face. 

• Travels great distances to learn and share - Ten different states and two countries were represented at Edscape.  Bob Dillon traveled from Missouri while Daisy Dyer Duerr came all the way from Arkansas.

•  Takes time out of their weekend day to "virtually" present at conferences:  My #4thchat friends, Paula Naugle joined our presentation from Natchez Mississippi where she was attending the Great Mississippi River Balloon Race. and Jenn Regruth participated via Google+ Hangout from Cincinnati, Ohio where she was spending time with family. Both added valuable information to our presentation.  Thank you ladies!

•  Connects their students - New Milford High School principal, Eric Sheninger, has literally connected his students with his 'Charger Stations' at his school.  Since students use their mobile learning devices in classrooms he found a way to keep them connected.  Of course, there are more in-depth ways that the teachers and principal at NMHS work at connecting their students. 

•  Reminds one another that it is about the learning journey and not the tools - Keynote speaker, George Couros, in his engaging address: Create, Innovate and Voice, reminds his audience that "learning is creation and not consumption" so we must "connect to heart before changing minds". 

•  Meets up with their virtual friends - Friends through Twitter sometimes "Tweet Up" and actually meet.  And when they do, it's like old home week!  Conversations don't skip a beat as those connections have created a bond beyond the state/country boundaries!  I not only got to meet for the first time some of those in my Global Collaborators Network but I got to PRESENT with them as well! What a treat to spend the day with Jessica Bamberger, Dan Curcio, Dave Craig and Bill Krakower! 

•  Shares information Learned - While at Edscape I couldn't help but text my colleagues and friends about the wonderful happenings at the conference.  Perhaps my principal will be able to use information I learned from Will Diaz and Dana Sirotiak in their Parent Engagement session.

If you're thinking about becoming a more connected educator click on the links provided in this post to follow some pretty amazing individuals on twitter! 

(If you want to connect with me - you can use one of the links to the side!) 

Using Google Hangout in Education! Part 1

By this time last year I had my summer PD all planned out. So far, I hadn't really planned anything for these first 2 weeks off from school, and to my delight a professional development opportunity arose before my very eyes.

Every other Thursday night I meet on Twitter with a group of people interested in Elementary Science. The creator and moderator of that chat, Bill Krakower (@wkrakower) of New Jersey, suggested that we try to conduct the chat via 'Google Hangout'. I have heard Bill, as well as some other folks, referring to this 'Hangout' a lot lately, and decided I would LOVE to be involved.

What is a Google Hangout? Think Skype on steroids! Google Hangout is a feature of Google+ which allows up to 10 people to video conference at one time. Within the Hangout there are many extra great features as well. These include Screen Sharing, Google Doc sharing, Watching the same Youtube Video together, a Sketchpad and more. These features promote collaboration which is just perfect for educators, students and administrators!

The other night there were 7 of us participating in the 'Hangout'. It was fun playing around with the different features (see below!). We didn't talk much science, but we were able to come up with a plan to get our classrooms connected through Google Hangout in October. A 'real-time' document outlining how we will use it in the fall was created in the Hangout. Many of the other features were examined as well. It was decided that in October each class will poll the other classes regarding their 'favorites' (ice cream, subject, color, etc.) then get back together at a later date for another 'Hangout' to analyze and share our graphs.

@cybraryman1 et al testing the 'Special Effects' during a Hang Out!

This exploration of Google Hangout and the collaboration that happened during the evening will certainly be filed under "Professional Development". My Twitter PLN has afforded me the opportunity to investigate a new tool in a comfortable, safe setting with the intention of future collaborative efforts. This is educational collegiality at its finest!

Thank you to @wkrakower, @plnaugle, @missbamberger, @cybraryman1, @ICETeacherSara & @dandanscienc for your patience and encouragement!

Feel free to share any of your experiences with Google Hangout in the Comment Section below!

Upcoming Post: Using Google Hangout in Education Part 2 - Ways to Incorporate Hangout into the Curriculum

EdcampBoston - More Than Just a Tweet Up!

View from the 11th floor of NERD Center

High atop the 11th floor in the NERD Center (Microsoft's New England Research and Development Center) on Memorial Drive in Cambridge, MA I found myself overlooking the beautiful Charles River.  Early this morning you could see several 'crew' teams practicing in the river. The skyline of Boston was crystal clear.

This breathtaking scenery only added to the excitement of what was about to take place.  Waiting patiently, I milled around chatting and waiting for the EdcampBoston 'Unconference' to begin. 

An 'Unconference' is basically a group of people getting together and setting their own agenda for the day based on the needs of the people attending.  Read to learn more here.  An 'Education' Unconference is for passionate educators, by passionate educators and is free (a word we educators love!).  It is a day filled with sharing and the exchanging of ideas and resources. There is one rule however, called the "Two Feet" rule.  If you are not learning anything new or do not feel the topic applies to you - you may "take your two feet" and leave the discussion at any time - no feelings hurt.  It's all about learning.

Building the Schedule

Introductions were made by the organizers and sponsors were thanked (no vendor booths at Edcamps!). It was time to set the schedule.  Anyone of the 250 + people wishing to present was asked to proceed to the 'schedule board'.  Once it was filled in the others were allowed to come in and start deciding which way to go.  The schedule was also posted live here on Google Docs.  (If you check out the schedule you might notice that I was brave enough to present this year - Skype in the Classroom and Student Blogging - two of my passions!)

Some of the days' event topics included: The Blended Classroom-Structure, Function, Goals - How do you do it?; The Birth and Growth of a PLN; EDTech's Continuum of Skills; Bloggers Meet Up; Flipping the Classroom; Edcamp in the Classroom - Students actually attended to share; and much more - really check out the schedule to see some wonderful offerings. It's a full day of learning, conversations and absorbing boat loads of information.

Paper Tweet given to me by Cybraryman1

One of my favorite parts of the Edcamp was meeting my Twitter peeps face to face (a Tweetup!).  I was finally able put a face to @Cybraryman1, Jerry Blumengarten, who always supplies us with a wealth of resources (Check out Cybraryman.com.) Also met @lookforsun, Maureen Devlin, an inspirational fourth grade teacher who facilitated the "Blended Learning" discussion.  Finally introduced myself to Sean Avery, @mr_avery, who is a sixth grade teacher and avid Bruins fan; there was Marialice Curran, Tracy Mercier, Karen Janowski and so many more.  Equally as exciting, I made some new acquaintances, and we now follow each other!

Another favorite part of the Edcamp was having my other Twitter peeps SKYPE into my "Skype in the Classroom Session".  Paula Naugle and Bill Krakower, both fourth grade teachers, helped me present Mystery State Skyping.  The guests in the session asked them each yes/no questions (as our students might) to figure out their location.  Paula (from LA) and Bill (from NJ) then went on to explain how they use skype in their classrooms.  Talk about connecting with some fabulous educators who gave up a piece of their Saturday to help others! 

Skype in the Classroom Session

ANOTHER favorite part of the day is the SMACKDOWN!  Don't worry - teachers aren't wrestling - they are sharing their favorite resources.  Anyone wishing to share a favorite resource has 2 minutes to present to the group.  It's a quick, down and dirty way to learn about new sites. (Smackdown sources shared here!)

I think we need to follow this model at Curriculum and Staff meetings.  There are many people right in our own buildings and districts who have a lot to offer - wouldn't it be nice to be able to share.  If nothing else a SMACKDOWN would be a great way to end a meeting!

Can't wait for my next Edcamp in Connecticut this summer!  As Marialice would say: WHOOO HOO! 

Slide Into Summer Fun & Learning (Part 2)

My neighbor is always teasing me this time of year.  "So, you're finally off for the summer! Rough job you have!"  We'll, summer has arrived, and while it's true that I am not going into my classroom everyday it doesn't mean I'm not working. To avoid the "summer slide," I look to keep my teaching skills current by working 'away' from the classroom.  

For the past two summers, I was completing my Master's program through Simmons College. As I consider myself a lifelong learner,  I have decided this year to find other methods to help me become a better teacher.

Here are some of the ways that I am working this summer:

*Tweeting through Twitter:  I am continuing my professional development by participating in Twitter Chats.  A Twitter Chat is a group of people meeting at a specific time on Twitter for a specific purpose.  On Mondays, I am involved with a group of (mostly) 4th grade teachers for #4thchat. We have discussed such topics as: Writing Conferencing, Editing, Homework and much more.  On Tuesdays I participate in #5thchat and on Thursdays #6thchat.  By participating with these groups I have extended my professional development.

My Tweetdeck showing #4thchat & #elemchat conversations.

*Blogging: I continue to keep this blog updated.  I am currently working on a "Slide into Summer Series" as a guide for parents to help their child keep up their skills.  Writing a blog often involves some type of research which also allows me to keep up my skills as well.  Not only will I continue to write my blogs, but I will continue to read the many educational blogs to which I subscribe.  In this way I will learn from my peers.

*Attending Conferences or "Unconferences": This year I have decided to be involved in some Unconferences. Read here to learn about such events and How to Prepare for it.  At the end of July I plan on attending an online Conference called: RSCON11.  Educators from all over the globe will be presenting to educators from all over the globe for free thereby, sharing their expertise with those trying to learn new skills.

In August I plan on attending EdcampCT.  This unconference will take place in Connecticut in the United States.  Again, it is free, presented by educators for educators.  Anticipating that I will be learning a great deal over the next two months.

*Reading Books for Professional Development: After listening to some great educators on Twitter (especially @mrsd5107) speak about the Daily5 and Daily CAFE, I decided I would acquire the book to learn more.  The Daily CAFE, which was designed by Gail Boushey & Joan Mosher, is a way of "helping students understand and master strategies used by successful readers."

Another book I have just recently purchased is "The Book Whisperer", by 6th grade teacher, Donalyn Miller.  It came highly recommended by many of my Twitter friends.  I am hoping that it will provide more strategies that will help "awaken the inner reader in every child" in my classroom!

It is important for students and teachers, to continue their learning during the summer hiatus to avoid the 'summer slide'.  Of course, having fun and coffee is also allowed!