I REALLY struggle with whether what we do in our classroom with technology is transformative…..making sure it isn’t just fun bells and whistles of a device that we think is transformative….but moving beyond that into higher level thinking skills and creation. My other struggle is that what we think is transformative will quickly become the norm as technology possibilities continue to amaze us. Can what we do today be transformative tomorrow? Can I simply do my project with paper and pencil like I have in the past…what is soooo different about it?

I went and spoke to my adviser about my struggle…and was given the message….relax and quit thinking about it so much. What you are doing is meeting the needs the curriculum, providing the students with opportunity to create something from their knowledge and practice, share it with others, analyze their work, give feedback, use their speaking, writing and listening skills ON TOP of using the technology as the TOOL to get there.

So I relaxed and did it

What is a PLN? Well here is my version….

Twitter – Right now I am a follower and a re-tweeter and not much of a contributor. This is where I find resources, ideas and discussions that lead to application in my own class and sharing with my colleagues I work with.

Researching iPad Apps – I have a passion for math apps that are open ended, simple, accessible and support the learning in the classroom. I have a routine. I weekly search the itunes store for new math apps. If I find one, I follow up on either the developer page for other apps or related apps. I check out apps that have been recommended by others.

Connecting with App Developers – I have established relationships with app developers because I have asked for support or given suggestions. For my favorite app developers, I check out their webpages and follow them on twitter. This gives me current information about updates, tutorial video that may be helpful. I have a group of colleagues that I share ideas with at my school.

As we all embark in gathering digital artifacts for our project, it is a small quick decision that can lead to huge mistakes along the way.

I was in a rush trying to download some new apps on my ipad as well as clear some room to work in imovie. One of the first places I go is to photos and movies…something that is easily deleted.

So I busily deleted unneeded photos and videos….whew…have some room now…..

Wait….what did I delete? Yup…all my videos of students working on their projects.

I KNOW I should have a back up…I KNOW I should always double check before actually hitting delete. I KNOW this and yet…here I am recreating something I already had.

The moral of the story is….even when we KNOW what to do…we don’t always do it.

You would think after 22 years of teaching experience I would have some sort of system down when it comes to planning a unit and/or lessons. I am a big picture person and have a hard time bringing big ideas to small manageable steps. This is something I know about myself and struggle with daily. So, this is what I am up against as I start to plan my COETAIL final project.

It is very important to me that this project be RELEVANT. I want to create something that I will use in my class now and in the future. I do not want to create something flashy but rather something that is streamline, simple and most importantly a powerful student learning tool.

I struggle with what unit to tackle. I could go the ‘easier’ route and begin work on the social studies unit our third grade team will work on next quarter as we begin our elementary school commitment of planning a unit using the TPACK model. I consider this ‘easier’ because I love collaborating with others and the pressure would be off me alone. OR I could follow my math curriculum pasion. The second option is where my heart is but there is the fear of where to begin???

I have decided to take the passion plunge and pursue math. Wish me luck….

How will education as we know it change because of technology? Where and how will you be teaching in 5, 10, 15 years time?

The above questions are actually a little mind blowing. I never would have guessed we would be where we are today in education. I mentioned to my administrators the other day, “I am more excited about teaching now than ever.” I really believe we are at such an amazing time. With brain research, pedagogy research AND innovations in technology…we are destined for more change. I am trying to keep up with right now. I am excited about the future, but my energy is to support the students in my care with the highest quality, most authentic and engaging education as possible.

I have NO IDEA where or how I will be teaching in the next 15 years. I have been overseas long enough to know that making plans is a nice idea, but things can change dramatically with out much time to prepare. The most important quality to have as an overseas teacher, or any teacher for that matter, is to be flexible. Flexible with your time, ideas, learning, and resources. There are definitely trends that are described in the Horizon Report by the New Media Consortium. Some include: seamless integration, cloud based technologies, collaboration, abundant resources creating challenges, online learning and challenged based active learning.

I do enjoy thinking about these questions but I am reminded that my most important goal is to be the best educator I can be RIGHT NOW!

Photo Attribution  ChrisM70

Am I integrating technology….yes.

Am I using it to my vision of its potential…no.

I AM busy gaining knowledge, researching tools and experimenting with ideas. Looking at TPACK, I appreciate the visual and the model it represents. Linking all of the important ideas in teaching together, taking time to notice where they merge and how we can explicitly engage in bringing those ideas to our classroom.

As I experiment with transforming technology into a “to be” verb,…my wish is to have it as something that “is” and not something we add. To do this, there is a lot of work to be done. I look for ways technology can bring efficiency and complicated ideas together with ease. I get a small thrill when I find a ‘tool’ that will do that. But, more importantly it is critical to open your heart, classroom, curriculum and teaching style to ways technology can lift what you are doing to another level.

Students in our class use the ipads every morning using the xtramath website to improve their math fact skills. This website provides a more efficient process than I could ever do on my own. I have used many methods over the years, but xtramath has really lifted a huge burden. Our class also uses the ipad app Explain Everything in math. I find it a remarkable vehicle for students to share their work and thinking in a way that is accessible to the students themselves, their peers and teachers as a formative assessment tool.

My big project coming up is to have students create a small video reflecting on what has happened in the class for the week. I created the first video as an example of the format. This week we will work together as a class putting the next video together. Our hope is that we can release the responsibility to students over the next few weeks and students will work in small groups to create a short digital video every week.

I am beginning to create technology “is” in our class by experimenting and evaluating our experiments.

Having time to CREATE some digital visuals was both exciting and challenging. It was time consuming and quite frustrating for me. I was surprised at the time it took to complete every assignment. Design is not one of my strengths. I am someone that can tell you what I like and identify something that is well designed, but when I am asked to apply design skills, I panic!

But, as Daniel Pink presents in his book A Whole New Mind, and was discussed in the Presentation Zen blog, the skill of design may be one of the six aptitudes needed in our new age. Zen Presentation has an emphasis of design. I love the simplicity and heart that a Zen Presentation provides. But, like most things that have powerful meaning, they take time. So, one must be sure to remember balance. Teaching elementary, I will not be teaching the elements of a Zen Presentation for the traditional Power Point application, but I will certainly bring out the ideas and apply them to what we do in class, related to design.

I have used every single project in my classroom with great success and they will all be used in the future. This is one thing I have appreciated about our assignments, that they are useful and relevant to our current teaching. The Zen Presentation will be used as the beginning lesson for our Courage next year. I shared the presentation it with my team members, who found it to be simple, engaging, and they plan on using next year. Our class was the only class that used digital storytelling as our performance assessment for our Courage unit, using ipads and the Puppet Pals app. But, when we showed our idea to our team members, many have decided they would like to do this next year as well.

I have made growth in my techie geekness that I embrace. It is just what I wanted. I wanted to explore, dabble and play with ideas and tools so I could apply what I have learned to enhance my teaching and bring student learning to another level. Technology does not replace good teaching, but it can be the highway to more possibilities.