How a PLN changed my teaching...

   
     Not that we don't have enough acronyms in our lives already, but here's another, and one that has really changed how I teach.  In addition, it has helped to guide me toward the decision to move into administration.  PLN stands for Personal Learning Network, and they are all about connecting with others online across the building and across the world.  It has become a great resource because there is always someone online that can share information, help with something I'm struggling with, or offer advice on all things education.  I established my PLN through Twitter; it was a requirement for a class I took during my first Master's Degree.  Since then, I have continued to grow my PLN and follow teachers, administrators, professors, and developers of educational tools everywhere.
     PLN's are all about collaborating, sharing ideas, and learning from others.  It takes time to build a PLN, but I have found it to be worth every minute it has taken.  I've tried to get more teachers in my building to sign up for Twitter and start their own network, but haven't been too terribly successful to date.  Their loss.
     There are numerous Twitter chats for educators and administrators to take part in, and many have a specified time and day in which educators collaborate.  Some of the most popular chats include.

#edchat:  One of the most popular chats in the Twitterverse and attracts educators from all over the world to discuss everything educational.     

#satchat:  This one includes inspiration from teachers and administrators every Saturday morning.

#DENchat:  Probably one of my favorites.  Hosted by Discovery Education on Thursday evenings.  

#nt2t:  Just recently found this one. It is a chat dedicated to helping teachers new to the Twitter experience.  

     There is also a variety of Twitter chats devoted to content areas, grade levels, and job roles.  There are so many free resources out there.  I've been able to attend informative webinars, join communities that interest, and gain control of my own professional development.  If you haven't started your own Personal Learning Network, please consider starting yours now.  Perform a simple Google search of Twitter Educational Chats; I bet you can find several of interest to you. 

Using Memes to Build Vocabulary

     Anyone who knows me knows that I love memes.  I constantly post them on my personal Facebook page and share them through texts to friends every chance I get; I find them hysterical. You know who else love memes?  That's right, middle-schoolers.  

     At a recent digital leader training meeting, a colleague from one of our high schools presented on how she uses memes to build vocabulary for her students.  Well that's all I needed to hear, so I took the information and ran with it.  Here is what I did, and I'll just tell you right now, it is the first time I've ever had students ask to do more vocabulary activities.  

     First, I determined the vocabulary words I wanted to attack.  We were starting a study of "The Tell-Tale Heart" by Edgar Allen Poe, so I selected the words of most use to them.  Research states that students should be exposed to vocabulary words at least seven times before they should be expected to retain and use the words in their everyday language.  So before going into the meme project, I front loaded vocabulary a few different ways.  First, I presented students with a pretest with the words to see if I really needed to teach what I thought I would.  After that, I provided students with the words, part of speech, synonyms, antonyms, and definitions.  In the past, I simply gave them the words and had them look up the information.  Big Mistake!  They had no idea which definition to use and simply picked random synonyms and antonyms listed online to complete the assignment. Then I sent them to my Quizlet page to get a little more practice with the words.  The next day, students were given a few minutes to become an expert on one word each and then took part in a Kagan cooperative activity called "Find Someone Who" in which they met up with multiple classmates to share information on the words.  As this was taking place, we were also doing a close reading of the story.  Finally, they were ready for the meme project.

     I used the site https://imgflip.com/memegenerator and shared the link through my Google Classroom.  Then I modeled how to create a meme; most of them already knew.  I paired students up and gave each team two words to create memes for.  Their goal was to find a photograph and add the verbage to demonstrate their understanding of how the word is used.  They then had to download their meme and add it to the Google Slides presentation I created for each of my classes.  At the conclusion of the activity, we viewed the presentation and had some really good laughs.  It was super simple for me to assess students' understanding; some of them did a fantastic job, and some needed a little extra instruction-pretty par for the course in my opinion.  I highly suggest experimenting with memes-just be careful, some images can be for mature eyes.  

Does Technology Actually Make a Difference?

Surprisingly, I've heard teachers respond to that question with a firm "no", and surprisingly, they aren't entirely wrong...because they're doing it wrong!

In order for technology to really make learning better, it needs to be implemented in a way that transforms learning.  Using Google Drive to type an essay instead of writing it on loose leaf doesn't really make much of a difference.  Rather, it substitutes one form of drafting for another.  For teachers struggling with how to incorporate technology effectively into their curriculum, the SAMR model may be helpful. SAMR is an acronym that stands for Substitution, Augmentation, Modification, and Redefinition.  It was developed by Dr. Ruben Puentedura and the model has been gaining exposure for a few years now. 

The above chart spells out how practitioners can "preflect" (Is that a word, or did I just create the newest buzzword in the educational field?)  on their lesson outcomes as they are planning.  Not all lessons can (or should) redefine the learning process, but substituting one tool for another is where we make no difference at all.  As effective educators, we should strive to take our students to a place where they are redefining their own education by completing tasks that would be impossible without technology integration.  Here are some suggestions I found online.  

Writing

Substitution:  Using Drive or Word to type a paper instead of handwriting it

Augmentation:  Using online tools to assist in the process (dictionary.com, thesaurus.com)

Modification:  Collaborate online to create a storyboard (storyboardthat.com, Google Slides)

Redefinition:  Using social media to collaborate on a progressive story or recreating an event

Geography

Substitution:  Using PowerPoint to create a presentation on a travel destination

Augmentation:  Use publishing software to create a travel brochure with hyperlinks embedded

Modification:  Include online collaboration with video and narration

Redefinition:  Use Google Earth to promote the idea of a tourist destination, Skype to interview                                   residents/people who have visited and data from TripAdvisor.com

Source:  https://edofict.wikispaces.com/SAMR+Examples 

  

To engage or not to engage? My ongoing experiment with student interaction on Instagram.

   

Life for most middle-schoolers without Instagram wouldn't be a life at all.  Seriously, just ask them about it.  It's one of the many ways in which they communicate, and a way that I am interested in engaging with them outside of the classroom.  Some of you might be thinking, "Wait, What?"  Literally, did you just think that? (Yes, I may spend too much time with tweens and teens)  Last year, I decided to start an Instagram page dedicated to what was taking place in my classroom.  I added the information to my syllabus and had 10-15 students sign up, as well as 5-6 parents.  Clearly, none of my posts were going to go viral, but that wasn't the point.  The point was to display student work in a different medium and give my followers an opportunity to show pride in the projects they completed.  This year, I decided to take it a step further, and start communicating with students on my page.  Last year, all I did was post pictures and never made a comment.  I don't spend every evening on there, but I occasionally post pictures of class activities and my lab-mix, but the kids love it.  A couple of weeks ago, word got out from a student posting a shout-out, and within 3 hours I picked up another 40+ followers.  Wow, the power of social media.  How to use that power is where things get tricky.  We've all heard of teachers having inappropriate contact with students, and even though I know that would never be me, the simple accusation will ruin a career.  But true leaders aren't afraid to take chances, and no one ever got anywhere by "playing it safe", so that's how I'm proceeding-openly and safely, and preparing to incorporate some small curriculum items into my feed.  How great would it be to actually get these kids to talk about literature outside of the classroom?  That's the track I'm on-I know it's not for everyone-but I think it is going to work for me.  If I really want to engage my students and get inside their heads, I believe I have to do some of that on their terms.  Not to mention, they think it's pretty cool that their teacher has shown an interest in their ways of communication these days.  If you're giving this idea any thought, my suggestions are to keep your account completely open and never follow a student back.  I only follow my daughter and my principal.  Speaking of which, make sure your school or district does not prohibit classroom social media accounts and your building leader has access to your information at any time.  In addition, get the buy-in from your parents; have them follow you also.  It helps with some conservation starters at home.  It's kind of tough for a student to say they didn't do anything at school when there are pictures stating otherwise!  Lastly, it goes without saying that Snapchat is a giant no-no.  Transparency is key.

http://www.weareteachers.com/blogs/post/2014/08/07/10-podcasting-projects-every-teacher-should-try

The Teacher’s Guide to Keeping Students Safe Online

The Teacher’s Guide to Keeping Students Safe Online