Fluid Conversations

So, the power of networking shines through once again. After twittering about our upcoming staff professional development day, Judith Epcke picked up on it and encouraged me to share with my PLP friends. (Thanks, Judith!) Why hadn’t I thought of that? I guess I’m still trying to wrap my brain around the ways in which this is all connected…you know…how the nodes are all connected to each other and how I fit into the community of nodes.

First, some background information:

We are in the third year of our T.A.B.L.E.T. Project. (Tools to Access Better Learning Environments through Technology) Each year, 90 staff members in grades K-12 participate in a year-long PD program that requires them to attend monthly meetings and read/reflect on a host of topics through our virtual learning environment. (Moodle) Each person is equipped with a tablet pc and a wireless projector. It was our first attempt to “Move our Mountain”. Like a drop of water, the effects of this project have rippled throughout the entire district…capacity building at its best.

To continue our journey, we invited Will to our district for two days last January. In addition to a keynote, he worked with a variety of groups exploring the idea that the web has profound implications for teaching and learning. Needless to say, his message registered high on the richter scale; I think it’s fair to say no one walked away from those two days without being forever changed in some way. His words were both inspiring and eye-opening. I remember when he told our staff that he undoubtedly would cause some cognitive dissonance…oh, yeah…just a wee bit. :0)

So this year, we continue the work with a morning focused on conversations around a variety of topics, including the following:

Learning in the 21st Century

Student Voices: Conversations about Life and Learning in the 21st Century

Teacher Voices: Beginning Conversations about Educating the 21st Century Learner

Content-based Sessions: Looking at the ICT Maps created by the 21st Century Partnership

Our hope is to continue the dialogue of what it means to learn in the 21st century. Although technology will undoubtedly be a part of our conversations, it is not the primary focus; there are no sessions dedicated to learning how to use a single tool. Teachers were given the opportunity to sign up for sessions which will be led by their colleagues.
This entry was originally published on my PLP Ning site.

Yes, indeed…we’ve jumped into some unknown territory here. (I’ve upped my dosage of Prilosec.) The mountain might regress…or erupt…or worse, stand still. It’s funny, though…I find when I listen to that still, quiet voice, more often than not, it provides me with the direction I need to take to affect positive change. How lucky am I to work for a district that supports forward movement and actually encourages me to listen to that voice?

So, back to moving mountains…I’ll let you know how it goes.

Chapter two of “Integrating Literacy and Technology” by Susan Watts Taffe and Carolyn Gwinn focuses on the learning environment of effective literacy-technology integration. I took notes in OneNote; many things captured my interest but perhaps none were quite as relevant to me right now as this:

“The integration of technology into literacy instruction is not business as usual. Rather, it requires a change in the teacher’s role in the classroom and in his or her approach to learning about and implementing innovation.”

and

“In order to be a change agent in your classroom, you will first need to become a changed agent. In other words, you must be willing to explore teaching in ways that may be new and different and to learn as you go.”

I totally get that but I wonder how many other people get it. I’ve read quite a few times that you cannot simply throw technology into the classroom and expect to keep teaching in the same way. Used properly, the technology WILL change your classroom…that’s the true power of technology…to enhance learning.

The other piece that really got me was this:

“Students often scaffold one another’s learning.” Hence “the importance of social interaction.” I guess I’ve always thought of the teacher as the person solely responsible for scaffolding students’ understanding.

Finally, I liked this:

“The goal of differentiation is to move all children to a place of meaningful, high-level learning.” Too bad there are many, MANY children who never quite experience that lofty goal. Maybe it’s easy for me to see now that I’m not in the classroom. Maybe all teachers should have to take some time away from the profession to gain a wider perspective on teaching. Maybe all this reading is making my brain hurt. (Grin.)