Thanks to all who read this blog. Since it was geared mostly toward my classroom and kid's parents, I have decided to start over with a new focus. I couldn't stand to delete the posts here, though. Please visit my new site which shares different technology to use in an elementary school classroom!

Someone in my PLN remarked this week, "We as teachers need to be responsible for our own PD." I couldn't agree more. We have to actively seek out professional growth opportunities and pursue best practices for teaching our kids. The problem is, how do we convince teachers to do this? If we worked in any other profession, our jobs would depend on it. If I worked for a corporation, I would have to do my job to the best of my ability in order to keep it. I also realize that in that same corporation I would work to achieve promotions and pay raises. Is this what we are going to have to do for teachers? Is this where the argument for incentive based pay comes from? I understand that it is frustrating to think that our very careers depend on the successes (and sometimes the moods) of students taking a standardized test. At the same time, how do we measure our success as teachers?
We have the most important profession in the world in my opinion. No job can exist in the future without coming through us first. We are turning out students who will work in the mills, who will be our physicians in our old age, who might find a cure for cancer. How can we be so satisfied with mediocrity? It is up to us to create students who are driven, self-motivated, who enjoy learning because it is a life-long process.
I think it is well past time for every teacher to take a long look in the mirror and examine themselves as teachers and as professionals and ask themselves..."Why did I become a teacher?"

I came across this project and thought it was a fantastic idea for encouraging service and giving in our students. If you have students who just like to play simple game, show them this video and explain how they can make a difference. There was also a very interesting activity that could be used to incorporate google docs.

Developing a Personal Learning Network (PLN) can sometimes be a full time job. I am proud to say that mine is coming along quite well, but I have to stop and honestly reflect on where I am in this adoption process. For me, it was and is an evolution. There were several steps involved to get to where I am now, which by the way is no where near where I hope to get to.
At a technology conference, I was introduced to Skype and, by chance, Twitter in the same session. I was immediately engaged by Skype and the possibilities for use in the classroom. I went home and started looking around for people who used Skype and stumbled across a Ning called Classroom 2.0. For me, this was the jackpot. I found people here discussing things that I could only dream of implementing in my classroom. I met a couple of people through this network who were interested in using Skype, but I still had a long way to go. I also began to play around with Twitter. I followed a couple of people that I had met on Classroom 2.0. I have to admit that Twitter was really tough for me. I almost gave up more than once. I felt like the new kid at school and none of the cool kids wanted anything to do with me. Thanks to a few kind souls, my network began to slowly grow. I learned to contribute when I could and to absorb as much information as possible. Today, it is my single most valuable tool that I have for finding new resources to use at school.
Through Twitter, I came across Syliva Tolisano's Around the World with 80 Schools project. This really set me on fire with Skype. I loved it and my kids loved it. I also found my way to her blog, which led me to want one of my own. This is kind of where I am today. I am more of a consumer than a creator. I absorb and use great ideas from those gracious enough to accept me into their networks. I fully intend to repay the many favors as my experience and confidence grows. I am constantly awed and thankful for all the great people and ideas in my PLN.

I know that many have seen this video already. I have also seen it in many different forms including targeting college-age students. But, they all carry the same message. What are we doing to meet these digital natives? No wonder they are so bored in school. They are not engaged, challenged, and encouraged to become creators for the most part. As teachers, we have a responsibility to change the way we think and the way we teach. For some, the old style is so deeply ingrained that it can never change. For others, it is a challenge worth undertaking. I hope that many teachers fall into that latter category. Especially when I think of the futures of my own children.

The wordle above pretty much sums up my school year so far. I love wordle.net. I found it at the end of the year last year and was really looking forward to using it in my class this year. Well, this year has been very different. I have started my new position as Curriculum At-Risk Data Specialist. Rather than being obsessed with the progress and engagement of 22 fifth graders, I have been working on the progress and engagement of 28 teachers. I have looked at data and research non-stop for the past 3 months. I do enjoy this job. I love having the opportunity to assist teachers and to hopefully make their job a little easier.
I do, however, miss having my own students SO much. I miss planning lessons for them that I know they are going to love. I miss seeing them learn new things. I don't miss grading papers, but that's about all. I've now taken to grading 500 assessments instead. Not so sure yet about the trade off. As I move through this year, I certainly hope that I can make some sort of difference in the life of some child through this different venue. We'll see!

Through the Twitter network, I came across this blog post about contact between students and teachers outside the classroom. This is one of the best I've read. I understand that with the changing world, we as teachers have to be very cautious. That said, I think that if a teacher is willing to interact with students in a strictly teacher/student context, it should be allowed. I live in a small town, so I have the luxury of knowing my students' parents (usually) and they know me. I have students call me to ask the name of an author for a project they are working on or to ask when an assignment is due. Sometimes my husband thinks I'm too accessible for my students, but I always want to be there for them. This year, I had a student ask me to add them as a contact on Skype. When I'm on at home, I'll usually get a "hey" from that student. It excites me that she has taken the initiative to learn these technologies. She was also the first one to go home and work on creating her own wiki. I hope to interact with these students outside of class. I hope to hear from them in the future for help or just to listen to their accomplishments. I have former students as 'friends' on Facebook.(of course they asked me)
I am not so naive that I think that there are not teachers out there who take advantage of these relationships and that is extremely sad. I do not, however, plan to pass on any opportunity that I have to be a help to a child. I do not seek to be their friend, but I do hope that I will always be a mentor to them beyond the one year that they spend with me.

As excited as I am about the potential of the new position at Benton Elementary next year, I really feel like I am going to miss being in the classroom terribly! I already miss it now, especially these kids from this year. I truly hope that I was able to have an impact on them this past year and I wish them all the best going to CMS. We've had a lot of fun together, tried a lot of new things, and hopefully learned a lot. Have a fantastic summer! Love you guys!

Mrs. Beaton graciously agreed to allow me to try out VoiceThread with her preschool class. I never imagined four and five year olds would be so nervous about recording their own voices. They did a great job, though!

An article was sent to me by our technology coordinator showing one man's repentance for his actions during the Civil Rights Movement. I found it very interesting and thought you might, too. It just shows that even the worst kids of people can make a choice to be different. Read the article here.