Things I learned this semester!

A few of my favorite lessons learned in my fall semester experience.......

1. Never choose the third or final class of a professor's day. They think that they told you everything that they announced to prior classes. Plus, they have typically 'had enough' by then - and who cam blame them?

2. Many students live by the mantra, "if I whine enough, the professor will extend the due date, ease the criteria, give me a point back." - and it often might. The only problem is, not every student is wise enough to note that with some professors, the reaction is opposite to the desired effect. It would behoove students to determine attitude, prior to trying to change the rules and ease the burden.........

3. Some professors do not appreciate effort. They visibly regret offering up extra credit, and complain about having to grade it (most are joking, some are not!). The occasional professor will even complain when students attempt to make an extra effort to do additional work or go above and beyond.....

4. Participation points are an excellent tool for all. First to encourage class discussion and visible effort. Hey, points are points! Secondly it helps the student that needs hands-on learning and not just by rote. Third, it allows the prof to enforce students to take part. Last, but not least, since no one knows how/where said points are given, it gives the teacher control over helping a good student to make up points. They are going to be a part of my grading tool bag!

5. 1 point = 1% just doesn't seem to work fairly for grading, and puts too much onus on every little quiz.

6. Teachers really should share how they plan to assess each piece of work with their students. It is hard to do a really good job when the professor won't share what they are 'looking for'. The reverse of that, is that when the professor makes an effort to truly model the desired end-result, it creates an attitude shift, an understanding, and a far superior end result. Teachers and professors who have not received the memo about modeling outcomes, scaffolding learning, and allowing workshop time for one-on-one opportunities, really should check it out!

7. All teachers believe strongly that 'the man on the street' blames teachers for every generational issue or concern. Why blame the parents when you can blame a teacher? That is so very sad.

8. Finally, I learned how easy it is to buy into the 'do it for me, now!' mentality. I need to work on that next semester...........

Last but not least? I will never forget the professor who hurt my GPA last semester. I am grateful to her though, she taught me a vital lesson about the importance of communication, and rewarding hard work and effort. When you don't? It is kind of soul-destroying.

Merry Christmas everyone! Next blog will no doubt be on the joys of the online course experience as I take my Hawkeye minimester over break!

Fall Semester Continues On...

Being a student has really become a way of life now - although I will never quite be the same as my student peers, the non- traditional perspective is certainly different!! But doing homework, gossiping about professors, wearing sweatpants in social settings ( thank goodness I lost weight), yup, that's me!
But am I learning? Heck yes! Not always from my professors, mind you, but often from connections that I make from experiences to the lecture or discussion at hand - and wouldn't you know it? That is probably the single biggest learning curve about teaching.....teaching is all about building on experiences.....& when the experiences aren't there to connect to, creating the experience!
In my middle level psych class I learned why the Queen's School was so good, and what could change in New Hartford to help the kids I volunteer with. In Emergent Literacy, I am seeing and learning just how important read-alouds are, and what building blocks are missing for the kids whose parents didn't read to them, in Curriculum I've learned how to connect my experiences together to 'sell' my background, and am now working on an inter-disciplinary lesson plan that connects my literacy workshop knowledge from last year.
Yup, worksheets & memorizing don't give you long term knowledge, but connections do.....is this really news?!?!
Check out this great article, and make your own connections! http://blogs.edweek.org/teachers/classroom_qa_with_larry_ferlazzo/2012/10/response_taking_advantage_of_our_neural_networks_in_the_classroom.html?utm_medium=twitter&utm_source=twitterfeed

'Everyone, to some extent, is odd'

Quote of the week - without any shade of doubt - comes from an article from my Middle Level Psych. class - an article named Health for Life. It says, "We have to admit that everyone, to some extent, is odd." I just love that!

The point of this particular article was to discuss the concerns of what used to be an 'individual quirk' that made someone stand out, different, individual...is now, more often than not, a reason for medication. The author questions where the divide is between a child needing help and a child whose personality should be embraced. A tough questions indeed; especially coming on top of 5 other articles that range from 'Medicating Young Minds' to 'As More Kids Train for Sports Like Pros, They're Suffering Grown-Up Injuries.' One of the articles even addresses the responsibility that teachers have to work with adolescents to watch for group pressure and to help guide them - which I thought was really more of a parent task, but evidently not!

 Which brings me to another thought......during my New Hartford RTI session on Friday, Mrs. Becker commented that the main difference between teaching now and when she started, 28 years ago, is that parents now expect teacher to bring up their kids for them. There is no concern about kids doing or not doing homework and she said that the only parents who get upset about kids having to stay late for their version of detention (much more pleasantly named 'ZAP')  when assignments are not completed, are the ones who are worried about their child missing a sports practice or, even worse, event.

Here's my favorite though - and we wonder why kids have the wrong focus - 6-8 students left their reading intervention early last week (they are in the class because their reading is well below standard) for a football game. Yes, it is OK to fail reading as long as you are in 'the team'.  Heck of a message. What happened to being benched until your grades met standard?

So, where was I? Oh yes, quote of the week! I think that a little bit of 'odd' is a good thing.......but then, too much odd, makes life tough for all around. So, who gets to make the decision about how much is too much?

There's the question to ask.

How much odd is too much?

And, what is normal, anyway?

New Semester

A new semester has started, and I haven't blogged in....well, forever! If I want to claim this as part of my Teacher Portfolio, then I probably should 'get with the program' and note my musings a tad more consistently!Summer was great. I went 'home' to England, taking Ben with me. Mother and Son had the most amazing experience seeing family, sightseeing and even checking out the Olympic preparations! It was truly wonderful and probably one of the hardest 'leaving England' times that I have had to date. I love the U.S., and could not wait to see Paul and Steph, but England was just FANTASTIC! I barely had time to catch my breath upon my return as it was off to play my RAGBRAI support role. Paul had his annual bike ride across Iowa, while I hiked and visited some of this great state myself. I also made the commitment to ride myself next year, so as I type this a couple of months later, it should be noted that the bike has been purchased and a few hundred miles already logged!Post RAGBRAI was Olympic immersion, and before I knew where I was at, I was back at school in the midst of a new semester; discovering first hand just how hard it is to get back into the swing of class work and tight schedules after my lovely summer! I haven't had 'a summer' since the last time that I was at University, and boy do I see the benefit of year-around schooling now! I am really struggling to get back into a system and get a jump ahead on my schoolwork - I didn't even have my binders ready on my first day back (very un-Bridget).After two weeks back I am beginning to get with the program, and I am sure as the dark arrives earlier and reduces the temptation - or possibility - to ride either bike or horse, the self-discipline will be easier to find!Wish me luck; it is a long semester ahead, filled with tests, papers and homework galore. Let's see if I can make that Dean's List for a third semester in a row!

iPads in the classroom!

More on iPads & technology - kind of a theme going here as I go through my Ed Tech course. Soon you will be hearing about making videos because that is our next venture; and one that I am kind of nervous about....but it will all work out!! We just had a three hour lab covering 'how to', and I can't say that things are all together clearer..... But on a positive note, when the light dawns, just think of all the family videos I can edit & jazz up!!!
Ed Tech is interesting, exciting and kind of fun - no wonder they talk about technology as a motivator for students! I wasn't 100% sure what it was going to be about, and the numerous lectures to watch online kind of surprised me (although I actually like it now - when you don't get it, you can scroll back through the podcast and listen again), and the hands-on stuff can leave me wanting to find a way to stop time so that I can catch up......but I am pretty proud of what I have accomplished..... And, get this, have a total mind shift in my attitude towards using technology in the classroom!
Here's the deal. IPads & laptops are a part of daily life. If you struggle with them, you won't achieve. That is fact.......Kids can 'keyboard' as toddlers now, so no need to waste time on those basic skills. Instead, young children can easily learn the very skills that I am struggling with now, and then use the tools for deeper learning & exploration. Check out this video and see what you think.....yes, of course they could just 'read the book', but would these kids be quite as excited?



Times aren't changing; they have changed!

iPads and learning with technology

I was surprised and thrilled by the gift of an iPad this Christmas:  I wanted one - they were so cool!   Little did I know how useful my iPad was to become.  I could organize my calendar digitally (which I had tried in many ways, from phone to computer, but nothing had been easier or more practical than a write-in diary....until the iPad), I could keep up with classes without having to lug my laptop along, I could have two screens up at one time, helping me research ideas and thoughts while always having my main work in front of me to edit.....just a ton of different ways that the tool has become something that I can't imagine not having readily available.  So useful and all-encompassing, that I am seriously thinking of saving some money and getting rid of the smartphone.  Who needs it with an iPad?

BUT!

Having said all of that, I still thought that it was kind of ridiculous that there are schools out there with iPad programs.  Kids with iPads?  That is crazy!  When do they learn to read?  How do they learn to write?  Without the education that 'we' all had, these great toys wouldn't event be invented, so why are we taking those basic lessons away from our kids?
But now, my mind is changing.  I see the benefits of teaching with technology and how learning through critical thinking can actually be enhanced, not slowed down........as long as it is done correctly!  As long as the technology is a tool and not a toy.  Why waste time on learning redundant facts that will be forgotten semester's end, when you can have these students interacting with the world, learning real skills that they will use for the rest of their lives.
Does that mean that you forget the reading and writing?  Does that mean that basic math facts should be neglected?  Absolutely not!  But does it mean that teachers have a new tool?  That school districts can help students prepare for real life?  That the obvious motivation and interest shown by students when faced with technology over a book should be taken advantage of?  Well of course!
And what about writing?
Yes, the iPad DOES work for that too!  Keep the thought process going and think with an open mind as you check out the following article: http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/why-the-ipad-works-for-writing.php.
What do you think?


Photo used with permission, under Creative Commons, by Denise Krebs at http://www.flickr.com/photos/mrsdkrebs/6400358699/

So what am I really doing?

I had someone ask if I could show any of my actual work on my blog today....well, it is funny that they should ask!!!
The class that I am taking right now is all about using technology in the classroom - and no, it is not about shortcuts and avoiding literacy.  Nor is it about students 'having it easier'!  It is about giving them tools to compete in a technologically driven world, it is about providing experiences to produce problem-solving and critical thinking through all kinds of media; to include computers, iPads and so forth.  It is all pretty cool, motivating for children in the classroom and gives today's teacher so much more to work with.
My current project is something called a WebQuest - basically a lesson plan that is created on a website.  The students follow the instructions and fulfill a task.  I am lucky enough to be working with two fabulous students and the three of us have been having a ton of fun - and all plan to use elements of our lesson in the future!

So, here it is - my example of the work that I am doing right now.  As of today, 5/17/12, this is not yet finished, but will be submitted Monday evening, so it had better be finished by then!  Check it out today and then come back to it later.  
Tell me what you think! 
Do you think that it is just wasting time playing on the Internet (they create a social media page, for goodness sakes!)?  Or do you see it as a way to motivate students towards thought and deeper learning?  Let me know!  Of particular interest to those of you who think that teaching is just 'coming up with lesson plans', is the Teacher Page.  See the standards adhered to and our reflections about potential learning.

Here is the link:  "Friend Request an Olympian"