My building had some PD on the growth mindset earlier this year, but today was really the day that I connected that to technology (even though that seems like it should have been an obvious connection). In order to instill a growth mindset in our students, we as educators must show that we too have that mindset.
Technology terrifies some educators. What if we mess up? What if our students sees that we do not, in fact, "know it all"? What if the technology fails? So what? We can show students how to succeed despite roadblocks if technology fails. We can give students the chance to be an expert by asking them to show us how to troubleshoot technological errors. By showing that we are willing to and survive making mistakes, we model a growth mindset. This is what we need to showcase more often.
Wednesday, January 14, 2015
Tuesday, November 25, 2014
November Blog
Out of all the tools in this course, Symbaloo is the one that I have used the most in my building. I took my once-boring (technically, still boring because I have not been able to embed my Symbaloo yet) databases page and transferred the links into Symbaloo to create a user friendly experience for students and teachers.
http://www.symbaloo.com/home/mix/13eOcLafQM
I have used this new webmix with several classes, and students have commented that it is easier to figure out which database they would like to use by looking at the tiles instead of links. It is especially easier to choose a Gale database with this new format.
Our team from this cohort has also recently unveiled our new Tech Hub, which includes a section of Symbaloo webmixes for teachers to use when they are searching for the perfect tech tool to use in the classroom. A couple examples are below:
Teacher Productivity Tools
Web Tools for Students and Teachers
I will be offering a day of PD during prep periods + after school for teachers to take some time to learn these tools. I am excited to see which tools they start using in the classroom!
Out of all the tools in this course, Symbaloo is the one that I have used the most in my building. I took my once-boring (technically, still boring because I have not been able to embed my Symbaloo yet) databases page and transferred the links into Symbaloo to create a user friendly experience for students and teachers.
http://www.symbaloo.com/home/mix/13eOcLafQM
I have used this new webmix with several classes, and students have commented that it is easier to figure out which database they would like to use by looking at the tiles instead of links. It is especially easier to choose a Gale database with this new format.
Our team from this cohort has also recently unveiled our new Tech Hub, which includes a section of Symbaloo webmixes for teachers to use when they are searching for the perfect tech tool to use in the classroom. A couple examples are below:
Teacher Productivity Tools
Web Tools for Students and Teachers
I will be offering a day of PD during prep periods + after school for teachers to take some time to learn these tools. I am excited to see which tools they start using in the classroom!
Wednesday, October 22, 2014
October Reflection
I really like the range of Amy's blog - it really has a little bit of everything. I have considered starting a blog in the past, but it just seems like it would take more time and effort than I have available. I am an avid reader, and my friends have asked me in the past to start a blog with book reviews. Seeing as how Goodreads is even too much effort for me sometimes, I opted instead to start an Instagram account that documents each book I read (@the_loudlibrarian, if anyone is interested). This way, I am able to snap a photo of each book I read with a short review without too much effort.
Maybe by the end of this course I will have warmed up to the idea of a blog. I could use a space to reflect and share ideas for integrating technology and library resources into lessons.
I really like the range of Amy's blog - it really has a little bit of everything. I have considered starting a blog in the past, but it just seems like it would take more time and effort than I have available. I am an avid reader, and my friends have asked me in the past to start a blog with book reviews. Seeing as how Goodreads is even too much effort for me sometimes, I opted instead to start an Instagram account that documents each book I read (@the_loudlibrarian, if anyone is interested). This way, I am able to snap a photo of each book I read with a short review without too much effort.
Maybe by the end of this course I will have warmed up to the idea of a blog. I could use a space to reflect and share ideas for integrating technology and library resources into lessons.
Sunday, September 21, 2014
Reflection - Sir Ken Robinson Video
Education as a production line. I have honestly never stopped to think of it that way. Really though, it is true. Students are grouped in education based on age, despite ability or interests. As students get older they may be mixed in with different grades during electives, but during the formative years they are kept separate by grades. When the video went into greater detail about this production line mentality - bells, separate subjects, etc. - it really struck a chord. Why do we separate that way? It seems to make sense as a jumping off point. How do you decide when a child is ready for formal education when they are 3, 4, 5, or even 10? I think that Robinson is right to question this; however, I think that this piece of education would be the most difficult to change. Having a standard age when students begin formal education is needed to give a societal guideline. Once students are in school, however, I think the education system has plenty of room for changes.
In my position as a media specialist, I am particularly a fan of Robinson's divergent thinking. I once has a teacher (a media specialist, actually) who would give assignments with the rule that we could not come ask her how to use a particular piece of equipment or technology until we had grappled with it ourselves for one day. As students, we each had to figure out what worked for us as individuals. I still attribute this tiny piece of her class to my success in college, my career before teaching, and my career now.
So, how can we as educators give our students the tools they will need to figure out how to solve problems in life? I once told one of my students the story above and she immediately said, "that sounds like the meanest teacher ever." Our students are trained to get to the one right answer. They do not know how to take the time to grapple and struggle with information and piece it together in a necessarily meaningful way. One way that I am going to attempt to bring back creative, divergent thinking is by piloting a "Genius Hour" or "20% time" (Google it if you have not heard of it - it is awesome, in my opinion) project with a Humanities teacher in our building. We are giving students one period per week to explore a topic of their choice. They will be able to explore their own interests, questions they may have, or problems they wish to solve. It is a scary thing for both teachers and students, as it has very few guidelines. Along the way we will pepper in research skills, lessons on pieces of technology, and conferencing as needed, but the time is really going to be theirs. I am excited to see what this freedom will bring.
Education as a production line. I have honestly never stopped to think of it that way. Really though, it is true. Students are grouped in education based on age, despite ability or interests. As students get older they may be mixed in with different grades during electives, but during the formative years they are kept separate by grades. When the video went into greater detail about this production line mentality - bells, separate subjects, etc. - it really struck a chord. Why do we separate that way? It seems to make sense as a jumping off point. How do you decide when a child is ready for formal education when they are 3, 4, 5, or even 10? I think that Robinson is right to question this; however, I think that this piece of education would be the most difficult to change. Having a standard age when students begin formal education is needed to give a societal guideline. Once students are in school, however, I think the education system has plenty of room for changes.
In my position as a media specialist, I am particularly a fan of Robinson's divergent thinking. I once has a teacher (a media specialist, actually) who would give assignments with the rule that we could not come ask her how to use a particular piece of equipment or technology until we had grappled with it ourselves for one day. As students, we each had to figure out what worked for us as individuals. I still attribute this tiny piece of her class to my success in college, my career before teaching, and my career now.
So, how can we as educators give our students the tools they will need to figure out how to solve problems in life? I once told one of my students the story above and she immediately said, "that sounds like the meanest teacher ever." Our students are trained to get to the one right answer. They do not know how to take the time to grapple and struggle with information and piece it together in a necessarily meaningful way. One way that I am going to attempt to bring back creative, divergent thinking is by piloting a "Genius Hour" or "20% time" (Google it if you have not heard of it - it is awesome, in my opinion) project with a Humanities teacher in our building. We are giving students one period per week to explore a topic of their choice. They will be able to explore their own interests, questions they may have, or problems they wish to solve. It is a scary thing for both teachers and students, as it has very few guidelines. Along the way we will pepper in research skills, lessons on pieces of technology, and conferencing as needed, but the time is really going to be theirs. I am excited to see what this freedom will bring.
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