The Growth of My PLN!

Fatigue

Although the title seems to speak for itself, let me elaborate.  I came home from student teaching today and was glued to the couch, mindlessly watching the Padre game.  I say "mindlessly" because my mind was anywhere but watching the Padres lose to the Cubs in a 6-2 ballgame.  I was thinking about the following: tomorrow's guided reading groups, introducing a new writing unit, tomorrow's math lesson, creating my next science lesson, action research homework, action research implementation, taking care of my dog who just had knee surgery, and last but not least, what to eat for dinner.  Needless to say I have had a lot on my mind.

Once my mom and her boyfriend got home, we went around stating how long our work day was.  My mom said "8 hours", her boyfriend said "7 hours", I had to count in my head.  11 hours!  Now don't get me wrong, I am most certainly not complaining.  I am having a firsthand experience about what it means to be a brand new teacher, and although I am having an amazing experience, I AM TIRED.  But I am most certainly looking at the silver lining:  after numerous 11 hour work days, I can still safely say that I love the teaching profession and feel that this is my calling in life.  I may be an extremely tired student teacher, but I am certainly one lucky girl!

Substitute Teaching and Kindergarten

For the past two semesters, as I have stated in previous posts, I have been student teaching in both fourth grade (fall semester) and Kindergarten (spring semester) classrooms.  Last semester, when student teaching in my fourth grade classroom, I felt extremely nervous and unprepared for being a substitute teacher who could take over a whole day of teaching.  However, this semester, I have been a substitute two times (most recently last week) and have felt a great feeling
of confidence and liberation.  It was wonderful implementing all the lessons as well as being the primary instructor and mentor for my students.

It made me feel very excited for when I get my own classroom and I honestly cannot wait to implement my own structures, organize my own resources, and help each student be the best person that they can be.  Many people feel like being in a Kindergarten classroom would disuade me from teaching, but that could not be any further from the truth.  If there is anything I have realized, its that whether I have been a student teacher or substitute teacher, my Kindergarten class has reaffirmed my love for teaching and no matter what grade I end up teaching, I will never forget this.

Midterm PLN Reflection

At the beginning of the semester, I felt that I was very comfortable with technology and how I could use it as an educator.  During my fall semester of student teaching, I was in a fourth grade classroom that completely embraced using iPads within the curriculum and learned numerous techniques about how to harness this technology as a teacher.  I also was an avid Twitter user and used it as a medium to communicate with friends both near and far away.

However, after I started this class, I realized that I knew how to use technology as a 23 year old social human being, but was not nearly as proficient at using it as an educator.  Within the realms of reading and writing blogs, I feel that I am stuck between two worlds.  I will sporadically update my own blog or check the blogs of others but am not opposed to learning new techniques or communicating with others.  As far as tweeting, as I stated earlier, I feel extremely confident.  I am definitely in the matrix within this realm.  I feel very comfortable using hashtags, sharing information from educational sites and converting it to a tweet, making meaningful additions, etc.  Archiving, I feel that I am again stuck between two worlds.  There are some websites where I feel very comfortable saving information such as Pinterest and Scoop.it, but do not feel nearly as comfortable with others such as Diigo or Tumblr.  In the last section, commenting, I feel that I can grow much further.  I often feel that I only comment when I am required to instead of taking an active role in communicating with fellow educators.

As far as my plan to cultivate my PLN for the rest of the semester, I really want to broaden my horizon as far as which sites I archive information and becoming more of a resident within my professional life. I will do my best to look at websites such as Diigo and will also look up different blogs that teachers around the world have created that may relate to situations I am encountering or my educational passions.  This will also allow me to grow within the area of commenting.  I can not only look at others' resources but also respond with my own points of view and resources (if applicable).

Technology is a vast but extremely useful tool that I plan to not only use this semester, but also for the rest of my life as an individual and educator.  I am very excited to see how I continue to cultivate my PLN to become a better resident of the web and teacher for my students.

Action Research

This year has been an absolute whirlwind to say the least.  It has been filled with graduating from college, saying goodbye to old friends, saying hello to new friends, part- and full-time student teaching, PACT, and last but not least action research.  When I began my action research journey, I wanted to incorporate 21st century skills in my Kindergarten classroom.  Although these last couple months have been a journey, I have found my concrete topic that I am going to be developing inquiry about within my classroom: Kindergarteners developing their own inquiry by viewing themselves as scientists.  This entails Kindergarteners asking their own questions about a topic, formulating responses, and testing those responses by using collaboration and research (i.e. looking at books).

Although this is my concept that I am exploring, I feel that it is important for me to try to incorporate technology while the students are developing this inquiry.  However, the lack of technology in my classroom makes this a bit of a challenge for me.  Only my master teacher and myself have iPads, so I am in the process of trying to incorporate this aspect with little resources.

I will be sure to keep you all informed throughout my action research journey.  Wish me luck!!

Parent-Teacher Conferences

This week my school is undergoing parent-teacher conferences.  Although the conferences are not as dramatic as the comic, they have really made me contemplate how I want to handle these meetings as a teacher.

I was talking to one of my peers today about how nervous I am to talk to parents about their own children.  I constantly think about how they will view me due to my young age, how to establish a working relationship with my students' parents, and how I will handle a situation where parents are angry or feel that there is miscommunication.

My master teacher does a wonderful job not only of letting parents know how their children are developing as learners, but also as people.  At their core, each parent wants to know that their child is happy and healthy, typically academics (should) come second.  Communicating with parents about their child's growth as a human being is essential in fostering this working relationship.

I know that I will be extremely nervous when parent-teacher conferences roll around and I have my own class, but I cannot wait to have my own classroom full of learners and communicate with people in their lives to foster a consistently positive support system!

iPads in Kindergarten

When I hear or read discussions about iPads in the classroom, teachers consistently talk about how they allow students to develop 21st century skills (critical thinking, collaboration, communication, and creativity) through the vast amount of applications and knowledge that can be obtained using one of these devices.

My previous student teaching placement was in a fourth grade classroom at a school that was fortunate enough for all the students in grades 3-6 to have an iPad for themselves that they used when learning.  I learned a vast amount of knowledge about how to teach with iPads not only from my master teacher, but also the students.

However, now that I am in a Kindergarten class, the discussion about iPads being integrated into education seems almost non-existant.  Therefore, I did what any technological teacher in my shoes would do: I explored Twitter hash tags to see what others were saying about integrating iPads into a Kindergarten classroom.  Although my classroom does not have a one-to-one iPad ratio, I have read about numerous applications that can be utilized by working in groups (or one-on-one) and simply having one iPad.  These include applications to help foster deeper conceptual knowledge of mathematics, enhance handwriting, and promote key reading skills.  This information has made me feel hopeful about being able to integrate the iPad to foster deeper learning not only in my student teaching classroom, but also in my future classroom.

I am still looking at articles and exploring my Tweetdeck to see what else I can learn.  I'll be sure to keep you posted!

My Journey as a Tribe Leader via Storify

What are you passionate about??

For some reason, this question always gives me a sense of anxiety.  It makes me look within myself to really think: "Tori, what ARE you passionate about?"  It is not a question that you ask yourself every day, but live out every day without even thinking about it.

I will always remember when I decided that I wanted to become an elementary school teacher.  I was sitting in my first lecture of Educational Studies 111, Educational Foundations, as a freshman attending University of Oregon.  I enrolled as a psychology major but took this course for general education credits.  The professor would frequently give us case studies about students he had worked with and we would critically think about how we could help give these children the best education possible.  These included heart-breaking stories about children living in poverty, abusive parents, behavioral disorders, etc.  This was when I decided that if I could help children receive a fantastic education within their first years of life, I could potentially help make a positive difference in their lives.

So I guess when thinking back on the question "What are you passionate about?", my question is answered.  I am passionate about providing a quality education for every single student when they enter my classroom.  This means students ranging from the lowest to highest SES's, every race, gender, and sexual orientation.  In order to put my words into action, it is imperative that I not only view my students as students, but also as people.  Some of the children that enter my classroom may have experiences that I could not even fathom.  It is my job to ensure that my classroom is a safe space where they are not only learning the curriculum, but also how to grow as people who are open to diversity and feel that they can be themselves in this expansive world.

If I had to narrow this passion to one specific aspect of research, I think that it would entail the importance of character education within the classroom.  Too often, teachers feel that it is their job to simply teach the subjects and receive high test scores and forget that students are growing as people right in front of their eyes.  No other adult spends 7 consecutive hours with these children on a daily basis, and the potential for enhancing these children's characters and behaviors is astounding.  I would love to do research regarding how character education can influence that classroom community and surrounding school environment.

Visitors and Residents

When watching the video about the Visitor-Resident Principle, there were numerous aspects that resonated with me regarding my own personal use of technology.  I have always thought of my technology skills as that of a seasoned veteran, such as being able to problem-solve what to do when your computer freezes, my typing speed, etc.  However, I have not taking a close look about how I approach technology and how I interact with other people within the realms of various social networks.  

The Visitor-Resident Principle states that most people are not simply just a visitor or a resident, but are placed on an area within the continuum.  Just because someone may lean more toward the visitor side of the continuum does not mean that they are less skilled with regard to technology.  This simply means that they are more likely to use technology for more autonomous and private reasons and do not see the point in using social media for educational purposes.  Visitors also tend to critically assess whether the platform they're going to use will help them solve a problem.  None of these have to do with a person's skill level, but instead how they value technology and its purpose for communicating with others.  

Personally, I feel that I am closer to the resident side of the continuum regarding this principle, especially in an institutional setting.  For instance, I feel that social media sites such as Twitter have significant purposes with regard to how they can bring individuals together to communicate, especially as a new teacher who is always looking for new ideas.  I enjoy having an online persona that allows others to communicate and collaborate about particular topics, and try to keep this persona alive as much as possible.  However, although I do feel that I have more compatibility with the residents, I do feel that there are some parts of me that can be attributed to the visitor side of the spectrum, especially in a non-institutional setting.  For instance, when I am encountered by a new form of social media that I feel does not have to do with educational development, I typically will assess whether this will help me move forward and will usually want more privacy instead of extending my online persona.

Overall, I want to make sure that because I am more compatible with the residents, I am making sure that as a teacher I am being a resident facilitator who works along with them instead of an authority figure who simply tells them what to do. I also plan on moving forward with my online persona in order to effectively collaborate with other educators and use social media in the most efficient way possible to enhance my technological approach.

A Whole New Mind (Part 1)

When reading Part I (pg 7-61) of Pink's "A Whole New Mind," you should consider the following:
1. What is L-Directed and R-Directed Thinking? Does my subject require more of one than the other? How could I try and reach a balance?
L-Directed thinking is a form of thinking that is characteristic to the left side of the brain.  This includes analytic, sequential, functional, etc.  R-Directed thinking, on the other hand, is a form of thinking that is characteristic to the right brain.  This includes metaphorical, aesthetic, contextual, etc.  As an elementary school teacher, I teach numerous subjects such as writing, reading, math, science, and social studies.  I feel that each subject is different in its L- vs. R-directed thinking.  Math and science I feel has a much more R-Directed thinking stance because it requires more analysis and sequencing versus social studies and writing, which is much more L-Directed thinking due to its less linear methods of operation and more creative ways of thinking.

2. How do Abundance, Asia, and Automation affect the dominance of L-Directed thinking in business and schools?
Abundance affects the dominance of L-Directed thinking because when people buy too much, people throw away what they need.  So instead of focusing on what we logically need, we think about what is aesthetically pleasing, which is more appealing to R-brain thinking.  With Asia, there are L-brain workers overseas who are much more likely to get hired because it costs more to hire L-brained workers (i.e. engineers) from the United States.  Also, these workers use R-brain techniques such as forging relationships, which affects the dominance of L-directed thinking in business.  Automation affects the dominance of L-directed thinking because technology seems to be replacing human left brains.  Thus, this "boosts the significance of beauty and emotion, as well as accelerates individuals' search for meaning" (p. 46).

3. What is High Concept and High Touch. What is the impact of this on my teaching?
High concept is the ability to create artistic and emotional beauty, detect patterns and opportunities, etc.  High touch is empathy, understanding subtleties of human interaction, etc.  These concepts greatly impact my teaching.  I try to make sure that as a teacher, I am not only having students understand educational concepts to enrich themselves as learners, but foster experiences that allow them to grow as people.  I want to make sure that I am utilizing both left brain and right brain concepts within my teaching.

4. What are the flaws of an education system that only values IQ? Is there also a role for EQ in education? 
The flaws of this type of educational system are that these only appeal to left brain learners.  This educational system does not seem to take personal characteristics and emotions into account and also value logic over emotion.  I feel that EQ is extremely important.  It drives the way a person expresses themselves and the way they learn, which is exponentially important because this determines how students learn in school.  I want to make sure that in my classroom, both logic and emotion are strongly embraced throughout the curriculum.

Communities of Learning for Educational Purposes

            As a new teacher, I feel that there is a plethora of knowledge to become acquainted with.   Within my PLN, it is helpful as a newcomer to the profession of teaching to gain numerous perspectives from veteran teachers regarding curriculum, behavior management, etc.  It is through Wenger’s theory of communities of practice that I am able to not only have these conversations with local teachers, but also teachers around the world.  The internet contains an endless supply of information at your fingertips.  As teachers, our passion for helping students is shared with millions of others, and because of the internet we can interact with those that have this same passion. 

            By accessing websites where teachers can discuss experiences, theories, and challenges, they are able to assist and learn from others who may be experiencing similar situations.  For me, this includes integrating technology into the classroom.  Being in the 21^st century, students are not only learning through the media of paper and pencils.  They are exposed to the internet as well as social media every day, so why not harness this knowledge and transform it into deeper learning for students? 

As teachers, we are able to reach out to others and make use of these communities of practice to help our students become 21^st century learners so that they can thrive in today’s society.  This 21^st century thinking relies on the 4 C’s: critical thinking, creativity, communication, and collaboration.  Too often, teachers view technology and social media as hindrances to learning.  However, if we harness this power for good instead of evil and view it within the context of situated learning, we are more likely to engage students and foster deeper learning.  For instance, in the case of Twitter, teachers can either view this social media website as a distraction or a medium for collaboration (one of the 4 C’s).  Through this website, teachers can pose problems or facilitate group projects, and students can create their own communities of practice to work together to accomplish a common goal.

Unfortunately, however, there are always disadvantages when implementing systems such as situational learning within the classroom.  When being compared to the traditional school model, teachers need to be more extensively trained in order to be effective in fostering this deeper learning in order to give students the full context of what they are learning.  For instance, if a teacher is implementing Twitter into the classroom, they need to make sure that they are experts at this social media site in order to foster learning effectively.  Although having teachers be experts in each situated learning environment would be fantastic, it is not always practical compared to the traditional school model.

Although there are disadvantages to situated learning, I still feel that fully immersing a student in what they are learning is the best way for them to be engaged and thrive in the concepts that they are learning.  I am a strong believer in learning through experience, and this Constructivist mentality is one that I want to implement within my classroom throughout each subject and interwoven with technology.