As you venture into the next several days into the school year, we just want to offer a little encouragement. On our first video of the year, we included the following quote by Henry Ford: "Coming together is a beginning, keeping together is progress, working together is success." At this point, we have definitely come together, that's for sure! In order to be READY for all that comes next, we must remember to "keep together" and "work together" to be successful. Reach out to one another, have each others' backs, and remember that we all have a common goal: to ensure that every single student we teach leaves us better because of us! Good luck this week and let us know if you need anything!
Congratulations, everyone! You made it through your first day back. As we traveled from school to school on Friday checking in with everyone, we heard the same thing over and over: "Day 1 has gone very smoothly." Teachers were on top of it, students were using proper procedures, and everyone showed up READY to go! Now that Day 1 is behind us, are you READY for what comes next?! We know you are! As you venture into the next several days into the school year, we just want to offer a little encouragement. On our first video of the year, we included the following quote by Henry Ford: "Coming together is a beginning, keeping together is progress, working together is success." At this point, we have definitely come together, that's for sure! In order to be READY for all that comes next, we must remember to "keep together" and "work together" to be successful. Reach out to one another, have each others' backs, and remember that we all have a common goal: to ensure that every single student we teach leaves us better because of us! Good luck this week and let us know if you need anything!
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We don't know about you but if you are anything like us, then you're thinking, "Man, that summer went by too fast!" It always does! Even though we are sad to see the summer end, it was wonderful to see all of your happy faces this morning. This post will be super short, as we know you are incredibly busy. We wanted to offer some encouragement and echo our wonderful speakers this morning as we know that this time of year can be overwhelming. Just remember: what you do makes a difference and be sure to have fun while you do it! And...whether you believe it or not, we know you are ready! Here is the video from this morning when you need a little boost! Well, we have anticipated with some anxiety the testing season this year, not because we aren't nervous anyway, but we have to begin testing online. It all began on Wednesday, April 15, every American's favorite day. We are, as of today, doing quite well on every campus involved. We are making our way and "things" seem to be going rather smoothly. Our kids who have had to test online have done so with virtually no issues. They are not as frightened by the idea as we adults have been. What a relief to know that these kids have once again met and even exceeded our expectations. Maybe this positive experience in the beginning stages of testing online will wake us to the realization that our kids can do as much as we expect and more. As an administrator in my career once stated, "Kids will rise to our expectations". They will, and they have, and they will continue to as we encourage them.
Summer is coming fast and we as educators need to reflect over this school year and years previous to see what we can do to improve our instruction and find ways to better manage our classes. One way to try to alleviate some of the stresses that teaching brings is to try some kind of technology to enhance instruction while making the job of teaching more manageable. One way to achieve both these goals is the implementation of Google classroom. I encourage each of you to experiment with Google Classroom so that you can try it next year. I am available, as is Natalie, to help you get started and explore how your professional life and your students' academic experience can be enhanced and made easier with this tool. As the school year ends, please know that we are here to help you with whatever you need in the world of technology. Summer is on its way! Here we are again - post-spring break, testing upon us, and the end of the school year so close we can almost taste it. I hope you enjoyed your well deserved break and are ready to finish out the year. You all have been doing awesome things this year and we have seen students doing some really incredible projects! As most of you know, students from every school in Lee County went just before spring break to the Southwest Georgia RESA Media Festival. The goal is for students to share multimedia-generated projects that they have created for their classes and compete with area schools. Let me just tell you, our students are doing phenomenal things with technology here in Lee County. Lee County students took home many award ribbons, including first place ribbons in 3-5, 6-8, and 9-12 categories. That is incredible! We just want to say thank you to you for giving students the opportunity to share their knowledge in new and innovative ways. They will never cease to amaze you with their knowledge and creativity when you let them loose! In 25 years in the classroom I have experienced a lot of changes. A lot of those changes were really hard to take, but usually, down the road I saw the benefit. Educators wait for change because that's is what we expect. If that is the case, then why is it that with technology in education there is resistance? We have always used technology in some form or fashion and we continue to do so in our personal lives. Often teachers find it hard to change what is going in in their classrooms in regard to technology. This short video should make us all think about where we should be gong in all areas of life - yes, including education.
In response to our Edcamp survey:
What I liked . . . YOU SAID, "being able to make choices, meeting with other grade and subject level teachers, communicating with other schools, attending vertical alignment meetings, getting feedback from other teachers, hearing the App Smackdown, talking about the Daily 5, experiencing the idea of Edcamp, learning about technology with peers, being given a variety of topics, being in small groups, talking with others about how they incorporate technology, being able to leave a session I did not feel was helpful, and listening to Chet Dreschel as emcee." What I didn't like . . . YOU SAID, "Sessions were too long. There was not a facilitator in every room. Weak Wifi signal for downloading. No one had any new information on GA milestones. We needed more explanation on Google Classroom. People were talking amongst themselves, not listening to each other. I felt as though I was missing a chance to do work on a teacher workday. I wish we could have stayed in a session longer, carry it over. We were on a roll." I would like to know more about . . . YOU SAID, Google Classroom, Class DOJO, Flubaroo, Google Forms, GOFAR, project-based learning, Classflow, Zip Grade, Plickers, Add-ons to use in Google, music and art apps, math centers and technology, Boxlight, Promethian Board, and vertical alignment strategies. This is an overview of what you shared with us. Thanks for your participation in the Edcamp Lee model. Natalie and I will be taking your thoughts into consideration as we approach Edcamp Lee #2 for next year. One of the things I used to love about teaching concepts was using analogies. Weird, right? Especially when you consider that I was a science teacher, not a literature person like Kim! But I LOVED it. The reason why I did is because I could take what seemed like a complicated concept and break it down in a visual way that my students would understand a little better. (If you ever want to hear some silly ones, feel free to ask any of my former students about some of the connections we would often make - there are definitely some interesting ones!) So on reflecting on what has been a crazy week, which began with Edcamp Lee and continued with training and working with many groups of teachers, I have been searching for a way to best communicate what's going on in this crazy brain of mine. Please bear with me as I take you through this analogy!
Water is the most interesting molecule I've ever studied. It's unique shape gives it a number of qualities you don't find elsewhere - for example, its solid form floats when placed in its liquid form (ice floats in water). I could go on and on about how and why it does this but I want to focus more on much broader aspects of water. 1. It is life-sustaining - about 60% of our own body is made of this substance. 2. It's powerful when in motion - we as humans know this firsthand. We often harness its power to generate electricity but we also know what happens if we fail to anticipate its power (the devastation of floods). Many of you are also familiar with the notion of 212 Degrees: that one degree of difference in the temperature of water will power a steam engine. 3. If left stagnant, it can become a breeding ground for pathogens that can make us extremely sick unless it is treated. And the dirtier the water, the harder to treat. We as teachers are like water - we can be life-sustaining (and never doubt this point - you do not know what each child is dealing with outside of your classroom), we can be powerful, but if we allow ourselves to become complacent and stagnant, then over time it will become more and more difficult to get ourselves back to the point where we can be life-sustaining and powerful. Our world is ever-changing and, in fact, is changing at a more rapid pace than ever before. We could try to resist the change but that would be as futile as standing in the middle of a flood and expecting not to get caught in the current. Or...we can ride the current and harness the power of the change. How do we "ride the current?" Mrs. Kelli Duke shared an awesome article with us this morning called Technology in the Classroom for Struggling Teachers and though it is technology-focused and the audience is intended for struggling teachers, there are a few key points that I want to pull out of it for you that are completely applicable to EVERY teacher: 1. Try something new and try to figure it out. 2. Ask for help! (Keep in mind that your students - yes, those little ones sitting in your room every day - are a wealth of knowledge and are silently begging for you to give them an opportunity to shine). 3. Don't expect to be perfect. And don't expect to be an expert - no one is. 4. You know as much as other teachers. Yep! You do! 5. Believe problem solving is fun. 6. Google can be your best friend. Have you ever wondered how Kim and I find answers? I can guarantee it's not all just hanging around in our brains. And this last one is all mine...be positive! "Being positive does not mean ignoring the negative...being positive means overcoming the negative." You have the power, you just have to harness it! Ready or not, here it comes! Lee County will host its first ever Edcamp on Monday, February 16 beginning at 8:00. Remember that tickets may be submitted online before 4:00 on Friday, February 13 or via the topics suggestion table beginning at 7:30 Monday morning. Sessions for discussion will be formulated by what the teachers in Lee County say are important issues. Our own Chet Dreschel will host the morning kick off in the Robert Clay auditorium at Lee County High School. Teachers from across our system will share apps in the App Smackdown. Each teacher will have 60 seconds to tell you how this app has been beneficial. You will see and hear what our schools are doing with innovative teaching practices and technology integration. You will be inspired and uplifted at the gains we are making across all grade levels and in all areas. As the time in the auditorium ends, you will decide which of the first sessions you will attend and off you go! Pick up a water bottle and snack provided by all the schools in the system in the lobby on your way to session 1. Please bring your electronic devices for any sessions that may require technology or have good ole paper and pen to take notes. There will surely be some information that you will want to take from each session. There will be Edcamp facilitator representatives from each school who are helping with guidance to the correct classrooms and keeping of the sign in sheets and sometimes the discussion starters. A big thank you to this group. Their names are listed via the Edcamp app. By the way, see last week's blog post for the QR code that you can scan to get the up to the minute information about Edcamp Lee. There are other facilitators who have agreed to begin the sessions as well. The cafeteria and the media center will house the sessions with the most participants. Remember that within these larger groups, you can break into smaller groups by grade level, subject area, etc., whatever you see fit. Our instructional supervisors and our district curriculum directors, along with Natalie and I, will also be available to help in discussions. High school media specialists, Haley and Kelly, will be our tech people for the morning but all media specialists have agreed to help as needed. Read this article: "Teachers Take Back Professional Development"See you on MOnday morning! I don't know about you but I can't believe that we are only one week away from Edcamp Lee! We are so excited about what the day will bring and hope you are as excited as we are. As we draw so close to the event, I wanted to share some information that will help prepare you.
The time is drawing nigh for Edcamp 2015. On February 16 all teachers will meet in our high school auditorium for an introductory session including an App smack down! After preliminary directions and a schedule of YOUR topics has been created, teachers will be free to participate in sessions that they have created. There will be an official Edcamp LEE app (Thank you, Natalie!) for the morning that will include the times of the sessions and any relevant information. Please be sure that you have an idea of how the Edcamp model works before you come and bring on the ideas. We are looking forward to seeing everyone together!
This passage is taken from an article by Hadley Ferguson on the Edcamp.org site. "Edcamps became so powerful because they recognize and honor the expertise of teachers. Each Edcamp is organized by educators, for educators. They aren’t professional development based on what someone else says that you need to learn or know and are truly participant-driven. The sessions continue to be developed on the day of the event, based on the interests and questions of the people who give up their time to learn from and with other educators. There are no outside experts; the teachers who show up, working together, are the experts." For more information visit the Edcamp site. Mrs. Kelli Duke found an interesting article that we all need to consider as we move into the next phase of technology integration concerning keyboarding at our primary and elementary campuses. Take a look at "Technology in the Classroom: Make Keyboarding Fun". -Kim and Natalie Over the past several weeks, Kim and I have had an opportunity to sit in on each school's QAR meeting. It has been an incredible learning experience for both of us. On a daily basis, we primarily get to see the growth and progress you all have made in technology but we all know that technology is not the only big focus this year. Using data effectively is also a major priority for all of us here in Lee County. We have been so impressed at how much you have embraced both of these changes and not thought of them as one more thing to do, but rather a change of culture. Though we are still in the early stages of both of these, we feel that the way you've embraced the changes shows that Lee County is on the edge of wonderful transformation. It is also these conversations that have led to the potential changes occurring next year that Kim talked about in last week's blog. These changes are part of a refinement of what is already in place - something that will make us even better than we already are.
Speaking of things to make us even better...your voice, the teacher's voice, is the driving force behind a lot of what goes on behind the scenes. Speak up when you see something isn't working or have an idea of how to make things better. When you are sent a survey, be honest and thorough with your answers rather than doing it just because it needs to be done. And last, you are the voices behind what will happen at Edcamp Lee on February 16. We've heard many of you discussing topics that you plan on bringing to the board that day and I have to say, we are so excited about what we're hearing. Obviously that you're talking about it is exciting, but it's the topics you're discussing that make us know that this day will be great. We hope that you will continue to prepare and ponder over what you will bring to the board and what you hope to see on the schedule. |
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September 2016
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