Round Two - Ding Ding

I am getting ready to start year two of online teaching. I'm looking ahead but also looking back as last year was such a blur and went so quickly. The best parts of last year were all of the thank yous and how at the end of the year, the students kicked their studying into high gear as they saw what they had left to accomplish in the time left. I loved how there was so much more time for 1:1 connections with my students and parents. I had very few barriers with the various tech tools that I've been learning about over the years. All students had a device! The cherry on the sundae was that for the most part, there was no internet filter. This was bliss. I felt like I had freedom to teach and the time and tools to do it.

There are many myths about K-12 online schooling. I think the biggest is that students who school at home are missing out on social interaction. Students who school online are not lacking socially. Many of my students actually have more social opportunities. One of my students met Justice Sandra Day O'Connor and had lunch with the governor of Minnesota. Another one of my students schooled from a beach in Florida while on vacation and of course was proud to give us a tour during class. Another would go to a college campus with his mom sometimes for class. Students are much more mobile when schooling online. But even if not, we are social while in class just as in a physical classroom. Think of the connections you've made with those you've only met online. We have homeroom gatherings and school gatherings in addition to regular classes. We play games and have just-for-fun social times. We also meet face-to-face. There are several outings scheduled each month. These are optional and are all over the state, but are also opportunities for students to meet those whom they've only met online. Remember how excited you get when you meet someone face-to-face for the first time? Kids act the same way. It even makes the state testing exciting because we get to meet many students for the first time. How many brick and mortar students are excited about state testing because they get to see their teacher? It's little things like this that make me anxious for year number two to begin.

The best description of how I felt last year would be "happily overwhelmed." I sometimes felt as if I had no idea what I was doing, but couldn't stop smiling because of course I knew what I was doing. The best description of how I feel now is just "happy" because I have the best job in the world. I am a teacher.

ICE 2013 - What's the Point?

I anxiously awaited #ICE13 for what seemed so long and it went by so quickly. Making the most of each moment with little down time makes experiences become memories before I'm ready.  One might think that the carefully planned workshops, sessions and keynotes might be the highlights or foci, but I look most forward to connecting with people. I got to see friends that I see fairly often, enjoyed more "first time F2F meetings with tweeps" which is always worth any amount of miles traveled, but I still missed out on a few people which unfortunately happens. I never crossed paths with +Pernille Ripp, merely glanced at @teach42 (Steve Dembo) and missed out on a first F2F with and @ipadsammy (Jon Samuelson). On the flip side, I reconnected with @jenwagner (Jen Wagner), had a short conversation with +Josh Stumpenhorst and was reignited by @bengrey (Ben Grey) with his insightful, though-provoking session. I also was introduced to many like-minded individuals. Some "new" people were actually ones that I "knew" on Twitter as we'd followed each other for some time. Meeting in person gives those relationships a new layer and takes them to a new level.

So the next time you get a chance take the trip to any conference, EdCamp ,or other professional gathering, make the time and spend the money. You'll get more than you pay for - really.

Horn Tooting: Yea or Nay

Did you know that this past Wednesday, February 1, 2012, was "Digital Learning Day?" I learned about it from my Twitter feed (my "go to" for all things worth knowing). I signed up right away and so my students were among the almost 2,000,000 that participated. I'm all for taking part in special days at school. For some reason, it makes an ordinary day seem special by giving it some title like "National Day" and the students will be excited and more willingly engaged. Digital Learning Day was promoted by the Wisconsin DPI. Educators who signed up received emails with ideas for lessons and as the day approached, daily "count down" emails arrived. I hope that there were people who tried new things in their classrooms and libraries. Something I wanted to try for quite a while was a Mystery State Skype. I was able to arrange a couple and they were very exciting. Through Twitter (yes...and I'll keep mentioning it) I managed to use my contacts for setting up the Skype sessions. My students were thrilled to generate various clues about Wisconsin, put them in order from least obvious to most obvious, and be ready to share them with other students. They were focused and worked as a team under the time crunch. During the Skype calls, they again were focused so they wouldn't miss any of the clues given. Connecting our little rural Kickapoo classroom to places around the nation is so powerful and memorable for my students. This is what it's all about. This day was something to look forward to for my friend and co-worker, Jen Malphy (aka @jmalphy) and I, but we half laughed when we realized that we really weren't doing much different that we do on any other given day. What was different though, was that we documented what happened. We took photos of students working in our classes and in others. We told the students that it was Digital Learning Day and their faces lit up with excitement. (Our apple-like students haven't failen far from their tree-like teachers, have they?) We gave interviews to one of the writers for the school newspaper and Jen is putting together a media piece with the photos to "tell the story" so that they Board of Education sees what innovative education happens within the walls of Kickapoo on a daily basis. We have decided that shameless "horn tooting" is a necessary component of today's teaching world - at least for us. So, when should you be "tooting your horn" and about what? We all have something to showcase...so let it be known.

The Adventure Begins

Today has been the culmination of some stressful activity, but also the beginning of something new. Please bear with me as I set the scene and add in the details.

On Wednesday, my principal sent an email to the staff asking whether anyone was interested in applying for a grant for $5,000 to $10,000. The funds would be used to travel and create an experience that will enhance our curriculum and what happens in our classrooms. My school is eligible for this particular grant, offered by Fund for Teachers, because we were once again named as a Wisconsin School of Promise (SOP). We have earned this this distinction for the last six years.

My principal had asked previously, but nobody responded with a "yes." Why would people stay silent? Who wouldn't love to plan a fantastic learning experience that easily could double as a once-in-a-lifetime vacation? Don't forget about the "free money." The catch is that a detailed educational plan, travel itinerary and budget needed to be submitted by 5pm on Friday. *gulp* On the flip side, the interpretation to qualify as an SOP has changed, so this is the last year we'll be eligible. Game on.

By the end of the day on Wednesday, I had convinced a new colleague of mine (the chemistry and physics teacher) to dive in and take on this challenge. We were fortunate to have the assistance of a former superintendent who volunteered her time to help us because she loves writing grants (yes, really) and she believes all teachers should travel.

By some act of a higher being, we were able to work together in bits of time during the day and after school and we submitted the finalized form at 4:55pm - with just 5 minutes to spare. Phew! As we all took deep breaths and exhaled, we slapped a few high-fives. Now...the waiting begins. We will be notified by a March 30th mailing.

You might be wondering, "What is her new adventure?" Well, what a more appropriate topic with which to start my blog, right? Welcome to the Gadget Girl's blog. Stay tuned to find out where I might get to go this summer!