I accepted this challenge from +Rae Fearing as part of the #MakeSchoolDifferent Challenge

To improve educational experiences for students we need to stop pretending that:

1. Our students can't do that.
    How many times have I heard this? TOO MANY. Our students are amazing, they can do so much more than we give them credit for. Give them a chance, get out of their way, and watch them learn.

2. Teachers will use technology to teach if you put it in their room.
     Teachers will always say yes when you ask them if they want stuff. It is in our nature. But just putting technology in a room will not guarantee that it will be used. Teachers need training, they need peers to collaborate with, they need to see great teaching using technology, they need to have a mentor, they need to be told they can do it, they need to be comfortable failing a time or two.

3. One professional learning experience on ANY topic is enough.
    So often in education we keep throwing new ideas and initiatives at our teachers and at our students. We need to choose a few that we are passionate about and STICK WITH THEM. Give teachers time to work out the bugs. Provide layered training. We do that with students right? An introduction, a check in and reteaching for students that need a little extra help or support, an enrichment for those that are getting it. If we want teachers to embrace a new movement or a new program, we need to provide some time and support.

4. There is only one way to show learning.
   Really? If there are seven styles of learning...how come we ask our students to show us what they know with a ONE size fits all project/paper/test? We, as educators, need to believe in our abilities to assess student learning in many ways. We need to give our students freedom to demonstrate their knowledge in a way that works for them.

5. That we need an "assessment" for every standard.
    So often I hear teachers say that they don't have a piece of paper that shows a student's competency on a PARTICULAR standard. Don't you just "know" sometimes? Teachers are professionals and we are smart! We understand that Susie doesn't get fractions and Bob struggles with decoding. Go with your gut. Make the call, give the grade, and back it up with your knowledge of the standards....not a score on a piece of paper from one day in your classroom.

This is it?!?!?!

Our class has come to an end...but the learning has not. I have learned so much from my colleagues and from the Teaching in the Digital Age coursework and instructor. My first exposure to the ISTE Standards for Teachers was overwhelming and scary. But as I moved through the readings, participated in discussions with others, and completed assignments, I became much more comfortable and confident. Each module in the class is designed to make you competent in one area of the standards. 

See my prezi here.....

Charlene

I have grown so much in my use of a variety of tools and my understanding of just how important it is to give our students 21st Century skills. I am looking forward to continuing my growth and looking for opportunities to put this new knowledge into practice in classrooms. I know that I will continue to learn from and collaborate with the others who have participated in this class. I am confident that I will be invited to build learning experiences for students using all that we have learned together. 
As I start a new adventure in my career, I feel confident that what I learned in this course will be passed onto coaches and teachers. 

Some cool digs...

Just as students need a learning environment that is flexible, efficient, comfortable, and learner based, so do teachers!  Whenever I have been doing an assignment for this class I have been trying to gauge it to my adult learners, the teachers that I grow and work with. So today, I am designing the perfect office/professional development space for myself, my fellow coaches, and our colleagues. 
I really envision a cafe feel....does that make sense? Some low tables and some high tables and some stand and work tables - all of which are easily moveable.  A combination of stools and chairs. A whole wall of white board for brainstorming. A bank of cubbies/cupboards for storing (let's face it....teachers have STUFF). A small kitchenette (coffee maker, microwave, refrigerator). A comfortable corner for collaborative meetings. A "Charging Station" for teachers who come to meetings with us. Because there will be five of us sharing the space, we will each need a work station, a spot to call our own. I think these could be teacher preference....some people like a table, some like a traditional "teacher" desk....flexibility and comfort are the keys here. In a perfect world I would have some funding for this, but this is an economically challenging time and I would rather spend our money on things that will benefit students in the classroom. I know that there are "leftovers" all over this district that my team could use and make their own. The main focus in my design will be the collaborative work space and the design is similar, but not identical, to my current room. I will have to rearrange some areas because there will be more of us, but I feel that with input from my new partners and creativity we can make it happen!


Orion



UNC - Charlotte


Continuing Education Center


Can you see it?  I am getting excited. It won't be this colorful or flashy, but it will be GREAT!!!!

Sketchnote.....

I was a sketchnoter....before it was cool!  I found out many years ago that kids could do a better job and get more learning from Science and History videos and math lessons if they used what Ms. K. called "picture notes".....how awesome is that! I am hesitant to take this kind of notes for myself because I get caught up in the "I can't draws"....but I do garner more knowledge and recall when I allow myself to sketchnote.

Modern Learning Environments - Sketch with Paper Fiftythree