Planning for Implementation

As I am wrapping up the class on 21st Century Learning Dimensions, my reflections are part validation and part, "Oh NO! I sent my kids off not being prepared for the 21st Century!"
I found many aspects of the elevator guides to resonate strongly with me and I my natural teaching methods. The collaboration, and communication dimensions would be easy enough for me to tweak a bit to enhance. However, the use of technology, and self-regulation are areas I would need to beef up on quite a bit. The constructing knowledge dimension is something I feel I need to spend quite a bit more time on to truly understand and consider more heavily. I think this area is incredibly important.

My goals as an instructional coach around these competencies is to model the skills in professional development opportunities. I plan on incorporating more and more technology into my presentations to introduce teachers to the awesome tools and websites out there. I would like to continue my learning around screen casting and start developing 'how to videos' for my teachers on different things that they may ask me. I'd like to start using Google forms for the teachers to provide me feedback and information throughout the year. I plan on starting this year with two forms. One a scaled form for them to indicate areas they are really strong, and areas they feel they want to work on or need support from me. I'd also like to use it as a schedule sign up to organize individual meetings with each teacher to have one on one conversations with me. Then I will make a quick screencast to show them how to make a form like it for their parent teacher conference sign ups.

Longer term goals include continuing to attend 21st Century opportunities for PD for myself, and watch more modules on topics I didn't get to over time. I gathered so many ideas to share with my teachers that I'd like to keep that tool box full.

Cheers to the 21st Century and all the excitement that change brings!

Flipped Classroom and Mathematics

This week I have engaged a bit with Flipping Classrooms and using technology during math instruction.
For readers who may not know already, a flipped classroom is a method of teaching that takes the traditional formula of
1. Teach a whole group lesson/deliver content.
2. Give students some classwork activity.
3. Follow up with a homework assignment.

and flip that around! You create your delivery of content or whole group lesson on a digital screencasting platform and give it to your students to watch BEFORE they come to class as their 'homework'. They watch and learn, then come to class ready to dive immediately into collaborative work, allowing the teacher to rove and support 1 on 1 as needed.

I was curious about how some of these screencasting sites would work so I tried one out on
www.educreations.com
It was quick and simple to sign up, taking me about 2 mins. Finding the 'create a lesson' took a bit of clicking, but when found it was super easy to figure out how to create it. I hit the record button and started drawing and talking. That's it. Super easy. I wouldn't actually use THIS example for instruction, because I would have taken a different approach if my audience was students. However, my intent on this creation was to show you how easy it is.
Check out my creation here.

https://www.educreations.com/lesson/view/representation-of-partial-sums-algorithm/32376023/

I would love to take this to a student and say, "Here's a problem, solve it and explain what you are doing while you solve it so I can watch later!" and see what they do! What a great way to get the kids to express their mathematical thinking.

Blogging and Back Channeling

Jumping into two terms that I’ve heard thrown around and had some background on but not much personal experience with.
Definitions of each in my own thinking. Blogging is an online platform or website that an individual or group uses to express thinking using multi modal communication, including images or other media. Back channeling is a digital conversation that is going on ‘behind the scenes’ so to speak of the learning students are engaged in.
My personal experience in blogging was limited to reading other people’s blogs when they showed up on my facebook feed and the titles engaged me enough to want to read them. Starting this blog for class is exciting for me as I hope to turn it into something more after class….either personally or professionally I’m not decided yet. I guess we will see where the inspiration leads.
Back Channeling I have had personal experience with, I just didn’t realize what it was while engaged with it. Many times in different trainings or presentations I’ve attended, other attendees and I will be posting on twitter, hash tagging the event’s name, and commenting on each other’s thoughts. Less publically, my colleagues and I will often end up in group text messaging threads…which definitely allows for more honest thinking and sharing when it is more private among a trusted group.
I’m looking forward to trying more back channeling ideas during my own presentations to my different staffs. I’ve tried plickers, polleverywhere and padlet in previous trainings, with relatively great success. Some teachers have even taken them back to their classrooms as engagement strategies. I’d really like to try Today’s Meet next. Which tools have other presenters tried and found success for staffs that are very ‘virgin’ in 21st Century Learning? Staffs that are less tech savvy than others?

My Journey Begins

21st Century Learning....My Journey Begins

My knowledge thus far of 21st Century Learning on a scale of 1-5 would be possibly a two.....I've heard of it, I'm aware that it involves technology and skills surrounding our technological world. However, over the past 6 months I have learned that it has much to do with collaboration and communication as well. I anticipate that much of the content will resonate strongly with my personal beliefs and teaching style, however, I've never had any explicit instruction regarding the competencies. My journey starts with excitement, and a bit of hesitancy as I don't have a class of students to apply it to. My hopes are to take the information learned in the class and find ways to support my teachers, even if they have not been trained in the competencies themselves. 

Who am I?

In the life of Amanda

Often times teachers get pigeon-holed into a category, and when someone asks "Who are you?" a teacher is quick to announce...."I'm a 2nd grade teacher." I'm struggling with that this year. My initial response isn't as easy anymore. Grappling with the balance between new motherhood, housekeeper, wife, sister, charity queen and a changing career.... I often pause and ponder how to describe who I am and what I do now.

Professionally I have stepped out of a classroom (although teaching children has been my passion for over a decade) and I am working with teachers. I'm a TOSA. A Teacher On Special Assignment. This year has been a huge learning curve for me as I soak in new information, figure out how to disseminate that information to several different staffs, and adhere to three different administration styles. The process of determining exactly what my job IS and if I'm doing it right has been a roller coaster, and I LOVE IT! 

Teachers are some of the best people that exist in the world. They are also one of the most overworked professionals in America. I have the pleasure of supporting them and trying to find ways to make their jobs better.

Previously, I taught for 7 years at Hunsberger E.S, and 3 years before that in a small country school in South Texas. 

My experiences on both ends of the spectrum of SES schools has led me to be successful at supporting Caughlin Ranch (a Blue Ribbon School), Roy Gomm, and Hunter Lake E.S. 

My time not spent at those schools is dedicated to my growing family. I am wife to an amazing man, Chris, who is a Game Writer at IGT, and the mother to a very special miracle, named Noah, who is two years old. We play trains, cars, and hide-n-go-seek, We hunt for bugs, and play at parks. Being his mommy is a blast! 

I'm also a Pinterest Addict. My house is in a constant project phase. Currently I have over a dozen frames hanging on my walls, that still don't have photos in them. I can't choose my most favorites yet.....my pinterest dreams are slowly becoming accomplished. 

Above all, I'm a learner. I have a hole in my wall. I google it. I wanted to learn to paint with Acrylics, I youtubed it. This 'blog' and my goal for learning 21st Century Competencies is my current learning focus, and I'm very excited to jump into with this class!