Growing as a Connected Educator

              Participating in the Creating on the Web course with Professor Ed Warkentin of Fresno Pacific University has been one of the most rewarding and valuable learning experiences I have had thus far as an educator.  Prior to taking this course, I had no idea what it meant to be a connected educator or how crucial being connected was to my learning and growth as a teacher.  These past six weeks have really been eye-opening as I've built by PLN and realized all of the opportunities I've missed out on to be a better teacher.  I am already pushing myself out of my comfort zone and making an impact that extends beyond my school.  I am overwhelmed by the support that I have received by educators all over the world simply by connecting with them on Twitter. I have to admit that I never understood all the hype about Twitter, but now I do. I now see what a great networking tool Twitter is and how valuable it is for educators looking to learn and grow in the profession.
           Building my website has been an amazing learning experience.  Through the process I learned that I am capable of much more than I've ever given myself credit for.  Every challenge that I overcame left me feeling extremely proud and confident that I could do even more.  My initial feelings of not believing that I had anything valuable to offer the education community are finally starting to diminish. I recognize how valuable of a tool my blog can be and I am excited to see it continue to build and grow.
          I'm taking Whitaker, Zoul, and Casas' (What Connected Educator Do Differently) advice and really pushing myself to be better tomorrow than I am today.  For too long I've thought of myself as an average teacher who doesn't have anything to offer other educators. I now realize that I have been selling myself short. As a connected educator I am a leader and I have much to learn as well as give in the field of education. As I continue on my path as a connected educator I will also take the following steps recommended by Whitaker et al.:

              1. Be a model by demonstrating risk-taking.
                   Next week I will be leading a session on Google Apps for Education during professional development for my community's elementary school district.  I am very excited about this opportunity to connect with other educators and share what I've learned.  I am hoping that I will also be able to help them find their own courage to step out of their comfort zones and take risks.

             2. Set aside at least 15 minutes each day to read a book, newspaper, or magazine.
                   There definitely comes a time when we all need to unplug and set our technology aside. Yesterday as I read Whitaker's et al. book from my ipad, I realized that I was watching television, reading from my ipad, and checking my smartphone simultaneously.  It was actually pretty ironic that at that same moment I was reading about the importance of taking time to unplug.

            This course may be coming to an end, but the knowledge I've gained and the connections I've made will last far into the future. I am excited about starting a new school year and feel more confident then I ever have. Who wouldn't feel this way when they know they are supported and backed by the greatest people in the world......EDUCATORS!!

This Week on Twitter

              This week Twitter has been flooded with conversations about two big P words.....politics and Pokemon.  I've never really been a big fan of either, so I focused instead on the trending topics in education. One particular topic that continued to show up this week and really caught my attention was whether or not teachers should assign homework. I was surprised to discover that there is quite a large group of educators in support of the no homework movement. But I was also relieved to find that many of the arguments made against assigning homework are many of the same arguments that I have as well.
            I myself have never been a huge proponent of assigning homework, nor have I ever seen any real value in the homework that my children bring home from school. In fact, I think that because I am both a teacher and a parent I have formed the opinion of homework that I have. As a parent I know the frustration of spending hours every night trying to help my children finish their homework. I myself have spent countless hours on the Internet trying to learn Common Core math just so that I can help my 3rd grade son.  Even then I'm pretty sure I have taught him wrong and done more damage then good. Not to mention the time it takes away from extracurricular activities and family time. My kids are already in school nearly seven hours a day, why is it necessary to add on another two hours for homework?
           The homework debate is one that will undoubtedly continue and I look forward to reading the arguments from both sides. Check out #NoHW to follow the conversation yourself.

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Building a PLN

     These past few weeks I have gradually built what is becoming a pretty strong professional learning network (PLN). I must admit that in the beginning I was a little nervous and even skeptical about reaching out to complete strangers. I feared that no one would be interested in what I had to say, and even worse, that I would indeed have nothing valuable to contribute. However, these fears instantly vanished as I realized that educators really are the most supportive, welcoming, and generous people in the world.
     Twitter has allowed me to make connections and build a PLN faster and easier than I could ever have imagined. Honestly, I am completely shocked that I have as many Twitter followers as I do. It just goes to show that educators, like myself, are always searching for ways to learn and grow, and that means reaching out and connecting with as many like-minded individuals as possible. But it also demonstrates how supportive educators are of each other. In their book What Connected Educators Do Differently (2015) Whitaker, Zoul, and Casas explain why it is so easy to build a network of connected educators using Twitter. They state, "connected educators know that starting out to build a learning network can be difficult and can even be a waste of time unless you are following people who follow you back. As a result, connected educators tend to follow many of the educator who follow them..." (p. 47).  This has definitely proven true, as many of the individuals that I follow follow me as well.
     Although Twitter has allowed me to connect with the greatest number of educators, it has not been the only platform I've used to connect. This week I was extremely fortunate to have the opportunity to interview Catlin Tucker via Google Hangouts on Air. You would think that it would be nearly impossible to get someone like Catlin, who is so accomplished and undoubtedly busy, to give up their time for a complete stranger. But it wasn't difficult at all.  All I did was simply ask, and she said yes. This is just another example of how supportive educators are of one another and how dedicated they are to improving education. This experience definitely opened my eyes and made me realize that perhaps I need to be less selfish with my own time and knowledge. There's nothing wrong with being on the receiving end, but to truly benefit from a PLN, I need to make sure that I give as well.
      Connecting with other educators and having the opportunity to share ideas, thoughts, and resources has been one of the most beneficial learning experiences for me as an educator. As 7th grade English teacher Pernille Ripp states in Whitaker's et al book, "I didn't know I was unconnected, until I got connected" (p. 41).
   

Follow, Find, and Take

This week after reading chapter 3 of Whitaker's book, What Connected Educators Do Differently,  we were instructed to follow a connected educator, find one resource or tool, and take one new action step. I decided to begin following all of the connected educators that my classmates will be interviewing this week. This includes Vicki Davis, Susan Stewart, Ryan Wiggins, Will Kimbley, Jimmy Casas, Jim Sill, and John Eick. For the resource, I wanted to find something that would be useful to those looking to build their PLN. What I found was a post on the Edutopia website titled How to Use Twitter to Grow Your PLN. One of the action steps suggested by Whitaker that I plan to take is to create a school Twitter account which will be used to connect with staff, students, and parents. I decided to hold off on actually creating the account until I am able to get administrator approval.

Interview with Connected Educator Catlin Tucker

I was extremely lucky to have the opportunity to interview Catlin Tucker. She is a high school English Language Arts teacher, a Google Certified Teacher, a blogger, and the author of Blended Learning in Grades 4-12.

Visit her at catlintucker.com and on Twitter: @Catlin_Tucker

Guest Blogger Grace Kwee on Coding in the Classroom

    

Are you hesitant to jump on the coding bandwagon?  That’s understandable.  Writing code for computer programs seems to be a great skill for aspiring computer programmers, but what about the rest of your students? Well, I’ll tell you why coding proves to be valuable for all students.

Students can feel successful in designing their own computer programs, but when there’s an error,students have to find the mistake in the code and fix it, which contributes to further success. In short, coding encourages students to think, troubleshoot, and persevere, all of which are important life skills. As far as social development goes, you’d think coding would discourage communication, but that’s far from the truth. Seymour Papert, MIT mathematician, computer scientist, and educator, points out that in technology-rich classrooms, there’s actually more socialization going on, and technology often contributes to greater interaction among students and instructors.

Are you convinced enough to try coding in your classroom?  Check out these coding resources to start your students in taking small steps toward learning important life skills!

https://hourofcode.com/us

https://code.org/

https://scratch.mit.edu/educators/

Grace Kwee, elementary educator
www.stepintoedtech.blogspot.com
Twitter: @stepintoedtech

What Kind of Teacher Am I?

     When I first became a teacher many years ago, I asked myself what kind of teacher I wanted to be. Did I want to be a teacher who my students feared, or one who my students could consider a friend? I thought back to my own teachers and the kind of relationships I had with them. There were definitely some teachers who I was afraid of. These were the teachers who I tried to avoid as much as possible. I went to their classes, but I hated it.  I never asked these teachers for help or sought their advice out of fear of being yelled at and embarrassed in front of the whole class. However, academically I did well in these classes. Not only was I self-motivated, but I was afraid of what would happen if I didn't come to class, pay attention, complete my work, and turn it in on time.  I knew that these teachers meant serious business and I didn't want to get on their bad side, so I just tried to fly under the radar as much as possible.

        I also had teachers who were kind, respectful, and welcoming. These were the teachers who I knew I could approach and ask for help and I enjoyed going to their classes.  I did well academically in these classes as well, and for many of the same reasons that I did well with the "scary" teachers; I was afraid. I was afraid of disappointing them.  

      So, with this reflection, I decided that I would be the kind of teacher that is somewhat in between. I think that it's important that my students not necessarily fear me, but fear the consequences of their actions. They need to know that certain behaviors are not acceptable and will not be tolerated, so it's necessary for me to be strict and firm in my expectations. But, at the same time, I believe it is important for me to be welcoming, respectful, and kind to my students. I know from experience that when a teacher is "too hard" on students, many will in turn act out. Children, and particularly teenagers, are very proud creatures and become very defensive when they feel that someone is against them or has it out for them. Some refuse to feel intimidated and will even challenge their teachers without any fear of the consequences.  Through many years of trial and error, I have found a way to deal with students that works best for me, and allows me to be true to who I am which is a happy, friendly teacher with high expectations and no tolerance for bad behavior.

The following is a TED Talk video of a speech given by educator Rita Pierson entitled Every Kid Needs A Champion. I hope you find it as inspiring as I do.