A trip to the southwest to spend intentionally unstructured time with siblings was something to which I was truly looking forward. I wasn't disappointed. Most of the time was simply spent sleeping in, sitting about chatting, playing with our laptops and musing on random bits. One outing, however, was most edifying - a sojourn to the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix, AZ (www.dbg.org) to view an installation of world-renowned glass artist Dale Chihuly's nature pieces stimulated thoughts of new ways to approach upcoming lessons on habitats. (I've placed photos on Flickr but haven't yet figured out how to add a link here that will take you to them :-( )
I really enjoyed having real time to think about teaching. I used the time to catch up with some old resources and to explore some new ones. Follows an annotated listing of discoveries/re-discoveries/explorations:
- Teachers Connection Podcast (www.teachersconnecting/podcast.com) That intrepid podcaster duo Joan Badger and Ben Hazzard have out-done themselves with their new web site and podcast "Teachers Connecting". I was addicted to their SmartBoard Lesson Podcast and went into serious withdrawl when they wrapped up that wonderful work with Episode 150. But, as Joan says ala Poltergeist 2 ....They're baaaaaack! The new venture centers on partnership and collaboration between classrooms - students and teachers - domestic and global. The generosity of spirit and earnest community building this new venture exemplifies within and across education can't be overstated. I continue to be grateful for the resources, inspiration, humor, professional uplift and mentorship Badger and Hazzard's critical reflective practice consistently provides.
- Tech Chick Tips (www.techchicktips.net) This combo brings to mind a bevvy of gal-pal images: Lavern and Shirley, Thelma and Louise, etc. Funny and enthusiastic these chicks are blessed with brains and critical reflection skills on integration of technology into learning. Look for great links to resources and ideas for application in the classroom as they travel about the countryside (and globe) discovering and sharing.
- Laura Candler (www.lauracander,com) This is an incredibly generous classroom educator whose prolific production of resources (many of them absolutely free) is worth looking into. Creative while aligned to standards, Linda's "file cabinet" is filled with games and practice pages that stretch across the curriculum. Take a look, too, at her "Power Packs" as well as her planning and professional development materials and workshops as well. Having recently fund-raised to purchase a SmartBoard, Linda has also begun to include some technology resources on her site.
- "Power Teaching" (www.powerteachers.net) (also available on "Teacher Tube"). I like the brain-based research focus on student engagement these strategies are built on. I will deinitely be using several of the management tools and incorporating some of the reading and math approaches as well during this last quarter of school. The videos on the site (or through Teacher Tube) are a real plus as well as you watch the strategies modeled by classroom teachers and get overviews of each featuring co-founder Chris Biffle . A guide and lots of downloadable documents as well.
- TeacherTube - You Tube is how I keep up with my Spanish-language soap operas but I've just discovered the wealth of instructional and professional development goodies found on Teacher Tube. I really enjoyed a set of "In Plain English" videos, that served to sharpen my understanding of and reinvigorated my interest in Wikis. The discovery stimulated a notion of how to use wikis as part of our class' International Day learning activities. (Check out the link to our "Brainiacs ♥ Ghana" wiki on the bar at right and f0llow our deepening understanding of the social and cultural connections between the US and Ghana.)
- iTunes U - My daughter, with whom I Skype almost daily, turned me on to this component of iTunes. You'll find resources such as generous George Lucas' "Edutopia" have placed downloadable videos on a range of instructional practices.
As I stand in complete awe of the skill and talent that is being brought to bear in the education of the world's children, I am mindful, alas, that the many wonderful ideas and concepts espoused by these and other education professionals, continue to slam up against walls of organizational structures, policies, and systems. These decision-making entities are all-too-often reticent, if not downright resistant, to the findings of even the most rigorously research-based approaches. We cannot expect our children to learn more and better if we continue to think about and operate our educational systems in the same old ways. Teachers and students need time to think, learn and practice. Everything from so-called pacing guides, to the structure of our school "year", to the very layout of our buildings really must be reconsidered and retooled if the change we say we want is to occur.
The break truly refreshed and gladdened my spirit. As I prepare to return to the classroom, I feel evermore committed not only to strengthening my skills for my students but to building, nurturing and supporting my collegial relationships. Our instructional team's preparations for this year's MSA showed me the desire for and tthe power in collaboration. The sharing was heartening and sparked sincere efforts to carry collaborations forward into the coming school year. All very exciting and humbling.
