Let’s state something right up front:  I have neglected this blog.   This year brought a major change in my position at work and in struggling to get my feet back under me, I put the blog to the side.  I had already been struggling to balance time between my blog, social networking, my kids, my job, and all of my other responsibilities, and something had to give for a while.

I am continually amazed at several of the bloggers I follow.  Many post at least once a day, some up to 4-5 times a day.  Where do they find the time?  I know that time is relative and that you will make time for the things that you want to make time for, but still, I’m not sure I could compete.

As a new blogger, I thought I had to compete.  I exhausted myself and burned out, then neglected to update at all.  Vicki Davis recently posted Globally Connected…Personally Disconnected? When I read it, I was relieved that she was human too, lol.  I met Vicki briefly at the google Teacher Academy and have always admired her efforts in edtech, but she seemed a little more than human.  All of the wonderful activities she plans for students, writing a book, daily blogging, and all of the other things she does of which I am not aware;  I always wondered how she still had time to do all of the things she talked about doing with her family.  I admit, I was a bit jealous because I couldn’t find a balance.

I decided to make this post a sort of Professional New Year’s Resolution- a week or so early.

• This year I will try to post at least weekly to my blog.  I would set a goal for more often, but I need to set it at something I can realistically do.
• I will try to use at least one new tech tool each week.  I have been putting so many great sites on my delicious account and haven’t used many of them.
• I will try to stay on top of my RSS feeds.  I get so many GREAT ideas from the blogs I follow and I need to read them more often.  At one point, I had over 1000 feeds I hadn’t read.  I recently deleted all and started fresh.  I am staying on top of it so far.
• I will try to be more open minded in my teaching.  I notice that lately I have been letting the textbook lead the teaching, instead of letting the students lead it.  I know how to let the students lead, I used to do this, but lately I have been in a bad rut, and my resolution is to get out of that rut.
• Continue to search out other professional development opportunities- the learning should never end.

Those are my professional goals for 2010, what are yours?

I recieved a shocking email a week ago.  It was an agency representing the Illinois State Board of Education.  They were putting together a training course for Illinois teachers on gifted students.  They were requesting the use of my google application video in their curriculum.

When I made the video, I had never put together a video before, at least nothing other than what I could make using Photostory, Powerpoint, or a little with Movie Maker.  When I read about the aplication process, I was completely overwhelmed.  I really didn’t think I could make anything that would “wow” google enough to include me in their teacher academy.  In fact, I wasn’t really even sure how to go about making a video.

I did what any 21st century person would- I googled it!  I searched for other application videos and used them as inspiration.  I really thought about what being a 21st century learner meant.  The ideas came forth quickly and I began working on the project.  I had to learn to use pinnacle (the only software our school had, and not an easy program to learn) and worked with students to put it together.  The end result was exactly what I had envisioned, and I was pleased.

I had no idea that over 7,00 people would view the video on youtube, nor did I forsee a time when someone would let me know they saw someone present at a conference and my video was shown.   Never in a million years did I imagine that anyone would want to use it in their curriculum, but each of those things happened.

To me this truly demonstrates the power of networking, of the internet, of web 2.0.  Someone without a “name” for herself can express her views and other people will listen; Other people will share a similar view.  The power in that is immense.

How does this translate to the classroom?  If every student could see that their opinions, thoughts, and beliefs do matter to someone, think of how truly motivating that would be.  Suddenly someone appreciates them in a way they hadn’t yet experienced.

Two weeks ago, I began a new year teaching 5th grade.  I plan to incorporate many opportunities for my students to express themselves, and to share their learning, their ideas, and their hopes for the future with someone outside the walls of our school.  I hope they find that experience as uplifting and motivating as I have.

Last month a coworker asked if I would be a guest presenter at her daughter’s school.  Each child in this 3rd grade classroom had the opportunity to invite a guest.  I accepted the invitation, met with her daughter and we planned a presentation of animoto and wordle.  Two of my favorite tools.

We started with animoto.  Due to CIPA I couldn’t allow this group of students to create their own animoto videos, so we decided to do a class video.  I allowed my coworker’s daughter to choose the topic.  She chose rain forests.  I pulled up my schools.clipart.com account and typed rain forest into the search engine.  The students then took turns selecting images from the hundreds available.  I saved those images and we imported them into Animoto.   The video was created while the students worked on their next project- Wordle.

Our next project was wordle.  I have posted on wordle more than once.  It is one of my favorite tools to use with students.  They love using it, it is very simple and quick to explain, and they can customize to their hearts content.  Since they were down to their last few days of school, I gave them the topic of summer.  They creations they made were wonderful.  For 30 minutes, you could have heard a pin drop.

This is the one thing I love about technology.  Once the kids get into it, they become completely engaged.  I would love to hear how you have used either (or both) of these tools in your classroom.

This week I have taken a class on blogs and a class on wikis.  I have wanted to use one or both in a classroom setting for the past year, but due to the change of my position last year, I didn’t get the opportunity.  I will be using one or both in my classroom this year.

During one of these classes, a colleague asked which is better, a blog or a wiki.  Wow!  What a tough question.  I guess the answer lies in how you want to use the tool in your classroom.

Both Blogs and Wikis have advantages and disadvantages.  There are thousands of great examples of teachers using each tool (and thousands of not so good examples).  As with anything, these are tools.  The content of the lessons in which the blog or wiki are used are truly what makes it a great tool or just something else to do.  I am including some links below to a few of the better sites I explored this week.

Blogs

Blogs tend to be more of a conversational tool.  The teacher or students post information and others comment.  The blog may also have links, widgets, and other tools for the students to use.  Blogs are a more universal format and teachers and students are probably somewhat familiar with their layout and how they work.
Blogging Bears
Mrs. Cassidy’s Classroom Blog
Tamiki Primary School Blog
Mrs. Trefz’s 5th Grade Class

Wikis

Wikis tend to be more of a collaborative tool.  Students can more readily create content and add their own flare to the project.  Many teachers are using these as a classroom website.
Mrs. Abernathy’s Global Gorillas- Love this one!
Arbor Heights Elementary
Go West

School is out for summer, at least for our district, but my learning isn’t over yet.  I am in the middle of a blogging class, one of four classes I am taking this week.  I have many colleagues who ask why I take classes during my summer vacation.  The answer: I love to learn!

I love technology and most of the summer class I take are put on by our instructional technology department.  This week I am learning more about blogging, wikis, Web 2.0 tools, and Dreamweaver.  Once they hear the classes I take, then I get the question “Why are you taking those?  You teach those same things to us at inservices.”  This is true.  So why do I take the classes anyway?  Because there is ALWAYS something new to learn.

I learn new tools, new ways to use old tools, and fun ways to implement the technology in my classroom.  Plus, for the past two years, I have been looking at technology from a different viewpoint.  Now I need to take a new, fresh look at how to use these things with my students.

I sincerely hope that everyone who teaches likes to learn new things.  How can we pass on a love of learning to students if we don’t have that love any more?  Not that classes are the only way to achieve this.  Many teachers work on lesson plans, read education publications, and talk to other educators during their time off.  They may learn by taking vacations, spending time with their kids and grandkids, or reading novels.    I hope that all teachers out there are doing something (however small it may be) to learn something new this summer.

“When you stop learning, stop listening, stop looking and asking questions, always new questions, then it is time to die.”  Lillian Smith

As the title says it, I’m “back in the saddle again.”  Due to some budget cuts and increasing class sizes, our school needed to add a fourth 5th grade teacher and my tech position was cut, therefore, I am the new 5th grade teacher.

I’ve been asked countless times if I am excited or not.  My truthful answer is that I’m getting there.  When the possibility first came about a few months ago, I was very excited.  As time went on and the possibility wavered back and forth, I became frustrated, and the excitement waned.  About two weeks ago, I found out this was a definite move.  The excitement is slowly returning.

Last week we did a big room shift with a total of 4 rooms being affected.  I have been moving into my room and getting settled since Friday.  I am working on where to put everything, how many tables I need, how to decorate, and all of those other fun decisions that come from moving into a new room.

One of the things I am most looking forward to is the opportunity to work with the students on tech projects.  I have so many ideas of things to do.  I will have to keep you all posted on all of the things we try.

One other very important thing to mention:  We are out for summer

The newest Google Teacher Academy is going to be held in Boudler, Colorado on August 5, 2009!  Applications are due by midnight on July 3rd.

The Google Teacher Academy is a wonderful, FREE, opportunity to meet and collaborate with educators from all over the country- and world! It is also an opportunity to learn about all that google has to offer educators.

More information is located at Google’s Teacher Academy site. The application process includes a written application as well as a video application.

When I applied, I was so nervous about the video application.  I had never really created a video and wasn’t even sure what tools to use.  Since creating that video, I have gone on to create many more.  If you would like some inspiration, here is my video as well as several others. All of these people were selected to attend the Mountain View, California Google Teacher Academy last June.

Throughout my 4 short years in education, I have heard one phrase repeated over and over: “There isn’t time for technology.”   While my last 2 years have been dedicated to educational technology- one year in the computer lab, and this year as a coach- I was previously a classroom teacher.  I taught 5th grade for two years.  I had to teach the same standards with the same time and resource limitations, yet I did incorporate technology on a daily basis.   They made powerpoints, movies, brochures, used Palms, and did research.  There are so many more projects I would incorporate now.  Things that weren’t around 3 or 4 years ago.

Technology is not, and should not be, a stand alone subject.  It should be incorporated into everything, just as it is in the real world.   I have repeatedly heard that teachers don’t have the time to fit in a lesson on technology.   I have spent time today catching up on my RSS feeds, and have read post after post about the new 1 to 1 initiative in Maine, flattening the classroom, paperless classrooms, and how we tend to worksheet our kids to death.

It does take a little more time up front to incorporate technology into the classroom.  You do need to cover basic computer and typing skills, online ettiquette, and how to appropriately use the equipment.  You also need to gain parental permission to use blogs, wikis, email, etc.  and teach the kids to use these tools.  But that can all be covered in August and September.  Then there are many more months that can be dedicated to using the technology to learn, create, and share all kinds of new concepts.

Our kids will live their entire lives in the future.  Technologies that are little more than science fiction to us now will become tools used daily in their futures.  Who would have predicted 50 years ago that people would carry around  a device that could take digital pictures, surf the internet, and call someone across the world, and yet would be the size of a thin deck of cards.  Yet today, millions of people do.

We can’t predict the future of our students.  What we can do is our very best to prepare them for what awaits.  To give them the skills to think for themselves, search for the answers and verify that the source of those answers is credible- these are what will be valuable to them.

Much of what college students learn today will be outdated 2-3 years from now.  What does that say of the elementary social studies textbooks that are now 10 years old? Written before September 11th.  Written before many elementary students were even born.

There needs to be a complete paradigm shift in education, maybe the biggest shift in the history of education- or at least since we found out that the world was indeed round.   It is a shift that will require everyone- teachers, students, parents, administrators, school districts, communities, government, literally everyone.   Change is scary.  Change takes courage.  If not now, then when?  We owe it to our children and those children on down the lines to think outside the box and to really prepare them for the future.

So I ask this…No time for technology?  How can you NOT make the time?

**Ok, I will step down from my soapbox for a little while**

About a year and a half ago, the AARP hosted the U@50 Challenge. Participants created a video “ that describes how you envision your future.”  Applicant’s then posted the videos on Youtube.  I ran across one of these videos this week on Presentation Zen’s Blog and had to share.  It was simply done, but required a lot of forethought.   I found it very inspiring and wanted to share it.  The video won second place.  I have posted the winners list below.  Most of them are still posted on Youtube if you would like to take a look.

Top 5 Winners
Grand Prize — “When I’m 50…” by rockyourd
Second Place — “Lost Generation” by metroamv
Third Place — “ME@50″ by triciOC1986
Fourth Place — “Jenny AT 50!” by Jennycarreiro
Fifth Place — “The College Years: Episode 50″ by davethebrave987

Thanks to Free Tech 4 Teachers, I found a wonderful new tool called Glogster.  This Web 2.0 tool allows students to make a “poster” with added information. A ‘glog’ is basically an online poster/web page.  Students can combine text, pictures, graphics, video, and audio to create an interactive online poster.  It has a very simple to use interface.  The final glog can be hosted by Glogster or you can embed it into a wiki, blog, or class web site.
This sure would be a much more fun an exciting way of doing a report than simply typing and printing it.  There are some great examples of posters on the site.  Here are four of the highlighted projects.