Where Does Time Go?

It has been a really long time since I have taken the time to post and don't want another minute to get away from me before I publish another post.  I follow so many blogs and see the advantage of blogging even if it is for my own sake.  Time is an issue for all of us.  I am sure I am not the only person who wished they could figure out how to slow time down to really enjoy the moment with friends, family, colleagues and other educators from around the world. I am recommitting to my blog post, even if no one else reads my posts.  It is a great way to post my thinking, record my feelings, reflect on my actions, and record/share my new learning.   

When I left off last spring/summer I was talking about our exciting summer project.  It was a very busy summer and fall as we brought educators around the state/county to work together on the Common Core State Standards Initiative.  It was a wonderful summer of learning.  Even though the time flew and it was very busy I truly enjoyed the time learning from others. 

One of the things we stressed in our summer work was how to work collaboratively with others and learn from one another without needing to be face to face.  We taught, modeled, and utilized technology to help with the massive undertaking of our summer project.  Without technology, I am not sure how we could have accomplished what we did, nor would we be successfully moving forward with the unity we are finding in the county regarding the transformation changes approaching educators across the United States. 

I have become like a child in a candy store.  The more I see and use technology, the more I crave it.  I just love how technology allows us to collaboratively create, share and learn from one another.  I have been doing a great deal of reading around the topic of technology.  Two of my favorites from this fall include Literacy 2.0 Reading and Writing in 21st Century Classrooms by Doug Fisher, Nancy Frey, and Alex Gonzalez; and Creating Digital-Rich Classrooms by Meg Ormiston. I have also purchased and look forward to reading the book Teaching the iGeneration by William Ferriter and Adam Garry.

I am also looking forward to taking an online class this winter through WMU entitled:  Designing Staff Development for Educational Technology.  I really hope this class will stretch me and help me co-create some online learning modules that will assist educators across our county in understanding the new Common Core State Standards, but more importantly help educators in Kent County make the transformational changes that need to occur in education throughout the US.    

My Mind is Swirling

The past month I have been busy hosting workshops on Developing UDL Instructional lessons; creating balanced assessment systems (Priority Expectations Options II and III); continuing the facilitation of the online book club and now trying to gain a deeper understanding of the new Common Core Standards. These three things along with my regular day to day work have created an exciting but intellectually draining month. All have been extremely rewarding, but has been caused little time for blogging and limited time for family and friends.

This next week we are going to have our first planning session for the intensive rework of our Curriculum Crafter Math and ELA content area curriculum. This work is going to mean long hours, intensive planning, and a GREAT opportunity to create a 21st century curriculum that will significantly advance the success of teachers and students alike.

The creation and adoption of Common Core Standards is a momentous occasion that will certainly help our nation’s students compete more readily in a global economy. The Curriculum Crafter® Tool, with content that is fully aligned to the Common Core Standards will allow Kent County to help in making this transition successful for the students we serve.

Keeping the Learning Going

It has been a long time since I have posted, but it doesn't mean the learning has halted. I can't say enough positive things about the online book club for Fifteen Fixes for Broken Grades that I have been facilitating as well as participating within. I am so honored to work with great colleagues and teacher leaders across the county. Together we can make a difference in the educational systems in which we work. Change is hard and many times is something that is avoided. These teacher leaders that I am working with are embracing the change and leaning on one another to push their thinking about these changes that need to take place in our schools today. They also are offering support and ideas of how they are thinking about things and what they are doing in their classrooms. It is amazing what a small group of dedicated teachers can do to make a difference for the students they serve.

Professional learning networks are powerful learning opportunities that teachers and administrators can participate in. My challenge is to find additional ways to bring county wide teachers and administrators into these online professional learning networks.

Online learning

Last week I started co-teaching an online class entitled Fifteen Fixes for Broken Grades by Ken O'Connor. I have to say, I was a bit nervous about using Moodle for this online course. Since this was my first experience, I wasn't sure how it was going to work. I knew that many of the participants in the course had never taken on online course which added to my nervousness. I am SO EXCITED to share the success of the first week. The discussions and journal posts taking place between the colleagues has been thoughtful, deeply insightful, and enjoyable to participate within. I look forward to viewing the site everyday to read and react to the various posts that have been added. I am looking forward to the continued learning that this online course has to offer.

Course Completed . . . Learning Continues January 9, 2010

I have decided that even though the 23 Things course is completed, I want to continue to use my Ideations blog to record and react to new learning.  I have found that by reading other people's blogs, even informally, I can learn a great deal. 

I will be embarking a new learning this week by co-facilitating the SMART Goals Online Book Study around Ken O'Connor's book:  A Repair Kit for Grading:  15 Fixes for Broken Grades.  I love the message sent through this book and look forward to the difficult conversations we will have around the content of the book.  Not that I like difficult conversations, rather I am excited that teachers are finally asking to open the dialogue about the important transformational changes in grading practices that need to be taking place in schools across the country.  Through this experience, I am sure I will learn what to do and what not to do when teaching an online course. 

I am also excited to share a blog that I will be following.  This blog is written by my daughter.  I look forward to reading her blog as she spreads her love of cultures one blog at a time.  Her blog can be found at http://culturecoffeeandcouture.blogspot.com/ .  Here is to learning from one another.