Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts... Emily E.

I’ve been SO excited to get the book “Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts..” etc. by Will Richardson and paid extra $$ for 2 day shipping.  Of course it didn’t come in two days so I had to wait impatiently.  When the book finally came I dug right in.  I paid full price for a brand new copy of this book instead of a used copy because I want to take real ownership of this and my learning since it can have such benefits. 

I’m taking this book very seriously and want to follow it truly.  In the very beginning he asks some questions for us educators to answer to determine how we use the internet and therefore the implications of how we and our students will use it for life long learning.  So I thought I would answer those questions and put them out there for you all to consider as well.

- What are your passions? I am passionate about ways to engage learners and ways to modify for different learners.  I strive to keep students focused and one of the best ways to do that is in creating different activities that students can be engaged in that are at their level.  I co-teach with 2 teachers currently and we try to break the class into three groups as often as we can.  The three levels are high (we try to give enriching activities that extend and help formulate further learning), middle (we give activities that are right on grade level which helps them meet the standards), and low (activities that have the students working on the same skill but at a lower level where they ccan further their learning for where they are in their learning). 

- Who are your teachers? Are they all in physical space? My teachers are the professors we have through grad school, the teachers I work with, my old principal, and online resources.  I learn a lot from the teachers I work with and am lucky that my new staff (just began at a new school) is full of hard workers and people who strive for the best.  I am glad that I feel as if I bring something to the table, but am able to learn and collaborate well with my staff.  My old principal was not just a building principal but was really a leader in academics and instruction.  Our professional developments were always extremely informative and helpful.  I truly believe I would not be where I am in the process of becoming a great teacher if it were not for her support.  I miss her leadership and guidance greatly.  Also, I use the internet and online communities to learn from others.  Just recently I was reading an online chat that was directed by an “expect” in the area of reading.  I learned more from the comments that other teachers posted instead of the “expect” who barely was able to facilitate the conversation.  I was given new resources and ideas from these other teachers.  Websites with lists and discussions are also helpful to me.  I have been striving to find ways to connect to the CCSS in a stronger way and have been using other people’s ideas for support.  Youtube videos are also helpful in this process.  When I am beginning a new topic I do searches online to find resources and videos that support me as well as help guide how I should teach the topic.  The internet is very valuable to my learning.  The Florida Center for Reading Research is also a site I frequent often.  I feel as though their graphic organizers in the area of comprehension are part of the reason I’m seeing such great success with my reading groups this year.

- How are you building your own learning networks using these tools?  As I mentioned above I frequent different websites that help me determine how I should be teaching certain topics since there are so many resources for CCSS now.  The K-5mathresources.com website also is a great support for CCSS.  A lot of the work they offer requires students to do problem solving, which I often use in my classes.  These are easy to help me modify or add manipulatives to in order to make it easier for some students to access the content.  I also follow certain pages on facebook, like scholastic readers, that offers ideas and support.

- In this new environment, how are you modeling your learning for your students? I guess I am really not modeling my own learning too well to my students.  I use youtube videos and we have talked about how there are some great, and some not great, resources out there for us to use.  I use my iPad in small group instruction to look up content we discuss or images to help describe an unknown word.  I have discussed how I use thse resources on my own as well, but I haven’t really gone into my own specific learning.  This question is interesting because I hadn’t thought before that I should be describing or modeling how I do my own learning.  It makes me want to include that in some of our conversations when using technology.