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"Confession Tuesday"
It’s been awhile since my last confession. Fear not. I’ve been racking up things I need to get off my chest, and saving them for just the right Tuesday. Today, friends, is that Tuesday.
If you’re not familiar with the Confession Tuesday concept, it’s just a day I set aside to confess my deepest educational secrets. The things I keep bottled up most of the time. Sometimes they just need to get out. And sometimes they have a theme. Today, friends, is not that kind of day. I’ve got a whole bunch of random things on my mind. It’s time to set them free…
I confess that some days it feels like the list of things I want to do better as a teacher is 3 miles long. Not because I’m not good at my job and not because that day has been a struggle. Just because there’s always more. But…if the list ever gets shorter than that, it’s probably a bad sign.
I confess that I’m obsessed with trying to figure out an educational reason to use this video in my classroom:
(Suggestions welcome.)
I confess that I sort of want to post something that I’d do for five dollars on this site.
I confess that I almost nodded off in the workshop I attended today.
I also confess that I actually have nodded off in a workshop before. More than once. Thankfully before cell phone cameras became ubiquitous.
I confess that it bothers me that nearly all twitter chats are “East Coast-friendly.” Doesn’t this upset folks in the Pacific time zone? Western Canada has more amazing educators per capita than any place on the continent. I want to be able to chat with them!
I confess that I could probably never take part in a west coast chat because I usually can’t make it up past 10 pm eastern.
I confess that, after using the 4-icon challenge he blogged about, I have now stolen borrowed more ideas from @techsavvyed than any educator in the edublogosphere.
I confess that I got goosebumps yesterday during a reading workshop discussion about a book about a cat. I do love my job. Cats? Not so much.
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I think that will do it for now. Until next time, feel free to share your own confessions in the comments!
It’s been far too long since my last educational confession. I can’t remember the last time I confessed. And I confess that I’m feeling too lazy to look it up. If you’re new to our blog, Confession Tuesday is a semi-regular post where I confess my deepest concerns about teaching and learning. Feel free to join in by leaving your own confession in the comments!
I confess that I harbor some concerns about the Common Core State Standards. First off, I’m concerned that there are states, like my own, who haven’t done enough yet to prepare teachers. A small amount of Google searching is all it takes to reveal that there are some state departments of education (I’m talking to you, North Carolina, Oregon, and several others) that have TONS of Common Core resources available on their websites. It’s clear that there are a lot of states that have grabbed the proverbial bull by the horns and that are way ahead of the game.
Of course, there are others that haven’t. I confess I’m worried that a divide is already being created in an area that is supposed to make education more equitable and standardized for every child in the country. I fear that this is especially true for students in typically underserved areas such as rural and urban schools. Are the Common Core Standards going to widen the already expansive learning gap between affluent and poor schools? I think this is a discussion worth having.
I also confess that I’m concerned about schools not taking advantage of one of the greatest things about the Common Core Standards…that they clearly define what to teach, not how to teach it. In fact, if you read closely, it’s apparent that they were created as a way of helping transform the way we deliver content in the classroom. I think the standards open doors for teachers to create more meaningful and enriching ways to engage students. Is this going to happen? Or are we going to be too concerned about the new national tests? (I confess it seems we know far too little about these tests at this point, too.) Will those of us in states and districts and schools that are lagging behind and that are yet to implement any transition to the Core at all yet get so wrapped up in this transition that we “forget” (or aren’t given the time necessary) to be engaging and creative and empowered?
I confess that I believe that national standards and engaging teaching and learning CAN go hand in hand. I think you definitely can have both. It’s not easy, but it’s definitely possible. If you’re a teacher in a place that you feel is lagging behind, I want to help. That’s why I’m going to be blogging a lot more about the Core in coming months. And soon Engaging Educators is going to have a page on our website about how we can help your school or district make sure that 21st century learning finally comes about as you transition to the Core. So stay tuned for that (or contact us in the meantime to get the ball rolling).
How’s the Core going where you teach? Leave your confessions in the comments section. We’d love to hear from you. And if you want to follow along with all our Common Core-related posts (and all our other posts, too), please subscribe to our blog and follow us on twitter.
It’s been a while since my last Confession Tuesday post. Please forgive me. Just to fill you in if you’re a new reader, on Confession Tuesdays I spill my educational guts, confessing to all sorts of things about teaching that I’ve been thinking, doing, or wanting to do. I’ll stop trying to explain it and get to confessing…
I confess that I did not vote in the Edublog Awards. Yes, we did post a list of nominations here on our blog, nominating several people and blogs that we admire and read. And it was one of our most popular posts in recent memory. AND a lot of our nominations ended up on the final voting ballots. On top of that, it was an enjoyable post to write, not only because there are so many people that I want our readers to make sure that they’re reading, but because I really liked going through my RSS feeds and my twitter stream to try to find folks to recognize. It was tough choosing, and I certainly left a lot of great bloggers out. But when it came time for voting, I didn’t. I didn’t even want to.
Why not? Well, there’s been a lot of controversy swirling around the awards this year, as I’m sure there is every year. And I guess I have to say that I was, and still am, torn. I can totally see the point that Tom Whitby (our nominee for best tweeter) makes in his post Edublog Awards Don’t Suck. Tom argues, essentially, that it’s important to recognize others who work so unselfishly to promote the cause of education. I completely agree. Of course, I can also agree with Joe Bower (our nominee for best individual blog, ironically), who writes in Why I Don’t Like the Edublog Awards on his blog for the love of learning:
Because I believe learning should always be framed as a collaborative activity and never a competitive one, I am critical of the Edublog awards.
Joe goes on to make several points that are really thought provoking. I encourage you to read the piece and comment on it.
But back to me not voting…I guess I have to confess that I value the nomination process more so than the awards process. Nominations serve a completely reasonable purpose: bringing recognition to bloggers who are working hard and sharing great stuff. Personally, I loved following the #eddies11 hashtag. I read as many nominee postings as possible. I was amazed by the new blogs I learned about, especially ones from the UK, Asia, and Australia. It was great finding new stuff to read, follow, and subscribe to. That’s what it’s all about, to me. Learning and sharing. And the nomination process serves both of those ends quite well.
By writing a Edublog Awards nomination post myself, I was able to recognize and thank the people who share vast amounts of knowledge every time I log on to twitter or open my Google Reader. And, hopefully, I was able to bring some attention to some folks others hadn’t heard of before and attention to people who deserve it (and, yes, coolcatteacher, you ARE worthy of a lifetime achievement nomination, end of discussion!). In fact, I intentionally selected my nominees to include folks that weren’t showing up in others’ nominations as a way of “spreading the love.”
But back to that not voting thing…I just didn’t really see the point in choosing a best anything. Bloggers worldwide had already created these great nominations posts, accomplishing what should be the purpose of an event like this. I just didn’t feel the need to choose the “best.” Or any value in it.
I have to confess at this point that our blog was NOT nominated for any awards, but I didn’t choose not to vote out of spite or bitterness. We aren’t doing half of what we want to yet, we’re certainly far from the “best” anything. (Although I must confess to doing some shameless campaigning for a nomination…that’s some great exposure for newcomers like us!) And it just didn’t feel right, taking it to the next step and trying to pick just one for any category.
I confess that I really do think that in the edtech and edublogger world, there’s a bit of a caste system. The “inner circle” of “famous” bloggers can be tough to crack. And from some, it can be tough to even get the time of day. There are those that blog because they want to be read, and there are those that blog because they want to help. That’s how I see it and it’s always going to be the way. We like to think the Engaging Educators are in the latter group (send us a comment, tweet, or email…see how fast we reply!). And THAT’s really all that matters.
Have a great Tuesday. And be sure to share your own confessions on this topic or any other, in the comments section.
PHOTO from FlickrCC: http://www.flickr.com/photos/64419960@N00/3002018955
Disclosure: I am a certified SMART Notebook trainer. I have been, and hopefully will continue to be, paid to train teachers to use their SMART interactive whiteboards properly and effectively. My training sessions are all customized, however, and designed with an emphasis on the key word “interactive.” And I’m paid by schools that hire me, NOT by a company that installs or services boards.
Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way…please forgive me. It’s been I don’t know how long since my last confession. Today I’d like to confess some of my innermost feelings about a single topic: interactive whiteboards. I’ve remained silent on this issue because it seems so divisive. Maybe “divisive” is the wrong word because there aren’t a ton of people out there speaking out in their defense. There are, however, plenty of detractors. And that’s okay, for sure. Debate is necessary and desired. But before I get ahead of myself, let me step into the confessional…
I confess that I’ve seen interactive whiteboards being used as nothing more than expensive projector screens. I’m sure you have, too.
I confess that I’ve known of teachers who go complete weeks, or perhaps longer, without even turning on their interactive whiteboards. I’m sure you have, too.
I confess that few things frustrate me more than schools spending money on interactive whiteboards but not investing the time and money to not only train teachers properly, but also to hold them accountable for using the boards the right way (and hold administrators accountable for not holding teachers accountable or not supporting them to get more training when needed).
I confess that I hear a lot about schools with large percentages of students receiving free and reduced lunch investing Title One dollars into interactive whiteboards and, knowing the likelihood that they’ll be used effectively, I shiver.
I confess that I’d probably trade my interactive whiteboard for a cart of laptops that I could have access to whenever I want it. BUT…I can’t. It’s there on my wall and it’s not going anywhere. The money’s spent. So gosh darn it, I’m going to use it and I’m going to use it the right way.
I confess that I think interactive whiteboards can be great learning tools when used effectively. Interactive. Hands-on. Visually appealing. Kinesthetic. They’ve got a lot of things going for them. Yes, if you’re a teacher just standing in front of your interactive whiteboard talking at students for an hour at a time, this is a problem. But if you’re a teacher who’s working with a small group on a math activity and you’ve got a small group using the board independently as a learning center, this is awesome. Interactive whiteboards are not evil incarnate, educationally speaking. They’re underutilized tools that aren’t being used properly for myriad reasons, most of them reasons that are easily addressed.
I confess that I have no problem with people saying and blogging and writing that they wouldn’t invest their tech dollars in interactive whiteboards. Like I said, I’m apt to agree with you. But please, if you’ve got one in your room or your school, don’t spend valuable time shouting your opposition from the mountaintops. They CAN be meaningful tools. Invest some time in learning just how powerful and engaging they can be. Your students will thank you for it.
Amen.
Photo Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/60202134@N07/5496530876
Ah, Confession Tuesday, that special day when I can bare my teaching soul with the world. That day where I can purge my mind of the many thoughts swimming around in it. That day where I can (hopefully) encourage you to do the same.
It has been two weeks since my last confession…please forgive me…
I confess that there are few things better than unexpected positive feedback. I wrote a post about Steve Jobs last week and I was proud of it. And it ended up getting some very lofty (and unexpected) compliments from a few people I respect a great deal. These came out of the blue. And they felt good. I’m not saying I crave or even need praise. But when it comes out of nowhere, it’s kind of nice. I bet you like it, too. I’m going to try to be more mindful of how many compliments I’m handing out, especially among the people I value most (this includes you, PLN!). I certainly don’t tell the people I value how much I value them often enough. I’m going to try to do a better job. There’s a lot of people I work with, online and in “real life” that deserve more praise than they get.
I confess that although that above paragraph may have sounded like a subtle hint that you should praise us more often, it wasn’t. I promise!
I confess that my major teaching thought lately has been “I haven’t quite figured this out yet.” I certainly have lots of questions about how to be a better teacher. Sometimes I think I have more questions than answers. I think I have good ideas, but I still think that being the best teacher I can be is still a goal and not a reality. And I’m alright with that. I’m working hard to answer my questions, that’s what matters. There’s nothing wrong with questions. If I stop asking them, or when I stop trying to answer them…that’s when something’s wrong.
I confess I thought the two newsletters we put out earlier this year we pretty awesome. Epic, even. But somehow we haven’t put one together since. How bad is that? I’m going on the record now to say that we’ll make our newsletters quarterly, starting with a winter issue in December. Hold me to that, please.
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Thanks for reading. See you next time.
It’s Confession Tuesday–the day when I share my inner-most educational thoughts with the world. You should, too, faithful readers. After taking in all that I have to say, please leave your own educational confession in the comments. So without further ado, into the confessional booth!
I confess that I have been bogged down lately and it’s affected my blogging and tweeting. Work in my own classroom has been keeping me mega-busy, but things are settling down, as they usually do once September concludes. Fear not–the Engaging Educators will be picking things up and returning to our regular frequency soon.
I confess that there’s something about the craziness of the first month of school that I really enjoy. Maybe it’s the seemingly limitless possibilities that exist. Maybe it’s because I love trying to plan great learning activities for my students. Maybe I’m learning how to thrive in a hectic environment. Somehow it works for me.
I confess that I’ve been feeling pretty proud of the Engaging Educators of late. By the end of the week, we’ll have run 9 and a half hours of webinar training sessions. And they’ve been pretty good. I’ll now return to an appropriate level of modesty.
I confess that I think I love my RSS reader more than twitter. Don’t get me wrong, I love me some twitter. But RSS is truly the best.
I confess that I have some twitter pet peeves that I don’t talk about much. Not citing sources and tweeting about what you’re eating or where you’re “checking in” are among my top five. All apologies if you’re someone who interweaves tweets about the vanilla milkshake you’re enjoying with educational resources. I mean, I like milkshakes, too, but I’m following you for teaching, not culinary, purposes.
Finally, I confess that I still feel like there’s more we can do. Every day I think about what more I can do. And I work with lots of people who think the same things. And I read blogs and tweets of people who want to do more. And I have to confess that, despite the hits being taken by schools and teachers of late, I think that as long as there are people pouring their hearts and souls into teaching every single day (and night and weekend and holiday)–as long as there are people who feel there’s more they can do, we’re going to right the ship, overcome the naysaying, rise above the negativity, and take education to a new level.
Photo Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/35237093637@N01/79242168
Confession Tuesday, our home for airing our innermost thoughts and feelings about the world of teaching and technology…
Forgive me, it’s been three weeks since my last confession.
I confess that sometimes I don’t know what to believe when it comes to teaching and learning. I don’t know who to side with. Maybe it’s my dual role as both parent and educator. I just know that when Ron Clark writes about what teachers really want to tell parents, part of me thinks, “Right on!” But another part of me thinks, “Really, Ron?” I can honestly see both sides. There are things Mr. Clark writes that I do wish I could say to parents. But there are a lot of responses I read that take issue with his article that make a lot of sense to me, too. I’m not a flip-flopper or a fair weather fan, I promise. I just can see both sides of this particular argument.
I confess that the more I think about it, however, the more I think Mr. Clark is a little too heavy-handed in his delivery.
I confess that calling it “heavy-handed” may be putting it nicely. But if you haven’t read the article yet, you should.
I confess that I tend to be much more interested in reading blog posts and articles by teachers who haven’t been named “Teacher of the Year” or who haven’t received other similar accolades and laurels. In my mind, the most insightful and useful writing is being done by “regular” educators, who work far from the spotlight. Those are the people I connect with and those are the educators I identify with. They’re the ones most connected to students.
I confess I haven’t found my “groove” yet this school year. (6 days in)
I confess I tend to be a little impatient. The groove is waiting for me, I know it. And soon our paths will cross.
I confess I have a hope that if you’ve read this far, you’ll leave a comment with a little confession of your own. It can even be anonymous if you want!
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Time to close the confessional and get back to work! See you next time.
Confession Tuesday is a day for confessing educational mistakes, failings, and other pressing thoughts. This blog series is designed to be interactive. Please share your confessions in the comments.
Please forgive me, it’s been two weeks since I last confessed! So many of our faithful readers are either starting back to school this week (or have started back to school already)…good luck to you all! Away we go…
I confess I am not ready to start the school year. I still have two weeks left. But my classroom is a mess. I haven’t written a lesson plan. Now, don’t get me wrong, I think about school a lot–perhaps obsessively–but lately it’s been a lot of “big picture” thinking involving the goals I have and the big stuff I want to accomplish this year. I better start focusing.
I confess that I panic a bit when I think of all the work yet to be done in these next two weeks. And unfortunately, I’m the kind of person whose way of coping with that sort of panic is to…procrastinate. I know that makes no sense. I’m working on it.
I confess that I love going back to school. I always have. I have a very vivid memory of myself making a wish as a young child, maybe 7 or 8 years old. I can’t remember if I was breaking a wishbone with my sister or tossing a coin into a fountain. Either way I desperately wished for new school supplies for going back to school. That was it. That was my wish. That’s how much I wanted to go back to school–so much that I “wasted” a wish on something I knew I was going to get anyway! I could be, like, a millionaire or something right now had I just wished more effectively!
I confess that there are several things that many, many people love that I just can’t get into. Among them: sushi, movies by the Farrelly brothers, and facebook. I know that facebook can be extremely useful in an educational setting, when used appropriately. I don’t dispute that. I’m not anti-facebook, don’t get me wrong. I just can’t get into it. I want to use it to promote our work here at Engaging Educators, but I can’t get into doing that either. I know there’s a bazillion facebook users out there who would disagree with me, and maybe I’ll see the light someday, but right now it’s just not working for me.
I confess that previous paragraph has nothing to do with back to school, but it’s been on my mind so I’m sharing it anyway.
I confess that I’m always reminded this time of year, no matter how busy it is or how much I procrastinate, how much I love being a teacher. We live in exciting times and I’m lucky enough to work in an exciting school with a chance to do exciting things. I hope you feel the same way.
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Have any back to school confessions of your own? Please share! We’ll be back next week for more.
Photo Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/73645804@N00/3957311986
It’s been a week since my last education-related confession. Forgive me…
Photo Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/madprime/3983346551/
I confess that lately I may have become too much of an “idea guy.” Personally, I think my ideas are brilliant. But I have a tendency to get carried away. One idea leads to [...]
It’s been a week since my last education-related confession. Forgive me…
Photo Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/madprime/3983346551/
I confess that lately I may have become too much of an “idea guy.” Personally, I think my ideas are brilliant. But I have a tendency to get carried away. One idea leads to another and it snowballs from there. Ideas are fine when you keep them to yourself. But when you put them out there and share them with others, they turn into commitments. As a result, my proverbial plate may be beyond full. I already have a pretty long list of commitments and obligations for the coming school year. A smarter person would recognize this and stop adding to the plate. Not me. My mind just keeps churning. Here’s kind of what it sounds like in my head: “Find a way to help a university professor-friend integrate technology into his education courses? I can do that. Start a twitter chat about urban education? No problem. Create an online network for urban educators? Brilliant. Completely revamp the way we provide teacher technology training to our district? Consider it done.” And so on and so on. Be sure to stay tuned to future confessionals to see if I end up confessing that I’m in over my head.
I confess that I’m actually writing this on Saturday. I’m going out of town all week and for the most part I’ll be without web access. So I’m doing some blogging in advance. Another example of a great idea that has led to this being a very busy week.
I confess that I’m afraid I won’t do well without web access. There may be twitching involved.
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Check back for more next week. And be sure to subscribe to our blog to make sure you never miss another post!
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Confession Tuesday: It IS About the Tools
This marks my first educational confession of 2012. I have only one today and I’m glad to share it, because it deals with some of my core beliefs about teaching and learning in the 21st century…
I confess that sometimes it IS about the tools and not about the teaching. I confess that, like so [...]
What century are your teaching tools and methods from?
This marks my first educational confession of 2012. I have only one today and I’m glad to share it, because it deals with some of my core beliefs about teaching and learning in the 21st century…
I confess that sometimes it IS about the tools and not about the teaching. I confess that, like so many mantras, the oft-repeated “It’s not about tools, it’s about teaching” tells only part of the story. I confess that I cringe sometimes when that other part of the story isn’t discussed. Allow me to explain…
While I do believe that teaching is what’s most important, and that changes in the way we teach kids are necessary to better serve 21st century learners, I also believe that teachers need to be equipped with a set of tools that will aid them in their teaching.
Yes, the fact that schools are still teaching 21st century students using 19th and 20th century methods is a HUGE issue…and an issue that I am working hard to address. However, I believe that possessing a set of tools, a 21st century toolkit if you will, can greatly improve your teaching. Of course, without these tools you can still be an effective teacher. And of course, what it’s really all about is designing great lessons and projects and engaging students in ways that make them better thinkers and lifelong learners. Yes, teaching is what it’s all about. BUT, you can’t build a house without tools. And you can’t build the future either.
Hopefully this makes sense, even if you don’t agree. I’d love to hear your thoughts, so please leave a comment. And please consider subscribing to our blog to read more confessions and more helpful posts about 21st century teaching and 21st century toolkits.
photo credit: Furryscaly via photopin cc