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The Toilet Paper Example

2012-01-11T09:49:00.001-06:00

Monday I was able to visit Bell's Skating Rink and the PTL Skating Party. One of the things students did was bring a roll of toilet paper in order to receive a discount on their admission. The skating rink has a toilet paper activity for the skaters and that is what all of this TP is used for. Here is how the activity goes. Each skater is given one roll of toilet paper. The DJ plays two songs and during that time, the skaters have to unroll all of their TP and try to cover the entire skating rink. Then, after the two songs, the DJ informs the skaters that they have another two songs to PICK UP all of the TP. The boys have to gather as much as possible and bring it to one location. The girls also have to gather as much as possible and bring it to another location. Whichever group picks up the most toilet paper wins. Now, I have never written so much about toilet paper, so I hope I am making myself clear and you understand the activity. If you are reading that they unrolled a bunch of TP on the ground, then picked it up, and called it a game, then you understand so far. Its actually a very simple idea.

Here is why I tell you about this experience. I was very intrigued as I watched all of the students unroll their toilet paper. If there were 75 students on that skating rink, then there were 75 ways to unroll the toilet paper. Some students threw the roll, picked it up, threw it again, picked it up, etc. Some students held the toilet paper, then dropped the roll and dragged it until it was empty. Some students held the roll, dropped the end of the toilet paper and unrolled it that way. Still other students pulled, ripped, and dropped. Some detailed students literally placed the toilet paper on the floor one square at a time. The point is that all the skaters had the exact same goal. They needed to cover the floor with toilet paper. The way they went about accomplishing that goal was different for each skater. I can see a parallel in our classrooms. Whether we are teaching content or skills, there is an objective for each lesson. There is something we want our students to learn or accomplish. But what you have probably noticed with your students is that each student reaches that objective in a different way. There is a time for uniformity, and there is a time to allow students to explore their own path (and possibly even allow them to make mistakes and learn from them). We need to recognize and celebrate the times in our classrooms when the different abilities, skills, and processes are seen in our students.

New Resolutions vs Old Goals (2012 Version)

2012-01-04T15:22:00.003-06:00

Last year I wrote a post comparing New Year's Resolutions to the goals we set back at the start of the new school year. You can view it HERE. The following is an update on that post which I wrote in my staff memo today.

I wonder what a comparison would look like between my “goals to reach list” and my “goals reached list.” I am sure that my “to reach list” is much longer that my “reached list.” It seems to me that we are constantly setting new goals, and often we do this before we have reached our previous goals. Throughout the year we have opportunities for a new beginning and setting new goals. January is an obvious time where we set new resolutions, June we may set goals for the summer, and August is another time where we make a new list for the beginning of the school year. Although I will not completely discourage anyone from setting New Year’s resolutions, I would encourage all of us to take a look back at some previous goals that you have set. Don’t forget about the goals you began reaching back in August. They might have been personal goals for your classroom, or the more formal goals that you set for yourself in your Professional Growth Plan. No matter what you do, the most important thing to do is to use goals and resolutions to work toward becoming a better professional educator. Each and every time we improve as teachers, Central Lutheran becomes a better school.

Image: HAPPY NEW YEAR 2012, Koshy Koshy, uploaded via flickr December 28, 2011, Creative Commons License

2 Simple Goals

2011-12-24T09:06:00.000-06:00

As the first two days of break have passed by already, I have been working to accomplish two simple goals.

1 - Disable my work email from my phone.
2 - Read something that is actually printed on paper.

So far, number 1 is going well. It's freeing to force yourself to stay away from work email and work issues. The 2nd goal has not happened, unless you count the City of New Haven monthly newsletter. Hopefully I will find some time in the next 10 days to read a book or magazine.

What are you trying to accomplish on your time away from school?

LHS November Conference - 11/18/2011

2011-11-17T20:24:00.005-06:00

Links and Resources from the session The Top 10 Web 2.0 Tools at the LHSSC November Tech Conference.

#10 - Glogster

Great Example of a Glog
90 Second Glogster Tutorial Video
More Glogster Tutorial Videos

#9 - Voicethread

Voicethread Tutorial/Example
White House Voicethread
Voicethread Resources
Digital Library of Voicethreads in Education
Grades 9-12 Voicethread Examples

#8 - Wikis

Wiki Explanation
Wikis in Education
Thanksgiving Wiki

#7 - Blogging in Education

Blogging Statistics and Benefits
Why Students Blog

#6 - Dropbox

GET A DROPBOX ACCOUNT
Dropbox Resources

#5 - Evernote

Evernote Tutorial/Explanation
7 Ways Administrators and Educators Can Use Evernote

#4 - Diigo

Diigo Explanation
My Diigo Library

#3 - Skype
Skype in the Classroom
Skype In The Classroom Explanation
Skype Resources

#2 - Google Docs

Google Docs Resources

#1 - Twitter

Twitter Resources
Twitter Links and Resources

100 Years Ago #6

2011-10-14T10:17:00.003-05:00

This article is part of a series written by educators from the college graduating class of 1911 upon their 25th college reunion in 1936. We are constantly facing changes in education, however you may be surprised to find some parallels between schools in 1936 and schools in 2011. I hope you enjoy some history of education, specifically Lutheran education.

The following words were originally shared via the Lutheran Education Association Administrators' Listserve by Greg Hassedahl, principal of Bethany Lutheran School in Overland Park, KS.

These words are from the graduating class of 1911 from Concordia University, Seward, NE upon their celebration of 25 years from graduation. The verbiage and punctuation is as they wrote it for their commemorative booklet from 1936. I added necessary [rough translations] from German.

O. Kamprath placed in Bloomfield, NE who was then serving in Williamsburg, IA.

The month of June 1911 marked never-to-be-forgotten days for the class of eighteen who were to be graduated from Concordia Teacher's College Seward, Nebraska at the end of that term. I shall never forget the evening after devotion, when our sainted Director Weller read the list of assignments, among which was the remark: Kamprath, Bloomfield, Nebraska. Eine sehr schwierige Stelle [A very difficult place]. Being obliged to leave the institution without graduation exercises was a great disappointment.

On August 13, 1911 I was installed as the first teacher of First Trinity Lutheran Church in Bloomfield, Nebraska. Here this nineteen-year old greenhorn began his career in a school of forty-six pupils, ranging in age from six to nineteen years, having been called by a group of the members with the permission of the congregation. After having served one year, and the enemies of the school having been somewhat subdued, the congregation accepted me as their teacher.

Here I served in the work of feeding the lambs for a period of twelve years, during which time the enrollment varied between thirty-six and sixty. A mixed choir, a male quartet and an orchestra were organized under my supervision. In 1914 a new church was built, the old church remodeled for a school and a teacherage was built.

August 6, 1913 marks the beginning of our happy married life. Miss Martha Buehrer decided to share the poverty of a teacher's family, so she consented to have her Pastor, Rev. Rittamel of Marysville, Nebraska to make us one. Here in Bloomfield, Milton, Victor, and Norma were born. One son died at birth.

In 1923, a call was received, and I accepted to St. John Congregation near Homestead, Iowa, Rev. F. Wolter, Pastor. Here I faced an enrollment of fifty-six pupils in all grades, but during the second semester the pastor took charge of the lower grades, and the following fall a student was engaged to teach the lower grades. This a two-room school was organized and exists as such to the present day. This congregation to this day has services in the German language only, with religious instruction in school primarily in that language also. Here I spent the eleven most pleasing years of my teaching career. Loretta, Ethel, May, Elmer, and Donald were born here and thrived on plenty of milk from our own cow and plenty of good old Iowa fresh air and sunshine. In 1928 this congregation built us a beautiful nine-room house which we enjoyed for six years. A male choir and a mixed choir were in my care at this place, the former consisting mostly of older men who enjoyed singing the good old German songs, both religious and secular. This choir had the privilege to broadcast a program over Station WSUI, Iowa City several times a year, featuring German hymns and songs.

But the Lord willed it that I move once more. In August 1934 I accepted a call to St. Paul's Congregation at Williamsburg, Iowa, where I am teaching a one-room school again with a present enrollment of forty pupils. We hope to build up this school to a two-room soon. The pastor T.H. Joeckel, who was installed here this past January, is highly interested in schoolwork. This congregation has a male choir, a ladies' choir, a Walther League Society, A Ladies' Aid and Altruistic Society [another ladies group - possibly the English speaking organization].

Concerning my family, I might add that Milton was married on December 28 last year and is now living in Williamsburg practicing the tonsorial art on the heads and faces of its citizens. Victor is completing his sixth year at Concordia Teachers College, River Forest. Norma graduates this year from the Williamsburg High School: incidentally the three highest ranking students in this class are from our Christian Day schools. Loretta, Ethel May, and Elmer are attending my school, and Donald is still keeping company with his mother.

For twenty-five years we have been leading little children to Christ, and by the grace of God, may look back upon more or less success. Only eternity will fully show the success of our work. May the motto of our class, "Deo Duce" [With God for a leader], help us to carry on this work also in the future.

Oscar Kamprath

Image: The Teacherage, mrsrivergirl, Uploaded via flickr July 20, 2011, Creative Commons License

100 Years Ago #5

2011-10-07T07:28:00.003-05:00

These words are from the graduating class of 1911 from Concordia University, Seward, NE upon their celebration of 25 years from graduation. The verbiage and punctuation is as they wrote it for their commemorative booklet from 1936. I added necessary [rough translations] from German.

W.H. Hinrichs placed in Bonduel, WI who was then serving in Williamsburg, IA.

Do you remember how eagerly we awaited the return of Director Weller from St. Louis in early June of 1911? The calls had been assigned. Of course we pretended to be more or less unconcerned, but in reality we were rather eager to learn of the place of our future activities. Someone who professed to know, told me I was to go to Lockwood, Missouri, which honor was accorded to Veits, as it developed later. When, that evening after devotion, Director Weller came to my name, he said: "Hinrichs, Bonduel, Wisconsin. Hinrichs wird sich freuen. Er wird eine Band haben." [Hinrichs will be pleased. He will have a Band.]

Due to the machination of Mr. H. Bloch, we left Seward hurriedly and without planned closing exercises. Of course, we were all coming back the next year, but -- of course, we didn't.

After a few happy months spent on the farm at home, I left for Bonduel, arriving there on September 1. On September 3, I was installed as first teacher of Zion Congregation near Zachow. I was told by the school board that I could have Monday to get things lined up for the opening of school on Tuesday. I was up bright and early on Tuesday morning, and so were the youngsters of the congregation. About eight o'clock they began to come in groups from every direction. When all heads were counted, there were sixty present. What a responsibility the congregation and the Lord had placed on my frail shoulders! I felt rather insignificant and unworthy of the confidence which had been placed in me, but with the enthusiasm associated with youth, I set to work to do the best I could under the circumstances. The next year the enrollment was sixty-four.

In the summer of 1912, Miss Dora Schultz of Deep River, Iowa consented to be my helpmeet. She was a woman of fine Christian character who had four years of teaching experience, and was therefore a great help to me. She was a woman such as is described , Proverbs 31, 10-31.

[ 10[d] An excellent wife who can find?
She is far more precious than jewels.
11The heart of her husband trusts in her,
and he will have no lack of gain.
12She does him good, and not harm,
all the days of her life.
13She seeks wool and flax,
and works with willing hands.
14She is like the ships of the merchant;
she brings her food from afar.
15She rises while it is yet night
and provides food for her household
and portions for her maidens.
16She considers a field and buys it;
with the fruit of her hands she plants a vineyard.
17She dresses herself[e] with strength
and makes her arms strong.
18She perceives that her merchandise is profitable.
Her lamp does not go out at night.
19She puts her hands to the distaff,
and her hands hold the spindle.
20She opens her hand to the poor
and reaches out her hands to the needy.
21She is not afraid of snow for her household,
for all her household are clothed in scarlet.[f]
22She makes bed coverings for herself;
her clothing is fine linen and purple.
23Her husband is known in the gates
when he sits among the elders of the land.
24She makes linen garments and sells them;
she delivers sashes to the merchant.
25 Strength and dignity are her clothing,
and she laughs at the time to come.
26She opens her mouth with wisdom,
and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.
27She looks well to the ways of her household
and does not eat the bread of idleness.
28Her children rise up and call her blessed;
her husband also, and he praises her:
29"Many women have done excellently,
but you surpass them all."
30 Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain,
but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.
31Give her of the fruit of her hands,
and let her works praise her in the gates.] ESV

After spending the first four years of my professional life in this beautiful country of Northern Wisconsin, I accepted the call of St. John's congregation of Garner, Iowa, where I taught for the next nineteen years.

During my years of teaching I had the usual experiences, joys, disappointments, etc. I need not elaborate on them since you are familiar with them, but a few high lights are expected. On the evening of September 20, 1919 some unknown friend (?) helped me to get a new modern school-house. At about eleven o'clock that night the coal shed just to the rear of the school-house was discovered to be ablaze. The flames were shooting up into the gable of the school-house. The building had been a church and therefore was quite high, and it was impossible to approach the fire with the equipment at hand. The mystery has never been solved, although a car was heard to start and leave, making a great noise, just before the fire was discovered[,] and a five gallon can with a little gasoline in it was found near the coal shed.

During the Christmas holidays, 1923, two days after our classmate, Leuthaeser, was called to his reward, my wife, after a week's illness with pneumonia, was also taken from this vale of tears to the Heavenly Mansions, leaving me with seven small boys. Those were sad days that followed, but we experienced real Christian love on the part of the congregation as well as of individuals, and the Lord held His protecting hand over us. The boys have been a source of comfort during these years. Now they are growing up. Donald graduates from the seminary at St. Louis this year, Erich graduates from Concordia Teachers College at Seward next year, D.V. William works in a store, Enoch graduates from high school this year, Joel is a sophomore, while Gerald and Allen are in grades eight and seven respectively.

During my last few years at Garner a situation developed which was rather unsatisfactory, and in the summer of 1934, after serving the congregation for nineteen years to the best of my ability, it was found "necessary to close the school in order to save it". In November of 1934 I moved to Williamsburg, Iowa, and found refuge in that haven for discouraged teachers, the Aid Association for Lutherans. My territory is the south eastern part of Iowa.

After working in this field for one and one-half years, I find that it affords many opportunities for serving the Lord and His church. The work is not nearly so nerve-racking as teaching.

Thus a few "high spots" of my experiences during the last twenty-five years have been given. All in all, I must say that the Lord has been with us.

W. Hinrichs

Image: Powell School-18, Melinda Shelton, Uploaded via flickr January 7, 2011, Creative Commons License

A Little "Steve Jobs" In Every Student

2011-10-06T10:40:00.004-05:00

My MacBook, iPhone, and iPad are all a huge part of my life. As a Mac user, Steve Jobs has made an impact on my life. With the passing of Jobs yesterday, many people are discussing and thinking about the impact he made. The discussion often comes around to the word “innovative.”

Jobs’ creativity and leadership was innovative and you do not have to do much research to find how he impacted the world. Not just the world of technology, or the world of educational technology, but the entire world. Tom Whitby posed a good question on twitter today:

In addition to Whitby's thoughts, an article I read today, “Can Creativity Be Taught?”, encourages us to stretch ourselves and our students toward developing an ability to be creative and to be innovative.

Today is a great day to reflect on encouraging the creativity in our students. You may not have the next “Steve Jobs” in your classroom or your school, but I would like to think that there is some “Steve Jobs” in every student.

San Francisco 2010 - 22, Luca Zappa, Uploaded via flickr May 2, 2010, Creative Commons License

Everyday Is School Picture Day

2011-10-05T08:34:00.003-05:00

Each year, there is an awkward tilt of the head, a forced smile, and a bright flash. Today is school picture day, and almost 400 people at our school will have their photograph taken. Each flash of the camera is a permanent snapshot in time, a frozen moment that will last for countless years in yearbooks, school hallways, and on grandma’s living room wall. The camera has the power to capture one moment in time and make it last, whether it is some uncombed hair, a toothless grin, or some breakfast that landed on your shirt.

Educators have an opportunity for MULTIPLE snapshots each and every day. Whether you work with teachers or students, they capture gestures, comments, or smiles for years to come. Consider your interaction today with the individuals in your building. Maybe someone will need an uplifting word today instead of hearing what he or she did wrong. Perhaps a smile that a student receives upon entering your classroom is the first smile they see that day. It is possible that a student that experiences success will remember the thumbs up you sent their way for the rest of their life.

Everyday is school picture day. Take advantage of opportunities for positive snapshots.

Dad's school picture, Kim Scarborough, uploaded via flickr August 29, 2005, Creative Commons License

100 Years Ago #4

2011-09-21T12:15:00.001-05:00

These words are from the graduating class of 1911 from Concordia University, Seward, NE upon their celebration of 25 years from graduation. The verbiage and punctuation is as they wrote it for their commemorative booklet from 1936. I added necessary [rough translations] from German.

P. Gabbert placed in Kalispell, MT who was then living in Brighton, CO.

Dear Classmates,

Nineteen hundred eleven, what a memorable date in our lives twenty-five years ago. How confidently we looked in the future! To some, I hope, it brought their realization of their dream; to others, the opposite. Some are with their Savior whom they served faithfully, but a short time.
I pause and pay my respect to the memory of John Noerenberg. I had the privilege to seem him a few years before he passed into "The Great Beyond." I am living now in the congregation where years ago , our sainted classmate Rudolph Leuthaeser labored. I can see the fruits of his labors. His pastor once told me that he was all teacher, and one of the best they had. Such a remark brought tears of gratitude to my eyes. His scholars, now members; all speak of him as a good Christian teacher and leader. Hoping that, after we leave this vale of tears, the same can be said of us. "Blessed are the dead, which die in the Lord, for their works follow them." I visit his grave quite often. Asleep in Jesus, a blessed sleep. "Eia waren wir da." [Aha! There were we.] Others, like myself have left the ranks and joined the "Have Beens".
The greatest event in my service was the World War from 1917 to 1919. It was the undoing of my service, although I hung on until the Lord saw fit to take me from actual service and put me on the retired list, via a serious illness.
At the aforesaid time I was stationed at Stilleville, Illinois (perhaps Steeleville?). Up to that time all was well "On the Southern Front". At the time when war was declared we had dropped the German. But we were surrounded by Italians, who were miners in the neighboring villages. To make a long story in short, they marched in front of the teacherage on May second, 1917 and ordered me to close the school. They even tried to sing "America," but I was the only one who could sing. The congregation saw fit to send me out "West" to gain strength. This they did. Coming back in autumn I began to teach. I taught with a revolver in my hip pocket. No protection. One night they laid for me, but the ex-teachers heard about their shady dealing and without telling me, took me away where they couldn't get me. This delayed their ogre dealing. The fateful date came October 10, 1917. I had sent my family away and was staying at the home of a school-board member.
While preparing my Bible History on "The Beauties", they surrounded the house and gave me twenty-four hours to get out or to be tarred and feathered and hanged. As no protection was forthcoming from the government I was forced, 'midst tears and lamentation['] of officers of church to leave. At this time I had contracted "The Flu". I should have been in the hospital, but I could not. While very ill on the train I contracted a weakness of the lungs and asthma. I consulted a doctor. He did not know which sickness I had contracted. He gave me some medicine which resulted in making me nearly blind. Finally after a consultation, they decided to send me partly West[.] I accepted a call to Kansas. As the years went on I became worse, and finally after a most trying service, the doctor, at my last charge, advised me to go to Colorado.
As I could not serve under trying conditions I reluctantly accepted the Lord's bidding. I am feeling fairly well now, but must stay here. Stay out-of-doors and keep away from excitement & worry.

This, dear classmates, is in short the high light in my career. I deeply regret that I could not serve twenty-five years or serve the Lord forever in this world.

The Lord has blessed me with ten healthy children. Two are preparing for the ministry, one will begin preaching next year. I have a dear loving spouse who has faithfully stood by me and helped me fight the battles of life. May God reward her bountifully for it some day.

To those who are active as yet, I hope that they can round out another twenty-five years of service. May God grant it. Also, to our dear instructors who are still active may I wish the same. May God reward them bountifully for their blessed work. I pause also to respect the memory of our President, Director Weller and Professor Strieter and Professor Schuelke. To the rest, God bless and protect you and give you a peaceful evening of life. To one and all "Deo Duce" [With God for a leader], our motto (the class motto). Keep up the good fight and keep faith and yours be the crown of life at the close of the day's battle.

P. Gabbert

Image: School Desks, DQmountaingirl, uploaded via Flickr October 5, 2008, Creative Commons License

100 Years Ago #3

2011-09-01T12:12:00.002-05:00

These words are from the graduating class of 1911 from Concordia University, Seward, NE upon their celebration of 25 years from graduation. The verbiage and punctuation is as they wrote it for their commemorative booklet from 1936. I added necessary [rough translations] from German.

J. Ehlers placed in Cleveland, OH who was then serving in Kendallville, IN.

Now, as to the high spots in my life since 1911, well, sometimes it is difficult to determine when we are running in high, in intermediate, in low, or even in reverse. But, as I take it, you wish to have noted here chronologically some of the more important and interesting data in our lives and careers since that memorable and hurried departure from our Seward Normal in 1911.

You will recall that my call was to St. Paul's Congregation, Cleveland, Ohio. Rev. Paul Schwan, son of Dr. Schwan was my first pastor. He is still living and we are, of course, to this day fast friends. My first colleagues in Cleveland were: E. Glave, Miss Schaefer, Miss Zeuter, Miss Mirtz, E. Faulstich, Mrs. Mielke, and F. Eggers. My own brother Karl also assisted one year in Cleveland. Other pastors at my congregation in Cleveland were: Rev. Karl Henrichs, assistant to Rev. Schwan and now with Valparaiso University; Rev. E.J. Friedrich, who is at present professor at our seminary in St. Louis, and Rev. C.W. Spiegel, the present pastor of St. Paul's church. Since 1932 I am with St. John's Congregation, Kendallville, Indiana, and my pastor is Rev. M.F. Kretzmann, secretary of Synod. It should be gratefully acknowledged here that all of my pastors have been ever ready to overlook my many weaknesses; and all of them are sincere friends of our day-schools. Here in Kendallville, we have a two-room school and Mrs. Esther Hartmann of Louisville, Nebraska, has been my capable co-worker for the past four years. Other efficient assistants in the local school, who did part-time work were: Miss Erna Kretzmann. Also Mr. Martin Schlaremann and Mr. Henry Lieske, student graduates of St. Louis. Kendallville is an interesting place to work and I am happy in my new set-up. Next year we shall have, d.v., [Latin for Deo volente, God willing] three full-time teachers.

In 1913 Miss Bertha Hausrath of Cleveland with her winning smile won me over and I married her for our mutual happiness. Yes, there was also a great sorrow: Doris, our eldest daughter, died at the early age of seven. The other children are: Marie (Micky) now a freshman in the Kendallville high school: John (Jackie) hopes to enter high school next September, and there is also Lois, the baby, at present in the sixth grade.

And now my concluding remarks. While I have had my cup of sorrow and sickness in the family, I personally should be grateful to the good Lord for all his dispensations. I have not lost a single minute in school these twenty-five years because of personal illness. We have never lacked food nor clothing. It should be mentioned that even in these recent years of depression my congregations never failed once in paying my full salary each month. Other calls, yes, I have has a number: three to Pennsylvania, one to Iowa, and one to Missouri. Now don't you think, this is about all this page will comfortably accept?

J. Ehlers

Image: School Desks, DQmountaingirl, uploaded via Flickr October 5, 2008, Creative Commons License

100 Years Ago #2

2011-09-01T12:10:00.002-05:00

These words are from the graduating class of 1911 from Concordia University, Seward, NE upon their celebration of 25 years from graduation. The verbiage and punctuation is as they wrote it for their commemorative booklet from 1936. I added necessary [rough translations] from German.

F.W. Eggers placed in St. Louis, MO who was then serving in Norfolk, NE.

One score and five years ago the honorable faculty of our dear Alma mater graduated a class of eighteen young, enthusiastic, and hopeful men to be sent out in due time to all corners of the United States, to serve in the Lord's vineyard, feeding His lambs.

How well I recall the evening when our beloved and sainted Director Weller read the names of the different class members and stated the place to which each had been called.

As I hailed from the "wild and woolly West" I expected to get a call somewhere out in that region. But imagine my consternation when he said: "Eggers: St. Louis, Missouri". Oh, boy! Still farther away from "Home Sweet Home."

Since then a quarter of a century has gone by, and by the grace of God we are still counted among the living ones of our class.

On August 13, 1911, I was installed as teacher for the lower grades, (1 and 2) at Trinity Lutheran Church, Rev. Adolf Hanser, pastor. On that same day Rev. Oberschultz was ordained as assistant pastor of that congregation.

I went to work almost immediately. A long list of names of prospective pupils for our school was handed me. These I was to call on before the opening of school. Oh boy, did I sweat, as I was not used to a semi-southern climate, having been born not far from the Canadian border. Neither was I used to a large city like that of St. Louis. I had a difficult time of finding my bearings at first. The majority of people were foreigners.

WIth the help of God I opened that fall with an enrollment of fifty-six pupils. Before the ending of that school-year I had sixty-eight. The next year I had an enrollment of seventy-four in the two lower grades. In this enrollment I had seven nationalities represented. It is needless to say, that they kept me on the jump. But I enjoyed the work of teaching these youngsters the "One Thing Needful".

In the summer of 1914 I accepted a call to Pierce, Nebraska. The main reason for accepting this call was on account of the climate of St. Louis, which did not agree with me nor my wife. The congregation after three meetings reluctantly let us go with their blessings.

In Pierce I had a mixed school with all eight grades. This meant much unaccustomed work for me as I had never had the upper grades before. But the Good Shepherd also blessed my meager efforts at this place. The first year there I taught school in a wing of the church, which was separated from the auditorium by sliding doors.

Shortly before the close of school the next spring, the trustees of the congregation came to me with the surprising statement that they thought the time opportune to recommend to the congregation to build a new school house. At their next meeting they almost unanimously decided to do so. During that summer they build a modern two-room brick school house with full basement and furnace.

That same summer they also renovated the church and installed a two-manual, eight stop Hinner's pipe organ.

The third year there our enrollment had increased so much that they employed a lady teacher to take the four lower grades.

God indeed had been good to us and blessed my meager efforts wonderfully during our six years stay here at Pierce. Yet, in the summer of 1920 I felt obliged to accept a call extended to me by my present congregation, a member of the Wisconsin Synod, of which Rev. J. Witt is the pastor and also president of the Nebraska District.

Here I was called to take charge of the intermediate grades. At the time of my calling they had three teachers here. But during the so-called "Depression" they disposed of the lady teacher for the lower grades, although we had over a hundred pupils. But I still teach the intermediate grades as my colleague, who has been here twenty years, has the two upper and two lower grades, following the arrangement they have at the Seward Training School.

During the first year that I was here this congregation installed a nine thousand dollar Reuter, three manual, electro-pneumatic pipe organ in our church. A wonderful instrument indeed! Wish to God I could perform on it more efficiently to His praise and glory.

One wish that I have had for the sixteen years that I taught here, the good Lord did not see fit to grant me. That is a modern up-to-date school building. We have been sadly in need of one all these years, but the congregation does not think that they have the means to build one. But I am not giving up hopes that God will answer my prayer in one way or the other.

Now something about my family! God gave me a loving, faithful, and Christian wife and a wonderful mother to my children. You all know her and she knows all of you, too. She is the former Miss Selma Gans, daughter of the now sainted Pastor Gans of Middle Creek, Nebraska. The good Christian training and nurture she received in the parsonage she now applies in daily life as a teacher's wife and mother of his children. She has faithfully shared with me all the joys and tribulations during the twenty-four years of our married life.

God has wonderfully blessed our union with five healthy, sturdy, and God fearing children; three boys and two girls.

Edmund, now twenty-two years of age, was born in St. Louis. He is now employed at the Nash & Finch Wholesalers here in Norfolk.

Ruth, who will be twenty-one in August; born at Pierce, graduated from Seward Normal last spring and is now teaching the four lower grades at the Emmanuel School of St. Louis, Missouri.

Lois, who will be nineteen in June, born at Pierce, is now employed at the Bell Telephone Company here in Norfolk. She also finished the high school course at Concordia Teachers College at Seward. But because her two younger brothers were old enough to go to the Seward College, she was willing to sacrifice her chance. She now holds a very lucrative and desirable position.

Bernard, who will be seventeen in October, born in Pierce is a Junior in the high school department at Concordia Teachers College at Seward.

Now comes our "baby", Fredric Jr., who will be fifteen in June, was born here at Norfolk. He also is attending Concordia Teachers College at Seward and is a sophomore in the high school department.

My wife and I must truly confess that our dear Lord and Savior, God the Father our creator, and God the Holy Ghost our Sanctifier, has graciously and wonderfully us poor and unworthy sinners. Yes, we feel constrained to join in with the author who wrote: "Praise to the Lord who hath fearfully, wondrously, made thee; Health hath vouchsafed, and when heedlessly falling hath stayed thee; What need or grief Ever hath failed of relief? -Wings of His mercy did shade thee.

F.W. Eggers

Image: School Desks, DQmountaingirl, uploaded via Flickr October 5, 2008, Creative Commons License

100 Years Ago #1

2011-09-01T10:12:00.005-05:00

These words are from the graduating class of 1911 from Concordia University, Seward, NE upon their celebration of 25 years from graduation. The verbiage and punctuation is as they wrote it for their commemorative booklet from 1936. I added necessary [rough translations] from German.

G.F. Alpers placed in Altamont, IL who was then serving in Red Wing, MN.

My first call led me to Altamont, Illinois where I was installed on the last Sunday in August, 1911. I served in this place for nine years, or until 1920. During these years the enrollment was not less than fifty-six and one year I had seventy-two enrolled. My first pastor was Hartmeister [Hard master]. When Director Weller told us about our calls, he made the remark: "Hoffentlich ist er nicht so hart wie sein Name." [Hopefully he is not as hard as his name] Well, he was not. We always got along very nicely. During the entire time I have been in office, I have had four pastors. Three of these were "hart" [Hard]: first Hartmeister, second Burkhardt, third Meyer, and fourth Hardt.

On August 14, 1913 I was married to my ever faithful wife Anna, nee Hoebermann. She has shared joys and sorrows with me for the past twenty-three years. The Lord has blessed us with six healthy children, four boys and two girls. The oldest, Esther is at present assisting her mother with house work. She intends to take up studies again in the near future. Elwin, the oldest boy, is attending high school in Red Wing. He will be a Junior next year. He went though ninth grade in our parochial school and passed the State examination, so he has attended only one year thus far. Edmund and Doris and Kenneth are not as yet of school age.

In 1920 I accepted a call to my present location. The enrollment has been from thirty-one to fifty-five in the sixteen years I have been here.

My health has been quite good the entire years that I have been in office. Several times I was forced to remain out of school for a short time, but never longer than two weeks at one time.

A number of my former pupils hold responsible positions. A number are parochial teachers, several ministers, one bank examiner, business men, etc. And yet the main thing that I hope for is not that they gain prominence in this world but that they are faithful Christians, and, thank God, there are those. This the dear Lord has given us by His grace. "Die Sach und Ehr Herr Jesu Christ, Nicht unser, sondern Dein ja ist." [Special and honour Lord Jesus Christ, not ours, but yours yes is} Ja: [Yes] "Von Gottes Gnaden bin ich was ich bin und Seine Gnade an mir ist nicht vergeblich gewesen." [From God's grace I am what I am and His grace at me has not been futile].

G. Alpers

Image: School Desks, DQmountaingirl, uploaded via Flickr October 5, 2008, Creative Commons License

A Caring Chameleon

2011-08-26T15:17:00.003-05:00

In reference to leadership, someone told me this week, “People don’t care if you are smart: they just want you to care about them.” That statement is an example of how I am constantly reminded that good leadership is centered on service and building relationships. As a leader in a school, it is necessary to understand how you need to relate to each student, teacher, and parent.

Building relationships with people often requires that you adjust how you interact with individuals. This idea reminds me of how a chameleon may change colors to match their environment. We speak and act differently around children than we do around adults. Even among a group of adults, such as a staff of teachers, your interactions will vary from person to person. It is possible to interact in different ways with people, to build relationships, and to be genuine. As a leader the key to being genuine is to make sure you are caring for everyone, no matter how you are interacting with them.

“People don’t care if you are smart: they just want you to care about them.” The person who shared that with me is very smart! Well, maybe they are not smart; maybe they just really care for me.

Image: Happy chameleon, The Advocacy Project, Uploaded via Flickr, July 13, 2009, Creative Commons License

Positive Thinking is as Important as the Curriculum

2011-04-25T20:39:00.004-05:00

I was able to enjoy a very good special on the late Chicago Cubs legend Ron Santo during a rain delay on Friday. Santo was a great 3rd baseman in Chicago for 15 years and then was a Cubs broadcaster on the radio for over 20 years. Santo is highly respected as a player for having great success while playing his whole career with diabetes. In this TV special, Santo talked about how he has dealt with the adversity in his life such as a double leg amputation as a result of his diabetes. He made the following comment, “positive thinking is as important as the medicine.”

Are you a positive thinking principal? I have been fortunate that my entire career has been spent in a school that has an atmosphere of positive thinking as soon as you walk through the doors. Is positive thinking promoted with your teachers and students as soon as they walk into the building? I have not done any research about positive thinking and I have no data to back any theories up, but I am confident that positive thinking is going to help our schools, our teachers, and our students. In regards to education, I think Santo would say, “positive thinking is as important as the curriculum.”

APPLICATIONS FOR ADMINISTRATORS: Commit to promoting a climate of positive thinking. Encourage teachers to think positively by modeling positive thinking yourself. Positive thinking can include optimism that all students can learn, celebrating student and teacher success, having fun, and encouraging creativity.

Image: Ron Santo, TR Roberts, Uploaded via Flickr March 1, 2007, Creative Commons License

Focus on Improvement

2011-04-23T20:10:00.002-05:00

Discus, Magnus Akselvoll, uploaded via Flickr February 25, 2011, Creative Commons LIcense

At a 5th and 6th grade track meet last weekend, my school was responsible for coordinating the discus event. Saturday was a cold, cloudy, and windy day. It was one of those days where the temperature is 50 degrees, so you are expecting a reasonably cool spring day. However, when you step outside, the 30 MPH wind just cuts through your body and sends chills from your head to your feet. So I give all of the athletes who were competing and all of the parents who were cheering a lot of credit for participating in the meet.

5th and 6th grade boys and girls cannot throw the discus very far. There were even a few competitors who were stepping into the ring for the first time, having never thrown a discus before. One girl stepped in the ring, received some quick instruction on how to throw the discus, took her one practice throw, and then attempted her three “real” throws. The throws did not go far, maybe about 15-20 feet each. However, each throw was slightly better than the previous throw. When she stepped out of the ring I heard her father say, “Great job! You improved with each throw!”

I appreciate the focus of that parent. He did not compare his daughter to anyone else. Instead he encouraged her to compete against herself. I recently heard a speaker talk about how we need to encourage our students to compete against themselves and not against other students rather than assessing by comparing to other students. By doing this, we are placing more of a focus on improvement for the individual student. Improvement is a goal that any student can reach. The same goes for our teachers. Improving instruction and relationships is goal that I would encourage each of my staff members to reach. Teachers that are improving mean that those teachers are learning, which is a great example for our students.

APPLICATION FOR ADMINISTRATORS: Encourage your staff to be constantly improving. Help them to realize that they all have different talents, abilities, and teaching styles. Help promote that one of their goals should be to improve their own teaching and instruction before they begin comparing themselves to other teachers.

HOTTS (Higher Order Thinking/Technology Skills)

2011-04-16T09:46:00.005-05:00

We all probably remember studying Bloom’s Taxonomy in college and how it can be incorporated into our lesson plans. Benjamin Bloom created his taxonomy in the 1950s and we have been using his structure ever since to understand the learning process. In 2001, Lorin Anderson and David Krathwohl revised the taxonomy and published Bloom’s Revised Taxonomy.

Andrew Churches, an educator in New Zealand, has done a great deal of writing about incorporating technology into Bloom's Revised Technology. The blog Open Education explains, “Thanks to some great work by Andrew Churches, educators have a basis by which to compare digital techniques to the more traditional standard that Bloom created.”

For a much more in depth look at integrating technology into Bloom’s Revised Taxonomy, visit Churches’ wiki Educational Origami. It is filled with resources for educators interested in Bloom’s Reivsed Taxonomy and 21st Century Learning.

Educational Origami

I think if we understand Churches’ update on Bloom’s Revised Taxonomy and how technology can be used to bring students to higher order thinking skills then we can provide many of our teachers with effective ways to incorporate technology into their instruction. Here are some of the ways we have been using free technology in our school to help students reach each level of Bloom’s Revised Taxonomy.

REMEMBERING: Recalling information or knowledge.
&
UNDERSTANDING: Constructing Meaning

One of the best tools we have put in our students’ hands to help them reach the remembering and understanding level is Diigo. With the Diigo educator account you can create student accounts for you entire class, without the need for email addresses for the registration. Social bookmarking is a valuable tool to help students in recalling the vast amounts of information that is available to them. Bookmarking websites and resources to Diigo will allow students to retrieve information both quickly and effectively.

Social bookmarking tools such as Diigo can fall under the remembering level and the understanding level. Teaching students to comment and tag their resources helps them to construct meaning of the resource and will bring them to an understanding level. They are no longer just saving a website, but they are summarizing and classifying the resource for later use. It is important for our students to be able to understand, summarize, and classify the massive amounts of information they have access to.

APPLYING: Carrying out, running, or executing procedures.

The third step in the taxonomy is Applying which Andrew Churches would say is the level where students implement, use information, and execute tasks. A big aspect of this would be “Doing.” The great thing about the applying taxonomy level is the amount of options that we have available for our students. All six taxonomy levels have been significantly affected by Web 2.0 applications, but it is in this level that they really start to investigate how each tool can be used.

Examples of tools that students can use include Prezi, Glogster, Powerpoint, Skype, Google Apps, iPhoto, iMovie, Flickr, etc. There are a numerous amount of applications available to us, too numerous to list here. (Just browse through Richard’s blog, freetech4teachers.com, and you will find more tools than you could ever use in your classroom).

ANALYSING – Make connections, compare, organize, and present information that is collected.

Online applications such as Google Forms and Wordle provide our students with opportunities to analyze information instantly and in a uniquely visual way. Our 8th grade algebra class has used Google Forms to collect data related to homework performance and group project performances. Using the “Show summary of responses” feature provides an instant visual of the information that has been collected. In January, our junior high social studies compared President Obama’s State of the Union address to past presidents’ addresses by using Wordles of each president’s speech.

The final two steps of Bloom’s Revised Taxonomy are very important because they give students an audience. It is an important part of developing the higher order thinking skills and providing the students with a more authentic learning experience.

EVALUATION - Making judgments, validate, reflect
&
CREATING - The student, remembers, understands & applies knowledge, analysis and evaluates outcomes, results, successes and failures as well as processes to produce a final product

The most common way that I see our teachers reaching the evaluating level with our students is through blogging and Voicethread. Our teachers use Edublogs with their classes and each student has their own blog. They have the ability to publish posts as well as receive feedback on their writing in the form of comments. Publishing their writing to their student blog provides an authentic audience for the students. Blog commenting allows other students from around the world to make judgments, validate, and reflect on other students' writing.

Voicethread has also been used for students to evaluate, all the way from @alhelmy's preschool students up to our junior high students in @gilmorekendra's music class. The examples are below from the preschool and junior high classes.

Finally, one of the best examples of the creating level that I have seen is students producing videos. Here is a video from @rlimback's full-day Kindergarten class using a flip camera, iMovie, and uploaded to youtube:

Examining the verbs and activities in Bloom’s Revised Taxonomy can help our classrooms become student-centered, 21st century learning environments. My encouragement is to not look at which level will be most effective for students, but to look at the entire taxonomy and decide how this will be beneficial to you as the teacher. How can this taxonomy assist you with your instruction?

What's Most Important?

2011-04-15T21:38:00.006-05:00

Old Classroom, Shan Ran, uploaded via Flickr July 16, 2007, Creative Commons License

As I was speaking to a teacher today, we came to a point in the conversation where I asked, “What is your most important job as a teacher?” I believe that I knew the “direction” that I wanted the answer to go, but I do not think that I knew what the exact answer was that I wanted to hear. What is the most important job of a teacher? Is there a correct answer?

I’ve written a couple posts that I think would fit under this topic (Let Every Child Know They Are Loved, Plant a Seed, Plant a Seed Part 2), and I think they all describe the “direction” that I thought the answer should go. Is the most important role for a teacher to make sure children know they are loved? Is student learning most important? Is it most important to make sure your students are ready for the next grade?

I am curious to know what other educators think. Is it fair to ask a teacher to determine what their most important job is as a teacher? Is there one right answer to this question?

What Have You Done Today?

2011-04-14T13:17:00.004-05:00

I am big on lists. I keep close track of an overall to-do list on my computer as well as create a daily to-do list for myself. I have done this for a few years now, but this year, there were days where I would leave school and feel like I was not accomplishing enough. I started tracking a second list, a “finished tasks” list. Although this helped me track what I was accomplishing during the day, the feeling of not doing enough was still creeping into my mind. Recently, I took my “finished tasks” list and put it in a wordle. You can see the wordle below.

This visual of my completed tasks helped me to analyze what I was spending much of my day on. The results were not pretty, and helped to explain why I was feeling the way I was. When words like “meeting” and “email” are the first words you see, I realized I was prioritizing the wrong things during the day. What I hope to see the next time I make a wordle like this are words that show more interactions with students and teachers like “observation”, “classrooms”, “walk-throughs”, and “conversations.” I want to strive to be more intentional about making an impact.

APPLICATION FOR ADMINISTRATORS: Track your completed tasks each day for a month in a Word document or a Google Doc. After one month, copy the entire document and throw it into a wordle. Think about what words you want to appear larger in the wordle.

HALF-BLOCK NOTICE, BEFORE STOP YOU WANT

2011-03-28T23:35:00.005-05:00

The title of this post is based on sign seen this weekend in a cable car on San Francisco’s Powell-Hyde line. The incorrect grammar forced me to read it a few times before I knew what the saying meant. Eventually I figured out that it was a reminder to the operator to allow sufficient time and distance to stop the car.

I had NO notice and NO previous experience that let me know how good the ASCD Annual Conference was going to be. The past two days have been the best learning experience that I ever had at a conference.

I learned so much in the sessions I attended, and you can read about my experiences in my ASCD blog post reflections. There were two main things though that I will walk away with from this year’s event. They were the opportunities to collaborate with other educators AND the many sessions that focused on building relationships.

COLLABORATION: There were some big name speakers, which is fitting for a conference of over 10,000 participants. However it was the interactions before, during, and after the presentations that I will remember. There were many presenters who facilitated conversations of the participants during their sessions. This allowed me to meet other educators from around the world face to face and to learn from their expertise. These conversations stretched my thinking and challenged my assumptions. I was encouraged to ask good questions and to answer some intriguing questions.

RELATIONSHIPS: I was also encouraged about how many sessions and speakers focused on building relationships with your students and your staff. A few of the sessions I attended were about differentiated instruction, student creativity, and staff supervision, and all three presenters were very clear about how important it is to build relationships in your school. The best quote that can summarize this point is from Peter Reynolds. The last thing he told the assembly to do in order to encourage creativity in the classroom is “Let every child know they are loved.”

PRESENTING: I also had the opportunity to present a session entitled “Online Student Collaboration.” I am very grateful to ASCD for the opportunity to be a part of the conference as a presenter, and I hope to be able to present in the future (I already have some ideas for future presentations). I have been able to do about 8 presentations at conferences in the last year and a half, and I felt like I had made it to the big leagues by presenting at the ASCD Annual Conference. I was satisfied with how the presentation went and I feel like I was able to share some effective resources with the participants. However, I fell short in making more personal connections with the participants. As I prepare for future presentations, at ASCD or elsewhere, I will be placing a higher focus on preparing ways to connect personally with the participants at the presentation and beyond.

GENERAL: A few more items that I was very pleased with. The conference had an amazing amount and a wide variety of sessions. Every time slot I had multiple sessions that I wanted to attend. For sessions that I did not attend, I have downloaded the online handouts and will work hard to make time to view that information. ASCD also offered a very strong wifi connection at the convention center AND at the hotel. Thank you ASCD for keeping all of us connected at all times.

The challenge for all 10,000 of us who attended this weekend is to go back to our schools and share our experiences, the passion, and the energy that was all around us in San Francisco.

If you attended the conference, what did you learn? What will you share? What will you remember?

Just the Beginning: #LEA2011

2011-03-28T23:22:00.005-05:00

I hope this is the beginning. I hope the #LEA2011 hashtag is just the beginning. I hope the backchannel conversation that took place on twitter last week at the 2011 LEA Convocation is the start of making a good convocation even better. I had a blast, I truly enjoyed myself, and I was not ready to leave on Saturday morning. However, there is room for improvement, which I hope will go into effect at the 2014 Convocation. I hope that the conversation that took place will encourage LEA to make some changes. The backchannel conversation was amazing and during the convocation it even grew. In less than 72 hours, multiple Lutheran educators were joining twitter and joining the backchannel. Even now, 2 days after the Convocation ended, new educators continue to join the conversation. This is a step in the right direction for Lutheran education.

NETWORKING: The best part of the convocation was the networking and fellowship that took place over twitter, in sessions, in the hallways, at the tweetup, and in the hotels. The unique part of an LEA Convocation is the chance to worship, pray, sing, and laugh with one another. I am confident that LEA will always give us opportunities to have fellowship at these convocations and I know Lutheran schools will continue to attend because of that focus.

Seeing old (or future) colleagues, meeting new friends, and sharing learning experiences with 2600 Lutheran educators has provided with me with many great memories. . At the Thursday night tweetup at Rock Bottom Brewery we had 40 people enjoying an evening together. Lutheran educators from Missouri, Colorado, Tennessee, Illinois, Michigan, New Mexico, and Indiana enjoyed great conversations and great company. Dave Black said it best when he tweeted this comment out shortly after the conference was over:

Using Twitter for education is an even richer experience after our tweetup at #lea2011less than a minute ago via TweetDeckDave Black
dawblack

PRESENTING: I had the opportunity to present twice at the Convocation and I am very grateful to LEA for giving me that opportunity. In my first session, “Twitter for Teachers,” I was very excited to present the great professional development opportunities through twitter to a roomful of people that included so many former, current, and future colleagues. I was honored that they attended my session. I also had a great experience presenting “Online Student Collaboration” with three of my current colleagues, Amanda Helmkamp, Kara Cornejo, and Kendra Gilmore. I am very proud of all three of them and their ministry and service to Lutheran education. I was honored to present with all of you. In both sessions, I sensed a hunger from the participants to learn about how technology can help them as educators, both professionally and with their instruction. We must keep teaching our teachers how to use technology and to encourage them to try new ways to integrate it into their instruction.

OBSERVATIONS: I attended the ASCD Annual Conference immediately after the LEA Convocation, and after attending both I am trying to determine what the similarities and differences are between the two conferences. In some ways it is like comparing apples and oranges. ASCD has resources well beyond what LEA has to offer for a conference, so it is not easy to make comparisons. I think Lutheran educators would benefit, and need, more professional development opportunities that revolve around 21st Century Learning, Problem-Based Learning, technology, collaboration, student engagement, etc. I would like to see LEA work toward offering more sessions aimed to meet that need. However, in fairness, I think LEA faces a challenge that a non-parochial conference does not necessarily face. Lutheran schools must place a large amount of focus, time, and resources on student retention, recruitment, development, and marketing. I commend LEA for providing some sessions that focus on instruction. I also commend LEA for providing some sessions that focus on enrollment, retention, and well, just surviving as a parochial school. I wonder though, if we can offer more of both types of sessions?

GENERAL: For the most part, I thought the general assemblies were well done. The Skit Guys were hilarious and Leonard Sweet was very encouraging and supportive of 21st Century Learning and Instruction. I previously asked if we could offer more for the participants. I think one consideration is to eliminate one of the general assemblies. By doing that, more sessions could be added. Another way to offer more flexibility would be to shorten the sessions, or have some sessions that are 75 minutes long and some sessions that are 50 minutes long. Perhaps even an unconference format during one point of the Convocation would be a fresh experience to introduce. In the future wifi is a must. There are two main reasons for allowing participants to stay connected. First, any presentation that involves technology is not as effective without an Internet connection. Second, as was proven last week, the backchannel can be a powerful thing. Wifi allows participants to be a part of the conversation in a much more efficient way. (By the way, it was great to have so many people participating in the backchannel who were NOT at the conference).

I am excited about the possibilities for the 2014 LEA Convocation. I hope to see the same networking and fellowship taking place in 3 years, as well as some changes that will make the Convocation an enriching experience for all Lutheran educators.

If you attended the conference, what did you learn? What will you share? What will you remember?

Let Every Child Know They Are Loved

2011-03-28T09:07:00.003-05:00

The following video was shared by Peter Reynolds during the second general session at the 2011 ASCD Annual Conference.

This is a good reminder of how we can stifle the creativity of our students and our teachers. Reynolds gave a strong message of the benefits of a creative classroom and of knowing your students and encouraging their creativity.

Reynolds gave 6 essentials for promoting a creative classroom.
1 - Creative classrooms are full of color, music, art, and nooks, or areas, for learning.
2 - Students need to be given the invitation, the blank page, to be creative.
3 - Students must be given the tools to express their creativity.
4 - Time and Freedom: Dive more deeply into learning and creativity
5 - Leadership must be visionary, enlightened, and engaged.
6 - Love: Let every child know they exist and they matter.

How effective are you in promoting creativity in your classroom or in your school? Are you a creative person? Do you believe this video is a reflection of your creativity?

Instructional Tips to Tell Teachers

2011-03-28T08:52:00.003-05:00

Notes from the ASCD session Instructional "Tips to Tell Teachers"
Laura Myrah
March 27, 2011

#1 – The Body and The Brain
Two favorite foods for the brain – water and oxygen.
Standing up is so much better, more oxygen to the brain
Your brain can actually become dehydrated
Water makes you feel less stressed
Sleep is very important. At a minimum 9 hours all the way up to 24 years old
APPLICATIONS
Open windows, plants in classrooms, water bottles, educate parents and students regarding the need for adequate sleep

#2 – Movement
Exercise, Movement in lessons (standing, use of hands, change of location)
APPLICATIONS
Stand instead of raising their hands, questions around the room (10 question quiz on note cards on the room), clapping rhythms, new location for important material

#3 – Emotionally Safe Environment
Stress – Even younger students are under stress
APPLICATIONS
Ginott, 1975 poem
Principal sets tone for whole building
Teachers set tone in classroom
Modeling behaviors, alleviate stress – humor, known expectations, emotions and memory
Make every student feel unique and secure – meet and greet, give recognition, listen and show interest, expect respect from all, relationships transcend everything

#4 – Collaboration
Human brains are social, mirror neurons at work (our behaviors mirror others), contemplation of varying viewpoints
APPLICATIONS
Collaborative learning/projects, pair and share, connections with other levels, connections with community

#5 – Time
Need for more time, optimal learning periods according to age, attention span, planning and instruction according to “Prime Times”
Number of minutes in Attention span for students is equal to their age (5 yr old = 5 minutes)
Students most engaged at beginning of the lesson
APPLICATION
Vary mode of learning every 10-20 minutes, teach new, most important information first, pay attention to time cycles during lessons and the day

#6 – Make learning Meaningful
Point out the relevance, make it interesting and fun through your delivery, experiential learning
APPLICATIONS
Use a KWL

#7 – Student Choice
Allow for learning within different learning styles and multiple intelligences, Allow for choices in products and/or assessments to demonstrate learning
APPLICATIONS
Vary the mode of instruction, allow for choice within assessments, implement project/product based learning

#8 – Enriched Environment
Challenging problem solving, enrich the physical classroom, use of music (primer, carrier, arousal/mood)
APPLICATIONS
Foster wonder in students through questioning skills, use of visuals, vary the mode of learning-experiential, from peers, etc., purposeful use of color
Environment factors that influence achievement – humidity of room, acoustics, light bright wall colors, ideal temperature, aesthetical beauty, meaningful posters,

#9 – Assessment and Feedback
Goals of learning are to know it well, remember it always, use it readily
Assessments should match goals
APPLICATIONS
Vary the assessment formats
Skill demonstrations, portfolios, reflective analysis, artistic (fine and performing), projects, real-life and alternative applications, group activities, problem solving, lab experiments

Feedback should be frequent, specific, and from a variety of sources
APPLICATIONS
Verbal corrections, written notes, peer editing, rubrics

#10 – Net Generation Leaders
Students are different learners, brains wired differently due to use of digital products, etc.
Adults fear what we don’t understand
Youth don’t see working, learning, collaborating, and having fun as separate experiences
They believe in, and want, these experiences occurring simultaneously in school and in future careers
Best teaching style to reach and motivate these students – move away from a broadcast mode
Rather than the provider of information, teachers should be the facilitator who sets up the environment for authentic learning, collaboration, and innovations by students
APPLICATIONS
Freedom choice, innovation, collaboration, scrutiny, integrity, customization
Do we deliberately incorporate these into our classrooms?

Developing 21st Century Learners & Thinkers

2011-03-27T19:02:00.001-05:00

Developing 21st Century Learners & Thinkers

Strategic Conversations for Instructional Leaders

2011-03-27T15:50:00.001-05:00

Strategic Conversations for Instructional Leaders

Leading & Managing A Differentiated Classroom

2011-03-27T09:55:00.002-05:00

Leading & Managing A Differentiated Classroom

The Big Picture

2011-03-19T07:16:00.002-05:00

Basketball, mvongrue, uploaded January 24, 2009 via flickr, Creative Commons License

My 7th and 8th grade basketball team had a rough season this year. The team finished with a record of 10-17 and we battled injuries, tough losses, and very talented teams. In the midst of a losing streak in January, in a game where we were getting crushed, I called a timeout and told the boys that they need to stop getting frustrated about every single mistake. I could see the frustration on their faces after every foul, turnover, or missed basket. I told them it is no longer about making plays or winning games, they need to look at the big picture. They needed to decide what this season is all about for them. Was this a stepping-stone for reaching the goal of playing basketball in high school or beyond? Or is this possibly their last season of basketball so they need to learn some life lessons of hard work, discipline, and teamwork? At that point in the season, I decided we needed to stop focusing on individual plays and start seeing the big picture.

As I look toward becoming a principal for the first time this fall, I am trying to determine what is a part of my big picture. One item that I keep arriving at is communication. My wife had a good quote recently regarding communication. She said, “The root of all conflict is a miscommunication.” I think she is on to something. Conflict can be avoided through efficient and effective communication. Conflict can also be solved through appropriate channels of communication. It is helpful to spend time thinking about how, when, and why you will communicate. Conflict cannot be completely avoided, but effective communication is crucial to helping build relationships between students, parents, and educators that in turn will help provide effective learning environments.

METC 2011 - Literacy is Not Enough

2011-02-20T08:44:00.001-06:00

Think outside the box of your classroom

The world of education is changing. How do we keep up with all of the change? We need to think long term and we need to think outside the box.

Thinking long term begins with answering the question, what do students need? The point was made that we have been trying to define 21st century skills since the 21st century started, a decade ago. Lee Crockett said that it is time that we stop talking and start doing. According to Crockett, this means teachers need to get away from the stand and deliver instructional method and implement a project/process based learning program.

In my experiences, the stand and deliver method that Crockett mentioned is the easy way to go. It takes less planning, less training, and involves less risk. As we continue to focus on how students learn and retain information, we must also focus on assisting teachers. We must help teachers by giving them sufficient planning time as well as opportunities to collaborate with and observe other teachers. Teachers must also be encouraged to try new methods and take risks. Risks and mistakes cannot be avoided if learning is going to take place, for both teachers and students.

Find more information at an innovative resource designed to cultivate 21st century fluencies, while fostering engagement and adventure in the learning experience. 21st Century Fluency Project

METC 2011 – Trends, Tactics, and Tools for 21st Century Learning

2011-02-19T22:57:00.002-06:00

The stories from Kevin Honeycutt in the Trends, Tactics, and Tools for 21st Century Learning session will make most people want to get in the classroom and become a facilitator of learning. If you ever have the chance to listen to Kevin speak, take advantage of that opportunity. The session was full of examples of digital and technology tools that are available for implementing in instruction. However, it was not the tools that engaged the participants in the room. The specific examples of how those tools were used were motivating, engaging, and exciting to listen to.

Oftentimes the discussions in conferences and over twitter focus on the tools that we have available to us in education. This session made you think of the possibilities of specific activities and projects that can take place in the classroom. A common theme I heard throughout the METC conference was the way other educators are taking risks in the classrooms. Many of us know about the tools that are available to us, but many of us then struggle with how exactly to implement them in the classroom. Kevin Honeycutt took risks and let his students explore and discover. In what ways can you explore and discover in your classroom today? In what ways can you encourage yours students to explore and discover in their learning today?

METC 2011 - Getting Teachers to Adopt Technology: What To and Not To Do

2011-02-19T22:53:00.001-06:00

Rushton Hurley’s list of What To and Not To Do in Getting Teachers to Adopt Technology was a thought provoking list for all administrators or technology specialists. The list of do’s and don’ts for both training and funds is listed below.

The item that has resonated with me since sitting in his session is “Don’t have teachers require themselves to be technology experts.” This idea can help leaders develop a vision that encourages teachers to implement technology tools (or any instructional method) that they feel will enhance student learning. If we wait to try something until we feel we are experts, we will never try it.

My encouragement to leaders is to not expect your teachers to be an expert. Instead, expect your teachers to be professional. Develop a philosophy of how you expect a professional teacher to plan, prepare, perform, and grow. To me, the term expert implies that you are someone who is at the very top of their profession and it is a term that is not applied to very many people. We should encourage greatness among our teachers, and recognize an educator who has become an expert in an area. But don’t expect every teacher to be experts. Expect professionalism.

PART 1: Training
Don’t have teachers require themselves to be technology experts
Do remind teachers of their expertise
Don’t start with standards
Do show something fun
Don’t sit in the lab for training
Do allow regular and short sharing time

PART 2: Funds
Don’t limit technology labs
Do show what’s possible with one or two computers in the classroom
Don’t buy expensive software a teacher hasn’t used
Do learn what's freely available
Dont blanket the campus with expensive hardware

METC 2011 - Web 2.0 Tools Smackdown

2011-02-14T09:31:00.002-06:00

The one thing that I am constantly amazed at with Web 2.0 tools is the opportunities these tools present for collaboration. We spent some time learning about tools for sharing, scheduling, data/information collection, archiving, and creating. Most of the tools that were introduced had some kind of collaboration aspect to them (Dropbox, When is Good, Google Forms, Evernote, Flisti, Weebly, etc.) Using Web 2.0 tools will allow students to collaborate within their own classroom and with other students/classrooms from all over the world.

We also spent time discussing the necessities of educators having an online presence. Again, the benefits and necessity of an online presence revolve around collaboration. Your online presence will give you the opportunity for people to get to know you. It will give you the opportunity to share your ideas or resources that you are using. As of right now, I see twitter as the best way to develop your professional online presence. The opportunities for collaboration, sharing, and learning continue to be a great benefit to me and other educators.

Collaborating even took place among the participants in this session. The depth that these tools offer presented opportunities for the participants to add to the presenters information. There were a handful of times where a presenter was participating a tool, and a participant would add some details about the tool and how they are using it in the classroom.

The session concluded with some amazing video/audio/animation tools. Here is a direct link to all of the video/audio/animation resources that they shared.

Gina Hartman, Andrea Blanco, and Gwyneth Jones did a nice job with the presentation. All of the resources demonstrated at the session can be found on their Learning Tools SMACKDOWN wiki.

Too much tweeting?

2011-02-11T13:57:00.001-06:00

I missed an opportunity a few weeks ago. It was a Friday morning and I happened to find some good resources that I decided to send out on twitter. I also engaged in some conversations over twitter about leadership and learning. A few people who follow me commented about the high number of tweets I was sending out that morning. I was given an opportunity to talk about how much I was learning from a few other educators from all over the country, and I didn’t do it. Instead, I questioned myself and wondered if I was actually tweeting too much. Can you tweet too much? I am sure it is possible, but tweeting too much should be defined by the quality of your tweets rather than the quantity. If you are sending out quality resources, if you are engaged in good conversations, you are not tweeting too much. If you are learning, you are not tweeting too much.

Keep on tweeting! Keep on learning!

New Resolutions vs. Old Goals

2010-12-20T13:36:00.004-06:00

10_0101 January Calendar, Joseph Readdy, uploaded December 31, 2009 via flickr, Creative Commons License

I regularly exercise at a health club near my house. The worst month to workout is January. The place is always packed that month. A lot of new people show up with great intentions of achieving their new resolutions for exercise or weight loss. We all do it. We all set new personal or professional goals in January. I will do it too, yet I am going to suggest another focus for my New Year’s resolutions.

I set professional goals for myself back in August. New beginnings, like the start of a school year or a start of a calendar year, are great times to set goals and resolutions. At this time however, I feel that the best thing for me is to review old goals before I make new resolutions. When January 1, 2011 rolls around, I will limit my new resolutions so that I can take time to revisit my old goals. The idea is I want to achieve as many goals as possible before I set new goals. It is easy to just set goals, and not as easy reach my goals. Don’t let your “goals to reach” list get too much longer than your “goals reached” list.

Which goals do you want to revisit in the new year?

Click HERE for a past blog post comparing twitter to my health club.

Click HERE to see my blog post listing some goals for this school year.

What Makes a Teacher Great?

2010-12-08T09:06:00.005-06:00

Scott Maxwell, 3D Realty Handshake, December 25, 2007, Creative Commons License

Every great teacher that I know has had a special kind of energy. The special kind of energy that makes it very clear that they are excited about teaching. They are willing to go the extra mile inside and outside of the classroom. They are willing to take risks by trying new methods in the classroom. They smile, laugh, and talk about how much they love teaching and their students. However, the most important focus of their excitement and energy is directed at relationships. These teachers use their love for education to build relationships with students, parents, and colleagues. If you truly know your students, and if you truly know the parents, you can better serve their needs. If teachers work hard at developing a relationship with their students, and if the students know that they are loved, they too will have an excitement for learning just like their teacher. Relationships also extend outside the classroom. Encouragement and collaboration among colleagues will make a teacher great. This type of teachers is willing to share resources, methods, projects, and ideas with other teachers.

Great teachers love their students, respect the parents, and collaborate with colleagues. Building and maintaining these relationships will make you great.

This blog post was inspired by the Educational Leadership article What Makes a Teacher Great? from the Dec 2010/Jan 2011 issue.

Plant a Seed - Part 2

2010-12-05T20:48:00.004-06:00

How many of you need a cup of coffee to begin your day? I’d like to say that I am not addicted to my morning cup of coffee, but I am. My first cup comes at about 8:05 each morning without fail. Most days, I do something that does a better job of getting me going than a cup of coffee. I try to stand outside of our junior high building to welcome the 5th-8th graders who are arriving. I greet each student that comes in by name and with a handshake. It’s great to see student come out of the car with their hands full, and then shift all of their items (gym clothes, band instruments, art projects, or lunch bags) to their left hand because they know they have to shake my hand. “Good morning Mr. Creutz” is what they are all trained to say now as they shake my hand. As the weather has gotten cooler the past couple of weeks, I have begun to reply to them, “It’s a beautiful day… In Hawaii!” It brings a smile to their face, or a roll of the eyes, which begins my day better then the best coffee in the world can do.

The interesting thing about the “Hawaii” comment is that I use it because my principal in elementary school used the same phrase to welcome me. I rolled my eyes then, but it stuck with me. I didn’t realize it then, but he planted a seed that he never was able to see. His welcoming presence helped me to begin my day in a positive way. Never underestimate your influence on your students. Your words, your actions, and your concern are going to be remembered long after they leave your school

Plant a Seed

2010-11-23T06:35:00.000-06:00

What have I done today? It’s 3:00. It’s dismissal time, and what have I done today? I have read, wrote, and answered countless emails. I have taught students how to multiply rational expressions. I have helped put out a few small “fires” with teachers and their computers. The question, still comes up, what have I done today? I wished that second grader a happy birthday. I met with a parent in my office. I stopped into the preschool room just to say hello. I still wonder if I have done anything today?

This spring I will attempt to create another garden. I will plant a tomato seed, among others. That day will come and pass without much fanfare. I may even wonder what I have done today? I planted a seed! I accomplished a small task where the results of my efforts are not seen for months. Sometimes we will plant a seed and not see the results for years. Sometimes we will plant seeds and never see the results. We may never know the impact that seed has made.

What will I do today? I will plant a seed. So will you. Someday, maybe even today, it will make an impact.

My Reign is Over, Part 2

2010-11-19T06:46:00.005-06:00

Almost one year ago, I wrote a blog post called “My Reign Is Over” in response to one of Shelly Terrell’s 30 Days, 30 Goals Challenge. That lesson in January was a spontaneous attempt at giving students control and ownership over an entire lesson. Last week, I tried again at giving students control. In recognition of metric day (yes, I know, we were four weeks late) we held the Metric Olympics for one class period. The students were in charge of planning and implementing the entire project. I did my best to stay in the background in order to give the students complete control and responsibility.

We started the project by allowing the class to be their own planning committee. The planning committee met for an entire class period and used Type With Me to communicate and plan. The Type With Me document was a great place to record the discussion and allow everyone to participate through the chat box. I had planned for that to be the only time of preparation, but we ended up needing about one more class period to have more discussion as a class. Although the Type With Me document is a good collaboration tool, the face-to-face conversations that we had in class were also very important.

Throughout the entire planning process, it was very difficult for me to take a step back and not control certain aspects of the project. I wanted to jump in to give help with the schedule, organizing supplies, and setting up the score board on excel. I had to intentionally tell myself to stay quiet and let the students figure out what to do. It was worth it. The students came through with detailed and effective plans. They organized themselves into groups. They set the schedule. They brought in all the materials. There was even one point where I was very close to caving in and asking the group a question about one of the supplies. I am glad I hesitated because the next question from a student was the exact same question I wanted to ask. The students were in control.

Although the Metric Olympics are designed to teach the students about estimating and measuring using the metric system, they learned so much more. Here are some of the comments students made in a post-project survey.

What did you like about today’s activity?

It allowed us to have independance and come up with our own ideas.

The students were the teachers and it felt like we were planning something big and we had the responsibility.

What did you learn today?

I learned that planning something might be hard so you have to plan ahead and prepare.

When you come together to form a decision, which is going to happen for the rest of anyone's life, be well-prepared and have a plan.

I learned that our class has many opinions, we all have different ideas. I think this showed a good look into the real world. I think ultimately it was good we had little problems along the way becuase it taught us to improvise, and to think ahead in the planning. I learned when you want/need to plan something, plan in time to plan it!!

I learned a lot that day. I was reminded that my job as a teacher is not just teaching. It is also my job to facilitate, collaborate, and to learn with the students.

How have you been able to "let go" in the classroom?
What activities have you done to give your students a sense of ownership?
How do you make your lessons authentic learning experiences for your students?

Thank You George

2010-11-11T20:44:00.003-06:00

Here is a simple story, about a simple problem, with a simple solution.

This summer I was mowing my lawn, and the mower stopped working correctly. The engine was still running, but it was just puttering along. Fortunately, there is a man at my church who is retired from a job at a small engine shop. George has fixed my lawn mower before, so I gave him a call and set up a time to bring the lawn mower to him. I put the lawn mower in my car that afternoon and drove over to his house. First, he inspected the air filter. Nothing was wrong there. However, as he had the air filter out, he noticed a small spring that was no longer connected to a metal bracket. He reconnected the spring, started the engine, and that lawn mower purred like it did the day I bought it. He had literally diagnosed the problem and fixed the issue in less than one minute. I could have spent two hours trying to fix the lawn mower with hundreds of parts spread out over my garage, and I would have never been able to fix the problem.

I only had one problem. That problem was that my lawn mower was not running correctly. If I had tried to fix the problem by myself, I would have created a second problem. That second problem would have been lost time and energy due to not seeking help when I needed it. And in the end, I would have been left with two unsolved problems.

By seeking help, I limited myself to just one story, with one problem, that needed only one solution. Problems are going to arise in our classrooms and our schools. Sometimes these issues require immediate action and a quick decision on our own. When that urgency is not needed though, one of the first questions we should ask when attacking the issue is “Who can help me with this problem?” Do not create more problems for yourself by not seeking help when you need it.

Guest Post: Beyond the Walls of our Classroom

2010-09-29T14:03:00.011-05:00

The following post is a guest post from Zion's fifth grade teacher, Mrs. Kara Cornejo. Her fifth grade class just completed an exciting Skype session with Fulbright Scholar, Dr. Les Hannah from Northeastern State University in Tahlequah, Oklahoma.

My 5th grade class is studying Native Americans in Social Studies. I searched the internet for weeks looking for a Native American or Native American school/class that would be willing to skype with my class. After coming up empty handed I finally turned to Twitter and my PLN for some advice. Why I didn’t do this sooner I have no clue. After tweeting for help, @billgx, a fellow tweeter, passed on the email and skype name of someone who he thought might be able to help me.

I immediately sent out an email asking for some advice or help Dr. Hannah could offer me. After sending a couple emails back and forth and doing a little research myself I found out that Dr. Hannah is a professor and Fulbright Scholar of the Cherokee Language and Cherokee Studies Programs at NSU in Tahlequah, OK. Not only does he teach about the Cherokee heritage he is a Cherokee Indian. I knew I had hit the jackpot.

Dr. Hannah agreed to talk with my students over Skype about the Cherokee way of life, traditions, and their beliefs. We told him what we learned from our textbook and he would tell us if the Cherokee agree or disagree with it. We learned that most of what our textbook teaches us is not what Native Americans grow up believing about their heritage. He talked with us for about an hour and each one of my students had the opportunity to ask him a question. Not only did we get the privilege to meet Dr. Hannah, we also had the opportunity to meet two of his students who also talked with us, one of which who is a professional basket weaver in the Cherokee Nation. Dr. Hannah proceeded to tell us that she is very famous in the Cherokee Nation; it would be like meeting the president (but in the Cherokee Nation). We were amazed.

What a great opportunity my students had to not only learn about the Native American culture but to meet such amazing people and bring that culture into our classroom. Things we would have never had the opportunity to do if it wasn’t for Twitter and Skype.

Follow Kara on twitter

Enhance Student Learning

2010-09-17T22:23:00.004-05:00

I wrote this for one of my masters classes on February 18, 2009. It was good to know that I felt then that technology should be used not just to use the tools but it to actually be used to enhance learning. (This was during my pre-twitter days too!)

The school that I am currently teaching at purchased 6 new SMART Boards last year. Every student in 3rd-8th grade has access to a SMART Board. This year's school auction will raise money to purchase even more SMART Boards to be installed at our school. I have had the opportunity to work with a SMART Board this year so I decided to research how technology is implemented into the classroom and some of the challenges facing teachers and administrators who are trying to include technology into lessons.

Is technology enhancing the learning of students? That was the biggest question that I found that needs to be answered regarding technology in the classroom. If the technology is being used to teach higher-ordered thinking and critical thinking skills, then it is more likely to enhance student learning. If it is being used more in completing routine tasks, then it will not be a benefit to students.

The supervisor as a technology instruction leader must value technology in the classroom, set the vision for technology in the classroom, and provide training opportunities as well as appropriate hardware, software, and materials. In addition to these things, the supervisor should model good use of technology and encourage constant evaluation of how student learning has been enhanced by technology.

Surround Yourself With The Best

2010-09-14T19:23:00.003-05:00

It is imperative, that at the end of the day, the focus of the principal is on the success of each student. A typical day for a school principal is anything but routine. Schedule changes, surprises, an unforeseen crisis, unexpected discipline issues, and much more force an administrator to deal with many different situations each day. It is important, that in the end, the focus of the principal is on the success of each student. “Each day brings excitement, unplanned events, and meetings – opportunities to creatively make a difference in the lives of students and adults in the school house” (Robbins & Alvy, 2004, 151). However, ‘no man is an island’ and ‘it takes a village to raise a child’. In other words, the principal alone cannot ensure the success of all students. The principal needs an enthusiastic and qualified faculty and staff committed to the cause of success.

I want students’ time at my school to be a time of growth so they are prepared for the next step in their life. A school needs to nurture a child in order that he or she may grow physically, emotionally, academically, and, socially. The teachers blaze the path to growth for students. The tools teachers need to foster maximum growth can be attained by attending conferences, conferring with co-workers, continuing education, and setting attainable goals.

A professional, proficient, and enthusiastic staff can make a difference in a school. “School principals can affect student success by helping teachers be the best they can be” (Robbins & Alvy, 2004, 89). A good teacher can be a very strong influence in a child’s life. A good teacher loves children, enjoys teaching, is enthusiastic, and is a good communicator with families. A good principal will encourage each teacher and will make every effort to provide all the opportunities necessary for a teacher to do a great job. A shared vision is also very important. The school climate will be very dynamic if the principal can model the vision, and the teachers can carry it out in their classrooms (Kouzes & Posner, 2006, 96).

A principal who strives to be an influential leader will also be a servant. A servant attitude will help to build strong and personal relationships with teachers, staff, students, and families. “When leaders accept that they are servants first, then they clearly know where they stand. And it’s not at the head of the line” (Kouzes & Posner, 2006, 16). It takes some humility to understand that the role of a leader also means that you will need to be a servant to other people. It allows you to stay on the same level as the people you work with and to see people eye to eye. “To be humble is to be down-to-earth, both feet planted firmly on the ground” (Kouzes & Posner, 2006, 156).

A principal that can work toward constant growth, provide a proficient staff, and serve those around him will ensure the success of each student. All three of those areas, either directly or indirectly, have an effect on the students of the school. If the principal and the teachers grow, then the school grows. And if the school is growing then the students are growing. A proficient staff, who is enthusiastic and loves to teach, will have lasting effects on the students. The more a principal serves, the more he or she will understand how to better meet the needs of the students and all those involved with the school. If all this can be accomplished, students will be successful.

Kouzes, J. and Posner, B. (2006). A Leader’s Legacy. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass

Robbins, P. and Alvy, H. (2004). The New Principal’s Fieldbook: Strategies For Success. Alexandria: ASCD

Divided Time

2010-09-13T21:11:00.001-05:00

I am currently an assistant principal, athletic director, co-technology coordinator, coach, and I teach one class everyday. How I spend my time is a question and a struggle for me every week. Some of us may have different titles that describe what hat we wear. We also know that even if you have one title, such as principal, there are many hats that you must wear within that job. I think there are 3 things that a principal needs to focus on. First, walk around the school to observe what is going on. Second, talk to people. Talk to teachers, students, janitors, secretaries, parents, pastors, etc. Third, sit at your desk and get some work done. I think of "desk work" as answering email and phone messages, writing memos, setting agendas, planning schedules, developing curriculum, etc. It is important to note that most days you will not accomplish all three things. A day for a principal is going to be full of schedule changes, unexpected problems, and strange surprises that you had no idea would come up (Robbins & Alvy, 2004, 151). How you respond to those surprises often determines how well your day will go.

Robbins, P., Alvy, H. (2004). The New Principal’ Fieldbook: Strategies for Success. Alexandria: ASCD.

Make Your School a Better Place

2010-09-13T19:55:00.003-05:00

Vision comes from inside the leader. Your vision should spring forth from the beliefs and values that you hold in your heart. "Clarity of personal values matters greatly to our feeling motivated, creative, and committed to our workplaces" (Kouzes & Posner, 2006, 96). A leader will be effective in a school if they have a solid understanding of what they believe in. The leader must use that understanding to confidently work in making their school a better place than it was yesterday, last week, or last year.

A vision is crucial to leadership because it can help others to lead. In a school, that means the leader should work side by side with teachers, students, and the community to reach the vision together. "We know that in high-performing teams no one needs to tell anyone else what to do... Everyone's encouraged to do whatever it takes to make things happen" (Kouzes & Posner, 2006, 124). The resources and insights that are available from those involved in a school are VERY valuable. I have often found that in many situations in my life, the best idea... is to not my idea. It is the idea of those I work with.

Kouzes, M., & Posner, B. (2006). A Leader's Legacy. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass

Launch Party

2010-09-01T21:23:00.003-05:00

Finale

Voicethread

SMART Boards

SMART Notebook

PowerPoint

Type to Learn

Wii

Blogging

Artsonia

Prezi

iPods

MacBooks

Skype

School Websites

Student Response Systems

Online Gradebooks

Online Student Collaboration

Prezi

Twitter

All of these technology tools and applications will be on display at the Zion Lutheran School Technology Launch Party on Friday, September 10, 2010. That evening, the teachers of Zion will host the parents of our students for a very special evening at the Stegton Banquet Hall. On display during this free event (yes, I said FREE) will be the technology that teachers are incorporating into their classrooms and instruction. For the past three years, we have been committed to increasing the use of technology in the classrooms by installing SMART Boards, creating a wireless network, and almost tripling the number of computers that we have available to our teachers and students. Throughout that process, our parents have been very supportive of increasing technology in the school. Their support can be seen as enrollment has grown and the number one reason for that increase is the positive things being said by parents to their friends, relatives, and neighbors. Their support can also be seen through countless hours of selfless volunteering dedicated toward fundraising efforts for our school.

The evening will begin with an open house format. Parents can browse the banquet hall, sipping on a beverage and enjoying an appetizer, while being greeted by teachers who are eager to share how they have used technology with their students. The main event of the evening will be a full group, main stage session where the new school website will be officially launched. The unveiling of the website will coincide with the launch of our new online gradebook. Following the website launch, parents will have the opportunity to attend a few breakout sessions that demonstrate the new online gradebook, a student response system, and online student collaboration. Multiple computers will also be available for parents to surf around the new school website.

The purpose of the evening is to connect families, showcase the technology used at Zion, and to unveil the new website. We are very excited to bring our families together to let them know about the benefits of technology in education. We hope the parents will leave with the same excitement toward technology and an understanding of how beneficial technology can be for their students.

Magic Words

2010-08-09T16:28:00.000-05:00

My family recently visited The Magic House Children's Museum in St. Louis. One area in the museum is a pretend grocery store. While my daughter was “shopping”, I saw two young girls acting as a shopper and a checkout clerk. The shopper finished by saying; “Thank you for the excellent service. I am going to tell all my friends about this great store.”

We all know that word of mouth is very important for promoting our schools. However, do the families at your school know how powerful their words can be? You can do the best you can to make sure your students have a successful learning experience, but it is also our job to encourage families to spread the good word about our schools. Make it easy on them by starting a school Facebook or Twitter account. Social media is a great way to help parents spread the good word about your school. Write about the parents’ role in school promotion in your weekly newsletters. Tell them at the back to school open house that they can play a role in positive promotion. Make sure your families know how important they are in promoting your school.

The Power of "We"

2010-08-04T21:28:00.002-05:00

As you prepare for another school year, remember the power of “we”. Now is a good time to implement a new vision for your school, or to implement a change that can increase student learning. The buy-in and ownership of any new program in a school will be much higher if the word “we” is used instead of the word “I”. For example, this phrase:

“We will be the school of choice in our area by providing…”

would be much more effective in promoting a vision than this phrase:

“I want our school to be the school of choice in our area by providing…”

The word “we” is more likely to imply that we are a team trying to achieve a goal. Successful teams all share a common goal, and each member understands their role to help the team achieve the goal. Team members (teachers, students, staff, etc.) will be more likely to help your organization or school reach it’s goals when they feel that they are a part of the vision. Using the word “we” instead of the word “I” can help make your vision their vision also.

Stop Searching

2010-08-04T21:23:00.003-05:00

When I think about what makes twitter so unique, I think about a quote in the video "Social Media Revolution 2." If you have not seen the video, you can watch it below.

Here is quote that I think explains one of the values of twitter:

"We no longer search for the news, the news finds us... We will no longer search for products and services, they will find us via social media"

Educators no longer have to search completely on their own for tools, resources, and information for their classroom. Twitter is a constant stream of valuable resources, links, tools, conversations, collaboration, and encouragement that find their way onto a teacher's desktop. It is amazing how great resources will "find you" through twitter. It has been just over a year since I joined twitter and I have learned so much about how technology can be used as a very effective tool of instruction. (If you do not know how twitter works, watch this VIDEO)

I have heard many teachers say they do not have time for Twitter, however, Twitter is completely user controlled. Sometimes I feel weighted down by my email. I have to check my email and reply when necessary. It's not that way with twitter. You can follow who you want, send out tweets when you want, and read tweets when you want. People on twitter will place links in their tweets in order to share great tools that can be used in the classroom. Some of the amazing tools that I have learned about strictly because of twitter include voicethread, prezi, backchanneling, wikis, mind mapping, flickr, Skype, and diigo.

Most importantly, I have made many great connections with other educators all over the world. It's really all about the people. My PLN, or Personal Learning Network, is a group of educators on twitter who motivate, collaborate, encourage, and share with one another. I have about 900 people following me on twitter and I follow over 500 people myself. Just about every person in my PLN I probably would have had zero contact with if it were not for twitter. It really is a way to surround yourself with more quality, dedicated, and passionate colleagues.

TWITTER LINKS
Resources for teachers who are new to twitter
28 educators that you must follow

TWITTER VIDEOS
Tom Whitby explains the power of the PLN

Eric Sheninger Discusses the Emergence of Twitter in Education

Steve Anderson (@web20classroom) on Twitter

This post was originally written for an assignment in my "Integrating Technology into the Curriculum" class at Concordia University, Nebraska.

Administrate Like It's 1989

2010-08-02T21:25:00.003-05:00

I often wonder what it was like to be an educator over 20 years ago when you did not have email. Email is often a great way to communicate when you have a quick question or you have to communicate some quick information. However, how many times have you written back and forth with someone when a quick phone call or a walk down the hallway would have saved time? On the surface, it seems like email and other forms of digital communication save us time, but sometimes a quick phone call or a short walk is more efficient then multiple email replies. If you need to reply to an email or communicate with a colleague, a short conversation may be more effective than an email. Give it a try sometime. When you get an email that needs a response, and the sender is outside your building, pick up the phone and give them a call. If the sender is in your building, take a few steps outside your office and visit them in the classroom. It might end up saving you just a little bit of time.

Reform Symposium 2010 - Pre-conference thoughts

2010-07-28T21:16:00.004-05:00

Saturday evening I will be presenting for just the second time ever. I was very honored to be asked to participate in the Reform Symposium and I have enjoyed the challenge of preparing the presentation. One of the exciting things for me about this weekend is the unknown. I have no idea what it will be like to present online. I have no idea how many participants will be in my session. I have absolutely no idea how my presentation will be received. I also have wondered from time to time if I will be providing the participants with any valuable information that they can take into their classrooms or into their school. Twitter and social networking have been great for my professional development over the last year. However, sometimes it seems as if we are all "preaching to the choir." Will my session be made up of a bunch of choir members? My goal the next few days is to finish preparing a presentation that will provide opportunities for all educators to take at least one idea or activity back to their classroom or school. Join me on Saturday night at 7:30 EDT for my presentation HOTTS (Higher Order Thinking/Technology Skills). This session will show teachers how technology can be used to help bring their students to the higher order thinking skills of Bloom's Digital Taxonomy. Each taxonomy level will be discussed and different ways that technology can be used to bring students to that specific level of thinking.

An Administrator's Responsibility

2010-07-20T14:38:00.004-05:00

I was asked today what I think an administrator's role is in 21st Century Learning. Here was my response.

The most important aspect of 21st century learning is getting our students to be lifelong learners. I want to try and encourage a joy and a desire in my students to constantly be learning. Even when they do not have that joy or desire, I still want them to be able to find ways to learn. They have to know how to use technology, collaborate, to read, to write, to solve problems, etc. Since education, technology, and the world is changing so quickly, our teachers also have to be committed to lifelong learning. In order to keep up, our teachers must be learning about new technology, new methods, and the needs of our students. When teachers are lifelong learners, they are a great example of 21st century learning for our students.

Where does the administrator fit in this picture? Administrators should also be lifelong learners, just as it is expected of the teachers. They must encourage professional development and collaboration among their staff. Although there are great professional development opportunities and great personal learning networks available through social media and professional organizations, don't forget about the potential collaboration opportunities in your own building. Use your faculty to collaborate, train, and teach each other.

Twitter: The Year in Review - Follow 'Em

2010-06-29T08:11:00.007-05:00

Tuesday, June 29, 2010 marks the 1-year anniversary of when I signed up for twitter. In many ways, twitter has changed the way I think, prepare, and collaborate as an educator. The following post lists my suggestions for "must follows" for any educator. I want to thank all of my "tweeps" for listening to my 140 character rambles, sharing great resources, and encouraging me to becoming a better educator.

THANK YOU TO THE FOLLOWING FOR SHARING GREAT LINKS AND RESOURCES
@cybraryman1 @web20classroom @NMHS_Principal @Larryferlazzo @dianadell @stevejmoore

THANK YOU TO THE FOLLOWING FOR YOUR LEADERSHIP AND ENCOURAGEMENT
@ShellTerrell @jasonschmidt123 @henrythiele @mkratzer @rjacklin @rliberni

THANK YOU TO MY FELLOW LUTHERAN EDUCATORS
@dawblack @dgrice @MrA47 @OCTechguy @coachburk @kathymaske @luthedguild @AFogelman

THANK YOU TO MY COLLEAGUES AT ZION
@MDebrick @alhelmy @rlimback @marthaglover @karacornejo @gilmorekendra @pstewart @Kpoppitz

Click the link below to follow everyone from this post.

Twitter: The Year in Review - Top 10 Links

2010-06-28T19:32:00.006-05:00

Tuesday, June 29, 2010 marks the 1-year anniversary of signing up for twitter. In many ways, twitter has changed the way I think, prepare, and collaborate as an educator. The amount of great resources, links, ideas, and discussion that come across my desktop are too numerous to count. It seems that every day I read about something new and innovative that can be used in the classroom. The following post lists 10 of my favorite links that I was directed to mainly because of my experience on twitter.

Diigo - "Research, Share, and Collaborate. Diigo is a powerful research tool and a knowledge sharing community." Diigo has been a great place to store and bookmark all the great links that are shared over twitter.

Reindeer Chorus - A fun Christmas website to use on your IWB, The Reindeer Orchestra. "Squash their noses or let the computer guide you through clicking the song you want to play."

Piratepad.net - A collaborative text editing site. A good collaborative website to assist students with research, communication, and group projects.

SMART Notebook Games - Multiple templates for creating games on the SMART Board (Memory, Wheel of Fortune, Deal or No Deal, Who Wants to be a Millionaire, etc.)

Prezi - A presentation tool that is a unique alternative to PowerPoint. I feel that PowerPoint can still serve a purpose for presentations, but Prezi provides another option for presenters to use.

30 Goals Challenge - Shelly Terrell's "30 Goals" series challenged educators to accomplish a series of short term goals at the beginning of 2010. Currently this summer, continue reading the "30 Goals Challenge" as guest bloggers share how they accomplished each of the goals.

Voicethread - Voicethread is a collaborative website that allows you to "talk about and share images, documents, and videos."

Free Technology for Teachers - Free Technology for Teachers is a blog with "free resources, ideas, and lesson plans for teaching with technology." Many posts come with "Applications for Education" to help integrate the featured technology into your classroom.

Today's Meet - "TodaysMeet helps you embrace the backchannel and connect with your audience in realtime." Create your own backchannel to use with students without having to sign up for individual twitter accounts.

Glogster - "Simply put, Glog is a kind of poster - fully designed by yourself! Glog is a fancy creation from text, images, music and video."

What has been your favorite resource that has been shared with you on twitter?

Google Resources

2010-06-21T20:08:00.008-05:00

Resources for using Google in the classroom.

10 Google Forms for the Classroom

Sharing and Editing Options in Google Docs
From the Free Technology for Teachers website (posted June 18, 2010):

Google announced that they would be rolling-out the new version of the document editor to all users over the next couple of weeks. The new version includes real-time updates (no more refreshing to see what your collaborators have written), chatting with collaborators within your documents, margin settings, and floating images.

11 Helpful Cheat Sheets for Popular Google Products
From the Web Design Ledger website:

Think about all the tools you use each day to do your job. Chances are, more than one of them are made by Google. Google puts out great products that help us perform our daily tasks. Whether it be email, creating docs, or communicating with clients and colleagues, there seems to be a Google service for just about everything. But just like other tools and applications there are lots of features, which means more stuff to remember. So if you’re like me and have trouble memorizing things like keyboard shortcuts, we’re here to help. Here are 11 Helpful Cheat Sheets for Popular Google Products.

The Google Classroom
From The Google Classroom website:

There are many Google resources and applications that can be utilized in the classroom. (Here) you will find them organized into the following categories: Applications (downloads); Collaboration; Research Resources and Other Resources.

Google Apps in the Classroom [slideshow]

Slideshow and multiple resources/links for using Google in the classroom from Chad Kafka.

Digital Resources for Bloom's Taxonomy

2010-06-18T07:36:00.007-05:00

The following resources will assist educators with using Bloom's Taxonomy while integrating technology into the classroom.

Bloom's Digital Taxonomy - Educational Origami
From the Educational Origami website:

This is an update to Bloom's Revised Taxonomy which attempts to account for the new behaviours and actions emerging as technology advances and becomes more ubiquitous. Bloom's Revised Taxonomy accounts for many of the traditional classroom practices, behaviours and actions but does not account for the new processes and actions associated with Web 2.0 technologies and increasing ubiquitous personal and cloud computing.
Bloom's Digital Taxonomy isn't about the tools or technologies rather it is about using these to facilitate learning. Outcomes on rubrics are measured by competence of use and most importantly the quality of the process or product. For example. Bookmarking a resource is of no value if the resource is inappropriate or worthless.

Bloom's Taxonomy Blooms Digital - Tech & Learning
From the Tech & Learning website:

In the 1990's, a former student of Bloom, Lorin Anderson, revised Bloom's Taxonomy and published this- Bloom's Revised Taxonomy in 2001. Key to this is the use of verbs rather than nouns for each of the categories and a rearrangement of the sequence within the taxonomy. They are arranged below in increasing order, from low to high.

Bloom’s Taxonomy and the Digital World - Open Education
From the Open Education website:

(Andrew) Churches work gives educators an excellent framework from which to begin to assess their digital practices. We recognize that many teachers tend to push the “search” concept, especially search refinements, further up the taxonomy levels. But at the same time Churches digital examples at the evaluation level provide strong reinforcement for the use of blogs and Wikis to greatly enhance learning

Investigation of Bloom's Digital Taxonomy [Prezi]

Championship Moments

2010-06-16T21:55:00.011-05:00

One week ago today, the Chicago Blackhawks won their first Stanley Cup in 49 years. Many avid hockey fans and knowledgeable analysts will argue that the Stanley Cup is the most difficult trophy to win in all of sports. The organization would probably agree as they went almost a half century without holding up the Cup. I have been a Chicago sports fan my entire life and have been fortunate enough to see seven other championships. I remember the Chicago Bears rallying the entire city together by winning their first and only Super Bowl when I was just seven years old. The lasting image in my memory from that Super Bowl win was when head coach Mike Ditka was carried triumphantly across the field on his players shoulders. Then, as a teenager, I witnessed one of the greatest dynasties in sports history when Michael Jordan led the Chicago Bulls to an impressive six championships in eight years. I have vivid memories of seeing Jordan clutching the champagne drenched trophy close to his body while crying in front of all the cameras, reporters, and teammates. Any celebration of a championship is a memorable moment. However, the Stanley Cup celebration might be the most impressive celebration moment. The exact moment that I continue recalling in my mind from the Blackhawks championship are the seconds that took place immediately before Jonathan Toews raised the Cup above his head. Toews, the Blackhawks team captain, was invited up to the Stanley Cup by NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman. The two stood on each side of the most coveted trophy in sports for the obligatory photographs. As the cameras flashed, Toews was very obviously twitching his legs and hands. He was extremely anxious to grab the trophy, lift it above his head, and skate around the ice with his teammates as NHL champions.

I sat in on my living room floor directly in front of the TV anxiously awaiting Toews to lift that trophy. When he grabbed the Stanley Cup and lifted it above his head, that was the moment all Blackhawks fans had been waiting for. That moment was the memory that will live on. Did you have a moment like that during the past school year? As a teacher, what did one of your students do that stands out as the moment, the lasting memory of this school year? As an administrator, what did one of your teachers do that stands out as a defining moment, a lasting memory for the school year? What was your championship moment?

UPDATED JULY 5, 2010 - Great read... "Reflections from 2009-2010" Mr. Gonzalez goes gradeless this year in his science class. Read about the experiment in his reflective blog post.

Take Risks to Increase Learning

2010-06-13T18:16:00.012-05:00

In just 7 years of teaching, I have seen a big shift in how technology can be used in the classroom. When I first began, my classroom had 1 computer for me to enter grades and email parents. The most technology I ever used in my instruction was an overhead projector and calculators. Now we are teaching in classrooms with SMART Boards, iPads, iPods, laptops, wireless Internet, smart phones, student response systems, and numerous Web 2.0 tools. The amount of technology available and the quality of technology available must change the way we teach. Ferriter, 2010 explains that in recent years, schools have changed the way they spend money by investing billions of dollars in technology. Yet the way we teach has not changed enough to keep up with the increase of technology. What must we do in our instruction to effectively integrate this technology?

Ferriter, 2010 continues by offering solutions for implementing significant changes to help our schools implement more effective digital instruction. His solutions include offering online and independent studies, delivering academic help to struggling students digitally, redesigning teacher preparation programs, making standards more flexible, and redesigning teacher evaluation programs. He also provides Web 2.0 tools that can be beneficial in the classroom. Tools to help teachers become active digital learners include the Classroom 2.0 online network and the Educator's Personal Learning Network. More options like Screencasts, Voicethread, and Skype are tools that teachers and students can use directly in instruction and learning.

I have one solution to help teachers implement technology which I think encompasses all of Ferriter's suggestions. Take risks. All of the new technology tools and digital methods are new to education. They offer new ways to engage students and provide differentiation to a variety of learners. Since it seems that there are new tools each week that are available to teachers, we may be expected to try methods that we were never trained to use. Taking risks in the classroom will be beneficial for the students. Stepping outside of your comfort zone will provide an example to students about what it takes to learn new ideas and concepts. In addition, taking chances will not always result in effective instruction or learning for the students. There will be mistakes made. There will be ineffective lessons. These situations will provide the teacher with an opportunity to be a problem solver, perhaps even solving the problem with the students.

Technology though, by itself, will not determine how effective or successful a teacher is in the classroom. The technology that is being used today is different than what was used 10 years ago, 20 years ago, or 100 years ago. There have been very successful teachers before SMART Boards, computers, and the Internet were ever used. The success of teachers in the past should be remembered because their methods are still applicable, regardless of technology they used. I asked Jerry Blumengarten (@cybraryman1), a retired teacher who began his career in 1969, what successful methods or techniques he thinks teachers use no matter what era they taught in and no matter what technology they used. Mr. Blumengarten is a former teacher who began teaching with film strips, 16 mm films and overhead projectors. By the time he finished his career he had seen quite a few changes in how technology is used in the classroom. He explained that successful education begins with teachers and schools remembering that it is not about the technology, it is about the learning. We must put our focus on the learning of students. If technology is a tool that helps increase student learning, then we must embrace the opportunities it provides. Yet we cannot forget about the relationships that we build with our students, the positive role models we can be, and the learning that we can foster among our students. Take risks with the technology. Do not be afraid to try something new in your classroom. However, don't forget that your most important job is to help students learn.

Blumengarten, J. (2010, June 5). Email interview.

Ferriter, W.M. (2010). Preparing to teach digitally.Educational Leadership, 67(8), 88-89.

IWB Resources

2010-06-13T17:40:00.004-05:00

Resources to help teachers with interactive whiteboards in their classrooms.

SMART Board Revolution Ning

SMART Exchange - Find Lesson Plans for Your SMART Board and Connect with Teachers

Interactive Whiteboard Insights [Blog] - Put more interactivity in your interactive whiteboard!

Twitter for Teachers

2010-06-09T06:29:00.013-05:00

Resources for teachers who are new to twitter.

Follow these great Lutheran educators

Follow my "Twitter Top 9"

Twitter in Schools - A Getting Started Guide by Steven Anderson (Steven Anderson's twitter page)

Why Tweet? by Jon Orech (@jorech's Twitter page)

Twitter Tips: for Teachers & Educators

Twitter Empowered Teachers [slideshow] Good introduction for teacher new to twitter

Top 100 Tools for the Twittering Teacher

Over 100 Ways to Teach with Twitter

Nine great reasons why teachers should use Twitter

Twitter Help for Educators

Twitter4Teachers Wiki

5 Real Examples of Using Twitter for Education

Twitter resource library from Jerry Blumengarten, aka cybraryman1 (@cybraryman1 Twitter page)

Twitter resource library by Angela Maiers (@angelamaiers Twitter page)

8 Goals for my 8th Year

2010-06-01T16:29:00.004-05:00

Professional growth can be achieved in different ways. I am a big proponent of setting goals and making lists in order to stay organized, achieve growth, and challenge myself. This August, I will enter my 8th year in the teaching profession. The following list contains 8 simple goals for me to work on in my 8th school year. These goals are not things that you will necessarily learn in your masters classes or read in an educational journal, but I do think they can help build relationships and promote a positive atmosphere in your school.

8 GOALS FOR 2010-2011
1. Acknowledge all staff members birthdays.
2. When a substitute teacher is in for a teacher, visit that classroom at least once during the day to check on the sub and the class.
3. Write thank you notes. The key word here is write. Hand-written thank you notes show genuine sincerity to teachers, parents, volunteers, etc.
4. Know the names of all your staff members' spouse and children. (If you can remember names of grandchildren and pets, that will make an extra good impression)
5. No coasting at the end - Give the same energy to the last month of school that you do to the first month of school. Along the same lines, treat each everyone like it is last day of school. I noticed how kind everyone was to each other on the last day of school this year. Treat students, parents, and colleagues every day as if it is the last time you will see them for about 2 1/2 months.
6. Keep a list of great things teachers do during the year. Share the list with the teacher at the year-end meeting
7. Plan well ahead of time for events that require invitations to be sent out. The only thing more insulting than not inviting someone, is inviting them at the last minute.
8. Pick 1 thing to finish per week - We all have those items on our to-do list that dont NEED to be done and therefore sit on the list for months, sometimes years. Pick one of those items each week and make it a high priority. If you are consistent, you could get up to 40 or 50 of those types of tasks done each year.

What goals do you have as you enter the 2010-2011 school year?

What I learned about Skype today

2010-05-11T08:58:00.003-05:00

The 6th grade class from Zion participated in a Skype session with 6th graders from Immanuel Lutheran School in Giddings, TX. For the past couple of months, the classes have been exchanging letters as pen pals. We are talking about hand-written, place in the envelope, and slap a stamp on pen pals. Today, they met face to face through Skype. This was a chance to see each other, talk with each other, and ask each other questions. This is the first time that I have observed a Skype session between two groups of students. There were a few things that I noticed. A Skype session appears to be a great way to improve communication skills, make connections, and improve presentation skills.

A Skype session for students will help improve speaking and listening skills. The entire conversation, both speaking and listening, requires a more intentional effort by the participant than a face-to-face conversation. There are some slight nuances to a Skype session that take some time to get used to. First, there is a slightly longer pause during transitions between speakers, a small difference from a normal conversation. Second, speaking at the same time can be a little more awkward than a normal conversation. Overall, the longer pause and avoiding simultaneous speaking, cause the pace of a conversation to be slightly slower.

One of the things I noticed was the similarities between the two classes and the students. As the students asked each other questions, I think they found out that they have a lot in common with the class in Texas. Even thought they live a few states apart from each other, these students are their peers in many ways. Their interests and attitudes were very similar. At the same time, there were some differences. Between the size of the towns, schools, climate, and industries, the students learned about how what parts of their lives are different. There was a connection that took place today between Missouri and Texas. Our students heard about some different aspects of these students' lives, yet at the same time learned that 6th graders in a different part of the country have similar interests. Deep down, they are not that different.

Finally, both classes learned how to work together to give an effective presentation. Each class took a different approach during the Skype session. The 6th graders from Texas had the entire class in front of the camera for Zion to see. The 6th graders from Zion brought one student to the camera at a time for the the students from Texas to see. As a group of students in front of the camera, it takes great discipline to give a clear and unified presentation. It seems like one of three things can happen. The entire group can all begin talking at once, which can be a confusing and jumbled message. Second, the entire group can sit there silently waiting and not speaking because everyone thinks someone else is going to talk. Finally, one person can speak up and answer questions or talk, which most often is the preferable method. Overall, the class from Texas did a great job communicating with the Zion students, taking turns and making sure that the student who was speaking was in front of the camera. On the other hand, when the students from Zion came up to the camera one by one, they had their own set of pressures. When you are the only person on camera, there is pressure for you to speak clearly, loudly, and slowly enough for them to understand you. I think the 6th graders from Zion felt this pressure, and it took some practice for them to speak loud enough to be heard. Again, overall they did a great job speaking in front of the camera and communicating their questions and thoughts.

I think this Skype session was a great learning experience for the students, teachers, and myself. The main thing that happened today is a connection took place between students from different states. I like that it started months ago with pencil and paper, and culminated today with technology.

In what ways have your students benefitted from using Skype in the classroom?

Top 3 Infographics - May 3-9, 2010

2010-05-10T10:04:00.007-05:00

My top 3 most interesting infographics from the week of May 3, 2010.

The Evolution of Privacy on Facebook

Twitter Facts and Figures

Teens and their Mobile Phones

My Diigo page with 15 infographics

Instant Events - Day 4 of Tweet Week

2010-05-07T19:15:00.003-05:00

The fourth post of Tweet Week highlights a tweet from @mashable for the second day in a row.

@mashable: Times Square Evacuation As Seen by Twitter Users [PICS] - http://bit.ly/96FmYW

Clicking on the link will take you to the Mashable website where you will see 6 pictures from the evacuation of New York City's Times Square on Friday, May 7. This was the second evacuation of Times Square in one week. From the Mashable website:

Much like the car bomb scare that took place last Saturday night, Twitter users in the area are quick to the scene, snapping some surreal photos of one of America’s most trafficked landmarks completely empty.
Since it’s in the middle of the work day, many of the photos come from high up offices, painting an even clearer picture of what an abandoned Times Square looks like.

If you want instant updates for just about anything going on in the world, Twitter is the place to go. These 6 images give you an immediate visual about the massive undertaking and the eery sight of an evacuated Times Square. 16 months ago, one of the most popular tweets of all time was an immediate image of passengers being rescued on January 15, 2009 from US Airways flight 1549 that crashed into the Hudson River in New York City. This is another example of how Twitter can be used to provide immediate news and information updates. Finally, just this week, Twitter provided me with access to immediate information about why my Google Calendar crashed and about my beloved Chicago Cubs recalling their number 1 prospect Starlin Castro.

Is it any wonder that newspapers all over the world are stopping publication and advertising sales on TV and printed media are plummeting. The 10:00 news and the morning newspaper are what we used to consider current events. Today, it is Twitter and the real-time web that gives us instant events.

Tweetshrink The World - Day 3 of Tweet Week

2010-05-06T11:31:00.004-05:00

Wednesday was day 3 of Tweet Week and the theme for today is how Twitter can make the world smaller. The focus for today was a fascinating tweet by @mashable

@mashable: 10 Awesome Webcam Feeds From Around the World - http://bit.ly/bFQDbW

If you click on the link you will see 10 very interesting webcams from all over the world. This single link allows us to take a live glimpse into different areas all over the Earth. This made me begin to think about how a Tweet like this can shrink the world. There are so many opportunities on Twitter to connect, share, discuss, and learn from educators around the globe. There are many examples of how we have used Twitter in my classes in order give the students and myself learning opportunities that extend beyond our classroom walls.

There are great opportunities for polling a variety of people. Twtpoll is my favorite polling website. We have used this polling tool to learn about probability, percents, ratios, and fractions.
Twitter and geography can be integrated very easily. I enjoy replying to people's request on twitter such as, "I am giving a presentation on twitter. Please say hi to the staff and let us know where you are from." We have sent out tweets similar to this in our classes and have received so many replies that we can not keep up on reading them as they come in. It is fun, and interesting, to see where all of the people are replying from.
Sharing resources is a great benefit of Twitter. We have benefitted from great resources that people have sent out and we also try to share great ideas or lessons that we have to offer.
Probably my favorite way that Twitter makes the world a smaller place is the connections I have made with other educators. More specifically, as an educator at a Lutheran school, I have been thankful for the connections that I have made with educators from other Lutheran schools who are currently on Twitter. It is truly amazing the conversations that can take place in less than 140 characters.

In what other ways has Twitter brought the world into your classroom?

#edchat Tuesdays - Day 2 of Tweet Week

2010-05-04T21:15:00.008-05:00

Each day this week I am choosing one tweet that has an effect on my work as an educator. The choice for the focus today was an easy decision. The following tweet is from @ShellTerrel:

RT @jswiatek: The archive is available for today's (5/4 1800CET, 12 PM EDT) at http://bit.ly/9HKFD4 #teachertuesday

The archive being referred to is the weekly #edchat discussion that takes place on Twitter every Tuesday at 12 PM EDT. The #edchat discussion is a great way for educators to gather together and hold a conversation about a current issue in education. Here are some of the reasons that I have found #edchat to be beneficial to me.

#edchat is a good professional development opportunity. Twitter in general is great for professional development. However, the weekly #edchat discussions have given me an opportunity to set aside a specific time each week to learn from fellow educators on Twitter. I am thankful that I have most of the #edchat hour free to participate.
#edchat is going to stretch your mind. I appreciate the opportunity that I have to think, consider, question, and form opinions regarding current issues in education.
#edchat will help you to become a quicker thinker. I am impressed with the number of people who participate in #edchat, which in turn keeps the conversation moving very quickly. You are going to have to read, and think, very quickly to keep up with the conversation.
Although the main #edchat discussion occurs on Tuesday, the conversation continues throughout the week. It is common to see tweets with the #edchat hashtag for hours and days after the scheduled #edchat times, which is an indication of the power of the #edchat conversations.

I recommend #edchat for all educators on Twitter. I have found it to be a great way to connect, interact, and learn from educators around the world.

In what ways has #edchat been beneficial to you? What was your favorite #edchat discussion?

#edchat links

#edchat wiki

Cybraryman's #edchat page

School Promotion - Day 1 of Tweet Week

2010-05-03T21:44:00.009-05:00

The first post this week about how Twitter has enhanced my professional life began yesterday with the following tweet:

RT @ozge: Is the iPad Fit for School? - http://ht.ly/1FK2n #ipad /via @ianw91

This tweet led me to an website, which contained a link to an additional article about how the 140 Character Conference last month explored how Twitter can be used in the classroom. (Click HERE for the article). The following paragraph in the article struck me as one way that I can use Twitter to help promote my school:

In another session, New Jersey principal Eric Sheninger (@NMHS_Principal) explained how he uses Twitter to get the word out about the great activities taking place at New Milford High School. Since he started tweeting in February, 2009, some 14 news stories have been written about his school use of the Twitter as an educational tool by both students and teachers.

In addition to following Eric Sheninger (@NMHS_Principal), I have also been following Shelly Terrell (@ShellTerrell). Both Eric and Shelly have recently passed the 1 year anniversary of their start on Twitter. I am amazed at the amount of followers and the influence that both Eric and Shelly have accumulated through Twitter. Eric's success with Twitter is something I respect, and so I looked for ways today to "get the word out" about my school just like he has done. Throughout the day I paid close attention to classroom newsletters, the school newsletter, my email, and conversations with teachers and parents. I was searching for ways to promote my school in the same way that Eric describes in the previous paragraph. The tweets that I sent out today about Zion are below. They can also be found at Zion's Twitter page and my personal Twitter page.

zionbobcats Teacher Appreciation Day is tomorrow! How can you show appreciation for your teacher?

zionbobcats Nickels for Nails: Zion students will be collecting nickels, dimes, and quarters for Habitat for Humanity on Thu-Fri http://bit.ly/ahiiaw

zionbobcats Zion second graders to take a field trip to The Butterfly House on Wednesday. http://www.butterflyhouse.org/

Although these tweets will not result in 14 news stories like New Milford High School, I think continuing like this will help to promote some of the success stories at Zion. Have you ever Twitter to promote your school? If not, maybe now is the time.

Tweet Week

2010-05-02T21:51:00.003-05:00

I am preparing to give a presentation next year about teachers using twitter. As I prepare that presentation, I have been reflecting on my current use of twitter. This led me to a decision to focus during the upcoming week on how twitter has helped me to improve as an educator. Each day this week, I will write about how I use a single tweet to help improve my students, my colleagues, my school, or myself. Check back each day to see how my PLN and twitter can "tweek my week."

The Benefits of a SMART Board

2010-04-04T13:43:00.002-05:00

This article was written for Zion Lutheran Church's quarterly newsletter "The Visitor"

Within a classroom a variety of learners sit in their desks. The class is split between visual, auditory, and tactile learners. In addition to the different learning styles, the students have different abilities. And finally, the students have different interests. With all of these students, one teacher must mesh all of the diversity together into one effective learning environment. A SMART Board is a tool that can help a teacher to do this successfully.

Over the past two years, Zion Lutheran School has been blessed by being able to purchase 11 SMART Boards for our classrooms. A SMART Board is an interactive whiteboard that allows users to touch, write on, and view images that are being projected from a computer. This tool that can provide a teacher with many options for instruction and give great variety to lessons. Some of the benefits of SMART Boards in the classroom include:

Lessons can be created to easily include videos, music, graphics, games, and interactive activities.
Teachers can model a variety of effective note taking methods.
Teachers AND students can use technology to collaborate with others in the classroom or all over the world. The SMART Board can assist with many types of collaboration.
Teachers can print or email a lesson to a student who is absent and missed class.
Lessons can be created to provide an effective flow and sequence with prepared leading and discussion questions.
Many different graphic organizers (tables, charts, and Venn diagrams) can be used to categorize ideas, concepts, and data.

Technology integrated into instruction can take a classroom, bounded by four walls, and open it up to the world. SMART Boards are one example of how we can integrate technology into education and are one step toward technology having a positive impact in the classrooms of Zion Lutheran School.

Picciotto, Henri. (2010, March 27). Interactive white boards. Retrieved from http://blog.mathedpage.org/2010/03/interactive-white-boards.html

Using Technology with classroom instruction that works. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://docs.google.com/present/view?id=dd78ng6q_73fcr94wgt

How Twitter is Similar to my Health Club

2010-04-03T20:58:00.003-05:00

My top 5 reasons that twitter is similar to my health club.

5. With twitter and at the health club, everyone is usually very nice. People are very encouraging and supportive of one another.

4. PLN/PLM. My Personal Learning Network helps me grow professionally through other teachers, administrators, and educators. My Personal Lifting Machines including the fly machine, curl machine, and the bench press machine help me grow physically.

3. With both twitter and exercising, the more you do it, the more you are hooked.

2. Many of the people you follow on twitter do not use their real names (cybraryman1, NMHS_Principal, web20classroom, tonnet, TheTechSpec). At the health club, you do not many people by name, instead they have nicknames (skeletor, harry larry, spandex man, goober, skin colored biker shorts lady, loud singing iPod guy, Dan the Man, and Lance Armstrong)

1. Your twitter updates can only be 140 characters. Health club members must weigh less than 140 pounds. Members must also only eat food less than 140 calories.

Take 2 (or more) Steps

2010-03-26T15:47:00.001-05:00

It does not matter how much time I spend in my office trying to get caught up. No matter what I do, it seems like I am always behind. I can knock off 10 things from my to-do list, and the next day I will have 15 more items added to the list. It feels like I take 2 steps forward, then 3 steps backwards. I often feel like I am never making any progress.

A couple days ago, I took some steps (more than 2) outside of my office. I went through the hallways, popping in classrooms for quick visits. The time was very well spent for me. The best visit was in 3^rd grade watching one of our great teachers using the Smart Board very effectively in her instruction. There were smiles on the students’ faces, hands raised, and eyes glued to the Smart Board. The time in the classroom was a great reminder about what is important. Take time to talk with your staff. Take time to talk with the students. Take time to talk with the parents. The ten minutes I spent in 3^rd grade was more beneficial than replying to 10 emails in 10 minutes.

I appreciate you reading this blog post, but don’t spend too much time here. Go visit a classroom. Go talk to a kid. Make that phone call to a parent. It’s worth the time.

Social Media Math

2010-03-24T20:45:00.003-05:00

Lesson Plan Title: Social Media Math

General Goal(s): Students will be able to understand the benefits of social media (twitter).

Specific Objectives:

Students will be able to evaluate the benefits of using a social media tool.
Students will be able to analyze data about social media usage, users, and growth.

Required Materials: Internet connection, projector or IWB, a computer for each student

Anticipatory Set (Lead-In): Obtain immediate feedback/greetings from twitter followers to show the instant collaboration opportunities of social media.

Step-By-Step Procedures:

Show the “Did You Know 4.0” video - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ILQrUrEWe8
Create a backchannel for a post video discussion using http://etherpad.com
Following the video, begin the backchannel and ask students about their initial reactions.
Watch the video again, stopping at specific points to ask discussion questions

0:30 – Is there anything on this list that you do not use to access information? Is there something missing from this list that you use to access information?
0:37 – What is the ratio of TVs in the US to TVs in bathrooms in the US? Do any of you have a TV in your bathroom?
0:42 – When was the last time you read a newspaper? Do you think newspapers will be extinct someday?
0:59 – Why is some advertising going down and some advertising going up?
1:14 – How many hours of broadcasting is that for the 3 networks since 1948?
1:27 – How many unique visitors is that per day? Per hour?
2:07 – How fast do you think Mr. Creutz can type a 160-character text message?
2:21 – How is it possible to send 2,272 text messages a month? Ten years from now, do you think teenagers will be sending thousands of text messages a month?
2:24 – How many text messages was that per day? Per hour? Per minute?
2:34 – What percentage of students in this class own a cell phone? Do you think this is a typical percentage for 8^th grade classes everywhere?
2:57 – Barack Obama won the 2008 Presidential Election because of his use of social media in fundraising. Do you agree or disagree? Why or why not?
3:45 – How could a mobile device be used in the classroom today, in 2010?

Plan For Independent Practice: Develop a poll to evaluate the information, effectiveness, reliability, accuracy, etc. of the “Did You Know 4.0” video. The poll should ask the reader a question, and then give the opportunity to respond to at least 4 possible answers.

Closure (Reflect Anticipatory Set): Send out a tweet about the “Did You Know 4.0” video. Ask the class to form the tweet in a way that will encourage followers to watch the video.

Assessment Based On Objectives:

An informal assessment will be completed by following and reading the backchannel discussion.
A formal assessment will be completed by evaluating the polls developed by students.

Adaptations (For Students With Learning Disabilities):

Extensions (For Gifted Students):

Looking Forward to Monday

2010-03-09T21:13:00.001-06:00

My graduate class assignment this week allowed me to reflect on my classroom management techniques. There are three aspects to classroom management that I try to implement in my classroom. The three areas include routine, a positive atmosphere, and personal responsibility. I feel that I have been successful with two of the three areas of focus in my management. I have been successful with routine and personal responsibility. I am very consistent in my classroom with the pace of my lessons, homework, test schedules, and grading style. I also feel very strongly about teaching junior high students personal responsibility. I try very hard to work toward an appropriate level of personal responsibility, depending on the development of each student. Now, I know there is always room for improvement in my routine and teaching personal responsibility, however the biggest area of growth for me is creating a positive atmosphere in the classroom. The next three days I am going to work hard to have fun, smile, encourage, collaborate, and help each student find success. If I succeed in creating a more positive atmosphere by the end of this week, I think I will find myself looking forward to Monday rather than looking forward to the weekend.

Integrating Disciplines

2010-03-03T20:17:00.003-06:00

We are currently studying the concept of angles in my 7^th grade math class. We have been identifying and measuring angles. I would like to integrate art into this lesson about angles, specifically the visual art of photography. I am also going to integrate language arts into this lesson through writing activities. Students will find examples of angles in the real world and take pictures of the angle. They will need to photograph an obtuse angle, right angle, and an acute angle. Then the students will submit the photographs via email and write about where the picture was taken, what kind of angle is in the picture, and describe other things of interest in the picture. Do you have any other suggestions to enrich this lesson?

What other disciplines can I integrate into this lesson?

What other ways can I extend this lesson to increase learning and understanding of angles?

Keeping the Momentum

2010-02-22T21:33:00.005-06:00

In my 8th grade algebra class today, the students worked in small groups on an EtherPad. An EtherPad is a real-time, collaborative, online editor. Students worked in their small groups to create an outline of a lesson about scientific notation. They began with a very simple outline/template on the EtherPad and the instructions were to give as much information as possible under each category given to them. The lesson was relevant as they had to research real-life examples of scientific notation. The lesson was integrative, as they had to explore the uses of scientific notation in mathematics, science, and technology. The lesson was exploratory, as they had to collaborate to complete an outline with explanations and examples. Was this lesson a developmentally responsive lesson for middle school students? I believe the lesson was because I observed the students collaborating, encouraging, questioning, and assisting their peers. “The middle school curriculum must reflect a genuine concern for young adolescents by addressing self-esteem, self-identity, peers, and friendships” (Manning & Bucher, 2008, p. 90). In addition this activity was exploratory with some independent aspects of writing and researching included. Manning & Bucher explain, “the psychosocial needs of 10-to-15-year-olds address their search for independence” (2008, p. 90).

It is great to start a week with a lesson that I feel good about. My challenge now is to carry that momentum into tomorrow's lesson. As much as I saw my students grow, collaborate, and own today's lesson, I feel that their success helped me to grow as an educator. I want to continue improving my instruction.

How have you kept the momentum going after a lesson that you felt was successful?

Manning, M. Lee, & Bucher, Katherine T. (2008). Teaching in the middle school. Allyn & Bacon.

Since the 1960's?

2010-02-20T08:06:00.005-06:00

Does the concept of a middle school parallel what advocates of student-centered learning are promoting? Manning, & Bucher explain "In developing the middle school, educators wanted to avoid the mistakes of the junior high school. They wanted the middle school to be a learner-centered school that would meet young adolescents' developmental needs" (2008, p. 6). This is an example of student centered-learning that has been staring us in the face since the 1960s when the middle school concept was developed (Manning, & Bucher, 2008).

Here are some characteristics of the middle school concept:
-Teachers organized as interdisciplinary teams
-Students grouped within heterogeneous learning communities
-Cooperative instructional planning
-Team-based learning
-Nurturing and caring environment
-One adult advisor/mentor for every 25 or fewer students

Maybe we can look to the middle school concept that began in the 1960s as one tool to help us improve our schools and our instruction.

Manning, M. Lee, & Bucher, Katherine T. (2008). Teaching in the middle school. Allyn & Bacon.

Interdisciplinary Units

2010-02-20T07:59:00.001-06:00

Interdisciplinary units can serve the needs of middle school students by giving them independence and choice, meeting the needs of all learners, and creating a classroom setting that is engaging and informative. A reading and language arts unit was created and integrated across several disciplines including social science and fine arts. Lessons were designed to be multimodal presentations that understand the middle school student’s shorter attention span and heightened social needs. “We recognized various developmental, cultural, and linguistic differences among students in these classrooms; therefore we chose a variety of curriculum materials” (Zwart, & Falk-Ross, 2008, p. 4). The unit’s objective was to learn the history and significance of the Underground Railroad (Zwart, & Falk-Ross, 2008).

An interdisciplinary unit allows students to make connections across many curricular areas while using a variety of activities that meet all learners’ needs. Viewing maps and creating graphic organizers met visual learners needs. The needs of kinesthetic learners were met through creating quilts and painting rag-doll portraits. Watching videos, giving oral presentations, and listening to songs to discuss the lyrics met audio learners needs. In addition, the process of collaborating on interdisciplinary units benefits teachers just as it benefits the students. Zwart, & Falk-Ross, 2008 explain, “Creating new units, sharing planning time, and coordinating a unit to help meet the academic social and personal needs of their shared students and will ensure their success” and “the collaborative work that is necessary to create and implement the unit is a powerful process” (2008, p. 5).

Zwart, M., & Falk-Ross, F. (2008). Creating interdisciplinary units for middle schoolers. Illinois Reading Council Journal, 36(3), 3-7.

10 Ways to Engage Digital Learners

2010-02-09T10:42:00.003-06:00

10 Ways to Engage Learners

My Reign Is Over

2010-01-15T11:21:00.006-06:00

Yesterday, Shelly Terrell challenged teachers with the following statement as part of her 30 Days, 30 Goals challenge. She said, "Allow your students to have complete control over one class period. Have them choose the material and the way they want to present the material. Just trust them and see what they create." Before I read Shelly's post, I had a lesson plan ready for each of my classes today. The lesson plans, for the most part, were completely the opposite idea of what Shelly is trying to get across. They were teacher centered with little interaction and student ownership. So, I decided to trash those lesson plans. The students walked into class today and I gave them complete reign over the lesson. Here is what happened.

I teach two math classes that have a combined 35 students. I split the class into small groups and gave them approximately 5 minutes to come up with a proposal for today's classroom activity. Most of the groups came up with some type of game that reviewed previous material we have covered. Each class voted on which game they wanted to play and we then spent the rest of the class period playing that game. At the end of the period, I gave them a five question evaluation of the class. Here are some of their responses on the evaluation.

-34 out of 35 students said they would like to do the same activity again.
-14 out of 35 students used the word 'fun' when asked to finish the statement, "I liked class today because..."
-The two most common suggestions for integrating technology into lessons were using YouTube and using clickers (individual response cards)
-When asked how they could make the activity better, 2 students responded with...
-I would like more time to solve problems
-We moved too fast for me to understand some of the problems
-When asked why they liked class today, some common responses included...
-We had a choice
-We didn't just sit in our desks the whole class
-It was fun and not "old-schooled"
-It was a break from homework and "regular stuff"
-It was more fun than just staring at the SMART Board
-When asked what other ideas they had for class activities, some students said...
-Give us more problems to work on in a group
-Give us more challenge problems
-Let's go outside to play a game. We can get exercise and learn at the same time

Today was off the cuff, outside the box, and completely random for me. An observer sitting in the classroom today would not describe these two classes as perfect. However, this imperfect lesson helped me grow today as an educator. (See my previous post for a discussion about perfect lessons.) I have grown because I learned about a few games that students like to play. I also have grown because I have feedback from the students that lets me know what interests them and what might challenge them. Most importantly, I have grown because my students experienced some new opportunities and ownership over a lesson. My reign is ending. The students are taking over.

Perfect Practice?

2010-01-13T11:12:00.002-06:00

Practice makes perfect. I can not even count how many times that has been followed immediately with an additional word in the statement. PERFECT practice makes perfect. Coaches, parents, teachers, and music instructors have reminded me over and over again that I must practice perfectly in order to perfect a skill or concept. As a professional educator, I "practice" every day in my instruction and administration. My lesson plans, assessments, decisions, and interactions with colleagues, parents, and students are all ways that I "practice." What is the end result? What needs to be perfect? Student achievement is the end result, and it needs to be perfect. We all know that it will not be perfect. We also know that the administrator's or the teacher's "practice" will not be perfect either.

I think a new statement may be more realistic as we try to grow as educators. IMPERFECT practice makes perfect. If my practice is perfect, if I take no risks, then I will not grow. Hoerr, 2009 says, "If I'm only succeeding, I'm not learning" (p. 90) He goes on to explain how a change in our mindset may allow us to become better teachers. "People with a growth mind-set are willing to take risks, and they view failure as an opportunity to learn, not as a statement about their worth" (2009, p. 91). I know that I have fallen short in my instruction throughout my career. I have begin 2010 looking for ways to include more technology, more cooperative learning, and more authentic learning. The first 6 days of 2010 have been messy. I have struggled to find new activities, include technology, and break old habits. The good news is that messy has been good. Messy has led to more class discussion, more student interaction, and more student ownership. It has led me to have higher anticipation for teaching and a greater desire to reflect on lessons and determine areas of growth.

I'll conclude by addressing teachers looking to grow, administrators looking to challenge their staff, and students who are willing to learn. I offer the following advice from Hoerr, 2009, "I'll be disappointed if it's a perfect lesson. I want you to try something new, take a risk, so you can learn" (p. 91)

Hoerr, Thomas R. (2009-2010, December-January). Principal as Parachute. Educational Leadership, 67(4), 90-91.