Thing 5: Google Chrome

I opened up Newsela right away.  It's a site I used awhile back with my kids.  Then I got away from using it because it went through some "upgrades" that made it a little more challenging to navigate.  Boy am I glad I went back to it!  I absolutely love that you can modify the reading materials to meet your needs.  I find that so refreshing.  Kids can read the same material but at differing levels.  They'll be able to have a solid conversation because they all accessed it on their own level.  Great stuff!

While I was in Newsela, BeeLine Reader started up.  I was a little put off by it at first, I must admit, but as I adjusted, I really started liking it.  Mine was set to "bright", "enable auto-color" and "auto-color this site".  It looks like this:

I started reading and was actually really pleased with how much easier this was on my eyes.  This got me to start playing with BeeLine a little more.  The "OpenDyslexic Font" button created an interesting combo of font and colors.  I found myself being able to read much easier, and I wonder what someone diagnosed with dyslexia would think while reading it.  Good stuff!  Has anyone used this with kids?

Finally, I checked out AdBlock. Seems like it blocks ads from coming up on my screen.  This is great because I accidentally changed a setting or downloaded something bad, and if I use Safari I get all kinds of pop up ads.  This extension on Chrome is really great!

After only a few days (and being a Safari supporter for years), I'm happily changing to Chrome!  Today as I was doing work for AIL I made sure to do it all from Chrome.  It's so much faster and I love the little added on bonus features.

Thing 4: Google Apps for Education

So, I don't know about any of you, but this task took me two whole hours (and there's still THREE more things left this week!)!  Whew!  I'm pooped!

I feel like I'm learning a lot, but this week has me questioning if I can keep up the pace of the 36 Things.  I'm second guessing if I'm really cut out for this 21st Century learning thing.  Is it just me?!  I hope not...

Google Apps for Education really have me thinking about my classroom and teaching.  Here's what's on my mind:

1. What if kids wrote stories together with Docs?  They could each contribute parts to the whole.  The beauty of it is that they could work on it from anywhere really.  And, because it's live, they could see what others are adding and doing along the way.  This would be a great way to incorporate the free writing they all crave so much.  Has anyone tried anything like this before?
2. Sheets could be a really interesting way to keep track of reading next year.  Kids always fight the idea of keeping reading logs, but I'm wondering if something like Sheets might ignite some of them. As they add their information, they can see the other kids adding theirs as well.   I know when I take a look at our shared Sheet for this class, I get motivated to be on the same pace as everyone else.  Maybe it would act as a motivator for kids as well?  
3. Finally, I love the Calendar idea for keeping track of classroom upcoming events.  I could see us using it to keep track of birthdays and upcoming due dates.  My question is can I share just that classroom calendar with the kids, or will they see all the calendars I'm linked to?  I wouldn't want them to see all of them!  Also, is this a better option than Schoology? 

The Wall

One of my biggest obstacles has been what I've referred to as "the wall".  I've felt for a long time that we've put up a wall to keep technology away from our kids.  I think that this comes from an honest fear:  If we don't control the content of the web, how can we protect our kids from it?  Books and other print forms of media have a certain calming effect on us: we can read them and decide to put them into the hands of our kids.  And, if we so choose, they'll never have access to them while in our buildings.  It feels safe.  It helps quell the fear.

It's an interesting fear.  One that only perpetuates itself.  For as long as we fight to keep the technology out, the more the fear grows.  It's only when we embrace the fear that it will extinguish itself.

This year I had a revelation that helped calm this fear in me.  As we were starting a final project, I thought to myself, I can't possibly read all the books from which my students might research in the library for any one project that we do as a class.  It's impractical.  And this gave me an ah-hah moment: it's the same for websites.  I cannot, nor should I, read them all.  What I can do is this:

• Teach my kids to be smart consumers of information.  I can teach them how to question and look for important information so that they consume only the information that will push their thinking and deepen their understanding.
• Show my kids how to critically evaluate the effectiveness of a source.  I had to do this with books any way!  What's the difference when it's a website.  Not all books are created equal, and the same is true for websites.  Same lesson; different medium.
• Empower my kids to analyze and synthesize the information they find in order to think on their own.  Kids are powerful thinkers.  They like to play with information and form it into their own thinking.  I can empower them to think and share their thinking.  I can help guide them through misconceptions and misunderstandings.

This small realization helped to free me up from the frustration I shared in the last post.  Next school year, I hope to help move the parents of my students into a more open mindset about technology.  It's been a hard sell, and I can understand why.  But it's time for all of us to break down the wall and jump into the 21st century of learning!

Thoughts About Web 2.0

At every discussion about technology that I've been a part of in my teaching career for as long as I can remember, I've heard the same quote (with some variation): "We're preparing kids for jobs that don't yet exist, for tasks we can't yet imagine." Sometimes this is said with excitement: Imagine the possibility! At one point, walking on the moon was unheard of, and look at us now!  Other times it's grumbled in frustration: Add that to my growing list of musts.  Now I've got to imagine the future!  Ugh!

I've never really known what to think about it myself.  And I'm not sure I'm any closer to realizing my own thoughts right now, but I can see both sides...

I'm excited!  My husband always talks about how when he was a kid he was convinced that by the time he was an adult there'd be flying cars.  Are there flying cars yet?  Not really.  But his excitement at the thought of it still exists.  He's followed the progress of the technology his whole life, and he can tell you exactly how close we are.

This kind of learning and engagement is priceless, and I see the power of it for our kids.  I love the idea that we just don't know "yet".  It fits with everything I believe about mindset and the way I like to live my life and teach my classes.  We're in this great area where things just haven't happened yet, but they can and they will, and we can be an integral part of it all happening.  Do I need to know the exact titles of the jobs my students will have 10, 20 or 30 years from now in order to teach them well?  I don't think so!  It comes down to teaching them how to think, how to create and how to have the confidence to collaborate with others.

Though I can see the possibility, I must admit that I'm also frustrated.  There are so many things!  So many directives from so many people.  So much curriculum and so little time.  I'd be lying if I didn't say that sometimes the technology piece of it feels like "one more thing".

Because I didn't grow up in a world of "Information Overload", I'm tempted to look at it as just that: overload.  It worries me that the world is getting "flatter and faster".  How will we keep up?  I guess my real question, my real fear, is how will my teaching keep up?

I'm hoping throughout the course of this class I learn how to incorporate the Web 2.0 into my teaching so that my frustration is a thing of the past.  Awesome!  Now I "have the end in mind"!  Let's learn!

7 1/2 Habits of Effective Lifelong Learners

1.  Begin with the end in mind.
2.  Accept responsibility for your own learning.
3.  View problems as challenges.
4.  Have confidence in yourself as a competent, effective learner.
5.  Create your own learning toolbox.
6.  Use technology to your advantage.
7.  Teach and mentor others.
7.5.  Play.

When I look at this list, I consider many of them to be challenging, but perhaps the most challenging for me will be Habit #4: Have confidence in yourself as a competent, effective learner.  I don't have any confidence in myself when it comes to technology, and I am very hard on myself as a learner.  Although I teach my students that mistakes are part of the learning process, I have trouble accepting that of myself as a learner.  I want it all to be perfect the first time!

To conquer this habit I'm going to need to:

• remind myself of how far I've come with technology.  The year I started sixth grade was the first year we had computers in my school; the first time I had email was my first year of college.  I've learned a ton in a relatively short amount of time.  I need to focus on the positive work I've already done to help propel me forward in my learning.
• keep my self-talk positive.  I need to embrace the learning and the mistakes.  It will be important for me to go easy on myself as I learn and try new things.  I will also need to embrace asking for help and learning from others as we go.

Habits #2 and #3 seem as though they fit most nicely with my outlook on life.  They'll be the easiest for me to embrace because this is how I view the world.  My work as a teacher and as an administrator have really helped me to see that problems are just challenges that can be overcome with the right attitude.  I think all the work I've done with Mindset (Carol Dweck) has prepared me to take responsibility for my own learning.

Finally, habit #4 seems like it will be the most important for this 36 Things course.  If I can master Habit #4, I'll be able to tackle each new experience with an open mind.  This will allow me to maximize my learning.  I'm hoping that I can use my comfort with habits #2 and #3 to propel me forward into mastering Habit #4 as the course moves on.