Yes, I'm still THINKING! I guess I have many unresolved thoughts still circulating that I am struggling to find a way to express and formulate them into text. But, I'm going to consider it a good thing that I'm still thinking on our first PLC meeting since we learned, shared, experienced, and accomplished so much!
Virtual Meetings...
It was so neat to be able to connect my PLN, Personal Learning Network, with my PLC, Professional Learning Community. When we had talked about what we'd actually do during the meetings and resources, I couldn't help but to think that this would be a valuable resource to tap into. The educators who we've connected with so far, have made this idea not only become a reality, but had such an impact on the team that we can't wait for the next connection. So much was shared during such a brief time, but here's what stuck with me the most...
Josh Allen - Take a bunch of tech tools, play with them and decide what you can latch onto. Sometimes I get overly excited about the tool, the options, the possibilities when I share my thoughts with others. I need to constantly remind myself that what works for me, may not be what works best for them. But, I need to keep sharing because sometimes others need to see how you are using a tool in your class to understand how they might also embrace it. I also learned about some updates in Diigo that I can't wait to explore more. Lastly, I really need to match up those I follow on Twitter and my tech viewpoint, also know as stop following people and realize that it's okay.
Avivia Dunsinger - Get into Evernote and get it off my to do list. She's raved about using it for student assessment and record keeping. Well, I need to get started and soon! I liked her simple format that she utilizes in an attempt to increase her amount of student feedback - I really like how you did ________. For a next step try__________________. I also look forward to using her student's Kidblog blogs as examples of wonderful student blogs as my class gets blogging this fall.
Dennis Grice - I admit there are times when I think backwards, but he reminded me yet again to... Start with your learning goal and work from there. Be mindful of all the resources out there when designing units, not only the tech resources, but the educators as well! Not only did he share useful tools, but also student examples which made my mind start getting into "creative mode." I haven't tried out Youblisher when making little page-turnable digital books before, so we are going to give it a try. I plan on asking him more questions about Google Maps and the pin-cushions as we start our unit on migration.
Personal Goals... (Sept 2nd - Oct 8th)
Skype
- find new connections (2nd grade) that share a similar tech vision and communication style
- continue to build on established connections, re-create what was effective and experiment new approaches
- set-up another "virtual meeting" for our PLC's next session
Webcam
- organize a computer station for webcam and voice-capture "projects" that the student's will create independently...VoiceThread, GlogsterEDU, Vocaroo, etc.
- install and experiment with the new webcam we received as a resource for our PLC team
Snowball Mic
- continue to utilize for whole group and small group Skype calls
- use during literature discussions as an accountability element and post recording of conversations on the classroom blog
- try out the above concept among ourselves during our next PLC meeting (thanks to esipe for the suggestion!)
Centers
- get all of my students set-up with their Kidblog, GlogsterEDU, and Storybird accounts
- utilize the SMARTboard for collaborative creation and practice of the above mentioned tools
- borrow two of tthomas and esipe's iPods for a fluency center and sign-out some others for use
- brainstorm ways to make our center time more focused...cross-curricular, content, creation, connecting, collaborating,
Teaching4Tomorrow... I'm absolutely thrilled about this PLC and can't wait to see where we go as a team! We have a wonderful mix of educators who really want to learn, grow, encourage, explore, and share. We've fine-tuned our main goal and work together in a way that will make us all better educators. We understand how important communication and accountability are as members. It's always the people who make things, I'm glad that we are starting the year with such a willing team!
A Final Thought... Keeping things simpler is a personal goal of mine for the year. I'll take any advice you can offer!
Your "final thought" seems to be at odds with your stated goals for the next month. YIKES, that's a lot! While I admire your ambition, and I don't mean to discourage you, I would hate to see you become overwhelmed and throw in the proverbial towel.
ReplyDeleteBut what a great idea for your PLN to collaborate on a blog. I'm trying to set something up in our county, calling it "The Connected Teacher." I want to encourage teachers to collaborate and yet be accountable to each other for contributing to the collective wisdom of the group. Rather than having them write individual blogs, I think your idea of a group blog is the way to go.
Thanks for letting me get involved in this virtual meeting of yours! I love how you've laid out your goals here and really decided on what plan will work best for you. I look forward to seeing what you do this year, and continuing to collaborate with you too.
ReplyDeleteAviva
I just stumbled upon your blog and think it is a great idea! I love how you have your goals clearly stated for yourself and colleagues...it can get overwhelming at times without guidelines to keep us in check!
ReplyDeleteI am a Learning Resource teacher at a K-6 school in Newfoundland, Canada. I would love to have our grade two classes collaborate with yours on a couple projects throughout the year! If you are interested, let me know!
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