I Always Had the Power

It has been a while since my last negative post. For me it was a dark moment in my personal and professional life. I was looking for external people and things to fix the problems, not realizing one simple idea: I Always Had the Power.

Not that this idea was some magic wand that made everything better, but I knew I would have to work at making life better. At school I concentrated on what I still loved, the students. That meant working with my classes on projects and sponsoring two clubs this year. On the other hand I cut out everything that was bringing me down. That included many meetings, avoiding negative conversations, and reducing my volunteer rate. Pulling back made me realize that I do great things without being so visible around the building. In the process, I believe the time is respected more by others.


Then there is the other side of my professional life, sharing with others. There is such a joy sharing what I know and what I do with educators. In the past couple of months I was fortunate to fly to California to share iPad lessons, develop a new webinar series for MSET, and present movie-making projects at our district's conference, Powering Up With Technology. What amazing opportunities to meet educators with the same passion for technology in education. Just in the past two days I have received so many kind comments, it is the fuel to stay on a positive track and do what I love.


While life is not perfect, it is improving. The fact that I used my power to make change, that is even better.

How I want to be remembered...

There are a number of events lately that put me in a reflective mood. Of course no school due to thirty inches of snow with an additional ten more inches on top of that. On February 1st I found out that I was named my district's Outstanding Educator using Technology for 2010. Finally a message from a former student saying "You haven't been forgotten." It made me think, "How do I want to be remembered?"

How I don't want to be remembered:
1. By awards or grants that I won. While they are great, they are just quick snapshots in an entire career.
2. By what I call My Professional Learning Moments. Mistakes, I have made more than a few, on the journey to become a better teacher. I really hope those moments don't overshadow the good ones.
3. As that teacher that has used the same lessons for the past 5 or 10 years. While I don't think this one is ever going to happen, I never want to get too comfortable with my curriculum.

How I want to be remembered:
1. As a teacher that always put the students first. I know that this is my district's motto, but I am not sure how many educators take that motto to heart. I try never to voice an opinion or take an action without thinking about the impact on students.
2. As the different teacher. The teacher that didn't believe in useless homework, in the current grading system, or test prep.
3. As the professional that made technology just a little easier for other educators.

Yes I Make It Personal! Why don't you?

Well, it is only October and I took my first mental health day. Up until this week I was really enjoying the year. On second thought, I should clarify that statement by saying I have enjoyed being in my classroom and that hasn't changed. In fact I hated missing time with my students today, but I couldn't bear to walk into the building for another day. There needed to be time for me to get some space, perspective, and let my wounds heal.

There have been plenty of events this year that should have drove me to this point. One is not having planning time for almost three weeks in an effort to introduce a new program to 1,100 students. Then air conditioning in the computer lab went out about three weeks ago without any relief in sight. For those who work in a lab, you understand the amount of heat can generate from 30+ computers running for 7 hours. Since I became the Tech Liaison for the building, there is not a time I leave the lab without at least three staff members asking for help. Then there are the little things like the district messing up on student accounts which made it where many students could not log into a computer for weeks. All of that was annoying, but no way drove me to this point.

It was my principal saying that I take things too personal. See the new program is online study program that I wasn't an advocate for, but have spent countless hours making the roll out as smooth as possible. As predicted, the teachers aren't using it with their students and administration isn't holding them accountable. Instead they have built excuses for teachers who do know how to teach and act like prima donnas. Of course I expressed my frustration and got accused of making it personal. To me it is not making it personal, it is having high expectations for my school and getting disappointed. This disappointment is a repeating pattern which is a shame on too many levels.

I can even live with "taking it too personal." What I am having a hard time understanding is how others in the field of education aren't taking it personally enough. We are dealing with young adults and when they fail, we should take responsibility. Instead of worrying about grading policies and figuring out ways to fail a student, worry about how to make that student succeed.

A List to Keep My Sanity

Since the end of July I have gotten excited for the new school and put in the hours to make sure my students have a new experience when they come to the computer lab. In the past week or so that excitement has faded and I quickly realized why: I was dealing with the adults of the school building. In an effort to not have this drag me down I decided that I needed create a list to remind me of all the traps that can drag the energy out of an educator.

1. AVOID THE DRAMA! If it has no effect on myself or my students the information can go in one ear and out the other. If this requires me to spend more time in my classroom, I don't mind.

2. CONTROL VOLUNTEERING! I have a really bad habit of raising my hand to quickly, especially when no one else is raising theirs. I am not going to avoid all activities that could benefit the school, but it is okay to let others pick up the slack.

3. JUST SAY NO! This goes along well with number two. I actually practiced this one today and it wasn't so bad. The world didn't fall apart and I wasn't filled guilt. It is one of those sayings that I always say that I am going to do, but never do. I think this is the year.

4. FOCUS MY ENERGY ON WORTHWHILE CAUSES! You can only bang your head against the same wall before you realize that wall is not going anywhere. There are some projects I am really interested that I can make work and that is where my energy is going to. Those that really want help with technology know where they can find me.

5. SEE THE BIG PICTURE! It is so easy for me to dwell on little moments of the day and not appreciate the whole view.

6. CONTINUE TO GROW! At this point I am not sure if I can find opportunities at the school that will help me grow as an educator (sad, but true). I need to continue to find opportunities at conferences and within my PLN to make this goal possible.

7. FIND BALANCE! Just like so many talented and dedicated educators I will admit I work too many hours. I had be bugging teachers that went to school early to set-up their classroom, but I bet spent more time on my laptop organizing activities, searching for grants, and reading articles. I will work on finding activities that have nothing to do with teaching and force myself to close the laptop more often.

I would love to hear your tips on how to maintain sanity during the school year.

Facebook: A New Adventure!

While I enjoy the social aspect of Web 2.0, there was a long period where I avoided the popular Facebook. Besides my desire to disconnect every once in a while, I really didn't see the value of it. As most Facebook stories go, an old and true friend encouraged me to join so we could stay connected. Over the past months I have reconnected with old school friends, added members of my PLN, got updates from relatives I never see,and have expanded to work colleagues that I actually like. Then it happened...a few students made friend requests. I had no idea what to do so I let them stay in the request list while I turned to my PLN for their opinions.

On the Twitter end it was a 50/50 split. There were strong advocates against the idea and some that were brave enough to admit that they had student FB friends. On the Plurk side there were many more who were FB friends with students, but with conditions. Many would only become friends with former students and only if they had graduated from high school. So even though the majority did not seem to be in favor of friending high school students, I decided to take the risk and try it out. It helped to know I could put all the students in a list and limit what they see. Not that I was too worried about me since I try to be careful about what I post, but I did not want them to have access to my friends and what they decide to post.

Now for the bigger risk: I have decided to see if Facebook can be a valuable extension of the classroom. One of my dreams is to have students continue to share their creations after the quarter class is over. So I set up a private FB group for students to discuss and share. This is just a part of a plan to make my class more connected with a new Twitter account and Google Voice Number.

There are a lot of precautions to take, but I think this has great potential. It is the risk taking that makes a new school year exciting. Whether it becomes a success or a failure, the results will be right here.

NECC Final Thoughts

I know this is a little late, but there are some reasons behind it. One, I needed time to clear my head after NECC. It was such a whirlwind that I felt like I had a NECC hangover where I knew I had a great time though the details were a little fuzzy. Two, I didn't feel like I had anything to say that wasn't already said better by other bloggers. Over the past days I have read some amazing reflections on the power of a PLN to experiences in the exhibit hall. Third, I couldn't quite put my finger on that one culminating idea that I took away from the conference. Then in the middle of a crowded Panera planning a technology PD day it hit me. NECC 2009 for me was all about the teacher.

NECC 2008 was my first time at the big show and everything I was exposed to was the possibilities of what students could do with access and the right tool. That conference along with the DEN National Institute was my driving force for the entire school year. I was absolutely amazed at the power of Web 2.o and how it gave my students a voice that most of us don't see in textbook assignments, homework, and tests. There was a new excitement in the computer lab and students wanted to produce the best work possible. For me it was a lot of work to keep up with them and to provide the tools they needed to fulfill their visions. It was a rough, but satisfying year as a teacher.

NECC 2009 seemed to be built on this idea that teachers need to take steps to reform, refine, and renew. Starting off with Gladwell's keynote address centered around Fleetwood Mac taking 16 albums to develop a sound and a band that was a success. The debate ending in the idea that students need a place to come together to learn, but that the current brick & mortar schools are going to have to change to meet students' needs. This push for teachers to develop a PLN to really learn from others and stretch their own possibilities. While Web 2.0 was still a big topic, the focus shifted to what types of materials could teachers create with the same tools. Other sessions showed the need to develop projects that were more challenging and that could be on a larger scale through collaboration with other classrooms, schools, or countries. Those teachers that couldn't find what they needed in the sessions took the time to find others to discuss their dilemmas and build solutions.

As I sat in that Panera cafe with my colleague planning out the day's activities, I realized how much NECC 2009 had an influence on me. Instead of jamming in as many tools as possible, the focus is about teachers having the time to play and build. I was able to step away from my methods of learning and really reflect on what my building needs to grow. My hope is that this PD opportunity will be a day that will lead teachers on a path to want to learn more. I am already at work to build a support system to where the teachers will not fill overwhelmed and give up. With any luck, this will bring about as much change to the teachers in this coming year as it did for students last year. Of course you will know the results right here.

Lastly, I wanted to say THANKS to those that made my NECC experience worthwhile. To my growing PLN, thanks for all of the ideas and getting me through the school year where sometimes it seems lonely when there is no one to collaborate with on technology use in the classroom. Thanks to Bernie Dodge for developing the place puzzle concept, my AHA moment of the conference. I will definitely be working on building one soon! Thanks to my district, there are some great people working behind the scenes that provide the access and freedom needed for teachers to grow. Thanks to those who developed Tweetdeck, because it allowed me to get a bigger view of the entire conference no matter where I was located. Final thanks goes to Twitter for not crashing like it did during NECC '08.

Go Ahead, Toot your own Horn!

It is kinda of weird, the more I achieve the less I like to talk about it. When I started teaching and my class did well on a quiz I would shout it from the rooftops, now I rarely share anything in real life. Maybe that is me being a little more mature, or me being a product of my environment. At my school the idea is that if no one gets credit then no one feels left out. Well that is how I see it, but my administration puts it in a way that sounds better. So when I got a phone call from a local newspaper wanting to interview me about getting technology grants for my classroom and the school I was less than thrilled.

The whole process was pure agony. From scheduling the actual interview to my district wanting to censor what I say to the reporter interviewing my eighth grade students. My stomach was in knots for days and was relieved beyond words when it was over.

Then the article came out. It wasn't bad. It was kinda of nice to see my class in the paper since most don't even know what happens in the computer lab. Then I realize that as teachers we should toot our own horn more often.

Even now many are glad to give up a part of their summer break to learn at NECC. We are willing to give up more time to anyone who shows an interest in technology. We are giving up own person time to write grants, set up a wiki, or research resources for others. We are reaching out to our social networks and our PLN because no one in our building "get it."

So take a minute and reflect on the all of the wonderful things you did this past school year. How many students and educators did you help? What were the best projects of the year? Now figure out a way to toot your own horn. Reward yourself with a new gadget, flowers, or even a wonderful ice cream sundae. You deserve it!