Make Time to Play!

There is not one educator that is "really good at tech stuff" that doesn't have multiple jobs and titles in their school. If you are shaking your head right now then you know that these extra duties can really wear you down at times. I will admit that sometimes they are so overwhelming that it distracts me from the part of my job that I love the most: creating with students.

Yesterday I got a rare opportunity: time to play. I was at a workshop with The Art/Tech Guy and other techies during a school day learning a new piece of software for our labs, Frames 4. I got a chance to work with clay and it brought back great memories of Play-doh. I did love those little, yellow tubs and the smell when you took off the lids.

There was laughter, creativity, and learning: who could ask for more? So if you haven't had to play in awhile, I highly recommend it! It was life reminding why I LOVE my job!

In case you were wondering, here was my finished product. There is a million mistakes and for one of the few times in my life, I don't care!

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.

Be a Change Agent!

EduCon took place this weekend in Philly. While I didn't catch as much as last year, I have been impressed with the Tweets. I have been wanting to attend this event, because it is more than the tools. It is about the big ideas that will move schools into the 21st century.

I consider myself a change agent, but am unsure how much change I create some days. Anybody in the same position knows it is an uphill battle and a little inspiration is always useful. That is why I had to stop my Sunday's to-do list to share this. A big thanks goes to Ben Hazzard and all of the participants in this session.

Field Guide For Change Agents

View more presentations from Ben Hazzard.

Capturing 2010

If you hang around Twitter, Plurk, or Facebook there seems to be a bigger resolution than shedding holiday pounds and that is to capture 2010 in 365 photos. Many have set up blogs to upload pictures and add commentary. There are many tweets that share daily pics and even more about that worry about being behind on their daily goal. Like many others I avoided making this a resolution for a variety of reasons with the main reason being is that I tried it last year and found it to be annoying. The whole process lost it's "fun factor" with the time pressure to find the perfect or even interesting shot and the uploading process. I will admit I gave up my photo blog early on in 2009.

Then some technology came along that brought the fun back.



Shuttercal.com is a simple web site that lets you upload your daily photos into a calendar and add some short comments. As you can see there are widgets available so you can add your calendar to your blog or website. Do I upload everyday? Nope, and that is okay, because I have kept taking daily pics throughout the week to upload on the weekend. There is even an option where you can have the company print your photo calendar with comment.




Dailyshoot.com is a simple site that gives you a daily photography challenge. You can also get the challenge on Twitter by following @dailyshoot. What I like about this site is that it relieves photographers' block.



Of course my new camera is also driving back to my love of photography.








Whether or not you choose to join a 365 challenge (it is never too late), there are a few tips to keep in mind.....

1. It not a competition, so every photo doesn't have to be perfect.
2. It is not the end of the world if you miss a day.
3. Find a method of posting that is easy on you.
4. Don't worry about what camera you have. I have seen some amazing shots from a camera phone and a disposable camera.
5. Most of all,keep it fun!