Posts from — June 2010

Thank you for helping with this survey on “What Components Make a Successful Learning Community” at: http://twurl.nl/rn2r3j

I’ll be sharing your responses next week at the ASCD Conference in Dallas, Tx.

image by E_Tavares

(cross-posted at TechLearning)

It’s that time of year: EARLY INTERVIEWS for the next school year. Many teachers beginning their careers, or those seeking new schools, will be donning their best attire, shining up resumes, polishing portfolios and heading into waiting rooms outside of administrators’ offices, readying themselves to do their best to stand out amongst all the other interviewees sweating it out for the same position.

First of all, congratulations to you for actually getting the interview after beating out hundreds of other applicants. Secondly, if you’re not getting that call back yet for the interview, remember that many districts have three phases of hiring: Early (usually starting early June), Mid-Summer (usually mid-August), and the “Oh-My-God-So-and-So-Just-Quit-and-We-Need-To-Fill-This-Position-3-Days-Before-School-Starts” phase. So don’t freak out yet. It’s early.

No matter when you finally get that interview, I’m going to tell you how to nail it with an airtight sales pitch. Without a doubt, continue planning on doing all the great things you’ve already readied for the interview: show that portfolio and your “Greatest Hits” of Units/Lessons; share anecdotes of your finest accomplishments in life; convey your willingness and flexibility to take any position offered; express your flexibility and commitment to recess and lunch duties, etc., etc.

But… here comes the big wind-up: Before you walk out of that room, convince that interviewing committee that they are making the deal of a lifetime by hiring you because for the price of one teacher, they are getting thousands upon thousands upon thousands of teachers.

Don’t just say it. Prove it.

Whip out that laptop and show off every single one of your global Professional Learning Communities that you belong to: all the Blogs, Wikis, Nings, Skype Contacts, Facebook Groups, Elgg Groups, LinkedIn Connections, Diigo/Delicious Followers and “Followees,” Shelfari/LibraryThing Friends, GoogleWave Connections, Twitter Friends/Groups, etc., etc. etc.

Better yet, prove to them how quickly you can get help from your Professional Learning Communities by taking one of their interview questions and “Tweeting” it out or pulling someone in from Skype in REAL TIME! In other words, when they ask you a question like, “How do you teach young children to read?” (note: actual question from an interview), certainly answer the question yourself, but also demonstrate with Twitter/Skype (or any other quick tool), how you would call upon the larger power of your Professional Community to find BEST PRACTICE, discuss resources, and gather anecdotes from Veterans in the community.

Let your Professional Learning Networks know ahead of time when your interviews are so we can be there with you, ready to serve, ready to give character recommendations, ready to prove your “super powers” of being a true Global Educator who will enrich any school with an entire “team” of teachers backing you up, challenging you, bettering your practice, ready 24/7.

What a deal the district is getting with you! Congratulations on your new job!

(Thanks to Cheryl Oakes for the genesis of this idea!)

(cross-posted at TechLearning)

A few weeks ago, I posted a question to you — my Professional Learning Network — to help me prepare for an upcoming presentation to administrators on “What should they see as evidence of Technology Integration in classrooms?” I want to first thank you all for your replies posted at my own blog site, the TechLearning site, and at the survey provided for your answers. There’s still plenty of time to answer the question at any of the above sites as the workshop won’t take place until later this summer, so please jump in to the conversation if you haven’t already!

The responses have been thought provoking and varied and will serve as excellent topic points for administrators to consider. You can view the responses to the survey HERE. Again, thanks to all who have contributed.

Reading through all the responses so far, certain themes stick out for me in answer to “what administrators should see during a 3 minute walk-through”:

• It is the students, more than the teacher, who are using the technology.
• The teacher’s role is that of facilitator/coach.
• Technology is being used to interact/collaborate with others (inside the school community as well as outside; locally as well as globally).
• The technology should just be another tool in the classroom and not stand out anymore than any other tool (i.e., as natural as the pencil).
• Technology is used for reflections and sharing of learning.
• Technology is used to enrich the learning.
• Students have “transliteracy” skills: able to “search, gather, analyze, synthesize and apply and create information from many different formats.”
• Students are able to transfer skills across platforms/software.
• Technology is used spontaneously and is seamlessly integrated.
• There is evidence of digital products/publication (namely, on the Internet).
• Students own the learning.
• Evidence of critical thinking.
• Tasks should have “real world” connections.
• Students are engaged, creative, and excited.
• 3 minutes is not enough time to effectively assess technology integration.

One of the quotes that really had an impact on me was from Tammy Morris, an Educational Technology Specialist from Inspired Impact, LLC:

“I prefer the term “infusion” over “integration” because we have been integrating technology for years, and the picture we have of technology integration is still a rather disjointed scene. Technology infusion, on the other hand, flows smoothly in the classroom. It’s the heart, or the base, of student learning.“

I really like that term infusion over integration as well. “Infusion” suggests a bonding to the curriculum, so intertwined that you can no longer separate it. (Tammy Morris has also published her thoughts about what an administrator should see over at her own site.)

Another key point that responders made is that many of the observations mentioned above have absolutely nothing to do with the technology integration, but rather illustrate “effective teaching.” As Tammy asks, “Isn’t it the same [thing]?”

Thanks again for your all current and future responses!

Seedlings @ Bit by Bit Podcast: Show 90
June 3, 2010

We’re joined by Cherrie MacInnes!

Links from the show:

• Brewer School Department
• Bangor Daily News Article
• Education Week Article
• ClassChats.com

“Geek of the Week” Links for 2010-06-03

Chat Transcript from EdTechTalk

Music:

• “And So We Strive” by Stuart Lawson

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 Seedlings @ Bit By Bit Podcast: Show 90 [56:34m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download