Week 4 Mac - Publishing/Leadership Project

Collins_Tamara_PubLeadProject.Key

Within a small group of four we met to discuss our projects. My group offered awesome feedback. Our meeting was enjoyable and productive.

The group members were Dana Kohls, Jeff Kohls, Donna Thomas and myself.


My group members suggested I add my voice over and speakers notes as well as condense my slides to keep to guidelines. I suggested that Jeff and Dana make their subtitles pop by bolding them in a different color. This would allow the reader to locate the information with a bit more ease. My suggestions for Donna were for her to add her cycle data information.

Week 4 Mac - Publishing/Leadership Project, Part 2 of 2. My thoughts on publishing.

Promethean boards are interactive boards that becoming very popular within the schools. Promethean World is an organization that not only manufactures these boards, but has created an online world for lesson plans, tips for using the board and even flipchart templates for use in the classroom.

This past summer I attended a weeklong conference/workshop for educators. The conference taught the attendees how to use the board effectively. I would love to be a presenter at a conference such as the Promethean World. When using a Promethean Board teachers create or use what is called a flipchart. A flipchart is how the lesson is presented. Because I have created several flipcharts for use in the classroom I have become pretty well verse in how to create them and how to use the actual board effectively within our curriculum. This is something I wouldn't mind presenting to teacher beyond my school.

Week 4 Mac - Publishing/Leadership Project, Part 1 of 2. My thoughts on publishing.

Several years ago I taught in Oviedo, Florida in an awesome Seminole County Public School. They offered me my first teaching position and truly inspired me into becoming the educator that I am today; passionate. While at Tuskawilla Middle School I became heavily involved in teaching my students English Language Arts, but with loads of technology. I did several pilot programs to gain access to more tech for my classroom, but what was most beneficial and most memorable was attending FETC.

FETC (Florida Education Technology Conference) is one of the most awe inspiring conferences I have attended. This is a candy store for teachers who understand that we must meet the needs of the digital natives in our classrooms. I would love to present at this conference if given the opportunity. The conference offers several workshops and showcases many pieces of hardware and software.

My ARP is really focused on my school, but if I could share some of things we have done at my school with the conference goers, it would truly be awesome. To present at conference where many people have the same goal would be a highlight of my career.

Week 4 Mac - The Art of Possibility: CH 10-12

The book The Art of Possibility never fails to surprise and engage me all in one sitting. The first chapter discusses the tenth practice of “Being the Board.” Placing the blames is something that educators come across on a daily basis. This practice correlated perfectly to a special I watched on MSNBC today. MSNBC show cases a town hall meeting for teachers called "Education Nation." Teachers were given the opportunity to discuss what they felt were the major issues. The common answer was teachers being blamed for the state of education in America.

Now what struck me most when reading through the chapters was of course "the WE story." I couldn't help but think about the many "WE stories" we come in contact with on a daily basis, but have yet to stay within the moment recognizing that it's not about "me." Our students connect us all in the "WE story."

Week 4 Mac - Comments for Dana Kohls

"I have seen many educators take an us against them approach and it is so ineffective. Don't get me wrong, I've needed reminders from friends and others in my life to help me see the WE in situations, where I have otherwise lost sight of it. And I have to testify that it really just feels better when I'm living in the WE. I love Roz's story of her sister. It is a prime example of how we can live in the WE and make the most of situations."

Dana,

Living in the WE is sometimes something educators have a hard time with. I love how you mention that you have seen many educators take an us against them approach. This is really interesting because just the other day my husband and I were discussing the state of education in America and we both came to the conclusion: Fingers are being pointed and we are failing to see who we are harming... the students. If parents, teachers, administration and the government would take on the WE approach and handle the needs of students then we would have "less" issues within our schools.

Week 4 Mac - Comments for Jeff Kohls

"The Journey is the Destination.

With this final free post of the MAC class, I'd like to take a few minutes and reflect on some of the people who have been pivotal actors and guides in this journey that is EMDT."


Jeff,

I really love reading this piece. You are correct. We have been on a wonderful journey and what made it even sweeter was that we developed amazing friendship with some of the smartest and most amazing people. We worked well with one another and my hopes are that we continue to keep in contact even after FSO.

Thank you for writing this. Nicely done!

Week 3 MAC: The Art of Possibility CH 7-9

Would’ve, could’ve, should’ve… this is the world many of us live in. We don’t get our way and become weak at the knees with defeat. The Art of Possibility begins its 7th chapter talking about exactly that. It mentions the fact that we have choices in which we can make to either accept what has been dealt to us or simply not. The chapters goes on to discuss the presence without resistance with the pathways being cleared to possibilities (Zander & Zander, p. 110).

Chapter 8 of The Art of Possibility discusses “giving way to passion.” Giving way to passion has two steps. Te first step is knowing you are holding back and realizing the need to let go. The second step of giving way to passion is participating wholly. After reading this chapter I came to understand that most times we as individuals are afraid to giving into what we truly care about. The young pianist has a hard time conveying the true emotional energy of music, but later learns to be a “one buttock playerm” (p. 127). He gives way to his passion, letting go of his stiff demeanor.

Chapter 9 in The Art of Possibility is as equally interesting. The author discusses the ninth practice, "Lighting a Spark". The practice of enrollment is about generating possibility and lighting a spark in others (p. 137). I thought about the students at my school and then I thought about myself. I work in the inner city at a school where the average teacher teaches for an average of 2 years and then quits. The work environment is highly stressful. You see it’s not stressful because the kids are behavior issues or even academically challenged. It’s stressful because the teachers are expected to give the students 150% everyday. They are trained three weeks prior to the beginning of the school year and observed almost daily. If administration can take the time to “to light the sparks” within the teachers perhaps they would stay past the two year mark.

Week 3 MAC: Free Choice

The digital age for our children is truly here. Just the other day I walked into the classroom of one of our 4th grade teachers. She was in the middle of using the Promethean Board (interactive board) to teach adjectives to students. I sat there observing the little faces of the students and couldn't help to be mesmerized by how intently they were watching the board.

That same night I was putting my son to bed when he asked for me to read a book to him. I told him to grab a book, but instead he came back with my iPad. He crawled next to me in bed, slid his finger across the the iPad to unlock it and selected a Dr. Seuss app. The app read the One Fish, Two Fish to him. What I found most fascinating is that a two year old understand hows to navigate through a piece of technology such as the iPad as if it were second nature.

My son will never really understand what it means to dial a rotary phone or use a public phone for that matter. But what most scares is that if I were to allow him to use the iPad to read a book regularly he will never have an interest in reading a traditional book or read book where you don't touch the pictures and expect them to sing and dance. I suppose too much of any one thing is a bad thing. Balance is key.

Week 3 MAC: Comments for Jodi Ziegler

Jodi,

I really appreciate you posting these sites. I have used Prezi and Animoto, but it was truly a treat to learn about Tagul. I am going to post this site to our school website and even share it within our grade level meetings. I could see the awesome benefits of Tagul within the English Language Arts classroom or just about any classroom.

Week 3 MAC: Comments for Jeff Kohls

Jeff,

I am definitely on the fence about a lot of social networking with students. I truly understand that we need to reach the 21st century student, but sometimes I wonder if it's necessary to incorporate social networks into the classrooms. It seems that social networks have cause rifts among students.

On the other hand.... I could see the educational benefits of a network like Twitter. I have trained several of my teachers on using Twitter and it has really brought many of the classes to life. When a teacher posts a question on Twitter and students are tweeting about it, it can really make a difference in how they were retaining the concepts.

Lastly, I agree with you when you say that there really isn't a need to friend a student. I am also a firm believer in technology, but also believe that our professional lives should be kept separate from our personal lives.

Week 2 Mac: Collins, Tamara - Free Choice/AR Project

I started making a list of things/needs that I saw were necessary for the teachers at my school. You see we have an enormous amount of technology, but it's never used to its greatest capacity. For example we currently have Promethean Boards in several of the classrooms, but they are merely used to project presentations. So I started to think about what else I can do for the teachers, but be able to use for my AR Project.

I can add a bit more to my series ScreenFlow videos, which can include "How to's"

* creating a blog
* setting up their web pages
* using Twitter for their classroom
* using iGoogle

In addition to the ScreenFlows I can create a series of "How to's" for using the Promethean Boards

* The basics of the board
* Creating FlipCharts

Lastly, I can work with more UDUTU's

* Tweak and use the UDUTU I created in LMO class
* Create additional ones with teachers at my school.

Ultimately I would house all of this information on school website under our staff section. This would fit with my AR Problem Statement: To help the teachers in the Primary/Elementary academy of our K-8 school become better skilled in using technology in their classrooms.

Week 2 Mac: Collins, Tamara - The Art of Possibility CH 4-6

As an educator I often wondered what my students and trainees see when they look at me. Do they see a person whom is calm, relaxed and ready to tackle anything or do they see one who gets caught up in a fit of rage when things do no pan out the way they see fit? I would to say that I am somewhere in between. For the most part I am patient with others, but most times while in the classroom I was most definitely the ultimate disciplinarian. And guess what? That is exactly what one of my students who just entered his first year of college (Yale, might I add) said to me the other day when I saw him. I wasn’t sure how to take it. Was I to be proud or a little embarrassed? Well, when he hugged me and thanked me for making him work on his reading strategies over and over again, I was filled with joy and a sense of accomplishment. The Art of Possibility Chapters 4-6 spoke to me in a very familiar manner.

I realized that it was not the amount of time I invested in being “the ultimate disciplinarian,” but what I taught those students on how to act in and out of the classroom. Like the author in The Art of Possibility that was my “contribution” to society. I made sure that not only did my students learn the subject area, but also that they knew how to respect everyone. Or rather I became the “the contribution.” Of course I continue to read on, and come across Rule Number 6, thus far the most interesting.

The Rule Number 6, Lighten Up. This is most definitely easier said than done; however I continue to read because I am intrigued. According to the book when we follow the Rule Number 6 and lighten up over our childish demands and entitlements, we are instantly transported in a remarkable universe (Zander & Zander, p. 97). I think it’s safe to say that many people want to take things less seriously, but they often get caught up in what may go wrong. I believe this is one of those rules that take practice.

I suppose taking a chance is what it’s all about.

Week 2 MAC: Wimba Session - 9/7/2010

Ok... Wimba basically says it has got to get done NOW. :-) I like that Professor Joe Butillos explained we need to be sure to clean up our AR website so that it flows. I do like the AR status page for organizational purposes, but I can't help feel a bit anxiety ridden, but looking forward to the final outcome of my project. I appreciate doing the group edit. This is something that will be crucial for me.

Week 2 Mac - Comments for Jeff Kohls

Jeff,

You said... "You see, I tend to be a driven individual, often narrowly focused on the outcomes as opposed to the contributions."

This is something I can totally relate to. I also tend to focus on the outcomes. Will I get an A? Will that teacher do as I asked them? But many times I don't think about how much work I put into something. Don't get me wrong I am a very hard worker, but sometimes I do act a bit self entitled. :-)

I really like the Rule Number 6 because it spoke to me. I believe we can all use a little lightening up. I suppose the world would be a lot calmer. At least the political world would be.

Week 2 MAC - Comments for Jodi Ziegler

"I have to admit the more I sit and listen to the requirements for our Action Research Project the more nervous I get about not being able to graduate in October."


Jodi,

You're definitely not in this alone... I would venture to say that many of us feel incredibly anxious about this project. But the beauty of all of this is that you are almost there. You have done some great work within your classes and will produce an even better AR project. Hang in there with us.
:-)

I agree with Erica when she said that you are a already supermom.

Week 1 MAC: Wimba Session - 8/31/2010

It seems that just the other we began our MS-EMDT program. I have come a long way from that first month with MLT class. Ok. I was feeling a little overwhelmed last month with the resubmissions of my lit review. I do like that we have a AR status report because this is going to be a great way to organize myself. The Wimba session has reminded me that we must present our projects on the regional level. I also like that the blog posts are one per week in which directions we are going as far as the progress.

Week 1 MAC: Collins, Tamara - The Art of Possibility CH 1-3

Thus far the first few chapters of The Art of Possibility have been quite interesting. The authors begin with discussing a person’s perceptions. The authors mentioned that we perceive only the sensations we are programmed to receive (Zander & Zander, p. 10). The authors go on to discuss that we are restricted to recognize those for which we have mental maps or categories (p. 11). We have created a world that makes sense to us through our on perceptions. Along with cultural differences interpretations of the world vary from individual to individual or from group to group (p. 13). Our lives constructed through a series of events and memories, which ultimately shape who we are or become. This leads us into the next chapter, Stepping into the Universe of Possibility.

In the chapter Stepping into the Universe of Possibility the authors mention that we grow up in a world of measurement. This is where we get to know things by measuring them, contrasting and comparing them (p. 18). In this world you set a goal and strive for it.

Giving an A is the third chapter in The Art of Possibility. It begins by discussing that in the University of the California a leadership course was given to 50 of the most prominent students of the 27,000-student population. The professors gave a third of letters grades, a’s, b’s and c’s. It seems that we as educators tend to give students grades as a means to compare them to others in their classroom. The book quoted a saying by Michelangelo that inside every block of stone or marbles dwells a beautiful statue; one need only remove the excess material to reveal the work of art within. I agree with the writers when they said that if we were to apply Michelangelo’s visionary concept to education, it would be pointless to compare one child to another (p. 26).

It seems that we often are caught up with not only how much information a student has retained, but if are students are doing what we are telling them. Often times this leads us away from truly acknowledging the different gifts students may possess. The Art of Possibility has begun to show exactly that... what if?


Zander, R., & Zander, B. (2000). The art of possibility. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Press

Week 1 MAC: Project Blog - Literature Review

I must admit I have never been more vested in a project as I have been with my literature review. It has been a journey that has taught me a lot not only about writing on the graduate level, but truly learning the research that is out there in regards to technology integration.

My literature review is entitled Technology Integration: Teachers in the Classroom & Students Today and is broken up into three parts. They are:

1. Dilemmas Facing the Classroom Teacher
2. Overcoming Challenges
3. Meeting the Needs of the 21st Century Student

The research has shown that teachers are faced with a variety of dilemmas, but the most common one is the lack of training they are receiving to learn how to integrate technology effectively into their lessons. Many school districts are beginning to understand the need to invest properly into technology within all areas including training for teachers and equipment. President Obama and congressional leaders included $650 million in the federal stimulus package for the enhancing education through technology (EETT) state grant program (Hofer, Chamberlin, & Scot, 2010).

The goal is to enhance how the students learns by meeting their needs as digital natives. What they are being taught won't change, but how they being presented the material will through technology. Our world is becoming smaller and it's essential for the educator to understand this.

I want to be able to provide a lot of information/training for teachers at my school, making the tech integration seamless.

Hofer, M., Chamberlin, B. & Scot, T. (2010). Fulfilling the need for a technology integration
specialist. THE Journal, (32) 3, 34-39.

Week 1 MAC - Comments for Dana Kohls

"I don't worry about the credits and the pay freeze and the multiple hats I have to wear in a small district. I'm in the moment, enjoying my students, teaching and doing so joyfully. "


Dana,

Your commentary on the book Art of Possibility struck a cord with me. I fee the exact way you do. I too truly enjoy what I do. Despite the constant changes within my school and the constant threat of cut backs I often find myself doing what I do with a lot of joy. Truly seeing the faces of the teachers when they use a tech idea I have trained them on or when I help the students with their projects is completely priceless. You are correct in saying that you could be doing something that garners more appreciate. We all can, but will we be happy?

Nice job on your post!

Week 1 MAC - Comments for Sharon Jones

"I then asked him if he would like to use the notes he had just created and take the standard test everyone else was taking. At first he felt like that would be cheating. We discussed the fact that everything in the notes came from his own brain. I did not ask any questions or prompt him in any way. Once he was sure that this was fair (he is very literal and extremely fair-minded) he turned over the test and began to fill in the answers. He was very proud of himself upon completion of the test, and even chose to answer the bonus essay question. My goal for this student is to work on strategies to reduce his test anxiety, and increase his ability to order his thoughts."


Sharon,

This is an extraordinary situation you are in and one that will be most rewarding. I love how you took him away from the situation to help relieve his anxiety. Writing down notes as he spoke was a great strategy on your part. I even love how he was concerned that it would be considered cheating. This showed his sense of school ethics and morality. WOW! This story is too cute.

Thank you for sharing this with us.