The true beginnings....

I have been hearing about PLN's for a lot of years and kind of blew off the idea, thinking it was just another thing I had to do in an already busy day. No one really explained exactly what a PLN could do for me and why it would be to my benefit. I really thought it was another craze and it would pass like all the others. As I have worked my way through the Masters in Instructional Technology program at UNI I have learned the purpose for and advantages of creating a PLN.
Today as I was reading my text for Emerging Instructional Technology I found several links for resources for library, technolgoy and art teachers. One that stood out to me was TeacherLibrarianNing. On the front page of this site right now is a PLN starter kit. I am excited to begin exploring this resource along with an art educators site. Working in a small private school I don't really have people within my building to brainstorm with, or bounce ideas around with. I am on my own when it comes to planning and figuring out what I can do to keep library interesting and to find new projects to complete in art. I don't want my students to be doing the same art projects their older brothers and sisters have done for years. Having quality resources to go to has been such a blessing.
If you are new to building a PLN check out The Innovative Educator Blog for 5 steps to begin building your own personal learning network.

Thoughts on thinking

I read a new blog this evening about thinking written by Grant Wiggins.  The article was entitled "Thinking about a lack of thinking" Now before you think that all this thinking is making your brain hurt take a few minutes and read the article. I started to think about how many times I just give information with out any real explanation as to why my students need to know what I am telling them? Is this why I can go over the Dewey Decimal System with each grade level every year and by the time they are in 8th grade they still do not recall or remember how to apply this knowledge. I need to make them think or to be more thoughtful and look for meaning and personal value in what I am teaching them. It is difficult to teach students how to look up and locate books on the library shelves when they have resources at their finger tips most hours of the day. Many of my students have an iPad, Kindle, Nook or a smart phone to read their books on, they see no value in the library. My goal for this year is to get my students to be more thoughtful about print resources. To expose them to the wonders of a library and to show them all the places they can go with their mind and a book. I am open to suggestions.....anyone?

I had students that begged me not to show the video! So of course I had to look up what video they were talking about. Hmmmm...maybe it is just obnoxious enough for them to remember.

What do you think, will this get them to be more thoughtful about using the library?

Variety is the spice of life

I have been exploring  many blogs this past week as I work to create my reading list. The majority of the blogs I have on my list are education and technology related such as Dangerously Irrelevant, eSchool News, Free Technology for Teachers, The 21st Century Principal, and Cool Cat Teacher Blog. These are all excellent blogs on education with posts that deal with many different topics covered, from classroom management to technology integration. All of them provide me with relevant information about my profession  and good ideas and tools that I can explore. I have gained a great deal of knowledge from all of these sources. I don't always agree with everything I read but it gets  me thinking about what I do believe and how I can make change for the better in my educational setting. With  this said the one blog that I go to first is lifehacker.com. I like this blog because it has a wide variety of subjects that it covers that range from DIY projects to simple tips on ways to make your life easier and more organized. When reading the same subject the majority of the time it is nice to take a mental break and read posts that go beyond ed/tech. There are a lot of posts each day to this blog but I scroll through I can pick and choose what I want to read about, I can then begin an adventure of leaning about many new topics. Curiosity didn't kill the at it just opened a whole new world of knowledge.

New Beginnings and a Giggle

As I work my way through the beginning of the school year both as a teacher and a student I find the best way to survive is to find a way to laugh. The following video cracks me up, it is just way to funny. But if you start to think about the two roles being played out here it makes you think, is this how some of our students feel? Does it all come to fast even though you have people telling you that it is so simple and basic?  Do I have this much impatience with my students when they just are not getting something?
I am making an effort this year to look at things in a positive way. Not to get sucked into the negative grumblings of co-workers and above all to find joy and humor in each day and to thank God for all that I have.
So watch the video maybe it will make you giggle and smile. Have a great year!