The Most Pressing Issue...

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The most pressing issue in educational technology is the shift that is happening in the way we define technology. From being an add-on, to a tool, to being “integrated” into the curriculum - up until now technology has been a thing apart. Teachers chose whether or not to use technology with their students, and chose the activities that students would do when technology was allowed. For the most part, technology has been used to facilitate analog activities - the activities that took place before the technology existed.

But now we’re at the tipping point - technology is no longer a tool, but an environment. It’s ubiquitous, pervasive, and is happening with or without educator consent. It enables things never before possible, and students are doing those things, again with or without us. With free online courses from highly regarded individuals and institutions, learning has never been more readily accessible. 

But that learning is beginning to bypass our school systems that are wedded to an analog model of “educational technology” which persists in setting technology apart. “Any time, any place” learning is no longer just a description for the few students enrolled in online courses, but an apt description of what our students’ lives are like. 

So why is this the most pressing issue? If we as educators can’t tap into this paradigm shift, we run the risk of becoming irrelevant. We can call ourselves the gatekeepers of formal education as much as we want, but now there are performance-based badging systems and real-world digital portfolios that students can use to prove their competency. We must facilitate an environment in which students can explore new ideas in a deep and meaningful way, and help students to identify and nurture their passions

Learning in a Networked Society

It's been an interesting couple of weeks. I've been exploring the nature of learning and motivation in a variety of formats - in my work, in my studies, and in my personal life. I ran across Coursera while looking for online learning object repositories, and began to realize that learning is starting to happen more and more outside of education. At work, in discussing a student who completed a certification program but didn't bother to do the final step of creating a portfolio, a colleague said, "she was more interested in the learning, not the certification." The ascendancy of learning as facilitated by technology is striking, and it raises some fascinating questions about the purpose and future of education.

The video below showed up in my blog roll to reinforce the entire set of lessons I've been learning this week. My favorite quotes from the video: 

• "There is a very big difference between access to information and school - they used to be the same thing."  ~Seth Godin
• "It is the teacher's job to point young minds toward the right kind of question. The teacher doesn't need to give any answers, because the answers are everywhere." ~Sugata Mitra
• "Learning prepares you to cope with the surprises. Education prepares you to cope with certainty. There is no certainty." ~Stephen Heppell

For the complete video, please visit http://youtu.be/quYDkuD4dMU. It's 20 minutes, but well worth the time.

About Me

I am currently the Grants and Professional Development Coordinator for the California Technology Assistance Project in Region 10 (RIMS CTAP). I work out of the San Bernardino County Office of Education, supporting teachers and administrators in the effective implementation of instructional technology tools. Over the past several years, I have been involved in spearheading the development of several professional development programs in my region, including Integrating Technology for English Language Learners (iTELL), Technology Integration Coaching, Data Academies and a workshop series about the use of interactive technologies called Digital Classroom. In addition, I provide the “technology pieces” in our county Common Core training in English Language Arts.

Over the past two years, I have been involved in piloting and then serving on the Curriculum Committee for Leading Edge Certification for the Online and Blended Teacher, which is a 60 hour course in the pedagogy of online instruction. We see this as a first step towards a credential authorization to help ensure that teachers of online courses have the proper preparation and exposure to instructional strategies to be effective in the online environment. I coordinate the delivery of Leading Edge Certification in RIMS, and help to provide training for other LEC trainers around the state. 

I am also an Adjunct Instructor at University of La Verne. I teach a class called "Learning Technologies for Educators", which is a required course for a teaching credential. I teach the class in a fully online environment, and I love exposing my students to educational applications of various Web 2.0 tools. I also like the fact that I am helping to dispel the myth that online courses are impersonal and lack communication and collaboration, as I have different student groupings on different projects, and model both synchronous and asynchronous communication tools. 

I have a Bachelors of Science degree from Indiana State University in Elementary Education, and a Masters degree in Educational Technology from California State University, San Bernardino. My Masters project in 1997 involved helping districts write Technology Use Plans. Since then, I have received my administrative credential, and have worked in county administration for the past 10 years. I began the Doctor of Educational Technology program at Boise State University in Fall 2012, with an anticipated completion date of Spring, 2017. My primary areas of interest are online learning and the needs of English Language Learners in the online environment.

My interests outside of work and school include traveling, reading, gardening and cooking. I enjoy exploring different cultures and environments, and spending time in out-of-the-way “local” spots as I travel. With grown children, my husband and I now have more opportunities to explore areas we enjoy, such as Mexico, and visit places we’ve only dreamed about, such as Africa. My garden changes every year, but always starts out organized and ends up wild and overabundant. I try to implement at least 2-3 new recipes every month, and sometimes manage 2-3 in a given week. Everyone in my family is a Dodger fan, and I try to get to several games every year. And just in case I wasn't busy enough, I am currently training for a half-marathon!

Doctoral DIY

Today I read an article analyzing self-help dissertation advice books. First, who knew there were self-help books for writing your dissertation? I guess there's a DIY book for everything, but really?? Just for the fun of it, I checked YouTube, my normal place for DIY advice, and found that YouTube can also teach me how to write a dissertation! There are dozens of "classes" about writing a dissertation, and many more showing various candidates' actual defenses. An hour later, I can say I didn't find a single useful video. (Yes, an hour. It is YouTube after all.)

It seems that one factor all of these "how to" manuals have in common is the claim that, if you follow their steps exactly as written, you will automatically have success. That's a tough one for me, since I typically think the step by step directions on putting together a bookshelf are only broad guidelines. Although the bookshelf makers presumably have tested this thousands of times, I do not necessarily believe that their interpretation of the steps and the order makes the most sense.

A second common factor in these dissertation advice books is providing writing guidelines, again as a set of steps. Again, I don't see that working for me. I'm perfectly happy to start with a piece of writing that's in the middle of my topic, and build out from it. I write like a spider web, and suggesting that the only correct way to do a dissertation is to write in a line just rubs me the wrong way. I do believe that there are other people out there who also are non-linear who have successfully managed to get a doctorate degree, and who have not compromised their writing style in order to follow a recipe for success.

The third common element that really jumped out at me was that these self-help books don't truly address the complexities of writing. They deal with mechanics and grammar, structure and vocabulary, but seem to completely ignore voice, tone, and nuance as literary tools. Which implies that dissertation writing is a dry reporting process rather than an interpretive learning and sharing process. For anyone who knows me, it should come as no surprise that I am hoping my dissertation and defense more resembles Hans Rosling's way of sharing data!

I'm hoping that it will be okay for my dissertation to reflect my voice - I'm optimistic that the fact that my program shared this article with us is a sign of that!

ch ch ch ch Changes

The last month or so has been a challenge. Teaching two online courses, starting to train for a half-marathon, finishing my Leading Edge Certification, taking care of my Dad and getting ready for a doctoral program... finding time to stop and reflect has not been easy. But as I look forward towards the next phase, I again remind myself to stop and take a look at things, and learn from both what has worked and what has not. And to breathe. Again. Or maybe just take a deep breath before jumping into the deep end!

The journey in front of me is huge, and the destination is far away. But as long as I can remember that the journey IS the reward, I can make the most of every single interaction; every conversation, every reading, every a-ha that I encounter. I face an amazing opportunity to learn from and with some fascinating people, with worldviews and experiences that I know nothing about. It's time to work on nurturing relationships rather than just sticking to myself and my comfort zones and grow those connections.

Image from Open Clip Art Library

The grass is always greener where you water it. Time to fill up my bucket and get to work!

How do I learn from the Internet?

How do I learn from the Internet?  I read blogs. They give me access to people much smarter than me, who are sharing things I want to learn. I read both individual and organization blogs about online learning, education, English Learners, and technology. But I also read Pogue's Posts to feed my inner tech geek. I read The Jose Vilson to spark my inner revolutionary. And I read dy/dan because he's cool, and I always want to know what the cool kids are up to!

How do I learn from the Internet?  I watch online videos. They provide visual cues that help me learn better, and are dynamic enough to keep me engaged. I watch TED and TEDx to fuel my creativity and passion through exposure to new concepts, new approaches, and new heroes.

How do I learn from the Internet?  I am learning to use Twitter to follow people who have interesting things to say, and/or interesting resources to share. I am also learning to use Twitter to share; sometimes what I have to say is interesting to someone else. >I try not to mix my professional and personal spaces, unless I think my personal network will find something from my professional life compelling (or vice versa). I use Facebook to connect with my real-world friend and relatives. I use my blog to connect with my professional network.

How do my students learn from the Internet?  I do believe that students are going through much of the same struggle that I am - figuring out how to manage the absolute glut of both valuable and useless information that floods our digital worlds. However students typically have less awareness of why it's important to separate personal and professional networks, and less understanding of the permanence of digital footprints. In supporting students, I think instruction in information literacy is key; two topics jump out as being critical for long term success. Students must be able to access, evaluate, and validate resources - they must be able to find relevant resources, understand bias, and be able to identify hoaxes and scams. Students must also be able to manage their information on the internet - understanding privacy laws, opt-out and opt-in clauses, and encryption basics are important for their long-term security.

What we learn to do, we learn by doing (Aristotle)

I challenged myself at ISTE this past week. I was determined to actually put a couple of tools into practice, and give them an honest shot to see if they made sense for my style and the work that I do. I've had Twitter and Evernote accounts for ages, but I've never really connected with either technology. Of course, that might be because I've never really given either tool a real chance!

At the opening keynote, I tapped into the ISTE hashtag (#iste12), and watched the tweets come in. I responded to someone, and I tweeted a few speaker comments I found interesting or provocative. I figured if nothing else, this would be a way for me to get back to some quotes I might want to use in my own work. Then I got lucky. Someone tweeted a link to an article about how to use Twitter at a conference, and my eyes were opened. Of course, I can't find the link or the tweet now, but I'll try to summarize.

Twitter is most commonly used for people to share quotes from speakers at conferences. Like me, many people use this as a sort of mental reminder of what happened, and what spoke to them. A second way to use Twitter at a conference is to share additional resources. If a presenter is talking about a particular tool or website, one might tweet the URL or related info to a group under a specific hashtag. A third way is to share notes; clearly taking notes in twitter doesn't make sense, but if you take notes in another tool, you might tweet the URL of your notes so that others either in the session or not have access to what you captured.

And that leads to the second tool I actually tried out at the conference, Evernote. I took notes in a couple of different ways, using my phone to capture slides (didn't care for it), and taking detailed notes about topics I was very invested in. That worked for me. I then made the notes public, tweeted a link, and all of my followers (yes, all 26 of them) could see what I had written. I could also share my Evernote notebook via email, which worked well for colleagues that don't use Twitter regularly. They got access to all of the notes I took in that notebook, and were able to get at least a limited experience with the conference despite not being there.

So, my conclusion? I really enjoyed using Twitter. I don't know that I'll be good about using it regularly, but I'll keep trying. At least at conferences, I feel like it worked well for me. Evernote, however, is going to be a regular part of my repertoire. I like it much better than Google Docs for note-taking, better than Diigo for collecting/annotating resources, and I think it will be a great shared research tool. I see it being extremely helpful in the courses I'm taking this next year, as I know I will have a ton of information to collect and organize.

One more tool - I heard about TubeChop at a session, and got the opportunity to use it today. ISTE recorded the entire keynote session, but I wanted to share only the part where Dr. Yong Zhao was speaking. So I used TubeChop to get the piece I wanted, and then I tweeted it!

Web 2.0 Tools in the Classroom

One activity I used to do with 5th and 6th grade students was to have them create movie-style posters to advertise novels that they read. They had to analyze tone and theme for the colors and images they selected. They also had to identify a short phrase or a few key words that would "grab" the audience, while remaining true to the theme of the story. Back in the olden days we used images cut from magazines - now with the web at our fingertips it's time to take this activity online!

Assignment: Book Trailers using Animoto
Outcome: Create a 30-second video that uses image, text and music to faithfully represent the theme of a novel.
Standards: analyze theme of narrative works, use multimedia components in presentations to clarify information and add interest.

In this activity, students will first analyze a novel they have chosen for theme and tone. They will identify the literary elements used by the author to progress the action or plot, and will select a small number of short phrases or words from the text that capture the essence of the story's theme. Next, students will select Creative Commons licensed and/or copyright friendly images to show some key elements of the story, consistent with the analysis they have already completed. Finally, they will upload images into Animoto, add their selected text, and select a music track that is consistent with their novel. The final product is a short "book trailer" that will encourage others to read their novel.

I think that by starting with the analysis, before there is any discussion of the technology to be used, students will focus better on the concept of theme. Once they have identified the theme, I might potentially scaffold the assignment by asking students questions such as, "what does 'suspense' look like or sound like?" Knowing that they will eventually have to sell the book to the rest of their classmates is generally a good motivation for students this age - having a survey or  +1 next to each published final product might be a good peer review strategy, particularly if the Animoto videos are not linked to a student name.

One possible extension to this activity is to identify the antithesis to the theme of the novel, and create a book trailer for the anti-novel. While it's not made in Animoto, Scary Mary does a nice job of showing how to turn a theme on its head!

Seeing the Past

I recently got back from Paris, where of course I visited the Louvre. While I loved the Mona Lisa and the Renaissance artists, it was the antiquities wing that really lit my fire. To see cuneiform in real life, as written thousands of years ago; to stand in front of the Code of Hammurabi (yes, the real actual stele with the Code carved in it); to marvel at the paint that remains on the 15 foot tall stone carvings of Sargon - I was in heaven!

So I guess I was primed when today I read about ORBIS (http://orbis.stanford.edu/), a research and visualization tool produced by Stanford. According to the site, ORBIS "reconstructs the time cost and financial expense associated with a wide range of different types of travel in antiquity." The blogs I read spoke of its value as a research tool in the humanities, but my first thought was how it could bring the realities of ancient civilizations to life for 6th grade students!

When I taught 6th grade, I used to have students do chart paper and pencil simulations of conditions in the ancient world. They would read about climate, geography, food sources and military campaigns, and try to make sense of how those related. But I didn't have access to Google Earth at that time to show them the terrain, and I certainly didn't have access to research-based information about how long it took to get from Point A to Point B via military march, pack train, or horse relay!

ORBIS Screenshot - http://orbis.stanford.edu

In addition, ORBIS has an interactive distance cartogram feature that uses visual data representation to show travel time and cost to various cities in summer and winter. Despite knowing little about data disaggregation and even less about the research that went into this sort of visualization, I immediately knew I could use this map to help students understand why Rome was the heart of the Roman Empire based on its geography, which facilitated economic and military capabilities. Want to know why London found it difficult to break away from the Roman Empire? Check out the cost and time involved in getting grain in the winter, and think about possible correlations.

It is SO difficult for students to really picture the challenges faced by earlier civilizations. In the 90's, we used software like Oregon Trail, and paper simulations that used pushpins on a chart paper map and "event cards" that proposed scenarios. While those simulations helped, they were time consuming and difficult to adapt. ORBIS allows students to play with the data, exploring a variety of options and strategies. Students can then apply their research skills and use other tools such as Google Earth to think critically about the "why" of the numbers. I hope that Stanford researchers decide that ancient Egypt, India, or the Far East would make a good next project...

This almost makes me want to go back to 6th grade!

Methodologies of an Online Instructor

As I reflect on my online teaching methodologies, I realize how different my teaching practice is now, compared to when I taught 6th grade. Part of that change is maturity - every year I better understood the value of preparation, reflection, formative assessment, and immediate feedback. Some of it is the shift from teaching K-12 students to providing professional development to teachers and administrators and teaching pre-service educators. I am much more careful now about ensuring that instruction matches objectives, and that I have a variety of resources to expand upon or re-teach specific skills and strategies.

As I've moved into the online environment, I've had to learn new skills and instructional methodologies. Although I know it's a best practice, I've done limited curriculum mapping for my courses, instead relying on a few key benchmark assignments and assessments, and building a free-flowing set of lessons around them. That strategy just isn't very effective in the online environment, as its much more difficult to diagnose and fill gaps if you throw in random topics! Much as I like flying by the seat of my pants in a face to face environment, it's like building the plane in mid-air when I do it online.

I've learned that I need to build the plane first. I even need to do a test flight with trusted colleagues to see where there are holes in the fuselage. I'm always fighting my own assumptions - just because I know where to find something doesn't make it obvious to anyone else. So redundancy is another methodology I'm working to improve. One thing I do know how to do is learn from my students; hopefully I'm getting ever closer to that first class luxury flight in the experience I provide them.

Learning Goals

Every time I teach an online course, I am reminded of how far I still have to go. It’s never easy – there’s always a change that needs to be made, a new area of confusion that pops up, and of course the new students. I struggle with maintaining that teacher-student relationship; I feel like I do a great job with students who stay in contact, but tend towards the critical with students who have difficulties but don’t ask for help.

I am learning that “let me know how I can support you” doesn’t help much when the student doesn’t know what they need or understand what skills they are missing – I need to work on being much more explicit and communicating in a variety of ways. I also need to work on developing a less formal written style – it turns out that my verbosity and choice of words can turn some students off!

One thing I want to explore is screencast response to student writing. I’ve seen examples, but I’ve never done it myself. I don’t know how students perceive it – it’s just grading, albeit a more transparent version of grading. But I think that possibly hearing my voice as I respond would help students feel a connection with me, and it might make my communication less formal and more inviting.

It’s a journey, and one I really enjoy being on.

Learning From My Students

At the end of every course, I like to ask students how they have changed or grown as a result of the topics and tools they’ve explored. Everyone enters classes with some preconceived notions about technology, technology integration, or online learning – I feel like part of my job is to give people the experiences that will really challenge their assumptions.

Typically, there are many comments about what students have learned, both about technology and education:

• I didn't give it a second thought as to how in the world they were doing that. 
• What I didn't realize is that I was utilizing several Web 2.0 tools already. 
• It helped me see how technology can be used in the classroom to benefit the students. 

Occasionally I get comments from students who are quite technologically proficient suggesting that the course isn’t challenging enough. I need to remember to examine the assignments, and make sure that I have some direction for proficient students in terms of what they might do next. I need to be sure that I help technologically proficient students focus on pedagogy and student needs, so that they have reason to delve more deeply into the “why” and not just the “how”.

I believe that, as an instructor, part of my responsibility is to grow and improve. While sometimes its easier to dismiss student comments that are not complimentary, those are the comments that really should guide reflection about what is working.

Leap

Creative Commons Licensed by cdgillman on Flickr

One of my favorite sayings by Confucius is, “Wherever you go – go with all your heart.”

One way I try to interpret that saying is to embrace things I am passionate about, follow that passion, and inject passion into the things I do every day.  The other way I  interpret it is to do my best, and hopefully be the best, at whatever it is I do.

What gets me up in the morning, and often keeps me up at night, is the creativity and passion of exploring new ideas, learning new concepts, and testing new theories. Sometime that means I need to challenge myself; push myself into an area of discomfort so that I can continue to grow.

Sometimes you just need to go for it; looking is fine, but the leap is what matters!

It's Time For New Behavior

Revolution doesn’t happen when society adopts new technologies - it happens when society adopts new behaviors. 

- Clay Shirky, Here Comes Everybody, p. 160 

I feel like I’ve been having this conversation a lot lately; technology isn’t really a strategy or a pedagogy or an instructional behavior, it’s a tool. It’s a powerful tool that allows us to potentially change the way we teach, but just putting it into a classroom is unlikely to make any difference at all. For years we’ve talked about technology integration into the curriculum, but I think I’m about done with that phrase. We don’t talk about pencil integration, or textbook integration, or whiteboard integration… why technology?

To paraphrase my favorite educator, if there’s one thing that will blow the doors off of the whole mindset of technology as something separate from the curriculum, it’s the Common Core. Common Core State Standards cannot be accomplished without integrated technology use. The projects, activities, and expectations for students are riddled with outcomes that are best accomplished with technology tools.

Janet Moeller-Abercrombie suggests that we should be asking students, “What are you trying to learn?” or “What are you trying to communicate?” to shift the focus off of the technology and onto the learning. I think Common Core is a game-changer by putting the emphasis on content and higher order thinking skills. Our role as teachers must transform to helping students find the best information, facilitating communication, and coaching students to deeper thought and more meaningful conversations.

At some point in the not-too-distant future, I hope that individual student use of internet-connected tools for research, publishing, and collaboration is seen as the only reasonable vision of education. That’s the point at which the phrase “technology integration” will truly be obsolete.

Social Media

The things I learn from Facebook… I have no idea how to attribute this, as it was a share of a share from Wibiya. But I love the ease of the explanation:

Social Media Explained

Twitter:   I’m eating donuts

Facebook:   I like donuts

Foursquare:   This is where I eat donuts

Instagram:   Here’s a vintage photo of my donut

YouTube:   Here I am eating a donut

Linked In:   My skills include donut eating

Pinterest:   Here’s a donut recipe

Last FM:   Now listening to “donuts”

G+:   I’m a Google employee who eats donuts

MySpace:    I'm eating last decade's donuts.

Data Visualization

Data visualization just fascinates me. Looking at something familiar through a different lens, or looking at something complex or unfamiliar in a way that we're used to seeing... very cool stuff. Hans Rosling is adorable:

And while I love what Hans does with statistics, I also really enjoy the meaning one gains from text visualizations such as Wordle. Taking the entire text of a speech, then pasting it into wordle.net, gives an instant summary of the words used most frequently. At right I've embedded a wordle of Mother Teresa's speech at the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington DC in 1994. What if, in Civics or Government we pasted in the text of stump speeches to see if candidates' word choice seems consistent with what they are trying to portray? This sort of data visualization gives students a tool to make meaning of complex text, with some interesting and thought-provoking questions that jump right out.

A new tool for me this week has been American Heritage Dictionary's You Are Your Words site, which isn't exactly data visualization, but is still a pretty neat way to pull together text and image. Here I am, created from text from my blog. I see some interesting applications in which students select articles or definitions from Wikipedia that represent themselves to use as the text for their images.

As our students continue to explore what their digital footprint is, these sort of tools can help them to better create a presence that they are proud of, that represents their point of view, and that they can safely share with the world.

24/7 Learning

When I hear a word or phrase in a meeting that I am unfamiliar with, I pull out my device and look it up on the spot. That allows me to continue to focus on the topic, instead of being lost and then disengaged. Why should it be any different for students? Handheld devices (smart phones, iPads, netbooks) are tools of learning, and students are using them outside of school without any guidance or support. How much more powerful these tools could be if students were actually taught how to use them effectively! Why should we continue to block students from using tools in school that could improve their engagement and understanding, simply because it is complicated to manage it? Graham Brown-Martin calls this “the wrong way to consume computers”.
 

PresenterMedia licensed image

Research about English learners indicates that 5 hours per week of instruction is enough to maintain, but not grow, English proficiency. If we consider that subjects such as algebra and chemistry are foreign languages, it’s clear that 5 hours per week isn’t going to really grow proficiency. A 24/7 learning model, facilitated by meaningful integration of technology, is a way to increase achievement for all students. But the 24/7 learning model requires 24/7 internet access and teachers who take advantage of web-based tools to reinforce and deepen classroom learning.

Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) can be the bridge across the digital divide. More than 70% of parents, regardless of socio-economic status, say they will buy devices for their kids if the school has students use those devices as part of the educational experience. With the low cost, powerful devices now available, the majority of schools have the ability to provide take-home devices for students who do not have devices of their own. Thus, ALL students can have access to a 24/7 curriculum, with meaningful instruction and homework that takes advantage of the power of the technology tools.

I see the phrase “lifelong learner” in the mission statement of pretty much every district I’ve ever worked with. It’s time to embrace what that means in the 21^st Century, and ensure that every student has 24/7 digital access to curriculum.

Just Let Me Sing

Most of us know the story of Susan Boyle, the unemployed 47-year-old woman in England who won the UK version of Idol. But if you haven't seen her first audition, you really ought to take a look at http://youtu.be/VSrAJsWvEIc. 

First impressions can be deceiving. In Susan Boyle's audition, the giggles and rolling eyes show how physical characteristics and mannerisms can stack the deck against an individual. Amanda Holden's comment after the performance really resonated with me - we all need that wake up call.

This is one of the reason's I think online education has so much potential for some students. Instructors and students can hear each others' voices through their online presence, without the distractions that a physical presence can sometimes create. Shy students, those with physical handicaps, those with language barriers might all find their voices in the online environment.

Online education isn't for everyone, or isn't for everyone all the time. But for some students, the online environment allows their voice to sing.

Which comes first, the teaching or the learning?

There are teachers who believe their instruction is driven by the content. It is the teacher’s job to teach, and the student’s job to learn. These teachers believe that they know their content extremely well, and it is the students’ responsibility if they do not learn it. The focus is on delivery of content.

PresenterMedia licensed image

In contrast, there are teachers who believe that their instruction is driven by student learning needs, and if students do not learn, it is their responsibility to teach it differently. The focus is on the receipt of content.

I strive to be the latter kind of teacher. It’s not easy – it certainly takes more time to find multiple ways to deliver content, and provide individual support! And yet, it is my job to help people learn, more than just to teach. It is not good enough just to broadcast my knowledge and passion, I need to make sure that it connects with my audience. Learners of all ages deserve to have instruction in a variety of modalities, and teachers who make every attempt to connect with them, share their knowledge, and help them construct knowledge themselves. 

I have had some amazing students over the years. I have learned something new from each and every student that I have managed to connect with.  In order to continue to grow as an educator and as a person, I need to continue to connect, continue to learn, and continue to help others learn. In whatever way works best for them.

Theory to Practice

CC Licensed image by Magnetbox on Flickr

One of the key elements that I value as an educator and as a learner is the concept of theory to practice. I believe that exploring the value of a particular strategy or tool starts with the research on its effectiveness in different situations. That means reading about what people are trying, what works well, and what hasn’t worked so well. It means listening to reflective practitioners as they analyze their data, and question their results. And then it means trying the theory myself – jumping in with both feet, while being thoughtful about what I’ve learned so far and knowing what questions remain to be answered in my situation, with my population.

But it isn’t good enough for me to just believe in theory to practice for my own work. I need to be explicit about it and encourage it in my students. I need to create experiences in which students feel confident that they understand the theory, and then structure a safe environment for them to turn that newfound theory into practice. I need to share my successes, and be transparent about my failures; modeling what we do when something doesn’t go as expected is a critical step in helping others become reflective lifelong learners.

Theory to practice is a way to learn, a way to be a lifelong learner. It is a spiral of knowledge that involves researching, testing, reflecting, then researching again to get to the next level. For me it is a constant state of questioning, of being slightly off-balance, and not being able to settle for the status quo. It’s a constant state of growth.