#CSEdWeek The kids won't stop writing!

I needed this this week!

It has been a very hectic few weeks at school amidst a busy holiday season.

The past few weeks have required countless hours of printer inventories, ERDing desktop computers, organizing laptop collections, teaching staff how to backup files; we had our school wide server upgrade this week unplugging the entire school leaving glitches to fix in it's wake.  I am tech contact.

I have trained teachers to administer the IOWA test, bubbled answer sheets, tracked testing permission letters, made and revised a test plan, organized students into testing settings, and gave the IOWA; I am test coordinator.

I wrote sub plans for two days last week the day after Thanksgiving break, prepared a presentation for the Convergence conference, spent 7 hours over the weekend participating in on-line professional training (#EDUcationOnair); I am ITF.

And despite, I had an amazing week at school with my students.

This is Computer Science Week.

#HourofCode is happening all over the world.

I participated….beginning the day my school had no internet of any kind.  And the lessons have had kids pumped all week!

~~

I teach with technology. It is my job.  Two of my elective classes are called Computer Writing and Technology Wizards.  I have to admit, it was challenging me to write a lesson plan to carry me through the day Monday when the internet didn’t exist.  I toyed with having the kids do some research with real books. I thought venn diagrams comparing computer writing and pencil paper writing with fun scrapbook paper would be fun and would look nice in the hallway.

Then I became engrossed in more and more breakout sessions throughout Google’s EDUcation On Air. Code 4 Kids was one session that captivated me.  I code with my students.  Scratch that...I don’t know how to code.  I let my students code.  

They love it.  

LOVE it!

The boys AND girls alike!

But I had always dismissed the unplugged coding lessons not realizing just HOW engaging they really are!  I will never make this mistake again!  During the EDUcation On Air session, I made a connection I hadn’t before. I have been having my students code since the first year I started teaching; longer actually!  I just wasn't aware of it.

When I prepared my presentation about coding for the Convergence conference,  I included Common Core curriculum standards that coding satisfies. There were multiple grade level goals represented in my presentation and they covered science, ELA, math and speaking and listening. But after EDUcation On Air, I started seeing algorithms (a+b=c) and writing, adjectives, verbs, drafts, editing...never really a final draft.  This was going to happen in my classes beginning on Monday when we had no internet. Yep!  We were going to code unplugged.

We were going to release a beta version of the making of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

On day two, it was SO amazing to hear 2nd and 3rd graders who I had guest spoken for the day before showing up at the classroom door saying, “WE GET TO CODE AGAIN TODAY!”

Remember: there was not one computer turned on the day before nor would there be all week for this.  Yet they were psyched about getting to code!

This is dumbfounding to me. And the enthusiasm continued throughout the week.

By midweek I was done.  DONE!  I had other lessons to get to.  

We had written code (written in sequence), run the programs (made sandwiches), fixed bugs (edited and revised), pushed out updates (retried the revised sequence of steps….made more sandwiches), pushed out more updates (with stronger and more specific language)...

But honestly, I didn’t want to watch another PBandJ sandwich being mutilated.  However, the kids were not done. They had more bug fixes to make and updates to release. They were not letting this go.  I had to coax them to put the paper and markers down and leave class well after the bell rang each day.   

I had to meet in the middle some how. I started this and couldn’t just drop it..  I finally agreed to release their app to the public (bring home their code scripts and record my family running the program of them making the sandwich for them). After playing the video of my family enjoying the app, they were then free to take their code home and fix their bugs at home on their own time.

I have not seen so much enthusiasm about editing and revising in a LONG long time.  I truly couldn’t stop the kids from analyzing each other’s sequences and revisiting their versions of code.  There was giggling and belly laughing with every failed attempt.  They begged to have their programs recorded to play back and learn from.

Next week we begin “ordinary” coding with computers in my classes. I have done this before with much enthusiasm from the kids. However, coding unplugged has been an “extraordinary” coding experience bringing with it more gratification than I could have imagined.  I am bubbling over with a renewed love of writing, editing, and revision.

I am tech contact.  I am test coordinator,  I am ITF.

I have dealt with a server upgrade, testing, and sub plans this week.

It has been a hectic few weeks.

I have inspired failure and a grueling writing process and with, it persistence.

It has been a fantastic week!

#HourOfCode

#EDUcationOnair

#CSEdWeek

The Community That Surrounds Me

The fact that this is the end four weeks of school already is mind boggling in itself. But the fact that I went from feeling under accomplished to soaring in just one week amazes me. It is time for another blog post!

I spent my summer working through class 5 out of 6 for my Special Endorsement in Computer Education certification The class was not at all strenuous, thank goodness because afterall, it was summer vacation. But then there was this tempting trend among my ITF community for becoming a Google Certified Educator...I bit! When looking into the training I discovered that there was much I already knew and just a little I didn’t know but found very useful. Why not get certified for all the things I used regularly? So I did it. I studied the modules for a few hours and took the test. THAT was intense! I decided that I was glad I got myself a new title for something I was pretty good at already but that was it. Level 2 was going to have to be a future plan. I didn’t really enjoy taking that test for 3 intense hours!  A week later I was taking the Level 2 test. My blood pressure was on the rise and I was pretty sure I failed by the end of it!  That felt pretty crappy because I don’t fail at this kind of thing especially after signing up for that much pressure. I persist, always. But this wasn’t something I could just go back and correct. A retake would be another 3 hours of this harrowing timed performance test.  But three extremely long minutes later I got the result that announced my passing! Time well spent and a logo to call my own for two years….when I have to go through this all again!

But I digress. Where I wanted to go with this blog post is that I let summertime fade to be replaced with excited anticipation of sharing my fresh skills with teachers; for them and for the students. I know that the start of every year is no time to be pushing new learning on a teacher.  And I had PLENTY to keep my days crazy full until the time was right to share. I accomplished elective registrations, beginning of grade testing for 3rd grade, a school technology audit, laptop and iPad dispersal, beginning of grade testing for 3rd grade, technology heat tickets, creation of an elective website, beginning of grade testing for 3rd grade, creation a walk through tool and a collaboration document, an off campus ITF meeting, test training (working through grad course #6 of 6 after hours)...the list would grow if I kept logging.

All the while, I had all these ideas I knew could make the days of my colleagues easier, but the timing was still not right. It was too early to teach tricks. It was too soon for them to inquire about collaboration projects. And I kept telling myself that altho I feel like I am not fulfilling my role as ITF, this was only week 2 and there were many, MANY more weeks to go.  This was only week 3 of school and there were many, MANY more to go.  And then week 4 happened. So much learning and risk taking happened this week!

I didn’t have targets picked out ahead of time and my participants were not who I imagined they would be this early on.  But I moved about with deliberate focus on teachable moments.  And I found several. Even better, I found eager, open minded, colleagues with a growth mindset and a willingness to take a risk or two.

By the end of week four, I had taught 3 support staff friends how to create a google website. This took just 30 minutes to get them far enough along to proceed on their own. They didn’t need me to design the site for them; just to help them create the shell and plant the seed of purpose.  Two of these same teachers were giddy about using an iPad mirroring tool called Reflector for projecting the iPad screen to the white board….remotely (without cords and dongles!). Then it was screencasts and chromecasts for another teacher. One day after exposing her to both of these, she had 6 non english speaking 4th and 5th graders engaged in learning  with the incorporation of a screencast chrome casted to the new lab TV! Later, I found the opportune time to show a class and a teacher the google research tool for inserting images and citing resources.  I am pretty sure the teacher was as thrilled as the students were!  This same teacher sought me out for a Google Classroom lesson. Her “Classroom” and ideas for converting edmodo material to Google Classroom use was born before I even left the room. But this wasn’t the best of it, although this was all pretty awesome!

IDMod II is researching and creating google doc reports already!  One day I was invited to brainstorm tools for researching sea animals and the next day these 10 IDMod kids were in google docs and inserting images from the research tool option. Two days later, all had accessed Discovery Education, engaged with digital content, and more than half have at least one page of their report completed already!  

This was only week four.

And there are many, MANY more to go!

But this is not where I want to leave my readers. The point of this blog post is not to inform of all the impatience I have bottled up for sharing my know-how, or to list accomplishments I have experienced this year so far.

It is really about teachers; teachers willing to take risks with a growth mindset for the good of our learners. Sometimes riding a roller coaster is more terrifying than exciting. Trusting the words, “We can do this” is harder than it seems. To hear, “It’s really easy,” sound like a line of bull when ideas are unfamiliar and incomprehensible. But daily, I am reminded that when someone tells me that it is easy once you know how, I realize it always IS easy once I decide to learn it. They wouldn’t have told me this if it wasn’t true. But it is always my job to trust them. I am realizing more and more that I am surrounded by people who want to encourage me to be better at what I do.  I have come to trust those people around me who have a good thing to share and have confidence in me to, if not embrace it, but to at least give it a shot. Had I have not been this person I would not have learned to chromecast, use reflector, or experience a breakout box all by the 4th week of school.  Thank you for those who have encouraged me.

And after this incredible week of experimenting, sharing, and learning, I want to say thank you to those teachers who are trusting not only me when I tell them they CAN be successful with new tricks and tools, but more importantly, for trusting themselves.  I can’t express how rewarding it is to gain followers who are willing to be the kind of learner I find so gratifying to be, myself.  I am truly blessed to be surrounded by a growing community of risk takers who trust me and each other enough to try and share something new, and to have the confidence in themselves to carry on even outside of my presence. Unless you can trust that new and risky ideas are worth a try, realize that failing forward is a move in the right direction, and are willing to keep trying even when I walk away, my job is not a job well done. This week I feel very accomplished. I have witnessed great things by my colleagues. And not because I did for them, but because they were willing to exercise a growth mindset, trust themselves, and take the reins.  How blessed are their young learners...and how blessed am I!  And how rewarding it must be to be them!

This was only week four.

And there are many, MANY more to go!

Minecraft has that effect

In the keeping with the authenticity of blogging (posting only when feeling moved to do so rather than forcing something out on a schedule) it has taken me a while to feel moved to post a second blog. But I finally had a revelation which has spawned this post.

About two months ago, I was part of some conversations about purchasing MinecraftEDU at our school. At that time I knew nothing more about it than (1) my 5 year old and 11 year old played it at home and (2) it was a craze among my students.  I could also pick out a “character” from the game if I saw one on a tee shirt. However, this was enough to ignite a strong desire in me to explore it. More than explore it, I wanted to master it. Not for me, but for my students.  One month ago, our principal approved the purchase and our PTA paid the bill. I can’t recall the last time I studied so hard and so fast to master anything. My tutorials were a tad unconventional, however.

I did a fair amount of searching online for tutorials and the MinecraftEDU wiki was helpful but it wasn’t very hands on. Mostly, I brought my school laptop home at night. I had my 5 year old use my personal laptop and we would join a world together on a server and he’d show me around and what we could do.  We still do this nightly, a month later, and I am still learning new things!  I don’t know how helpful learning to ride a pig by dangling a carrot on a stick in front of it is, but trading with villagers and navigating the inventory bar has been useful among other things.    I am now to the point where I am teaching HIM new things! And our nightly conversations are quite original!

Now I am also using my students to help me learn and advocate for getting MinecraftEDU into classrooms. Currently, I have a few of my Computer Writing elective students writing a how-to manual for teachers (they know their homeroom teachers aren't likely to use Minecraft with them if they don't know how). Obviously, my writers are exceptionally focused and motivated in class! All of the students in that class and my Art of Animation Class contributed to two different padlets; what you need to know to play minecraft and another telling what kinds of curriculum teachers could teach with the game.  My Art of Animation elective class is about to make screencasts of what they can do with the game (we tried modding but that was too much too fast and we wreaked some havoc on the laptops and halted that exercise) and we will compile those recordings as digital tutorials for teachers (and for me, let’s be honest).

My most current homeschooling is involving downloading new worlds and trying to remember how to access the lesson plans that go with them so I can print them out at school.  And I have begun to journal the few lessons I have taught/co-taught using curriculum standards; area and perimeter to 3rd grade, volume to 5th grade, reading strategies to 3rd grade.   All of this has been extremely time consuming but has been so rewarding to implement. Last week, I was finishing up the volume lesson with a 5th grade class and a girl said she was having so much fun.  She asked it this was really part of the curriculum. I took a picture with my phone of the script for standards 5.MD.3, 5.MD.4 and 5.MD.5 from  my online planbook and had her read the goals. Her response was, and I quote, “Whaoooo, this is a big deal!” My favorite picture that I posted on Twitter was of a 1st grader showing my Assistant Principal how to play!

So that is what drives me. But I have been feeling like I have been overworking myself; and here I sit blogging about MinecraftEDU!  Teachers do a huge amount of school work at home after hours but this has been a bit over the top. And that is when I had a revelation. I can look at this as an unreasonable amount of after hours I am putting in and feel frustrated about that.  Or I can see it for what it really is. I am under the Minecraft spell that has bewitched so many others out there. This just might be a new hobby? I still have no desire to sit and build and craft things the way the kids do.  But I am highly intrigued by how I can craft curriculum lessons from the teaching potential of this game and ignite a new level of motivation in the students at my school. I realize I am not working for free from home as much as I am challenging myself in new ways; ways I NEVER would have imagined would ever intrigued me….ever! And here it all is; posted all over my twitter feed and the focus of my blog post!

Minecraft has that effect!

Where will you be in 5 years? HaRdEsT qUeStIoN eVeR!

It's that time of year again.  The "Intent Form" time of year; that form you have to fill out from your school principal detailing what your intentions are for the next school year (does he get to/have to keep you or are you hoping to venture out on a new adventure?).  I was doing real well with my responses until that question happened; Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

...?

.....?

I can't remember a time when I saw myself in one year let alone 5. Even when it came to teaching, I was NOT going to do THAT!  My mother and father were both teachers.  My mother's 6 sisters were teachers and all but 1 married a teacher.  All of my cousins who were older than me were teachers or in school pursuing a teaching degree.  But that wasn't my dream.  I was going to be an interior designer (or a pilot...or a rock star).  But my designing dreams were no match the genetic mutation in my DNA called teaching.

But there is that 5 year vision again. There isn't a job I have ever had that didn't fall into one of the following categories:

1. I never considered this job.
2. I didn't go looking for this job.
3. I didn't compete for this job.
4. Why think about it? Just go for it.

My first job was in high school as a freshman. No, that isn't the job I am talking about although it was the only job my folks expected of me; full time student. But a neighbor friend of mine worked at a day care center in town and they were short an after school teacher one evening.  She called to ask if I would come that evening so they were in compliance with teacher to child ratios. I agreed and kept the job for 7 years! It was the job I had when I left school early every day during my high school senior year for the work study program.  It was the job I started college with until I *gulp* had to quit to...student teach! That day care changed my life, apparently.  I am still working with kids!

Then there was the summer job during college. I was the kid who never spent the night at anyone's house growing up. I liked MY house. I even lived at home throughout college. That's why I still don't know what came over me when I answered an add in the newspaper (the real paper kind), drove 90 minutes to an interview and returned home as a summer camp counselor at a resident YMCA camp; Camp Weona: Where only good Prevails! Yep!  I had to LIVE there all summer (but my mom promised to write to me eveyr day..and she did...and I still have all those letters). It ended up being the best job I ever had until now; one of those times in your life that leaves you with those happy feelings you try to recreate in your adulthood but never can.  I even returned for a second year before getting married and agreed to be the Arts and Crafts specialist.  I also added weekends for winter programs!

College graduation happened after that and rather than pursue a teaching career, I decided to sub for the first year (picking and choosing when and where I wanted to work...or not). I also worked as a banquet waitress at a friend's family banquet hall on weekends; so much fun! (Another job they were short a person for and needed a warm body...I spent many many weekends there after that nerve racking crash course).

My first year in NC was next in the timeline of my life. Teaching jobs in NY were scarce at best; teachers were not retiring there, holding our for better retirement packages and clogging the market for new graduates. So, knowing NO one in NC, my husband of one week and I moved to NC where I picked up 2 long term maternity sub positions right away.  That first summer, I needed an income so I walked into a random day care (something familiar) where they recognized the value in hiring a real certified teacher for a pre-school teacher. In less than a year I was asked to open their 3rd daycare center as the pre-school director.  It wasn't on my radar when I was asked to do so but I gave it about 3 minutes thought, and figured, "Why not". So I was a pre-school administrator for two years.  That just drove one of my after school teachers bonkers. She worked full time by day as the SIMS person for Wake County Schools and came in after her day was done to work a few more hours with us. She couldn't stand that I was "wasting" my degree as a pre-school administrator even though it was great with me!  She arranged for the principal of Lincoln Heights at the time to interview me for a teaching position.  Honestly, I was not real interested but knew better than to burn a bridge. So I went for the interview. THAT was an awkward interview!  I kid you not...

Principal: Have you ever....?
Me: No
Principal: Do you have experience with...."
Me: No
Principal: What do you know about the NC curriculum?
Me: Nothing.

Thank goodness Linda Starkweather, the IRT at the time, (having seen my work background on my resume) told the principal she knew I had "grit".  How else could I have been so successful in working my way up in long term positions that I took on a whim without giving any of them much (or any) thought....and been happy and successful in each one!? So, three days into the first teacher work days of the new school year I got the call to be a 4th grade teacher, my understanding bosses gave the OK to go, and in a matter of a day I was a teacher!

No one in teaching needs to have it detailed how consuming that job was.  For years I had put it out there to my administrator that I was interested in a job, ANY job, that was not a homeroom teacher. But turnover on the grade level was high and I was the constant. So taking me out of that position was not favorable. I was stuck until I took it upon  myself to job share the 4th grade position with a friend of mine. I was perfectly willing to work full time, just not as a homeroom teacher. So we planned all summer, made our part time schedules, wrote letters to our future student's families...and the call came. My principal said the science specialist position came open and it was mine. I did that job for 7 years at that school until the position had to be cut due to classroom numbers. They needed a homeroom teacher before a science teacher. Being unwilling to teach a homeroom again, I left that school after 11 years there and was taken on as a science specialist at a different school (by the same principal who hired me as the science specialist at my last school! Also the same principal who asked me if I would consider being an ITF which required going back to school).

I do not have a master's degree nor am I nationally board certified.  Back in NY, I completed a 5 year program in 4 years and never wanted to go back to being a student another day in my life. Yet, within a week of that ITF question, I was enrolling at ECU as a student to become an Instructional Technology Facilitator. However, before she could hire me for that position, she got moved to a different school. Thank goodness my new principal gave me that shot and took me on as the ITF just 2 months ago. I could not be happier. I am just as happy now as I was as that resident camp counselor at Camp Weona!

So now we have come full circle to that time of year when I have to answer that "5 years from now" question. Just so I could submit the form, I typed a few sentences after much thought.  But if I am to be honest, the response wasn't exactly what is in my heart. I pretty much just made something up that resembled what I am doing now only because I like what I am doing and I needed to submit it. But reflecting on it now, a week later in my first ever blog attempt, I think I know what I need to go back in and change my response to.

In 5 years from now, I want to be as surprised as ever in where I will be because so far, my gut and my soul have never once steered me wrong. My grit has never failed me, Year after year gets better and better and not once have I ever seen it coming. For me, I believe that is the way it is supposed to be.  If others can see potential in me, I am intrigued although I do know my limits.  I may not always know what I am doing. But if I have agreed to try, I have agreed to find joy in it and will fight like crazy to be the best I can be...until I am blindsided for the next challenge.

So how about YOU....where do YOU hope to be in 5 years? And how do you know? REALLY....how the heck do you know?