Day four: What I like most about teaching...

Using structured online lesson plan templates! 

 Oh no wait, that's number one on another list! Number one on my FAVORITES list is witnessing the moment when the lightbulb flashes on. I love when the lesson worked, the student got it, and they're completely engaged.

Day 2: One thing I'd like to improve on my next observation.

I'd like to improve Domain 3B, questioning & Discussion Techniques. My classes are technology-based classes that require students to apply their art-making ability and writing ability to web, multimedia, and graphic design projects. Part of the class is "how to" and part is critique/self-evaluation. Better questioning and discussion techniques would make our critiques more meaningful. I've made a real effort to ask higher level questions, but I often don't allow enough time for thinking before responding. Ok, I'll admit it, I'm afraid of the quiet.

Tech toc: Time to Incorporate New Tech

Teaching multimedia to teens is like teaching swimming to a trout... for some kids. They have more camera/multimedia firepower in their pockets than I had in my entire neighborhood when I was their age. Texting, emailing, Skype-ing, are old hat. Some kids are AUTHORING blogs and vlogs. Some kids have their own YouTube channels. Some kids shoot, edit, and broadcast from the hip, or rather, the phone on their hip.

Then, there are the Other Kids... These kids WATCH the blogs, vlogs, YouTube Channels, but they don't author the media. They don't author much of anything because they don't have the  parents who are tech savvy, tech skills, OR access to equipment TO author. These are my people! I know how to get them up and running. I've got notes, prezis, mini-projects, and all kids of resources to get them up & running.

It's the tech savvy kids I stay up at night thinking about. What's the next level for them? These kids are already invested in favorite software and preferred platforms... and their resources are better than the resources I have in my classroom! Hence my big tech experiment: Use your own.

BYO Tech Student Rules Get your parent's permission Be responsible for your own tech Remember to bring it to class or get a zero for the day Pass my pretest Use responsibly as a good digital citizen Put all final work on your school student account to be graded

If a student has a tablet, phone, or laptop that they prefer to use, they can use it.

This is a big risk for me because I can't possibly know all the software out there, or all the devices that are out there. What if something goes wrong and I can't help them?

Just in case Murphy, of Murphy's Law, is listening, I will not tell you it's working out well. I will not tell you that my advanced kids are more engaged. I will not tell you that they've been very responsible, perhaps even uber responsible.

I will just say that every day I cross my fingers and pray that the tic toc on my lucky clock has not run out of time.

Setting Goals in September

Second year in the same district, a first in my new career! I'm so happy I could sing.... If I weren't so busy. As part of my second year teacher professional development, I've been invited to take the 30-Day Blogging Challenge adapted from teachthought.com. Here goes Day 1,  blogging my personal school year's goals:

1. Flip my lessons in Multimedia
2. Diversify my projects and set up guidelines for independent projects for advanced learners
3. Incorporate more "real world" connections and activities in the active engagement part of my planning. Are there contests my students could enter? Are there school events my students could "cover" to create websites, newscasts, portraits, podcasts?
4. Connect with other teachers at school
5. Improve my website
6. Avoid spilling my coffee... Again.

Don't Spill Your Coffee

Anticipate. Research. Plan. August inches up a roller coaster track. September slams, g-force downward pull--learn names, establish class culture, differentiate, assess--catapult to December. Each day a test: did the lesson educate & ignite learning? February. Clack! Screech! Coaster squeals hairpin turn: the observation. Feedback throws you back. May. On track. Improvise, revise, get wise. Do it all again. Don't spill your coffee!