This summer I have begun work with a program through the Lutheran Schools Association of NY called Future Leaders Academy. I am honored to be part of this group of Lutheran Educators who feel called to explore leadership roles within Lutheran Education. Many of our assignments are of the reflective type and I will be sharing those reflections on this forum. It is helpful to me to share my thoughts and look back on my growth and progress. Perhaps I can gain insight from others who read my comments or inspire others to spend time reflecting on their own.
The members of the cohort were asked to consider creating a PLN for themselves. This is referring to a personal (or professional) learning network. A PLN is a way to personally and professionally make contact and build relationships with other educators throughout the world. Through these relationships, there is collaboration and sharing of ideas. These connections can open up your mind to new ideas and the relationships can be a great source of support. For more information on a PLN click here
This past year, I have been working on trying to create my own PLN. The use of social media has been essential in this endeavor. Using twitter to connect with other educators has truly changed the way I teach. Working in a small school can be isolating. Twitter has allowed me to interact with people I never would have had the opportunity to connect with. Participating in twitter chats have given me the sense that I am connected to a greater community where my voice can be heard and I can give and receive support. The connections I make and the resources I have been exposed to have grown exponentially.
I have tried to get some of my colleagues to get on board using twitter and some have begun to dapple in its potential. It can be intimidating if you have never used this powerful resource, but I encourage educators to not dismiss this as frivolous "social" tool. Connecting with the world while having a purpose of growth and collaboration can be truly transformative.
I wonder what experiences other educators have had. Please share your thoughts.
Friday, July 24, 2015
Summer Reflection
Now that I am deep into summer mode, it is time to begin preparing for the next school year. Before I can do that though I feel I need to put last year's experience to rest with a bit of reflection.
Last school year was an exciting year for me and I hope my students. Together we tried new was of teaching and learning. Some ideas were met with great success, some were not, and some we realized simply needed more development. When evaluating our year together, I asked myself these 3 questions:
1) What should I start doing that I was not able to do last year?
2) What should I stop doing that did not work?
3) What should I continue doing that worked well?
1. The one thing that I know I need to work on is formative assessments of my students. I need to come up with a system that works for me that not only allows easy assessment, but also to share those assessments with my students as well as work with them setting learning goals for themselves.
2. I need to stop trying to do too many new things at once. Although I work well on the fly, my students need more structure in order to feel secure in what they are doing.
3. I will continue to bring fun into the classroom while inspiring my student into independent learning. I will continue blogging and having student's bring their own device into class as a way of giving my students confidence in having their own voice in the world and responsibility for their own learning,
At the end of the school year, I asked my students to list 6-10 words that described our year together.
Below is a word cloud I created with their words.
Last school year was an exciting year for me and I hope my students. Together we tried new was of teaching and learning. Some ideas were met with great success, some were not, and some we realized simply needed more development. When evaluating our year together, I asked myself these 3 questions:
1) What should I start doing that I was not able to do last year?
2) What should I stop doing that did not work?
3) What should I continue doing that worked well?
1. The one thing that I know I need to work on is formative assessments of my students. I need to come up with a system that works for me that not only allows easy assessment, but also to share those assessments with my students as well as work with them setting learning goals for themselves.
2. I need to stop trying to do too many new things at once. Although I work well on the fly, my students need more structure in order to feel secure in what they are doing.
3. I will continue to bring fun into the classroom while inspiring my student into independent learning. I will continue blogging and having student's bring their own device into class as a way of giving my students confidence in having their own voice in the world and responsibility for their own learning,
At the end of the school year, I asked my students to list 6-10 words that described our year together.
Below is a word cloud I created with their words.
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