Not too long ago, after nearly two decades as a classroom teacher, I was ready to walk away from education. A particularly tough group of students made me feel like a failure. I knew most of them learned little or nothing in an entire school year, so I wondered why I should continue. That summer everything changed. I decided to return to my classroom the following year, but things were going to be different. I threw out literally every method I’d used in my career. Rules and consequences disappeared, along with homework, worksheets and number and letter grades. I created what I call a Results Only Learning Environment, or ROLE. The transformation was remarkably successful. Following is a brief excerpt from the book I’ve written on results-only learning, ROLE Reversal.

“The girl I’ll call Sasha was off to a rough start in her seventh grade year. The first grading period saw very little from Sasha. She completed roughly one-third of one major language arts project and did nothing on a second. Asked to review material covered on a web-based diagnostic tool, so she could retake it and improve her poor score, once again Sasha did not produce. In-class activities were done haphazardly, with little attention to detail. Feedback from the teacher, for the most part, was ignored.

“At the end of the marking period, it was time for reflection, self-evaluation and a final grade. I met with Sasha, as I did with every student, and we discussed her production. When I asked Sasha for her thoughts, she admitted that the results were not what she had hoped for. She gave no excuses. Because the administration at the middle school where I teach mandates that teachers assign quarterly grades, I told Sasha that a formal grade had to go on the report card. This was a new concept, because there were no points, percentages or grades on any activity for the entire first nine weeks of school in our class.

“ ‘So put a grade on your production for Quarter One,” I said. Tears rolled down Sasha’s face, a heart wrenching sight, as I hated to see her punished by a grade. In between sobs, her chin resting weakly on her chest, Sasha whispered, “I guess it has to be an F.” When I asked if she was certain, Sasha nodded affirmatively. At this moment I realized that a Results Only Learning Environment would forever change how I taught and how my students learned. The roles were reversing. Students were assessing their own learning, and their self-evaluations were providing me with the information I needed to create better learning opportunities in my classroom. Education was changing into something truly revolutionary.

“One grading period later, Sasha was up to a C, and she continued to progress throughout the year. She is one of dozens of examples of students who have thrived in a unique classroom that ignores the fundamental methods that teachers across America use daily – worksheets, homework, multiple-choice tests, rewards and punishments and a standard grading system. This book will share many examples of students like Sasha, who have taken charge of their own learning and assessment in what I call a Results Only Learning Environment. This transformative approach to teaching is based on research, theory and practice of people like, Daniel Pink, Alfie Kohn, Steven Krashen and Donalyn Miller. Although these authors and educators are referenced in several places throughout the book, most evidence of the effectiveness of results-only learning is based on my own practical experience and the almost uncanny success of my students.”

Later chapters of ROLE Reversal explain the student-centered, project-based learning approach of the ROLE. The complete elimination of rules and consequences is explored, and detailed examples of year-long projects and narrative feedback that accompanies them are supplied. Like Sasha, students grade themselves, and they do so with frightening accuracy.

If any of these concepts intrigue you, please feel free to chime in.

Related articles

• Books for Teachers: There Are No Shortcuts(enoughofthecattalk.com)

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• Children’s books(daydreamsofahero.wordpress.com)

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• “Kids Speak Out on Student Engagement” (cshmsfaculty.wordpress.com)

Iftt allows you to pick a simple trigger, such as getting tagged in a Facebook post, and automates a simple outcome, be it a text message so you can take action, or direct action like a Facebook status or a Twitter post.

Iftt’s system is efficient and simple. Triggers, the “this” of the statement, can be chosen from a comprehensive list of channels. These triggers act as the starter that creates the action, or the “that” of the Iftt statement. Ifttt calls this a recipe – a recipe to quickly get your simple, everday webtasks done without even thinking about it!

Ifttt has already become a hugely popular tool, with 1 million tasks created already! The Iftt team is fast and capable, now active on Twitter and Facebook. Try Ifttt to consolidate your small tasks and focus on your business!

I tried out Ifttt myself, and found out just how easy it is. Here are some shots of my process!

After I made my own account, ifttt made it easy to get started!

Getting started with my trigger

So many channels to choose from! Here are just a few!

Activating the channel

Choosing my action!

Time to choose my action!

I chose to make it put an event in my Google Calendar!

I created my first task!

And when I sent the email...

It put an event in my calendar!

Related articles

• Three Steps For Putting ifttt To Work For You(kaneconsulting.biz)

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• Connecting Your Social Media with ifttt.com(epiphanysolutions.co.uk)

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• Iffft Gets your Social Media Sites Talking (thetechpost.co.uk)
• 12 ways to use Ifttt for Social Media Management Magic (emoderation.com)

This course began with a conversation in the back of a cab with my good friend, fellow blogger and consultant, Richard Byrne.  (Check out his award winning blog, Free Technology For Teachers)

We were leaving the event we had both been presenting at, and were reflecting on our experiences over the past decade of making the transition from classroom teacher to independent consultants.

As we compared tales from the road, it seemed as if every story finished with a statement like these:

• I wish I would have known about..

• I wish someone had told me…

• I would have, should have, could have…

• If I had only known then….

When we started this journey, there was no manual of what "not to do", and more importantly "what one must do" to ensure the greatest level of happiness and success.

Hence our course was born, and with the help and support of the amazing Chris Dawson, we are bringing all of our tips and tricks to you.

In this four week course, So You Wanna Be a Leader? we'll walk you through:

• How to create your personal brand

• Expand your influence

• Market your talents and skills

• Create a solid foundation

• Handle logistics of your new small business

Throughout the course we'll share the lessons we've learned the hard way so that you can avoid making the same mistakes. And section of the course has clear action items to get you started on the road to building, expanding, and marketing your personal brand. You can see the course outline here.
 

A Bit of My Story

When I left the classroom over a decade ago, I was not imagining that I would run my own business, make a living as a “consultant”, and most certainly did not consider myself a leader in my field and industry.

The emergence of new technologies and platforms, you can not only operate a consulting business from home, set your agenda, and make an impact in your field or industry; you can be a leader.

And if you are thinking of taking the plunge and going into business for yourself as an independent consultant, but you’re uncertain about your chances; this course was written just for you.

We are excited about the conversations to come, see you on Thursday night! (Space is filling up fast, so hurry on over and secure your spot now!!)

REGISTER TODAY

TED "Ideas Worth Spreading"

Pretty Awesome right?

This is why I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE TED talks and believe them to be one of the best sources on the web for learning, leadership, and personal development. Where else do you have access to the worlds most inspiring, informative, ingenious and innovative people talking about how they are going to do to change the world?

Surfing the TED site is a like walking into a giant candy store, where everything looks and tastes delicious! You want to sample everything but know it will be too much all at once. Bite by bite you work your way through the possibilities until you discover the best of the best; the flavors you want to savor and take with you, celebrating the most amazing with all.

So, without farther ado, I share with you my most cherished discoveries. Each and every one of these 12 Most Innovative, Inspiring, and Unmissable Ted Talks promises to tickle your taste buds and leave you with a sweet sense of excitement and possibility.

Enjoy every morsel!

1. 1. 1.  JR – Use Art To Turn the World Inside Out a semi-anonymous French street artist, uses his camera to show the world its true face, by pasting photos of the human face across massive canvases. At TED2011, he makes his audacious TED Prize wish: to use art to turn the world inside out. After enjoying the talk; make sure you check out the insideoutproject.net.
      2. Ben Zander – On Music and Passion  this talk will not only leave you with a new appreciation for classical music; it will renew in you with a beautiful sense of hope and optimism as watch Mr. Zander awakens the possibility in his students with the act of creating ‘shining eyes.’ One of my absolute favorites!
      3. Randy Paush – Really Achieiving Your Childhood Dream Carnegie Mellon professor Randy Pausch, delivers a one-of-a-kind last lecture that made the world stop and pay attention to what matters most in lives. He taped this moving talk just months before he passed away from pancreatic cancer. Unmissable indeed!
      4. Jill Bolte Taylor's – Stroke of Insight  In this moving talk, brain researcher Jill Bolte Taylor provides a first-person account of her own stroke and the experience of losing control of her bodily functions as well the functions of the left side of her brain. Instead of it being a painful or frightening experience, she said the stroke put her in a intense state of bliss and nirvana. Sharing this experience became her motivation for recovery and our motivation to count our blessings.
      5. Sir Ken Robinson – Bring on the Learning Revolution  Sir Robinson explores what many believe to be true; formal education strangles rather than nurtures our students creative genius and potential.  This is his second TED talk about creativity in education; a follow up from his first TED appearance which has now been seen by over 4 million viewers. It is a must see for anyone who is passionate about changing our education system.
      6.  Tim Brown – On Creativity and Play  as one of founders of the award-winning design firm Ideo, Tim speaks about the powerful relationship between creative thinking and play. Tim argues that a playful environment which relaxes natural inhibitions is more conducive to creative and useful ideas than the very “serious” environment you find in most companies. He makes the case (and I agree); we must give one another permission to play more often!
      7. Brene Brown – The Power of Vulnerability  a key component of true intimacy is making yourself vulnerable to another person and letting them really see who you are. In this talk, you’ll learn how the ability to empathize, love, and share your personal vulnerabilities can not only bring you closer to another human but your humanity itself.
      8. Elizabeth Gilbert  author of Eat, Pray, Love, examines the way society looks at artists and the way artists look at themselves in this TED talk. She feels that the creative people should view their work as channeling God's creative gift to them rather than as their own personal creative genius. And she hopes such a shift might prevent some of the madness and self-destruction that occurs in so many of our modern artists. Loved this talk and presentation!
      9. Tony Robbins  Personal development author and speaker Anthony Robbins explains in his TED talk that when people fail to achieve something, the defining factor is a lack of resourcefulness. He adds that if people are resourceful enough–if they’re creative and determined enough–they’ll find a way to achieve what they’re after. A must watch!
      10. Steven Johnson one of my favorite writers delivered this fantastic talk at TED Global, based on his book Where Good Ideas Come From: A Natural History of Innovation, exploring the cross-pollination essential to ideation and creative thinking. The talk was later animated by the RSA for an even more delicious treat.
      11. Chimamanda Adichie – The Danger of a Single Story  Novelist Chimamanda Adichie talks about the danger of only knowing a single story about a particular culture and relates it to events that have happened throughout her life.  Adichie tells the story of going to Mexico while the media was reporting on the immigration crisis and she embarrassed by her cultural bias and at the diversity of Mexican culture she saw. She encourages us all to seek out a variety of stories about cultures and not just adhere to the one definitive story that is often told by the powerful of one's own culture. Wise lessons for all to in this powerful talk.
      12. Dan Gilbert – Happiness Expert psychology professor at Harvard, and author of Stumbling on Happiness. demonstrates with wonderful stories, anecdotes, and research just how poor humans are at predicating and understanding happiness. This talk will surely make you think the next time you say to someone: Don't worry, be happy! Enjoy, Enjoy!

Remember those good old times when the teacher used to roll the television set into the classroom, to play documentaries about biology and geology and physics? Well, “good old times” seems a little bit too nostalgic here, especially for a kid from the 80’s, because I’m pretty sure they still play them every now and then, using more modern media like DVD’s.

When the teacher pressed the play button and the video started rolling, the whole class literally went mute. Before we could realize what happened, we were all sucked into a world where David Attenborough was our teacher, and the tropical rainforest our classroom. We visited laboratories, museums and even went inside plants to see how chlorophyl worked, and we still had time for supper that day! Most kids, including me of course, were hungry for more by the time the credits started rolling.

What makes documentaries great?

What makes documentaries so engaging and captivating? What made all us kids sit down and watch in awe for more than one full hour? If you have a child, you know this is something impossible to do, right? No child can sit silent for even one minute, let alone an hour. To understand this better, let’s look at what a documentary really is.

A documentary is a montage of sights and sounds from different sources, ranging from radio and television to rare footage from extreme and unreachable places, all with the aim of documenting reality. The key concept here is “reality”: A documentary feels so real and concrete, unlike a chalkboard, which only portrays the abstract. Add to this special effects, and you truly have a unique experience here.

It appeals to all five senses: Sight, hearing, taste, smell and touch. The latter three are generated by our own brain, our imagination, our sixth sense if you will. Documentaries spark interest and enthusiasm, precisely because our brains are completely engaged with the material being
presented. Learning becomes easy and fun, because our attention is fixed while our senses are constantly being stimulated. We form (emotional) memories of what we like, so the stage for future career choices and future creativity for you children could be set here.

Education with documentaries

Documentaries are a great supplementary tool for educators and teachers alike. As a documentary buff, I’ve been using them for myself and my kids for years with amazing results. However, they are not there to replace you. Like I said: They are just tools, and like any other tool, they should be used
with caution and skill. Documentaries have a couple of crucial shortcomings, and I will discuss them here.

First, the problem of objectivity. A good documentary filmmaker will always document reality as objectively as possible, but some can be very subjective as well, especially when they have some kind of political agenda in mind. There is no such thing as peer review in the world of documentaries, so
anybody can produce anything. Always watch a documentary yourself before you show it to your kids. I know from experience that many can be misleading.

Another problem is that watching documentaries is a very unsocial activity. Keep in mind that documentaries will never offer real valuable human contact and warmth. Always limit the amount of documentary time to your kids and students. Once or twice a week should be enough. Fill in the rest
of their time with more social activities.

A third problem I see with documentaries has to do with passivity. It’s no different from watching tv, because it offers no interactivity at all. It’s all very linear and absolutely no engagement is required, which kind of dulls the little brains a little bit. We don’t want our children just sitting there and
watching all the time, right? We want to keep their minds sharp, and this can only be done with more interactivity. Fortunately, this problem is tackled by interactive web documentaries which I will cover in another post.

Tim Stokman is the founder of DocumentaryZ.com, a website where you can watch free documentaries online. In his spare time, he raises three kids and watches documentaries.

Case and point. I recently stayed at the Intercontinental Hotel in Boston. I had a minor (and I emphasize the minor) mixup with my online reservation. The staff was wonderfully accommodating and took care of everything when I arrived. Quick, immediate, apologetic, and done. Great customer service right?

Imagine my surprise when, I came back to the room later that evening to this beautiful site.

My first I thought – this must be a mistake. Somewhere in another room, a guest is going to receive a wonderful treat. I called the front desk wanting to make sure the”intended guest” still had time to enjoy their gifts.  As I was dialing, I glanced at the card and saw my name.  In shock, I hung up the phone. The front desk rang me back (of course) again apologizing for any inconvenience this minor incident caused me, wanting to make sure I knew how valued my patience and consideration was.

What…they valued my patience and consideration???  I had long forgotten the “incidence”.  I thought I was being “punked” by my husband or friend. Nope…they meant it.  Imagine that; someone going out of their way to make sure I left happy and satisfied with their service. WOW- almost unheard of these days!

Glad they put this in writing, or I would think it was a dream:

Although, I appreciated and loved these special gifts; she ”had me at Angela.”  I was a return customer at, “I’m Sorry.”  So few brands take the time and energy for those basics. That is all people are looking for- to be noticed and acknowledged; to matter- right?

Luxury is no longer defined by the quality of your product or zeros on your price tag. It is defined by your ability to meet and exceed the needs of customers.

How do you provide “luxurious” service to those you lead and serve?

Related articles

• Customer Service: Before and After (themarlincompany.com)
• Why Just Service Customers When You Can Engage Them? (community.constantcontact.com)
• Do You Have Welcomers Working for You? (smallbiztrends.com)
• Mar 26, Good Customer Service: Define Customer Service and Understand Impact on Business (more-for-small-business.com)
• Leap Year Lesson #103: Companies Need Customer Service Like Granny Provides (jeffrossblog.com)
• The Evolution of Customer Service (socialmediachat.wordpress.com)
• Educate All Your Employees to be Brand Ambassadors (themarlincompany.com)
• Shirt-off-my-back customer service (theorganizedexecutiveblog.com)

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Pssst! Instructors, students expect more…

Old habits die hard, but some need to die faster. In a recent research presentation at the International Conference on Online Learning, findings supported what many have suspected: college instructors are neither using nor as proficient in technology as are their students. They are not widely incorporating it into their courses and their own use is of technology is significantly less than that of their students. One conclusion stated in the report was that “…(online students) are much more proficient in technology than are their online instructors.” Incorporating the use of technology and the Internet into the classroom is important as it becomes an integrated part of people’s lifestyle. Here are three specific ways instructors can meet their student’s expectations of using technology in school.

E-mail: Really?

It’s back to the basics when it comes to instructors using technology. In this case, we mean really basic. E-mail, for many, has become a dreaded reality, not because of its ease of quickly communicating and sharing documents, but because its ease has been so misused. Stories of users turning on their devices and finding literally hundreds of messages are common, but an overwhelming amount of mail is likely the result of users having no management systems, and that’s a huge problem.

Practically all e-mail systems have filters that automatically direct incoming mail to specific, prioritized folders. One highly recommended filter strategy is to direct all Fwd: messages to one folder; don’t discount your trash or junk folder for this purpose. Naturally, you’ll want to scan your subject lines before flushing or redirecting these messages, but there’s a pretty good chance that these types of messages contain a majority of low-relevancy mail. Be ruthless in your deleting!

Another important practice for your email account is filtering. Use a filter to direct all e-mail from your current students into a specific folder. Make sure your students know that you sort emails by their names so they should cut and paste rather than Fwd: messages. Using e-mail to generate group messages, share common files and address individual questions is a good use of e-mail, so don’t neglect this grand old technology – manage it!

Content Management Systems (CMS)

When your think CMS, think Cloud. Google Docs and Dropbox are two of the most popular, cloud-based CMS programs on the market, and many schools have their own cloud platforms that allow for collaborative file sharing. Think of the times circumstances have necessitated changing a syllabus, but process to make the changes is daunting, so it’s easier to just leave things as they are. With a CMS, such changes are relatively simple.

If you are teaching online classes, group work can be greatly enhanced by sharing common documents with your students. You can manage the documents to access projects and evaluate student progress. Using a cloud system is also helpful to your students because hard-drive crashes and other incidences are sometimes unavoidable. Having the work available on the cloud saves time and stress. Saving documents on the cloud is a good skill to both practice as an instructor and teach to students.

Digital Textbooks (e-books)

Surprisingly, e-textbooks have had a slow acceptance record by students, but that trend is quickly changing. If you’re not using e-texts, invest a little time in locating appropriate digital text materials. The obvious place to begin this search is with your current bound copy’s publishing company. The cost saving to students is just one good reason to use a digital text.

If you DO use digital text, be sure that your e-book isn’t simply an electronic duplicate of the regular text. In many cases it is, and if you can’t find a better replacement, you’ll want to begin developing additional online resources to augment your regular text – another good reason to take the time to find an e-text with value added features already present – such as student self-tests, videos underscoring core concepts, and other interactive assets.

The future is now

Knowing how to effectively use the most common forms of technology for teaching is not – as if it ever were – an optional part of teaching. If you’re hesitant, it’s time to face facts. Education is changing for everyone and even the seasoned instructor needs to leave their comfort zone and make their good content even better. This isn’t about changing for change’s sake, as is too often the case in education, but rather an opportunity to be more professional in both delivery and impact for students, the reason most instructors chose teaching in the first place.

Related articles

• Three Teaching Thoughts on Lectures and Textbooks (mediterraneanworld.wordpress.com)
• Crowdsourcing the Textbook: Terminology, Technology, and Technique (onlinecollege.org)
• Instant Messaging Found to Slow Students’ Reading (education.com)

How to Develop Public Speaking Skills Online

Public speaking is one of the most effective ways to communicate ideas and
persuade people to understand your point of view. However, if you have
never spoken in public before, or just have anxiety towards doing so, you
may have trouble with the idea of giving a speech to a group of people. Now
you can let go of that fear because there are ways to learn how to develop
public speaking skills online.

One way to develop your public speaking skills is to look for an online class
devoted to the topic. If there is no in-person class in your area, find an
online class that teaches public speaking skills. Several colleges offer online
public speaking courses, including the University of Wisconsin. Its
Introduction to Public Speaking course covers speech composition, delivery
and effective listening skills and can help you gather the poise and
confidence to become a better public speaker. It requires you to be able to
record video clips and post them online with the use of a webcam, helping
you learn different methods of speaking in front of an audience. Although
the course may seem basic and lacking in content, prominent programs
such as traditional or online MBA programs value their students’ abilities to
be able to speak in public and persuade consumers or shareholders.

If you cannot afford a college course, you can still take public speaking
lessons online for free. One such site, School for Champions, offers a full
spectrum of topics related to public speaking, including setting goals,
preparing to speak, showing confidence in your delivery, and satisfying your
audience. It even suggests ways to make money as a public speaker.

If you dislike the structure of a classroom, you can still learn to speak in
public by reading as many articles as you can about the subject. Stephen M.
Fournier’s website focuses on the art and science of rhetoric and how
speakers use their skills effectively. In addition, his site contains pointers
about body language, speech writing, vocal intonation, and how to
overcome nervousness.

Most importantly, you need to practice the skills you learn in order to
develop them and keep them sharp. Just as a photographer can only take
better pictures through practice, you can only become good public speaker
when you practice the skills you learn from one of these online sources. If
you want to practice using a pre-written speech, the Internet is full of
historical speeches you can use to improve your skills. The History Place
offers a collection of historically significant speeches, from Patrick
Henry’s “Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death” speech to Winston
Churchill’s “Their Finest Hour” speech to President George W. Bush’s first
address to the American people after 9/11.

When you know what skills you need to speak in public effectively, you can
overcome your fear of public speaking through study and practice. The
Internet is a great place to gather the resources needed to start gaining the
experience needed to speak in public.

Related articles

• Public speaking (shanemcmordie.wordpress.com)
• Public Speaking on Short Notice (podiumproapp.wordpress.com)
• Getting Over Stage Fright: Becoming an Effective Public Speaker (psychologytoday.com)
• We get a new vocabulary list for public speaking (clipboards.wordpress.com)

The Quiet Place Project, Amitay’s global reminder, has had huge success in spreading his peaceful message. It combines three beautifully designed interfaces that provide a hushed reminder to stop and smell the roses.

Check out The Quiet Place, the opening message from the site to take a small moment for yourself, and see if it makes you feel better about your hectic schedule!

The beauty in the project is its simplicity. If you are feeling stressed, you can simply click the 90 Seconds Relaxation Excercise. The message is simple; we’ve all heard it before, but in his quiet way, it can help you feel more in touch and prepare you to face the stressful world with a calm face.

If you need to take a little more action to feel at peace, the newest addition to The Quiet Place, The Thoughts Room might be a huge help as well. The room lets you type all your thoughts for as long as you wants as it destroys your negative feelings with bright starbursts in the night sky. The room is a great visualization that really makes your bad feelings seem more manageable, and might make your day that much more productive!

Thank you to Amitay Tweeto for your beautiful example of how something small can make a big difference. Check out The Quiet Place, contribute if you want to, listen to the beautiful background music, and see how Amitay’s wonderful message can brighten your day!

Here’s Marc Aeicherts composition “One Day in August,” the background music to The Thoughts Room, to get you started!

Check out the quiet place so we can all have A Quiet Day!

Preface:

The Global Grade 3s of Calgary, Canada have been blogging for almost two months now. Their blog focuses on connecting globally to share their learning experiences and what it means to be eight  and nine year old Change Makers.

The journey they share revolves around their Global Citizenship initiative: reconstructing a school library and putting books on the shelves in the forgotten rural village of Q’enqo, Peru.

What follows are highlights of this story through their eyes! It is a privilege and honour for all of us to be sharing our global adventure with Angela Maiers and her readers!

Q’enqo children outside their future library!

Background:

Last year’s 2010-2011 Grade 3s connected via Skype with a fellow teacher and his children who were travelling in Peru. The conversation sparked a call to action in our students.

They became driven to make a difference in the lives of the Q’enqo students. “Kids helping kids! Now that is what personalized learning is all about.” To support our students’ fundraising plans we partnered with Mosqoy, “a Canadian charitable organization working to bridge cross-cultural gaps between North American and Peru”.

Originally our students intended to raise money for sports equipment for the Q’enqo school but they soon discovered school had far greater needs. Our students decided the people of Q’enqo and the organizations that support them should decide where to direct the funds.

In May 2011 our students learned their fundraising efforts would support the creation of a school library in Q’enqo. The project had be abandoned years prior, but the involvement of these passionate Grade 3s meant a building could be renovated, shelves built, materials transported, and books purchased.

The 2011-2012 group of Grade 3s embraced the project from where it left off in June and they have dedicated this year to nurturing and expanding the partnership with Q’enqo.

Future Q’enqo student standing outside the soon-to-be transformed library.

“We are two of the Grade Three Bloggers, and our class is helping to build a library in Q’enqo, Peru!  So, we decided to make a BLOG about the library project!  Do you know our teachers BEGGED for a blog … and … they GOT it!  Oh, and did you know it is the FIRST … the very FIRST classroom blog in the whole CBE, (Calgary Board of Education)?!?  And, we found out in the middle of January.

When we found out our teachers had to peel us off the CEILING!!!  On a blog, people all over the world can comment and read our writing!  It seems boring, but it isn’t!  (It is LOTS of writing … but what is COOL is that it is a REAL audience and we get to connect with REAL people all OVER the world!  It is SO exciting!)  Someone special commented on our blog … and that someone was ANGELA Maiers!  We learn from the commenters … and another one is Ross Mannell!  He lives in Australia!”  ~Larissa & Sophie G.

“Our class has a blog! It’s special because we are the only class blog in all of the Calgary Board of Education!!!  Some of our posts talk about the future library in Q’enqo, Peru. Q’enqo is a little village in the mountain region of Peru. The Q’enqo library was started years ago, but they ran out of money. The fund-raising in our school started last year, with the Grade 3s that are now in Grade Four.

They did a fund-raiser called “Caps for Q’enqo” and people were allowed to bring a loonie, (one dollar) to wear a hat INSIDE the school, unlike other days where it is against the rules!  This year’s fund-raiser was called True Colours.  But, that’s not the ONLY fund-raiser … there was also Pajama Day!  That was FUN!” ~Ava

Q’enqo children watching the construction inside the library!

“Hi! We are some of the Grade Three Bloggers and we are here to tell you about our AWESOME journey with the Library Project in Q’enqo, Peru! We do lots of Skyping with Ashli and Geneva (they are with Mosqoy and helping us with the library project). Ashli told us that when she was with her crew in Q’enqo, and she was working, the kids were watching as the library was being cleaned, repaired, painted and reconstructed.

They were amazed at what the adults were doing. Some of the kids even helped! Geneva told us, the other day when we Skyped with her, that they painted the inside of the building with a gray ceiling, the inside walls purple, the outside walls light purple and dark blue, and the doors dark blue!

One of the Mosqoy students is an artist and he painted a beautiful hummingbird on the outside of the future library.  For lunch, they ate bread and potato soup that the lovely mothers of Q’enqo cooked for them to show their gratitude. We feel so proud because we helped build the community of Q’enqo a library!” ~Mya & Kaylee

Enjoying potato soup and bread for lunch made with love and gratitude.

“Can you believe that eight and nine year olds can help build a library across the GLOBE?  If you haven’t heard about this … now you have, because we ARE! We’ve been fund-raising and we have raised a TON of money for the library project. When we had our fund-raiser, the whole SCHOOL came together to help us raise over $1 200!

We even had a little fund-raiser of our own where everyone brought in 25 cents. Some people even snuck in some more.  Like me … I put twenty dollars in because I really, REALLY want them to have books to read!”  ~Martin

Signing Spanish books to donate to Q’enqo Library’s Grand Opening!

“I learned so many Peruvian facts that I’ve never even HEARD of by writing the blog!  It made me want to HELP Q’enqo, Peru build the beautiful library, (which, in case you’re wondering, is not quite finished – we will be writing ANOTHER post SOON to share all about the Grand Opening!  Make sure you CHECK back!) One time, in Battalion Park School, we had a Spirit Day where we got to wear our TRUE COLOURS! I felt REALLY excited about this superb, fantastic news about the library in Peru!

We also wanted to add some books to the library when it’s finished, so Mrs. Renton went out and got some that were in SPANISH, (ESPANOL)!  Also, we had a TON of Peruvian guest speakers, (Mary Carmen, Tim Kitchen with Ben and Ella, etc.)”  ~Galen

The inside of the library before the transformation. Some TLC and elbow grease will make a big difference!

“The other day the Grade 3s had a fundraiser called “Show Your True Colours for Q’enqo”. We asked the whole school to wear their Hawk colours. We also asked them to donate a toonie ($2.00) or more because we are helping Mosqoy to build a library in Q’enqo, Peru. It makes me feel proud that we are doing this because everyone should have books. Books are important because they help us to read and to be better learners.” ~Rijul

“I learned that if we all work together our blog can teach a lot of people around the world about how to be Change Makers like us! Our teachers had so many tears in their eyes!!!  We raised this money because we know that people in Q’enqo, Peru are SO grateful for what we did for them to help their kids.  They had to put in windows and fix a hole in the floor to help fix the building that would be the library.  How amazing!”  ~Alexia

Kids eagerly watch the building clean-up (Limpieza)!

“You asked us to tell you more interesting details about our journey…so I am going to tell you about our Skypes! The first Skype we ever had (in a class) was with our fellow friend Ashli. In that Skype Ashli told us about what they needed to finish the library project, the different colours they will paint the library and who could forget … her helping business … Mosqoy.

She also told us a lot about the economy. Things are a lot cheaper in Peru compared to Canada. Can you believe a class of 23 students are building a library in a country across the world? You know what? I think being a change maker is fun! Do you think it’s fun as well?” ~Natasha

“Plooms” (we came up with that term!) Supplies are hard to find and expensive so the Peruvian women use plant brooms!

“We feel we have made a difference in the world. We donated money because Peru does not get a lot of attention. The money we raised is going towards: repairs, paint, new windows, tables, chairs, shelves and books. We can’t wait to see the smiles on children’s faces!” ~Tormod & Zack

“After lunch they painted the library purple with bright blue doors. Soon they will add the furniture and don’t forget, lots of books! Geneva told us that last weekend, they were putting in the furniture and shelving.  She found some books in a market in Cusco, and they will put those on the shelves in the new library as well.  March 5th was the first day of school for the kids in Q’enqo. In the afternoon, they held a Grand Opening to celebrate the new library that Battalion Park Grade 3s have helped to build.  We are excited to Skype with Geneva on Wednesday, March 7th, to hear all about how the library opening went!” ~Jesse  & Eric

Work begins on the inside after hours of sanding and plastering.

“When we first saw the building that was going to be the library in Q’enqo we felt sad because it was muddy, broken and old. The walls were banged up and there were no lights. Now because of our help and their work we are really happy! It looks extremely magnificent. The library has colours, lights, new windows and smooth walls. A student from Mosqoy offered to paint a mural on the outside of the library. He chose a hummingbird, “Qente” in Quechua (the language spoken in Q’enqo). We learned that hummingbirds fly from Victoria, Canada to Peru when they migrate. It shows the connection between Canada and Peru. We were amazed when we saw his beautiful surprise artwork.” ~Julia & Zahra

The finished mural. A hummingbird is a PERFECT symbol for our Library Project!

“Did you know that you don’t have to be a BIG change maker?  You can just be a small change maker. You can even be generous to other people like helping others without being told to.  Also, you can share with other people. For example, if someone forgot their lunch kit, you can always share your food, or you can help your Moms do their chores!”  ~Thalia

“One way to be a change maker is to help people and that is what the Grade 3s in our school are doing.  Another way to be a change maker is by making the world a better place.  I feel VERY proud when I see what the library looks like because I helped build it!”  ~Damian and Brenden

“I am going to teach you how to make yourself into a GREAT change maker! Step One: Add belief and make a promise to yourself that you will NOT give UP! Step Two: Connect to the world and try to set a goal for yourself!”  ~Sophie H.

Thank you, Angela, for giving us this amazing opportunity to share the inspiring journey of our Grade Three students making a difference across the globe!  

The blog has been an amazing way for them to share their learning, but, through the interactions with a global audience, and writing for an authentic audience, the learning has gone far beyond anything we could have ever imagined!  

Thanks so much for helping us to reinforce to our students the reality, the spirit, the importance, and the power of #youmatter!

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