Mathematical Musings

Thought on Implementing the Mathematical Practice Standards

2015-08-06T22:24:00.002-06:00

I have just returned home from a wonderful week in Boston, learning with math educators from all across the country.We were privileged to be part of EDC's Facilitator Institute for their new course, Implementing the Mathematical Practice Standards. The course is supported by a website that contains 30 illustrations of the Standards for Mathematical Practice. Each illustration consists of a mathematics task, student dialogue, teacher reflection questions, and many other resources. I can't wait to use these with teachers! The course activities prompted rich discussions among the participants this week, and I feel that my understanding of the math practices is deeper. Here are some random thoughts related to this week:

The website materials would be great for teachers to use as professional learning team activities.
I have several ideas for turning this training around in my area: using this in my PLT for instructional coaches, offering it to districts as an after school PD (ten 2 hour sessions), taking pieces of the PD and inserting it into other PD's.
I am energized by spending the week with other educators who are passionate about math education. I love hearing about what is happening in other parts of the country. I want to seek out other experiences like this!
I don't have to travel to interact with educators from other places. I received a mini-course on using Twitter for education from my new friend Hedge, and I am going to give Twitter another try. She also encouraged me to begin blogging again, so here I go!

This is a small start, but at least it's a start. I have a workshop in the morning, so this will have to do for now. Maybe I won't wait another five years before I post again.

Fractions and Slope

2010-09-21T13:29:00.003-06:00

I just read a great article in last month's NCTM journal, Mathematics Teaching in the Middle School. It describes how algebra teachers can use the properties of slope to clarify student understanding of fraction operations. If you are an NCTM member, you can access the article here.

The article got me to thinking about several different ideas. First of all, the ability to work with fractions is critical for student success in upper levels of math. High school teachers are constantly providing remediation to students who are having trouble with fractions. I would dare say that fractions are to pre-algebra and above as basic facts are to arithmetic. I hear 5th-8th grade teachers saying, "My students struggle with what I am trying to teach because they don't know their basic facts. " I hear 7th-high school teachers saying, "My students struggle with what I am trying to teach because they don't know how to work with fractions." Each year in math builds on the previous years' work. If students are missing crucial pieces of their mathematical foundation, they cannot build upon that foundation and acquire the new knowledge they need. The longer this is allowed to continue without repair, the more unstable the structure becomes.

I am not saying that we should neglect the required content for a grade and just reteach skills from earlier years. The second thing I want to share from this article is that we should be constantly looking for connections in the content we teach. There are many ways to embed skill practice in grade-level contexts. In fact, the new context may be what certain students need to see in order to master content that has been troubling them. As the author of the article says, making a connection between two math concepts may help "students develop a richer understanding of both (Cheng, 2010)." Where are other places that we can embed fraction understanding?

Reference

Cheng, Ivan. "Fractions: A New Slant on Slope." Mathematics Teaching in the Middle School 16 (August 2010): 34-41.

Look what technology can do!!!

2010-09-21T13:19:00.002-06:00

This is a test of the mobile blogging network. I'm sending this post from my mobile phone. Isn't that cool!!!

I just sent the previous sentence to my blog from my phone. Now I am editing the post from the computer. I can see possibilities for this! I get lots of stray ideas that I would like to blog about when I am away from the computer. Now I can send those ideas to my blog, start the conversation, and edit it later if necessary! Blogging has changed a lot since the old days! (ha!) I am really excited about the possibilities and hopeful that this will encourage me to blog more often!

Cooperative Learning Strategies

2010-09-20T14:18:00.006-06:00

I love going into classrooms and seeing teachers excited about what they are doing that is working well! Last week I visited a 6th grade math and science teacher who is thrilled with the way her new cooperative learning strategies are working in her classroom. She learned these strategies at AMSTI training this summer from a math specialist who refuses to take credit for the ideas. :-) However, they both gave me permission to share, so here goes...

Rules for Super Teams

Works together for common goals
Makes sure that everyone in the group understands the concept
Allows for different opinions in working toward a solution
Is patient with all members
Encourages each member to do their best work
Stays on task
Is eager to share after exploring together
Is careful with manipulatives and tools of math
Leaves team area neat and clean
Brings our math notebook each day
Collects papers when a team member is out
Increases scores on tests and daily work

She groups students randomly and changes the groups regularly. Students are seated in groups of four, and each student has a role in the group. Cards outlining the duties of each role and "sound bites" that might be overheard from someone performing that role properly are at each desk.

Roles for Team Members

Coach/Leader

Makes sure every voice is heard
Focuses team on learning task
Collects handouts for members who are absent
Manages time so that the group gets the task completed

Sound Bites

“Let’s hear from Ben next.”
“That’s interesting, but let’s get back to our task.”
“Let’s settle this by voting or paper/rock/scissors.”
“If we can’t agree, we will have to ask Mrs. Smith to intervene.”
“Here are the handouts you missed and I will ask Mrs. Smith to give you a copy of our Venn diagram from yesterday.”
“We only have 5 minutes left. Let’s see if we can state this in a sentence or two.”
“I think it is time to ask the teacher for help since I am not getting cooperation.”

Gopher

Follow directions regarding materials for the day
Picks up materials when instructed
Makes sure everything is in good shape
Reports to Coach if anything material is broken or not working
Turns in all materials in good condition
Collects all papers to be turned in

Sound Bites

“Coach, this ruler is broken. I will get another for us if you will let Mrs. Smith know.”
“Please hand me your papers with your names on them so that I can turn them in.”
“I see you are still using the calculator, but my instructions are to return them now.”

Reporter

Reports to class what the group has discovered
Makes sure that he/she understands what the group wants to say about a topic
May not always agree with the groups response
Speaks clearly so that everyone in the room can hear
Uses graphic representations when appropriate to help audience understand

Sound Bites

“My group thinks that…”
“We found that….”
“As the graph shows…”
“Although we all did not agree, the majority thinks…”
“The last group was correct, but we also found…”
“We got the same answer, but we did it this way…”

Recorder/Checker

Records what the reporter will say
Completes any written assignment that the team is required to turn in
Reads instructions on any handout to the team
Rechecks figures on answers

Sound Bites

“Here are the instructions for this sheet we are to do and hand in at the end of the exploration.”
“This is what we have decided the reporter should mention.”
“Will you help me because I need to write a summary statement and draw this polygon.”
“Now, let me read this to you and see anyone has anything to add.”
“Well, we can do it that way, but it has to be done this way to hand in.”
“Let’s all write our names on this since it is being turned in.”

The teacher encourages teamwork by giving points for working together, completing homework, improving test scores, etc. She has a collection of green and red craft sticks: green sticks are for positive behaviors that are rewarded with points, and red sticks subtract points for inappropriate behavior and work ethic. Each team turns in a record of points earned at the end of each class period, and the team with the most points is rewarded with a treat at regular intervals. The students are working together to help each other learn, and their teacher is very happy with the results!

So, how is cooperative learning working in your classroom? What strategies are working well for you? What challenges do you face? Let's start a conversation and learn from each other!

What's on my mind

2010-09-03T11:02:00.002-06:00

Lots of new projects to ponder....coaching...formative assessment...differentiated instruction....interactive student notebooks...5E lessons...distance learning...new hire training...sustainability...

Trying to decide where to focus my energy for the moment, but knowing that some mundane details must be taken care of...More to come later...back to work for now!

Here I go again...

2010-08-06T22:29:00.003-06:00

How many times am I going to start then stop blogging before I finally stick with it? I really, really, really want to make blogging part of the way that I communicate with the teachers that I serve. I used to find the time to do this, and I know I can do it again! Of course, that was in the days before Facebook...surely I would find blogging just as rewarding (probably more so) than the mindless minutes (hours?) that I spend there. Of course, blogging is not mindless, so maybe that is why I have avoided it for so long?

I considered starting fresh with a new blog, but I kinda like this old friend. I spent a long time making it look a certain way, and I just don't want to do that again for now. I want to encourage conversation among the teachers I serve through AMSTI, and I invite anyone else who is interested to join in with us. I may end up talking to myself, but I guess that's okay, too.

So...what are we going to talk about? Teaching and learning math, science, and technology. What should students know? How should we teach it to them? How do we know if they have learned it? What should we do when they haven't learned yet? We are going to start off by talking about differentiating instruction, but I will save that conversation for another day. Have a great weekend!

Math Placement Research

2009-04-21T17:12:00.002-06:00

It is that crazy time of year, and I would guess that many of you are dealing with math placement decisions for your students. The following link has an interesting article about the effect that math placement has on certain students.

“More challenging middle-school math classes and increased access to advanced courses in predominantly black urban high schools may be the key to closing the racial academic achievement gap, according to a University of Illinois study. "

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090420121423.htm

Here are a couple of quotes from the article that really made me think.

Students who take more advanced math courses in middle school lengthen their lead over time, and the positive school-related behaviors developed in those advanced courses lead to even higher achievement.

Being in a classroom where the expectations are higher, the course work is more rigorous, and the climate is more academic has huge effects on student effort.

These finding don’t surprise me because I have seen this happen with my students, but it is great to see research that backs up my instincts. So my questions are, “so what?” and “what now?”

What implications does this have for our students?
How can we use this information to help students?
How can we duplicate the positive effect of advanced classes for students who are not advanced?
If we put everyone into "advanced" classes, would they still be "advanced?"
Should we pick promising students to "place" into advanced classes even if they don't "qualify?"

I would also like to see the researchers' definition of "academic climate. " Obviously, this includes more than high expectations and rigorous coursework. I would think the climate would be the most challenging to change. I also think that we might have many different pictures of what a room with an academic climate looks like and sounds like.

What are your thoughts?

Come see my new blog

2009-03-10T20:48:00.001-06:00

I created a new blog for a class I am taking. I will be posting there for the next few weeks, so feel free to come on over and join the conversation!

I have returned!

2009-03-04T00:17:00.002-06:00

After a prolonged absence from the blogging world, I am back.....at least for 8 weeks! I am taking my FINAL master's degree class, and one of this week's assignments is to set up a blog. I will be required to post to it during the course, and I hope that I will be back in the habit by the end of the course. I have so many new ideas that need to be processed...I have some job responsibilities that could be met by blogging...I enjoy it! There is no reason not to jump back into blogging, so here I go!

My children are now 15, 11, and 5. They are eagerly anticipating a driver's license, middle school, and kindergarten!. My husband is STILL on active duty with the Army. He was recently promoted to Lt. Colonel. We are very proud of him. I am in my second year as AMSTI math specialist, and I am loving it. More on that later. Good night for now...I am looking forward to some great conversations on here!

Inspiration for a Rainy Day

2008-04-04T12:54:00.002-06:00

I have been cleaning out my office and working to reduce the clutter in my life. I ran across a piece of paper I saved months ago that has some quotes I want to keep. I couldn't decide where to file them, and then I decided to post them instead of filing them. I believe I can find them here if I need them again! These are from the room of the Reading Coach at Horizon Elementary School in Madison, Alabama.

Meeting Parameters

Time is our most valuable resource.
We are all active participants.
What we plan, we implement.
We talk about things we can control.
Anything said here, stays here.
Turn off anything that rings, dings, or sings.
Take care of yourself
Never lose sight of our goal!

"Don't even think about organizing your time if your space isn't under control."

~ Julie Morganstern

"In the absence of clearly defined goals, we become strangely loyal to performing daily acts of trivia."

~ Jack Canfield

Engineering or Music?

2008-03-26T17:24:00.002-06:00

My older son is planning his schedule for next year. He will be a sophomore in high school, and he surprised me today with his plans. I thought he was going to take Engineering Drawing or Engineering Design, and I was prepared to investigate the difference in the opportunities those two classes provide. He had an exploratory technology class this year, and the Technical Drawing portion of the year was his favorite. He has expressed interest in becoming an engineer, an occupation that I have always thought would suit him.

This afternoon he told me that he doesn't want to take Engineering this year because he wants to take an extra music class. He is already in the marching band, and he is enjoying it much more than he expected. He wants to take Instrumental Music as well so he can improve his skills on his instrument (percussion). After I asked lots of questions, he told me he would like to stay involved in music in college, and then he said that he is considering a career in music! I don't know how I feel about this.

I think my main concern is that he keep his options open for later. He can take private music lessons after school and continue with the engineering classes. I would be okay with him being a music major if he pursued a career that would provide a steady income (like band director), but I don't want him to be a starving artist! However, he is only 14 years old, and I am sure that he will changed his mind about what he wants to do for a living many times in the next few years. His father is 42, and he still hasn't made up his mind!

On the other hand, I think it is really cool that my child is interested in music! I took piano lessons for 10 years, including one year in college. My college teachers kept forgetting that I was not a music major, and I stopped taking lessons because I had reached a level that wasn't relaxing and fun. I also excelled in band in middle school and high school, and I love to sing. It is gratifying to see my child inheriting my strengths instead of my weaknesses for a change!

Valentine's Day Math Activities

2008-02-13T11:37:00.002-06:00

Are you searching for last-minute ideas for Valentine's Day? Here are some suggestions!

Lessons using Conversation Hearts

Fractions
Ratios, graphing
Pie chart, other ideas
Bar graphs (detailed lesson plan with handouts)
Coordinate graphing (Battleship)
Graphing, making predictions
More graphing (detailed lesson plan)
Estimating area

M&M Cookies

Count the number of M&M's in a cookie. Extend to find mean, median, and mode.

Misc.

Clip art licensed from the Clip Art Gallery on DiscoverySchool.com

Visual Literacy

2008-01-22T18:43:00.000-06:00

I am reading a great book for a class I am taking. The book is Visual Literacy: Learn to See, See to Learn, by Lynell Burmark. I highly recommend it to anyone (including teachers) who is giving presentations. The book contains many practical suggestions about visually enhancing presentations to make them more effective.

What I was reading tonight concerned charts, graphs, and diagrams. She gives some ideas for incorporating graphs and charts into the content areas. These would be great ideas for interdisciplinary lessons!

Literature
When teaching Macbeth, divide the class into groups and ask each group to decide the percentage of blame for killing Duncan. Create a pie graph and make an oral presentation to the class defending the graph.

History
Graph the factors that might account for South's success in the early part of the Civil War despite having only 30% of all troops.

Math
Students can take a photograph and overlay it with a transparent grid. Transfer to grid paper, copying square by square. Enlarge the drawing to cover a larger surface.

The Colors of Autumn

2007-11-21T07:56:00.001-06:00

I love the beautiful colors of autumn! It seems that this year the leaves have been especially gorgeous. Maybe it just seems that way because I have been traveling more with my new job. I have wanted too stop and take pictures, so thank you to the Decatur Daily for doing it for me!

Help Wanted: Creative Thinkers!

2007-11-20T21:25:00.000-06:00

It is time to unleash your imagination and create the ultimate math classroom! Riverton Middle School, in Huntsville, Alabama, wants to develop a state-of-the-art math lab, and they want your ideas. They are creating a lab for teachers to take their classes for large-group, small-group, and individualized instruction. They want to remediate, challenge, and enrich their students. In the planning phase, the sky is the limit! Once they have a plan in place, they will begin the search for funding through grants, fund-raising, and donations.

The room is large enough to divide into four areas:

Presentation area - smart board, projector, narrow tables, responders
Small group tables
Large tables for whole-class group work
Fifteen computers

The room has an office with windows, a sink, and great storage areas. There is also video recording equipment available.

They are looking for recommendations for the best software, manipulatives, and other materials for sixth through eighth graders. What would you include in The Ultimate Math Classroom?

Turkey Talk

2007-11-14T23:15:00.001-06:00

While I was visiting Chapman Middle School today, Nancy Gregson shared with me a neat activity that she will be doing with her 7^th graders for Thanksgiving. She took an idea from Summer Institute and made it her own. Her students are going to trace the outline of their hand onto graph paper. They will then identify coordinates of points that are on the outline of their hand. Those points can be graphed in graphing calculators using the LIST feature. Finally, Nancy will upload the graphs to her computer and print the screenshots from the student calculators. They will color their printed graph to look like a turkey. I plan to share pictures when they are finished.

So many tools, so little time!

2007-11-13T15:23:00.000-06:00

I love to write for my blog. You can't tell that by looking at my archives because I have not posted in a very long time. I started off with a bang; but real life interfered and decided to shift my priorities. During the week I am both mother and father to three precious children...a 14 year old, a 10 year old, and a 4 year old. My husband comes home on the weekends (most of the time), so that's not the time to be blogging, either!

But I think it is time to try again. I have a new job in which I need to reach out and encourage people to use technology. I am working on my Master's degree in Integrating Classroom Technology, and it wouldn't take much effort to tweak some of my assignments and turn them into blog posts. And then, there is this wonderful opportunity to be part of Alabama's 21st Century Learning community. These are exciting times, and I want to do it all!

I have found that the new tools are so fascinating to me that they can take over my life. The hours fly by as I surf the web, set up a wiki, write a blog post, read through my bloglines account, or follow a rabbit trail through delicious. Twitter scares me a little because it sounds like something I could become addicted to! I was a Tapped In maniac, and Ning seems to have even more potential for grabbing my attention and taking my precious time.

I need a little more efficiency in my life. I have an iPod that I can use to learn on the road. I spend quite a bit of time driving between my 25 schools. I could be listening to podcasts with just a minimum of effort to download them at night. I am reading a book on becoming more efficient called Getting Things Done, by David Allen. He promises to change my life, so it's worth a try! With the time I am planning to save by being more productive, I should have time to blog!

How do the rest of you manage your time? How do you limit your time on the computer so it doesn't take over your life? What tips or tricks do you have for becoming more productive?

I love my job!!!

2007-08-31T23:20:00.000-06:00

My new job began one month ago, and it is so much fun that I do not feel as if I am working! I am a math specialist for the Alabama Math, Science, and Technology Initiative, also known as AMSTI. I am responsible for visiting approximately 25 schools and 75 teachers to support their use of AMSTI ideas and materials. They have already attended at least two weeks of summer training, so I am there for follow-up support for the teachers.

I have completed my first class towards my Master's Degree. I am working on a degree in Integrating Classroom Technology from Walden University. It is a lot of work, but I am learning some wonderful things.

I hope that this blog can become a place to share pedagogical ideas. My classroom blog will remain available, and I think I will continue to post classroom activities, links, etc., that might be useful to students or teachers. I am also planning to expand my wiki to include 5th through 8th grades. It is receiving quite a bit of traffic that I hope will continue.

Great days are ahead! I pray that God will use me in this new job to bring glory to Him as I go about North Alabama. Best wishes for a wonderful school year!

I'm Moving On...

2007-05-26T23:20:00.000-06:00

A chapter of my life has ended, and a new one has begun. Yesterday I packed up my classroom for (possibly) the final time, and I am looking forward to beginning a new phase of my career. This fall I will begin working for the Alabama Math, Science, and Technology Initiative as a math specialist. I will have an office at The University of Alabama in Huntsville, and I will travel around North Alabama working with AMSTI-trained teachers. I spent a year (several years ago) doing this job, and it is exciting to be returning to such a wonderful place!

I have requested a leave of absence for a year so that I may return to my school system if this job is not what I expected it to be. A lot has changed in the five years since I worked with AMSTI, and I am a little nervous about going back. I absolutely loved the job before! Most days I did not feel as if I were even working. I was able to enjoy most of the wonderful parts of teaching and leave out many of the negatives (grading papers, parent conferences, discipline issues, etc.). However, I have been really sad this week about leaving the classroom. I am going to miss my students. I love having a group of students to call my own. I love watching their confidence in mathematics grow throughout the year. I love getting them to discuss their thinking about their work. I love getting to know them! Seventh graders are so very interesting! I am also sad because I haven't done everything I wanted to do as a teacher. I never got a collaborative project off the ground like our Alatoba project from this year. My students didn't use the online tools the way I wanted them to. I could do a better job of teaching several concepts. I still have so much to learn about being a good teacher.

Someone told me that my reluctance to leave the classroom was a sign of a good teacher. I hope that is what it is. I feel very much like I did at high school and college graduation...I know it is time to move on, but I have liked what I have been doing and I am a little unsure about what comes next. I have been in the classroom for 17 of the past 18 years. I am looking forward to having a life outside of work! However, I am beginning to work on my Master's Degree, so any extra time I have will be taken up by that.

I would love to hear from people who have left the classroom. Did you have mixed feelings about leaving? The beginning of the school year will be strange! I am looking forward to less stress. Any wise words would be much appreciated!

P.S. Busy summer ahead. My family is leaving for Disney World Tuesday. We will be gone for two weeks! The week after we return, AMSTI Summer Institute begins. That also lasts two weeks. July is filled with camp and Vacation Bible School, and then August will be here before we know it. I keep looking for a chance to relax, but I don't think it is going to happen! Have a great summer!

Priorities

2007-03-24T14:09:00.000-06:00

Spring Break is nearly at an end. It has been a good week in many ways, and a very eye-opening week in others. My priorities are very much out of order. I have become so fascinated with the possibilities that abound for education through Web 2.0 that I have neglected other responsibilities...mainly my roles as a wife and a mother. I have become so attached to the computer that I think the keyboard might be growing out of my fingers. And to be honest, not all of my computer-related pursuits have been educational...there are so many diversions to be found on the internet that I can hardly pull myself away. Once I start working on a Griddlers puzzle, time has no meaning to me. There are many good things coming my way through the internet, but until I get my family life back into a meaningful routine I must put this part of my life aside. I don't know how long it will take, but I am going to do my best to do school work at school (including online work) and devote my home time to family. If I seem to drop off the face of the earth, don't think I have disappeared. I am just reading a story to a child, sitting down for a family meal, teaching my daughter how to ride a bike, helping someone with homework, exercising, spending time with God's Word, or possibly getting a good night's sleep. I'll be back when I figure out how to keep this part of my life from stealing from the most important things in my life. God bless you all.

Controversy

2007-02-08T21:56:00.000-06:00

I have started a controversy among people who are my superiors at work. It has to do with filtering issues, and I hate being involved in controversy. Some people crave controversy. I run from it, but here I am right in the middle. I didn't really start it, but I brought the issue out into the open, and brought it to the attention of some people who have strong feelings on both sides. I didn't mean to request special treatment, I just wanted to be able to complete a worthwhile project I started with my students. I also wanted to fulfill my obligations to a state-wide program that I have commited to.

I feel such a disconnect between what I believe to be good teaching practices and what is practical this year. I am hearing a lot of mixed messages (not only about technology), and I am not sure if the message is mixed or just my perception is mixed-up. I feel the need to have some long conversations with several different people to clear up some things, but I am so afraid of making things worse. I want to say, "Here is what I am trying to do with my students. How can I accomplish this and still stay within the parameters that are important to you?" I am afraid I will hear, "Don't do it at all."

I am being intentionally vague here because I don't want to create more problems. I am very frustrated. I know the other people involved are simply trying to do their jobs to the best of their ability, but so am I. We all want what is best for the students. We just have different philosophies about how to accomplish this. And everyone is too busy to sit down and talk about it, including me.

Free Falling Blog Club - Epilogue

2007-01-07T21:24:00.000-06:00

What an amazing afternoon! I have been rethinking everything that occurred, and it has taken 24 hours for me to finally process enough to write about the January meeting of the Free Falling Blog Club.

The Joys of Skype
We got off to a bit of a rocky start. I have had microphone issues with my computer, so I decided to have the Skypecast running on my laptop and Tapped In running on the pc. I think the wireless laptop connection might make the Skype connection unreliable (I just checked and found another port on the broadband hub that I might plug the laptop into for next time...gotta find the correct connection cable). When I got into the Skypecast room, there were already people there ready to go. There was a bit of confusion about the beginning time. I intended to officially begin at 4pm CST, but I wanted to open up the room at 3pm so I could play around with Skype before we actually started. The Skypecast page said it began at 3, and the wiki said it began at 4. Factor in that people from all over the world were attending and you get some confusion! I'm sure there is a way to explain that more fully in the Skypecast details, but I didn't think about that ahead of time.

I think I figured out what happened next...I opened up the Skypecast on my PC and tried the sound just in case. I could hear, but I couldn't be heard (not surprising, but I thought it was worth a try). Then I joined the Skypecast from my laptop. I think that is when the big problems began. I could be heard for a little bit, but then things started getting crazy. I switched my microphones around, rebooted the laptop (which is incredibly slow...it seemed to take forever...maybe 5 or 10 minutes), and I couldn't get back into the room. I finally got around to reading Skype's FAQ today, and saw that the moderator can't leave. Logging into it twice was probably a big mistake. No one else had moderator privileges, so we were stuck for a moment. I could hear people talking, I was IM'ing some folks, and desperately hoping that Chris would show up to save the day! I had no idea what to do next, and I was panicking!!! Thankfully, BJ Berquist from Tapped In was there to keep the talking going while I tried to get my problems fixed. Chris quickly created a back-up room, we notified everyone of the switch through the Tapped In chat and the wiki, and then officially began only 2 minutes late! Chris ran the technical end of the Skypecast and I began the discussion.

And what an awesome discussion it turned out to be! When I blogged six hours before we began, there were 12 participants signed up on the wiki. There ended up being 20 people who participated through the TI room and in Skype that we know are educators interested in Web 2.0, but there were dozens of others who were in and out of Skype that were listening! Chris had his hands full pulling the strings behind the curtain to make sure that everyone could hear and that everyone who had a relevant comment could speak. He did a wonderful job in spite of his own computer woes!

Podcasting
It seemed like the topic of podcasting drew several people to the conversation. After we introduced ourselves, Jen, Paul, John, and Allanah shared what they are doing with podcasting. It was great to have Silvia join us to hear all the ideas that her K12 Online presentation generated among us! She did a great job, and I hope our conversation was evidence of that to her! Several people were looking for podcasting tutorials, and Jen did a great job of grabbing links from somewhere and putting them in the chat window. I have put them all in one spot on the wiki. It would be great to have those links reviewed on the wiki to make it easier for people to find what they are looking for (There goes another thing on my to-do list!) There were a few other questions about podcasting that I have posted to the wiki, and then there were lots of suggestions for cool tools to use (yes, those are on the wiki as well). It would also be great to have that information in our K12 Online Tapped In room.

The Urgency of Web 2.0
This discussion took us right through the first hour of the conversation, and then we turned our thoughts to Graham Wegner's presentation on “No Teacher Left Behind - The Urgency Of Web 2.0.″ Graham was with us as well, and I appreciate all that he contributed to the discussion.
We talked about how we became interested in Web 2.0, and we discussed ways of spreading the word to other teachers. Graham's phrase "Innovation in Isolation" really struck a chord with many of us as we are trudging along in our schools, juggling many responsibilities in addition to trying to learn all we can about better ways to reach students. Again, there were lots of suggestions and links shared that have all been put into the wiki. Thanks especially to Terry Freedman for joining in with lots of great insights, including tips for becoming an award-winning blogger and inside information about the latest edition of Coming of Age!

Connecting
I feel as if we all have taken another step toward connecting globally with like-minded educators. I have new people to add to bloglines, new contacts in Skype, new folks to look for in Tapped In. I think I found another teacher or two to work with Chris and me on our proportions project, and I have lots to share with the teachers on my school's 21st Century Team and the teachers across Alabama in the 21st Century Schools Project.

Next Steps
Chris has suggested (and I agree), that it would be a good idea for someone in the Southern Hemisphere to host the next blog club meeting. If this is a global adventure, it should sometimes occur at times that are convenient for other parts of the world. The more people that are involved in planning the meetings, the more global the focus can become. I am more than willing to help someone (I'm really itching for another chance to do the Skypecast correctly), but this was such a learning experience that I want to share the opportunity.

I am planning to show some initiative in our Tapped In room and try to generate more conversation there. As Sue said today in an email, Tapped In is truly the ultimate Web 2.o community. As I looked in the About Us room, I saw that several people from yesterday's chat had visited the room without joining the discussion. I added some discussion prompts, and I plan to add more. Anyone can add topics and reply to other posts. This is a wonderful place for us to ask and answer questions from each other. It is a place where we don't have to coordinate time zones, we don't have to be unmuted to speak, we don't have to worry about flashers (that's for you, Terry!), and each person can steer the conversation in any direction they choose!

I have at least one other "next step" I want to take. I want to practice making a skypecast on a much smaller scale before I try it again with a large group. Judging by all of our visitors today, I could just create the skypecast and the world would join in. I would rather attempt a conversation about some aspect of education with 4 or 5 people so I could practice all the different features of Skype that I read about a day too late! (I don't think they would have made sense to me before I actually experienced it for the first time. I have to actually do something before I understand it.) Would anyone be interested in having a conversation anytime soon? This definitely would not be a three hour marathon, just a half hour or so. Let me know if you are interested and I will set up a time. Next Monday would be good for me (Jan. 15) because it is a school holiday and my husband will be home to take care of the kids. Later in the evening would work for me as well because I am a night owl.

I would love feedback (positive and constructive) about yesterday's event. There were many opportunities for improvement, but overall I felt really excited about it. Thanks again to everyone who let this newbie ask my questions and step into this new world that we are creating together! For more information about the Free Falling Blog Club, check out the wiki!

Free Falling Blog Club

2007-01-06T09:32:00.000-06:00

Today I take another step into the unknown...I am hosting my first Skypecast! This is the second meeting of the Free Falling Blog Club that is a continuation of the discussion about the K12 Online Conference. We will discuss iPods in Education and Sharing Web 2.0 with other teachers. At this point there are 12 participants signed up. I think that is a really good number. There will be lots of voices in the discussion, but everyone should have the opportunity to participate. I am a little nervous, but very excited! I hope my children behave...this would be the weekend that my husband doesn't come home! I hope my minor health issue doesn't act up. I hope the microphone works on my computer. I hope everyone enjoys the skypecast. Any prayers sent my way would be most welcome!

Five Things About Me

2007-01-02T02:28:00.000-06:00

Thanks, Chris for tagging me! I have taken a break from blogging and reading blogs during the holidays, so I may be a little late to the party. Here goes....(I'll edit to add links later)....

1. I am a Christian. This is something I don't talk about as much as I should. I love how Vicki Davis is always sharing her faith through her blog. My relationship with God is very precious and personal to me, but I keep it more private than I should. I have always believed in God and Jesus as my parents are very wonderful role models. I met my husband at David Lipscomb University, a Christian college in Nashville, Tennesse. I also made friendships there that will last a lifetime even though we don't live near each other any more. (I doubt that any of them read my blog, but I'm sorry about not sending Christmas cards this year. It's still on my to-do list, but this is more fun!) My oldest son became a Christian last summer, and seeing his baptism has to be the proudest moment of my life, so far!

2. I am an only child. This is something I talk about even less! I have a very vivid memory of Mrs. Ford, my eighth grade English teacher discovering I was an only child. In all seriousness she exclaimed very loudly in front of the whole class, "Jeanne!!! I had no idea you were an only child!!! You are so normal!!!!" I was mortified! I always wanted an older brother and a younger sister, but it never happened. My best friend and her brother fought all the time. It hurt me to see them do this because I felt that if they knew how lonely I was, they would appreciate each other more. I vowed that my own children would love each other and be nice to each other all the time. Reality has definitely hit me in the face with that one! It still surprises me how much they enjoy aggravating each other. Of course, the smaller one always gets hurt, and the bigger one always ends up mad.

3. I guess you could say that I am a musician. I took piano lessons from 3rd grade through my freshman year in college. I was pretty good. I played for three major college productions and accompanied a voice major for her junior recital. However, I really wanted to be the singer. I was in chorus for two years in college, and I loved it. I have done some singing in weddings, I was a member of a Barbershop singing group (like Sweet Adelines), and I would really like to join the Decatur Civic Chorus. If my husband ever gets to the place where he is home regularly in the evenings, that's the first thing I am going to sign up to do! I love to sing to my children, and I would love to play the piano still, but everytime I sit down to play, someone wants to sit in my lap or play with me. By the way, I also played the clarinet in high school.

4. In my former life as a mother of two, I was an avid scrapbooker. I have completed over a dozen scrapbooks, but that came to a screeching halt the year I worked for AMSTI and then found out I was expecting my third child. I know that life will slow down eventually, so I keep packing stuff away and hoping I will get back to cropping someday.

5. I think I will brag a little for my 5th item....I used to be really smart! I was a National Merit Scholar, I received a full-tuition academic scholarship for college, and I made a perfect score (32) on the math portion of the ACT. Life's a little rough when you hit your peak at 18!

Now I have to tag 5 other people. I'm late in the game, so I may not know anyone who hasn't been tagged yet. Let's try Sheryl, April, Brandi, Mei Flower, and Sharon.

Happy New Year!

I want to be part of a 21st Century School!

2006-11-26T13:52:00.000-06:00

I've been rather busy lately, and I have also been trying to balance my personal and professional life, so my blogging has been neglected in favor of cooking and cleaning and spending time with loved ones. Even though I haven't been writing much, I have kept up with some of my reading, and something I read today has motivated me to write again!

My Canadian friend Chris wrote an interesting post yesterday in which he ponders how he can be part of a 21st Century School like this school featured in a K12 Online presentation. Here is part of what he said.

One idea that popped into my head was to create a space, wiki, blog, whatever where all of us island could go and find tools to help our students acquire the skill they need to become more web savvy. Darren and I are creating a How to wiki where our students will create screencasts to help future bloggers with their projects. It will be amazing when there is a screencast for all these new tools (never ending list) made by kids instructing kids on how to use them.

I know there are sites out there that help teachers link with teachers. Chris Lehmann runs a school where all the faculty and students embrace the new reality of information. They are a 21st C school. He made a presentation for the k12online conference. I will be holding a Blog Club to talk about this movie.

Here is what has been going on in my head since I saw the movie. Chris has a school where everyone is onboard using the new tools that our out there. He practices what he preaches. We as educators are probably alone in our building practicing what Chris is talking about. How do we network our kids to see that they are not alone out there. This is the question I am struggling to answer. Our students need to see other students out there in the world doing similar learning. Once they have this audience they will start to participate more and put more effort into their learning.

When I worked with Jeanne the synergy was fantastic. We worked harder on the project because we could work as a team. We were Skyping and chatting all the time while we were editing the wiki. These collaberative projects are needed. Kids need to skype each other during the school day and feel this synergy. More powerful than this would be kids working together on a homework project that involved students from around the world.

I am proposing that we create a Virtual 21st Century school. Where we have classes of every discipline from all over the globe. We communicate to each other and have group projects. Students see that there is an audience for their work and make new friendships and learn about students from all over the world. I am not the person to create this space. Chris Lehmann said that he and his staff worked for 7 months online to create the Science Learning Academy. Hmmm 7 months from now a new school year dawns. Wouldn't it be cool to have a virtual 21st century school where the world took part in great learning experiences.

A dream is only a dream until you wake up and make it reality. I just might wake up soon :-)

Anyone else willing to wakeup with me?

What a great idea! I want to be a part of making this happen! Count me in! Who else wants to be a part of this?