Quixotic Edification

In the PALM of Your Hand

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 17:41:00 +0000

More fun with Macros. This weeks Challenges: Macro, Extreme Detail, Shadows.

50mm lens with 46mm of extension tubes, Editing = automatic color adjustment (I was surprised by the result but I like it!), extension of canvas to create frame, and addition of text.

Drip Drop - Photo of the Week

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 21:39:00 +0000

This week's photo challenge was "liquid."

I took this shot with a 50mm lens and a 20mm extension tube. I can never seem to get the focus just right or get enough lighting. I don't have any strobes but the work lights in my husband's shop make pretty good light - just need more of them!

Check out the comments on my photo stream here.

3 Pieces of Advice

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 10:03:00 +0000

I recently stumbled across this video featuring Scott Bourne. He is a photographer in Nevada. I don't know tons about him other than that he has been to know to create some controversy here and there. In any case, at about 5:38 in this interview about photography he gives some advise that hit me as being very relevant to education.

1. Figure out exactly what you want to do.

Are you showing up to school every day because you love teaching and this is what you WANT to do or are you coming here because this is something you can do?

2. Don't worry about new, worry about you! Personalize it.

When's the last time you came up with a brand new idea for a lesson or a project? Mostly likely, anything you've done has already been done somewhere before - and that's OK. That's why best-practices are called best-practices! Talk to your friends and colleagues - what are they doing that works? The 21 C is open-source. No more secrets! Let's start taking advantage of the years of experience that surround us. Find the piece of yourself that makes your lessons you. By putting a piece of yourself into what you teach every day, you'll personalize your classes, give new life to your lessons, and make connections with your students.

3. Don't allow yourself to be a commodity.

Don't allow your work to be treated as though it could be done the same by someone else. Take yourself seriously. Take your students seriously. If you care about what you are doing, keep an open mind, learn new things, and be the BEST at what you do. Being the best means taking chances, making mistakes, and doing it all over again until you get right. Set an example that demonstrates fearlessness, a willingness to learn from your failures, stick to your guns, and accept your limitations. Expect more from yourself than the outline provided by the text book.
Commoditization leads to MEDIOCRITY. Don't allow your students to allow their work to be treated as though it could done the same by someone else. Think differentiation, skills based learning, and process. Is it really about memorizing facts and content - or is it about problem-solving, analysis, evaluation, and creation?

Nature's Fashioning Hand

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 19:14:00 +0000

Winter has finally arrived in North Western PA! Snow day yesterday + new camera toys = priceless.

“Nature is full of genius, full of the divinity; so that not a snowflake escapes its fashioning hand.” Henry David Thoreau

I've always been a fan of Macro photography. It just amazes me that the tools exist to literally create an image that is larger than life. I have a long way to go in my quest to master this art but, I've at least gotten a start on it this weekend.

Flickr 52 themes of the week: Cold, Square, Fashion. Resulting Photo:

This is my first "real" attempt at macro photography. I am too cheap or too poor (or some combination of both) to buy a macro lens but I did buy some extension tubes. Of probably 100 shots I got this one that I am kind of almost happy with.

This shot was taken with a Nikon 18 - 105 lens and a total of 22mm extension tubes - on the windshield of my car in the middle of the day.

The extension tubes seem to really cut down on the amount of light that makes it through. Processing included cropping, auto levels adjustment, and turning up the vibrance.

To see it on my Flickr Stream click here.

Flipping the Classroom

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 10:55:00 +0000

Something to think about: What if students heard the lecture BEFORE they came to class?

Kahn academy videos are available via YouTube and paiunet.org. Check it out.

Forest Area teachers, don't forget that your FASD email account is also your YouTube account! If you need assistance posting a video, I will be more than happy to help!

Adventures in PhotoShop

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 19:14:00 +0000

I signed up for a 52 project in Flickr. The idea is to take at least one picture per week and post it to the group where you will receive feedback from others. I don't claim to be a "photographer" but I certainly enjoy taking some pictures and I would really like to improve my photoshop skills.
Here's my first photo of the year:

This is a puzzle my daughter received as a Christmas gift. She is really good at taking it apart but not so good at putting it back together yet.

I did this by adding a B&W color layer and then using the brush tool with black to paint the "A" piece. The actual piece is bright red. I figured out, after the fact of course, that I probably could have corrected the coloring by adjusting the Hue/Saturation levels. See there - learned something already!

To see the photo on my Flickr stream click here.

2011 - "Something else happened instead."

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 21:46:00 +0000

Another year has arrived. Where does the time go? As I look back on the past year and reflect on it's events it's difficult to account for the time. It's like a busy day at work - you're busy all the time but sometimes you walk out trying to figure out what you've actually done. It's not that you haven't been doing anything, or that there was nothing to do, or even that you haven't done anything important - just that you didn't accomplish what was on your agenda because things kept popping up - the kinds of things that need to be dealt with "right now."

While I'm a little bit disappointed about where I ended 2011 in terms of professional goals and personal professional development, I certainly know that I have been busy and, that though I've not necessarily learned the things I wanted to learn, I've learned many things I never anticipated knowing. I can't be disappointed in the amount of professional growth I've experienced, only in it's unintended content. I had a plan but, "something else happened instead."

Last week, thanks to Conrad Warner @ Teacher Reflections, I watched this TED video. (While my reflections on this video were more personal than education related, consider what it means for education too!! Being wrong is key. Maybe I'll talk about that more next time.)

So, 2011 did not go as I had planned. I made some mistakes. I was wrong. I learned some unexpected things - some of them the hard way. And where did my time go? What happened to all the time I used to spend pursuing my geeky, EdTech ambitions and conquering the world of Web 2.0? Between the school day and 8 PM, a time when I used to be at home reading, researching, and studying my time went right here instead:

and that is something I do not regret.

Instructional Support vs. Mr(s). Fix It

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 02 Feb 2011 11:21:00 +0000

After the ever increasing flow of traffic in Jefferson County over the last couple of days, I am patiently waiting for the groundhog to decide if we are having 6 more weeks of winter. Phil, if you're listening, I vote NO. A few fun facts about Groundhog's day from Wikipedia.   Please feel free to debate the relevancy and appropriateness of Wikipedia in schools - (I like that one). Speaking of which, there was a good post on the Blue Skunk blog not too long ago about that very subject.

As I talked about yesterday, I am going to start throwing out some of my goals for both myself and FASD. I have been SO BUSY for the past - well, probably 2 years or so. I feel like I am doing good to stay above water and keep things moving most days. Maintaining status quo is not a bad thing - but it's not good enough for me anymore. I am ready to start moving forward and in order to that I need to refocus.

I should probably have started with describing what our schools will look like if I am able to accomplish all of my goals (UbD baby!) but I am starting with my first goal because I find it to be the key to everything else.

Goal # 1: Instructional Support vs. Mr(s). Fix It
Don't get me wrong. I know things need fixed sometimes. That's what Mr. Roberts and I have been doing since the beginning of last year and we've accomplished a lot. Are there still problems? - oh, yes! Are we going to address them? Certainly. However, when I was hired for this job I was hired with the understanding that my main duty would be to continue working with teachers and students in their classrooms. That hasn't been happening. Partly because it just hasn't been possible due to network, infrastructure, and (would you believe it?) EdLine & GradeQuick issues. The rest I must take responsibility for myself. I think my priorities have been somewhat misplaced.

The most important things in our schools:

Who we teach
How we teach them
What we teach them

In short, the most import thing going on in our buildings = EDUCATION.

GOAL #1: I will reclaim my place as an instructional coach and technology integrator in our schools.

Doing something interesting? Could you use an extra pair of hands for a class activity? Need to toss a few ideas around? Want to do a collaborative project but need an extra hand in getting things organized? Please let me know!!!

Getting Focused

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 01 Feb 2011 11:18:00 +0000

I am ready to get back to writing. It's been a long time since I've really taken the time to sit down and write a blog post. There is plenty to write about and hopefully it will hep me to clear my head on a few issues. Plus, Chris Pappas was giving me hard time about being a slacker (hi Chris!).

I started this post in November. I attended PA's CFF/EETT Boot Camp. It was a requirement of the CFF and EETT grants we received this year. Boot Camp is a good name for it too. Long days and hard work. It was great to be there surrounded by like-minded people with similar situations and have an opportunity to discuss some new, different, and better ideas. At the end, we were each asked to speak to the following:

A listing of your goals as instructional coach
A listing of your challenges and strategies to overcome those challenges (use your collaboration with other coaches to address these challenges)
Assume you are successful in your efforts to help your teachers prepare students as future citizens of the world. What would your school look like?

When I first looked at the list I thought it would be a piece of cake. However, as I said before, I started writing in November and I'm still not happy with the results. So, I am going to start with one little piece at a time and the understanding that anything I publish is part of an evolution of thought and planning rather than an immediate end. Please feel free to interject as your feedback and opinions are always appreciated!

Next post:
Goal #1 - Instructional Support vs. Mr(s). Fix It

EduCon 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 30 Jan 2011 10:35:00 +0000

I've been watching the Tweets from EduCon 2011. Lots of great ideas and information in 140 characters or less!

Lots more good information on the EduCon site.

More from Sir Ken Robinson

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 29 Jan 2011 12:18:00 +0000

I really like the way this guy thinks. Are the changes we are making in education enough? Why do we group kids by age rather than ability, interest, learning style, or any other number of variables? For years the educational system has been talking about moving away from the Industrial Model. We are doing things like Project Based Learning, UbD, and differentiated instruction - all good stuff - but is it enough?

iBand

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 20 Dec 2010 13:34:00 +0000

Merry Christmas!

My Grandpa Dan sent me this one :)

When I Become a Teacher

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 15 Dec 2010 11:05:00 +0000

Why did you become a teacher? This one has been around for a few years but I still love it.

Why the Arts are important in Education

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 08 Dec 2010 11:03:00 +0000

I went to a concert last week. It got me thinking about the importance of a strong arts programs in education. I haven't worn my music teacher hat much over the last couple of years but I put it back on for a few minutes. The way I see it the view from under that hat isn't much different than the view from under an administrator hat.

Why did I become a music teacher? Because I like music? Yes. There is more to it than that though. Music and arts classes help students learn not only theory but also skills that are necessary for success in life. Arts classes challenge kids to think, to analyze, and to solve problems. Students are constantly challenged to improve. They are forced to Reflect, Rethink, and Revise (UbD anyone?) on a continual basis. These are the skills that are going to help students build successful careers outside of the school system.

This chart from http://www.skillscommission.org/executive.htm provides a visual break down of projected jobs in the global job market over the next several year. What jobs are in the US? Creative Work. Routine Work, the kind that requires memorization of facts and repetition, the kind that fits nicely with the Industrial Model of education that is still so common in our schools, is being outsourced. Yet in the United States the first programs to get cut under budget crunches are arts programs!

There are lots of things I could talk about but I will try to keep it short. My favorite thing about teaching music was that it allowed me to teach EVERYTHING. Music and the arts have been part of nearly everything that has happened in the world. The cross-curricular possibilities are innumerable. The arts are a mirror for what happens socially, culturally, and politically in the world. They evolve and change with the times. They provide connections among disciples. The arts help reach students through a variety of learning styles, envelope students effortlessly through Project-Based-Learning and revolve around Analysis, Evaluation, and Creation (all of which are found at the TOP of Bloom's Taxonomy).

Not so long ago, Tim McDowell posted this video on Forest Traveling Teacher. This is one of my all time favorite TED videos. Schools are killing creativity. What are we going to do it about it? Are we happy with the arts programs in our districts? Are you content with the time your son or daughter is spending in an arts program? Is the arts program at your school meeting the needs of your child?

A great example of why the arts are important in education: Jack Stamp gave this speech at a band festival a few years ago. I was fortunate to be in the audience and even more fortunate to have a student on the stage. Why does music matter? Why do the arts matter? More importantly, what are we going to do about it?

Do you have an app for that?

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 06 Dec 2010 11:00:00 +0000

A colleague of mine recently wrote a blog post about students, teachers, and what their relationship is in school on Principal Reflections. He described, initially, the idea of a student as a gadget and explored the Industrial Model of education. He went on to say that rather than thinking of students as gadgets in an assembly line, we need to think of them as patients in a doctors office, each one receiving individualized care and attention.

While I don't disagree with the premise for either metaphor, I have to say that the idea of a student as a gadget doesn't seem so awful to me. Of course, I think the gadgets we are talking about are a bit different. I am not talking about some mass-produced, what-you-see is what-you-get kind of gadget like an analog TV or an eggbeater. I am talking about a modern, fully customizable, access to information, communication, and the world gadget. The kind that kids carry around in their pockets. Smart phones and iPods. These gadgets are not all the same. They come in multiple shapes, sizes, and skin colors from various parts of the world. They process information in a variety of ways and they can present information in a variety of ways. They can take information in several ways as well. Text, audio, video, and even movement can be recorded.

I completely agree that that change is a necessary part of education. After all, the world is a constantly changing place and if we are to prepare our students for that world, schools must change with it. So rather than thinking of a student as a patient (you only go to the doctor when you're sick or need "fixing"!), I prefer to think of a student as a really cool do-anything-you-need-to in the way that works best for you kind of a gadget. Do you have an app for that?

Tour America

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 10 Nov 2010 00:58:00 +0000

This morning I drove to Hershey for CFF/EETT Boot Camp and I took a wrong turn, on purpose. When I was a kid my dad called these "Tour America" trips. I hated them. I couldn't understand why anyone would want to get lost on purpose. Now, I find myself taking these side trips every once in a while just because I can.

Today my trip took me through the small town of Coburn, PA. I've never been there. I didn't stop. I just drove through. In Coburn there is a very bright purple house with dark purple trim right next to a bright green house with pink trim. Eye-catching. All the houses are very close to the road - I'm guessing because it's an old town and it made access to each building readily available by horse and buggy - that and they are all built into the side of a hill. In Coburn they have a camouflage bus and if you're not careful you'll miss the turn at the bridge that keeps you on the main road. As I was leaving Coburn I passed several people walking, running, and biking along the road. The natives were friendly - 5 of the 6 of them waved.

Long story short, I learned a little bit about PA today. All I did was wander around. It reminded me of why I like Pennsylvania and why living in what has been deemed on of our country's most remote states is a good fit for me.

Coincidentally, after I had already begun writing this post, the keynote speaker at the conference tonight talked about wandering. In closing she said that when we wander, we don't really need to know where we are going or how to get there. We just need to get in the boat and take a chance because sometimes the most valuable lessons are found in places we would never look for them.

I don't disagree with the idea that wander-lust can be a valuable teacher through both discovery and experience but I also think that it's important to have a vision for where you are going and how you might get there. These are two thoughts that on the surface seem quite contradictory yet, perhaps, are instead quite complimentary.

Personalized PD

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 08 Nov 2010 20:23:00 +0000

Professional Development is something that everyone in the business of education knows something about. There are many schools of thought on the subject. What I find interesting about PD is that it's not used more often as an opportunity to teach teachers the way we want them to teach. Too often Pd consists of a large group of people sitting in a room and listening to a lecture. When this happens teachers are bored. They often have difficulty seeing the value of what is being presented because it does not apply directly to them - the question of "What's in it for me?" is never answered. The presenter may be moving to fast or too slow. Attention spans are exceeded and the words go in one ear and out the other. We are not supposed to teach our students this way so why do we try to teach teachers this way?

I've spent a lot of time studying instructional coaching, professional development, and learning. One theme that constantly resounds is that of Individualized and Personalized instruction at the Right Time. So, how do we move teacher training from mass production to custom made? I really think that coaching is the way to go. However, this presents many issues and unanswered questions: What do we do with in-service days? How do teachers get their required continuing ed hours? What criteria do we use to assess learning and determine hours of eligibility for activities, study, or instructional planning?

I attended a STEM presentation by ASSET last week. It was an informational meeting about their program and a STEM grant that they are offering. They presented a chart called "Coaching Impact" in which various methods of Professional Development offering were compared. This chart stated that Presentation of Theory, Modeling, and Practice and Low Risk Feedback result in 5-15% Application and Problem Solving while the Coaching/Study Teams/Peer Visits approach results in 80-90% Application and Problem Solving.

I don't know the details of the study but I must say, it's the bottom line doesn't surprise me at all. A hands-on personalized approach provides teachers with relevant challenges, required reflections, and significant motivation for improving learning in the classroom. It shifts the focus from the theory of the latest greatest idea to application of the latest greatest idea. It also encourages collaboration as well as personal growth and professional responsibility.

What we need: Personalized Professional Development Plans for every teacher. Tell me how to make it work.

Standards for 21st Centruy Teaching

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 28 Oct 2010 10:12:00 +0000

Lately I've been spending a lot of time cuddled up with the ISTE NETS*T. They are designed to promote quality use of technology in the classroom, ensure professional growth, and encourage high expectations for both teachers and students. While they are geared toward technolgy use and integration they are great standards for teaching in general. They also make me wonder when we are going to be able to stop talking about technology integration like it is an alien concept. Technology is a part of the 21st Century. It's everywhere and it's not going away. Kids need to use it. Shouldn't technology just be an unstated, expected, and regularly developed and revised part of instruction? How do we get there?

Self-actualization or Reproduction

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 27 Oct 2010 10:00:00 +0000

Interesting article about the "new" Maslow's Hierarchy of needs. Controversy anyone? What does this mean for education?

Frustration

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 25 Oct 2010 14:10:00 +0000

Time, communication, technology. Frustration.

Lately, I've been sensing a lot of frustration around here - from a lot of people. I feel partly resposible for some of it. However, I don't really know what to do about it. The number of hours in a day are limited and I haven't been getting into classrooms or working with teachers like I would like to do. Maybe that will change soon. There are some promising and hopefully possibilities on the horizon. Of course, in the near future there are also several days out of the district which won't help my cause any.

I know people probably wonder what I am doing all the time - let me tell you. I am trying to figure out why the firewall keeps maxing out, why the blog and wiki server is accessible form out side the district but the address doesn't work INSIDE the district, I am doing grant reporting, resetting passwords, and talking to Edline on the phone at least once a week because the issues just won't go away. Then there is E-Rate, updating the district tech plan, our AUP, and making sure that we are CIPA and COPPA compliant. When there is time to get out of the office there are gradebooks issues to be dealt with, network accounts doing crazy things and network printers that just don't seem to stay plugged in to the network.

All-in-all, I think our small technology department is doing a good job at keeping up with the technical issues that need to be dealt with and making some much-needed improvements in infrastructure and resource management. However, with advancement comes new challenges and new mind-boggling weirdness. Of course, making things work is only part of what needs to be done and this is where I feel that I am failing. What good is to have a working computer, a working gradebooks, or a brand new interactive white board if you don't know what to do with it. Professional Development is key. Preferably, one-to-one let's focus on what YOU want to know, need to know, will make your classroom a better place to learn.

In short, I know that you are frustrated. I am frustrated too -- but I'm working on a brand new plan...

Vision

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 20 Oct 2010 11:58:00 +0000

Vision without action is merely a dream.
Action without vision just passes the time.
Vision with action can change the world.
~Joel A. Barker

Recently I've had many conversations with many people about vision. What is vision? What my vision? I guess before I can delve too deeply into this I first need to define "vision." Funny, isn't it, how it's a word can seem so obviously defined in conversation but when it comes to putting it into writing it becomes a bit more difficult?

I've read several definitions of the word "vision" in many contexts. What it all boils down to is this: vision is is a goal. It's the point we are shooting for, where we are trying to go, and a framework for planning. It's an ending point so-to-speak. Although, in education, there is never truly an ending point - but that's another subject.

With this in mind, I'll be working on getting my vision for technology in the Forest Area School District written down.

What's your vision?

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 05 Oct 2010 10:14:00 +0000

Dear Blogger,

I like you. I do - but there are a few things we need to discuss. First, why no trackbacks?? Trackbacks would be really swell. Secondly, is there a way that I can get some kind of notifications about addtional posts added to posts that I commented on so I don't have to keep going back to each one and looking? I would really like it if you could ensre that I'm not going to miss something directed to me. I'm going to do some looking around for this answer and if I don't find one I like I'm going to start looking for another place to live. Thanks.

Simon Sinek: How great leaders inspire action | Video on TED.com

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 02 Oct 2010 12:12:00 +0000

"People Don't Buy What You Do They Buy Why You Do It."

Hacking

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 01 Oct 2010 13:40:00 +0000

The past two months have been a whirl wind. August and September run together in one big foggy blur. I’ve had one moment of clarity in the last two months and it came it came at about 10PM the night before opening in-service. I was charged with speaking to everyone about pedagogy. I knew there were a few basic things I needed to say but I really hate being boring. I couldn’t find the video I wanted to show, I couldn’t get my thoughts organized. I had been trying to get this thing together for a month and it was still a mess. Being that I am not in the habit of waiting until the last minute to get this type of thing together I was pretty nervous too. Then, with the help of Google and some desperate search criteria that I no longer remember I found this post by Christian Long.

He talks about Hacking Pedagogy. Great idea. Teachers need to pick pedagogy apart and put it back together. This idea fits very nicely with Backward Designed Curriculum that our district is pushing this year. Reflect. Rethink. Revise. And there I had it – a short and hopefully memorable talk about how we become better educators. Thanks, Mr. Long. You saved me!

So I gave my speech which I hope was a least a little bit enjoyable as it was the last 5 that morning. Then, the entire network went down, it took us all day to isolate the problem and I haven’t been back out of the fog yet. This morning, a greatly needed vacation day, got me thinking that perhaps my problem is that I need start doing a little hacking of my own. It’s easy to talk about what needs to be done when you are telling it to someone else. So, what is it that’s keeping me from getting a clear picture of what I need to be doing and move my focus from plugs and wires back to education and implementation?

I think the answer may be an easy one. What I am missing is time for hacking. From the time I walk into the building in the morning till the time I leave at night I am constantly busy. Don’t get me wrong, I LIKE being busy but I need to take a little time each day to keep myself in the loop. I need to read. I need write out goals to keep myself focused. Maybe I need to put something on the bulletin board in my office and eat lunch every once in a while too. I also need to take the initiative to change the conversations I’m having with people. I understand that it’s frustrating when your printer isn’t working – and we’ll get to it. However, the real reason we are here is to educate kids. Let’s talk about how we can do that better than we have ever done it.

To blog or not to blog?

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 30 Sep 2010 01:47:00 +0000

To blog or not to blog? - that is the question. As many times I've tried to get in the habit, I find myself starting strong and then falling short. It's not because I don't have anything to say. Those of you that know me know that's not the case. It's more about finding the time, finding confidence in my ability to censor myself when appropriate, and finding a way to hit the "publish post" button without rereading and rewriting a thousand times. That and I have been struggling a bit with my current position.

I find myself frustrated with the issues I am spending so much time on. Grade books that don't work how they should, missing mice (or is it mouse?) balls etc etc. Issues like this are not the reason I am in the education business nor are they the reason I took my current job. I took this job because I saw it as an opportunity to make a difference beyond my own classroom - a window of opportunity to help fellow teachers and their students find their own windows of opportunity in learning, connecting, and growing as both individuals and as a community. Admittedly, I haven't seem much of that lately. The windows are probably there but I have been lost in a world of password resets, tech support calls, and networking issues. All important things that need attention just not what I would prefer to focus on. That being said, I have read some great blogs recently.

Those blogs are the positive thing I have been looking for recently. People are thinking about education, students, and what's important in schools! Even better - they are people I know; people I work with; people I see in the hallways. How cool is that?!?! They are listed in my Blog Roll. Check them out.