Some public schools (by design) foster passive learners, discourage productivity, and fail to teach self-discipline. The culture of “school” works against what research shows to be in the best interest of next generation learners.

Even if the teacher is talented, the environment itself co-conspires against deep learning (for both the teacher and her learners) and application of what is learned in an authentic context. When we combine short instructional periods, classroom spaces that do not support dialogue or collaboration, overcrowded classrooms, inequalities between districts, high-stakes testing pressure and the disconnect many students feel today between what the real world offers and typical classroom culture — no wonder we are ALL frustrated with the system.

It has to change.

It is no longer acceptable to be on the fence about the digital transformation in education.  The need for change is not just being acclaimed by thought leaders on the stage at your favorite conference or edgy authors with provocative titles, it has in fact become legitimized by top departments of education around the world, our most respected professional associations and organizations and by policy makers globally. Everyone is chanting technology, technology, technology.

Why?

I used to spend a great deal of my time helping educators understand why we had to shift. its the year 2020 and we know the why.  You can ask almost anyone and they can tell you why. We see it on TV, in sitcoms, the news — everyday I hear someone in education using a sound bite that originated with those of us who were leading the first wave of adoption. It warms me inside. It is clear — we get it. Or do we?

How?

We are becoming smarter and smarter about the how. Some have even begun to move into the standardization and credentialing of what how looks like in teaching and learning practices. There are plenty of books, countless workshops and conferences and hashtag chats galore.

But there isn’t enough sharing by those who are embedded in the work. There isn’t enough shared deep reflection, video, or examples of what the how looks like in action. But we can fix that, right?

When?

So where is the rub? Why is this still so hard? Why do I feel like my epitaph will say, “Sheryl dragged educators into the 21st Century kicking and screaming as they went.”

Some say when money becomes available for devices.

Some say when teachers are given the support and training they need.

Some say time is the issue and when we change the schedule to allow more time for using devices in pedagogically sound ways then we will have arrived.

The when is always just around the corner. As I interview Future Ready superintendents across the nation and across the globe, I hear aspects of when in action within pockets of innovation. But I also hear the need for business as usual digital transformation system wide.

My Take

I have thought about this. A lot. And I think it boils down to what we believe about teaching, learning and children. I think there is a disconnect.

We haven’t connected the dots for leaders who crave alignment and that creates anxiety in our data driven decision making world.

We are not even using a common language when we talk about the constructs of future ready or next generation learning.

For example, when I say active learning (the way I started this post) you might visualize kids active on iPads creating and designing. You may see them using a variety of collaborative tools to connect and create artifacts that show mastery of objectives. Kids with microphones, laptops, earbuds, and screen after screen available with endless information displayed in entertaining ways. A definition of learning where devices are seen, discussed and celebrated.

Whereas what comes to mind for me is kids directing their own learning.

I see a child outside doing some experiment or observation in nature and applying it to some area of content they are exploring back in the bricks and mortar setting.

I see authentic, active, learning where technology serves as the medium on which to capture the color, sound, beauty and a-ha moments the students are experiencing.

I see kids connecting and building relationships with people who serve as mentors, provocateurs, and guides.

The technology helps them with connecting, creating and sharing data and becomes an electronic pencil that allows them to share and collect ideas with others around the world. But the devices are invisible in my definition of active learning. They are there much like our heating and cooling systems are there — seamless, invisible, needed, but certainly not the focus. Much like a dinner plate is needed to celebrate the breaking of bread together — but it is not the focus.

What Do We Need?

We need to share a common, collaborative vision of what it is we want in our schools and classrooms.

We need to speak the same language, a language we create together as we build collective intelligence.

Which means we need to make time to talk to each other, to do action research together, to share what we are learning with learner artifacts and deep reflection about what is working and what isn’t working.

We need to fail together and then overcome together.

We need to have conversations and form schema around learning in a digital age both within our school learning community and outside in networks and communities worldwide.

We need to build leadership density in our teachers and our students.

We need to own what we believe and then incorporate the transformation we seek into every area of school culture.

We need to be chanting: empowerment, collaboration, equity, agency, self actualization, and transcendence for kids and for us all within a system that serves as the birth place for every other profession. We need to be chanting these things instead of technology, technology, technology.

A Vision of Possibilities

What I want for kids in schools is not more devices and screen time or not even just digital transformation.

What I want is for them to have access to a rich buffet of beautiful objects of learning from which to choose.

I want them to have access to passionate teachers who want to be partners in the learning process with them. Teachers who are supported and nurtured in their own personalized learning adventures.

I want kids to have exciting learning experiences that open a world of possibility around their interests and in a way that helps transform the learning through deep schema building.

I want kids up, moving, active, building things, making things, reading things, talking about things and being continually inspired.

I want schools that will produce citizens who are informed, immersed, and motivated by love.

Dreaming?

Some of you might be thinking sure, right, everyone wants the classroom utopia you describe, but it isn’t possible. Or is it?

My daughter shared this pic (below) and caption on Facebook. I was inspired and moved by the memory of her school experience. Those who know her will back me in saying she has become a very decent human being. While she is finding her way and certainly has youth on her side, she is smart, informed, outspoken, contributing to society, and motivated by love.

“The kids I grew up with – Friendship Bridge Academy. My mom ran a school for home-schooled kids.  Their parents taught some stuff at home, and the rest of our education was like captured in this picture. One room schoolhouse-style, passion-driven, curiosity-based learning where we learned science, history, art, music, and movement by being in nature, acting, singing, dissecting roadkill, making art, playing games, and self-study. Here we are at one of our favorite nature walks, Grassy Pond. I’m in the back center behind the sign, with the bangs.” ~ Amber

Possibilities: A call to action

Join me. Let’s dream about the possibilities together.

Let’s create a common language, a collaborative vision around what we want the digital transformation to include beyond machines and infrastructure.

Let’s brainstorm how to overcome the challenges of personalized learning together.

Let’s create professional learning opportunities that allow each of us to own the change we want to see in schools.

And if you are willing — let’s start that fire here in the comments.

In my consulting as well as administrative technology work, I am often asked the same questions by different schools and officials. One of the most common is: “How do you get teachers who are hesitant or resistant to use technology?”

I am keenly aware that many of my colleagues are not, for various reasons, gung ho about educational technology. And it’s interesting. Quite often, the teachers who are hesitant to adopt new educational technology are great — in fact, amazing — educators. They are frequently veterans and usually leaders in their academic field and within their institutions.

In my role as tech advocate, I habitually find myself trying to coax these established educators to use new tools and incorporate new methodologies. Here are some ways I have found to be successful in this endeavor.

1. Do not set out to “fix” anyone’s teaching

If you’re working with veteran educators, this is especially important. They have been successful in their field for many years, often decades. Perhaps they teach an AP course and are used to a high percentage of 4’s and 5’s on the AP exam. Maybe they teach a writing class and feel that they are effectively preparing their students with advanced writing skills. Regardless of their specialty, approaching a hesitant teacher with an eye to radically change their curriculum and pedagogy can feel threatening and critical.

Instead, try this: observe what they do in the classroom that’s made them successful and build out from there. Offer suggestions on how to make their good teaching practices more efficient or effective, using tools that clearly make tasks easier to accomplish. Perhaps DropBox will facilitate distributing handouts in the classroom, Google Drive is a better alternative to emailing drafts back and forth, or Google Earth can provide more interactive exploration of the Grand Canyon. Tailor your approach to each faculty member, with specific ideas to facilitate and/or enhance their teaching. As they become comfortable with new tech, they will very likely be open to conversations about other digital tools you are using in your own work.

2. Be open and alert to each teacher’s technology wants and needs

If teachers express a want or need for educational technology in the classroom (a particular browser, program, hardware, etc.) accommodate them! If teachers feel you are there to help them, they are more likely to reach out. The best way to demonstrate your desire to enhance their teaching is to jump through their hoops to meet their needs. If a teacher wants to use Safari, don’t dismiss their interest in favor of Chrome. You may know the tool that is “superior,” but remember it’s about their level of comfort.

3. Use peers to model and train

Teachers respond better to other teachers who share their situation. They trust them. Such teachers are “pre-vetted.” They understand what it’s like in the classroom, what can go wrong, how students can respond, etc. The absolute best way to get educators to feel comfortable seeking help with technology is to make the point person someone who does not assess their teaching. It is important to limit, if not eradicate, the intimidation factor often associated with asking for help or training in a particular tool. If a teacher feels that they are being assessed or judged (and perception is key here), they simply will avoid seeking advice. Make sure that the technology point person is someone that their peers trust and admire.

4. Give them time to “play”

Teachers are not done at three o’clock. Many work 10-12 hours a day during the school year and on weekends too. In my 12 years of serving as an educator, I have never had a “summer off.” Instead, summer is slightly less busy and my time more flexible.

Remember we’re working to lure hesitant teachers into the technology fold. Do not hold training days in the middle of the year or distribute new hardware or software in August. May and June are the best months to introduce new concepts. If you are rolling out new iPads or Netbooks, hand them out at the end of the year, just before summer. Let your faculty have the summer to play with the new tool, get comfortable with it, learn how to use it. Letting teachers edge up to a new hardware tool at home will remove the intimidation of performing under a watchful eye, and also allow them to get acquainted at their own pace. It can also help them to have “tool awareness” as they build lessons for the Fall.

I would also encourage allowing faculty to treat their school tools as their own. Let them put their music on it, have administrative privileges, set up personal email, and more. This promotes the extra level of comfort that comes with a feeling of ownership. Set up certain parameters (no illegal activities, no questionable images — and retain the rights to delete malware) and provide some education (“safe” versus “suspicious” software, best practices, etc.), but let them make the laptop or tablet or other mobile device their own. By providing your faculty the ability to intimately connect with their technology, you are providing them the capacity to really explore it and understand how it works. Give them wide latitude and allow them to be their best, professional selves.

5. Make professional development “real” and pertinent

Don’t be afraid to differentiate your approach to professional development. Most faculty are realistic about their abilities when it comes to technology. Likewise, provide them opportunities to become effective users of real and pertinent tools that they can employ in their particular subjects and classroom. Math teachers will probably benefit more from a workshop on Geometer’s Sketchpad than quizlet. While they may seem like babes in the technology woods, in truth, your faculty members are sophisticated professionals. Treat them as such. Focus on their pedagogical needs when you present tools. Don’t geek out.

6. Pick hardware and software that’s easy to use

The best way to overcome hesitancy with your faculty is to provide them with hardware and software that is easy to use. Modern devices and apps are more user friendly than ever. Pick tools that have “drag and drop” features, are nearly devoid of bugs, and have a low learning curve. If an educator is intimidated by coding or thrown off by a product that’s prone to crashing, they are not going to use it. Teachers know that their students get frustrated and restless if they cannot move quickly through the learning process. Technology that does not work transparently will be readily discarded.

7. Don’t sit in judgment!

I cannot emphasize this enough. It is easy to think that hesitant educates do not adopt new technology because they are lazy or stubborn or uncreative. In my experience, nothing could be further from the truth. The reality is that modern education is now a high-stakes, test driven environment. State tests and AP exams determine job security, funding, and professional perception. Experimenting with new tools and pedagogy requires not only a learning curve but some risk-taking.

The idea of “starting over” in your methods of teaching while being hyper-aware of the severe consequences for failure is daunting to all of us. Recognize this as you approach your faculty. Assuage their fears (give them test score amnesty for a year or assure them that you will present a united front should parents become frustrated). Assume the best of your staff, because that is what they are willing to give.

The world of educational technology is exciting, but it can also be frightening for some. There are a lot of tools out there and the connected world can seem chaotic to the uninitiated. Be professional with your fellow educators, understand their concerns, meet their needs, and be a champion for their growth and success.

This post appeared originally in March 2013 and was written by Jennifer Carey.

We’re studying quadratics in my 8th grade class. Even the name can strike fear in the heart of the most competent adult. I didn’t want it to be that way for my math kids.

I wrote a good lesson plan and then I let students help me modify it. Essentially, they “taught” me how to teach them better through the interaction and feedback we gave to each other during the learning process.

Here’s some of what it looked like

I create a scaffolding technique, but students helped me add, delete and amend it until it works for the way they think. In essence, we built the scaffold together.

Even if you don’t teach math, this strategy is a good one. I’ve done things like it in science and social studies, but it’s been awhile. I guess I’d just forgotten about using it.

The trick is to create a means for scaffolding and then let students help fine-tune it. As a bonus (trust me here), while you’re figuring out the scaffolding, you’ll learn a lot about the topic that would never occur to you otherwise.

We started off slowly using the geometric area model. Our textbook tells us that Greek mathematicians used this method as long ago as 300 BC. I think that sort of impresses students — the idea that they are following in the footsteps of ancient Greeks. We were also able to pair this ancient technique with modern-day technology using Geometer’s Sketchpad and an Algebra-Tiles sketch that was available in the software library.

From there we started moving into a more symbolic version of finding the “x” solutions, figuring out what this means in real life and how to even use an old kindergarten Valentine making technique. It wasn’t easy but they hung in there.

Here’s what I learned

I divided my SmartBoard into two areas: one side represented the problem we were studying and the other side represented the thinking someone would need to do in order to solve the problem. This helped tremendously and as we worked problem after problem, students helped me refine my thinking list.

• Look for GCF
• Look for a letter that could be factored
• Find both factors (it’s a multiplication expression after all): usually we write something like this to remind us —-> a product=factor * factor
• Solve for zero—finding both “x”s
• Set those “x”s equal to the x-intercepts
• If you need to find a min or max, find the line of symmetry — we would say “this is like when you folded the paper in two and cut out your Valentine heart” (and we always did the hand motions!)
• Use the line to find the “y” of that max or min

So all of this is on one side and then they use the other side to solve the equation. It’s scaffolding, and it helps them ingrain the process in their brain.

I’m not sure they realized how much they helped me think about their thinking, but student feedback helped me zero-in on what they needed me to “think aloud” for them. Throughout the unit, you would see students able to stop and look at the process list and go on. They could perform this procedure independently.

To enrich the lesson, we did a one-day mini-lesson that showed them the quadratic formula. It ties what the ancient Greeks did to another pretty old mathematician….Francois Viete. He was the French mathematician who published this formula way back in the late 1500s.

Here’s the second thing I learned. My students couldn’t use this formula on problems unless they were in the standard form of the quadratic. Again, I could scaffold this by simply writing the standard form and then helping them use the process.

I can imagine them in high school thinking all of this was foolishness. And it will seem that way then. But right now, where they are developmentally in building up their quadratic muscles, it is perfect.

This post, written  by Marsha Ratzel, appeared originally on this blog in May 2013. 

I know a high school student who is quite amazing. She’s keen. She’s hungry. She wants to be challenged. She’s also bored out of her mind. Frustrated. Angry. Because the truth is, she’s just jumping through hoops, and she knows it.

In the graded world, She’s a 95-percent student, and like many of our most capable students, she’s disengaged from her learning. Studies have shown that many of top students are simply “doing school.” In fact, an entire book has been written about it.

She’s a student who would thrive in an environment that allowed her to co-create her education.  An environment that would allow her to spend 20 percent of school time pursuing her own interests — that would challenge her through inquiry, learning to collaborate on projects with students in other cities, provinces and countries.

She would thrive after being asked: “What do you want to learn?” “What do you want to read?” “What matters to you?” And then taking her answers and the curricular outcomes and designing a learning plan that incorporated all of this, plus embedded technology.

But she can’t

She’s stuck in a traditional school, in a traditional classroom, and she’s just putting in time. What a waste. But the truth is there are thousands of students bogged down in this exact situation.

In all honesty, I used to run one of those classrooms.  But at a pivotal point in my teaching journey, I was presented with the opportunity to do things differently.  I won’t pretend for a moment that it’s been easy.  It hasn’t.  But it’s been worth every moment, to see my classroom come alive.  I shared part of the story here in a recent TEDx talk:

We start in the wrong place

So often in education we focus on the wrong things. Test scores. Marks. Awards. Simon Sinek has it right. We need to start with why. So often we start with other things like the what (curriculum) and the how (instructional strategies). I’m not saying content isn’t important. I want my doctor, lawyer & accountant to all know their content. But we’ve lost sight that it’s what you do with the content that matters. Memorizing & regurgitating falls miserably short of equipping our students.

As Sinek states:

Very few people or companies can clearly articulate WHY they do WHAT they do.  When I say why, I don’t mean to make money — that’s a result. By WHY I mean what is your purpose, cause or belief. WHY does your company exist? WHY do you get out of bed every morning? And WHY should anyone care?

I think teachers and school organizations need to ask themselves the Why questions, beginning with: Why do we own the learning and not our students? Or, as Will Richardson so eloquently posits, Why School?

Why do we have so many students like the one I know, frustrated and bored, just waiting to be challenged? We’ve made education about manipulation and hoops instead of inspiring our students to pursue learning that matters to them — learning that can help them make a difference in our communities and the world.

When I ask someone why they became a teacher, often it’s because they “love kids” or “want to make a difference.”  That’s a pretty vague why.

 So what do I believe? What is my why?

I believe students are fully competent to be co-creators of their own learning environments.

I believe that students can change the world; they are not the future; they are right now.

I believe that students need skills that go far beyond the content of most curricula.

I believe that students want to learn, but often they lack the environment that sparks the emergence of passionate, life-long learners.

I believe that my students have a voice and it should be heard.

I believe students can read at their appropriate grade level and still be illiterate.

I believe that each of my students has unique talents and interests that should merge with our learning environment at school.

I believe my students are not empty vessels waiting to be filled.

I believe that my students need to develop metacognitive skills and make their thinking visible.

I believe that students are fully capable of differentiating their own learning.

I believe my students are creative and can teach me important things.

I believe school shouldn’t be a place where young people go to watch older people work hard.

I believe, if given the chance and the right support, my students will become more than they ever thought they could be.

I believe that once students begin to see their talents and gifts, they will grow in confidence.

As a teacher:

I believe that my classroom should be a place of joy, engagement, learning and play.

I believe that I should be less helpful.

I believe that I should ask more questions, and offer fewer answers.

I believe that I should model what learning, failing, grit & perseverance look like.

I believe that I should take risks, even when I’m afraid.

I believe it’s crucial to use content to teach skills.

I believe that the most important question I often ask my students is, “What do you need?”

I believe that I am not the all-knowing guru, nor do I want to be.

I believe I need to be transparent with my learning and who I am.

I believe that kids need a life outside of school, so I don’t believe in homework — at least not the rote, meaningless stuff that’s usually assigned.

The how and what come from our why

What we truly believe about our students informs the structures of our classrooms. Whose voices are heard most frequently? Whose are silenced?  Our beliefs about students dictate who designs and drives the learning. Is it student-driven learning?

In my own classroom, the how has taken the form of an inquiry-based, PBL, tech-embedded classroom. My students drive the learning, and starting with curricular outcomes, outline what they’re going to learn, how they’re going to learn it, and how they’re going to show me their learning.

The what has resulted in my students creating a Holocaust museum, launching a multi-media campaign against modern day slavery, and (as you heard in the video) raising over $22,000 to help rebuild schools in a war-torn country. They also work on much smaller projects, individually and collaboratively. But we never start with what. We always start with why.

What stops teachers from putting the Why first?

Fear. I think we’re afraid. I think we’re afraid of losing control and looking incompetent. I think we’re afraid of not knowing what will happen. I think we’re afraid that we won’t figure out how to shift our classroom or use the new technology. I think we’re afraid of being different than the other teachers in our school — of being an outcast.

The truth is, I’ve felt all these fears and experienced all of these situations. But I still wouldn’t teach differently than I do now.

There’s a power in student-driven learning that’s contagious and exhilarating. Being an inquiry teacher has made me a better thinker and learner. It’s made me a better Educator with a capital “E”.

If you want to join me in making a difference, start with WHY.

The original version of this post, written by Shelley Wright, appeared in this blog June 2013.

We are working hard to discourage our students from taking “candids” of each other at school, and more important, from posting those pictures on their favorite social network. I know that may sound strange to many readers, but I teach some very transient, very high-risk kids, and we cannot guarantee the safety of some of our students if other kids are taking their pictures (and then posting them on Facebook to share with friends).

It’s a difficult situation. Everybody with a hand-held device has the ability to take a picture (and many can take video). My students know that I take pictures in class, to document what we’re doing, and that I encourage them to take photographs to help with their learning (grab a picture of the verb chart we’re working on, if it’s easier for you to use that medium — or take a photo of a favorite piece of student art, so you can describe it in French).

What we’re trying to cut down is the great shot of your “bestie” doing cartwheels on the yard that might also show the faces of three kids in the background who aren’t supposed to have their photos taken. A quick share of that picture puts those kids’ safety at risk.

Teachable moments

Other than expecting those students to self-identify to their peers all the time (and some of the younger ones don’t even know that they’re not supposed to have their picture taken), one of the best ways to get the issue out in the open is to have a serious discussion with my Grade 6, 7 and 8 students, hopefully in a setting where we can all talk about it in a non-scary, non-judgmental way.

So, there we were, the other day, in the middle of one of these discussions, when a lot of noise erupts outside our room. There is a very unhappy child in the hall, apparently being physically moved by an adult. I knew it was one of our “child and youth” workers (CYW) on a “walkabout” with one of our challenged kindergarten students, but to someone who didn’t know the context, it could be a pretty disturbing snapshot or video image. This student is non-verbal, and one of the ways he communicates is by screaming. The screaming is often a way to communicate happiness, but it still sounds like screaming.

The CYW and I had talked about introducing our older classes to this student, so that they would know what was happening if they saw or heard him in their hallway. I invited them in. The kids in my 6/7 class were charmed by this imp, but quickly understood that he was very physical with his support worker, climbing all over her and clinging to her leg like a security blanket as they walked. They were fascinated by the obvious fact that he was happy, even though he was making a great deal of noise.

After their quick visit, I asked my students how the interaction between student and worker tied into our discussion about the consequences of posting something on the Internet without thinking it through.

There was one of those beautiful “whoosh” moments. If you’re a teacher you know the whoosh I mean. It’s like all the air gets sucked out of the room, and you can almost hear the pings as the light bulbs come on.

My students totally understood that should someone take a video of our kindergarten student with his worker — without understanding what they were actually seeing — and then post it on the Internet, it could have HUGE ramifications.

We talked about the fact that sometimes students will perceive a situation like that as funny and have the urge to share it with their friends. “Look at the crazy stuff that happens at MY school!” And then it goes viral and….

Getting real with digital citizenship

When my students left class that day, they were different kids than when they walked in my door. They really were. They had taken a minute to step into the shoes of a kindergarten student who communicates differently than they do — a vulnerable child who didn’t deserve to be the object of ridicule — and as a result they got a “real-world” context lesson in digital citizenship.

All of us who advocate for the learning potential of mobile technologies continue to navigate the hurdles of opening up BYOD devices in the  unique context of school. But in my school we’re doing it together and that makes the hurdles easier to overcome.

What are you doing with your students to help “make it real,” as you teach them about digital citizenship

The original  version of this post, written by Lisa Noble , appeared in this blog January 2013.

Recently I experienced the delight of going on a road trip on a beautiful sunny spring day.

Driving alone on a long trip always gives me added moments to reflect on the happenings of my day and projects that await me back in my office. As I got used to the thunk thunk rhythm of the car’s tires rolling over seams in the cement surface of the highway, my thoughts turned to a presentation on Virtual Integrity that I recently gave to middle schoolers.

In my talk, I mused over the fact that we, as a society, are bombarded with moral decisions every single day. As I drove along, I wondered about decisions, large and small, that need to be made. “Is it moral to keep the speed limit or to ‘stretch’ the law and speed? Is it moral for me to throw out the trash from my window and leave it for others to pick up?”

Given my interest in social media and my work around tech integration in our Diocese classrooms, it’s not surprising that I also wondered: “Is it moral to stretch the truth with regards to our identity in the cyberspace? When this happens, is it the same as lying in a face-to-face conversation?”

In a society that proclaims freedom for all, how and who does the deciding on what is right and what is wrong? How did our founding fathers grapple with this question as they tried to build the foundation for a new country so many years ago?

As I write this post for the Voices blog, I am cognizant of the fact that I am writing for an audience that may not, on a regular basis, muse over questions of morality” of what is right and wrong. That doesn’t mean that personal actions or thoughts that were considered moral were not on the minds of our Founding Fathers. Thomas Jefferson wrote: “Man has been subjected by his Creator to the moral law, of which his feelings, or conscience as it is sometimes called, are the evidence with which his Creator has furnished him….” Moral truth – also described as the natural law – was indeed part of their vision.

Robert Bork, author of The Tempting of America, states:

[Natural law] refers to principles about ultimate right and wrong that transcend particular nations and cultures and are true for all people at all times. Most of us feel intuitively that natural law exists, though we differ, both as to its source and its content. For some, it is ordained by God; for others, it arises from the nature of human beings, even if we are evolutionary accidents; or it may simply express the requirements for anything recognizable as a society. Whatever its source, natural law’s content is discovered by reason.

So where am I going with all of this? Part of the Natural Law that Bork explained above deals with truth. When a person lives by truth and expresses truth in his/her actions or acts according to the values, beliefs and principles they claim to hold, that person possesses integrity (as defined by Wikipedia).

A digital footprint makes two impressions

Integrity is a key virtue, I believe, for today’s culture and current digital citizens.  One blogger I recently read (an internet marketer, in fact) listed five reasons why Integrity is Important. The headings come from the blog; the explanations are mine.

People only want to do business [work with] people they trust. In today’s world, each of us who has a digital footprint makes two “impressions”: one in the real world and one in the virtual world. The words and attitudes that we use in both arenas must match. When we achieve this, we become someone whom others can truly rely upon.

Future success depends on doing what is right now. Each and every decision that we make creates a reputation that either affirms or disintegrates personal integrity. Research proves that most contented individuals among us are people who not only respect the virtue of integrity but live an integrity-filled life. This means that whichever “world” (virtual or real) you find yourself interacting with others in, your words ring true and are full of respect.

People follow leaders they believe will get them where they want to go. What our society needs is daring leaders. Men and woman who will do the right thing even when it is difficult. This is where courage is the rubber that meets the road. We need gutsy leaders to model what integrity truly means for all of society.

One bad apple can spoil the bunch. Being a person of integrity does not mean that one is perfect. On the contrary, a person of integrity admits when a mistake is done and tries not to cover it up but make it right. There is a huge difference between the two.

Take a stance in what you believe or others will influence you and decide for you. Deciding not to do or say something is a decision. Define what you believe in, what you value, and what you respect. Reflection is key, I believe, to essential self knowledge — to creating a personal “report card” on your growth as a person of integrity.

Personal integrity is not about what “I” think is right or wrong. It is a stance, a perspective of life, a mode of living that is true for everyone in all cultures in all ages. What is right is right. What is truth is truth.  It is natural law. Online as a digital citizen, offline, all the time.

The original version of this post, written by Sr Geralyn Schmidt , appeared in  this blog in May of 2013.

by Kathy Cassidy

I frequently get emails from primary teachers asking for help as they begin to add technology in their classroom. These teachers have a lot of questions. They want to use technology, but there always seem to be problems or glitches of some kind along the way.

Their emails go something like this: “How do you use technology so easily in your classroom? It seems to run so well for you. What is your secret? How does that happen? There are always problems when I use technology and then I want to give up.”

These are all great questions. I too have experienced many bumps in my travels with technology. Just when the journey seems to be becoming smoother, another roadblock comes along that needs to be negotiated. Experience has taught me a few things about the mindset that helps us navigate this bumpy road.

Don’t just “integrate” technology

The first bump in the technology road involves a new way of thinking. Don’t view technology in the classroom as just one more thing to add to your day. And if “integrate” means (as it often does) adding one more thing to your already heavy load, then we probably need a better word. Technology should help us to teach better and in more meaningful ways. It should be used to connect us. It should give us choice and allow us to share. It should not be something that you do in addition to everything else you already do in your classroom. If technology is something that you try to add after you have planned your reading, writing and math, you are destined to fail at “integrating” technology.

Using technology in the classroom does not mean keeping your students entertained with digital worksheets, or practicing skills with animation, or using computer time instead of a red checkmark as a reward. Instead, use technology when it allows you to do something in a better way than you have done before or to do something that was formerly impossible to do.

Technology supports new ways of learning

Thanks to advances in technology, we now have powerful tools to help students understand and learn in unique ways.

You can select a tool or app that will give your students an online audience for their learning and connect them with other classrooms and experts around the world. That tool may be as different as a classroom blog or Twitter or Skype. Other tools make it easy for your students to create artifacts that show not just their learning, but their thinking processes and their self reflections. These are all examples of doing things with technology that could not be done before.

Use technology to make learning new and different in your classroom. Set your sights high and aim for activities that transform! Then, when you hit a bump, you will be more motivated to keep trying. Transformation is never smooth.

Expect problems

My days with technology do NOT all run smoothly. Sometimes there are many stops and starts. This is especially true at the beginning of the school year as my six year olds become familiar with the tools and apps we will use to learn and share what we know. Bandwidth can be an issue in my school, and access has often been as well. Sometimes a tool that I rely on will not work for some reason or other.

I think that everyone experiences these issues and they can be very frustrating. On the other hand, things don’t always run smoothly when I am teaching without technology either.

When my students use pencils, they frequently break and need to be sharpened. Some of the children chew on the ends of the shared pencils we use. Erasers get thrown, children get poked. My students hold their pencils in a wide variety of ways, many of which need to be patiently corrected. But we don’t stop using pencils and erasers. I continue modeling the correct usage of those tools and helping students practice until they can use them well.

I don’t let the rough spots deter me because I know the importance of students learning how to use these and other traditional tools to assist and demonstrate their learning. The same holds true when we use a form of technology. Children already know how to use technology for entertainment. They need to learn how technology can help them to learn.

What is the solution? For anything that will become a learning routine in my early years classroom, whether it involves technology or not, I model, model, model it and then we practice it together until the students can do it independently. Even once that independence has been established, I still have to monitor how and what the children are doing to ensure the best learning outcomes.

Flexibility and a backup plan are important ingredients in any classroom, but particularly in a space that includes the use of technology. If the Internet goes down in the middle of our day, I have to be prepared to teach another way, just as if I had planned a trip to the school library and it was suddenly unavailable.

Start with just one thing

My suggestion for people who are hesitant to use technology in significant ways is to start with one thing. Think of one way technology could enhance or deepen the learning in your classroom and then just try it. If you fumble and falter for a bit, keep trying. Like the six year old learning to hold a pencil properly, you will gain mastery over time.

It’s easy to become overwhelmed if you try too many different tools at once. Most of us who have been teaching with technology for awhile have taken on too much too fast somewhere along our journey.  Focus on just that one technology-enhanced activity until you feel very comfortable with it. Then, when that feels good, try adding something else.

Maybe you would like to share what is happening in your classroom with your students’ parents and others who are part of your classroom community. Why not try a classroom blog, a classroom Twitter account or a Facebook page to showcase the activities and learning that are taking place? (You don’t have to do all three at once!)

Perhaps you would like your students to be able to publish their writing or their reading fluency or their math skills for a global audience. If this is the case, then why not try student blogs or some other online program? Invite others in to view and give feedback to your learners.

Maybe you would like to use Skype to connect your classroom with another classroom far away to compare perspectives. Check out the resources that are available to help you do this. Plan a small event, perhaps with another teacher who is also just beginning to use Skype. Learn together. Building a network of online support is a great way to bolster your confidence

It’s not technology – it’s the stuff of teaching

What do you consider to be technology? A pencil? An overhead projector? A computer? An iPod device? At some point, each of these items was considered to be the very latest technology for the classroom.

Many people think of technology as anything that came into popular use after they reached adulthood. To my six-year-old students, and in fact to all students in school today, computers, tablets, smart phones, interactive boards, etc. are not technology. They just are. It’s their teachers and parents who consider these items to be something new or unusual

students are comfortable using these devices to communicate and to find information. To them, tools and apps are just another part of the world they inhabit. These tools have the power to become the stuff of teaching and learning if we will let them. Don’t think of them as technology. They are just part of the fabric of life around us. Students need to be shown how to use them to learn.

Is using technology bumpy? You bet. But we need to begin thinking the way our children do. We use technology not just because it is technology, but because of what it can do. It engages us and helps us to learn. So bring on the bumps!

The original version of this post, written by Kathy Cassidy, appeared in this blog in January of 2014. Kathy is the author of Connected From the Start: Global Learning in the Primary Grades, published by Powerful Learning Press, which is now being given away for free on her blog. 

Playing Nintendogs

This year, I have been using PBL (passion or project-based learning) in my classroom. Although language arts and math have certainly been involved, I have mainly been using the outcomes of my science, social studies and health curriculum as the focal point of my backwards-by-design planning.

Instead of focusing on outcomes one at a time, I have

grouped them into areas roughly approximating themes.  Some of these themes have outcomes from only one curriculum and some have outcomes from two or even three subject areas.  The overall themes we have completed so far this year have only involved science and health. This means that we have not yet learned any of the social studies outcomes.

Can It Work?

To be honest, I have dreaded the social studies outcomes. Science and health lend themselves easily to passion based learning in my mind. But I wasn’t sure how I was going to make it all work in social studies.

Our next unit or theme is based around relationships, rules and responsibilities. (I didn’t come up with that title myself.) It covers some social studies and some health outcomes. As with all good PBL, I want this to be based on what the students are interested in. Yet there really is nothing about the words “relationships,” “rules” and “responsibilities” that has the ability to inspire passion in most six-year olds.

Playing Nintendogs

One thing my students ARE passionate about is gaming. They love to play games on the computers in our classroom and an incredible number of them have a Nintendo DS of their own. I have been looking for more ways to integrate gaming into our day and “could this be the time?  Gaming certainly involves rules, and effective relationships will be vital to make the six DS machines we have in our room work in a class of eighteen children.

I have used the DS in my classroom a variety of ways for several years. I know how to set things up so that our day flows smoothly and successfully with them. Using what I had learned to help the flow was not my purpose this time, though.

Let’s Try It

Without any preamble, I brought out the six handheld DS devices and said that we would spend the next period using them to play the game Nintendogs. They all cheered. “Go for it,” I said, and moved aside. They eagerly reached for the games.

What happened next was a study in human nature.

The children who got a DS in their hands eagerly moved to a table and began to use it. A couple of children sat down beside them to watch. Five children all hovered over the shoulder of one child.  Unbeknownst to me, one child had one in his backpack, which he promptly took out and began to use. Several children all clustered around me expectantly.  Clearly, I was supposed to solve their problem — they didn’t have one to use.

Their eyes kept darting to the counter where the DS devices had been, expecting more would appear. Despite the fact that we have used these machines many times this year, and they all know exactly how many there are, one child even moved some of the items on the counter to see if more might be hiding behind something. One student asked if they could use something else — an iPad or a computer. (This is often a shortage solution in our classroom.) I cheerfully told the children that we were using only the DS for this, and moved to another part of the room. I could hear a lot of grumbling and there were some very disappointed faces.

I wanted to be sure to stop what was happening before there were any tears, so after a few minutes I brought the game-less students back to our carpet and asked them about what had happened. We talked about how they had felt and how they could solve the difficulties.

Sharing the Nintendo DS

One of the students suggested that people could share with a partner. They moved around to find a partner and discovered that some students still would not have a DS. Another student suggested having three in a group. They tried it out and decided this was a “fair” way. Some arguing ensued as they all jockeyed to be first to play, and I asked them if they needed some rules. They eagerly agreed. (Being six is all about being fair.) Together they made five rules. (One was that it’s Mrs. Cassidy’s job to decide who is first and to keep track of the time to make it fair.) The rules were all their idea — I only asked questions and wrote them down.

Success At Last

Finally they felt they had it right and went to try their new rules. The classroom was not instantly peaceful, but when we met again at the end of the day, almost everyone was content. They had all had a turn to play Nintendogs and had had fun doing it.

And I think they’re beginning to understand the importance of rules. Maybe using passion based learning with social studies can work after all.

An original version of this post appeared in this blog in February of 2012. It was written by Kathy Cassidy. Kathy is now giving away a free copy of her book “Connected from the Start” on her blog. http://kathycassidy.com/2019/02/05/connected-from-the-start-is-now-fre

In 2008, I was introduced to this blogging with elementary students. I was in a workshop that my school offered. I was inspired by all of the possibilities that blogging could offer. I remember my mind being flooded with all of the possibilities that I started to think about in regards to communication, relationship building and perspective.

So my journey began

Here I am 6 years later. I manage 5 blogs, in my 5th year of using Kidblog and have had many opportunities to blog on other Blogs like SmartBrief on Education, Teach.com, Kidblog, Eduwin and I have also had the honor of writing a couple of articles for the ISTE Leading and Learning with Technology magazine.

These have all been amazing opportunities for me to share my voice using an asynchronous tool to be transparent about what I am exploring and discovering in regards to learning and how technology can really enhance blogging with elementary students.

If you are thinking of blogging, do it!

Take a risk at sharing your voice with others. I have found that the rewards of blogging have been inspiring and engaging. I have had my thinking challenged, my perspective is wide and I appreciate what others have to say and ask in regards to what I am sharing. Through this type of online conversation I am inspired, my thinking is challenged and I begin to connect and learn from others, collaborations develop.

Classroom Blogging

I began by creating a classroom blog. My goal was to create a place where my students and I could create posts about our learning explorations that we experienced inside and outside of kindergarten. As I began exploring blogging with my students, I found the children to be very excited about it. They enjoyed seeing themselves, hearing their ideas and asking each other what they noticed. This was the beginning of something wonderful for me in regards to not only becoming more transparent, but also has this asynchronous tool was about to transform my learning as well.

Opportunities for conversations

As a kindergarten teacher I want to make sure that I have plenty of opportunities for my students to engage in rich, meaningful conversations in regards to what they exploring. These conversations are extremely important because they validate the thinking and ideas that my students have. When a child can hear and see themselves in a photograph, a video, a podcast they are immediately engaged and naturally begin to make connections and observations. This is a wonderful way to begin to validate and highlight the conversations that are happening inside of your classroom. Then when you post on a blog, you begin to model explicitly what can happen when you share your thinking with others. You are thinking about how you can share outside of your classroom walls. Your students will be intrigued by the blog and how it can be used to highlight what they are exploring.

Then by adding a map widget on your blog you begin to help your students develop the idea of audience and perspective. Your students begin to think about the value of what can happen when they share. I always tell my students that this map is the world, it is a way that we can share what we are learning with others. Others are interested in what we are exploring and learning. This is another opportunity for me to explicitly to model how a conversation can begin through blogging. We begin to notice, look at others blogs and make comments about what they are doing too. Through this type of modeling I am beginning to take steps with my students about what it means to be a safe, kind and responsible digital citizen. The map on our blog now serves as a place where we notice all of the attributes blinking. This is motivating for my students because they get interested where people are in the world and that they are interested in what we are learning. Engagement and interest is high.

Communication became fluid, available, enriching, variety of tools: Communication is vital. I want my students and their parents to be informed about daily kindergarten life. Blogging is a great platform for this to happen because it is always their. Sending paper notes home is really inefficient for me because folks loose the paper, forget dates, etc. Using blogging as a platform is one way that I can consistently share what is happening inside/outside of kindergarten in regards to learning.

Get parents involved

Parents want to be informed and be able to contribute and have conversations with their children about their day in school. Blogging is a vehicle to help make this happen. The blog is a way for parents to engage and have face to face conversations with their children about their day in school. The photographs, video, etc. offer an opportunity to share and reflect. Here parents can begin to see and hear how learning is enriched through using blogging as a platform. Through blogging I am able to open up opportunities for parents to ask questions, post comments and share with other family members.

A new way to share student learning

In Kindergarten I have many opportunities throughout the day to capture what and how my students are exploring their ideas and what they understand about them. When I am able to photograph and/or use a video I offer another way for my students to reflect and explain their ideas. As an educator this also gives me a way to listen to what my students understand and how they came to their justification of what they share. Through face to face conversations and turn and talks that occur authentically I am able to use my class blog as a way to share not only what my students are learning, but how they are learning. Here is where excitement and engagement can really be ignited!

Inspire students to take risks

I have seen how all of my students become more confident and take risks with sharing their ideas because they enjoy seeing themselves and their work. When I model and share their learning I am offering them an opportunity to share their perspective globally. All students want to share and talk about what they are doing. The blog offers a way for my students to get positive compliments and feedback. The commenting that occurs has been thoughtful and positive. This inspires my students to take risks and share more!

Model and share our ideas

When others connect with us we also have an opportunity to model and share our ideas. Without always being aware of it my students are mentoring their learning for others. This is also inspiring and offers time for my students to reflect and share what matters most about what they understand. Once we begin to share our voice, we capture what is important and give others opportunities to try what we are doing and the tools we are using. All it takes is an idea and the willingness to try. The opportunities unfold on their own.

We are modeling how to be safe, kind and responsible because we always share about what and how we are learning. Our online etiquette is the same as it is when we are having face to face conversations.

I blog because

1. Opportunities for conversations = Builds positive communication
2. Family engagement, connection
3. Authentic learning
4. Positive self-esteem = High engagement
5. Collaboration can lead to mentoring opportunities
6. Digital Citizenship: safe, kind, responsible, explicit modeling

Blogging has offered me endless ways for my families to connect and engage in their child’s learning. As a professional I continue to grow, learn and be inspired through my own learning, my students and others who take risks and chances in sharing. I am able to make a difference because I care, but I am also willing to be transparent and share and engage in global conversations with others who strive each day to make learning fun and meaningful.

So when others ask me why I blog, I say;”Why not?”

This post appeared originally in April 2015 written by Sharon Davidson.

Asking questions is not hard for six-year-old students. Neither is telling stories about themselves. The problem for them is to know which is which.

I can’t tell you how many times a child has wanted to “ask a question” but has told me about something that happened at home the night before instead.  (Primary teachers know way more than they should or even want to know about a student’s home life.)

Because we are doing inquiry or PBL (passion-based learning) this year, my students have asked more questions than ever before in my classroom. Both the students and I are still learning about this process, but I like this shift.  The person who asks the questions is in charge of the learning, and I want my grade one kids to be in charge of their own learning early in their school careers.

Getting Ready to Meet a Police Officer

A few weeks ago, a police officer came to visit our classroom as a culmination of our “relationships, rules and responsibilities” unit. In the past, I have often asked the officers to talk to the students about a particular topic such as strangers or being safe on their bicycles. A constable would come into our classroom, talk for awhile, then answer a few questions from the kids, most of which were more likely to be story than inquiry.

This time, I told the officer I wanted the children to hear about ways to be safe, but I asked him to talk at the end about any safety topics were not covered by the students’ questions.

Because of the predisposition of a six-year-old to want to tell the constable every incident from their family’s history that might touch on law enforcement, we prepared the questions on cards ahead of time. We talked about what made a good question, the words that questions started with, and so forth. Then, as the students verbalized their wonderings, I gave them a card to write their question on. Those who are still having difficulty with letter/sound association drew a picture and I wrote their question out for them.

For some students, thinking of something they wanted to ask was difficult. Sometimes the questions were really stories and needed to be rethought. Sometimes I knew that the student already knew the answer to their question, so I helped them to reframe it to ask something else that they might be interested in knowing.

Asking the Questions

There were predictable questions such as “why do police officers have a gun?” and “why do the police have handcuffs?”.  There were some interesting queries like “why do buses have no seat belts?” and “how do police officers arrest another police officer?”. And there were also some thoughtful, deeper questions such as “why do we have laws?” and “what if there were no police officers?”

Constable Mohle answered every question patiently and with serious intent. It was a validation for all of the students that the things they wanted to know were important. For me, this was a far more satisfying way to have a guest in the classroom. First, the students were more involved and not just passive listeners. Second, they learned that what they wonder matters to those from outside our classroom as well as those within it.  And third, they practiced asking questions, an important skill.

If I ask the questions, I am in charge of the learning. If the police officer asks them, he is. If the students ask the questions they are in charge of their own learning. They did and they were.

As for my own question: I wonder what it is about the police officer’s uniform that instantly quiets my students and holds their undivided attention? And where can I legally get one?

An original version of this post appeared in this blog in April of 2012. It was written by Kathy Cassidy. Kathy is now giving away a free copy of her book “Connected from the Start” on her blog. 
http://kathycassidy.com/2019/02/05/connected-from-the-start-is-now-free/