The Connection Question

This post was inspired by a tweet that I saw as a quote from the recent NASSP conference. There also seems to be this idea or myth (call it what you want). That the connection we make through technology is not a meaningful or worthwhile one. It is also a thought that has been clanging around in my head for awhile now. Is Social Media making us more or less connected?

There is no doubt that personally, I have connected with a lot of inspiring people through my social media journey. Have I truly connected? Does that connection mean something to me? To answer these questions, I will give two examples of social media connections and the relationships that are built as a result.

1. #ohedchat - If you don't already know about what is going on with this great educational endeavor, I will direct you here and here. Obviously, we have made some great digital connections through this technology of the twitter chat. However, that was simply not enough for some folks. During one chat the idea of a tweetup was mentioned for those involved in the chat. I thought it would be a great way for folks to connect socially and meet up. That wasn't enough for some of the #ohedchat folks, they have concocted a socially and educationally engaging day for members to connect and continue to learn.

2. TCC Class of 2000 Reunion - My graduating high school class has not had any reunions. I won't get into the many reasons that have kept us from connecting up to now, but the fact is we haven't yet. One of our classmates started a Facebook page and added all of his friends that he graduated with to the group. We are about two years away from a possible 15 year reunion, but we have started a good conversation so far. I have been friends with some of my past classmates for a few years now, but we are now focusing on meeting face-to-face again.

I use these two examples to illustrate a point. I believe that technology and social media give us meaningful connections. No one, even technology and social media experts, could argue that face-to-face communication is inferior to other forms. But if technology is our tool that we use to make those new connections, then isn't that meaningful? Shouldn't we be leveraging technology to make those meaningful connections? What do you think?

Remember that Awesome Worksheet?

Nope. That was my answer to a student that recently asked me why we never do worksheets. The conversation went a little like this:

Student: Mr. Evans, why do we never do worksheets?
Me: What do you mean 'do worksheets'?
Student; You know like do a worksheet, we all do it and stuff.
Me: Oh, you mean when I hand out a worksheet and talk about something, then everyone 'does it' then we go over the answers?
Student: Yeah like that.
Me: Well have you ever said this to one of your friends; Dude do you remember that Awesome Worksheet that we did last year?
Class: Laughs

I went on to explain a little bit why we don't do that. That because it is not that fun for them and that it does not really help them learn anything. I think they definitely got the idea that I don't particularly like using our time in class for things like that. Anyone can find worksheets at the teacher store and throw them at the kids, but is that teaching? Not to me. I'm a teacher not a resource regurgitator.

I do feel guilty sometimes standing at the copier as I run off some of those "sheets" for homework. Because it's not like I don't ever use a worksheet for something like homework or extra practice. I just don't believe that you can consider it a lesson.

I am so glad that this student pointed this out to me. He obviously has noticed that his past teachers have employed the worksheet method (if you can call it a method). He also noticed that I don't do that, for that I am very grateful. This tells me that students notice more about our teaching methods than we may think. Hopefully they appreciate my approach and will learn more in the end.

Social Media and Teachers ... Who Knew?

I follow a lot of great educators on Twitter. I have noticed that a few states like Iowa and Wisconsin are having their own scheduled Twitter chats. It seemed like a great way to share and learn about all of the issues and topics facing educators and students in Ohio. A couple weeks ago I tweeted a question about if anyone knew about Ohio having a state chat.

Before I knew it, a about 5 people were interested in participating and helping. A few volunteered to promote the chat to their followers. I even volunteered to moderate. What was I thinking? I have never done anything close to something like that. I was very nervous. Not nervous for myself, but for all of the participants. I wanted things to go well for everyone involved.

Well judging from all of the thank you tweets, I think it is safe to say that it went well.

Even my wife, a reluctant tweeter, joined in and learned a few things.

Who knew that teachers could be so into Social Media? I knew the Ohio teachers were out there, but they are way more into it than I ever thought. We even got some reporters from State Impact Ohio in on the fun.

A huge thanks goes out to #iaedchat and #wischat folks for inspiring this great adventure. As I said their ideas and discussions really helped us get this thing moving. More shout outs to Christina Hank, Molly Bloom and Michael Roush. Without their help, #ohedchat would still be an idea instead of a great tool for learning. This whole idea is about 2 weeks old, and I can't wait to see where #ohedchat can take us and what we can learn. If you haven't joined us yet, check us out on Mondays at 9PM. We can't wait to learn from you!

About Value-Added and Challenging Yourself

This post is not about Value-Added Teacher evaluations. I could, and may, write a another post about that. This post is about a workshop that I attended that was put on by Battelle for Kids and how it changed my thinking about my teaching and my life. So if you are reading this and you are not a teacher just bear with me to the end, and you may be challenged as well.

I saw a tweet about a workshop to share some of the practices of Highly Effective Teachers as identified by the research done by Battelle. I have to be honest here. I really wanted to hate Battelle for Kids. We are constantly hearing about how education is broken and needs fixed. This whole Value-Added movement just seems like one more thing to throw at us to break us down. Little did I know that this movement seems to be more about accentuating the positives. I think we could use more of that in all areas of our lives, not just in the teaching profession.

First of all the research method used by Battelle was Appreciative Inquiry. Simply stated, Appreciative Inquiry is a type of research that looks at what is good about something and how we can get more of it. Makes sense, huh? Basically their research found that Highly Effective Teachers positive behaviors fall into 4 categories. Student-Centered, Continuous Improvement, Stability and Goal Orientation. I scored high in the Student-Centered and Continuous Improvement categories. That was not surprising to me. I thought that is where I would fall. For the final part of the workshop, we were put into groups and asked to "stretch" into the categories that we did't score high in.

I loved this. I love that we were challenged to think outside of ourselves. I am going to be thinking about this for a long time. I will be challenging myself to think about how I can put more stability into every lesson this week and beyond. The research revealed that Highly Effective Teachers have a balanced approach to teaching. I think many teachers would that they take a balanced approach. The fact is that we all have to "stretch" ourselves from time to time. Not just teachers, but as parents, spouses and friends. We need to stretch ourselves into the areas that we need to improve. So I challenge you to first identify the area you need to "stretch" into. Then challenge yourself to live in that area over time and everyday because it can help you be a Highly Effective Teacher, Principal, Husband, Wife, Father, Mother or Whatever.

This is Why Students Students Should Use Google Apps

So at the beginning of the year my district decided to give our students Google accounts so that students could use Google Apps, specifically Google Drive. We started with the basic functions of documents and presentations. It wasn't much different than your typical word processing and powerpoint lesson. We then showed them how to share documents. I graded them and they could see the results instantly. I told them that the best was yet to come.

They have been studying the Solar System in Science. We let them choose any topic to research and make a presentation. They knew how to make presentations, but I showed them how to share them with their classmates. They thought that was pretty cool. THEN I showed them the chat feature. You would have thought I let I doled out extra recess. They went nuts. I was a little nervous that they would misuse it and just chat about everything but their projects, but they amazed me at the level of conversation. They were not only discussing the project, but how to make it better and complimenting each other along the way. Now, I went nuts.

As it turns out, I didn't have to give a big speech about not using the chat to talk about non-school related stuff. They just did it because they were caught up in how well it worked as a communication tool.

So the biggest reason why I think students should use this technology is communication. I told them that face-to-face communication is not always needed and we can learn how to adapt without it. They weren't silent while working on the projects, but the majority of their communication was through their writing. This is the kind of work that they will do and the way they will communicate later in their lives, and they are seeing the value of it at a very young age. In my technology class, my students aren't just learning about technology, they are also learning better communication skills and how to leverage available technology to accomplish tasks. So that is why I believe students need to use Google apps.

The Difference Between Search and Research

This post was inspired by Wendy Eiteljorg. She posted about teaching students about the difference between searching and researching a topic. This could not have been timed better. I read this post about a week before my students were going to start a research project about explorers. I had great intentions of teaching the best lesson on research EVER! It didn't go as well as planned, but just keep reading.

I started with my first group by using a T-chart to list some differences between search and research. I used examples like a dog fetching a ball and Trick or Treating and examining candy after Trick or Treat (both suggestions made by Wendy). It was great. We talked about how I LOVE Google, but not for research. We can't always trust everything we find on Google and Google doesn't give us the kind of information we need for research reports. It is great for finding quick answers (search). I love Google, I mean I am using the blogger platform after all, just not for kids doing research reports. And the Teacher of the Year award goes to ... Mr. Evans!

Then we get to the computer lab. I caught two students using Google to search for their explorers. Do I have to give my award back now?

I tried with the next class and I think it went better. I made the students tell me more about why they shouldn't use Google and why they should use INFOhio instead. I was surprised at how well they already understood the concept. We got to the computer lab. Nobody tried to use Google. SUCCESS!

I feel bad for my first group of students. I feel that I shortchanged them. I will continue to work with them on the differences, but I feel this is a good start.

I'll let you know when the award comes in the mail :)

Goals

In completing my master's degree in the last few years, I read some literature about goal setting. So when my students recently completed a common assessment I decided to have them write some goals for themselves. I may catch some flack for placing emphasis on assessments, but I saw an opportunity and took it.

I had them write their results and what they would like to improve upon for the next time. I then had them write what they would do to achieve these goals. As Carol Dweck has pointed out, I had them focus on hard work. I didn't tell them what to write, but gave them an example. I told them I recently took up running in an effort to be more physically fit. My goal from the beginning was to run a 5k. I told them that I had to start running and fit it into my schedule a couple times a week.

Well on Thanksgiving, I did it. I ran my first 5k. I finished. I ran the whole time and never walked. I was so proud, and very happy to see my family at the finish. As I looked at my number that identified me as a runner. I thought it would be great keepsake, but then I couldn't wait to take it and show it to my students. I cant wait to share my pride with students and to show them how hard work can lead to accomplishing your goals.

Rarely do we get the opportunity to share real world examples in realtime as they happen. It feels like at teachable moment, I just hope I can articulate this into a learning moment for the students. I want them to understand that my hard work translated into results that I am proud and I want them to do the same. If anyone actually reads this little blog and would like to give me some advice on how to give my students some inspiration, your help would be greatly appreciated.

P.S. Try not to laugh too hard at my slow time at the finish line.