Stay Thirsty!
Stay Thirsty!
Wonder-ful
I read the book Wonder by R.J. Palacio after hearing Donalyn Miller book talk it at the SCASL conference. I enjoyed the book and especially loved the quotes at the beginning of each section. Of course, I passed the book on to my students and teachers, urging them to read it. Not long after I finished reading Wonder, our school began forming and training an anti-bullying committee. I knew this awesome book would perfectly compliment our school's anti-bullying efforts.
I recommended it to the principal for a school wide read, and he thought it was a fantastic idea. We pitched the idea to the faculty at our beginning of the year anti-bullying training. The faculty liked the idea of doing a school wide read-aloud too. We purchased a copy of Wonder for every homeroom teacher.
Every morning at 8:00, teachers fire up their document cameras and LCD projectors and display the book on their whiteboards so students can follow along as the book is read to them over the school's PA system. The whole school listens and reads the book together. It's magical on a level that is usually lost in middle schools.
The principal read the introduction.
I read the first chapter.
Mrs. Sommer-Gough and Ms. Sommer, two teachers, who were hand-picked for their excellent talents in reading books aloud, have been taking turns reading the rest of the book. They read for 15 minutes each morning, stopping five minutes short of the end of the period to give time for discussion.
We have been doing this for a seven days now, and already this has been an amazing experience. It feels powerful and good. The students and the teachers love the book. They love reading it together, and now we all have one more thing in common with each other, which strengthens our school community. It is an excellent way to begin a school day.
Teachers tell me how much they love the book, how much the students love the book, they tell me how much they enjoy the way Mrs. Sommer-Gough and Ms. Sommer read, and they share insightful student comments and connections their students are making. Students tell me how much they love the book. Do they know how happy it makes me to hear this?
I am creating a blog to serve as a place for more discussion. This school wide read-aloud is Wonder-ful on many levels. It makes me feel the impact that books can have on people. I want more of this.
I think everyone else does too.
Teachers tell me how much they love the book, how much the students love the book, they tell me how much they enjoy the way Mrs. Sommer-Gough and Ms. Sommer read, and they share insightful student comments and connections their students are making. Students tell me how much they love the book. Do they know how happy it makes me to hear this?
I am creating a blog to serve as a place for more discussion. This school wide read-aloud is Wonder-ful on many levels. It makes me feel the impact that books can have on people. I want more of this.
I think everyone else does too.
Flipping the Classroom Lodge McCammon Style
Dr. Lodge McCammon was a featured speaker at the Upstate Technology Conference in June. I enjoyed his keynote address as well as his engaging enthusiasm and energy. While I had heard about the concept of flipping the classroom before, I had never been presented with compelling data to support it, and I had never seen it done in McCammon style. Flipping the classroom essentially moves the lecture to being homework and the application, drill, practice and activities to being classwork. It makes sense. In a flipped classroom the teacher spends more time with students practicing a skill or concept and less time lecturing. The lecture is video recorded using a simple flip camera and white board tiles or chart paper rather than power point or movie maker slides as seen in the video clip below. No fancy technology is needed.
After listening to Dr. McCammon speak I think that even if a classroom or a school isn't completely flipped, there are benefits to using McCammon's flipped classroom techniques to improve teaching and learning. According to McCammon, a 60 minute in-class lecture is equal to an eight minute video lecture. This is purely due to classroom management. I am not saying poor classroom management either. It is simply the regular management of 25 or more students in a classroom that makes delivering content take a long time. Most teachers know this as their daily reality.
In a truly flipped classroom students view lecture videos at home as their homework. Let's just say the issues of students choosing not to watch the lecture or being unable to watch the lecture due to lack of technology at home make doing this unrealistic for you. Even recording lectures and playing them during class is worthwhile. If a teacher video recorded her lesson and played it to her students even during class, this would reduce lecture time, enable easy repeat viewing in class or at home, and allow the teacher to spend less energy giving the same lecture four to six times a day. In addition, there would essentially be two versions of the same teacher, one that is live and one that is on video. This would enable the teacher to be the ultimate zen master of classroom management during the lecture. The lecture would be able to be paused, repeated, forwarded, and used again. This approach would lessen teacher fatigue and enable the teacher to use her energy in a more meaningful way.
One of the points that McCammon made that really stuck with me was that the relationship with the classroom teacher has a direct influence in the student's learning and performance. McCammon provided convincing evidence that content is much more meaningful and powerful when it comes from the student's own teacher. That realization makes teacher-student relationships in traditional classrooms something to emphasize and re-evaluate. It gives weight to that old saying, "Your students will not care what you know, until they know that you care."
After hearing Dr. McCammon speak, looking at his website and videos, I am convinced that teachers can benefit from learning about this concept even if they have no intention of trying it out in their own classrooms.
After listening to Dr. McCammon speak I think that even if a classroom or a school isn't completely flipped, there are benefits to using McCammon's flipped classroom techniques to improve teaching and learning. According to McCammon, a 60 minute in-class lecture is equal to an eight minute video lecture. This is purely due to classroom management. I am not saying poor classroom management either. It is simply the regular management of 25 or more students in a classroom that makes delivering content take a long time. Most teachers know this as their daily reality.
In a truly flipped classroom students view lecture videos at home as their homework. Let's just say the issues of students choosing not to watch the lecture or being unable to watch the lecture due to lack of technology at home make doing this unrealistic for you. Even recording lectures and playing them during class is worthwhile. If a teacher video recorded her lesson and played it to her students even during class, this would reduce lecture time, enable easy repeat viewing in class or at home, and allow the teacher to spend less energy giving the same lecture four to six times a day. In addition, there would essentially be two versions of the same teacher, one that is live and one that is on video. This would enable the teacher to be the ultimate zen master of classroom management during the lecture. The lecture would be able to be paused, repeated, forwarded, and used again. This approach would lessen teacher fatigue and enable the teacher to use her energy in a more meaningful way.
One of the points that McCammon made that really stuck with me was that the relationship with the classroom teacher has a direct influence in the student's learning and performance. McCammon provided convincing evidence that content is much more meaningful and powerful when it comes from the student's own teacher. That realization makes teacher-student relationships in traditional classrooms something to emphasize and re-evaluate. It gives weight to that old saying, "Your students will not care what you know, until they know that you care."
After hearing Dr. McCammon speak, looking at his website and videos, I am convinced that teachers can benefit from learning about this concept even if they have no intention of trying it out in their own classrooms.
Auntie Librarian vs the Evil Laminator of Doom
It's back to school time. It's that time of year when we
teachers converge on the lone laminating machine in the teacher work room with
a powerful desire to coat countless documents in shiny clear plastic.
In the final day or two before the students return, during
that push to create vibrant, colorful learning spaces for our students, the
laminator ALWAYS runs out of film. Someone must load the machine with new rolls
of laminating film, quickly. It's an emergency. Today, that someone was me.
I was working in the library when the summons came. It was
only a matter of time before it happened. The person who had changed the film
on the laminator for over 20 years had retired. And now, the duty was falling to me. "Mrs. Tazerouti, the laminator is out of
film and the sixth grade teachers need to laminate their id cards!" said
the teacher. I put my stack of books on the table and headed to the teacher
workroom.
"Wish me luck. I’ve never done this before." I
said nervously as I walked past the teachers in the work room remembering the laminating disasters of years past that sent teachers flocking to other schools to use their laminators. “Good
Luck,” they said.
 |
| Evil Laminator of Doom |
Then, I turned around and went to the front office to make
an announcement on the school’s PA system. “If there is ANYONE in the building
who knows how to load film in the laminator, please come to the workroom now.”
No one came.
“Is there something wrong?” my fellow teachers asked with
concerned faces. “No” I told them, “I just don’t want to mess it up.”
I load the film and turn on the machine. Another teacher
helps. The film wraps around the middle roller several times instead of coming
out the back of the machine. I had
failed to use a piece of cardboard or a manila folder to thread the film
through the machine. The other teacher leaves, and I spend the next 45 minutes using an exacto knife, scissors,
pliers and big tweezers from the science lab to pull and cut away the thick layers of
laminating film from the middle roller. I am sweating. Teachers pop into the
workroom to check my progress. “What
will we do?” I hear one teacher whisper to another. “Where will we go?”
 |
| Jumbled up words! Oh No! |
Today is the last work day before the students return. I keep digging online until I find an unblocked “how to load your laminator” web page. When I print it something makes the words jumble together, making it impossible to read the crucial steps two and three. I copy and paste the web page into Word and print it. Then, I fax a copy over to the high school and head to the workroom to conquer the laminator.
With the help of the principal and another teacher, I thread
the machine. We’ve done it. The machine heats up and it actually works! The squeaky sound of the plastic feeding through the machine is music to my ears.
Victory! Word gets out that the laminator is fixed and happy teachers flood the workroom. Let the laminating begin!
Welcome back to school! Happy laminating everybody!
Welcome back to school! Happy laminating everybody!
Upstate Technology Conference Wow!
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In June I attended the amazing and free Upstate Technology Conference in Greenville, SC. Of course, I learned about the conference through my invaluable SCASL network. Silly me, I neglected to register for the conference. I heard rumors of a limited amount of first-come-first-serve onsite registrations. So, I decided to get up at the crack o' dawn and head on over to Greenville to see if I could snag one of those onsite tickets. Lo and behold, I was one of the first people there, which means I also got an awesome parking place. I enjoyed the oatmeal and coffee I brought while I waited for the conference folks to get the tickets. I later learned that they turned away over 100 people after the onsite tickets were gone.
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| I got a golden ticket! |
The first session I attended was presented by Lisa Fisher and Jared Johnson of Orangeburg 5 and Lexington 2 School Districts. Their session focused on using iPods and iPads in the classroom. Our school just got an iPad lab, and this session was very helpful to me. What I learned will help me create an iPad policy for the use of our new lab. Here are some of my favorite take aways:
- screen shots - capture research, pictures using a screen shot on the iPad by pressing power and the "home" circle button on the bottom of the iPad, also a good tool for classroom management use to make sure everyone is doing what they are supposed to be doing. Have students stop and take screen shots to document that they were on task.
- reset - resetting the iPad will not erase the content or apps on the iPad. Teachers may find this useful when students have made changes to the iPad that they cannot undo.
- Teachers using the iPad lab will have to teach their students the basics of the iPad before any real instruction can begin.
- Use EdModo with iPads to help organize instructional content such as websites, videos and documents.
- Socratic is a great app to try that makes your iPads into student response systems
- Use Interactive White board apps such as screen chomp, educreations and show me to have students record what they are doing. For example, while recording, have students work a math problem and explain the steps on their iPads using one of these programs.
Cathy Jo Nelson presented a session on the 2011 AASL's Best Websites for teaching and learning. She showed us the sites and gave us tips on how to incorporate them into lessons. Cathy also gave us tips on how to use Twitter to find out about good websites and apps.
The most influential, sticky aspect of UTC was Lodge McCammon and his keynote and session on Flipping the classroom. My next post will be dedicated to this concept and its possibilities.
Many thanks to UTC and its organizers for presenting a great conference for FREE!
Many thanks to UTC and its organizers for presenting a great conference for FREE!
Reasons why I am opening the library and checking out books over the summer
This year I decided to check out books to students over the summer. "You'll never get 'em back!" says the wicked witch in my head. It reminds me of the "You'll shoot your eye out! You'll shoot your eye out!" sass from Ralphie's teacher in A Christmas Story. I thought it was a revolutionary idea, because all I ever heard was, "You'll never get the books back." Well, it's NOT a revolutionary idea and lots of great librarians do it. I posted a query to the SCASL list-serv asking, "Do you check out books over the summer?" and one person replied "as many as they want. . " that's when I knew I had to do it. Here are some other reasons:
1. The only students who are going to check out books are the ones who love to read, those are my regular customers and they are pretty reliable about returning their books to the library. We need to make more students who love to read. But for me right now, the number of students interested in summer book check out is not overwhelming.
2. Which is more important? Getting all the books back or kids reading over the summer? Students reading over the summer is much more important than the potential loss of a few library books.
3. I used it as an incentive for students to clear their library account and return all of their books on or before the last week of school. Students could not check out books for the summer unless they had no check outs or overdue books or fines on their library account.
4. Checking out books over the summer helps build a culture of reading.
5. I decided to allow only the 6th and 7th graders to check out books because they will be returning to the school next year. I did check out a few books to 8th graders who asked about checking out books and told them to return the books to the High School library or our public library.
All in all this has been a positive experience that I will almost certainly repeat next year. I started a summer book club with four books to choose from and scheduled meetings on the two dates I opened the library.
Even if we don't get many people, this is a start. I will be able to kick the year off by continuing the summer book club into the first two weeks of school.
Check out the SMS Library Blog to see what we read and some of the activities we tried.
1. The only students who are going to check out books are the ones who love to read, those are my regular customers and they are pretty reliable about returning their books to the library. We need to make more students who love to read. But for me right now, the number of students interested in summer book check out is not overwhelming.
2. Which is more important? Getting all the books back or kids reading over the summer? Students reading over the summer is much more important than the potential loss of a few library books.
3. I used it as an incentive for students to clear their library account and return all of their books on or before the last week of school. Students could not check out books for the summer unless they had no check outs or overdue books or fines on their library account.
4. Checking out books over the summer helps build a culture of reading.
5. I decided to allow only the 6th and 7th graders to check out books because they will be returning to the school next year. I did check out a few books to 8th graders who asked about checking out books and told them to return the books to the High School library or our public library.
All in all this has been a positive experience that I will almost certainly repeat next year. I started a summer book club with four books to choose from and scheduled meetings on the two dates I opened the library.
Even if we don't get many people, this is a start. I will be able to kick the year off by continuing the summer book club into the first two weeks of school.
Check out the SMS Library Blog to see what we read and some of the activities we tried.
A Beautiful Sculpture
We just hung a beautiful sculpture in the library. There's a story behind it, and in honor of my Mother I am going to write about it.
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Chihuly poster and Chihuly books and postcards. I put them in
my car and headed back home.
painting, assembling. Two years go by.
beautiful sculpture. When I look at it, I see a journey, a gift, a
wonderful collaboration, friendships, and a little magic.
And I see my mother.
I went to Florida the summer after my mother passed away. I drove down by myself. I guess you could say I was looking for my mom and for myself too. The trip was magical. Weird things just seemed to happen. Beautiful things.
One of my first stops was Anna Maria island, a place we often went as a family. It's been over twenty years since I was last here.I passed by the house we used to stay in. I sat on the pier I used to fish from as a kid. I took a walk on the beach my sisters and cousins used to play on. My head was filled with so many wonderful memories. It was sunset time, and the water was smooth. I couldn't help but roll my pants up and walk into the water. Like the air, the water was quiet and warm and still. When I saw the dolphin fins emerge from the water, I could not believe my eyes. At first I was terrified, thinking, "shark!" I was delighted when, silently and slowly, a mother dolphin and her baby swam so close to me I could almost reach out to touch them.
My next stop was Longboat Key, another special place full of memories. While I was there, a manatee swam along the shore of the beach near my hotel. This rarely happens as manatees prefer mangrove areas and channels. I spotted its dark shape from my lounger, threw down my magazine and ran to the shore line. A crowd of people began to form around me as I pointed to the manatee.
I have never been so close to dolphins and manatees before.
St. Petersburg was the last stop on my trip. My mother used to live there. I visited Mary Ann, a longtime family friend. Mary Ann took me to to see the Morean Arts Center's Chihuly Collection. I have seen a few of Chihuly's pieces in hotels and Casinos and loved them all, but not to the point of emotion. I had never seen a whole collection exhibited. I was deeply engrossed in the beauty of the glass pieces featured in the collection when I came to the last part of the exhibit, the Fiori. Chihuly makes large pieces of art called fiori, which is Italian for the word flower. These particular pieces are so large they take up an entire room. I walked into the black room where the fiori piece was. It was like a spectacular glass garden laid out before me. Beautiful, bright colors and shapes sprouted from the ground. I was so blown away by the beauty of it I had to sit down. It literally brought tears to my eyes.I have never seen such vibrant colors and fantastic shapes before.
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Mary Ann and I also visited a hot shop, and watched a live glass blowing demonstration. The whole time I was in St.Pete looking at all this art, I was thinking of my friend Amanda, who teaches art at my school. I snapped photos and took video clips and sent them on to my art teacher friend. I knew she would love to see all of this. She sent me a text saying, "more!"Seeing how much I loved Chihuly's art, Mary Ann gave me a
Chihuly poster and Chihuly books and postcards. I put them in
my car and headed back home.
As I am driving home from this wonderful trip, barreling down one of those lovely flat, smooth Florida highways with the music turned up loud, up in the horizon, dozens of colorful hot air balloons are lifting into the air. Another magic moment. This turned out to be an amazing trip.
When I get back home, I bring the Chihuly books and poster to my art teacher friend Amanda to use in her classroom. Soon after, Amanda comes up with this great idea for a Chihuly-like sculpture for her students to make.
Amanda and I plan a virtual Chihuly tour in the library's computer lab to introduce the sculpture project to the students. We turned out the lights and tried to replicate a gallery setting. We showed the students examples of blown glass. We watched videos and played music softly in the background. The students loved it. They were excited. The lesson was a wonderful collaborative effort.The art students work on the sculpture. Collecting bottles,
painting, assembling. Two years go by.
Today, a gorgeous sculpture hangs from the ceiling in the library I work in every day. What a gift! The art project started and ended in the library. How cool is that?
And it reminds me of my mother.
And Amanda the art teacher reminds me of my mother.
Because she sees something and she lets it inspire her into creating something beautiful. Just like my mother would. She makes beautiful things.
The trip I took to Florida was surreal. I felt as if my mother was blessing me with these beautiful treats in the forms of dolphin, manatee, the warmth of childhood memories, Chihuly art, sunsets, good friends, and hot air balloons. I had nothing to show for it but a few pictures, memories and stories.
Not anymore.Most people will look up at this sculpture and see only a
beautiful sculpture. When I look at it, I see a journey, a gift, a
wonderful collaboration, friendships, and a little magic.
And I see my mother.
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