It’s the last day of school, and it’s the usual story … kids are ecstatic, most teachers are too (some, like me, are more sad to see the kids go than anything else). The arrival of summer for me means two months without a paycheck. I could choose to spread my pay over 12 months, but find that I enjoy the “incentive” to find consulting and other gigs to pay the bills. ;-)

My summer actually kicks off tomorrow with a dad and daughter road trip to Darien Center, NY to catch a Tom Petty concert. Jamie, my oldest daughter and I did this very same road trip in 2006. A few months ago, she said she wanted to go again as her high school graduation present, and I jumped at the chance. She’s 17 and starting at Rutgers in the fall. Won’t have many more chances like this!

Here’s what I have on tap for the rest of the summer…

June

• ETTC “Google Camp”, 6/23 – this is a one-day program for participants in the Math & Science Partnership Program. The ETTC asked me to design & lead these workshops, a variant of which hopefully will run again later this summer.
• International Society for Technology in Education National Computing Conference (NECC), 6/27 – 7/2, San Antonio, Texas. I’ll be presenting on a couple of panels regarding Second Life and one on the new ISTE NETS standards.

July

• Games + Learning + Society Conference, 7/9 – 7/11, Madison, Wisconsin. I received a full scholarship to this event (conference admission + lodging) and was asked to speak on a panel entitled Games and Learning in Practice: An Educator Panel on Implementing Curricula. This prestigious international conference is highly sought after and limited to 325 participants. Attendees are “academic researchers, game designers/developers, and PK-12 teachers.” Check out the speakers list!
• NJELITE, 7/16 – 7/18, Wildwood, NJ. I blogged about this yesterday!
• NJ Principals & Supervisor’s Association and NJEXCEL workshops, 7/22 – 7/24; 7/28 – 7/30. These are custom workshops I am creating regarding use of Web 2.0 technologies for K-12 administrators and district leaders.

August

• NJ Principals & Supervisor’s Association (same workshops as above) 8/4 – 8/6.
• Powerful Learning Practice, opening kickoff meeting, Kean University, 8/12. Kean University is working with Will Richardson and Sheryl Nussbaum-Beachto bring PLP to New Jersey. I have been asked to serve as a Fellow in the program, meaning I’ll be part of the learning community both online and at the face-to-face meetings throughout the coming year. I’m really excited about this! One hundred educators (20 cohorts of five participants each) from schools across the state as well as the NJDOE and NJPSA will be taking part in this year-long embedded professional development extravaganza.
• ETTC “Google Camp”, 8/14 & 8/21. Same as above.

Well, I guess that wraps it up. In between these conferences, workshops and training gigs, I plan to spend time with my family, catch up on my summer reading (more on that in another post), and of course, start planning for September. As far as I’m concerned, teaching is a 12-month job with 10 months of pay, but I wouldn’t have it any other way!

-kj-

Good morning everyone,

Taking a bit of a diversion with today’s post. It “meme” time… ;-)

The “This I Believe” meme was started by my friend and fellow Google Certified Teacher Barry Bachenheimer and is patterned after National Public Radio’s “This I Believe.” It is an opportunity to share one’s philosophy of education.

I’ve been tagged by my friend (and fellow GCT) Lisa Thumann. Thanks for the invite Lisa!

Before you go any further, you may wish to watch this TeacherTube video called “Introducing the Conceptual Age of Web 2.0“. Lisa recommended it and it really is terrific. It was produced by the author of The Digital Sandbox.

For those of you who don’t know, I teach in a state-of-the-art K-4 lab (pictured above) at Northfield Elementary School in Northfield, NJ. I am finishing my fifth year in the classroom. Prior to getting into teaching, I worked in the business world. After 9/11, I wanted to do something different with my life, and mustered the courage to walk away from a six-figure job to pursue my dream of teaching as a second career. By the grace of God, I ended up here. The rest, as they say, is history!

Much of the inspiration for this meme actually comes from my friend & colleague Sylvia Martinez, President of Generation YES. She recently appeared on Women of Web 2.0 podcast #79. The entire podcast is great, but the latter half of the talk really hit home and powerfully shaped my list. Thanks Sylvia!

As a teacher (working with students), I believe:

• It is up to *ME* to design authentic, engaging lessons & projects that challenge and excite my STUDENTS. If they’re not paying attention, it’s not their problem. It’s mine!
• My students are the reason I exist. They empower me, inspire me, recharge me, humble me. I am a teacher. Unless I teach, I don’t exist!
• Students need to be at the center of the lesson, to *create* learning themselves, not follow a script or some contrived drill-and-kill exercise. They need to be given tools, an objective, some idea how to proceed, and then we as teachers need to GET OUT OF THE WAY and watch what happens (and assess the results).
• *I* am accountable for the learning ultimately achieved by my students, for authentic evidence of transfer, for their personal digital achievements in my classroom and others, for their cognitive development, particularly as it pertains to 21st century skills, regardless of all other environmental variables, pressures, influences, whatever. If it is to be, it’s up to me!

As a technology facilitator (working with other teachers) I believe:

• It is up to *ME* to design authentic, engaging lessons & projects that challenge and excite my fellow TEACHERS. If they’re not motivated to bring the technologies I’m showing in my lab into THEIR classrooms, to revamp (with my help!) lessons they are ALREADY DOING to incorporate these technologies, it’s because I’ve not done a good enough job presenting compelling reasons to do so!
• My colleagues are outstanding educators from whom I have much to learn about classroom teaching, including pedagogy, basic literacy, classroom management, differentiated instruction and more. As a lifelong learner, I’m ready for the challenge!
• Technology needs to inspire teachers to do things they’ve never done before, to take risks, to provide collaborative global experiences with students and cultures across the country and around the world. I’m ready to help lead the charge!
• I am an advocate for my fellow classroom teacher when it comes to infusing technology into classroom curricula. Teachers WANT technology to transform their professional practice but face enormous daily pressure opposing their efforts to do so. Bottom line: It takes time! I believe that the right learning environment can encourage teachers to willingly invest the personal time needed to overcome these obstacles! Yes folks, that’s right. It can’t get done from 8 to 3!

Wow, ok! That was a little longer than I intended! ;-) Now, it’s my turn to pass this on, and I’m tagging:

• Bill Ferriter, The Tempered Radical
• Erica Hartman, TheITClassroom
• Tina Coffey, Teaching with Technology

Thanks for listening!

-kj-

3 The Number
Originally uploaded by sonofsteppe.

Where to begin…

Leadership has always fascinated me, from political figures on the world stage to military leaders on the battlefield to great athletes and coaches to workers in nearly every profession (including, most recently, education) and, of course, our students. Educon was many things to many people. To me, it was not about technology or networking or student voice or teaching or the Science Leadership Academy or its amazing and visionary principal Chris Lehmann … it was about one thing: leadership.

When I reflected on what had transpired over the nearly 48 hours I spent in Philadelphia with over 200 like-minded educators from across North America, the people I’d met, the pedagogical techniques I’d seen, the classroom stories I’d heard, the powerful emotions I’d felt (and seen), I thought of what it meant to be a leader and therefore what it means for our leadership responsibilities in our own districts.

I’m a classroom teacher. I don’t formally lead much more than a group of 24 students at a time but I informally lead in lots of other areas. Who knows, maybe I’ll lead something big and impressive someday. But for now, there are plenty of micro-leadership opportunities, right in my own school. That’s what I want to write about. To get started, I need to tell a little story.

In 1989, Jimmy Johnson was named the new head coach of the Dallas Cowboys football team. I don’t really follow the sport (much less the Cowboys since I root for the Giants) but I do remember reading an article that came out around the time Jimmy took the reins. I don’t have the exact details about the scenario so I’m going to embellish a bit. As I recall, it went something like this…

Jimmy was being feted by the owner (and his friend) Jerry Jones at a news conference in Dallas amid flashing cameras, great media fanfare and even greater expectations. Questions were flying, Jimmy was smiling broadly, everyone was excited and filled with anticipation. At the end of the event, as everyone filed out, a leather-faced, long-time reporter and Cowboys fan gently pulled Jimmy aside. This was a person with tremendous experience and perspective, someone who knew Jimmy was replacing Tom Landry, one of the greatest coaches of all time, someone who understood the enormity of the task Jimmy was about to undertake. His words of advice:

“Just win more than three, Jimmy.”

It wasn’t to be. The new coach would go 1-15 in that first year, despite having a reasonably solid team, first-class infrastructure and his best friend as owner and boss. It was a rough start but eventually everything came together and he guided the Dallas Cowboys to consecutive NFL Championships in 1992 and 1993, becoming one of only four coaches (including Vince Lombardi, Don Shula, and Chuck Noll) to ever lead back-to-back Super Bowl winners.

And so when I thought about the overwhelming inspiration I’d experienced over the weekend, all the great things I learned, all the amazing people I’d met, and all I wanted to do when I got back into my classroom, it occurred to me that I should heed that same advice.

“Just win more than three.”

Ok, but win “three what?” Three awards? Three scholarships? Three presentations? Three lessons? Three students? Three parents? Three colleagues?

And there it was … three colleagues. In addition to my classroom teaching responsibilities, I’m also a technology facilitator (that’s my actual job title) which means I’m tasked with helping others teach more effectively using technology. For me to “win more than three,” I’ll need to focus on a few people, developing their skills, promoting their work, supporting their learning, developing their confidence, pushing their limits, raising their standards, lifting their spirits.

Session after session at Educon featured extraordinary contributions from extraordinary people, both in front of the room and in the audience. Teachers were students as students were teachers. In the end, we all were moved. Some, including one of my good friends, were literally moved to tears by eloquent expressions that painted mental scenes of unimaginable beauty, the kind of beauty we want in our own classrooms, schools and districts.

At the Day Two morning panel, many great ideas were shared, but something David Jakes said really struck me. He explained that during back-to-school nights he would draw two images on the whiteboard at the front of the room, one of a heart, the other of a brain. Referring to these organs as the typical student’s “standard equipment,” he recounted how he explained to parents that he felt it was his job to get students to use both to maximum advantage. I found that statement incredibly powerful and empowering.

As a conference, Educon won the hearts and minds of all who attended, and probably, many more who could only follow the goings-on from a distance via UStream or Twitter. What better way to show our appreciation for those two wonderful days than to work, quietly, diligently, patiently and passionately to win the hearts and minds of those around us – be they students, parents, or colleagues. After all, we are the leaders.

Who knows. With a little luck, I’ll win a lot more than three!

-kj-

Technorati Tags: educon20