Tired Teacher

  This was iconic right! Most of us remember Oprah giving away a plethora of free stuff each year during her favorite things episode. As the show evolved she used this episode as a way to highlight people who had gone above and beyond. One episode was full of expectant mothers, another was full of teachers. Not once did the world say wait a minute, what did each teacher do to deserve that car. They were just excited! When it comes to the idea of awarding digital badges many people see it through the "everyone gets a trophy" lens. I personally don't have a problem with everyone getting a trophy. For me it is about socioemotional health. The idea of recognizing all students is one that appeals to me. In today's education system, there are a large number of students who go through the day unnoticed. They do what you ask, when you ask, within the parameters that you have set. Digital badges will allow educators to acknowledge the accomplishments of those students. Why sho...

Has everyone seen these commercials about turning into your parents? These are a good metaphor for the education system. Most teachers are their "parents". We are emulating the people who came before us. Worksheets, textbooks and lectures worked for us, so why doesn't it work for our students? Education needs an overhaul and education professionals need to work on pushing themselves outside of their comfort zones in order to create environments that are more conducive for today's learners. The article on personal learning environments explains the benefits of helping students create a personal learning environment. PLE's that combine formal and informal learning are beneficial for students because they build self-efficacy among learners. These students glean knowledge from a variety of places and exhibit knowledge in a variety of ways. As  "traditional" educators, we have to be open to allowing students to curate their own learning spaces. Like the comme...

  If you are( were ) a "This Is Us" fan then you will likely get the reference in the title. If you are not, where have you been? Anyway last night was the series finale ( raise your hand if you weren't ready)!  So this post isn't about social media, but since it's my blog I hope you will indulge me.  One of the characters made reference to not remembering their grandparents, he said all he remembered of them was the smell of pies and pipes. This resonated with me because today is the last day of school. Let me tell you folks this one was a doozy! Probably one of the hardest (if not the hardest ) of my 27 year career. I am so ready to be done, I am so ready to be still. But, then this quote. This quote reminded me that 5, 10, or 20 years from now nobody will remember if you did that last assignment or if they got that B they wanted. If this year was difficult for me, it was also difficult for my kids.  I want to be remembered as the teacher who showed grace. I wan...

For years I have been operating under the assumption that social media is bad for you.  As an educator, I have been plagued with warnings to watch about watching what I say and do on the internet. Remember, parents can find you online and they will complain. Make sure your accounts are squeaky clean, or better yet avoid having them. I took all of this to heart. Then one day I decided that I wanted to pursue a degree in instructional design and learning technologies. Even then, I did not consider social media as a tool that I would be required to use. After all, I had a good old fashioned paper resume that I kept updated. I had a dusty abandoned Linkedin account that I hadn't logged into for years. To my dismay my learning technology program required me to * gasp* use technology. They weren't talking about creating cute powerpoints or posting assignments on canvas. They wanted me to do stuff, on the internet ( How dare they?) I am coming to the realization that an online presen...

 Throughout history people have balked at the idea of change. Whether we realize it or not we become comfortable with the "status quo". That comfort often manifests itself as a belief that our way is the "right way". Many people see the lack of close in-person relationships as a problem, a departure from the "right way" of relating to other people. They feel like it is an issue that you might not know your neighbor or the guy down the block and I get it. But, if we are going to be fair, we are have to look at the other side of this. I might not know my neighbor, but I have a lot of insight into what goes on in my neighborhood. Social media platforms give us the chance to expand our neighborhoods beyond walking distance. Now we are able to connect with people who are farther away, but like-minded. We can keep up with friends from childhood, or find (in my case) the love 💖of our life. One might even argue that these relationships are stronger due to the fac...

I think digital natives are a real thing, but all digital natives are not fluent. The term native reminds me of the process that babies use to acquire language.  A person is said to be a native speaker when they grow up surrounded by the language that is "native" to them. They grow up hearing their parents use the language and that's how they develop their proficiency. Some kids grow up with an amazing vocabulary and some students enter school at a deficit. Digital literacy is the same. Some students grow up in households where they are surrounded by laptops, phones, reliable internet and online tools that are being used consistently and effectively. But some kids grow up in a house where they don't have those things, or where they don't see these tools put to effective use. Those students are, by definition, digital natives. But are they digitally fluent? Nope. Just because you know how to scroll through TikTok or Instagram, doesn't mean you can navigate onli...

 I literally laughed out loud while reading the Prensky article. My father worked with computers so I have been around them my entire life, which I do realize is not the norm. Before reading this article, I would not have classified myself as a digital immigrant. But, then the examples started. I am that person who will call someone to see if they got my email (or worse yet my text). I fuss at my kids about not answering the phone and then sending a text to ask what I need. When I began my pursuing my Master's degree, I printed out every article my professors assigned me to read, and then (don't laugh) highlighted them and took notes in the margins. My daughters caught me doing this and were genuinely confused. Why? Because I could just download them on the iPad and do the same thing. I typed out all my papers ( with two spaces after the period, if you know you know) , printed them and then edited them on paper (I will neither confirm or deny that I took out a second mortgage t...

 We cannot talk about Web 2.0 without addressing the issue of privacy. Many of us have had the experience of talking about a product and then being inundated with ads for that product on our phones. If we are to look for ways to incorporate social media into education, especially on the K-12 level, we need to figure out how to maintain the privacy of our students. I grew up in the era of stranger danger. My parents and I had a safe word in case they needed to send someone to pick me up from school. Houses in the neighborhood had signs in the window that showed kids where to run in case of danger. The internet expands the world, but with that comes the danger of exposing students to people outside of their neighborhood that might not have their best interest at heart. The problem is you can't put all the demons back into Pandora's Box. So how do we tame the demons and make them work for us?

Homophily refers to the idea that you can find your "people" through the use of digital media. In my opinion this is both a blessing and a curse. On one hand, everyone wants to be a part of a community. It is important for people to know that they are not alone, that there are other people out there who share their concerns, fears, and interests. This idea of belonging can help people overcome mental issues, connect with a whole new set of colleagues and become their best selves.  In theory homophily is great, but there is a darker side to this. What happens when you stop are no longer exposed to the thoughts and feelings of others? What happens when you don't see ideas or differing opinions. Homophily can be dangerous if it keeps us from getting out there and meeting new people and exploring new ideas. 

So I am officially writing my first blog and it is equal parts exciting and terrifying. I am speeding towards fifty and in the blink of an eye I have gone from the youngest teacher on staff to the one who taught your mom(True story). What I never want to be is the teacher who has no idea what is going on in terms of technology. As an educator, you have to keep learning and evolving. If you don't, you will become obsolete, even if you don't know that you are. I am hoping that this class helps me become my best teacher self. I want people to be like, that old lady taught my mom, but she's still relevant and she might know what she's talking about. So as we old timers like to say, here goes nothing . Let the fun begin. #tiredteacher #mathdiva.