by Krissy.Venosdale | Sep 28, 2013 | Reflect
1.) I do not spend every waking moment of my life online. I didn’t have to “make time” to get connected, I had to re-evaluate how I spent my time. Getting connected has saved me time. Keep the balance, know when to put it aside, and don’t be afraid to flip your iphone over and get some sleep.
2.) I keep the perspective that behind every username, there’s a real educator. It’s not about the digital tool, it’s about people. It’s not about ‘number of followers,’ it’s about growing this amazing network of support.
3.) I don’t just connect for myself, I connect for my students. Being connected has made me a better educator. Whether as a teacher or an admin, my role is to model lifelong learning and connecting with a global learning network helps me do that.
4.) I connect through Twitter because it’s the tool I enjoy most and I blog to reflect. Being connected means what works for you. You pick the tool. Facebook? Twitter? A blog? Your terms. Keep your focus on the people, not the tool and don’t be afraid to ask for help. You won’t be the first person that’s wondered, “What’s a hashtag?”
5.) I go to Edcamps to connect in person too. It’s not just about online connections. The people? They are real. The passion? You can feel it at an Edcamp.
You don’t have to be a Connected Educator. But, I can tell you that you’ll never, ever regret becoming one.
by Krissy.Venosdale | Sep 26, 2013 | Reflect
‘The most valuable thing I’ve ever done as a teacher was not a book that I read, a degree that I earned, or a workshop that I attended. It was getting globally connected. There are people all over the world, willing to share, because they share a passion for making education everything it can be.
Thanks to @bcurrie5 for the inspirational post that inspired this poster. 🙂
by Krissy.Venosdale | Sep 21, 2013 | Reflect
Videos could be great sparks for discussion and learning. When I saw this video of the eagle flying with a camera strapped to his back, I thought of all the ways it could spark even more learning in the classroom…
-Generate questions: What landforms is he flying over? What is he possibly doing while he flies? What type of food might be looking for?
-Calculations: Determine how fast eagles fly and calculate, using Google Earth to find distances, the amount of time it would take an eagle to fly across your city, state, country.
-Fractions: Research the typical wingspan of a bald eagle. Compare various types of wingspans by using great search skills. Use fractions to describe how the wingspans compare or create a chart to display the data.
-Observe: Make observations about the land he’s flying over and try to determine where on Earth he may be flying.
-Creative Writing: Write a first-person narrative as the eagle. What are you thinking, feeling, experiencing as you zoom through the air?
-Comparative Analysis: What if students researched other animals in flight? (Like this bee.) Does wingshape, span, size or texture affect flight? How does this compare to aircraft?
No, Eagles aren’t really a Common Core Standard. But this video? It’s a springboard to some great discussion and learning and a chance for your kids to spread their wings and fly…
by Krissy.Venosdale | Sep 21, 2013 | Reflect
I have this memory from fifth grade. It stands out. We did a home design unit. I can remember laying out the area and perimeter on floor plans, learning about what architects do. I remember selecting furniture from a catalog and learning about interior design. I can remember even taking that paper design and creating a cardboard model. We charted our expenses, created diagrams of floor plans, and we added up all the money we spent. My bedroom had a wall sized fish aquarium and the house had an indoor pool.
I can still remember the excitement I felt when we started that project. The possibilities? They were endless. Our house design. Our floor plan. Our ideas. Our creativity.
This was about 25 years ago. But, it still sticks with me today. It was a project where area, perimeter, charts and graphs, and even adding money became real. It wasn’t a fake word problem from a page in the book. It was real. It was full of possibilities. The kind of possibilities that lead to learning.
by Krissy.Venosdale | Sep 18, 2013 | Reflect
In the past two months, my entire life has changed. I moved to a new state. I lost my grandma. My daughter started a new school and my husband started work in a new location. I said goodbye to colleagues and a team that I loved. I hugged kids goodbye that I love like they are my own children. I left my role in the classroom and took on a role as a school leader. We left behind our little home in the small town where I grew up. Drove away from the little white picket fence where our baby learned to take her first few steps and then, seemingly overnight, became a ten year old. I’ve been too busy to take it all in. Unpacking my clothes. Unpacking my dishes. Unpacking my heart. Two months of non-stop change and forward motion.
Too busy until today.
At lunch, running across the playground, I got a tiny tight-gripped hug from a student in my new school. As he bolted away, I looked around. Surrounded by passionate teachers, excited learners, and this? I believe in it. There’s a magic about it all that is something special.
I may have lost so many things in the past two months. Some of them are things that can never be replaced. Some big memories that I carry with me. But, the vision that keeps me awake at night about what learning truly is and what I always wanted school to be when I was a tiny kid running to hug the teacher?
This is it.
Every day when I get up and the sun comes up over our campus, I’m doing something I believe in and something magical is happening. Something called learning.
