Child’s Play

by | Oct 14, 2013 | Reflect

Have you ever watched a five year old dive into a box of Legos? On a mission. Grabbing each piece with a purpose. Smiling, intent on accomplishing a goal. It’s play. It’s a moment of creativity, exploration, design, where engagement is optimal. Build what’s in your imagination, build a bridge, build the tallest building you can. Add a goal and it becomes play with a purpose.

What if lesson planning, unit design, and our work in education involved a bit more play? The kind where we dive in, intent on accomplishing a goal, but where creativity, exploration, and design reign? What if our Legos were standards, kids’ experiences, and moments? What if we took out the structures that squelch thinking and learn disconnected facts, and build in the structure that encourages inquiry, reflection, and exploration?

What if getting to the place where learning is as enjoyable, magical, and as engaging as it can be is possible? The place where struggle is embraced because it’s part of the journey. Maybe it isn’t so difficult after all.   It might just require thinking of it all differently. Throwing out our preconceived notions and the ‘way things have always been done.’ Freeing our minds, and embracing what might be.  Maybe it’s just child’s play.

What I’ve Gained From Twitter

by | Oct 13, 2013 | Reflect

People love to talk about Twitter the tool. The hashtags, the tweets, the followers. But to me? It’s so much more than that. I’ve written before about how I saw a Space Shuttle launch, went to Educator Space Academy, and even got to go to the White House and sit 10 feet from President Obama when he sent his first tweet. All of that? It was awesome. I’ve made connections with engineers, astronauts, architects, and classrooms around the world for my students. But, beyond all that? It’s more.

When my class was following my journey to the Space Shuttle launch, another class joined in the fun and I can remember reading a comment  on our blog  from another class from our state, but a teacher I had never met before.

We started following each other on Twitter, and that connection?  It was the start of a friendship.   We’ve shared lunches, coffees, and drives to edcamps. She’s been supportive, listened to ideas, given me new perspectives, and even when I moved hundreds of miles across country, technology keeps us connected.  She helps keep me focused on what matters.  

So when people say Twitter is about what you had for lunch, I laugh.  Twitter to me is about real connections. The kind that help you grow and learn. And sometimes it all starts with a comment on a blog post or one little tweet.

I would say, thank you Twitter.  But, that’s just not the point.  Thank you, Christine. 🙂

Disclaimer: I met Christine, and then her colleague Christopher… #edcampChris was formed.  #edcampChris is not about revolutionizing the world, it’s about laughing, and I’m beyond grateful for all my Chris-friends who remind me what connecting is about. 🙂