I thought I was done
blogging for the year. I am working on a couple of posts, but I
wasn't going to post anything else. I was going to take the time
off. The thing about blogging is that it helps me make sense of the
work that I do.
Blogging has helped
me to grow as a professional and has connected me with some great
educators, and reflecting is part of the process. So here is a quick
reflection on 2014 and the top 5 things I learned in 2014.
The more I write, the better I teach.
Although it is tough
to find the time to write, it makes a huge difference in how I teach.
Daily lesson production and delivery has the inertia of a freight
train, and there is always tomorrow's prep to do. Stealing some
quiet time in the morning to write about what I am doing diffuses
this momentum. It gives me a chance to think about what I am doing.
Once I have the
writing done I can share my thoughts and questions with other
teachers. My lessons are always better once I share them and get
feedback.
Play is a powerful teacher.
When I started as a
K-5 tech teacher I had no idea how much fun it would be. Now I am
crafting playful lessons everyday that support content area learning.
From Sphero robots to toy skateboards, there is so much to be
learned in play. Learning in STEAM is too important to be taken too
seriously. When I ask my students to explore, think, discover, and
share, they all find opportunities to be successful.
Ask for the help you need.
Despite what the
various “award shows” would have you believe, being a connected
educator is not a contest to see who has the best ideas, the most
well-written blog, or the coolest conference swag. This year, more
than any other, my PLN has been an amazing resource. This amazing
resource got a powerful upgrade in July when I attended the Google
Teacher Academy in Mountain View, CA. Meeting with people face to
face can make the online collaboration so much more powerful. Almost everytime I asked anyone for help this year I was energized and inspired by their response. Once upon a time I wanted to be the teacher who was smart enough to have all the answers. Now I strive to be wise enough to know when I should ask for help and to be brave enough to ask.
Collaboration is a force multiplier.
Without a doubt,
2014 has been a year of collaboration. While I love my online
community, the biggest shift in my second year as a tech specialist
has been more collaboration with the teachers I share students with
daily. The work I am most proud of right now is in elementary STEM,
and those classes are not even on my schedule. By working closely
with our STEM resource teacher, I have been part of amazing learning.
I am so grateful for the thoughtful, smart, and tireless people
around me.
There are people out there doing amazing work and there is so much to be learned.
When I was working
alone in my classroom, unconnected to my local community as much as I
was unconnected to any online community, I had a manta. “There is
too much to do is a fact, not a complaint.” My thinking was that
when there was too much to do, it was a given that things would not
get done. My job, I thought, was to “manage neglect” and make
sure no one part of my life had too many things not done.
Now I see that there
is too much for any one person to do. I can see in my connected
community that there are so many people doing amazing things and
sharing them, that I have shifted my outlook. I don't have to do,
learn, know, or share it all. A big part of contributing to a
community is being ready to learn from others, celebrating their
success and supporting them when you can. So while I struggle to
find the time to write, I also struggle to find the time to read and
learn. When Something connects with me I try to share it, comment on
the post, send the author a note, or provide some other feedback that
says “Thanks, I needed that.”
So here I am at the
end of 2014, wondering what the year ahead holds. I know there will
be robots, trainings, puppets, play, writing, sharing, reading,
celebrating, programming, and challenges I have not yet imagined. I
know that no matter what I find in 2015, there will be others sharing
the journey with me. Thank you for taking the time to share my
journey, and I hope you join me this coming year and share your own
struggles and successes.
#writeon
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