As they say, “Three’s a Charm.”  On Saturday I participated in my third Edcampphilly.   This annual conference - or rather, unconference, is a free venue for teachers (and this year, students) to share thoughts and insights on various topics related to education and uses of technology.  The weather department provided the pleasant sunny weather and the University of Pennsylvania provided the spacious facilities at Jon M. Huntsman Hall.  The resources from each session are shared here.

My first session was iPads in education. with @dancallahan  and @pgroom209. Besides all the cool apps for student and teacher productivity, participants discussed the role of pedagogy. Good teaching is good teaching. The technology piece extends the learning and when it is used thoughtfully and purposefully, student engagement and productivity skyrockets. My newbie to investigate is Book Creator for iPad an app that create your own iBooks, right on the iPad Be sure to check out, Pine Glen LTC to learn more about uses of iPads connecting literacy and technology.

My second session blew my mind away as two students shared the ins and outs of MindCraft. I was never into Dungeons and Dragons so it took me a while to understand that the players build things but must protect them from the monsters that come out at night. This was clearly an example of students following their passion and the learning that results both directly and indirectly. I need to watch a few tutorials to get a better handle on this “sandbox” game that lets you explore and create.

My third session, Teaching Art with Technology with @jgamroth was an introduction to Blender, 3-d modeling and animation program, similar to what the professionals use (how cool is that?) and good examples of student projects with Tux Paint and Gimp. Since we do not have an art teacher at my school these (free) programs and others listed on his website will be great for my students as we wind down the year. One that caught my eye was Crayon Physics, a puzzle solving/ sandbox game, where you draw with a virtual crayon to solve puzzles. Unfortunately, at my school the web version is blocked, but the app version is not.

 In my fourth session, I joined a group with @GeraldAungst to unwrap “There’s No Such Thing as a Gifted Kid. “  Our discussion centered on the characteristics of a “gifted” student, assumptions held by teachers and parents, and the benefit (or not) of using labels to identify students.

Before long, it was time for the crowd-pleasing smackdown where each volunteer gets one minute to share a link, app or resource. Two of my favorites were 360Cities, a collection of interactive panoramic images by photographers from around the world, and Incredibox, where kids (and you) can have tons of fun by conducting a group of “human” beat boxes. Drag. Drop. Listen.  Then Applaud! A complete list can also be found at Scoopit.  (Thanks@kristenswanson)

An after party was held at the City Tap House for hanging out and bringing a beautiful sunny day in Philly to a close on the beer garden patio! But unlike the saying, “All good things must come to an end,” edcampphilly continues. Through its blogs, resources, posterous page, and twitter connections, the conversation and the learning have miles to go…till EdcampPhilly4!

The daffodils arrived early this year. Their explosion of golden blooms adorns many lawns and roadsides. This photo was taken on the little island plot near my school where Lebanon, Lancaster and Nassau Avenues converge. I pass here everyday but yesterday was the first time I noticed anyone tending this yearly Overbrook Outside Flower Show. I stopped to thank the woman who told me that it was her labor of love to brighten up the city.  These bright yellow trumpeters are usually associated with the heralding of spring. But this year with our mild weather, it might be the announcement of sprummer! According to poet A E Housman the daffodil is “...the Lenten lily That has not long to stay And dies on Easter day.” I’ll appreciate this golden drift of daffodils for as long as it lasts. For some reason, the daffodils seem to be waving to passersby with a message of hope while “tossing their heads in a sprightly dance.”  (W. Wordsworth)

A New Year

My Resolution this year is not to make a resolution. Instead, I am going to keep my daily to do list up front and professional. I have long been a fan of to do lists for reminding me to make appointments, take care of chores, and meet deadlines for responsibilities. At the end of the day, it feels good to check them off or forward a few to tomorrow.  My favorite app for this is Do It (Tomorrow) that I featured in a previous post.

I also like Ta-Da Lists, a web-based tool (iPhone app, too) that lets you create multiple to-do lists for yourself and/or share with others. A cool feature of this tool is the check box which, when checked, reduces the size of the font and moves the checked items to the bottom. Perhaps, this is the ta-da moment allowing you to look at and keep a record of the completed activities. For now, I am creating monthly lists to record and remind me of projects and topics that I want to use with my classes. In this sense, I can plan to partner certain themes with skills. As the computer teacher, I intend to share these lists with other teachers in my building, inviting them to collaborate with me on topics and content from their curriculum.  Here’s my January List for School Projects:

• Introduce students to Philadelphia’s First Poet Laureate, Sonia Sanchez
• Share the Letters to the Children of Troy Mi from writers, artists, politicians about the importance of libraries, and their memories of reading and of favorite books.
• Compose Haiku to honor Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

 As 2011 winds down, the media will review major political, cultural and social events, select a person of the year, and remind us of top tunes and flicks. One of my favorite announcements is the “Word/Phrase of the Year” and its relevance in my life.

The envelope, please… According to the folks at Merriam-Webster, pragmatic was chosen as “Word of the Year” for 2011.  The American Dialect Society will meet in January to choose their coolest word or phrase of the year. The front-runner according to Linguist Ben Zimmer, chair of the New Words Committee, is occupy. Both words gained popularity in response to the economy. Pragmatic was looked up often on the company's online dictionary site in response to Congress’ debates in August about increasing the nation’s debt ceiling, and again in the fall in crafting deficit-cutting measures. Occupy is an old word invested with new and interesting meanings thanks to the Occupy Wall Street movement.

In the teaching and learning environment, the relationship between theory and practice occupies a lot of space. In college classes and professional development we gain knowledge about various theories but often discover that they are not pragmatic in their implementation. Bridging that gap is a lifetime’s work.  Best and promising practices are identified. But as good as these can be, we run the mistake of making one size fit all. In past years I felt that my students and I occupied our teaching and learning space with a good mix of theory and practice. Dewey, Piaget, Frere, Montessori contributed to my classroom activities and routines. I recognized when children needed to play with the math manipulatives, rehearse their reading and writing, take time to construct meaning and question their understanding of the world.

Today assessment and preparing students for standardized tests occupies too much time spent in school. Likewise, teachers are given mandates, monitored and evaluated on minutia of detail: the wording of an objective, the placement of the objective, expectations to teach the same lesson at the same time in same grades. Administration has occupied the classroom. Although they may deem it pragmatic, it leaves almost no time and space for spontaneous yet authentic teachable moments.

As Congress tries to bring some equity into people’s financial situations, they would do well to keep education (with adequate funding) on the agenda. Many educators can testify to the fact that inequality begins early in a child’s life and education is the single most important means to stop or lesson the gap.

In following  #occupytheclassroom on Twitter, I came across some excellent blogs, tips and resources. I especially liked these 5 pragmatic ways to help teachers make decisions about what is expected of them and their students from Jose Luis Vilson:

1.     Share your work to bolster relationships with colleagues

2.     Start a Twitter to engage in professional development

3.     Get a website, preferably a blog to share lesson plans, bridges to practices, and invite collaboration. . 

4.     Create your own personal learning network to stay connected with those holding common interests

5.     Empower yourself by speaking up about your experiences and take control of the language of what we do.  

Elsewhere in Jose's blog, he notes that, too often, teachers are "preoccupied" about every move they make—fearful that the latest fad or rubric will decide if they are satisfactory in their work.

Next year there will be new words, new fads, and new budgets to deal with. For now, I am going to continue to reflect on these “Words of the Year” to determine how they can help me improve my teaching and learning experiences. Some tasks and routines will have pragmatic solutions that benefit all. Others will require occupation of mind and heart with the content, tools and methods of learning.

 Later today, the School Reform Commission will announce its recommendations for closings, rebuilding, or consolidating schools. This plan for "rightsizing" is expected to generate savings for the district but can have adverse effects on neighborhoods. As a teacher at Overbrook Elementary, I am nervous about the plight of our school, which has been on the short list of school closings. Yes, it is an old building (100 years and counting) but it does have its charm. This small neighborhood school works. The staff and parents are invested; students are happy. We work hard. Make AYP. On the down side, we don’t have a gym or an auditorium. But we make do.

The school had closed once before and then reopened in 1996 when parents petitioned the School Board. They thought it wasn’t right for their kids to pass a neighborhood school building and cross highly trafficked streets to attend nearby schools. I have been here since then. So today as we await our fate, I will recall all the good moments and try to remember staff and students who have moved on. This has truly been, “The Little School that Could.”

If I were to design a coin to commemorate my PhilWP experiences, it would contain a mirror on one side and a window on the other. From my beginning days at Summer Institute I (1994) through continued opportunities for participation and facilitation, PhilWP welcomed me, wowed me and worked with me as I shed some of my shyness and committed myself to life-long learning.

During Summer Institutes and Continuity Programs, I experienced writing in many forms, participated in journal and inquiry groups, and considered writing for my personal and professional use. With conversations springing from highlighted and notated bulk pack articles, I examined my own practices and beliefs. Slowly but surely, I made certain changes in the classroom to offer my students more choice, ample time, and a wider audience for their writing. With generous support from knowledgeable TC’s, I was eager to implement new strategies, reflect on practice, and work on building a community of writers in my classroom that mirrored my PhilWP experience.

Long before Twitter, PhilWP was and remains my preferred PLN (Personal Learning Network) of “teachers teaching teachers.” Never a “one and done” kind of professional development, PhilWP extended my learning through study groups, list-serve conversations, and technology initiatives. I participated in Digital Storytelling and Webs of Connection projects that paved the way for my enthusiasm in using digital devices and Web 2.0 tools with students to collaborate on the construction of knowledge, compose all types of text, and communicate with others both near and far.

I am very grateful for the many opportunities that helped me grow as a teacher, become more advanced in the use of technology, and gain confidence in my presentation and facilitating skills.  I cannot imagine my life as a teacher in the School District of Philadelphia without the wonderful, caring, and resourceful people I have met through PhilWP. Congratulations and best wishes to the PhilWP family on this 25th Anniversary. Thank you for your years of caring for teachers and through them enriching the lives of students, families and school communities. May your presence continue to sustain a network of teachers for many years to come!