I am baffled that I have not written a post since January! I’m baffled at how time flies by--baffled at how easy it is to sometimes let myself down. My goal was once a month and I was very much on track! What happened? |
|
Without elaborating on any excuses, things have been very busy. I did write a report for our ESU 10 Board in February, but I didn’t want to just paste it here so I could check it off the list. I wanted my next blog post to be more than just a “report.” It just so happens that my job often provides me with much needed inspiration for a blog topic, so I am thankful for being busy!
My colleague Crystal (@CrystalDawnED) and I have been working really hard on a presentation that we have coming up...NEXT WEEK...in Rhode Island! Eek! Yes, we are super excited to go back to the Blended and Personalized Learning Conference (#BPLC2018) in Providence. The Highlander Institute has been such a great partnership for us in our Blended Learning Project at ESU 10, and the conference last year was great! We are honored to be presenting this year!
I have spent a lot of time preparing video clips of some of our blended learning classrooms and teachers to share in our presentation. I have looked at countless classroom clips and teacher interviews in this process and I have enjoyed every minute! There has been a theme that has bubbled up as I have reviewed these videos: You Are Not An Island!
Most of our blended schools have a team of teachers who have attended our project trainings and are implementing the blended learning models. Fortunately, many of those teams include a Technology Integration Specialist (TIS). This combination of TIS and Team has amplified the implementation and success of blended learning. I believe this is because teachers have others to lean on when taking risks, share a common language of the strategies, and have a strong support person in their building! This support person, the TIS, is there to provide tools, strategies, feedback, and guidance in teacher self-reflection.
Don’t just take my word for it! Here are some comments that I have recently heard from our blended learning teams:
It has been a lot of fun working with the teacher teams who are implementing blended learning practices in their schools! Maybe you don't have a team or a TIS, but I encourage anyone who is trying out new strategies in your classroom to find a colleague and talk about your journey! After all, it's much more fun to be on an island with a friend!
My colleague Crystal (@CrystalDawnED) and I have been working really hard on a presentation that we have coming up...NEXT WEEK...in Rhode Island! Eek! Yes, we are super excited to go back to the Blended and Personalized Learning Conference (#BPLC2018) in Providence. The Highlander Institute has been such a great partnership for us in our Blended Learning Project at ESU 10, and the conference last year was great! We are honored to be presenting this year!
I have spent a lot of time preparing video clips of some of our blended learning classrooms and teachers to share in our presentation. I have looked at countless classroom clips and teacher interviews in this process and I have enjoyed every minute! There has been a theme that has bubbled up as I have reviewed these videos: You Are Not An Island!
Most of our blended schools have a team of teachers who have attended our project trainings and are implementing the blended learning models. Fortunately, many of those teams include a Technology Integration Specialist (TIS). This combination of TIS and Team has amplified the implementation and success of blended learning. I believe this is because teachers have others to lean on when taking risks, share a common language of the strategies, and have a strong support person in their building! This support person, the TIS, is there to provide tools, strategies, feedback, and guidance in teacher self-reflection.
Don’t just take my word for it! Here are some comments that I have recently heard from our blended learning teams:
- I am the advocate for our blended teachers. I am the go-between from the teachers to the administration to ask for time and training.
- We worked together developing our units - one of us was good at Edpuzzle so she did that; one of us created the Hyperdoc--we divide and conquer.
- It has been invaluable to meet as a team to work through the challenges and make time to plan.
- Our team met once a month but it was open to any teacher interested.
- This is hard but it is what is best for students.
- We are having such meaningful conversations about student learning.
- Classroom culture is the root of the success, but this is easier to change when you are working on a team.
- When teachers know they are not an island they are more willing to take risks.
It has been a lot of fun working with the teacher teams who are implementing blended learning practices in their schools! Maybe you don't have a team or a TIS, but I encourage anyone who is trying out new strategies in your classroom to find a colleague and talk about your journey! After all, it's much more fun to be on an island with a friend!