I love my job and have a passion for what I do, to me, it is not work. I love sharing ideas and having discussion with others, that is why I was glad I was introduced to Yammer by my districts technology coordinators.  They explained to me that Yammer was similar to Twitter but for our school district only. After talking with them they inspired me to at least give it a try and I am so glad I did as Yammer  has changed my teaching life. Here are three reasons how Yammer has changed me as an educator.

The first reason I love Yammer is because my educational philosophy is to create a positive 21st century learning environment for students; setting the stage for their entire academic life. Teaching a rich, meaningful, and well balanced curriculum of skills and concepts through age appropriate activities, I feel will encourage children to want to become life long learners. I believe in building upon a child’s curiosity and encourage them to pursue new knowledge. Yammer has helped me follow my philosophy because I can be apart of different groups that share my same interests. I can belong to a problem based learning group and share ideas with teachers that have the same interest as me. I can also have the freedom to create these groups. I don’t need someone mandating my interests. I have created several groups based on my needs, wants, interests and passions that others with the same interests can join. I have learned so much from these discussions and they have made me a better educator. One of my favorite groups is the iPad group where we share apps we like along with articles about how we can use iPads in the classroom to better meet the needs of our students. I have joined groups because I didn’t know a lot about the topic such as gamification a group for sharing research and resources as well as discussing the educational value of games in facilitating student learning. Without Yammer, I wouldn’t have explored this topic to see what it was all about.

The second reason I love using Yammer is because it has introduced me to people in my district. I have ‘met’ the most amazing teachers who I never would have met if it wasn’t for this social site! It is great to see what other teachers are trying and exploring in their classrooms. It has become a great Personal Learning Network (PLN) for me! I can follow anyone in the district from teachers to facilitators to administrators. I am not bound to just my school’s PLN. One of my favorite parts as well is that it’s not just elementary but I can see what is happening in middle and high schools so I can start seeing the larger vertical alignment.  There is a high school sociology teacher that I follow. I know nothing aboutsociology for High schoolers but that doesn’t matter because we still use the same best practices and have the same passion for learning that has made us become virtual friends.

The third thing I love about Yammer is how and what I can post. It is convenient for me because there is an app for your iPad and iPhone. I can be sitting waiting for a meeting to start and I can hop on quickly and see what I have missed or I can post. I also am a huge fan of Twitter for educational purposes. I can read an article, post to twitter and yammer at the same time by just using a hashback #yam. So I have now just shared this great article with not only my global PLN but also my district in one click. Before I would of just read the article and maybe told a friend about what I read. Now I can share with anyone, anywhere that have the same passion for education as I do.

Without Yammer, I wouldn’t know what other teachers outside my school were doing. Being in a larger school district (20th in the nation) Yammer has opened many doors for not only myself but for our district. If you do not have it for your district, I highly recommend looking into it.

Many teachers come to me for advice about teaching students to problem solve. I know that having a strategy is helpful for many students, but I also think it comes down to reasoning skills as well. I think mathematical reasoning is one of the biggest over looked skill taught in math. We need to start teaching more logic and reasoning in elementary schools so when the students start algebra, it makes more sense to them because they have a stronger background. This will eventually help students with problem solving as it will build critical thinking skills a vital 21st century skill.

There are two types of reasoning, deductive and inductive, that we need to teach. Many teachers don’t realize the importance of these math reasoning skills. Below I explain why!

Inductive reasoning involves going from a series of specific cases to a general statement. I like to relate inductive reasoning to a series of pictures and you have to figure out which on is the odd one out and why. We need to start teaching this type of reasoning in Kindergarten. Having the students look at four pictures and then asking them which picture does not belong, helps with inductive skills. In first, the teacher can do the same but this time asking the students what the ‘rule’ is about the pictures. Each year you add a different and harder element to inductive reasoning so by the time they are in the upper grades, they can figure out why a rectangle can not be a rhombus.

Deductive reasoning is a type of logic in which one goes from a general statement to a specific instance. I relate deductive reasoning to the game clue. When I am teaching reasoning, I like to start off teaching with Abbott and Castello Video- Who’s on First? (http://ow.ly/90Zhd) I have the students draw a picture of a baseball diamond in their notebooks, modeled after the one I have on the board. I then tell the students to just listen to the video, many of the students don’t even know who Abbott and Castello are so it is a great time to bring in a little history! After they listen to it once, I tell them to listen to it again and fill in the positions of the baseball team they are talking about. This is a great way to introduce reasoning and logic in grades 3 and up. The students don’t relate it to a math lesson right away because it doesn’t have numbers in it, yet they are still solving a problem.

You can find logic and reasoning throughout the Math Standards of Practice for the Common Core under….

#1. Make sense of problems and persevere in solving them.

#3. Construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of others.

#6. Attend to precision.

#8. Look for and express regularity in repeated reasoning.

To view all the Math Standards of Practice (with more detail description) and the Math Common Core click here. http://www.corestandards.org

One of the “hot topics” and buzz words right now is Bring Your Own Device (BYOD). I have become more interested in this topic as well because my school district will be going to this model next year and I have been asked to be apart of the districts team to help implement it correctly. I joined the first #BYODchat (Thursdays @ 9) on twitter and I have of course found this chat helpful and can’t wait to learn more from it. Below are articles and resources (some shared by others during the chat and some I have found) that helped me better understanding the complexity of this new model that will be apart of education.

Blogs and Resources:

http://www.themobilenative.blogspot.com/

http://cybraryman.com/aup.html

http://www.smriders.net/Mobile_Learning/

http://floatlearning.com/2012/01/12-predictions-for-the-mobile-landscape-in-2012

http://www.livebinders.com/play/play_or_edit?id=220518

Articles:

Get Smart: Using Mobile Apps to Improve Your Teaching

In Some Cash-Strapped Schools, Kids Bring Their Own Tech Devices

Bring Your Own Technology Empowers Educators to Facilitate Learning

10 Steps to an Affordable Educational Technology Policy

How Ford Motor Deployed Bring Your Own Device (BYOD)

‘Bring your own device’ Catching on in Schools

This week I was asked to describe a specific situation in which I questioned my decision to become an educator. After thinking about my eight years of teaching I could only think of one time I had questioned my decision, which ironically was my first year of teaching, yet I remember it as if it was yesterday.

To give you background on my first teaching job, I taught in an inner city school that was K-8. The school was title one and not in a safe neighborhood. The school held night classes for parents by the teachers, to help the parents learn English and receive their GEDs. The school had child care to help these parents attend these classes. We also held Saturday school, every Saturday, for students that needed extra support and that were in danger of failing.

I was teaching 8th grade science support for the state test, basically I had the group of students that were on the cusp of failing and/or dropping out. Many of the students were already affiliated with gangs and we had a police officer in the hall at all times due to so many fights that would break out. We, as a staff, had been trained to look for certain colors, logo’s and clothing that would represent certain gangs. I knew that if students came in basic clothes, such as a white t-shirt, that it could mean they planned on fighting, as they wouldn’t fight in their ‘good cloths’. I knew when girls wore their hair back and no earrings this was also a sign. The biggest sign was when they would be wearing Vaseline on their face, so when someone threw a punch it would “slide off”.

I like many educators, poured my heart and soul into trying to make my lessons fun, exciting and hands on. I cared about these students and spent many hours before and after school along with on Saturdays trying to help the students. It took me a while to gain the trust of many of the students and I never gained all of their trust. I did see a change, and a more passion for learning, within many of the students as I let them complete hands on experiments verse only book work, which many of the other teachers did at this school in order to keep control.

Even though the school was title one and it was in rough neighborhood, I loved teaching. I enjoyed what I did everyday. I loved seeing the excitement when the students figured out how force and motion worked through making their own roller coasters. I loved the discussions they would have when they were trying to work together to build a bridge that could hold the most books using just toothpicks and marshmallows.

Then in late May of my first year teaching, I did question myself and my decision to be an educator. I was on my way back to the school as there was going to be a talent show. It was about 6:00 in the evening and I was almost to the school when I came to a dead stop. Coming down the middle of the street I saw a boy being chased by several boys (many I recognized from being in my class) that were holding baseball bats and bricks. They stopped right in front of my car and started beating him. I called 911, who said they knew about it and were already on their way. It was only a minute (maybe less) but it felt like an eternity that the police came. I watched as they handcuffed several of the boys and saw some had gotten away. I was scared and shocked

The next day, I was teaching about solid, liquids and gas and having the students being the atoms, when in walked one of the boys that got away. He came right up to me, standing only inches away and said, “I will cut you up and put you in a body bag and send you down the river,” and then just left the classroom. I somehow kept teaching the last 15 minutes of class and then broke down. I started thinking about if this job was really for me and worth all the stress. I didn’t want to be scared to come to work. I thought long and hard that night about what I wanted to do. I could always just quit but what kind of message would that leave for the other students that were working so hard. I couldn’t let one person change what I have always wanted to do since I was little.

I didn’t quit and I worked harder then ever to get those students to pass. Out of the twenty-two students, fifteen passed the science portion that year, but that wasn’t the best part. One of the students said that she wanted to become a science teacher so she could always have fun at work like I did; that meant more to me then anything and I knew not only did I do the right thing by sticking with teaching, I knew I was changing at least some kids lives.

I have been teaching eight years now and no matter what has been thrown at me, I have never questioned my decision to be an educator again. It is my passion to teach and I couldn’t imagine doing anything else.

I think often teachers forget how important discussion in any subject is but especially in math. I believe many educators don’t always realize the benefits of discussion and see it as a ‘time waster’. Math discussion to me is one of the most important things to be taking place in the classroom. When students discuss math they are able to clarify their own thinking and learn from others. The teacher can also informally assess if the student’s truly under stand the concept or just walking through the steps to solve it.

Asking students to talk about mathematical concepts and problem solving doesn’t happen over night. The educators need to make a safe learning environment so the students feel comfortable to share their thoughts. This includes showing and allowing the students to solve math problems in more than one way. The classroom needs to have clear, high expectations and the students need to treat each other as equals through respect.

Once you have a safe learning environment math discussions will flow and the students will start to hold each other accountable by asking each other ‘how did you get this or that’ etc. This is also a great way to infuse the 21^st century skill of communication.  The key to great math discussions is asking the students to explain their mathematical thinking which also incorporates the 21^st century skill of critical thinking.

When I was visiting a math classroom this week, 2^nd grade, the students were working on finding the missing addend in math problems. A little girl, Jessica*, was showing the class how she solved the math problem. The teacher was doing a great job of asking her guided questions of getting her to explain her work. I was watching and walking around looking at other students work as well and saw many students got it right but solved it multiple ways. Once Jessica was done showing the class the teacher was ready to move on to there math workshop time. I jumped in (I don’t do this in all classrooms, but with this teacher I knew that I could) and said, “I see Frank* has a different way of solving this problem. Frank can you go up to the board and show us what you did. I also see that Sam* did a different way as well, can you show us what you did too.” The students went up to the board and showed and explained their work all getting it right. I then asked, how many of you solved it the way Jessica did, 10 hands went up. How many of you solved it Franks way, 6 hands went up. How many of you solved it Sam’s way, 4 hands went up. I then asked who solved it the right way? No one raised their hands. I waited (one of the hardest things a teacher has to do-30 seconds feels like 10 minutes some times!) after a few seconds of their little brains turning, Steven* said, ‘all of them, as they all got the same answer.’ I then asked, “Is there more than way to solve a problem?” Most of the class shouted out yes.

Here is just a snip it of one classroom and how the discussion lead to understanding there can be more than one answer. It also showed the students that didn’t do it Jessica’s way that it was okay; where if we didn’t have that discussion they could of thought they had done the problem wrong. This did take about 8 minutes off of their workshop time but the benefits were priceless.

Teachers need to realize the benefits of math discussion and the only way to do that is making more teachers aware. Facilitating math discussions involves engaging students in sharing and listening, questioning and responding, and agreeing and disagreeing. It also gives us, the teacher, an opportunity to really understand the students thinking. This should be occurring within and through the teaching process. Students will also benefit from hearing what others say and see that there is more than one way to analyze and solve a problem. Classroom math discussions also give you the chance to clear up any misconceptions the students may have.

Do you allow time for math discussions in your classroom?

*names changed to protect identity.

When I ask educators, parents or students, ‘what is 21^st century learning?’ many respond with using technology in the classroom. This is partially true but we need to get beyond that 21st century learning is using technology in the classroom.

Technology is an important piece but like the quote I started off with it is a tool, not the curriculum. We need to infuse technology into our lessons. Educators can’t be afraid of technology but embrace it. We need to learn with the kids and often times let them teach us. Some of the best sites for education, I learned were thought my students.

To teach the 21^st century learner we need to give the students the skills to be able to adapt to different situations. The 21^st century skills are communicate, collaborate, critically think/problem solve and create/innovate. In order to do this we as educators need to rethink the way we teach. We need to let the students build upon their curiosities. It is very important to teach the students these skills as the jobs we are preparing them for today might not exist in the future. A student that is a good problem solver, innovator, can communicate and collaborate can do any job, as they will have the skills to adapt.

Another element of 21^st century learning is that students need to be more globally aware. They are not confined into the four walls of the classroom anymore but can globally connect to almost anyone, anywhere through Blogs, Skype, Edmodo, and other social network sites. With technology letting us interact with all different types of people around the world; it is a great way to bring in teaching social etiquette and cultural diversity.

Below is a link to a PowerPoint turned into a ‘movie’ I created using the site authorstream.com about 21^st century learning, enjoy!

What Does it Mean to Learn in the 21st Century

Great sites to help you learn more about 21^st century learning/skills

http://p21.org

http://www.thinkfinity.org/21st-century-skills

http://www.techlearning.com/article/21st-century-skills-will-our-students-be-prepared/45157

Recently I presented and attended at the 7^th Annual STEM (Science Technology Engineering and Math) Conference at UNC- Charlotte. I love this conference and look forward to it every year as I learn so many things that I can bring back to my teams. Now that I have a blog, I also thought that I would share what I learned, which will also help me reflect, with my followers.

The science conference has 4 breakout sessions and a keynote speaker. I presented during the first break out session on Using Technology in the Classroom and if you follow my blog, you know I post a lot about technology. ( If not see one of my past technology posts http://ow.ly/8lGPY )

The first breakout session I attended was on ‘Problem-Based Learning’ (PBL). The presenters’ were from a S.T.E.M elementary school. Problem based Learning is a teaching method that presents using real world problem situations. The students assume a role and collaborate finding a solution while the teacher facilitates. I have done a few PBL’s before in the classroom but by no means an expert. What I enjoyed about the way they presented was that they let us participate in a PBL they created. They then walked through the steps of creating one. Part of the reason why I didn’t do a lot of PBL’s was because I was making elaborate ones. What they showed me was that PBL’s don’t have to be that way as they just as effective if they are short. Here are the steps of creating an effect PBL.

1. Begin with a problem that is authentic, relevant to curriculum and connected to the real world.

2. Have students gather information. What do they know and what do they need to know?

3. Students determine how to solve the problem. This is when it is hands-on and they can try different hypotheses’ as a team as they record results.

4. The teacher facilitates and gives resources not answers.

5.  The students share results.

PBL’s are motivates students to learn along with supplying the students with vital 21^st century skills such as communication, collaboration, creativity and critical thinking. They do take time to create but it you start off creating one a week you will start building your PBL resource bank and if you get other teachers on your team to also create them you can all share.

The second breakout session I attended was ‘Measuring Up is STEM Classroom’. The presenter was a Math Professor at UNCC Dr. Harbaugh. During this session I learned how measurement connected to the new common core. I learned the new technical mathematical terms such as basic math quantities (length, mass, time and temperature) and derived quantities (perimeter/area, density, weight). I learned the importance of estimation and that we as teachers really need to have the students estimate how much before they actually measure. He also shared this new site that has movie clips for science and math that connect to the real world. http://www.youtube.com/1veritasium

The third breakout session I attended was ‘Arguing like a Scientist’. Karen James was the presenter who is also a fellow science teacher and friend from a different school. I really enjoyed this session as it fit perfectly into the writing portion of the Common Core and something I have no real background on or resources as it is new to our curriculum. It is also what real scientist do. Our presenter started with giving us a discrepant event. We had to decide if the “item” in front of us was alive or not and why? We had to write down our thoughts in compete sentences just like the students would have to do. She then gave us an article that we read and gave us a debate team carousel (get yours here http://ow.ly/8lHIQ) After reading the article she asked us a question in which we had to give our opinion and explain why, then pass it to our neighbor who had to add supporting argument and why. We then passed it to a third classmate who had to add an opposing argument no matter what they original opinion was. (this box is my favorite as it force the student to think outside the box if they have to pick an argument with something they agree with). Finally you pass it to a fourth and final team that give their ‘two cents’. After we finished the article and carousel we went back to our discrepant event and investigated further. Below are some of the resource she suggested….

Websites

http://woub.org/etseo/downanddirty

http://www.aea11.k12.ia.us/science/Heuristic.html

http://www.loc.gov/rr/scitech/mysteries

Books

Why Scientists Disagree? By Gina Cervetti

Negotiating Science: The Critical Role of Argument in Science Inquiry by Brain Hand

Questions, Claims and Evidence: the Important Place of Argument in Children’s Science Writing by Lori Norton-Meier, Brian Hand, Lynn Hockenberry, Kim Wise

Academic Conversations: Classroom Talk that Fosters Critical Thinking and Content Understandings by Jeff Zwiers and Marie Crawford

As you can see I learned a lot and I am hope this post helps other teachers as much as the conference helped me. Below are other great STEM websites that I have come across as well. If you have other great sites, resources or ideas on any of the break out sessions, please comment below and let us know.

Great STEM Websites:

http://www.mn-stem.com

http://stemcareer.com

http://www.nationalmathandscience.org/our-approach

http://www.nctm.org

http://www.sciencemag.org

http://www.nsta.org

A New Year’s resolution is a goal a person sets to achieve within the upcoming year. We usually hear about New Year’s resolutions such as losing weight and quitting smoking. It may seem impractical to be making goals in the middle of the school year for the ‘New Year’, but I believe that continuing to reflect and making your self a better educator can never be a bad thing. I think the key point many people miss about making resolutions is they don’t reflect about HOW they are going to accomplish the goal. Below are my 2012 New Year’s Resolutions along with how I plan on accomplishing them.

1. I want to continue to learn about the most current technology and guide teachers on how they can use technology in the classroom to create a more personalized learning path for students. I plan on doing this by attending Professional Developments, webinars and continuing to develop my PLN. I also want to be able to share my findings with others.

2. I want to be persistent about reading, learning and sharing regarding education in terms of curriculum development. I plan on doing this by reading more educational book and articles and sharing with not only my schools grade levels but also my district through different communication methods such as Yammer and blogging.

3. I want to create more Problem Based Learning (PBL) Projects. The few I have created the students have really enjoyed and I have seen a difference in the quality of work. I am no expert when it comes to creating these types of lessons so I do want to learn more about PBL’s through websites, books and from peers.

If you have any suggestions of sites, books etc. to help me complete my New Year’s resolutions please do share. I enjoy reading your comments and emails. I also would love to hear what your New Years resolutions are as well. As you make your New Year’s resolution, don’t forget to think about how you are going to accomplish the goals.

I hope you have a happy, healthy and successful New Year!

I truly believe that you always have to reflect and improve on yourself, not only in education practices but also in our daily lives. This tends to happen around this time of year. Today, I sit here thinking about all the things I have accomplished this year and I am proud of myself. I have grown as an educator. One of the biggest changes I have made in my practice is writing my own blog and reading others.

I have found that writing my blog weekly has made me more aware of my education philosophy and practice. When I started writing my blog, my goal was to write once a week and I have stuck to this. I have also learned through this process of writing my own blog that it is just as important to read others. Recently there were blog awards and I agree with some of the ones that have won but I chose blogss that effect my thinking and drive me to be the best educator I can be. Below are the blogs I believe are worth following.

1. Venspired Learning (Formerly Know as TeachFactory ) http://venspired.com

2. Cool Cat Teacher (Vicki Davis) http://coolcatteacher.blogspot.com

3. Using Data for Meaningful Change  http://usingdata.wordpress.com

4. Kleinspiration (Erin Klein)   http://www.kleinspiration.com

5. A Fly on the Classroom Wall  http://aflyontheclassroomwall.com

6. Corkboard Connections Blog (Laura Chandler) http://corkboardconnections.blogspot.com

7.  The Agora: Thinking about Learning, Learning about Thinking http://agora.edublogs.org

8.  21^st Century Skills and Tools with Technology Tim   http://technologytim.wordpress.com

9.  EdTechStandish   http://edtechstandish.wordpress.com

10. Web 2.0 Classroom (Steven W. Anderson) http://web20classroom.blogspot.com

Do you have a blog you love to read? Please share, as I am always looking for great reads! I wonder what my biggest change will be for 2011. I hope all my readers have a wonderful holiday season and Happy New Year! Thank you for being apart of my biggest change in 2010!

Below are my favorite, free or at least cheap, apps I use in the classroom. For a complete list of all the apps I use, visit my website here http://ow.ly/7VOkX and scroll to the bottom of the page.

Name: ShowMe Interactive Whiteboard
Best for: All Subjects
Cost: Free
Features: ShowMe allows you to record your voice while manipulating a whiteboard and share via through email or embed them into your website.
How to Use: Any subjects and all grade levels can use this app. To see all the ways you can use the app, please read my previous blog post on using ShowMe in the classroom. http://ow.ly/7VGPD

Name: Zite
Best for: Teacher Use
Cost: Free
Features: Personalized Magazine
How to Use: When customizing your magazine, don’t forget the education section as it pulls all the great articles into one spot

Name: Square 9 Lite
Best for: Math
Cost: Free
Features: Practice facts (adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing)
How to Use: Great way to practice facts without flashcards! Bet the timer and move up levels of difficulty.

Name: Moon Phase
Best for: Science
Cost: Free
Features: Find lots of information on the moon such as cycle, names and more.
How to Use: Let the students create a moon journal and use this app to help them start to see names and patterns and investigate the cycle of the moon.

Name: Science 360
Best for: Science
Cost: Free
Features: Tons of pictures on science related topics.
How to Use: Great way to start a discussion, use for a writing prompt or a way to get students engaged/activate prior knowledge.

Name: Common Core Standards by Mastery Connect
Best for: Teachers Use
Cost: Free
Features: Puts the common core right at your finger tips!
How to Use: Great to pull up Common Core during planning and while writing plans

Name: Science Vocabulary
Best for: Science
Cost: Free
Features: Glossary of all different science vocabulary,
How to Use: Lots and lots of science vocabulary words with pictures.

Name: PuppetPals HD
Best for: Writing
Cost: Free ($2.99- To buy more characters)
Features:
How to Use: Great way to motivate student to write. Have them pick a scene and characters and let them act out the story before writing it or vice versa.

Name: Common Core Standards by Mastery Connect
Best for: Teachers Use
Cost: Free
Features: Puts the common core right at your finger tips!
How to Use: Great to pull up Common Core during planning and while writing plans.

Name: Twitter
Best for: Teacher Use
Cost: Free
Features: Instant updates from your educational friends and experts in the educational field.
How to Use: Great way to keep up with your PLN on the go.

Name: Lobster Diver
Best for: Math
Cost: Free
Features: Develops number line skills for upper grade levels
How to Use: Math practice for number lines using greater then lesson than, fractions, decimals and negative numbers.

If you have a favorite app, please leave a comment with

Name:
Best for:
Cost:
Features:
How to Use:

Look forward to hearing what other apps teachers are using in the classroom.