OUT OF SYNC?

   It is Year 6 for me, Year 5 at this school, my only high school.  I LOVE teaching teens, I  LOVE my school. I LOVE my tech. But I have hit a wall. I have completed two years of the Technology Immersion Program (TIP) program at school, working one on one with a coach to integrate technology tools into my teaching. And that has been great--I have learned many tools, chosen some favorites, and am able to add new ones without much drama. I believe I am a better teacher/learner, and my students are not only learning new ways to create and learn, but  also how to teach and mentor each other. The balance between us has shifted, and I like it. Since I do not have a single "tech instinct" in my body, I consider all this a great accomplishment.
   But something unexpected has come along with all these new tools: the new tools have brought an entirely new attitude as well. It is not about tools for me anymore. My thinking about teaching and learning has changed, and I do not want to go back to the old way of learning about students, reading, writing, teaching, all of it. Everyone seems pleased by my work, but no one has read my lessons, or looked at the wikis my classes have built, or even checked out the wordle galleries or video podcasts. I am naive, I know:  I am fascinated by my how colleagues' students interpret their lessons, and the English Department is always noisy with our conversations about how we do what we do, ideas we offer each other for those problem texts, and sharing what really worked.  Aren't other teachers looking to get ideas from me as well?And let's not forget, teens are remarkable in their drama, their creativity, their humor, their vulnerability and their outrageousness.  What's not to love about this whole set-up?
   So this year, I find myself investigating new methods rather than new tools. I know that this has been the master plan of my Tech Director all along, but I am dying to talk to someone (besides her) about gaming, to throw out ways to create stories maybe with augmented reality for World Lit, to get better at using the collaborative spaces on our wiki. But the reality is that there is no one who wants to wade through this kind of stuff with me. The environment at school is cautious and concerned more with protecting children than teaching them to protect themselves. It is not a bad approach, I just feel like it is a wall between me and my students now.  I know there is twitter, and the EC ning, and all the teachers whose blogs I read, and who read mine, but that is not the same as my community here, who all know my kids and teach them too. I feel out of sync with them now, and am wondering if I am reinventing the wheel.

BritLit Reading Journals: ePortfolios chapter 1

   I'll use any tool that works to get my kids writing and reflecting. Since I am committed to preparing them for this century, not the last, the right tool takes time. It does not always show up right away. And I also have to work within the parameters set by school.  Weeks of prep to implement my Year of Reading were finally tested today. The kids were fabulous: today we started our reading journals in BritLit. The entries are great! I have been trying to come up with a medium that will please me plus please my school. The school platform for tech work is Studywiz Spark, out of New Zealand.  Studywiz is comprehensive--I can do anything on styudywiz-blog, chat, online writing, collaborative writing, video uploads, posting projects, link lists, RSS feeds, stc. BUT it is a secure environment, so the kids miss the chance to learn to live on the internet safely. All the security slows down the process and adds many, many steps. Setting up a simple blog or in-class assignment is a multistep process sometimes complicated by things as simple as terminology (today we realized that to upload a photo from our desktop we needed the "repository" separate from the process to upload an image from the internet).  Last year, I used Studywiz voraciously, but got no sleep because of the inconvenience of trying to actually set up the projects and forums and then to assess the work. It was so tempting to use Blogger and Wikispaces exclusively, since there were so few steps to get stuff done in those platforms.

  Since  Studywiz allows students to perform many different functions in a secure environment, it cannot consider the mechanics on the teacher end. I needed something simple for them and something manageable for me (60 kids in my two junior classes). This year, Studywiz added an ePortfolio function, so today we started our portfolios, wrote personal profiles and then drafted our first of five journals for the quarter. 
   My juniors write five journals entries over the quarter and I grade their best two (they choose them). This year I am requiring three journal entries about class reading (so today I got a fair number on Beowulf) or the independent reading we do as part of SAT prep.  I wish I could show you their journals, but I can't, because Studywiz won't let me. So while this is a triumph for my classes, we still have a long way to go to join the 21st century community. Most importantly, many have come to my class without ever doing any blogging, online writing or wiki work. They have already learned to blog and enter their journals. The wiki is next!