Learning is Change

When is Substitution the right choice for teachers (in the SAMR model):

I struggle with this idea and I go back and forth on the merits of substitution. You have made the case for it, and I think it holds. And yet, the point of looking beyond substitution is so that we might reimagine the classroom and the student and teacher roles within it. Can we still do this, if we are looking at substitution as our entry point each time?

I believe you are absolutely right. We need to stop vilifying teachers for their instructional decisions to use technology as a substitute for a more traditional tool. It doesn’t help us to support ALL TEACHERS if we continue to make folks think that technology needs to redefine every task all of the time. The issue for me, though, is that when we do “focus on the learning” as you propose, it is difficult to imagine the case for simple substitution as the best approach much of the time. I like your example of using an app for the Magnetic Alphabet as a typical substitution task. However, I keep on thinking about how much more powerful it would be to have the students take screenshots of their apps as they went or project them via airplay to have a mini-lesson on a specific example. It isn’t that those extensions are required all of the time, but by having the conversation about those possibilities, it means that the teacher (master or not) is able to think about the ways in which these tools can transform the learning environment and make capturing learning (by students) so much easier.

So, I guess it boils down to this for me: “When is substitution a strong instructional choice, and when is it holding us back from reaching further?” I think that teachers should be asking that question and the same questions about whether technology (in some cases) is holding learning back? I believe there are opportunities for a low-tech/no-tech solutions work beautifully. However, the more that we encourage folks to think about the learning tasks in new ways, the more ownership students will have of the learning environment and the more engaged they will become.

Shared Practice in Teaching and Teacher Education: Substitution is Not a Bad Thing: Thoughts on the SAMR Model.

When is Substitution the right choice for teachers (in the SAMR model):

I struggle with this idea and I go back and forth on the merits of substitution. You have made the case for it, and I think it holds. And yet, the point of looking beyond substitution is so that we might reimagine the classroom and the student and teacher roles within it. Can we still do this, if we are looking at substitution as our entry point each time?

I believe you are absolutely right. We need to stop vilifying teachers for their instructional decisions to use technology as a substitute for a more traditional tool. It doesn’t help us to support ALL TEACHERS if we continue to make folks think that technology needs to redefine every task all of the time. The issue for me, though, is that when we do “focus on the learning” as you propose, it is difficult to imagine the case for simple substitution as the best approach much of the time. I like your example of using an app for the Magnetic Alphabet as a typical substitution task. However, I keep on thinking about how much more powerful it would be to have the students take screenshots of their apps as they went or project them via airplay to have a mini-lesson on a specific example. It isn’t that those extensions are required all of the time, but by having the conversation about those possibilities, it means that the teacher (master or not) is able to think about the ways in which these tools can transform the learning environment and make capturing learning (by students) so much easier.

So, I guess it boils down to this for me: “When is substitution a strong instructional choice, and when is it holding us back from reaching further?” I think that teachers should be asking that question and the same questions about whether technology (in some cases) is holding learning back? I believe there are opportunities for a low-tech/no-tech solutions work beautifully. However, the more that we encourage folks to think about the learning tasks in new ways, the more ownership students will have of the learning environment and the more engaged they will become.

Shared Practice in Teaching and Teacher Education: Substitution is Not a Bad Thing: Thoughts on the SAMR Model.

A wonderful story of leadership and advocating for teachers:

This paragraph is an amazing example of how the classroom can change in subtle ways and have a transformational impact upon students:

“When I walk into a classroom and the teacher has a ‘mystery bag” on the counter and is using it for engagement; She is a pirate. When I hear teachers asking the students about their interests and then developing lessons geared toward those interests; They have become pirates. When I see a teacher taking her students out to the playground to practice spelling words with chalk or do math problems on the blacktop; She is a pirate. When I see students laying on their backs and drawing upside down under their desks to get Michelangelo’s perspective; Their teacher might just be a pirate. When I walk into a classroom and each student is dressed in a costume and they are doing a newscast with math facts; Their teacher might be a pirate. When I hear kids on Friday afternoon, on the way to the bus say, “I wish we didn’t have to go home.” Their teachers are definitely pirates. When I get letters from students asking if we could make the school day longer; They probably have a pirate teacher.”

Whenever you are saying “is a pirate” or “might be a pirate”, I think you are advocating for powerful teaching practice and engaged and innovative teachers. You are a passionate leader who is looking beyond the gimmicks of a single text for influencing the classroom. You are reaching for the whole of what was meant by Burgess, and even if the teachers don’t understand that they are changing, you are supporting them in this transition. Please keep on looking out for them and looking out for these small shifts that will make a big difference.

via Just One Principal’s Thoughts: Shhh!!! Don’t Tell Them That They Might Be Pirates.

Sometimes we can simply look outside our windows and be inspired to take part in a collaborative learning experience.

I really like the way in which you have woven in the connectedness of hashtags and online communities into the connectedness of being a part of the same climate. Your imagery allows me to see just how the weather might affect our ability to connect and take part in these learning experiences.

Blogging together or noticing one another within a community space is something to celebrate, and yet we do not often pause to do so. The stillness of the weather is a great reminder for us all. I wonder if we need more cues for pausing, reflecting, and honoring the value that we are bringing to one another every day. 

Beyond LiteracyLink: Celebrating the Story of Winter.

Because these comments were left on Medium (a platform that lets you comment by paragraph rather than whole post), the context for them may be a little hard to follow. However, this is an important article about the gender politics of programming.

This “beginner” part is really tough. It is almost like others are expecting you to have battle scars to show you are experienced. Apparently, those scars should come in the form of facial hair and not a portfolio of accomplishments.

I feel like Mansplaining is a real problem that can’t just be set aside. Respect for women in academic or rigorous settings isn’t optional. We ignore female voices at our peril.

I also think it is important to understand why we are giving the feedback in the first place. Feedback should be in the service making something better or for the one who is giving feedback to better understand the content. If it is doing neither of those things, why say it?

Yes! The way in which we lead is more important than the position we hold or strategies we implement. If we are investing in people (as a core leadership competency), empathy and encouragement should be non-negotiables. And yet, so many times, leadership is synonymous with abrasive assertiveness and a lack of self-reflection. We can do better.

Without question, we need to see the true diversity of gender that is possible within this industry. It seems silly that masculine is associated with technical experience, and yet it is an expectation at this point. Activism by both men and women can work to change this.

via Coding Like a Girl — Medium.

Sometimes Differentiation isn’t the right word for what is going on in an innovative classroom:

Whenever I do a sessions on “Personalization”, I tend to ask folks what the difference between Personalizing FOR students and Personalizing BY students. I believe that this is the heart of why Genius Hour is construct that matters. It is Personalized (and not just differentiated) BY the students.

While I would agree that Genius Hour should look different in different grade levels and different schools (depending on the needs of the students and their readiness to take the reigns), I think that is as far as differentiation can go. Differentiation is still about the teacher orchestrating the environment and the resources so that students can learn. Personalization, to me at least, is about the students having the ownership and the ability to make instructional choices that benefit their learning in ways that the teacher would never be able to anticipate.

via The Ultimate in Differentiation: Genius Hour | Dare to Care.

We don’t all blog and tweet for the same reason, and I think that is okay.

I blog and tweet mostly for myself. I do these things to reflect upon my learning and to create a community of those who are interested in learning along with me. While I really like how you have framed the moral and urgent need for blogging and participating in social media, I wonder about the other reasons that folks do it besides “profiteering.”

Is it okay to blog as a way of simply capturing your learning? Is it okay to tweet simply because it is how you model connected teaching? Personal branding is not enough of a reason to create a space for yourself online, but I do think that teachers need a voice and one of the easiest way to cultivate one is through blogging. You should always know “why” you are engaging in some type of professional practice, and blogging is no different. But, I do think you can discover why you are doing it after you have been convinced to start engaging for less than admirable reasons (i.e., because someone advocating for the latest fad told you to do so).

I think many folks continue blogging for different reasons than they started blogging. I have had at least 5 different roles in education since I started blogging in 2004. It has shifted and changed so much during that time, but like you, I’d like to think that my persistence is about having a greater impact than I could otherwise.

via Why I Tweet and (sometimes) Blog – Looking UpLooking Up.