Wk 3 Topic: Response to Ali Baxendale

Ali's original post

The beginning of this week was a flurry of activity trying to finish my Action Research website. I feel as though I have a good base. I am sure that I am going to need to improve some areas of the website, but I am looking forward to improving the content. I know I will also have to improve my literature review. I am continuing the research. As soon as I receive the edits, I will continue with the next version.

As I see the program drawing to a close, I am a little overwhelmed with all that has to be done in the next two months. I know that some of this apprehension is due to the fact that this is the busiest time of the school year. My students are working very hard, but also needing a lot of help as the end of the school year approaches. I know that I need to step back, reorganize, and then I will be able to handle everything.

I have been looking into the publishing/ leadership project. I am going to have to do some more research as my first plan will not work due to the timing involved with this class. I can still try to present at the original conference, however it will not be for almost a year. In the next few days, I am going to talk to some of my colleagues to see if they are aware of opportunities that are available. I am also going to do additional research on my own. I am hoping to find a viable direction soon.


My response

I too feel the rush of not only the end of this program, but also the end of the school year. Trying to get everything done, and be everything to everyone has been crazy...

And silly me is adding in looking for a new job and moving back up to NH next month.

It is like the beginning of the program all over again, learning how to structure time so that things get done and done well, without slacking in the quality. I am now glad we had to discuss that in the beginning, because it is really helpful to reflect on that lesson now!

You are planning to present?!? That is awesome, I would love to hear your presentation.

Wk 3 Topic: AR publication

This week, while working on summing up my action research, I have also be writing my publication. I have been finding this fairly challenging, but rather interesting. I decided to do a publication instead of a presentation because I am thinking about going into the college world and am interested in possibly teaching teachers how to teach. Most colleges, when you are writing a CV want to know what you have published. So, this seemed like a great opportunity to knock both out in one swoop.

I have been struggling somewhat on the angle for my paper, I finally decided that I wanted it to be an advisory article for teachers who were wondering if adding tech and media to the class was hard and or worth it.

I am hoping that this does help some of those teachers on the fence about adding technology.

wk 3 topic: Resistance to change

Personally I think the biggest deterrent from technology in school is time and training. I know many who would not mind adding more, but where is the time, and how do they learn. In my old school there was volunteer training, after school and unpaid… Teachers are resistant to spending what little “free” time they have on volunteer learning, there is already too much going on.

In other fields, there is onsite and paid for training. My sister works in the IT field and whenever they want her to master something new, they send her on trainings, pay for the training and the room and board.

Schools do not have that kind of money, so the stubborn employees who want money if they “have to ” learn something new, will fight and fight because they see it as one more thing added to the list, without extra pay!

wk 3 Topic: Trying to introduce a new program

I was involved in my district’s science curriculum revision. Sitting with a buch of science teachers who were keen on the work was a piece of cake, and quite fun.

The hard part came when I had to sit with the 7th grade science teachers, 2 of whom had been teaching for 20+ years and inform them that the structure and focus of their units needed to change. It was no longer necessary for students to learn parts of a plant, they now needed to see how each organism is capable of reproduction.

They were not interested in change, both were almost retirement age and were burnt out, the last thing they wanted was to face change. It took a lot of convincing, and in the end, though they said they would follow the new standards, I became aware that they were not. Thankfully that problem went to the lap of the principal and not mine!

Wk 2 Topic: Response to Alicia Kalb's post

@Alicia

I have to say that you have very insightful comments. I too have seen teachers lie about typos or mistakes. I am one who has no problem admitting I made a mistake. The one thing I need to work on, is when a student has a tone...I tend to get a little ruffled. I admit that I am not perfect, but with 7th graders, sometimes they have this demeaning tone when they point out a mistake. So I need to remember to not react with tone as well, though sometimes I do.

I love the idea of having your students conduct, I do the same with having them teach the class. It is beneficial twofold. First, because they then become experts in what they are doing, learn it even better. Second, they get an idea of what we teachers go through, which is very healthy for them!

Wk 2 Topic: Response to Ashley Burch's post/AR publishing feelings

Ashley's original post
I was unable to attend the Wimba this past Tuesday largely in part because I had so much work to catch up on, there was just no time. My lit review was in shambles and I desperately needed to edit, revise, and email it in. I had a lot of trouble formatting the document in word. The headers were not numbering correctly. It has been very frustrating.

As I watched and listened to the archive, I was relieved to see that I wasn't the only one struggling with the lit review. I do appreciate having a form to fill out checking on what I’m doing. At times I felt alone when working on AR. I need structure or at least know someone is checking up on me. This is helping me get the AR site organized, something I struggle with (organization). So I am feeling much better about the site now.

As for the AR summary page, I don't think it is as daunting now that I have more of a grasp on all the pages of the site.

What I really needed was some clarification on the Publishing/Leadership Project. I'm still a little hesitant on starting a keynote because I'm not sure what to do just yet. That and writing a scripted speech will be a bit difficult. I usually never teach by a scripted speech as was mentioned of most teachers during wimba. Well, first step is figuring out where I want to publish, so that's on the agenda now, publishing on the web.

@ Ashley:
I agree on the stress of AR. I too have felt a bit behind, confused, and sometimes frustrated. Sometimes it all seems very overwhelming, like there was so much to do for each month that sometimes AR was pushed to the side.

I am so with you on the keynote. The idea of scripting something will be very hard to do. Like most teachers I too am a fly by the seat of my pants kinda gal. I am also not sure where to post and what to post. I do like the idea of a keynote presentation over just writing, I guess it all will need some thinking on.

wk 2 Topic: Chapter 6

As Ben Zanders stated on page 80: "Humor can bring us together around our inescapable foibles, confusions, and miscommunications..." He then goes into talking about how humor also prevents us from picking at each other, back stabbing, and attacking each other.

As a teacher I see the need to lighten up in many different ways.
The calculating self, the one Ben says wants to be noticed and appreciated really needs to take a back seat in education. This is not a job full of bonuses and thank yous every day. Many days are spent trying to get students to work, parents to understand, colleagues to listen and doing what you are told by admin. There are not many days where the stand up and notice how awesome I am self gets its acknowledgments. Instead of getting in a temper about it, laugh, sigh and sing some Jimmy Buffett for "if we didn't laugh we would all go insane"

The story about June leaving her husband, only to realize eventually that had she let that guard down, relax and just take the world as it is, she realized that she was part of the problem in her marriage and one she figured that out, things were better for her. I realized that when I was stressing out about things in life and getting all worked up, the people around me (husband, kids, students, co-workers) would feed on that down emotion. I understood that though stuff happens, if you let everything get you down, you will always be down. So I just keep telling myself: it is, what it is, and there is not point festering over it. So laugh and be goofy...it spreads and everyone around you will have a lighter mood as well.