Today, fewer words, more action.
As my head starts spinning around our next Electronic Village Online Session 2011, free online sessions for educators all over the globe, I thought it would be a great idea to start sharing great resources available in what we want to explore in January - Digital Storytelling.
So, here's my first:
Twenty Interesting Ways to Support Writing in the Classroom, by http://twitter.com/russeltarr.
I'm sure you'll love and get inspired to try at least one!
An exploratory journey of an educator who thrives for meaningful conversations. Lifelong Learning, Education, Ed Tech, Change.
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Thursday, August 19, 2010
No Helplessness in the Trenches - Take Action!
Funny thing happened this morning.
My oldest son is a night owl, not morning person at all. He studies in the afternoon. Yes, in Brazil, there are two school shifts, and kids can study either in the morning or afternoon. Even so, my kids have morning extra activities, like sports and English classes. Well, every morning I feel I'm in the trenches trying to get those soldiers to stand, get up for the activities. Many words, sometimes even threats, to see if there will be something convincing in my action to make them stand and go. It's almost like losing a battle every single time my day begins. I tried all the strategies, really, from kindness to tickles, some drops of water, fun stuff, even madness. Again, a lost battle just not totally lost because at the end, the little ones wake up. Not in a good mood. Sometimes that cranky look, others tearful moaning an groaning.
With an impotent feeling of helplessness, sometimes I even considered giving up, meaning just to cancel all the extra activities. Many times, in fact, I've thought about it. But, reconsidered it. No. I can't just give up on the kids' present and future. I, from my own background, know the difference it makes when you try out different sports, when you are outdoors, when you learn another language, when you meet new people, a world even bigger than the school environment, where kids learn tons.
Well, we say in Brazil that if you can't change it, just go with the flow. So, today, and I don't know why I haven't thought of that before (!), I simply had a slightly different approach to the whole situation. Not even bright, but sometimes you're so into things you don't notice that very simple changes can have a high impact of surprise. Well, I got my kids' cellphone, set up the alarm, and bang. When I got home after my tennis classes to pick up the kids for their sports activities, they were sitting in the living room, totally ready to leave. I couldn't help myself, but laugh. Such an unpretentious act had such an impact in the whole family environment...Yeah, not brilliant, creative, but just plain, simple shift of perspective. Life was more resplendent today.
All that kept me thinking of our own classrooms. I remember a teen group I had it was almost unbearable. It was the same kind of situation I felt helpless and burnt out after two hours with them. It seems I was trying to manage the unmanageable just to realize that the problem might not have been with those wonderful kids, but the way I was approaching things. With small changes to help us connect, at the end of the semester I was in love with all of them, sad to let them go, and I know they felt at ease in class, as well. We had established a wonderful camaraderie-type of relationship due to the shifts I made to my own lesson plan that really tapped into their interests and my own attitude towards them.
How about you? When was the last time you had an issue in which from just a few adjustments and some action things changed to the positive uplifting side? What are the kinds of situation that are bothering you that YOU could make a change with ever-lasting impact on the outcomes?
My oldest son is a night owl, not morning person at all. He studies in the afternoon. Yes, in Brazil, there are two school shifts, and kids can study either in the morning or afternoon. Even so, my kids have morning extra activities, like sports and English classes. Well, every morning I feel I'm in the trenches trying to get those soldiers to stand, get up for the activities. Many words, sometimes even threats, to see if there will be something convincing in my action to make them stand and go. It's almost like losing a battle every single time my day begins. I tried all the strategies, really, from kindness to tickles, some drops of water, fun stuff, even madness. Again, a lost battle just not totally lost because at the end, the little ones wake up. Not in a good mood. Sometimes that cranky look, others tearful moaning an groaning.
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4140/4900125242_caa6036e19.jpg
With an impotent feeling of helplessness, sometimes I even considered giving up, meaning just to cancel all the extra activities. Many times, in fact, I've thought about it. But, reconsidered it. No. I can't just give up on the kids' present and future. I, from my own background, know the difference it makes when you try out different sports, when you are outdoors, when you learn another language, when you meet new people, a world even bigger than the school environment, where kids learn tons.
Well, we say in Brazil that if you can't change it, just go with the flow. So, today, and I don't know why I haven't thought of that before (!), I simply had a slightly different approach to the whole situation. Not even bright, but sometimes you're so into things you don't notice that very simple changes can have a high impact of surprise. Well, I got my kids' cellphone, set up the alarm, and bang. When I got home after my tennis classes to pick up the kids for their sports activities, they were sitting in the living room, totally ready to leave. I couldn't help myself, but laugh. Such an unpretentious act had such an impact in the whole family environment...Yeah, not brilliant, creative, but just plain, simple shift of perspective. Life was more resplendent today.
All that kept me thinking of our own classrooms. I remember a teen group I had it was almost unbearable. It was the same kind of situation I felt helpless and burnt out after two hours with them. It seems I was trying to manage the unmanageable just to realize that the problem might not have been with those wonderful kids, but the way I was approaching things. With small changes to help us connect, at the end of the semester I was in love with all of them, sad to let them go, and I know they felt at ease in class, as well. We had established a wonderful camaraderie-type of relationship due to the shifts I made to my own lesson plan that really tapped into their interests and my own attitude towards them.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3389/3489968302_ba91328856.jpg
How about you? When was the last time you had an issue in which from just a few adjustments and some action things changed to the positive uplifting side? What are the kinds of situation that are bothering you that YOU could make a change with ever-lasting impact on the outcomes?
Thursday, August 12, 2010
DNA Rescue - Part 2: Skills are Cheap. Passion is Priceless
Still on Gary Vaynerchuk's book, "Crush it", I can't help it, but keep exploring the world of passion and our double-helice (DNA) historical perspective and bring it all together into our professional realm. Because of my last post's comments, I was taken into the recordings of the Reform Symposium(Thanks, Mrs Tenkely!). If it were in the past, I'd be able to have listened to it live, but due to some time constraints and options, I couldn't be there, but had the chance to download it via iTunes. Amazing, thrilling stuff, though, simple again. It is crushing true and there's no way out that the simplest, most caring ideas are the ones who are truly powerful.
George Couros hit it hard! His presentation about Identity Day at his school in Canada is just a brilliant way to shape and channel the undoubtful hard-hitting effectiveness of giving voice to our passions. How many of us know what are co-workers' passions really are? Yesterday, I asked this plain question, "What's your true passion?" Some could spit it out in nanoseconds, others had to think a bit hard, but just the fact that we were talking about it gave a boost of optimism and happiness to our spirits. Imagine what we could do to our lives, our classrooms, our work places? We could really crush it as a group if we let those passionate and vigorous voices bloom. A spark in the eye, words that are generally not mentioned, getting to know the other...All our passions, all possible connections to one another.
So, let's keep our movement toward our DNA rescue spiced up with passion. It can be amazingly transformative.
Get to know what your true passions are
Never forget your historical background as it could give you big clues of dormant passions
Share your passsions with others
Encourage others to find their own
With all that in mind, let us remix ourselves to become better people
If you asked about my passions, I could tell you about some. However, the one that moves me, makes me a believer, an optimist, an explorer? My passion for PEOPLE.
What are your ingrained passions?
George Couros hit it hard! His presentation about Identity Day at his school in Canada is just a brilliant way to shape and channel the undoubtful hard-hitting effectiveness of giving voice to our passions. How many of us know what are co-workers' passions really are? Yesterday, I asked this plain question, "What's your true passion?" Some could spit it out in nanoseconds, others had to think a bit hard, but just the fact that we were talking about it gave a boost of optimism and happiness to our spirits. Imagine what we could do to our lives, our classrooms, our work places? We could really crush it as a group if we let those passionate and vigorous voices bloom. A spark in the eye, words that are generally not mentioned, getting to know the other...All our passions, all possible connections to one another.
So, let's keep our movement toward our DNA rescue spiced up with passion. It can be amazingly transformative.
Get to know what your true passions are
Never forget your historical background as it could give you big clues of dormant passions
Share your passsions with others
Encourage others to find their own
With all that in mind, let us remix ourselves to become better people
If you asked about my passions, I could tell you about some. However, the one that moves me, makes me a believer, an optimist, an explorer? My passion for PEOPLE.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/elvire-r
What are your ingrained passions?
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Value your DNA - Keep Passion Alive
I've just started reading a very pleasant book. Nothing new, but simply painfully true. Gary Vaynerchuck's "Crush it" talks about being true to our DNA in the beginning of his book.
For me, being true to our DNA is rescuing our roots and reminding ourselves what really makes it all worth it. I've been talking more and more, or even preaching, about the power of passion in everything we do. I've seen many educators with their passionate instincts dormant, just burnout, stressed out, lifeless...They even forget why they've started. They forget how fiery they once were about teaching, learning, the classroom....
I'd say that we need to start a Rescue your DNA program, in which inspiring people, professionals, educators find inspiration in what they believe in and who they are. What ticks them? How can they match their passions they once had and are latent into vibrant forces that are conducive to self-fulfillment, effective teaching and on-going learning? What is the balance of keeping up with our routine, but not keep our drives simply inactive. We all need action, movement, transpiration, passion in our lives. We need to be true to our DNA. We need to find understanding and truth in what we do to be multipliers of powerful inspirational sourced to the ones around us. We need to transform or reform ourselves to be agents of change in society.
How should we start regaining passion in what we do and who we are?
For me, being true to our DNA is rescuing our roots and reminding ourselves what really makes it all worth it. I've been talking more and more, or even preaching, about the power of passion in everything we do. I've seen many educators with their passionate instincts dormant, just burnout, stressed out, lifeless...They even forget why they've started. They forget how fiery they once were about teaching, learning, the classroom....
I'd say that we need to start a Rescue your DNA program, in which inspiring people, professionals, educators find inspiration in what they believe in and who they are. What ticks them? How can they match their passions they once had and are latent into vibrant forces that are conducive to self-fulfillment, effective teaching and on-going learning? What is the balance of keeping up with our routine, but not keep our drives simply inactive. We all need action, movement, transpiration, passion in our lives. We need to be true to our DNA. We need to find understanding and truth in what we do to be multipliers of powerful inspirational sourced to the ones around us. We need to transform or reform ourselves to be agents of change in society.
How should we start regaining passion in what we do and who we are?
Monday, August 2, 2010
Blended Learning
For some, blended learning means having a mix of face-to-face classes, plus online encounters. However, I'd go a bit beyond. Blended learning can take different shapes if you consider a regular face-to-face classroom with the use of online tools to supplement the learning process that takes place within brick and mortar spaces. Also, if you consider the many different forms of professional development, it can be considered a blend of formal + informal, the kind of sharing in the school hallways plus your connections within your online networked context. I consider them all to be types of blended open learning opportunities. To blend is to find different paths to keep evolving as people, lifelong learners and professionals.
In this screencast, I talk about three examples of blended learning experiences:
How would you define blended learning and how would you make/have you made it a reality in your classroom?
In this screencast, I talk about three examples of blended learning experiences:
- Using http://voicethread.com/ to connect our students and their ideas beyond classroom walls. Here, I show an example of a very simple, but highly effective, activity some friends of mine worked on with their very young learners. These co-workers would panic when they got started in this blended-informal-formal educators' world, but they are now totally into it: http://ctjconnected.blogspot.com/2010/07/embracing-changes-learning.html
- Using Flickr groups to keep promoting vocabulary/language development. Educators can model how to use images to convey an abstract concept. Then, learners can start preparing their own photo sets. Here, the example was the Flickr group, Idioms in English
- I also make a point that PD can be part of the blended learning realm and give the example of using a wiki, a collaborate webpage, to make sharing and learning an on-going cycle in the workplace.
How would you define blended learning and how would you make/have you made it a reality in your classroom?
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Language Teaching - Tools Worth Checking
Our presentation at the Braz-TESOL Conference and CTJ TEFL (Casa Thomas Jefferson - Brasília) went well with many teachers showing interest in the topic and wanting to make the change necessary to make the learning experience even more exciting.
Here's the slideshow for the presentation. Just click on the images and you'll be taken to the tools and their examples:
We also had the chance to present in the CTJ Electronic Village, a reduced, but highly effective version of TESOL's Electronic Village. The Ed Tech Team shared some resources and hands-on ideas for the language classroom.
http://ctjelectronicvillage.pbworks.com/2010
Still on the topic of effective tools for the classroom,I just came across this list compiled by the Nerdy Teacher, whom I highly recommend the following.
Related Resources:
http://brazilbridges.pbworks.com/Cool-Tools
http://collablogatorium.blogspot.com/search/label/cooltool
Here's the slideshow for the presentation. Just click on the images and you'll be taken to the tools and their examples:
Braz tesol2010 cool-tools4theclassroom_presentation
View more presentations from Casa Thomas Jefferson.
We also had the chance to present in the CTJ Electronic Village, a reduced, but highly effective version of TESOL's Electronic Village. The Ed Tech Team shared some resources and hands-on ideas for the language classroom.
http://ctjelectronicvillage.pbworks.com/2010
Still on the topic of effective tools for the classroom,I just came across this list compiled by the Nerdy Teacher, whom I highly recommend the following.
Related Resources:
http://brazilbridges.pbworks.com/Cool-Tools
http://collablogatorium.blogspot.com/search/label/cooltool
Friday, July 9, 2010
My Top 10 + some Tools in 2010 and the Lamest of the Year
Jane Hart is building her annual Top 100 Tools for Learning list based on the contributions of learning professionals worldwide.
As I'm preparing myself for the Braz-TESOL presentation exactly about learning tools that might be useful for language educators, this is the perfect time for reflection and sharing.
There's nothing brand new about my list, but really the tools that make a difference in my routine and in the daily tasks of my co-workers and network connections.
So, my choices are based on the power to connect to others or to ideas, user-friendliness, learning effectiveness, and frequency of use.
I'd also add some other tools that are essential for me as an educator, teacher trainer and presenter:
edmodo
To connect to others, to meet online with your classroom
Wordle
To make word clouds
Picnik
To edit your photos
Elluminate
To present and connect to others online
Scribblar
To present and connect to others online - free tool
Animoto
To share photos, videos and make cool presentation
Wallwisher
To make bulletin boards, to discuss a subject, to add a mosaic of perspectives
Google Apps
Use them all for different purposes!
Glogster
To make an online scrapbook
Mindmeister
To organize thoughts into maps
I thought it would be really interesting to point out to the ones out:
My choice of the Year for for the lamest tool of 2010 would go for Ning because of their disrespect to educators and how they approached their commercial ideals. This was a tool that I used to love, but has caused many inconveniences for me in terms of time and content retrieval.
What would be your list? How different would it be from this one?
What is the lamest techtool of the year?
It would be great to make it even bigger and more useful for others.
As I'm preparing myself for the Braz-TESOL presentation exactly about learning tools that might be useful for language educators, this is the perfect time for reflection and sharing.
There's nothing brand new about my list, but really the tools that make a difference in my routine and in the daily tasks of my co-workers and network connections.
So, my choices are based on the power to connect to others or to ideas, user-friendliness, learning effectiveness, and frequency of use.
I'd also add some other tools that are essential for me as an educator, teacher trainer and presenter:
edmodo
To connect to others, to meet online with your classroom
Wordle
To make word clouds
Picnik
To edit your photos
Elluminate
To present and connect to others online
Scribblar
To present and connect to others online - free tool
Animoto
To share photos, videos and make cool presentation
Wallwisher
To make bulletin boards, to discuss a subject, to add a mosaic of perspectives
Google Apps
Use them all for different purposes!
Glogster
To make an online scrapbook
Mindmeister
To organize thoughts into maps
I thought it would be really interesting to point out to the ones out:
My choice of the Year for for the lamest tool of 2010 would go for Ning because of their disrespect to educators and how they approached their commercial ideals. This was a tool that I used to love, but has caused many inconveniences for me in terms of time and content retrieval.
What would be your list? How different would it be from this one?
What is the lamest techtool of the year?
It would be great to make it even bigger and more useful for others.
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Say NO to Change
Why bother?
Why leave the comfort zone for the unknown?
Why seek emotion and a bit more of fun into our dull lives?
Why should one work harder just for the sake of changing?
Why even consider the transformation if all things seem to fall into place?
Why innovate if someone else will get the credit?
Why do something different if everything seems to work the way it is now?
Why alter the state of our classrooms if the students are learning for centuries this way, but just seem "a bit bored"?
Why transition to a more proactive view of professional development if I won't get a raise?
Why spend my precious time studying, searching, planning for better teaching if I won't get more recognition from my superiors?
Why the shift?
Why the move?
That's why most of us keep saying NO to the inevitable passages in life, when we have to transition from our well-known, safe routine to a new "unpredictable" mode of thought and act. Though we might question ourselves the WHY, and this is healthy when it doesn't block the possibilities ahead, innovating, moving towards a new direction, finding a more appropriate perspective to learning and teaching is simply part of our own evolution as human beings, as educators.
The word CHANGE is part of my daily job. Every day, there's something new that makes me change the way I see things, a new tool to do things more efficiently. Though resistant at times, I've learned to listen to opposite views, to ponder, and to come to the conclusion when change might be beneficial to the collective.
Say YES.
Innovate.
Surprise.
Give a new sense to your own life.
Bring life to your classroom.
Make it lively.
Laugh, dance with your students, sing a song, create one.
Let breadth and new light enligthen your educational practices.
Learn with your students.
Don't expect recognition, except your own perception of how engaged, motivated your students are.
Consider your own small rewards when you see a sparkling eye, a curious soul.
Laugh again.
Teach with passion. Teach with soul and intuition. Find magic in the small details.
Add bits of tech before you can call yourself a true innovator.
Keep daring.
Are you still considering saying NO to change? Well, you might use 100 lame excuses to avoid becoming a more adventurous, happier educator. Or you might start considering making small innovative changes that will make a difference in your and your learners' lives pretty soon.
Say YES to your very simple changing acts.
Try it.
It can be really powerful!
Let's start right now a Say YES movement.
I'd love to hear what you've done to substitute inertia for hard-hitting transformation.
Why leave the comfort zone for the unknown?
Why seek emotion and a bit more of fun into our dull lives?
Why should one work harder just for the sake of changing?
Why even consider the transformation if all things seem to fall into place?
Why innovate if someone else will get the credit?
Why do something different if everything seems to work the way it is now?
Why alter the state of our classrooms if the students are learning for centuries this way, but just seem "a bit bored"?
Why transition to a more proactive view of professional development if I won't get a raise?
Why spend my precious time studying, searching, planning for better teaching if I won't get more recognition from my superiors?
Why the shift?
Why the move?
That's why most of us keep saying NO to the inevitable passages in life, when we have to transition from our well-known, safe routine to a new "unpredictable" mode of thought and act. Though we might question ourselves the WHY, and this is healthy when it doesn't block the possibilities ahead, innovating, moving towards a new direction, finding a more appropriate perspective to learning and teaching is simply part of our own evolution as human beings, as educators.
The word CHANGE is part of my daily job. Every day, there's something new that makes me change the way I see things, a new tool to do things more efficiently. Though resistant at times, I've learned to listen to opposite views, to ponder, and to come to the conclusion when change might be beneficial to the collective.
Say YES.
Innovate.
Surprise.
Give a new sense to your own life.
Bring life to your classroom.
Make it lively.
Laugh, dance with your students, sing a song, create one.
Let breadth and new light enligthen your educational practices.
Learn with your students.
Don't expect recognition, except your own perception of how engaged, motivated your students are.
Consider your own small rewards when you see a sparkling eye, a curious soul.
Laugh again.
Teach with passion. Teach with soul and intuition. Find magic in the small details.
Add bits of tech before you can call yourself a true innovator.
Keep daring.
Are you still considering saying NO to change? Well, you might use 100 lame excuses to avoid becoming a more adventurous, happier educator. Or you might start considering making small innovative changes that will make a difference in your and your learners' lives pretty soon.
Say YES to your very simple changing acts.
Try it.
It can be really powerful!
Let's start right now a Say YES movement.
I'd love to hear what you've done to substitute inertia for hard-hitting transformation.
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Lesson Plan - World Cup Finals Video
Everybody seems to be talking about soccer at this time of the year, and, we, educators, are always trying to find the most effective way to incorporate current news in our lesson plans. The World Cup will keep current for some more weeks, so let's not miss the chance to use precious resources out there in cyberspace to do something fun, effective with our students. Tasks that keep them on task, eager to contribute and produce.
Today, I'll show you a video a friend of mine, Cleide, a very talented teacher at Casa Thomas Jefferson, recorded and the pedagogical suggestions to go with it:
- First, brainstorm with your students words related to the World Cup, favorite teams, best players, gaffes that have happened. Take this time to work on vocabulary development.
- Ask your students to watch the video, and focus on the following:
Which World Cup is she talking about?
Was he a huge soccer fan?
What made her change her mind?
How did she feel at the end?
Suggestions for Wrap up:
- Students imagine the Finals of the 2010 World Cup series, deciding which teams would be playing and what the score would be. They draw their World Cup Finals scene. Post the drawings in the classroom. As the teams play, just keep hanging the ones that still have the right prediction. At the end of the World Cup, the class will be able to see who was right.
- Students record a video in this Plain-English style (drawings with voice) narrating the Finals (Great for creatively using the vocabulary they had been exploring)
- Groups make a big poster to keep track of the games and the scores. Every week, a student is in charge of scorekeeping.
- Students predict who will be voted as the best soccer player and the best Goalkeeper in the Cup.
- For more advanced students, your might really enjoy exploring photos, videos and World-Cup related stories that Lonely Planet is featuring at http://www.lonelyplanet.com/south-africa/travel-tips-and-articles/42/60294 . You can assign different posts to different groups, and after they read them, they can report how people are celebrating around the globe.
- Students can go to http://www.flickr.com/groups/1384096@N25/pool/ and explore the World Cup photos taken by users. Or even better, they can search for specific photos using tags, such as "south africa worldcup". Great chance here to enhance your students' digital literacy.
Just some ideas for now. Please, add any other suggestions as a comment. We'd love to have a nice pool of cool classroom activities related to the World Cup.
Some links of interest:
http://pocketcultures.com/topicsoftheworld/tag/worldcup2010/
http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/
http://www.worldcupblog.org/
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/world_cup_2010/default.stm
Some links of interest:
http://pocketcultures.com/topicsoftheworld/tag/worldcup2010/
http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/
http://www.worldcupblog.org/
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/world_cup_2010/default.stm
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