Give A Little Bit…

This is sooo sweet with the kids in the background! Have a listen…

Give a little bit? Yup. That’s the theme of this, my last post, of EDTC300. Officially? It’s a post about how I’ve contributed to the learning of others throughout this course. But honestly that makes a bland title. Starting with a great song is so much better, right?!?

“Giving a little bit” was what I did as I interacted with my classmates in EDTC300 as well in other professional spaces. When I look through some of the interactions I had, that I logged here, I realize that my go-to is to encourage my colleagues. Even when I look through my Twitter feed, I see the same trend. For example, I’ve become quite taken with an educator I’ve discovered through Twitter – Kristin Wiens. She puts together visuals that I find incredibly helpful, like this one

I’m a visual learner, so her visuals make my brain light up! And so, my go-to reflex was to let her know…

The great part about putting the good vibes out there, is that they come back! It feels good to know I’ve encouraged her. Working in education is tough slogging at times and if we can reach out with a kind word to one another from time to time, it makes such a difference.

In addition to my contributions on Twitter, on some of the blogs, and on Google+, I had many opportunities to contribute right here in the school I work in, with my colleagues. I’ve posted graphics I love (by Kristin Wiens, of course!) on the staffroom door, introduced teachers and E.A.’s to Web Clipper, Screencastify, SparkPost, SparkVideo, Feedly, AdBlocker, Zoom, among other tools, as well as talked up Twitter as a great resource for all of us educators!

Reflecting on how I’ve contributed to my classmates learning this term, I wish I’d done more. Reflecting further? I’ve been asking myself, why I didn’t. And I think it’s because in addition to being a part of this course, I am working full-time in the classroom and then go home to my own kids. So on the contributing spectrum, I’m on the “kinda maxed out” end. Now to be fair, that does not excuse me from developing and maintaining a healthy PLN (personal learning network), because to be an educator means to accept that “being maxed out” is a risk we must continually learn to manage. Prioritizing our own learning networks requires each of us to treat it as compulsory and integral to our personal and professional development, not as an elective.

However, in the midst of trying to strike this necessary balance in my own life, I also employed yet another one of my mantras (two of mine are mentioned here and here) – “Do what you can do. Perfection is not the goal, participation is.”

made with SparkPost

And so I participated in contributing to the learning of others (and will continue to do so) because I value the concept even though I won’t do it perfectly all the time. And as I do it, I’ll grow in my capacity to do it better and better.

So it all comes back to the song this post started out with, “Give a little bit”. Giving a little bit is a great place to start and a great place to launch from. That’s my ongoing commitment to contributing to the learning of the folks around me and beyond.

Committed to cheering us all on to…

Keep learning,

Dianna

 

 

It’s In The Can! EDTC 300 – Summary of Learning

Whew! Well, that was a bit of gong show!

via GYPHY

It finally happened to me. I have been on the receiving of this line, dozens of times, but now I had to use it…

The computer ate my homework!

Yet another example of how becoming a student has made me that much more empathetic to my students! Two hours before I had to submit my “Summary of Learning” for my EDTC300 course, POOF! It was gone. I don’t know if it was pilot error (probably) but it sure gave me a chance to exercise having a “growth mindset”!

But now it’s done (again), so you can have a peek at it here.

I put my summary together using “Spark Video” which is a tool I’d recommend. It was fairly straightforward and didn’t take oodles of time to learn. I’m looking forward to getting students to try it out; I think they’ll enjoy the variety it offers! (If I have to watch another Powerpoint…)

I’m going to keep this short and sweet. I’d love your feedback!

As always,

Keep learning,

Dianna

 

 

 

 

 

Full-Bodied and Fragrant with a Long Finish

via GYPHY

You might think I’m referring to wine but no, these adjectives describe my experience learning to “yoga” these past few months. Other descriptors that apply well are “earthy”, “soft”, “spicy”. I think after I finish this wrap up post of my learning project, I’ll head over to our little liquor store and find a wine that fulfills those qualities!

Funny aside – Our liquor store here in Haines Junction is in the same building as our motor vehicles office. Yup, drinking and driving all mashed together in one place! you walk in the same doors and on one side of the room are all the appropriate “Drive Responsibly!” posters and with a slight turn of the head, you see the latest “Drink Responsibly!” Small towns can be such odd little places!

Until I find that perfect wine, I’d like to propose a toast to yoga and all that it’s taught me so far, to me for diving in and going for it, and to you, my readers, (of course, I couldn’t leave you out!) for being a part of the journey with me.

To Yoga

Thank you yoga, for being that act of physicality that didn’t whisper “you can’t do this, you’re too fat, out of shape, and undisciplined”. I’ve appreciated the acceptance. And even better, the increased self-acceptance you have facilitated in me.  A special mention, of course, to Curvy Yoga, who whispered all kinds of beautiful, affirming and soul repairing words to me.

Thank you yoga, for gently nudging me when I’m avoiding my physical body. Thank you for being the matchmaker, introducing me to my body in new ways. We’ve begun (my body and I) a fledgling relationship that I feel pretty sure will grow into a mature, sensitive and caring bond.

Thank you yoga, for reminding me as I’ve journeyed along, what learning feels like. And why scaffolding lessons is important and that sometimes learning uncovers our insecurities and that we need to have gobs of empathy for ourselves and others. And thank you for reteaching me the idea that we are body, soul and spirit and that learning, really great learning, has an impact in all those areas!

To Me

Thank you. Thank you for picking a learning project that took you out of your comfort zone; there were easier choices but you embraced something that pushed you. I’m really proud of how you didn’t just “get it over with” but also took the time to be reflective about the impact it was having on you and you made some great connections. Way to go!

To You

To you, who’ve been a part of my yoga adventure, thank you!!! So many delicious words came my way, whether here in the comments, or on my Facebook. Such yummy words of acceptance that cheered me on! Each of you modelled a quality so fundamentally necessary in the world of learning. Encouragement. We all need it, everyone of us. And you gave it so freely. Thank you!

So raise your glass with me, (we’ll pretend we have wine in it for now)…

TO YOGA, TO ME and TO YOU. Cheers!

(seriously tho’, doesn’t just seeing Betty White, anywhere, doing anything, just bring a smile to your face!?!?) via GYPHY

As always,

Keep learning,

Dianna

 

 

 

What’s Your Code?

Codes are everywhere.

Where ever are they? Can’t find them?

Keep looking. You will.

A silly start to a post about learning something I know very little about. Like haiku. And like my attempt at haiku, I wasn’t very good at it but I did it anyway!

This week my challenge was to learn to code for one hour. If this idea is new to you, hang in there. All that means is that I did one hour of “computer programming for the computer illiterate”. Now, the reality is that today we all use computers everyday, effortlessly and seamlessly. But truth be told, most of us haven’t got a clue about how they do the fascinating things they do. Well at least for kids growing up in Canada’s schools, that’s changing. Kids right from Grade One and up are starting to learn about what is involved in coding and as usual educators are developing innovative and fun ways to learn.

And it’s important! Frankly, we, as well as the upcoming generations, need the opportunity to learn about how this stuff works. For those of us in the older group, it will create increased appreciation and awe at what it takes for us to have the advantage of this technology. And for the younger folks, this is a HUGE trajectory in the area of careers. Unless they are exposed to these concepts, students won’t have the same opportunities to discover if this is their passion and maybe a career they want to pursue.

For my learning, I dove in and checked out Code.org. First I tried doing an independent project in the “Artist” space but quickly aborted mission when I realized I was in way over my head!

So then I moved on to taking a tutorial which was much better. You can see in the top of screenshot below that I’m on level 8 but my level 7 needs work (indicated by the light green). I found it interesting to observe my learning during this session! I was feeling rushed (my “things to-do” list was nattering at me) and could recognize that in order to really think through the sequences needed, I needed to allow myself the time it would take for my brain to process things. Valuable self observation.

By the time I progressed past level 7, I was at capacity for the day! (and my nattering “things to-do” list won out)

Via GYPHY

Next time I opened up Code.org, I looked at some of the games and found one just up my alley! My oldest son (gr.11) is presently in a performing arts program in Whitehorse and this May, they are putting together a full length adaptation of Alice in Wonderland. So this game caught my eye!

It was a perfect! Apparently my comfort zone in coding is “Grades 2-5” but no self-judgement here. We all gotta start somewhere. After I finished the game (awesome learning disguised as a game), I even received a certificate that I shared on Twitter, of course!

I highly recommend Code.org! Give it a go, whether you’re an educator or not, it’s a great way to …

Keep learning,

Dianna

 

Just Keep Yoga-ing, Just Keep Yoga-ing!

I’m having a hard time wrapping my head around the fact that my semester in EDTC300 is almost over! And that means I’m almost at the end of my Learning Project. The post after this, you can expect a wrap up of my learning in this project but until then I have one more post to share about my yoga-ing journey!

via GYPHY

This time it’s not about yoga and my body but rather about yoga and my mind and my spirit. Let’s start with…

My Mind

I have experienced depression and anxiety for most of my life. And yet my profile on Twitter reads,

I laugh loud and long and love cheering people on in their learning and their lives! My students think I’m outrageous and I like it that way!

So how is this also my reality? Counselling and medication. Counselling and medication. Repeat, as needed.

1. Counselling has and continues to help me untie the knots that inevitably occur in my soul. Sure, I can untie a lot of knots myself now, but life continues to throw curve balls at us all, and at least for me, I sure appreciate getting a fresh perspective and wisdom from someone wiser than myself.
2. Medication gives me the opportunity to live life from a level playing field. Life is challenging but with my particular brain chemistry, without my meds, I feel as though I’m living life from a ditch; everything is that much harder. I am sooo thankful that I live in a time where the shame of struggling with mental health is not what it used to be. I feel the same way about my need to take meds, as I felt about my grandma taking her insulin. Grateful. Period.

And now I can add yoga to my toolkit for being healthy mentally. Physical exercise is a tried and true tool for dealing with anxiety and depression that I have struggled to incorporate into my life for a number of reasons (in another post I’ll share about my total ankle replacement!). Yoga, and specifically Curvy Yoga, gives me the opportunity to get moving and activate all those great endorphins that contribute to great mental health.

My Spirit

I am a spiritual person. It’s a huge part of who I am. I identify as a Christian, which is somewhat problematic these days because I’m not in agreement with what a segment of Christians adhere to as critical to their faith. For me, being a Christian means Jesus is my rubric. If I want to live in such a way that “exceeds expectations” then He’s who I look to as THE exemplar. And ultimately he’s the one I’ve derived my k.i.s.s. mantra from. When he arrived on the scene he called out the religious leaders on how complicated they had made the spiritual life and said, “you’ve missed the point folks. It’s about LOVE. That’s the big idea” That’s it. LOVE. Now that doesn’t mean that he or I don’t acknowledge that faith, hope, justice, mercy aren’t important. But they are by products of the big idea, LOVE. They happen because people choose LOVE.

So what does this have to do with yoga? Well, there is a segment of people in Christianity who would be disapproving or at least concerned, that I, as a Christian, have embraced yoga, in spite of yoga’s spiritual roots in Hinduism.

Well, rather than threaten my faith as a Christian, yoga has been another area where I am experiencing LOVE. It has opened another door for me to experience LOVE flowing through me which ultimately means it’ll spill out of me. Loving others and loving ourselves happen in tandem and yoga has been a practical bridge for me to cross from my over-emphasis of loving others to a more balanced place of loving myself as well.

So there it is,

via GYPHY

For my body, mind and spirit.

Keep learning,

Dianna

I have entered an alternate universe… 2.0

You might recognize this title from a previous post. Well, I’m experiencing the “rabbit hole” feeling again while trying out a variety of apps and tools to review for my #EDTC300 online course (Educational Technology and Media 300) at the University of Regina.

via GYPHY

Here’s my challenge. Given a list of dozens of apps and tools that I could choose from – there are sooo many great resources out there! – not only is it difficult to select one, BUT THEN I HAVE TO LEARN IT in order to do a credible review on it!

So what?

That’s where I run into problems. At least for me, learning takes time. With whatever I’m learning, it takes time for me to get acquainted, familiar and then proficient with what I’m learning. Now that’s no problem if time’s a commodity that I have a lot of. But I don’t. And there’s the rub and the focus of my review.

Educators are notoriously overworked and underpaid professionals. The amount of time and energy a classroom teacher spends, just staying one foot ahead of the students, is extraordinary. Regardless, they continue to not only strive to keep their heads above water, but also be progressive and innovative. So for all my teacher colleagues out there,  and in keeping with my k.i.s.s. mantra, this review is for you…

I’ve tried a tool out that fits the criteria nicely. It’s

• Easy to learn
• Easy to use

Web Clipper – Evernote

Web Clipper is an extension that you can add to your Chrome browser toolbar. Go to https://evernote.com/products/webclipper and sign up for the basic plan (free) and follow the instructions to install the extension. It hangs out up in the right hand corner unobtrusively waiting for just the right moment in your planning.

I tried it out and liked it almost immediately! As I have begun this journey towards earning my B.Ed, I am inundated regularly with articles and resources that I want to keep track of and Web Clipper does this nicely. Let me give you a peek at what that looks like.

Here’s an article that the kind Cassidy Oesch brought to my attention that I want to take the time to read in detail. When I saw her recommendation, it wasn’t the right time to read it, so I made a mental note of it and liked it in Twitter so I could go back to it. BUT NOW LOOK WHAT I CAN DO! First, here’s the webpage…

After hitting the Web Clipper icon, I saved the article and it looks like this…

I’ve created a “Notebook” (to do that just hit the notebook icon I’ve circled in red) and called it “Cassidy’s Gems” where I can save all the great articles she tells me about. Now I don’t have to go on a lengthy treasure hunt looking for them, when I want to sit down and absorb some great info. Cool right?!?

When I hit that notebook icon, this is what it looks like so far. (“Note” is just their word for an article)

I’d recommend this tool! I found it intuitive and simply laid out, easy to learn and easy to use. There’s a ton of value in having a handy resource like this to organize all the resources that come our way as educators! It drives me nuts when I forget where I saw something and can’t find it again! Like this…

Back to my teacher colleagues. This is a tool worth checking out. Web Clipper will not only provide you a place to stash all those articles you’re wanting to carve out time to read, but it also provides a place for you to stash the articles (or portions of articles) you want your students to read! I think you’ll find it helpful.

There you go folks, if you try it, let me know what you think!

Keep learning,

Dianna

 

Coming Home To My Body

Have you ever started something because you know there is value in it and then become pleasantly surprised when you actually start craving it?

That’s what drinking water has become for me. It’s my one healthy habit. At least it used to be my one and only. Now I think I may be developing another one!

via GYPHY

Yup. It happened. I actually craved doing yoga. I know, I’m surprised too! Let me explain.

Yesterday I was at low ebb. I had no spark. My brain was mushy and tired and a little sad. And in the midst of it, a little, wee, niggle of a thought whispered into my soul, “you could do some yoga.” At the time, I was sitting in one of our classrooms after school, unsuccessfully trying to get some classwork done. But, in response to that thought, I stopped, opened up a session of Curvy Yoga, turned off the lights, and did 15 min. of yoga. OH YES! I DID!

via GYPHY (Kid President is everything!)

My observations? It helped. It shifted something in me. Nothing mind blowing or crazy big, but I felt less at odds with myself. A little more settled. It was another confirmation for me of the fact that, for much of my life, my body and I have not been on the same page. Rather than being intimately connected, we’re merely acquaintances who give each other barely the time of day. And so, it’s encouraging for me that in a small way I experienced that tug to do yoga and I responded to it. In essence, I acknowledged my body and welcomed it into the process of me dealing with my “low ebb”. It’s a beginning, at least, to becoming more connected and healthier.

Not only do I think this is super important for me personally, but also, you guessed it, for my students. Gaining understanding about my own sense of disconnectedness and how to “come home” to my body makes me aware that many of the kids I spend time with struggle with the same thing and will benefit from empathy and guidance. I love that as an educator I have the opportunity to teach beyond “reading, writing, and arithmetic” to mindfulness, self regulation, and growth mindset (to name a few) in order to support students in their growth.

This learning project has been a great opportunity for me. Seriously, it’s something I’d encourage anyone who feels stuck in a rut, to embark on. Pick something to learn, give yourself a timeline, and reflect on what you experience in the process. How do you choose to learn? How do you handle frustration? or setbacks? Do you have a fixed mindset or a growth mindset? Do you embrace the process or find yourself eager to just get it done? Your reflections will give you such insight about yourself and fodder for continued growth! Because, as usual, I want us all to,

Keep learning,

Dianna

 

 

Grief, Hope and the Internet, oh my!

So what on earth do grief, hope and the internet have in common? Carol Todd. That’s what. Or rather who.

via GYPHY

Carol, mom of Amanda Todd, visited us in our class the other night, and what a gift she was to each of us. It was one of those times where you are aware enough of a person’s story that your soul is hushed when she speaks because she’s journeyed through “the dark night of the soul” and come through the other side, changed forever and a testament to the human spirit. She is this lovely woman who although she has experienced something most of us will never have to, is so down to earth, approachable, and humble, you just know you would have the most wonderful time visiting over a cup of coffee with her in your favourite little coffee shop! If you ever get a chance to hear her speak – take it. Her spirit is infectious.

I was struck on a number of levels from our time with Carol.

First, like I mentioned, the resiliency of the human spirit is breath-taking. Each of us is afforded the opportunity to meet profound grief in our lives, almost without exception. And without fail, it provides us all with the opportunity for tremendous growth and change in who we become moving forward. We can become full of bitterness or grace, destruction or hope. We make life changing choices along this path of grief. It’s devastatingly powerful, this journey. For myself? Stories like Carol’s inspire me to continue to grow and be refined by my own story and be a conduit of hope.

Second, suffering is not reserved for us adults. Coming through our classrooms, at every age level, are kids who are facing difficult, heart wrenching realities. As educators we have such a powerful place is these young peoples lives! Will we be sensitive to our students? Or will the pressures of getting the job of “teaching” done, blind us to their stories outside of class? Will we be compassionate individuals who come alongside and fan the flame of resilience in our students and be depositories of hope for them to make withdrawals from? Just as Carol came alongside us and infected us with her buoyancy, I want to be that kind of person for my students, my colleagues, my family, and my friends.

Last and certainly not least, I was once again struck by the awesome impact of the  internet. When the first car was ever built over a hundred years ago, I’m sure they never imagined all the ways it has impacted our world! Our world completely adapted to this technology! And oh, it’s good! I just returned from a lovely day trip to Skagway, Alaska where I got to smell the ocean air, watch a sea otter play, climb up to a frozen waterfall and eat halibut at a local restaurant!

Photo Credit: Edward Mitchell Flickr via Compfight cc

I live in a little village an hour and a half from my mom so I get to visit her regularly. All because someone long ago created the automobile. It’s amazing. But it hasn’t been without it’s downside. Accidents, pollution, drunk drivers. Vehicles have been just that. Vehicles of great things and horrible things.

The internet is no different. I can now face time with family in other provinces. I can learn impossible math concepts from a professor in Mississippi!  It’s an amazing gift, this internet. But like the auto, it can also be a vehicle of destruction. People have had their identities stolen and some have had their life savings plundered. In Amanda Todd‘s case, it became a conduit of unbearable pain and suffering that led to her death by suicide. It’s awful. So, just as driving is something we all require instruction in before we get behind the wheel alone, using the internet is a powerful vehicle that requires us all to be very mindful and deliberate about how we use it and how we instruct young people to use it. It’s people like Carol, who we can lean into, where we gain the wisdom and clarity in how to accomplish this. Our ability to teach our students safe internet practices is paramount in this time of opportunity that the internet has brought!

Moving forward for me? Keep learning. About resilience, about internet wisdom, about imparting hope, each and everyday.

And Carol? Thank you for sharing your story and wisdom. You are a gift. XOXO

Keep learning,

Dianna

Curvy Love

Dianna mounts soapbox…

Hush falls over the crowd…

In this crazy North American society where media incessantly bombards every girl about what it means to be considered “beautiful”, it’s no wonder that we struggle with loving our bodies! The sheer volume and pervasiveness of this messaging is staggering! And while there have been notable exceptions like the Dove campaign released in 2006 (seeking to address their findings in 2004 that worldwide only 2% of women would describe themselves as beautiful), the continued barrage of what it means to be “beautiful” seems to continue somewhat unfettered!

Enter – Me. Curvy Me. Weightful (rather than overweight) Me. Fluffy Me. The “Me” that is thankfully 50 years old and has a little more wisdom and a lot less desire to fit into that “beauty” mold. The “me” that seeks to, over and over and over and over, whisper, shout and chat with my students, of any gender, that WE ARE ALL BEAUTIFUL!

Let’s be honest though. I haven’t always felt this way. I’ve struggled against this tidal wave of what is considered “beautiful” a long time. And although I could spend time telling you about all the diets and crazy things I’ve done to shove myself into that idea, I want to tell you about some things (from more recent to less recent) that has helped me step off that crazy merry-go-round.

1. Attend a Nigerian Wedding

Okay you full-figured beauties, if you are struggling at all with your extra fluff and loving yourself, CRASH A NIGERIAN WEDDING! I didn’t crash one but I had the privilege of attending one and WOWSA! I found my people! Big, gorgeous, rounded bodies full of love and fully loved. I may or may not have mocked all my skinny girlfriends as I danced my heart out among my people…

Of course I did!!!

via GYPHY

Our idea of what is gorgeous is so narrow. Look around the world, past our North American mindset, and you will see cultures who love their women full and squishy! Samoans, Kuwaiti, Bahamians, the list goes on. Those beautiful Nigerian men and women taught me a valuable lesson that day, I am beautiful. Period.

2. Go to the mall

Not one of those chic-chic (pronounced shhee-shhee) malls where everyone dresses up and does their make up to go there. No, go to your local mall where you’ll find a pretty accurate representation of the world you live in. Sit down and people-watch. When I did this in my twenties, what did I see? I saw me. I saw you. I saw big and small, short and tall, wide and thin, little miss one chin, little miss two chin. It’s a veritable Dr. Seuss book out there! It’s liberating. It continued a process in my soul that had me pushing back at the images of “pretty” I was buying into and creating my own reality, based on the world around me. The real world.

3. Believe your bestie

As a full-bodied teen in the Yukon, when my bestie, K.P. and I, said these words to each other, they went deep. “You know, if people could see us on the inside, they would see how amazing and beautiful we are!”. There was something so powerful about us verbalizing our truth. We knew we were beautiful. Maybe people couldn’t always see it because of their own misguided ideas. But we knew it at some level and that never left me. And to this day, she is one of the most beautiful people I know. She radiates it.

My all time favourite pic of us!

And so here I am Fat, Fabulous and Fifty and happier than I was at my skinniest.

OKAY! OKAY! OKAY! I can hear those of you out there cringing at all this crazy self acceptance and saying, “BUT IT’S NOT HEALTHY BEING FAT!”

You’re right. It’s not. I agree. But I also know hating myself has never motivated me to exercise and eat better. Trying to look like an impossible standard of skinny didn’t either. But loving myself enough, celebrating myself enough, to pursue being healthy – now that is motivating.

Perfect segue into my learning post for this week! Below is a pic of a great tool called Videonot.es that I used while previewing one of my Curvy Yoga videos. Just copy your videos URL, load it into this extension and viola! Start taking notes alongside the video! Super cool way to learn.

And this video was all about what I need to hear, what we all need to hear. Gentle reminders to connect with myself, be kind to myself, take care of myself. Check this session out, it’s so affirming!

That’s it. I’m stepping off my soapbox. Thanks for listening. And hey, go be nice to yourself k? Because you are beautiful.

Keep learning,

Dianna

Cellphones Allowed In Class?!?

This week’s assignment for my Ed Tech class was a pretty neat experience. We had to connect with someone from our class and look at how some kind of technology could be  used in classes and present opposing viewpoints. I knew right away I wanted to debate the use of cellphones in the high school classroom and my classmate from Regina, Daniel Lee took the challenge! (check out his blog here!)

via GYPHY

It’s been a while since I’ve worked with a partner and I’ve never done it virtually so this was new for me. We texted each other to hammer out our idea for how we wanted to present our info, emailed a bit and did all our work in a shared Google Doc. So seamless! We live in such a connected world; it’s astounding. Anyway, read on to see what we came up with…

A Simulation of a Conversation Between a Parent and Teacher

Class email received by parents/guardians of of Mr. Lee’s grade nine Social Studies

Text conversation between Mr. Lee and Ms. Roch…

Ms. Roch – Hey, there. It’s Jay’s mom (from SS 9A), Brenda here. You mentioned in the class email if we had any questions that we should text you at this number. I have a few questions.

Mr. Lee – Of course Brenda! What can I help you with?

Ms. Roch – I’m just worried about everyone being on cell phones in class. They’re already on them so much. I thought classrooms were where they wouldn’t be on their phones but learning from the teachers.

Mr. Lee – I understand your concern. Let me reassure you that I am not allowing the usage of cell phones to hinder the students learning; it is the opposite. I want to teach my students how to use their cell phones professionally and respectfully. The students will not be allowed to use their cell phones all the time. As an example, when we are having a class discussion, I will be asking the students to put away their cell phones and to respectfully listen to their classmates. However, when they are doing, let’s say research, cell phones are a very useful tool to look up information online if we can’t book a computer lab or laptops.

Ms. Roch – That’s helpful to hear, but what about them wasting time and just texting each other or checking their social media? Won’t cellphones be a huge distraction?

Mr. Lee – Students will be on social media during class regardless of cell phones being allowed or not allowed. Yes, by allowing cell phone usage in class I am allowing more chances for them to be on social media, but I hope to teach the students to use them as learning tools rather than just social tools. Cell phones are a part of our daily lives now and will probably be an even bigger part of our lives in the future. I plan on teaching the students how to utilize cell phones for their educational benefit. Also, please be assured that I will limit the use of social media as much as possible. I will be actively roaming the class during the times that cell phones are in use to help ensure students stay on task.

Ms. Roch – But there just seems to be so many articles out there telling us how too much technology are bad for kids. It’s overwhelming.

Mr. Lee – I’m sorry but I have to attend a teacher meeting but in the meantime I hope you will check out these articles!

www.nea.org/tools/56274.htm  

https://www.edutopia.org/discussion/15-characteristics-21st-century-teacher

I will get back to you as soon as I can!

Ms. Roch – The nea.org article states that 58% of kids had cell phones in 2012. This article https://wearesocial.com/uk/blog/2018/01/global-digital-report-2018 states that 68% of people are mobile users. Although it is not restricted to just students, it means that not everyone has a cell phone. What will the students without cell phones do? Won’t they feel left out?

Mr. Lee – I have a number of cell phones that have been donated for my class use, so no one will be without. Keep in mind that cell phones are not the only form of resources the students have. We have an amazing library filled with many books relevant to my class. Like in the nea.org article, working in groups is another option. The school also has laptop carts and many computers throughout the school. However, the problem with laptop carts is that we may not be able to book it for our class, since it is for the use of the entire school. The computers are outside my classroom and if a student or two leaves the classroom to use computers, I will not be able to supervise them.

Ms. Roch – You make valid points, but I still feel that the students will not use their cell phones for the purposes you want. I still believe that cell phones should not be used during class time.

Mr. Lee – Here is an interesting article suggesting why kids do the exact opposite of what they are told.

http://www.businessinsider.com/why-people-dont-follow-directions-2013-8

I have noticed that some students do like to rebel against what teachers tell them to do. To combat this, we will not be taking away their cell phones completely, but teach them to use it to benefit their education.

Also, I would like to point out that we have had our our entire conversation at our own individual leisure because of cell phones! This is a much more convenient way for us to discuss your concerns rather than making time out of your busy schedule to meet with me and talk to me in person.

Ms. Roch – You do have a point there! Thank you Mr. Lee. I feel a little more at ease now about the use of cellphones in class! I hope it works out the way you envision it to! I will be checking your weekly updates!

Mr. Lee – Please, Brenda, call me Daniel. 🙂 Cheers!

---

 

There you have it. What are your thoughts about this topic? I find it really interesting to see how my own opinion has changed over the last 5-6 years. Five years ago, I would’ve been dead set against using cell phones in class. Now, I just see so much opportunity!

Now before I sign off, I did let my partner, the amazing Daniel Lee, know that I’d be bragging about him as a partner in this project. So here it is…

If you get a chance to work together with Daniel, do it! Easy going, cooperative, flexible and all around nice guy. Seriously, someone you’ll enjoy working with! 

via GYPHY

Oh, and Happy Pi Day! Yum, I love pie. Rats, now I want pie. Blueberry pie. Oh dear…

Keep learning,

Dianna