How Will I Spend My Summer Vacation? A Guest Post About Summer Learning

Today's post comes to you by guest blogger, Carolyn Rains. If you would also like to be a guest blogger here, check this out!

My name is Carolyn Rains and I’ve been an educator in Alabama for 26 years. I’ve spent my educational career working with elementary students and teachers. I serve as the Technology Instructor for Albertville Elementary School, in Albertville, AL. I also currently serve as the Alabama Leadership Council Chairperson for the Discovery Educator Network.

Many people think teachers do nothing education-related in the summers. I admit I do my share of ‘nothing’ in the summer. But after recovering from the pace of the school year and sleeping late a few mornings, I begin to search for the newest training related to the list I compiled during the school year-things I’m interested in, but didn’t have time to fully implement into my classes.

As a fan of Twitter, I must admit I am more of a ‘stalker’ in the Twitter world than a contributor. After only one day on Twitter I can add many things to my list such as new tools and strategies to integrate current tools.

Many wouldn’t consider Facebook a learning resource, except to see who is dating whom. I use it for personal, but also professional reasons-many useful to inspire learning in and out of the classroom.  I have the opportunity to learn what other educators are doing in their geographical area or maybe participate in a national/global project with them.  When educators learn a new strategy or find a new tool we get excited and obviously have to share it with someone! It’s then often shared on Facebook or Twitter and I add it to my list.

So... where do I go to find training on these wonderful tools and techniques?  My summer vacation should be longer just so I can get it all in.  Information about online training can be found almost anywhere, such as Twitter, Facebook, podcasts, Edmodo, newsletters, wikis, blogs, etc. These are saved in my Diigo list, a social-bookmarking site.

Face-to-face training is important, as well. Alabama’s state technology conference is in June. Many well-known speakers and educators from across the state present in one/three/six-hour sessions in a formatted-for-all conference. Friends are made and lots of interactive learning takes place.

The most inspiring conference I attend all year is the week-long conference with the Discovery Educator Network, otherwise known as the DEN.  Educators from across the US attend this conference, which requires a competitive application process just to attend.  At the end of this conference you leave excited, connected, highly motivated, appreciated as an educator, and exhausted! Presenters at the conference are there with you for several days to allow further access to their expertise.  Networking time is also provided-who knew teachers would have so much information to share with each other? Professional connections are made and relationships built. When challenged about related issues during my school year I call on these educators.  The DEN Team is there the whole week and prepared to help you with anything or answer any question you might have, no matter how crazy. They also present, in their usual cutting-edge, professional, but fun and engaging way throughout the week. It’s true that sometimes educators don’t ‘feel the love’. But these former teachers make you feel important, valued and motivated to learn. After all, isn’t that the goal of both teachers and students? I strive for that when I return to school each August with all my new tools in my toolbox.

As we all do, I also learn by teaching. This summer I will present the many ways to use Flip cameras and iPads to integrate technology into the classroom, at regional events.

So...to answer the question, “How will I spend my summer vacation?” My answer is, “I will spend time learning and having fun with family and friends.”


Follow Carolyn on Twitter!

Feeling Yucky About Rewarding Test Scores

I know this post is going to ruffle some feathers because I personally know of some fantastic teachers who truly believe this system works, but this is my blog and it is here that I get to rant.

It's the time of year that makes me cringe just a little.

It's that time when state-testing classroom rewards are doled out. The promises of going to the movies, being a part of a school party, riding in a limo, being teacher for the day, etc. are now handed out to students who meet the criteria set forth by teachers and schools where the pressure is huge.

This article, from The Palm Beach Post, shares the story of one school where all of the fourth grade students WHO SCORED A 4 OR ABOVE (this year's passing score), enjoyed the reward of walking to a local pizza restaurant and enjoying lunch. I have to assume this means those who did not pass, did not get to do this.

I'm sure all of these students (who passed) had a great time and I would never begrudge any student the benefit of a reward based on hard work, however I argue that this type of reward actually becomes public humiliation for others. Using food as a reward is a whole other issue in itself that I won't even get into here.

When I researched this particular school that was named in the article, I see that 81% of the students achieved the passing grade. I don't know how many students are in the grade level there (let's say 100, which is probably high), but I will guess that approximately 20 students did not pass the test and so they sat together in the cafeteria, eating their regular lunch, while their peers were off on their FCAT Writes field trip. I can only imagine how those students felt. I can guess that some of those students' parents may have even kept them home to avoid them having to deal with the embarrassment. It was only this school that was mentioned in this article, but keep in mind that most of our schools engage in these types of events in some form or another.


Is there a difference between this and posting a list student names who passed and who did not on the cafeteria wall?

Will the students who enjoyed the pizza today, really remember later on why they were eating pizza? I bet they will not. Will the students who were left behind remember? I bet they will.

I would love to see some hard evidence that these types of rewards are truly connected. I will venture to guess that those students who scored well did so because their teachers motivated them, practiced with them, made writing interesting and relevant and their parents reinforced their daily skills; not because they were striving for a pizza party.

Is there evidence that a student who struggles with writing all year, will suddenly make gains if promised a pizza party at the end?

I'm all for rewards, but this just feels yucky to me.

Be My Guest!

This is the time of year when I usually write about summer learning, but I've had some family obligations that have taken me away from organizing my thoughts well enough for a thoughtful blogpost, so I thought it might be a good idea to have some other bloggers write a guest post here. So, I threw the suggestion out on Twitter and on FaceBook hoping that perhaps at least one person might be interested.

I was pleasantly surprised that not only did quite a few people respond, but all of those who did are highly respected educators and bloggers. I've decided that I should make this a bit more formal now, since I'm getting some questions about how to do this. I've only allowed a few guest posts and the format in which I've received them was directly in my email; and that has worked fine. My concern is that links and formatting should not be lost. Luann Lee, @stardiverr on Twitter, suggested that the best format for this would be a Google Doc. Thank you, Luann, I will try your suggestion. If you have other suggestions, please leave them in the comments.

If you are interested in Guest Blogging here, please follow these directions:

1. Write a post about your own summer learning. Please proofread and edit. I'm funny about grammar and spelling; doesn't have to be perfect (mine is definitely not perfect), just have someone else read your work if you already know that grammar and/or spelling isn't your strength.
2. Please be sure to introduce yourself and feel free to link back to your own blog and promote any projects your are working on. Also, feel free to post this same blogpost (crosspost) on your own blog.
3. Please keep your post to fewer than 500 words. (I've written about 260 words so far.)
4. Write your post in a Google Doc and then invite me to it using this email address: lee.kolbert at gmail.com
5. Since this is about summer learning, I will accept your submission anytime throughout the summer. As long as your post is relevant, it will be considered.
6. I will not accept guest posts from For-Profit organizations disguising as bloggers. You know who you are.

Let me know if you need help!  Thanks so much!!

Lee

The Web Is What You Make Of It

The web:

For some it's pure evil and the sarcastic comments slip out at every opportunity.
"I don't know how you have time for all of that."
"Why would you want to talk to people you don't know?"
"I have enough trouble keeping up with my regular job."
"I could never..."

And then there are those who get it and make it work for them.

Who are you?

What's Your Happiness Moment? A Winner!

Screenshot of all videos tagged, "HappinessM90" as of May 6, 2011 - 12:00am EST.

My "Happiness Machine" contest officially closed on May 6, 2011 at 12:00am. The comments shared were a mix of fun and heart-warming stories and I want to sincerely thank everyone who entered this contest.

I must say, each video really touched me in some special way. The videos vary in quality but none-the-less, the message was most important in the end.

These three videos, from "Hall Davidson," reveals the magic that happens when educators learn something new and exciting and realize they can do something they've not done before. With Hall Davidson at the helm, I know there are thousands of other "Happiness" moments just like these.

This video, by "Hoffman," showcases a "Happiness" moment from which we can all take a lesson. She gives her high school students a chance to play a children's game, Duck Duck Goose. How refreshing is that? In this day of "school is too serious to be taken lightly" - frame of mind, this video shows us that it's ok to take a breath and give kids a chance to be... well... kids!

This video, by "TimeOutDad," gives us what should be a mandate: to not look for moments of happiness, but to create them. I love how he shares his son's imagination and sense of humor. He also used one of my favorite (free) video creation web services, Animoto.

Reader, "CakeBlast," created a Happiness Machine in a box. His video shows him waking his son with a sock puppet in a Happiness Machine that he constructed out of a box. The innocence with which his son wakes up to a fun surprise is very sweet. 

The following two videos were the "Final Two." My decision became even more difficult as I tried to choose between them.

In Beth Still's video, she shares how she brought unexpected happiness to three amazing educators via the ISTE Newbie Project. I have personal knowledge of the project and know that the folks Beth profiles, and who have been the recipients of this "scholarship," have experienced a Happiness Machine that allows others to tag on and glean even more "Happiness" moments from the sharing and interaction that occurs at a conference like ISTE. Beth's gift keeps on giving as she continues in her quest to bring more "less connected" educators into the conversation. I'm very glad Beth entered my contest and shared her project. Her project allows educators around the world to learn from each other in a way that just a few years ago was virtually impossible.

Finally, the winner is this video by "The Behavior Guy" that shows his moment of unexpected happiness (with the early arrival of his baby). It is the way in which he tells his story with the unexpected visual of his newborn taking her first few breaths, that reminds me that the power of digital storytelling alone can bring Happiness moments to others. When I viewed it, I had an emotional reaction. I like how he speaks directly to the viewer and challenges us to think about and to recognize those blips in our lives that bring extended moments of happiness. So, Darren not only shares his personal moment, but in creating and sharing this video he gives us all a tool to bring a moment of joy to others.

Congratulations to "The Behavior Guy," on winning this contest. He will receive a brand new Lenovo M90z with which he can create and edit many more videos showcasing "Happiness" moments.

Enjoy Darren's video below. Thank you to everyone who entered!

Win a New Computer Contest - Live!!

I previously blogged about this contest that I am running to give away a free Lenovo M90z computer to one of my readers. Well, as promised the contest is now open. This contest will close on Thursday, May 5, 2011.

Contest instructions are at the original post and comments are now open so you can start entering right now. Please read all of the directions to ensure you have a good chance of winning.

Comments on this post are closed to ensure that all entries are in the proper place; at the original post.

Good luck!