Selections from "The North Star Musical Journey"

My fourth grade students singing selections from "The North Star Musical Journey." Based on the book by Peter H. Reynolds with music by Tim Beckman. Available from my friends at FableVision!

It's All About the Journey

This blog post has been rattling around in my mind for a while and I am hoping it makes sense...

Have you ever noticed when a word is brought into your radar in meaningful way you hear it everywhere? For example, last night, in the college class I teach for future educators, someone remarked, "Ever since you told us about Twitter, it's everywhere!"  I smiled to myself because Twitter has been there for a long time and it has been everywhere....but it wasn't connected to meaning and grounded in reality for those students.  I have been on Twitter for almost a year and I think I was late to jump on the bandwagon.  So, what brought that strange word Twitter to life for the college students is that I talked about it and demonstrated the power it held in education.

Another example is the word, "Journey."  Sure, I had heard it my entire life....perhaps hundreds of times.  But, when I read the book, "The North Star" by Peter H. Reynolds, it was life changing. I realized that the book had a very deep meaning in my life and we truly were all on a Journey.  It impacted me so much, that I named this blog TJ on a Journey! So, what's the point here??  Well, after reading that book, which contained all words I had heard and read a million times, the word Journey was forever changed.  The word contained a deeper meaning for me and I started noticing it EVERYWHERE!  It is used in books, commercials, TV shows, movies and 'real' life. Now, the word jumps off the page if I am reading.  The word held a significant and powerful meaning for me and I noticed it a lot more.

All of this led me to look at the big picture in education.... What words are we leading kids to connect to outside of our classrooms???  It can be a heady or scary thought....  What concepts could we teach better if we could get kids to connect on an emotional level? What dreams could we lift up or shut down? What JOURNEY could we send them on?

I certainly don't have the answers to any of those questions.... but I am going to spend the rest of my days trying to find ways to help my students see the big, beautiful world that being passionate about learning and creativity can open. I might just read "The North Star" to them again to help launch them on a wonderful Journey.  Maybe they will start looking at their own journey and perhaps make choices that lead them on an a more rewarding path.

This blog post is not meant as a commercial, but, by the way, "The North Star" is being rereleased on its tenth anniversary. If you haven't read it, I highly recommend it. It was life changing for me and it just might be for you.  After all, it's all about the journey....     

If you get motivated to purchase the book, use code  AMBSHAY at www.fablevision.com for 10% off.  

R.I.P. Digital Native/Immigrant Tags

I have been thinking about this for a while and have discussed it with a few people, including the amazingly wise Sylvia Martinez. In fact, Sylvia has a great blog post here on this very subject. My favorite line is this, "“digital immigrant' creates the same problem in reverse by providing a convenient excuse for teachers who don’t want to learn something new."

I would like to never hear the digital native/immigrant titles again. They are not accurate and they might even create some problems.

First, let me make my case for the elimination of the "native" tag. Earlier this year, I watched the high school media master help a kid do a search. The kid was required by the teacher to research his own family name. The media specialist recommended that he search for 'heritage' and his last name. I could tell the new freshman was getting very frustrated. I went over to see if I might give him some additional help. I noticed that he was typing his last name into the address bar. When I suggested that he start with Google, I noticed that he had typed www.google.com/(lastname)hairtage [sic]. That explained why he wasn't getting results. I sat with him and suggested put genealogy and origin in the search box with his last name and....bingo. This same scene is portrayed all the time with different players and subjects...results are the same. My wife, who is a high school English teacher can attest that no matter how much we think the kids are technologically savvy, they lack some very important skills in searching and evaluating.

So, who is hurt by the label?? In the past, I have recommended to teachers that WE ALL are responsible for teaching kids good information and Internet skills. A response I have heard several times, "The kids know more that we do anyway." No, they don't. They are not afraid of technology and they USE technology, but oddly, we prohibit their familiar tools (like cell phones and social networks) when they get inside the school building. But this post is not about that. 

I am comfortable with the title Social Navigation Experts, but I don't think that really helps us out a lot. We can not assume that the kids know more than us or that they have superior knowledge. In fact, I have read lot of studies and observations that kids (and college students) never go past the first page of a Google search. Others have said that students don't scroll at all. If we just assume their vast knowledge, we may miss a great opportunity to teach ethical use of technology.

I wholeheartedly agree with Sylvia's assertion that calling adults Digital immigrants is 'providing a convenient excuse for teachers who don’t want to learn something new.' I have noticed it is with a bit of relief that teachers use the 'kids know more than us anyway' line. Even if you believe that the kids have far superior knowledge, it is a necessity to teach kids to be more responsible and better ways of doing educational endeavors.

We are educators...We must not hide behind cliches as excuses. We have studied pedagogy and we must use it to best instruct our students.  

We Will Create Change!  So long trite titles that allow bad teachers to climb under excuses and bury their heads.... Hello students, we are your teachers and we will teach you.

W2C2 - The beginning of something big...

I am on FIRE!  It started with a blog post here and these words, "Sometimes I get tired. I never imagined that convincing educators about the educational value of technology would be so difficult." Well, this hits me right where I live... I could add about three sentences on about other things that I never imagined about education.  It is tiring!

In my comment to the aforementioned blog, I came up with a group of like-minded educators banding together for change... I called it W2C2 -- We Will Create Change! I MEAN IT! If a group of caring educators can band together and support each other, We Will Create Change. I didn't know exactly what it would all mean to me. I Plurked about it and got some humorous (Will there be a secret handshake) and thoughtful questions.... (What is the mission of the group). Wow, forced me to cool down for a few seconds (it's hard when I am on fire) and formulate some thoughts.  Maybe a little background...

Everyone who reads this blog on a regular basis (I love all 12 of you), knows that I LOVE FableVision. Long before I worked with the Ambassador group, I loved what the company and the people were about.  If you have read the blog from the beginning, last May, you probably have pieced together what blows wind on the flames...  It is really very simple, at the core of the company and the people, they want to make the world a better place by producing things that get kids to be creative. Yeah, well, just look at the website and you get that. But, they also do that mission in REAL LIFE!  It isn't just a mission statement on the website. I teach in Iowa, but I can hear cheers from Boston.

You see, when I get down and tired from fighting the good fight, I have the most amazing set of cheerleaders that a person can imagine. I have Peter H. and Paul Reynolds -- who send wonderful notes and keep me on track. I have Peggy Healy Stearns and Bill, who believe in what I can do and what I can accomplish. Even if adults in my own building don't believe it, they believe I have a voice and worth. I have wonderful FableVision Ambassador friends, like Julie, who chat or send emails that encourage me to keep going. The list could go on and on....

What could you accomplish if you had such a stellar cheering section??  Well, as I mentioned, I teach in a tiny town in Iowa. In the last year, I have been published in a national ed tech magazine, I have presented at NECC with the most amazing software designer (Peggy Healy Stearns), I have started a blog that has been read by people around the world....  Yeah, but this isn't about me, is it?  Just proving a point. If you would have told me 18 months ago that this would have happened, I would have laughed....a lot.

So, here it is..... W2C2!  WE Will Create Change ...  We will cheer each other on during those down days.  We will make a change, starting with each other, and moving through the World. You know, I believe from the bottom of my soul that our kids deserve this. They will have tons of teachers who talk at them...How many will they have that care about them and want to do whatever is necessary to help them learn and be great people. 

 Who is with me?

We Are Our Actions and We Choose Those

"It is our choices...that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities." 

J.K. Rowling Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

I have been working with a kid at school who is going through a challenging time in life.  By working with, I mean listening and trying to find ways to help.  My message to the student, in response to information about how the family behaves is, "You get to choose who you become." 

As adults, we all know that is a fact (don't we?). We choose, through our actions, who we become and who we are. We can't choose the things that happen to us, but we can choose how we react. Perhaps one of the greatest lessons we can teach kids is that they can be who they want to be.  No kid is stagnant, they are 'not done yet.'  

So, maybe part of our job is to show kids a variety of ways to be and model the positive side of life.  My thought of the day is....are we doing that?  With everyone???  Do our actions show kids everything our words portray?  

When I asked the student how I could help them through the terrible times, the response was, "Keep helping me see that I can choose who I become."  Yep, that's my job.

Six Things That Make Me Happy

I have been tagged by 'The Great One" Diane Cordell (@dmcordell on Twitter and Plurk) to participate in the “6 Things That Make You Happy” meme. She was tagged Twitter friend and fellow librarian Buffy Hamilton.

Here are the rules for this meme:
Link to the person who tagged you.
Post six things that make you happy along with these rules.
Then tag six others (letting them know, of course).
Let the person who tagged you know when your entry is complete.

SIX Things that Make Me Happy:

Little notes....as mentioned in this blog post. I love to send little notes that might cheer someone's day and LOVE when I get a little text message, email, or actual written note...It TOTALLY makes my day! It's probably one of the reasons I have taken to Facebook so much....Little 'Wall' notes are awesome!

Call me a sappy old guy, but hanging out with my wife makes me really happy.

Watching kids be TOTALLY consumed in a project makes me very happy. Watching their eyes light up as something lights the fire inside...watching the light bulb go off... It's all good.

Listening to someone's personal story. What has happened in their life to get them to today? What makes them passionate? I love it!

Laughing about silly things with friends. Tonight at conferences, we have a very special activity planned and there no doubt be MUCH laughter.

One of the highlights of my day is when students drop in just to talk for a few minutes. It is a great feeling that they care enough just to stop in and say hello. As I have mentioned a million times, I am in this job because of students....I am SO lucky to have such great ones.

I Tag:

Sharon Elin
Linda Bilak Lattimer
Paul Bogush
Andrea Hernandez
Julie Everett

Five Changes to Education--A new Meme

I am going to try my hand at starting a Meme. I am hoping that this will create some thoughtful discourse on the state of education.  There is much finger pointing, some of it deserved (I have done my share)...But let's dream of a world that we get to make decisions and where the learning and the kids are FIRST and all the real world of budgets and excuses are last.

List FIVE changes you would like to see in the educational system.  Your responses should represent your perspective and your passion for learning and students.  

Here is my list:

1.  The path to becoming an administrator would be changed.  People who intend to become administrators should be nominated from a pool of the best teachers in the school.  I have had the opportunity to meet some educators online who are passionate about education...But my experience in real life has shown that the motivation for many to get an administrative endorsement is financial more than spiritual. It is vital that the leadership has the same desire to impact students through solid education that a decent teacher does.

2. The teaching profession needs to be relieved of the burden of employees who do not care about student learning. (You notice I didn't call them teachers!  Teachers - teach. . . Employees collect a paycheck and give no concern to if the students in their care learn anything.) Your merit should be judged on the atmosphere of the classroom and on students' respect. We can all agree that social promotion is wrong....so should the practice of retaining an employee because they have a contract and belong to a union.  Of course the union protects people blindly because of the fear of a 'witch hunt' by administration. SO, if (as in #1) we have administrators that value good teaching above all else, then we can trust them to make good decisions about who is effective (because THEY were effective as a teacher)

3. Homework is getting obnoxious. What once was 'practice of skills' has become a sort of litmus test for who is a good student. Homework should be used carefully and thoughtfully and not just a ritual. My favorite quote from last year was from Bill Page, "The fact that a student gets their homework done may only demonstrate they know who to sit with at lunch." If there is homework, which I don't think is mandatory for all classes....Equal student time must be spent on appreciating the things around them. It must include dancing, singing, smelling something great and time demonstrating a passion for creating or reading.  Maybe we would create better citizens of the world if we sanctioned more time for being a part of it.

4. Buh Bye to meetings! In my twenty-three years of teaching, nothing has been accomplished in a meeting that couldn't have been handled in an email. Save that precious together time with colleagues for planning and dreaming and imagining and creating...and maybe recovering from the stress of the days. (No complaining allowed! That's why you have dear friends)

5. Professional Development must be both  professional and development. I have spent FAR too many days that are a complete waste of time. Because I am a professional educator, I KNOW things that I could do to make my classroom better--I just need the time to do them. I also have a good support system for finding ideas and nurturing the experience of others. If I want to learn something new to try, the WORLD is available for me. (For the administrators in the crowd who are now thinking, "Oh and everyone will be working toward making their classroom better? See number TWO! I got rid of the dead weight).

I tag the following people... All from a variety of perspectives. If you have been tagged, tag as many people as you choose, but try for a variety.

Paul Bogush @Blogush     (Teacher) Link

PrincipalsPage @principalspage  (Principal) Link

Diane Cordell  @dmcordell   (Experienced Teacher)  Link

Sylvia Martinez @smartinez   (Education Change Agent) Link

Karen Janowski @karenjan  (Special Education Advocate and Expert) Link

Kelly Christopherson @kwhobbes (Principal/Teacher) Link

Sherry Crofut @SDSherry  (Teacher/Principal Candidate/Grad Student) Link

Pat Hensley @loonyhiker (Retired Teacher / Special Education Guru) Link