I believe that learning is a lifelong journey. I conduct workshops and training sessions helping learners of all ages develop their skills in critical thinking, reading, and communication. This site is an ongoing presentation of the conversations along my learning path. So join me.
Chalk
Talk Friday represents conversations and brilliance I've discovered
traversing my way through the Blogosphere. From professional to
personal development, these are the posts and links have in some way
touched my head or my heart!
More on ISTE's NECC09 and EduBloggerCon (my head is still processing all the great info, my heart remembering the great friendships forged! Hope to see you all in Denver for #ISTE10)
I went directly from NECC to two days with Omaha Public Schools ELL/ESL teachers (a great group of leaders!). I look forward to talking more about both events next week! Have a wonderful holiday weekend.
We're on the final turn before my biggest event of the year, the 8th Annual Maiers Literacy Bootcamp -- and this year the intensity is packed into a single day. We'll be looking at how to design a great student experience, core curriculum, habitudes, and several breakouts on using technology and techniques to enhance teaching and learning.
One amazing thing about this event is the response I've received from out of the area. Not just outside of Iowa (though several are coming from various states), but several outside of the continent! Actually had a few teachers from Brazil and Australia inquire about coming.
So...
We'll be making the keynote (and possibly the closing segment) conversations accessible to the global community We'll be doing so via UStream, Cover-itLive, and Twitter.
(If you're thinking about registering at the last minute, stop thinking and just do it -- or just show up at the door. It's already a full house...but why not?)
It's been less than two years since I've begun laying digital footprints, and I am so thankful for the friends, teachers, guides and collaborators because of the tools that are available to use. Would you believe two years ago, if you'd have searched my name, you'd find one single picture. Unfindable two years ago. WOW!
So stay tuned. Though only a small portion of the day will be available Live, I'm sure many of the presenters and participants will try to keep the conversations alive in the breakouts.
Thanks for a great two years! Here's to a smashing day on Monday.
In this TED talk video, Clay Shirky says we are witnessing the end of the era of top-down control, and a big reason is the social prowess of tools such as Facebook, Twitter, and SMS and TXT messaging.
There is an important message not to miss here: Where conversation is hushed and (attempted to be) controlled, collaboration is slowed and ideation, production, and creativity are stunted.
I'm a big fan of Twitter, not only for its connective and collaborative possibilities - but the real-time search of breaking news (as Clay points out several times in this 17-minute video). I love, love, love the changes that are happening. And what great possibilities for our learning and our teaching!
To prepare for the conversations, I asked students to describe what reading and writing is like in various content areas. The most immediate answers centered around "facts to be memorized,"
"vocabulary to be defined," and strategies to "remember EVERYTHING to pass the test!"
In school, content reading and writing instruction revolve around consuming and remembering what someone else has produced.
In stark contrast, outside of the classroom, "content" is positioned in a drastically different way. We are simultaneously filters, producers, and co-creators of content. Successful producers of content must do more than simply churn out meaningless facts and ideas.
Successful online writers use their creative and curious spirit to generate content not only to inform, but will inspire, even transform the lives of their audience. Success on this age of read/write web is not determined by how much you know, how many pages of content your produce, or how long you have been "expert" in your content area. Success is determined by how your audience responds. If your readers are not impacted by your message, then how much you know matters little.
We must prepare our students for a very different relationship with content. Perfect penmanship, knowledge of participles, and the perfect 5-paragraph essay will not be enough to adequately prepare students for the content that will be mediated and vetted by a global audience that demands consideration.
Our students must leave our classrooms understanding how to communicate what they know and beleive in a way that considers, honors, and believes in their audience. Author and Entrepreneur Rajesh Setty writes a brilliant piece on how audiences respond to content.
Spam: If your content does not provide a
reasonable ROII (return-on-investment for an interaction) for the
reader or is self-serving or simply useless, the reader will mark it as
spam. Posting something that may be assessed, as “spam” is the fastest
way to losing credibility.
Skip: The reader makes an assessment that he or
she won’t lose much by reading it. In this case, the reader has not
written you off yet but if you consistently create content that is
worth “skipping,” the reader might write you off.
Scan: The reader thinks there are only a few parts
that are of relevance and wants to get right to the core of the content
and skip the rest.
Stop: The reader is touched by the article and
stops to think about the article, it’s relevance and what it means to
him or her personally and professionally.
Shift: The article is transformational. The reader
is so deeply affected (in a positive way) by the article that it shifts
some of their values and beliefs. In other words, this piece of writing
will transform the reader and make him or her grow.
Send: The content is not only useful to the reader
but also to one or more people in the reader’s network. The reader
simply emails the article or a link to it to people that he or she
cares.
Subscribe: This is the ultimate expression of
engagement and a vote of confidence that you will continue to provide
great content. When the reader wants to continue listening to your
thoughts, he or she will subscribe.
learn from writers by attending to and appreciating the tools and strategies they use to construct and deliver their Big Ideas
GREAT reading is not determined by age, "level", or score on a test. Great readers are developed over time, and become more competent and confident the more they practice this work across increasingly more complex texts.
The goal of today's literacy conversation is to answer this question with conviction and specificity .Listen in as I define what "Great Reading" means, model how
great readers approach their work, and ensure students that I believe and expect them to be ...GREAT READERS!
Today is the last day for Early-Bird registrations (a $30 savings off $169). In addition, we have only 30 seats left -- and three weeks before the event. We may have to remove a few walls and boundaries.
Early this week, we'll be introducing our breakout team and the flow of the day (and remember, it's not a Technology Day).
Passion is the most critical, creative and disruptive force in teaching and learning.
Close your eyes for just a few minutes and recall your favorite teacher of all time – anyone from kindergarten to graduate school. Now, consider what brought that individual to mind. What about that person made a difference to you or those around you?
I love the conversation this exercise ignites. It is always interesting to hear how in some way these wonderful memories follow from the passion of the teacher. It is a reminder that our students may not remember the content of our course,the lessons we slaved hours over, or the books we so carefully selected, but they will they never forget the fire in our belly, the power of our connection, or our desire to make a difference in their life.
We may never know what the magnitude of our impact will be or how the passion we transmit may ripple out into the world. Over the years, I've heard many stories about how a few words or a simple act have changed a students life forever. We may not walk into our classrooms everyday thinking: "I'm going to change the world today!"? Yet, that is exactly what we do. We DO make a difference. We DO change lives. The question we need to consider is this:
Do I openly talk about my passions to students, parents, colleagues?
Would students characterize me as "passionate"?
How would students describe or recognize my passion?
Do I write about my passions, making my commitment public and permanent?
Did I enable students to explore and discover their passions?
What effect do my passions have on students?
Once I have learned of a students passion, have I taken steps to nurture and sustain it?
Did I help students think about, write about, and share their passion in meaningful and relevant ways?
Do students have role models of passionate learning?
Do my students recognize the necessity and benefit of discovering and pursuing their passions?
There is no amount of content knowledge, no curriculum powerful
enough, no new tools or technologies that have the power to transform
teaching and learning in the way that passion does.
You DO make a difference. You make a difference to each
and every student, parent, colleague, and staff member you come in
contact with. Your passion can be the
invite, the energy, and driving force behind the change you wish to make.
Teachers need to be great learners to lead great learners. I believe that learning is a lifelong journey, an ongoing exploration and way of life. I challenge myself and others to always be striving to find and share big ideas in every million dollar conversation.
Chalk
Talk Friday represents conversations and brilliance I've discovered
traversing my way through the Blogosphere. From professional to
personal development, these are the posts and links have in some way
touched my head or my heart!![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=9c5bc129-6c2f-464a-917a-8c5bd0bef811)
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