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Reflection, Motivation, and Inspiration

Posted by  on Saturday, December 31st 2011     

This year many of us will try to accomplish goals with our students and in our personal lives. I think as we approach this process it is important to consider our reflective rituals, how we receive inspiration, and identify what works for us in achieving our goals and what prevents us from achieving our goals. I tend to be successful in accomplishing goals and so I’d like to share with you some of my process.

Reflection

As 2012 approaches, I think about what a year of transition and great accomplishment 2011 has been for me. I have undergone so many life changes this year that I often marvel how I was able to be part of the success of so many of the educational projects I was involved in. These transitions included moving Rosco, my pug, and I from our home in Germany to America, transitioning from being a classroom teacher to a teacher trainer and speaker traveling the world, working on my first book to be published, undergoing an invasive surgery, and seeing the end of an important relationship. Collaborating and communicating with my Personal/Passionate Learning Network (PLN) through social media has transformed my life in such positive ways. I feel extremely blessed and consider many of the educators in my PLN and you readers as close friends. Many of you know a lot about me and when we visit the time spent is inspirational. For example, many of you who have spent time with me this year know that I love to be by the water. This is my reflective ritual where I get to take in the vastness of the world- where land, water, and sky meet- and think about how blessed I am. Many of you have sat with me during these times either literally or online as I post pictures and songs that come to mind. I believe it is important to be a reflective individual in order to keep a balance emotionally, spiritually, and mentally. Educators have tough jobs and if we aren’t daily participating in some kind of reflective ritual then I believe we will carry the weight of the world on our shoulders. That is such a heavy burden that leads to burn-out and impacts our relationships with students, family, and others. In 2011, I also adopted other regular reflective rituals which include stopping to take in the sunrise or sunset, spending time to write in a journal or this blog, jogging, and exercising. I think these reflective rituals are one of the reasons I am able to stay motivated, accomplish a lot even with life’s many hiccups, and not get burn-out. What reflective rituals did you adopt this year? How have they helped you accomplish your goals?

Motivation

One of the reasons I am able to continue to be a part of such incredible education projects that are making ripples is because of the inspiration I receive from my PLN. Often what is shared online inspires me. Many of the projects shared offer a look into what students are doing, or how the world is changing in positive ways because of educators and world changers. I love the videos, music, poetry, and writing shared that exude and reflect the passion of my PLN. I will share some quotes, posts, and videos I hope will inspire you as you approach your 2012 goals.

Quotes:

Love the life you live, live the life you love. ~ Bob Marley

This is the mantra I try to live by everyday.

Success isn’t a result of spontaneous combustion. You must set yourself on fire. ~ Arnold H. Glasow

A great reminder of how we need to continually feed our passion with inspiration or our souls will fill starved.

Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do. ~ Apple, Think Differently Ad

This has really inspired me to try to change the world and I am crazy enough to think I do. We all do even if we only reach one student because that student will in turn make a positive impact on the world.

To surrender dreams — this may be madness. To seek treasure where there is only trash. Too much sanity may be madness — and maddest of all: to see life as it is, and not as it should be! ~Miguel De Cervantes’ Don Quixote of La Mancha.

This entire play has been what has made me question how to approach living. So many people live empty lives without passion. So many of our students have ended up in prisons and the poverty cycle. Millions suffer in this world and I almost believe they think that is just the way the world works and I find this type of thinking so insane but so many carry this mentality.

Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goals.~ Henry Ford

I tend to not listen when people tell me every reason something won’t work. For me, I try and do and if it doesn’t work as planned I don’t count this as failure but as a step in the road to finding a solution.

I’m saving the starfish,” the child replied. ”Why waste your time?… There are so many you can’t save them all so what does is matter? argued the man. Without hesitation, the child picked up another starfish and tossed the starfish back into the water… “It matters to this one,” the child explained.~ A Single Starfish by Loren Eiseley

Even if we only reach one parent, administrator, or student we reached that one and that has the power to break a generational cycle and perpetual a new positive cycle.

Videos:

Greta Sandler shared this gem and I absolutely love the messages!

Steve Jobs has been my hero for a long time. Here he narrates the Think Differently Ad.

This video will inspire you not to waste the day and consider the weight of how you spend each day.

Many times I try to watch the sunrise or sunset and I listen to Pie Jesu by Sara Brightman or an aria by Maria Callas. In these moments I feel awed by the world. This video makes me feel the same way. My favorite quote is at the end when Neil deGrasse Tyson says, “One must be content to love the questions themselves.”

Nick Vujicic is one of the most inspirational human beings in the planet. His message is so powerful it impacts teenagers. Whenever I have believed I have all these obstacles or life has dealt me a wrong hand and this is my excuse to not want to try then I look at this video and I realize how ridiculous I am being.

Will Smith I think gets it right when he says the key to life is reading and running. I think his reasoning for each is very true!

Posts:

Challenge:

Adopt a reflective ritual and try to do something you never believed you could accomplish and just see where the road takes you.

You may want to subscribe for FREE to receive regular updates!

Here’s to an incredibly successful 2012 where you are inspired, challenged, determined and crazy and passionate enough to believe you will change the world through education!

category: Teacher Development Reflections, Thought-provoking
tags: , ,

And Maddest of All to See Education As It Is & Not As It Should Be

Posted by  on Saturday, December 24th 2011     

The way I tackle life comes from one of my favorite books,  Miguel De Cervantes’ Don Quixote of La Mancha. Briefly, the protagonist of the story, an idealist, is told he is mad and responds,

I have lived nearly fifty years, and I have seen life as it is. Pain, misery, hunger … cruelty beyond belief. I have heard the singing from taverns and the moans from bundles of filth on the streets. I have been a soldier and seen my comrades fall in battle … or die more slowly under the lash in Africa. I have held them in my arms at the final moment. These were men who saw life as it is, yet they died despairing. No glory, no gallant last words … only their eyes filled with confusion, whimpering the question, “Why?” I do not think they asked why they were dying, but why they had lived. When life itself seems lunatic, who knows where madness lies? Perhaps to be too practical is madness. To surrender dreams — this may be madness. To seek treasure where there is only trash. Too much sanity may be madness — and maddest of all: to see life as it is, and not as it should be!

In the same way I think it is maddest of all to see education as it is and not as it should be. For decades, I have seen policies, curricula, standardized testing, instructional practices, institutional rules, bureaucracy, and classroom design destroy the joy of learning.  That is why so many of our students slip through the system and become part of the poverty or crime cycle. Our students are searching for that thing that makes them ignite, feel like they are alive and provides meaning to their existence. I believe we can help our students find their purpose and passion through education. When they learn and discover new things they continually find a piece to that puzzle. If not, they continually will seek this elsewhere. So how can we begin to have an education system that supports this type of learning where we don’t punish kids for their curiosity and where we give them the time to explore their passions?

How Do We Transform the System?

Don Quixote had two characteristics every stakeholder in education should have, vision and passion. Passionate people are contagious. They spread their vision and energy to others who become inflamed as well! My vision for education is to see educators and students collaborate with each other over dire problems, mentor each other, and spread the passion so the weary become strong.

6 Revolutionary Educational Models We Can Learn From

I also believe there are educational models out there that are on the right track. We can learn from these models and try to replicate them. I will introduce you to them in the hope that as we begin 2012 we will aim to adopt some of their characteristics into our classrooms. That is where transformation starts. We begin in our classrooms and do what we can and as we feel more empowered we transform our schools then the community. As a famous Chinese proverb says,”The journey of a 1000 miles begins with one step.”

Be Very Afraid and Other Projects by Dr. Stephen Heppell

In April, I had the opportunity to meet Professor Heppell at the Plymouth E-learning Conference and learn about the amazing projects he has been organizing to transform education. One of them is the Be Very Afraid project where students redesign their schools and make key decisions about their learning environments and how they want to learn. You have to watch the amazing interviews by the students, because it is truly inspirational. Prof. Heppell also leads projects to help us rethink the way we design our classrooms. Look at the photos here to learn about shoeless classrooms and tiered seating. Check out his other revolutionary ideas here that are taking place.

Bijal Damani’s Class Bazaar in India

In October I was at the UNESCO Bangkok ICT and Problem Based Learning Conference, which is where I met ISTE Outstanding Teacher, Bijal Damani, and learned about her bazaar project that has her students in India using information and communication technologies (ICTs) to learn about marketing skills. The students host their own bazaar, invent projects that will improve the lives of others, create advertisements for these products, get sponsors, and much more. The most incredible part is that the money raised helps children in the slums in India receive a better education.

Monika Hardy’s Innovation Lab

Monika Hardy’s Innovation Lab connects her high school students in Denver with mentors worldwide from her Personal Learning Network. Basically, the students have a curriculum built upon what they want to explore. They are matched up with mentors in the chosen field in the community and online that provide them the reading, math, and other relevant skills that are needed to explore their interests. Read more about the passion led courses here and watch a full presentation with her mentors and students here.

The Swiss School

I learned about this school through a Tweet. I loved what I saw, children learning in various languages math, culture, food, creativity, and more! They need funding and are offering language and culture courses taught by kids for a fee. Check out how you can learn and give.

The Blue School by The Blue Man Group

I learned about this school by watching an online talk by Sir Ken Robinson. This school is a Lab School that invites parents to sit in on classes and supports the creative learning of students.

The Hellerup School in Denmark

I learned about the Hellerup school in Denmark from this article that describes the concept of learning without walls, “The school’s stairs and hallways double as a space where the whole school community can gather and learn together. The school leader’s office is located in the center of the school, without walls, because he wanted to be able to see the students throughout the day and because he believed it was important for students to see adults interact professionally and respectfully with each other, setting an example for the young students.”

 

Challenge:

Think about how you can transform your classroom in 2012 and begin to set that in motion.

You may want to subscribe for FREE to receive regular updates!

What other educational models do you think are revolutionary?

category: Effective Technology Integration, Global Issues in Education, Teacher Development Reflections, Thought-provoking
tags: , , , ,

11 of ’11 Projects Transforming Education

Posted by  on Tuesday, December 13th 2011     

Adam Simpson, an educator in Turkey, recently challenged bloggers to reflect on and post 11 of their best blog posts of 2011 (11 of 11). Reading several of the blogger’s posts and different takes on it has spurred me to reflect on my past year blogging and collaborating with my passionate/personal learning network (PLN) who inspire me and support me daily. I am a better person and educator because they share and believe in me. Daily, I am grateful for being blessed with such an incredible Passionate Learning Network.

My 2011 Journey

I will take a spin and post 11 projects I take part in that I believe are transforming education. These projects are the reason why I haven’t blogged as much as I would like to, because I believe that part of transformation is taking that bold step to act upon what you believe. I believe a quality education improves the world because it opens minds, breaks generational cycles, and perpetuates new positive cycles. Every child to adult I help realize their potential means they are helping the world become a better place. I am helping them stay away from poverty and crime. I take that job very seriously and whenever anyone tells me it can’t be done, I just do it. I don’t worry about the criticisms and I don’t even look at any obstacles. As Henry Ford says, “Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goals.”

Over 11 of ’11 Projects

I hope by sharing these projects you will be able to see the potential of what you can do when you collaborate with others to activate your passion. With the support and collaboration of my PLN, I have been able to be a part of projects that have impacted tens of thousands of people worldwide. I have been collaborating with educators online for less than 3 years. Imagine the possibilites of every person activating their passion with the support of their PLN.

  • The 30 Goals Challenge- Over 7000 educators worldwide have participated in accomplishing goals to transform their classrooms and impact their students. Educators who join receive a free ebook and have access to several videos and podcasts to help them achieve their goals. More importantly they get to reflect upon these goals on Twitter (#30Goals), Facebook, or on their blogs and receive the support of 1000s of educators also accomplishing these goals.
  • The Reform Symposium Free E-Conference- This past August we had 80 presenters and 12 keynote speakers that impacted over 4100 educators worldwide in 100 countries! Organised by educators for educators, it was FREE but offered more valuable and inspiring Professional Development than money could buy! If you didn’t manage to attend you can catch up by viewing the Recordings.
  • The Virtual Round Table E-Conference- ELTon nominated free online conference focusing on language and technology. Unique in that participants can attend via a live video conference or in Second Life.
  • #Edchat- Join over 2000 educators on Twitter every Tuesday at 12pm EST/6pm EST to discuss various educational topics you get to vote for and suggest.
  • #ELTChat- Join English language teaching educators worldwide on Twitter every Wednesday at 12:00 pm London time, at 21:00 pm London time to discuss various educational topics you get to vote for and suggest.
  • TESOL’s free Electronic Village Online (EVO) sessions- These are free online 5 week courses that start January 9th and end February 12th. You can choose from several courses including the Digital Storytelling for Young Learners one I am moderating with a dream team (Esra Girgin, Barbara Sakamoto, Özge Karaoglu, Jennifer Verschoor, David Dodgson, Michelle Worgan, and Sabrina De Vita)
  • 140 Character Conferences- Jeff Pulver has been amazing in getting celebrities, educators, and leaders in various fields to speak passionately about how social media is revolutionizing their fields. If you cannot attend physically, then attend virtually. I help organize the educational panels so if you hear of one coming to your city and would like to take part, please let me know. Jeff live streams the talks! Follow the hashtag, #140Conf for continuous updates.
  • Cooperative Catalyst Blog- Read about the projects and ways educators are transforming education daily. Several bloggers challenge readers to rethink traditional education models. I have enjoyed adding a few posts to the mix.
  • Free Friday Webinars- Thanks to the American TESOL Institute, I conduct free 30 minute online webinars on the Adobe Connect platform every Friday at 4pm EST (New York Time), 3pm Austin, TX, 1pm LA, California, 9pm London Time, 10pm Paris Time, 11pm Athens/Istanbul Time, Sat 8am Sydney time, and Sat. 6am Tokyo time. This is the Adobe Room to join! http://americantesol.adobeconnect.com/terrell/,  Check out the Livebinder resources and past recordings-  http://americantesol.com/tesol-lectures.htm
  • Simple K12 webinars- Attend free webinars with experts on various topics. I often present for Simple K12 and they won a 2011 Edublogs Award!
  • The Educators’ PLN Ning- The Educator’s PLN is a great place to interact and learn from other educators. We have hosted free live chats with various educational leaders. In the past we featured Alfie Kohn, Howard Rheingold, Diane Ravitch, Chris Lehmann, Steve Hargadon, Jim Burke, and others.
  • The Horizon Report, K-12- This amazing free e-report was curated by education thought leaders worldwide. We identified 6 technology trends to transform education and show examples of them in schools worldwide.

Challenge:

Try activating your passion project in 2012! Let us know about it so we can help you get the support you need.

You may want to subscribe for FREE to receive regular updates!

What 2012 passion project will you activate?


category: Effective Technology Integration, Month in Review, PLNs, Teacher Development Reflections
tags: , , , , ,

10+ Tips for Getting the Most Out of #RSCON3

Posted by  on Tuesday, July 26th 2011     

I hope you have marked this Friday, July 29th to Sunday, July 31st to attend the free Reform Symposium E-Conference! Not only can you attend anywhere with Internet access but you get to hang with nearly 8000 educators worldwide and choose from nearly 100 keynotes, presentations, and panel discussions to attend! In order to get the most out of this free e-conference I recommend the following:

Make your own personal planner/schedule

*Tip: Wait till all the webinar links are included in the schedule before you do this :-)

*Tip: Add an extra column to include the webinar recording you should receive by next week :-)

*Why not share your personalized schedule with other educators in your school by emailing it to them?! It might entice them to join a few sessions :-)

Other useful tips:

  • Be sure to register to be entered into the prizes/raffle
  • Can’t decide which sessions to attend? Check out the Reform Symposium Youtube channel with over 40 presenter teaser videos :-)
  • Prepare a Google Docs template for notes which includes the headers of the session you are attending and any information/links you can get ahead of time
  • Get the free World Time Clock/Converter and Meeting Planner apps for your iPhone and your iPad to make sure you attend in the right time zone!
  • Prepare your Posterous, Tumblr, Summify, Scoop.it, LiveBinder or other quick and easy platform for sharing the resources and notes you collect :-)
  • Evernote, Diigo, Tweetdeck, Google Docs, and Posterous all have free apps for mobile devices! :-)
  • Use the hashtag #rscon3 to share your resources and meet other educators to add to your Personal/Passionate Learning Network, PLN!
  • Follow the @RSCON3 Twitter account to keep the latest updates! Add a column for this or the hashtag on your Tweetdeck!
  • Regularly add Twitter folks and Facebook friends when attending sessions by saving the Chats and Whiteboards in Elluminate. Feel free to ask the people you interact with for  away to keep in touch with them!
  • Make sure to tell your family members about the conference & make it fun by hosting a viewing party where everyone can see what you are up to! Friends and family may enjoy some of the sessions. You can easily hook up your laptop to many tvs! Include a microphone so your family members can ask questions on the audio afterwards! Enjoy popcorn and pajama professional development with your loved ones!

Challenge:

Invite a friend or a few friends who are not involved in online professional development to attend or host a party in your home for a group to attend!

If you enjoyed this post, you may want to subscribe for FREE to receive regular updates!

What other tips do you have for those attending RSCON3?

category: Conference Highlights, Teacher Development Reflections
tags: , , , ,

What Will You Learn this Summer? 26 Professional Development Resources

Posted by  on Thursday, May 26th 2011     

Part of the Cool Sites series

Photo adapted by Kevindooley's photo The Teacher Creative Commons Attributes 2.0 Generic

Photo adapted from Flickr by kevindooley licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic.

Summer has officially started for many of you! I know that you will probably be relaxing for the first few days, but eventually you may feel the need to be inspired and motivated for the upcoming 2011-2012 school year! Social media provides us with incredible opportunities to choose the way we want to develop professionally. You can choose the topic, the medium, and who you want to learn from. You can choose the way you like to learn, because social media provides us with several multimedia experiences, such as webinars, LMS, live video, and more. The experience is usually dynamic and motivating because you are learning with others around the world! Additionally, you will be developing your Personal/ Passionate Learning Network (PLN).

Professional Development Opportunities to Choose From…

Free Programs:

  • The 30 Goals Challenge- Over 5000 educators have participated in the 1st and 2nd editions of this global challenge for educators with the premise of getting you to complete 30 professional development goals by 2012. These are short-term goals, such as guest posting, changing your classroom environment, providing effective feedback, establishing an online presence, and more. How do you participate?
  • SEETA Courses- The South Eastern Europe Teachers Association offers several week courses with a guest author or expert in the field. You will have to register, but the courses are free!
  • 31 Days to Become a Better Edtech Leader- With his vast experience, Terry Freedman offers excellent goals to accomplish each day that help you use educational technology effectively. Goals include conducting a SWOT analysis to organizing an inservice! Here’s a handy list of each post and the links.
  • The 23 Things Project- Take Steven Anderson’s 10 week course that shows you how to use various web 2.0 tools effectively in the classroom.
  • ASCD Free Summer Boot Camp- Webinars by various guests. First one is Lisa Dabbs, @teachingwthsoul
  • Arts Integration E-Course on Education Closet- Registration is happening now for an online arts integration professional development course this summer. This was submitted by Susan Riley!
  • Integrating Technology for Active Lifelong Learning (IT4ALL)- provides free online workshops on Moodle for Teachers (Orientation, Beginners, Intermediate, and Advanced), Professional Electronic Portfolios (PEP), WebQuests, Facilitating Online Classes, Grant Writings, TESOL, Integrating Technology and using Web 2.0 in the classroom. This was submitted by Nellie Deutsch!

Attend Live Events in Real Time!

You can attend several free conferences, webinars, Twitter chats, and presentations online with your PLN! These usually last one hour, but many conferences also offer free all day live streaming of their keynotes.

  • Free Friday Webinars- Thanks to the American TESOL Institute, I conduct free 30 minute online webinars on the Adobe Connect platform every Friday at 4pm EST (New York Time), 3pm Austin, TX, 1pm LA, California, 9pm London Time, 10pm Paris Time, 11pm Athens/Istanbul Time, Sat 8am Sydney time, and Sat. 6am Tokyo time. Check your time zones here!
  • Attend the free Reform Symposium E-Conference along with 8000 other educators from over 50 countries. This takes place Friday, July 29 to Sunday, July 31, 2011 and we hope you will join us for what promises to be our biggest yet global online conference for everyone concerned with education. With up to 60 presentations and 12 keynote speakers it is sure to be an incredible event!
  • The Educators’ PLN Ning Live Chats with Guest Experts- The Educator’s PLN is a great place to interact and learn from other educators. Join us for free live chats with various authors. In the past we featured Alfie Kohn, Howard Rheingold, Diane Ravitch, Chris Lehmann, Steve Hargadon, Jim Burke, and others.
  • Watch Live Streams of the 140 Character Conference- Jeff Pulver has been amazing in getting celebrities, educators, and leaders in various fields to speak passionately about how social media is revolutionizing their fields. If you cannot attend physically, then attend virtually. Jeff live streams the talks! Follow the hashtag, #140Conffor continuous updates.
  • Edublogs Live Events- Every week, attend a free webinar on various topics. Usually, Jo and Phil Hart hosts these free webinars that cover effective use of web 2.0 tools or instructional methodologies.
  • Future of Education- Join Steve Hargadon live as he interviews some of the greatest minds in education. Past guests included Sir Ken Robinson, Alfie Kohn, Diane Ravitch, and more!
  • Classroom 2.0 Live Events- Every week, attend a free webinar with an expert in a field or listen to some great authors speak live and ask them questions.
  • Simple K12 webinars- Attend free webinars with experts on various topics.
  • Attend Second Life Live Events- Second Life has several educational groups that meet weekly for free conferences, talks, workshops, and more. Download the software and register for free. Consider joining these educational groups:
  • ISTE on Second LifeDiscovery Educator NetworkEDTECH RetreatEDTECH CommunityVisit Edunation Island- a safe place for educators
  • #Edchat- Join over 2000 educators every Tuesday to discuss various topics you get to vote for and suggest.
  • Education Chats on Twitter- Find out the dates and times of educational conversations that occur on Twitter.

Free Online Classes:

Ever dream of studying at Stanford or MIT or being taught by George Siemens? Well you can attend several free online courses taught by authors, subject matter experts, and university lecturers. Below are useful links to find a free online course in any subject!

  • MOOC- Massive Open Online Courses where 1000s attend for free through discussion forums and free webinars. Follow the hashtag #MOOC for the latest MOOC. University professors, TED speakers, and notable educational theorists moderate these courses. You learn from the very best in our field! Topics range from Personal Learning Networks to Mobile Learning!
  • MIT Open Course Ware offers over 1900 free online courses in over 20 subjects. You can subscribe by RSS or get e-mail updates.
  • Stanford on iTunes- Download courses, faculty lectures, interviews, music and sports that will play on your iPod, iPad, iPhone, Mac or PC.
  • 17 Universities with free online courses- Find out how to access these free courses from some of the most respected universities in the world! This article also describes the experience of learning through these online classes.
  • 250 Free Online Courses- Find a list of several more free online courses from the top universities categorized by subject.
  • Edufire Free Live Online Classes- Register for free and have access to various topics such as using various web tools or learning a different language. You get a live tutor on a video.

Find several more professional development opportunities by clicking on the tabs of Mike Fisher’s Live Binder.

Challenge:

Try any of these professional development opportunities and blog about your experience. Blogging helps you reflect and decide how you can apply this learning to improve your instructional methods.

If you enjoyed this post, you may want to subscribe for FREE to receive regular updates!

What are your favorite ways to learn online? Did I miss any other great professional development opportunities?

category: Cool Sites, Teacher Development Reflections
tags: , , , , ,
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