For the past 9 months, I’ve been in an acting role as an Instructional Leadership Consultant in my school board. It means that I’ve not taught in a classroom this year for the first time in a dozen years. I’ve been so busy with the new position, that I really haven’t had a lot of time to stop and actually consider the ramifications.
I’ve missed the day to day interaction with staff who have become my friends of course, but I haven’t really thought much about the students. As any teacher can likely attest, students have a unique place in your life. They can challenge, support, encourage, frustrate and delight you. Often in the same period of class time!
I returned to my school (yes, I still consider it mine) last night for the graduation ceremonies. A few staff kidded me that I had an ‘out’ for not attending but still came. It’s often seen as a less than ideal night for staff, as it’s long, hot and crowded. I admit, I considered not attending, but decided that it might be the last one, as I’m hoping to continue in my board level role for a few more years. As usual, it was a hot, sweaty, long drawn out affair. But as I sat in the crowd and watched, I had some time to reflect on what it means to be an educator. Watching the graduates collect their diplomas, I started to see many of them not as new grads, but as the kids in grade 9 that I had first met 4 years ago. I marveled at the changes. Some I wouldn’t have recognized, but for the name, as they’ve changed so much in 4 years, and I hadn’t taught them since grade 9. There they were, ready to enter in to life’s next steps. It was a great feeling, knowing I had in some small way, helped.
The kicker came at the end, in the reception at the end of the night. A young lady came up, handed me a card, and gave me a hug. I taught her astronomy class in her grade 11 year, and she was a wonderful student, and a great human being in general. But the hand written note that she had taken the time to do simply said thanks for everything, she appreciated my patience, passion and my love for the subjects and the way in which I engaged them in the learning process. I told her she didn’t have to write a card, and she replied ‘Yes I did.’ That said it all. One thanks from a student I only taught once, and almost 2 years ago.
That’s why we do it. That’s why we teach. Not because we love our subjects so much. Not because we think that we can change the course of history. But simply because once in a while, one student says thanks for the things that we do.
I’m not sure when I’ll return to the classroom, but this story will stay with me, and remind me of the point of the education system. That’s why we are here, and we can never lose sight of that.
That’s why I do what I do.
On April 28th, 2009 at 3:30 PM EDT, I’ll be giving a presentation about how to use Ustream.tv in education. I’ll be giving the presentation to educators as part of ECOO webinar series. You can also access the URL page from here. Pop by and see how it goes!
I spent today at the Peterborough Regional Science Fair hosted at Trent University. There were over 300 students from across the region from 2 different school boards and a number of private schools. I was impressed by the repesentation from the private school sector and that motivates me to continue to support project based learning in science in our board, but that’s a post for another time.
The students were just phenomenal. I was so impressed it’s just silly. There were kindergarten kids there with really cool projects and the ability to explain them and talk to anyone who wandered by. The majority of the projects were from students in the 4-8 grade range, and the quality was really good. I’ve never attended a full on fair like that, and every room I went into was filled with energy and excitement and kids who wanted to show you what they knew about their projects and topics. It was so great to be a part of.
To top it off, the top prize in the Fair was awarded to 2 students from the school that I’d been working at up to this year, when I switched roles. They were so pumped to win, and I was so pumped to see them pumped. Kids don’t get excited about academics very often it seems, and this was one of the best moments I’ve experienced as a teacher. And I don’t even teach them right now! I’ve only been out of the school for less than a year, so it’s still near and dear to me. I still consider them ‘my kids’ and ‘my science department’. I like it that way.
So these students along with 3 others get a trip to Winnipeg in May to compete in the 2009 Canada Wide Science Fair. I wish them all the best! I also hope that all the competitors continue to be excited about science and learning as they were today.
PRSF2009
As an ICL – Science & Tech, part of my role is to assist in this rollout. We’ve been planning with a team for a few months now and we’re are about to start to engage the entire board’s science teachers in the process. As part of this planning I put together a chart comparing the old and the new. It’s a PDF and prints up nicely on ledger paper (14X17 I think). It gives a nice visual overview of the entire curriculum with the individual units in each course.
Changes to Science Curriculum Compared
Here is the file as a full size PDF.
Please feel free to use in your preparations for implementation for the new documents.
I’ve been scrambling like mad over the last 2 weeks trying to put together the required components to an application to a Master of Education. I finally got it all done and dropped it off last week, actually a few days before the deadline. It took some time to get the various things done, ask for references and get transcripts ordered up from the 4 different universities that I’ve taken something or another at. Add to that a phone call from my credit card company saying my card had been used in a WalMart outside Baltimore and had been subsequently cancelled which led to a few more phone calls to see if the transcripts had actually been sent before the card was canned, and it was a bit of a last minute runaround.
At any rate, all the transcripts are en route and the rest is done. The program looks to be very innovative and interesting. It’s the kind of thing that I think I’ve been building towards in the past few years. I’ve wanted to start an MEd for a while and have researched a number of different options. This one at UOIT is a brand new program, and from the information on the website, it looks to be just what I was hoping to find to further my studies.
Part of the application was to write a Statement of Interest which I’ve posted below here. What do you think? Think it’ll get me into the program? 
I’m not sure of the timelines for notification of acceptances, but I’ll post thoughts here either way. And if I’m successful and able to start, then I know there will be lots more to reflect on and post about.
Statement of Interest
For many reasons the time is right to undertake graduate studies in education. As a practicing educator of 12 years, I’ve taught physics, environmental studies, astronomy, biology, grade 9 and 10 science as well as music and math. As Science Department Head in a large secondary school, I led the implementation of several innovative programs including videoconferencing and a new senior Astronomy course. In my current role as the Instructional Leadership Consultant, Science and Technology for the Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board, I am continuing to assist teachers to grow their practice. All of these different roles have allowed me to grow professionally, as they have given me opportunities to learn about education in a variety of ways. Now I feel that the time is right for me to expand that knowledge further and undertake a program of graduate studies.
As a teacher of science, I’m very interested in how we approach learning within and beyond the classroom. Science is best learned as a process, where students are engaged in authentic problem solving activities. I have been interested in how teachers can best assist students achieving their learning goals. Pedagogical practices, learning styles and technology are all components of this. Students are embedded in a technological world like never before, and one of the large questions is how to leverage that technology for the best outcome of student learning. In my classroom teaching, I used many different technologies to engage students. Videoconferencing was used on a regular basis to bring guest speakers to the class and to take the students on virtual field trips. Senior students created content for delivering lessons to junior students via videoconferencing. I was part of a pilot project with KPRDSB and Parks Canada in the development of educational outreach programs using videoconferencing with Pacific Rim National Park. I have used SMARTboards and a variety of strategies to differentiate the learning for the students to their personal style. Websites for student access to class resources have long been a staple of my teaching and I assisted in the implementation of websites for many teachers in my previous school.
I was part of the initial cadre of eLearning teachers in KRPDSB, using the eLearning Ontario Learning Management System and taught physics online for 2 semesters. This started me down the path of thinking more seriously about how to best use the resources available for students in the most effective manner for their learning. I have also become interested in studying about how students learn online and in what ways the online environment can be supported for the best results.
As a department head, and now as an Instructional Leadership Consultant, I am thinking about the broader issues in education, particularly when they relate to using technology. I personally use technology to help me grow as a professional through Personal Learning Networks and using various online tools like Twitter, Ning Ustream & Adobe Connect. I am interested in how technology can be used to benefit teachers, students, administrators and parents at all levels of the educational process.
In attaining a MEd from UOIT, I envision increasing my leadership capacity as an educator in a flattening and changing world. As an educator I worry that the systems we have in place are possibly starting to lose relevance for the students that they are designed to serve. The rise of mobile technologies and the ubiquity of Internet access will continue to alter the educational landscape. Education systems will require educators that are prepared to assist in adapting to the ever shifting conditions. The program that is offered at UOIT is a superb fit for both where I am currently as a teacher and educational leader, and where I wish to go in the coming years.
Neglect is a terrible thing. If I neglect my plants, they die. If I neglect my family, I die. (Not really, but work with me.) If I neglect websites, what happens? Nothing. They just sit there, looking tired, run down and a waste of server space.
I’ve spent some time today updating the look of this site, and trying to consolidate some of my online presence into a lesser number of places. With the proliferation of online tools and sites out there, it’s easy to get spread pretty thin. It takes more effort than I can afford to put out to have a deep presence on many spots. I’d like to keep my family.
It took me a while to get over myself and realize that having content on many different spots is ok. Twitter, Google Sites, Wikis, WordPress, Flickr, etc….. I can’t imagine updating all on a regular basis, so I’m just trying to spend a bit of time tonight to pull a few of those things together.
Oh, and I’m posting to the blog, which I don’t do nearly enough either.
If you’re not a science minded person who’s plugged into all things spacey, then maybe this item has passed you by. 2009 has been named the International Year of Astronomy. In 1609, Galileo pointed his telescope at the sky, wrote a few things down, and all sorts of chaos ensued. 400 years later, it was decided to have a party in his honour!
One of the projects of the IYA2009 group was to have a series of podcasts called 365 Days of Astronomy. The idea is for people all over the world to contribute and share podcasts on topics astronomical. There are tons of different topics within the umbrella of astronomy, and this podcast gives folks a chance to share some of their interests with the world.
Enter me.
I’ve not podcasted before. I don’t work at as an astronomer. I’m a science teacher by trade with a freakishly large love of astronomy. I’ve written curriculum for a senior level astronomy course in Ontario, Canada that IMHO filled a gap in the slate of courses. I own a garage full of telescopes (well 4) that don’t get used as often as they should. My mailbox is stuffed with astro mags, and my feed reader gets several astronomy and space feeds filling it each day.
I’m a space geek. I accept that.
So when I started listening to the 365 Days of Astro podcasts, it struck me that it might be a fun thing to contribute to, so I fired off an email to see if there were any days left. A few weeks later, I recieved a reply and I have been assigned July 29th, 2009 as the day for my podcast. Woohoo!
Now what?
I’ve got an idea for a topic, and I’m going to start gathering input, feedback and possibly audio interviews from as many people as I can think of.
My topic for the podcast will be, “Why Teach Astronomy?”
I’ll be bothering my PLN via Twitter and other avenues looking for input, but in the meantime, feel free to add a comment below and answer the question yourself!
We’ve just recently gone through a vision setting process for our Instructional Technology Committee in my school board. One of our participants said that a good vision had be “Vague, yet agile.” Here it is.
The Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board provides accessible, sustainable and equitable learning environments that engage learners and enhance student achievement through the integration of evolving instructional technologies. Relevant learning experiences and partnerships within these environments actively promote responsibility, global awareness, lifelong learning and ethical digital citizenship.
How’d we do? What do you think?
Artist Concept of Centre
Today I had the privilege of being at the press conference announcing the creation of the Camp Kawartha Envrionment Centrein Peterborough, Ontario. It’s a unique partnership that will result in an environmental learning centre on the edge of the conservation lands at Trent University.
The centre is being built due to the grant from the Gainey Foundation, a charity set up by former Montreal Canadien Bob Gainey and his daughter Anna. The Foundation honours the memories of Bob’s wife and other daughter who were lost to the family too soon. The foundation is providing $100,000 to kick start the construction of this project.
The building is being designed and constructed by students in the Sustainable Building Program at Sir Sanford Fleming College. It’s a unique program that aims to provide students with tools and technique for building structures that are as environmentally friendly as possible, with a zero net impact on the planet.
This Centre will aim to be the ‘greenest building in Canada’. It will incorporate such features as straw bale construction, active and passive solar systems and living wall and machine for air and water treatment.
It’s planned to be used to teach students about how it’s possible to live more sustainably for our society. It will also be used to train teachers, pre-service and active, in the teaching of many of these environmentally based concepts.
It’s a wonderful project, and it will be great to watch it go up through to completion!
Below is a link to a Qik I took at the press conference. It’s Bob Gainey talking about the project.
I just installed Dragon NaturallySpeaking on my computer and I’m testing it this evening. We use it in schools as assistive technology. I am experimenting with using it for my own purposes, as I’ve started to develop tendinitis in one of my hands. I am hoping that this will allow me to continue to do some writing and save my typing for when I can’t be noisy!
I’ve never used this type of software before it actually seems to be working very well. I was skeptical that it would be able to keep up with my speaking and not make errors. The short time that I have been using it it has only made a few simple mistakes and those have been minor. As I continue to refine the vocabulary it should diminish the number of mistakes that are made.
It is yet another example of the amazing technologies that we have available at our fingertips to use. To be able to do this effortlessly is unbelievable. It actually makes me feel kind of like Star Trek when you’re able to speak to the computer and tell it what to do. The commands that are built into the program allow you to do basic editing and formatting of the text as you speak it. I have the feeling that once you become fluent in the commands, like any software, that you will be able to write with this tool almost as fast as you can speak. And I can speak pretty fast!
I think I’m going to enjoy using this as long as I don’t get strange looks from those around me when I’m speaking to my computer!
Computer: Earl Grey: hot.
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