Being a Connected Educator

Being a connected educator means a lot more than simply having a twitter handle, blogging from time to time, or even participating in voxer chats/twitter chats.  No, being a connected educator, to me, means a lot more than being online connected to thousands of individuals.  Being a connected educator is about knowledge, relationships, sharing, and collaboration.  I think there is so much power behind being connected, and many of the resources that are out there remain untapped by a lot of educators.  That's a lot of wasted potential I think.  It's like going out to buy the latest iPhone and only using it to make phone calls.  This post is a sort of reflection on being a connected educator and how I handle the power, after all, being online can be a rewarding and dangerous place.

1. I am on Twitter, Voxer, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Blogger, Google+, and Pinterest.  I use some of these often and others not so much (Pinterest often sits idle).  I use these social networks for a variety of reasons too.  Instagram is typically reserved for selfies, impromptu family pics, and random things I find that are cool.  Facebook is reserved for my personal life with the occasional (good-natured) rant.  Twitter, Voxer, and Google+ I use primarily for education related jargon and connections.  I use blogger to reflect on my career and post on my running blog.  Snapchat is easy/quick communication with friends and yes I use it appropriately.
2. Sometimes I regret what I post.  I always wonder how people are going to perceive what I post and sometimes regret posting certain things, regardless of a response.  I think this is smart, because I am always aware of  what I am posting, and it has made me more aware as time has gone on.  I don't ever post anything vulgar or inappropriate, but I always wonder how someone may take what I post and interpret it another way.
3. I have to have a filter with social networking (and life in general).  I am passionate about education, and every once in a while someone on my feed (usually Facebook) will post something that I feel strongly against when it comes to education.  I have learned to control my anger and frustration (a sort of digital Bruce Banner) and turn the other cheek.  Every once in awhile I engage in a lively debate, but when I sense things are getting out of control I simply close the computer down and potentially grab a snack (no hulking out for this guy).
4. I recently read a blog post by Scott McLeod where he talks about how perceptions can change about people you may meet online.  How well do you really know those people on twitter you engage with every week on a twitter chat?  I think this is intriguing, because I have met some amazing people through Twitter and Voxer (or have I?).  Yes, it is true that sometimes I follow someone only to find out, they are not the person I truly intended to follow based on their tweets I read, but that's the beauty of being connected I guess.  It's a lot easier to delete a follower on twitter you can't stand with than a friend in real life you can't stand.  That sounded harsh, but in today's world, it's easier to get rid of unwanted baggage.
5. Last, but not least.  The amount of knowledge that is out there is incredible.  There is no way to harness all of that knowledge using any tool (maybe there is, but I wouldn't know how to use it), so we do our best.  I can sit in a meeting with 5 people and have the minds of 5 people working together.  I can also throw a question out on twitter to the 600 people following me and get a wide variety of responses.  I can participate in a twitter chat and be exposed a whole new world of information, insight, and connections.  It's incredible (sometimes confusing and overwhelming too).

The 5 things above are only some of the takeaways I have from being a connected educator.  I could go on and on about what it means to be connected, what to watch for, and what to embrace, one might say you could teach an entire workshop on it (thanks Leslie and Erin).  Being connected is important to me, as it is another way for me to grow and learn.  I like what Kevin Honecutt says, "I don't have time not to be on Twitter."  I think this says a lot.  With so much information today, we can't afford (as educators) to continue in isolation.  

Preparing Students for the 21st Century is Not Enough

It's the end of 2014, which means in a few weeks the calendar will turn over and it will be 2015.  It seems like only yesterday year 2000 hit us.  We made it to the 21st century and with the turn of the century, many advancements were being made and the development of new technologies is constantly getting better and better.  Google has developed the first driver-less car.  3D printing is becoming more and more accessible with brands like MakerBot.  I can solve math problems by taking a picture on my smartphone using PhotoMath.   USB drives have gone from 128mb to becoming obsolete with cloud based storage.  It's amazing what is happening.  The crazy part is...the technology referenced above is the technology of the present, not the technology of the future.  So it begs to question, what is next?  When the year 2000 hit we entered the 21st century and sadly, many of our schools didn't and still haven't and we have been living the 21st century for 14 full years.  The first graders of right now will graduate high school a quarter of the way through the 21st century and what opportunities are we giving them?

So what is this post about?  In a sense it is about 21st century skills, but more importantly, it is about throwing 21st century skills out the window and relabeling it.  We are 14 years through the 21st century and we are still pushing 21st century learning...?  Don't get me wrong, I agree that our students need to be prepared for the 21st century, but before we know it the 21st century will be half over and what then?  I propose we simply start saying we will prepare our students for the future.  There is the term "future ready" which has gained a lot of attention, but what is the definition?  Can we define it?

By saying we are preparing students for the 21st century, we are essentially telling ourselves we are preparing kids for the present.  Is that enough?  I think of the changes made with technology within my own teaching career (4 years).  It is incredible and that's just 4 years.  By the time those little 1st graders graduate what will they be faced with.  Wearable technology?  Think about the amount of schools that ban cell phones and think about the fact that we are not too far away from cell phones just being a part of what we wear on a daily basis.  Are we ready for the change?  How are we preparing our kids for that now?

It's tough to predict the future and things change constantly, but I cannot help but think that we might not be doing enough now.  I know there are great schools out there that arguably are doing well, but what about the schools that are not?  When elementary students are coding and creating robots and connecting with people all over the world, I think that is a start.  What the students who are still getting worksheets to prove their learning?  What about the schools who block twitter, YouTube, and cell phones?  What about the schools who are not providing students with access to an outside world through technology?  What about the schools that are still using textbooks from 10-15 years ago?  This is only the tip of the iceberg.  Giving students access is not the end all, be all.  The system needs a big change.  Why reinvent the wheel?  Becuase the wheel doesn't fit the road we are on and I would argue that it hasn't for a while.

Sorry for the amount of questions in the post.  I accept criticism of these ideas, but think about and take it and ask these questions about your instruction, your school, and your district.  What are doing to prepare your students for the present, but even more importantly, what are doing to prepare your students for tomorrow?

MakerSpace Update

Opening up a makerspace in a school can be as difficult or as simple as you like.  It all depends on the types of materials you want to offer students.  When I went to the drawing board for the makerspace here, at the school I work for, I wanted to offer students a wide range of materials, so it took a while to fully implement.  We are a little over a week into implementation of a makerspace at our high school, so I thought it might be appropriate to give a little update on how things are going so far.

Our makerspace is small and already I am noticing that the space is too small and quite cramped.  I would like to see our space develop and grow, but that will take more space and I envision this space to be a little more open.  With a green screen, MakerBot, embroidery machine, and plenty of other material to go around, it is difficult to for everyone to work in true comfort without bumping into one another.  With that all being said, the space is being utilized, more than I ever expected.  A few years ago I organized a 5k and expected about 30-50 people to attend and was very overwhelmed when about 300 attended.  The makerspace is similar.  I expected about 10-15 students utilizing the space per day, at least until word spread more.  We have seen a consistent 40-50 students in and out of the makerspace daily.

With the space being utilized a lot, I have had to rethink a lot.  One of the things I didn't expect was how often I was going to have to replace material.  We purchased two 3Doodler pens along with 50 filament sticks for the pens and we are already out of them.  Other materials are quickly being depleted due to this issue.  Don't get me wrong though, this is an excellent issue to have.  I have students ready to create early in the morning.  I typically get to school at about 7:40, and I have students waiting for me to open the doors.  I have to kick students out at the end of the day when I have to leave.  I usually leave at about 4:15, and students have shown frustration if I have to close down any earlier, and most show frustration even if I keep the door open until 5:00.  Once again, this is a great issue to have.

I have seen students light up with curiosity when confronted with a new piece of equipment.  Students using Arduino kits, makey makey kits, the embroidery machine has yet to actually be fired up, but students are working on it.  I dropped off a broken DVD player and within an hour the DVD player was dismantled, and pieced back together...oh and it was fixed.  This was without any prompting.  Students are accessing YouTube videos and Google to search for answers...without anyone telling them to.  Kids are using popsicle sticks, 3D printing pens, and toothpicks to create what their mind tells them to create.  I envisioned putting weekly challenges on the board and before I could, students were writing their own challenges on the board.  Students are requesting material, requesting time, and telling me this is the most fun they have had in school.

I am seeing authentic learning taking place and it is so hard to document, because I am right there with the students.  You ask the students what they are doing in the makerspace and they might be creating a replica of an atlas vertebra on the MakerBot to give to their anatomy teacher.  They might be building a fortress out of Legos because it's cool.  They might be crafting a duct tape wallet, because it's an art form they picked up in middle school and has slowly faded.  They might be painting because they don't get the opportunity because their schedules are too packed full of honors classes.  They pick up a snap circuit kit and start building a circuit because they are curious about how things work.  They might actually be learning in a way they feel comfortable learning.  They won't tell they are learning though, they will simply tell you they are having fun.

It has been amazing to watch these students and my only wish is that we had more to offer and we could have done it sooner.  Speaking after a week of implementing a makerspace, it has been a success.