A couple of weeks ago, I had the opportunity to take part in a CRYSTAL meeting with Warren Wessel’s group at the University of Regina. The focus of this group is to create a resource based website that could be employed by all beginner and veteran teachers that is directly paralleled with our Saskatchewan Evergreen curriculum. The drive is to gather resources that are tried, tested and true from veteran teachers and post them on the site to ease the progression into the Science teaching world. Great idea but there also appears to be other groups working towards the same goal but independently from each other. Perhaps my role is to help bridge the gap to get everyone working towards the same end point but as a consorted effort. There isn’t any financial gain in these projects so the need to share our ideas is obviously important, not to mention, less time spent on “reinventing the wheel” by teachers.
I have also been asked to be a part of a new tech committee headed by Stu Harris. As far as the fine details are concerned, I am still unclear but the goal is to work with developing the NETS and LoTi in some capacity for Saskatchewan schools. I believe we will try to figure out the essential objectives which support our new structural innovation initiative. I hope to join the committee to further my investigation of how we can incorporate technology effectively into the classroom and to collaborate with “masters” of the domain.
Lately, I feel so disorganized as I have many different and uncharted projects underway with little experience in any of them. I am attempting to immerse myself in technology and trying to find committees that can quench my desire to help incorporate technology in my schools but I feel that I may be spreading myself a little too thin to be effective in any one of them. Perhaps, everything being a new course in my teaching career, I guess this style of engagement just takes a little getting use to and besides, with the colleagues that I have around me, I am sure this can work out for all parties involved. Cross your fingers and toes for me please 🙂
I’ve been involved in the new middle year’s science curriculum and have creating my own resource wikis. I started with Space then created web resources based on the outcomes and indicators. I started while I still had drafts of the curriculum so I need to fine tune them plus I don’t have all of them finished. I love wikis because it’s so easy to add and edit content. I’m using my Space wiki now while I’m teaching the grade six Solar System unit: http://haultain-science.wikispaces.com/Space
and I’m messing with a grade 7 unit: http://haultain-science.wikispaces.com/Heat+%26+Temperature+Grade+7.
Maybe I’ll see you at the TELS meeting for the development of outcomes and indicators for RPS. I’m working with the middle years group. I like that we can take the outcomes and indicators that we develop and show teachers what that will look like. I want to create a living document like a wiki to provide teachers with links and examples so that it’s easier to incorporate technology where it may be appropriate to do so.
Hi Jeff,
I appreciate your comment about ‘reinventing the wheel’. In education, I often feel we do too much of this. When I was teaching as an itinerant teacher, I was the only person in the 4 rural schools I was involved with teaching the Career Development related classes. As a result, I found it difficult to network/share with other role-alike teachers without traveling great distances. I think with the opportunities technology presents in terms of sharing/collaboration, etc., it will become easier to communicate with one another and team up to create stronger lessons/units/etc. than it was before as we will not have to work in isolation.
Talk soon.
Vanessa
I am very glad to hear that there is a new group heading by Stu to address technology in schools. I was afraid that after LearningPlus ended that it was forgotten about. I also sensed “slight” frustration on Stu’s part because of this. I am glad to hear it’s back on track and would have loved to be part of the committee. If you ever need more teachers involved, please let me know.
Danielle I sent Stu your name and he said that he would be getting in touch with you but please do send him an email incase it slipped his mind, he is always looking for others to join his team.
All your projects sound very exciting and will hopefully be beneficial to many. I agree as well that we do not do enough sharing of ideas and resources. I am not sure why teachers are not used to that. We hang on to stuff and do not like other teachers to know what we are doing because it is often things we have always done and we are very territorial. I noticed some students working on a small assignment the other day and it prompted me to send the teacher a link she might be interested in. I also asked her to send me what she usually uses because it might be useful to me at some point as well. I think it is very beneficial professionally to put yourself out there just outside your comfort zone. I think we learn much more that way. Good luck with all of your projects and keep sharing what your learn.
Michelle
Thanks Michelle for echoing your support. I constantly shoot resources to everyone that I think they would benefit. I am constantly in search of engaging resources to show my students as the world of Chemistry can be invisible most times. I don’t get a lot in return but I find that the online networks I am forming make up for it.
A couple of years ago I was mentoring a teacher and found that they would always pop in right after last class and be talking about mindless stuff as they sorted through papers on my side desk (without asking)…no joke! I got to a point where I felt that this individual was obviously there to take what they could and I felt a little cheated by this. Unfortunately, I let a petty side get the best of me and would end up hiding my resources knowing they would be coming. At the time, I felt that he needed to earn some of his stripes as it took me years to produce the resources I had and besides, I would like to get some resources in return to spice my lessons up. Unfortunately, they have incorporated my lessons in a younger grade and has forced me to recreate assignments for my classes.
Since a year ago, I changed my outlook because, 1) I realize how difficult it is for beginner teachers to make a go of it and to balance work and play time. 2) I had to remember that I taught to better the students not to hoard resources and 3) as philosophical as it is…I believe in Karma.
As for the past year and a half, I don’t see my mentored colleague as often as I did the first year but when I do I make an attempt to ask them how they are doing, how teaching is going for them and all of the collegial things that colleagues should do. Today, I do find kids from other classes, in the hallways, using my resources and I feel good about that. I am fortunate to have realized why I entered this profession and I am excited to know that I can engage students in Chemistry even if I am not their teacher.
Thanks for your ear!