tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31351244992401080142024-03-05T03:01:49.777-08:00SpEd Learner's BlogSpEd Learnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14254010736004093459noreply@blogger.comBlogger37125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3135124499240108014.post-70533365799374795852015-10-31T16:06:00.002-07:002015-10-31T16:06:38.991-07:00#sparKtalK5 Solutions Sought What-so-what-now-what...Indeed. After an especially productive pro-d session with my Principal, <a href="https://twitter.com/SeanMcCartney61" target="_blank">Sean McCartney</a>, I reflected on the amazingly positive impact a collaborative partner can have on my own attempts to problem solve. Unfortunately, he's a busy guy and not always available. My program is a pilot: a multi age group of learners (7-13 years) in the annex of an elementary school, focusing on inquiry and hands-on learning opportunities in a highly personalized learning environment, sees me with a "schedule" that is different than that of the school we are situated at. As a result, we are almost always on our own; we have recess breaks on our own and lunch on our own and the peer group is very small. My school-based peer group is even smaller.<br />
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Following my pro-d morning where Sean and I tackled Learning Plans and reporting options, I am all the more aware of my lack of readily available collaborative opportunities. Unfortunately, I've got more than my fair share of new-program-problems to solve and am feeling a little desperate for collaboration opportunities. I've been sharing out through my #sparKtalK vlog posts trying to build a network with which to collaborate, but the momentum continues to be...non-existent. I am pushing through however, and am committed to my vlog through to the end of June with the hope that things pick up. As well, I will continue to pursue interactions with my PLN on Twitter and consult with professional and community contacts as that network continues to grow.<br />
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This week's "What"...Technology and limited resources. Have a watch (it's brief! honest!!) and please comment, questions, critique, chat, collaborate, or contribute in any way shape or form in the space below, via Twitter (@spedlearner) or via email: tross@sd61learn.
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/gDIIWh3FyD4" width="560"></iframe>SpEd Learnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14254010736004093459noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3135124499240108014.post-18503657067075733472015-10-31T14:14:00.001-07:002015-10-31T19:08:58.395-07:00Stuck on the other side of the world.Anxiety is a b*%#ch. Seriously. Many of us get anxious, but to have an anxiety disorder, to love and support someone with an anxiety disorder, is utterly exhausting (on both sides).<br />
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A few days ago our eldest son embarked on the trip of a lifetime. At 22 years of age, he has a trip to Cuba with classmates, a 3 week adventure in the UK with his brother, and 3 and a half months away from home on a ski leadership training course under his belt. Each one brought with it a unique set of anxiety symptoms. Each demanded support from us as parents that was far reaching and exhausting, but which we were more than willing to attempt to provide. And each experience has helped to further hone and develop our son's own skills and strategies for dealing with his anxiety.<br />
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The morning of his departure was met with a racing heart; I could feel it pounding through his chest as I hugged him; words of "I can't do this" spilled out of his mouth. For the first time ever, I suggested he take an Attivan. I felt terrible about offering it ("here, have some drugs"), but it was 4 a.m. and the time for departing was nearly upon us. It was impulsive on my part, but much to my surprise, yielded very positive results. The bulk of his travel day was manageable and he arrived to his destination with very few anxiety based obstacles.<br />
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He had the luck of being able to travel from Munich to the ski resort in Austria with his ski coach, but once he settled into his own room, he found himself stuck there. These last 72 hours have been filled with numerous video chats and phone calls to home. Requests to come home, tears, irrational fears and what-if's pour from his lips. Feeling as though we are in an entirely different universe, we try to talk him through these intense anxiety attacks--"breathe with me, come on you can do this...in-2-3-4 and out-2-3-4...let's slow it down, nice and slow...in-2-3-4 and out-2-3-4...slower now, there you go...you got this....keep breathing"--and on it goes.<br />
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Once out of that place of sheer panic, we work on perspective, replacing "what-if-negative-statements" with "what-if-positive-statements", reminding him of other times he has felt this way, when things felt unfamiliar and new, times which ended up leading him to some of the best experiences of his life. We remind him to see the familiar: "It's there if you are looking for it!"<br />
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There is only so much we can do from so far away. My heart aches for my boy--I am both so proud of him for continuing to try to overcome this debilitating anxiety and so pained for what he must endure as part of his experience. It is hard as a parent to see that this thing that was an obstacle and so misunderstood in my child as a toddler-school aged-and then young adult, is not really going away. While the panic and tears are no longer about the innocent and simple aspects of childhood: costumes of Halloween or a first job interview, they still show up for other, more adult based, events: world travel, finances, and, well, for all the other job interviews! <br />
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My husband and I recognize and acknowledge that our son has made great strides and we know he will continue to. As a teacher, I can always recognize which of my students would have been my own kid and it moves me in my connection with them. The qualities of a relationship with any young person struggling with anxiety: respect, compassion, understanding and empathy. I celebrate the baby steps, those almost undetectable signs of progress, as they happen. And it's okay if you could do it yesterday and you can't today. One day, all today's obstacles will, in hindsight, seem to be the easy stuff. It's the supported persistence, trusting your supports, and the ongoing honing, development and practicing of strategies and skills for kicking anxiety's butt that continues to be the hard part.<br />
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Tomorrow the ski week intensive starts, and I know with another good-night's sleep, the arrival of familiar faces, the addition of structure and regular, intensive physical exercise to his day, he is going to rise out of this. That's how I'm envisioning it at least. Breathe-in-2-3-4 and out-2-3-4.SpEd Learnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14254010736004093459noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3135124499240108014.post-78992335657165002022015-10-26T07:30:00.002-07:002015-10-26T07:30:18.143-07:00#sparKtalK5 Vlog: The Big RevealAh, delayed reflection reaps the
greatest reward, at least for me through this week's vlog post. I struggled with what
to do with my learners’ apparent lack of ability in the area of making
connections earlier this week. Of course, I was quick to interpret this as a
problem of <i>theirs</i> that <i>I </i>would need to support them with. However,
after taping my reflection, walking home from school, I considered this
whole connecting thing further. What did I do wrong? Why, after watching a video
they all seemed completely intrigued by, was it so difficult to draw out some connections?
What role did I play in this struggle?<br />
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Watch this week’s vlog post, beginning with my
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The big reveal. Here it is!<o:p></o:p></div>
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Thanks for watching! As usual, I’d love to hear back from
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SpEd Learnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14254010736004093459noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3135124499240108014.post-55559085383050413792015-10-17T16:20:00.000-07:002015-10-17T16:21:22.795-07:00#sparKtalK5 Vlog - Make Me a MakerSo, hands-on-collaborate-create-make-and-maybe-even-bake, seems like one big undertaking to me. I've done some reading, some viewing, and some consulting to try to figure out this whole maker movement thing. Inspired last year by <a href="https://twitter.com/smartinez" target="_blank">Sylvia Martinez</a>'s visit to our #tiegrad cohort (thank you to <a href="https://twitter.com/courosa" target="_blank">Alec Couros</a> for setting that up), I made sure this year's class supplies included a <a href="http://makeymakey.com/" target="_blank">MakeyMakey</a> and a <a href="https://www.raspberrypi.org/" target="_blank">Raspberry Pi</a>. I know very little about either, but it seems like a good starting point. We are barebones in terms of our SPARK Maker Space otherwise. Please view this week's #sparKtalK5 vlog to hear my what-so-what-now-what explanation!
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Comments, criticisms, questions, contributions, and any other forms of collaborative efforts are GREATLY appreciated! Please add your two cents worth below. SpEd Learnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14254010736004093459noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3135124499240108014.post-73497198450664819062015-10-10T18:33:00.004-07:002015-10-10T18:43:31.836-07:00#sparKtalK5 Vlog If you build it, they don't necessarily comeThanks for tuning in to this week's #sparKtalK5 vlog post. In attempting to reflect and collaborate, I'm learning it isn't enough to just share out a vlog each week. If I really want to build, nurture, and maintain meaningful professional and learning relationships in my PLN, I have to continue to connect in a variety of ways with my peers. I've been seeking collaborators to share in my journey, and a few show up here and there via blog comments, but I'm realizing it's only one means of generating discussion. Here's my #sparKtalK5 vlog on the topic:<br />
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Feeling more hopeful, I'll leave it at that for this week. So appreciative of the interactions that come my way. Leave a comment below! I promise I'll reply!...Keeping it real (and brief) via #sparKtalK5 .SpEd Learnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14254010736004093459noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3135124499240108014.post-92000326050554552192015-10-04T11:08:00.001-07:002015-10-17T17:35:22.583-07:00sparKtalK5 Vlog - Flexibility on the Spot<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This week, the learners I worked with pushed me to be more flexible. It really got me wondering if there are times/situations where we can't really afford the flexibility our learners need. I want to believe no, but I also know that logistically, I'm one person, trying to support a number of different learners at very different places in their learning. Please comment and share with me how you handle student tangents in learning, learners moving in a different direction, and other opportunities for practicing flexibility.<br />
In the example I share, my goal was have learners create an artistic image that uses line and colour to communicate the mood and theme of fall. Pre-activity, we all looked at the same work sample, discussed the connection to our Autumn theme, and the creative process we would be exploring. Sharing the experience, we all sat around one big table together, and a natural evolution of creation occurred; learners began to make suggestions to each other (leaf drawing strategies, ways to add texture through rubbing, and how to shade the leaf as opposed to "colouring" it, for example). One learner went in a completely different direction (see photo above).<br />
I'm working really hard to support and respect learner differences (be that in their understanding of directions, their own desire to do something different, or simply where they are "at" in their learning) and a big part of that is being flexible. Reflecting also allows me to consider what my role might have been, if any, in influencing the learner's diverted path.<br />
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I am feeling a little lonely in my program and my attempts to pursue personalized learning and inquiry in a multi-age (7-13 years) environment. <i>Any</i> comments, questions, advice, constructive criticism, feedback, or words of wisdom are <i>greatly</i> appreciated!! (Does that sound too desperate??)<br />
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Thanks for watching and please subscribe!<br />
<br />SpEd Learnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14254010736004093459noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3135124499240108014.post-11649224905733096662015-09-27T21:32:00.003-07:002015-09-27T21:32:49.704-07:00#sparKtalK5 Tackling OverwhelmAn sparKtalK5 vlog post to share; I wish it was an update on Learning Plans, but alas, it is not. Just tackling my looming overwhelm this week. Really appreciate the support I've been getting both via this blog and via text/email from friends who are teachers. Please keep it coming as it really does help!<br />
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And, just to be clear, the tears were indeed my own and I did, in fact, recover before students arrived. Boo-hoo-ing at work is really not something that happens for me, so this was a big deal. Onward!SpEd Learnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14254010736004093459noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3135124499240108014.post-4842240509391374292015-09-21T15:44:00.001-07:002015-09-21T15:44:49.363-07:00sparKtalK5Incidental learning embraced me these last couple of weeks. At times, it's squeezed me so hard, it's taken my breath away. Or maybe that has just been my anxiety creeping in. This new venture has me overwhelmed.<br />
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First things first: my vlog has required a name change. I may have mentioned that certain tech doesn't like formatting the "<" symbol. I have learned that there are ways around this, but to keep it simple, I'm just going to re-brand. It's still early, right? So, out with the old ("talk<5") and in with the new... new name, new hashtag, but same location:<br />
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I hope my vlog posts will spark your interest, start conversation, and help me to build a community of connected learners. I'm jumping in the deep end this fall, definitely feeling in WAY over my head, as I try to navigate, support, and nurture a personalized learning environment with the learners in my (new-to-me) multi-age classroom. All ideas, suggestions, questions, comments, feedback, and recommendations are greatly appreciated.<br />
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I have so many questions and it's been challenging to even prioritize them--how to set up our space, how to connect learners in 5 different grades to the curriculum, how to assess and track learning, and how to use the GAFE tools available to me. Then there's FreshGrade and Khan Academy. Our days have been full of hands-on, interactive and collaborative learning activities as we try to establish ourselves as a community of learners, build trust, and get to know one another. However, I know we need to start dipping our toes in to the pool of inquiry and personalization. Where to even start??<br />
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Here is this weekend's post (video'd a week ago) outlining my "what-so what-now what" for the week. <br />
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So, there's this Master's project I'm working on and it's kind of timely because I just started a brand-new position in my school district. First things first: the position. I'm teaching in an alternative education program that brings together students in grades 3-8 who are looking for an alternative to the regular school format. It's meant to be a flexible learning environment where learners can focus on passion driven curriculum that encompasses an inquiry approach. </div>
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Coming from a SpEd background, I'm diving in to this having very limited exposure to inquiry learning, multi-age groupings, and personalized learning, never mind the fact that I haven't had my own full group of kids--a "class" as it's commonly known--in a very long time. I'm feeling like I'm going to need a lot of help. I'm calling on my personal learning network and professional peers to please support me and allow me access to your expertise, ideas and experiences as I move through this educational journey.</div>
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I'm going to be posting (at the very least) weekly vlog posts to share out my "What" (as in what's been going on), "So What" (what I need, what I want, what I don't know, what I need help with, etc), and "Now What" (my action plan if I've been able to formulate one, but the "now what" may need to come through the collaborative cycle). What I need from others is your comments, your thoughts, your ideas, your experiences, your questions, your sharing, your suggestions, your CONTRIBUTIONS to my blog. I want to engage with you and learn with you/from you. Please tune in, follow the #talk<5 on Twitter (and me, @spedlearner) while I bravely soldier ahead in what feels like a very scary venture.<br />
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SpEd Learnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14254010736004093459noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3135124499240108014.post-89164005380850325652015-04-08T19:54:00.001-07:002015-04-09T11:43:38.446-07:00"I'm All Over the Map" - My Summary of Learning for EDCI 569: In Pursuit of Joyful Discomfort<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"> As our EDCI 569 course, The Distributed, Blended, & Open Classroom, comes to an end and I looked back as I attempted to summarize my learning, I was (yet again) overwhelmed. With each guest speaker and every key word that surfaced, it seemed as though I could make endless connections. Overwhelm was a theme for me throughout this course. Trying to sort the various half-thoughts and bits of pieces floating through my brain was beyond challenging, but somehow, I managed. I have to thank <a href="https://twitter.com/courosa">Alec Couros</a> for providing us with such an amazingly rich experience and my cohort for always somehow being able to bump me back onto the "right" path, or at least the path that made the writing, creating and sharing just that much easier.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"> I chose to use Prezi as my tool of choice for this Summary of Learning. It's my first go at Prezi; I felt I needed to use it as I was beginning to feel almost hypocritical for the number of times I have nudged students and my own children towards it. I've frequently seen it used to create impressive visual presentations, so I figured that was a plus as well. This particular template, implying a world-map of sorts, was particularly fitting for me because I have felt like my thinking has been, indeed, all over the map. I've reached the point that I have to stop editing--enough is enough--because each time I look at it, I make another connection or realize something else I have learned. I don't expect anyone to click on every link or view every video; linger where you like, and zoom on through where you need to (just click on the link).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Here is the video I created as something to include in my prezi; it was the 11th hour and just when I thought I had finished, Youtube indicated there was an error. I thought I had lost it, so I abandoned it altogether, only to discover it in my youtube account this morning. Go figure!</span></div>
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</span>SpEd Learnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14254010736004093459noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3135124499240108014.post-47434827541099086082015-04-06T13:09:00.003-07:002015-04-06T13:09:22.958-07:00#tieyoga #LearningProject Summarized<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"> A vlog post to summarize my #tieyoga #LearningProject for #EDCI569. I had many insightful moments in my yoga practice these last few months and benefitted from increased flexibility that extended beyond my hamstrings and hips. The learning connections were, for me, overwhelming at times, as I realized the potential impact community can have on a learner. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"> On a positive note, I succeeded in uploading iMovie from my iPad to Youtube this time around. My first vlogging attempt saw me having to jump from iMovie over to Explain Everything due to (my own) learning obstacles. I'm proud of my willingness to tackle iMovie again and gave a little mental shout-out to myself after successfully uploading it to Youtube. Sometimes we are so deeply immersed in a perceived challenge that we are unable to see the simple solution, as was the case for me with that first vlogging effort!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"> I'm still working on saying less with more, so apologies for the length of the video. It's a skill that is far reaching for me and my progress is, apparently, slow, but I hope to get there sooner than later. In the meantime, thanks for your patience and ongoing encouragement. </span><br />
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SpEd Learnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14254010736004093459noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3135124499240108014.post-71779291164626872282015-04-05T10:28:00.000-07:002015-04-05T11:36:25.783-07:00Measuring Up My #tieyoga Practice Sites<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"> I've attempted a "different" way of blogging this go around. Thanks to <a href="https://twitter.com/Mr_Lister">Christopher Lister</a> for being the first in our #tiegrad cohort to post using <a href="https://www.thinglink.com/">Thinglink</a>; overall I'm happy with my experience using this new-to-me tool. I worked very hard to try to find a way to embed my soundcloud audio clips so that if you clicked on one it would just play, rather than take you to the soundcloud site. Needless to say I was not successful with this. If this is indeed achievable, and someone does know how to make that work, I'd love to hear from you!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"> Otherwise, these <a href="http://piktochart.com/">Piktochart</a> visuals offer up a summary of my assessment of my various online yoga resources. Please don't feel the need to listen to every single link (unless you're considering taking up yoga online!), but pick and choose to get the gist of what I liked or didn't like about my online yoga sites.</span><br />
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<img class="alwaysThinglink" src="//cdn.thinglink.me/api/image/641315925471002626/1024/10/scaletowidth#tl-641315925471002626;1043138249'" style="max-width: 100%;" /><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//cdn.thinglink.me/jse/embed.js"></script>
<img class="alwaysThinglink" src="//cdn.thinglink.me/api/image/641313786321436674/1024/10/scaletowidth#tl-641313786321436674;1043138249'" style="max-width: 100%;" /><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//cdn.thinglink.me/jse/embed.js"></script>
<img class="alwaysThinglink" src="//cdn.thinglink.me/api/image/641313989623545858/1024/10/scaletowidth#tl-641313989623545858;1043138249'" style="max-width: 100%;" /><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//cdn.thinglink.me/jse/embed.js"></script>
<img class="alwaysThinglink" src="//cdn.thinglink.me/api/image/641335164177219586/1024/10/scaletowidth#tl-641335164177219586;1043138249'" style="max-width: 100%;" /><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//cdn.thinglink.me/jse/embed.js"></script>
<img class="alwaysThinglink" src="//cdn.thinglink.me/api/image/641341069157466114/1024/10/scaletowidth#tl-641341069157466114;1043138249'" style="max-width: 100%;" /><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//cdn.thinglink.me/jse/embed.js"></script><br />
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<span style="background-color: #073763; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">Namaste</span></div>
SpEd Learnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14254010736004093459noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3135124499240108014.post-13489505551923044482015-04-03T11:47:00.000-07:002015-04-04T12:02:42.075-07:00Rediscovering Grace Under Pressure, with thanks to Dave Cormier<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #783f04; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"> What? No curriculum? When <a href="https://twitter.com/davecormier">Dave Cormier</a> explained to our #tiegrad
cohort that he teaches his university course(s) without a true curriculum my
initial reaction was, “You can do that?!” In the days that followed the Cormier
Session, I kept revisiting this detail. How does it
work? How could it work? How would students react? What would their
parents say? How would my peers respond? </span><i style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">¡Ay! Caramba!</i></div>
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<span style="color: #783f04; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"> This particular blog post has been overwhelming for me to
tackle, as there have been so many aspects and significant moments of the
Cormier Session that resonated with me. I've actually had to force myself to keep coming back to this post, as
the overwhelm gradually began to evolve into avoidance. There were big ideas
shared in this session, and by big, I’m talking transformative big,
mover-shaker big, B-I-G Big. Finally,
after an encouraging post by <a href="https://twitter.com/MelodyLWatson">Melody Watson</a> and brief exchanges with <a href="https://twitter.com/trev_mackenzie">Trevor MacKenzie</a>,
I decided my strategy would be to hang on to just one of Dave’s many inspiring
comments, process it, reflect on it, and elaborate on my very many mullings and
musings. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmvv7yvc30477kIXWkSiGEdPWq9q8WPQvwle0iajKtVgtuHM2gJs9lROMpdDj4nU96p-EXEpFHZzRULDHtMwCnetPPBsLyizEoVqc1oQDhmGouXQI-z2RlKgXbLipt2n6gtr_fk0XtiemN/s1600/2013-11-16+10.15.51.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmvv7yvc30477kIXWkSiGEdPWq9q8WPQvwle0iajKtVgtuHM2gJs9lROMpdDj4nU96p-EXEpFHZzRULDHtMwCnetPPBsLyizEoVqc1oQDhmGouXQI-z2RlKgXbLipt2n6gtr_fk0XtiemN/s1600/2013-11-16+10.15.51.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a><span style="color: #783f04; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"> Since our session, my thoughts have turned to the many times
over the years that, as a parent, I would exclaim to my husband, “Don’t these
teachers ever TALK to each other?!!”, as I watched one of our four kids crumple
under the stress of multiple project and papers all with (fairly inflexible)
due dates. To make matters all the more
frustrating, these projects and papers usually had widespread potential for
overlap. From the teacher perspective, I
wonder why we are so reluctant, as a collective group, to encourage students to
reuse, resubmit, or “double-dip” their efforts for different courses. As an example, in his grade 11 year my own
son had to write several Social Studies papers,
create a major project for his Integrated Studies course, and write multiple
English essays. This would seem a
fantastic opportunity for the 3 teachers at the helm to work together, offer up
one (or several) shared project(s) for the learners that could support meeting learning
outcomes in all three courses. Why don’t we model working smarter, not harder
and support, heck, <i>require </i>kids to do
the same?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #783f04; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"> As kids move through the different levels of school—elementary,
middle/junior, and secondary—the lines between subject areas become more fast
and firm; the opportunities to develop
their creative talents and their problem solving and communication skills
become more prescribed (possibly even less valued if we consider shifts
away from “play” and “making”). There
can be a lot of hoop jumping for kids in the middle and secondary years and
they know this. What is the value of curriculum if we can’t deliver it without
redundancy? Recently, for example, I
have been witness to a Gifted learner (not that that should even matter), basically
avoiding or, perhaps refusing, to submit his Math homework packages, yet completing
each unit test with sound results (90-95%-ish). Typically he would complete the
homework packages just enough to “get it” and then cease working on them. His teacher demanded that he go back and complete
all of the packages, work that counts for “completion” marks only. Why? The response: “I can’t give him special treatment.” This mentality has to change. Each learner is
an individual, with distinct needs and strengths, unique circumstances, and a
very personal learning profile. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #783f04; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> We shouldn't be treating all students in any given class the same. Dave Cormier said, “What you can assess is how hard they are working and how far they have come.” A highly capable student, such as the gifted learner in the example above, would be considered to have made minimal effort and, quite possibly, demonstrated minimal growth, even though he has mastered the concepts and skills. Another student in the same class, for whom Math is very challenging, may have demonstrated significant learning and effort. Wouldn't it be awesome to offer all learners the opportunity to access learning at their instructional level so working hard was an authentic process and subsequent growth was inevitable? </span><span style="color: #783f04; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> </span></div>
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<span style="color: #783f04; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"> I often tell my own children the rules in our family are potentially
different for each of them. For example, a curfew of 11 pm may be needed for the one
who never texts to tell us where he is or frequently misses the last bus
home, while another may not need a curfew at all as a result of his “by the
book” approach to most aspects of his life. The
idea of integrating coursework and even subject areas in middle and high school
is, of course, daunting to many educators who have never done it this way. <span style="line-height: 115%;">Cormier
encourages us to create opportunities for students to be creative, learners who
can deal with an uncertain world and a capricious life. Why would we ask them
to show us (in a homework package, for example) what </span><span style="line-height: 18.3999996185303px;">they've</span><span style="line-height: 115%;"> already
demonstrated (in a unit test)? </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #783f04; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"> In her
blog post on the Cormier Session, <a href="https://twitter.com/MelodyLWatson">Melody Watson</a> says, “Life is messy and full
of uncertainty. Learning needs to be messy too…I think we need to get more
comfortable with letting kids struggle.”
I would take this a step further to say that, as educators, we need to
be personally modelling this willingness to get our hands dirty, make mistakes,
and struggle to our learners. <a href="https://twitter.com/gcouros">GeorgeCouros</a>, in his recent blog post, <a href="http://georgecouros.ca/blog/archives/5152">3 Important Shifts in Education</a>, says: “Listening
to students is not enough; we must bring them into the change process”. Along
these lines, Dave Cormier, shared his curriculum-free syllabus with us; in
looking at this document, I am reminded of the importance and value in inviting
encouraging, or requiring students to participate in their learning plan, to
support their excitement, curiosity, interest and desire to learn.</span><span style="line-height: 115%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 115%;">In thinking about a curriculum free approach, I have to tell myself, “You don’t need to throw out the entire
curriculum today, but find a spot where you can break down the walls a little
bit,” which helps the subtle anxiety to dissipate.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #783f04; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9us8CCE_qVOwbEVKVKKABKN9PbJyceGBn1TpjUGzifW-TkHVY8iRuaD3r1bMZJzhK4TLtNnUZFSC4gO3nHfCpfj3p-pm2gLZBLNDz0pAcTiHjPEokQ7ubpe5zB-0MzQZfNBpF_CoZ1kAh/s1600/2014-04-10+15.09.01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9us8CCE_qVOwbEVKVKKABKN9PbJyceGBn1TpjUGzifW-TkHVY8iRuaD3r1bMZJzhK4TLtNnUZFSC4gO3nHfCpfj3p-pm2gLZBLNDz0pAcTiHjPEokQ7ubpe5zB-0MzQZfNBpF_CoZ1kAh/s1600/2014-04-10+15.09.01.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: #783f04; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"> In my years as a rower, one of my coaches relied on idiomatic language and cliches to carry many of his inspirational pre-race chats with our crew. He regularly referred to the dangers of “reckless
abandon”—so much energy spent and so little to show for it—and emphasized the importance
of being able to go all out with control; he used the term, “grace under
pressure”. In my #tieyoga videos, one
yogi refers to this same idea as “joyful discomfort”.
I often think of these phrases in the context of education and shifting teaching
practices. We need to be able to support learners to be able to
experience the messiness of learning, the pressure or discomfort of it, with support garnered from elements of structure and guidance, ultimately yielding the "grace" or joy we want for all learners, ourselves included. Similar to my rowing experiences, part of mastering “grace under pressure” requires occasionally
embracing “reckless abandon”. To be able to push ourselves and our
boundaries as learners (teacher-learner or student-learner), we need to know
where the edge is and occasionally fall off of it. If we want learners to find
their “flow”, the sweet spot or spark, they need to know where their near
misses take them. Confidence in our abilities is gained through these experiences and in knowing there are some parameters that will help us make our way back on course.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #783f04; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"> My Cormier Session take-away is something that I actually already knew, but </span><span style="line-height: 18.3999996185303px;">didn't</span><span style="line-height: 115%;"> fully recognize as relevant to education. Dave reminded
me to be brave and bold, the importance of letting go. I learned as an elite athlete that If I'm not able to let go, I won't ever reach my maximum potential; further, as we grow, our maximum potential continues to change and expand. Our #tiegrad session with Dave made me realize that "grace under pressure" holds true, regardless of the context. Even if it’s what feels like the smallest change to my
practice, I need to keep pushing. A
prescribed curriculum leaves little room for getting messy, be it gracefully or
recklessly. Ticking the boxes and jumping through hoops seems to be producing learners (and, perhaps, teachers) who are
uncomfortable taking risks and who just want to be told what to do, if they
haven’t already checked out altogether. The Cormier Session helped me to extend an aspect of my own value system to my approach to learning and teaching; I want to walk the talk, toe the line, and approach each day as
an educator seeking joyful discomfort and exuding grace under pressure. I hope, through sharing my process and allowing peers and learners to observe me in the occasional state of reckless abandon, I can inspire others to do the same.</span></span></div>
SpEd Learnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14254010736004093459noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3135124499240108014.post-23518075105153494222015-03-29T19:00:00.000-07:002015-03-30T12:31:58.216-07:00The #tiefit perspective I've really enjoyed my participation in the #tiefit group this winter. As many of you are aware (because I say it every time I share on this topic), it's #notmylearningproject, but my activity in the group has enabled me to make so many valuable connections in my real #learningproject, #tieyoga.<br />
One of the things I really enjoyed about getting out and getting active as part of this group was just having the time outdoors; forcing myself out had such a positive impact on my energy and my emotional well being. I frequently paused on my walks to take pictures of the many views I enjoyed, along with the occasional selfie, knowing that building my image library would be considered resourceful by some (including this digital citizen right here).<br />
Today as I was looking through the photos, I wondered how I might use them, and decided to throw together a little video. I've used Youtube's video editor several times now, and I keep going back to it. After playing on Vimeo a bit, trying iMovie and having had experience with iMovie Trailer, I find myself defaulting to #videoeditor. I've also experimented with Explain Everything with success--and I can see that I have so much left to learn with Explain Everything, having barely scratched the surface. For today's purpose and my looming deadlines, however, Youtube's video editor is the answer. I appreciate its simplicity and accessibility. Some would argue it's too simple, with limited options around sound editing and image editing, but sometimes less is better. I already spend far too long on my blog posts and I could spend days editing photos and videos; the limitations, as it turns out, are a good thing.<br />
I realize the video falls to this side of corny, but the message is authentic--I appreciated stopping to smell the roses these last three months; I am the first to say I don't do it nearly enough. I could have also created a video to evidence the many impressive neighbourly connections I made on my walks--it seemed I regularly bumped into old friends, long lost soccer parents, and my kids' friends. Extending beyond the familiar faces, however, I became very cognizant of the benefit of just connecting with people--saying hello to fellow dog owners, commenting to a passerby about the beautiful day, or laughing about a seal popping up and back under the water. No matter what my emotional or physical state of affairs was when I stepped out the door, I <i>never </i>returned home cranky.<br />
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Ultimately, #tiefit has energized me these last many weeks and made me easier to live with. I am looking forward to continued steps and benefits in the months to come. I hope you enjoy my little video. Step on #tiefit peeps!SpEd Learnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14254010736004093459noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3135124499240108014.post-77660360980813425262015-03-29T09:38:00.001-07:002015-03-29T09:38:16.123-07:00Bending Gender, Ramblings Inspired by Audrey Watters<div class="MsoNormal">
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"> Last class I entered our EDCI 569 online session a little
late, having just returned home from our 3 day surf trip to Ucluelet &
Tofino. We had the privilege of a session with guest speaker, <a href="https://twitter.com/audreywatters">Audrey Watters</a>,
who spoke to gender inequality in the world of tech. As I was late, it was hard
to bring myself up to speed in the moment, to be able to really catch the scope
of what was being discussed. What I did hear got me thinking, though, and while
in many ways we have “come a long way, baby”, it still can seem very much “a
man’s world”.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"> It was interesting to listen to the discussion, as it evolved, particularly as it moved into the idea of gender identity, briefly
touching on nature vs nurture. Living with 5 men, it may surprise people to
learn that I rarely feel outnumbered. While I can claim to know boys and know them
well, I would also say that 75% of the male energy in my household is
surprisingly soft and sensitive--not so stereotypically boy. Our boys have been (& continue to be)
raised similarly and while our home has been filled with numerous trucks and diggers
and many things-blue (literally) over the years, we have very much embraced each child as an individual, celebrating whatever interests and talents emerged. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"> As a
stay at home mom, my boys identified with me. They helped me bake, they wore
aprons, played house, tried to make their hair go into “ponies” and pushed their bangs back
with “clips”. My two eldest went through a stage where they regularly put on my
maternity tops and wore them as dresses, adorning themselves with many pieces of old costume jewelry supplied by Grandma. We never discouraged any of this; in
fact, both my husband and I thought it was pretty adorable. </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Unfortunately, I learned that not everyone felt as we did.
At a family dinner, one of my boys’ uncles made loud exclamations aimed at our
eldest, about 4 at the time, who arrived sporting one of my hairbands in his
hair. When I think back on this it still perplexes me--it was hard
for me to see a family member poke fun at my son and ask him if he wanted to be
a girl. Unfortunately, this was not the last time we were on the receiving end
of such gender-biased statements. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> Our boys went on to try their hands at
many different activities, ranging from the boy-acceptable soccer and lacrosse
to the less acceptable activities of Irish dance for one and 8 years of ballet and modern dance for
another. Along the way, we were met with many raised eyebrows and comments
cloaked in sardonic humour. However, for every comment that held muddy, negative undertones, there were many more that landed in the sunny fields of positivity. These boys are now
young men, ranging in age from 15-21 and they are very confident in who they
are and truly accepting and supportive of all aspects of individual identity and
self-expression in others. As a family, we not only survived hurtful words and scowls of judgement, we flourished in hope, tolerance and understanding. In my opinion, issues centered on gender biases, in North America at least, are as much about values, as it is about individual interests, skills, abilities, strengths, and wiring.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"> Boys and girls, men and women, males and females, and everything in between: we are
mostly different, as well as very much the same. Gender, we are learning, is not, never has been, and never will
be, a simple thing. As far as we have come in the way of equal opportunities and
blurring the lines of sexual stereotypes, we continue to live with an imbalance
of power between the sexes. That
imbalance of power continues to shift and change, just as our world, in so many respects, also continues to evolve, and manifest or resurface in new, and sometimes surprising, ways. I regularly find myself continuing to believe we have come so far, only to be disappointed by various news events that pop up in my Twitter feed. Just this week I stumbled upon a link to a <a href="http://globalnews.ca/video/1907005/news-hour-plus-kristi-gordon-deals-with-a-hater">Global news video</a> where meteorologist, <a href="https://twitter.com/KGordonGlobalBC">Kristi Gordon</a>, personally shared messages she had received (both electronically and through the mail) criticizing her appearance and her choice in clothing. If that's not bad enough, the "hate mail" somehow takes hurtful to a whole new level in that the writers are attacking a woman who is visibly pregnant. We don't know the gender of the "haters", and I don't think it is fair to assume them to be one sex or the other, and perhaps this point adds another layer to the complexity of gender issues; while there may be a highly visible imbalance of power that still exists between men and women today, the passing of judgement, the inequitable opportunities and voicing of sexually biased criticism is certainly not <i>limited</i> to one sex over the other. Further, actions rooted in gender inequity are no longer limited to a simple division <i>between</i> men and women. We have learned that gender is not strictly blue or pink, but in fact reaches across many hues, none of which comes with a set standard of behaviours or interests. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"> Social media, with
its capability for immediacy and anonymity, allows those people who are inclined to </span><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">cowardly throw their darts of criticism and judgement. </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">On the flip side, however, it also provides a platform
for empowering the victims/targets of such unfounded criticism, such as Kristi Gordon, and their many supporters, to speak out against the ignorance and narrow mindedness that keep resurfacing through our many decades of progress.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> I would love to believe that we are close to resolving issues in gender bias and imbalances in power, but I don't know if that moment will ever fully arrive. Continuing to strive towards the ideal of recognizing each individual as unique with his/her own set of skills and strengths, and practicing tolerance and acceptance as a society certainly helps us move in the right direction. Navigating gender, however, is not always a route that is easily mapped out, and as our world maintains its speedy rate of change, we never know what challenges we may be facing around the corner. </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Advances in technology have connected us on a global level and we now have greater insight into the sexual discrepancies that exist both locally and in the various nooks and crannies around the world. It’s crucial that we continue to scrutinize and speak out against such imbalances in power, whether founded in a web-based and anonymous context or a real-world, real-time face to face one. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> We have come a long way, indeed; I'm not sure if it's entirely a man's world, but it's certainly a muddy one with a lot of room for improvement. Thanks Audrey Watters for inspiring some heavy thinking and reflecting in my old brain.</span></div>
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SpEd Learnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14254010736004093459noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3135124499240108014.post-34378735474507074572015-03-28T17:15:00.001-07:002015-03-28T17:15:11.493-07:00Why So Stressed?<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 18.0pt; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqOPuqvHNEVK_fYhHS16vot7F_EW6jxNnaKsHZcBoW78qSBTzHtfFqw71bkdDf-qH4r7PzRii4RZPxmMYIXhPRDgRzd2wmTo_GPWUsxhzVKr8oVRwwbgP4V5_c2AuFkLvgvV07c3bOSN0K/s1600/2013-11-14+10.37.25.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqOPuqvHNEVK_fYhHS16vot7F_EW6jxNnaKsHZcBoW78qSBTzHtfFqw71bkdDf-qH4r7PzRii4RZPxmMYIXhPRDgRzd2wmTo_GPWUsxhzVKr8oVRwwbgP4V5_c2AuFkLvgvV07c3bOSN0K/s1600/2013-11-14+10.37.25.jpg" height="400" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #222222; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #222222; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"> A couple of weeks
ago, as our EDCI 569 class came to a close, our instructor Alec Courosa
commented on our low energy and wondered aloud why we were all so
stressed. An awkward silence ensued. </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPUpKxgPMCtFufepaZ8X26qyhkpJGhAd2uZ3U8RVlNEW-Z-8YtiCoSMzOj2NyOtkk90iWyZw0HarxRPAHCMglr3o6GUw25IbQPy4Jxh0FawQIPLp869CdmEM9b7gO-r7XHKMNaV3JEYolV/s1600/2014-06-20+05.36.00.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPUpKxgPMCtFufepaZ8X26qyhkpJGhAd2uZ3U8RVlNEW-Z-8YtiCoSMzOj2NyOtkk90iWyZw0HarxRPAHCMglr3o6GUw25IbQPy4Jxh0FawQIPLp869CdmEM9b7gO-r7XHKMNaV3JEYolV/s1600/2014-06-20+05.36.00.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">6 a.m. picket shift Jun 2014</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"> As a cohort-we have all seen the
stress levels of our group rise and fall over the course of this winter. Between
us there have been births, deaths, floods, financial hardship (helllloooo Teacher Strike of 2014), injuries, illness, full time work, full time parenting, full
time domestic drudgery, to name just a few of our sources of stress! </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">When Alec asked, "What's
everyone so stressed about?" after our session with Audrey, I was
intrigued by the silence. </span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I found it a little bit funny that none of us really jumped at the chance to explain our stress in any sort of specific detail. We might expect similar silence amongst our tenth graders, but it was a little surprising within the safety net of our cohort!</span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I could <i>almost</i> hear us all responding simultaneously in our heads,
"<i>What's everyone so stressed about?...<b>everything!</b></i>". It's been a long, tough winter.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"> Even though we didn't delve into our own personal sources of stress when Alec asked, we can all pat ourselves on the back in acknowledgement of our adoption of some very good
coping strategies over the last year and a half. We have reached out to each other through one off messages, spontaneously arranged small group meetings, and scheduled gatherings of study groups via platforms such as Twitter, Google+, GHO's, Bluejeans, and Facetime, as
well as face-to-face when our lives and geography allowed it. We are a strong network of support for each other and
it has made all the difference. Whether it comes as a cheer or a taunt, the realization
that worries are shared or far removed from one another, we have been there for each other. Our
sense of community is </span><span style="line-height: 15.3333320617676px;">unshakable</span><span style="line-height: 115%;">. Individually</span></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">, or as a (virtual) group, we have
practiced meditation strategies, structured breathing exercises, and physical
exercise to manage our stress. We name it, calling it what it is: stress,
anxiety, overwhelm and we do our best to move on from there. Our
instructors, while not quite in the thick of it, demonstrate their support through their quick responses, words of encouragement,directing (or redirecting) to resources, and the offering of a different
perspective, option or alternative, as they are able to.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 18.0pt; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm;">
<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"> Reflecting on this, I wondered how we
monitor the waves of stress within the walls of our own school communities, be
it the stress of our students or of our colleagues (or both). I often
consider how amazing it would be to be part of a staff that was made up of our #tiegrad cohort members; I consider what I can do from my end to nurture this same level of
trust, openness, and support that we have established with one another, in my own school environment to positively impact my own relationships with staff members. </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Further, I would like to know how we can extend what we have developed in our virtual classroom to our own students. </span></span><br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i><span style="color: #444444;">What
do you see as integral to establishing healthy school culture at the staff or
student level? And how do you go about it?</span></i></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i><span style="color: #444444;">How do you monitor your own students' stress levels? And how do you respond?</span></i></span></li>
</ul>
<br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> As educators, I feel many of us pay significant attention to the
importance of knowing our students and building relationships with them, but I
think we often overlook the importance of our relationships with our peers
within our schools and how healthy relationships at the staff level might just
trickle down to encourage healthy relationships between students, ultimately
impacting whole school culture. I have reflected frequently this semester,
especially in my readings for my lit review, on the idea that what we do at the
staff level impacts the social tone, interactions and learning of our students.</span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Working so closely with so many students burdened with mental health challenges, I recognize that many of them fall through the cracks.</span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> </span></span><br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><i style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="color: #444444;">What can we do better or differently to acknowledge and support the quiet, introverted learner who is not easily recognized as a ball of stress and worry?</span></i></li>
</ul>
</div>
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<span style="color: #444444;"> <span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"> I recently read and tweeted out a link to this article, <a href="http://www.heysigmund.com/anxiety-in-kids/"><i>Anxiety in Kids: How to Turn it Around and Protect Them For Life</i></a>, by <a href="http://www.heysigmund.com/">heysigmund</a>, that recommended adults respond to kids who are struggling through anxiety with these strategies:</span></span><br />
<br />
<ol>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="color: #444444;">Don't talk them out of it--basically acknowledge it.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="color: #444444;">Normalise it.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="color: #444444;">Explain why anxiety feels like it does.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="color: #444444;">Explain how common anxiety is in kids and adults.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="color: #444444;">Give it a name.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="color: #444444;">Now get them into a position.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="color: #444444;">And breathe.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="color: #444444;">Practice mindfulness.</span></span></li>
</ol>
<br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"> The actual article explains and elaborates on the various strategies; I was struck, quite frankly, with our #tiegrad group's grasp on our own anxiety, both within ourselves and in our responses to each other. As I lamented one day to a small group of my #tiegrad peeps about my state of overwhelm, <a href="https://twitter.com/MelodyLWatson">Melody Watson</a> reminded me to break down the task at hand, which enabled me to gain the perspective I needed to move forward. She basically "got me into a position"; it may not have focused on breath, as the article describes, but the effect was the same and it was what I needed. My husband commented afterwards that he has heard me give the same advice to our children when they are "stuck", no longer moving forward, in their own school work. His comment hung in my head for a bit and I realized the significance of it. As educated adults, our brains know, theoretically, what to do to deal with stress; we are well-versed in stress and the impact anxiety has on our learners, yet my own innate stress-based response impeded my ability to access the good strategies to deal with it. What I did do, however, was share the fact that I was overwhelmed. </span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Unlike many of us, our young learners often aren't able to effectively communicate their feelings of stress or anxiety, so I ask again: </span><br />
<ul>
<li><i style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="color: #444444;">What can we do better or differently to acknowledge and support the quiet, introverted learner who is not easily recognized as a ball of stress and worry?</span></i></li>
</ul>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"> For us in #tiegrad, we can be thankful for each other, thankful for the safe PLC that has been established over time through so many meaningful opportunities to share, goof up, recover and learn. For me, personally, I am grateful for Melody Watson and, oh, so very appreciative of my #tiegrad PLC.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
SpEd Learnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14254010736004093459noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3135124499240108014.post-55583014539667670242015-03-19T15:19:00.002-07:002015-03-19T15:19:18.903-07:00A remix of Chapter 17: Action Research (Creswell)<h3>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"> I decided to summarize Chapter 17, “Action Research”, in
John W. Creswell’s book, <i>Educational
Research</i>, because I knew it would help me to get a firmer grasp on the
content as well as act as a quick reference for me down the road, should I need
it. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Action Research can be defined as a systematic method for
collecting data in an educational environment, that is either quantitative,
qualitative, or both. This research method's outcome provides information and
enables improvements in learning, teaching, and/or the learning environment.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"> Action research is
used when there is an identified concern or targeted issue that needs to be
improved, resolved or changed. Action research encourages educators to act on a
problem by providing an opportunity to actively learn more about the issue and
work towards a resolution of change or improvement.</span></div>
<h4>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></h4>
<h4>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">3 stages of development of action research</span></h4>
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<li><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; text-indent: -18pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; text-indent: -18pt;">identification of a process</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; text-indent: -18pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; text-indent: -18pt;">involve participants</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; text-indent: -18pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; text-indent: -18pt;">the group assumes responsibility for making
change for resolving an issue</span></li>
</ul>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"> This chapter explains that, historically, group discussions
were identified as a possible way to improve social conditions by social
psychologist Kurt Lewin in the 1930's & 40's. There were four steps in the group
process: planning, acting, observing, and
reflecting. Action research as a process
slowed in the 1950's, but re-emerged in the 1970's and is now recognized as a
significant factor in educational reform, professional development, and
shifting practice. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<h4>
<b><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b></h4>
<h4>
<b><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Criticism</span></b></h4>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">·<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;"> </span>Critics of Action Research cite its informal approach as a negative and criticizes the fact that it is conducted by people who are not academic
researchers using a less-than scientific approach. Another criticism lies in the fact that r</span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">esults are not typically shared with scholarly journals in education,</span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">but instead shared informally on online journals, web sites, or within a specific local group (district, community, or school-based).</span></div>
<h4>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b> </b></span></h4>
<h4>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>There are two distinct types of Action
Research: practical and</b> <b>participatory.</b></span></h4>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">·<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;"> </span><b>Practical
Action Research</b> is the one I immediately think of when I visualize what
Action Research is. It focuses on the practices within a localized area (school
or classroom), targets shifts in practice for teachers and learning for
students, and uses a collaborative inquiry approach. The purpose is to establish a plan of action
and implement it and sees the teacher move into a role of teacher-researcher.
The challenge is finding time for teachers to engage in practical action
research; as teachers, our days are full and there is little time available for
meaningful collaborative planning and reflection. Funding and administrative
support are integral to successful Practical Action Research. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">·<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;"> </span><b>Participatory
Action Research</b> is focused on social and/or community issues outside of
education and has social change as its goal.
PAR is usually used in the context of improving an organization, municipality
or community, a neighborhood or the lives of families. PAR can be applied to individuals/groups
within the field of education, but its purpose would be to empower the
individuals within the system or organization as related to education.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Principles of Action Research<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">Participatory Action Research or PAR</span></b><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Teachers-as-researchers have autonomy<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">A social process that focuses on the relationship between an
individual and other individuals<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Teachers-as-researchers are committed to Professional Development<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The inquiry is based in participation, meaning I would participate in
the study <i>and</i> be one of the
researchers.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Teachers-as-researchers are reflective both individually and as part
of a team<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">PAR is practical and collaborative in its approach<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Reflective practice is based in a systematic approach<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">PAR is emancipatory: it helps remove limitations within an
organization/group that impede personal growth & self-determination<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td rowspan="2" style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 239.4pt;" valign="top" width="319">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Teachers-as-researchers choose a problem, determine a method of data collection,
participate in data analysis & interpretation, and build/implement an
action plan.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 239.4pt;" valign="top" width="319">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">A goal of PAR is to empower people to remove constraints that result
from public perception derived from social media<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 239.4pt;" valign="top" width="319">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">PAR is characterized by a reflexive practice that works towards
bringing about a change in practice<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Potential ethical
issues</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"> Being so close to the participants in an action research
study can lead to potential ethical challenges where people may feel obligated
to participate or results might be skewed due to personal biases. Some
participants may be led to believe the study is more significant in terms of
importance than it actually is, simply based on the consent form, for example
or they may feel they aren't able to opt out midway through a study because of
personal relationships. It’s crucial to
keep the research process as transparent as possible to help avoid conflicts of
interest and the influence of a subjective voice. The chapter recommends, “continually
(renegotiating) the purpose of the study, to consider how the results will be
used, and to involve participants in as many phases of the process of research
as possible” (p. 588)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<h4>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"> </span></h4>
<h4>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>The steps of action research: <o:p></o:p></b></span></h4>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l3 level1 lfo3; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
</div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; text-indent: -18pt;"> Determine of action research is the best fit for
gaining insight to and resolving a given problem</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; text-indent: -18pt;"> Identify a problem to study</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; text-indent: -18pt;"> Locate resources to help address the problem</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; text-indent: -18pt;"> Identify information you will need</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; text-indent: -18pt;"> Implement the data collection</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; text-indent: -18pt;"> Analyze the data</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; text-indent: -18pt;"> Develop a plan for action</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; text-indent: -18pt;"> Implement the plan and reflect</span></li>
</ul>
<br />
<h4>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></h4>
<h4>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>Criteria for
evaluating</b> an action research report</span></h4>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Does the research process:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l2 level1 lfo4; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
</div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; text-indent: -18pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; text-indent: -18pt;">Focus on an issue in practice or an issue in the
local community?</span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; text-indent: -18pt;"> </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; text-indent: -18pt;"> Select multiple sources of data?</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; text-indent: -18pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; text-indent: -18pt;">Allow for collaboration with others?</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; text-indent: -18pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; text-indent: -18pt;">Show respect for all collaborators, making them
equal partners in the research process?</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; text-indent: -18pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; text-indent: -18pt;">Result in a plan of action for trying to resolve
the problem?</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; text-indent: -18pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; text-indent: -18pt;">See the practitioner reflect on his or her own
development and learning?</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; text-indent: -18pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; text-indent: -18pt;">Improve the learning environment, conditions, or
experience for learners or participants?</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; text-indent: -18pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; text-indent: -18pt;">Develop a plan with recommendations changes in
practice?</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; text-indent: -18pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; text-indent: -18pt;">Share research results out in a way that is user
friendly and easily understood?</span></li>
</ul>
<!--[if !supportLists]--><br />
<h4>
<b><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b></h4>
<h4>
<b><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">My thoughts on Action
Research as presented in Chapter 17…</span></b></h4>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"> I found the chapter to be very clear and feel that I have a
pretty good understanding on the process of Action Research. I can see that there is potential for the
waters to get muddied by personal relationships in a Participatory Action
Research study and it would be extremely important to be clear, concise and
open throughout the process. By regularly revisiting the purpose and process,
providing regular opportunities for communication and collaboration, and
maintaining transparency one could avoid difficult situations and ethical
complications. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"> I was able to draw connections between the Collaborative
Inquiry approach and aspects of Action Research and I am intrigued about
the possibility of Action Research as school based professional development. While I am excited about some of the possibilities and ways Action Research could be incorporated into addressing inquiry problems and supporting educational reform and shifts in teacher practice, I'm not leaning towards using it as the basis of my final project. It’s
percolating in the back of my mind for sure, however, and I’m wondering what it could look like in other contexts. </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<h4>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></h4>
<h4>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">References:</span></h4>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px; text-indent: -49px;"> Creswell, John W. "Action Research." </span><i style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px; text-indent: -49px;">Educational Research: Planning, Conducting, and Evaluating Quantitative and Qualitative Research</i><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px; text-indent: -49px;">. Boston: Pearson, 2012. 576-95. Print.</span></span></div>
SpEd Learnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14254010736004093459noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3135124499240108014.post-80677708449532265452015-03-18T15:14:00.001-07:002015-03-18T15:14:25.534-07:00Expectation vs Reality or Product vs Process: My #tieyoga update<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="_GoBack"></a><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"> A while back I made a <a href="https://t.co/zxMqn4Lm2V">Haiku Deck</a> to document my #learningproject progress (or lack thereof) and
changes to my plan in my #tieyoga practice. Often in learning and teaching, we need to assess and
reassess our progress as we move through
any given lesson, task, or project. I'm taking a bit of time today to reflect on
this particular reassessment of my #tieyoga plan..</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdUngy-E4xCFjIFfzsp-DeLG7Th8cwRn3NDqR_A2O38awnRgd2Ca9x2wwjKEO7BBVejBQLVYEKpkm_G00l7bgq_vBzPUCM4gs-akZ8JSyAkyatmZOt5W4d8dK8LUZEkii5ajrjOlsdaRrl/s1600/snip1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdUngy-E4xCFjIFfzsp-DeLG7Th8cwRn3NDqR_A2O38awnRgd2Ca9x2wwjKEO7BBVejBQLVYEKpkm_G00l7bgq_vBzPUCM4gs-akZ8JSyAkyatmZOt5W4d8dK8LUZEkii5ajrjOlsdaRrl/s1600/snip1.JPG" height="38" width="200" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"> The idea of dropping into a community or studio class once weekly is a great one. It allows me to access an environment that is more conducive to true yoga practice and mindfulness and provides access to the ever important yoga instructor, an expert, to monitor my postures and make corrections as necessary. This strategy has been difficult to implement due to the limitations of time in my life, largely due to my responsibilities as a mother, daughter, student, dog-owner, and full time teacher.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAlSXM-syf5ZNIKGU_RL8N3nOaD7ao85HQIYmPg8dX8e2p4bA0qrBSNM5OpgbbobV9ZhlM7xwk91ywmS7Nrhyphenhyphenv-PttjgRUwg_A0xICTXcYDo3XfJw4GcMrLDuiQgxiWGaMIu7ehVJIUA82/s1600/PicMonkey+Collage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAlSXM-syf5ZNIKGU_RL8N3nOaD7ao85HQIYmPg8dX8e2p4bA0qrBSNM5OpgbbobV9ZhlM7xwk91ywmS7Nrhyphenhyphenv-PttjgRUwg_A0xICTXcYDo3XfJw4GcMrLDuiQgxiWGaMIu7ehVJIUA82/s1600/PicMonkey+Collage.jpg" height="640" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWHlp_kfjAHFsazu64SKbA9UYdfCyDlVACMVdr9JrCfNvmr1DARpyi61WyFKlSDZFZIj0Z7ViouinfNlnjfYh4xxCBU3fWBtfqXUQ3Ed2pQ-8oZpOPgWHyi6GtWEtiCYfjGRsHfVNEFqjQ/s1600/snip2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWHlp_kfjAHFsazu64SKbA9UYdfCyDlVACMVdr9JrCfNvmr1DARpyi61WyFKlSDZFZIj0Z7ViouinfNlnjfYh4xxCBU3fWBtfqXUQ3Ed2pQ-8oZpOPgWHyi6GtWEtiCYfjGRsHfVNEFqjQ/s1600/snip2.JPG" height="31" width="200" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"> Five at-home sessions each week is my ideal goal; it's a goal that will see observable results over a relatively short amount of time. Some weeks this has been achievable and other weeks it has not, for exactly the reasons noted above.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrYpm177TEhB4_WW0iXDHHa4-hpuFr1WKhU7W5k7DjMROfDepYfDBkPqdHLQ2wKEegtcGGZr042ScyCpslrs6f-NuncPpKynY0uARtxD6VgnU_46u5A4X6yh2YY48Lya7-LHPBcsVW-SWT/s1600/snip4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrYpm177TEhB4_WW0iXDHHa4-hpuFr1WKhU7W5k7DjMROfDepYfDBkPqdHLQ2wKEegtcGGZr042ScyCpslrs6f-NuncPpKynY0uARtxD6VgnU_46u5A4X6yh2YY48Lya7-LHPBcsVW-SWT/s1600/snip4.JPG" height="227" width="400" /></span></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEije8nF4aCcurGQMXqc4ZzZMlN2Q1V_DstLElYpYyPWUs5j5XRu-XMkquD2A2a_ckXVI1DzP5PEp_a9boWEHbZE4xAPiwvizXJtkmGjrg0m1LzSHEpr54ffkXPO3icj1rtyoxbafSsk2t3X/s1600/snip3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEije8nF4aCcurGQMXqc4ZzZMlN2Q1V_DstLElYpYyPWUs5j5XRu-XMkquD2A2a_ckXVI1DzP5PEp_a9boWEHbZE4xAPiwvizXJtkmGjrg0m1LzSHEpr54ffkXPO3icj1rtyoxbafSsk2t3X/s1600/snip3.JPG" height="23" width="200" /></span></a><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"> I chose to focus on five key postures that directed my yoga attention to my "problem areas". Plagued by runner's hips and hamstrings (ie. tight), I included hip opening and hamstring stretching postures and feel that I've been successful in increasing my flexibility in these specific areas. I also wanted to target back bends because they are incorporated into many of the postures I am in awe of, such as standing bow and floor bow. Seeing a master yogi perform these postures is a beautiful thing and I wanted to feel the exhilaration of seeing the wall behind me during camel pose. In reality, however, I'm a little bit fearful. I would appreciate some help and guidance through the back bending postures and find them difficult to do at home on my own. Maybe I'm just not ready or maybe it's something that will be more achievable when I can actually practice 5 or more times per week. The other obstacle to my overall achievement of this goal has been the fact that I don't always know what is specifically covered in the yoga video I use (until I use it) and, while I have repeated my use of some videos, I have tried to really explore the different videos available to figure out what I like and don't like. This has been helpful in gaining insight to what's available, but it has slowed the general progress of my identified targeted areas.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwKUB7bJdA3LG3zK6JOvxQ2yiE1QZ0bc-QKRl_GFzJR13OEY9t2DyTpINPNfyyJfu3dgThoIWBnhnC3BefmZKN3ihZF_7XEPusCA-n6oxH3GN1tLSFVRsJ1ntS77icif_PEVNE2ho_YhML/s1600/snip6.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"></span></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwKUB7bJdA3LG3zK6JOvxQ2yiE1QZ0bc-QKRl_GFzJR13OEY9t2DyTpINPNfyyJfu3dgThoIWBnhnC3BefmZKN3ihZF_7XEPusCA-n6oxH3GN1tLSFVRsJ1ntS77icif_PEVNE2ho_YhML/s1600/snip6.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwKUB7bJdA3LG3zK6JOvxQ2yiE1QZ0bc-QKRl_GFzJR13OEY9t2DyTpINPNfyyJfu3dgThoIWBnhnC3BefmZKN3ihZF_7XEPusCA-n6oxH3GN1tLSFVRsJ1ntS77icif_PEVNE2ho_YhML/s1600/snip6.JPG" height="35" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> My expectation was to record my #tieyoga practice in my "Accountability Log". This is where expectation and reality actually met! I have been consistently committed to keeping a log of my practice, including time of day, video used, length of practice session, how I felt and goal(s) for next time.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"> At times the fact that I have not been achieving my #tieyoga goals has caused me great stress, but I always go back to this script: <i>My learning process is more important than my learning outcome</i>. And, I have learned a lot. I've learned that life has limitations and distractions that are out of my control. I've learned that it's okay to change the game plan, adjust the route, or switch topics completely. I've learned what helps my practice and what doesn't. I've learned that I can do yoga at home, and I can do it enough that I actually notice the benefits. I've learned to have a sense of humour when the dog comes over and licks my face when I am in downward dog or when my kids are being so lovingly loud and fiercely physical with each other that I can't even hear the yogi's serene, rhythmic voice reminding me to breathe. I've learned that I can reorganize my priorities to a great degree and that it's okay to sometimes just let things go--for awhile--even things I never thought I could, like social engagements and putting clean laundry <i>away.</i><i> </i> I've learned that logs and reflections <i>do</i> work and that my #tieyoga community is just me and, at the end of the day, that can be hard. Not impossible. But hard. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/S03q89yIIhg/0.jpg" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/S03q89yIIhg?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"> So, what does this all mean? How can I transfer this learning and insight to my own practice as a teacher? How can I use this information to enable me to better support my learners? I can follow my own advice: <i>My learning process is more important than my learning outcome </i>and ask students, "But what have you learned? How has this decision or that mistake enlightened you? Explain your thinking."</span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSWlxTyEUOUeynWxwHHjtydcfDuQSPAU43nZL32v9-EhnRTjwZJmXDVgyy46fhLRzCcAuGn4pcTYqCIEwiIl_DQQaiZTbeeEXyHiqYaGgTpfmsShnMIORPi7OaWdKu-qOZzgi5cCkD4FKH/s1600/Process.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSWlxTyEUOUeynWxwHHjtydcfDuQSPAU43nZL32v9-EhnRTjwZJmXDVgyy46fhLRzCcAuGn4pcTYqCIEwiIl_DQQaiZTbeeEXyHiqYaGgTpfmsShnMIORPi7OaWdKu-qOZzgi5cCkD4FKH/s1600/Process.JPG" height="150" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Merriam-Webster's definition of "process"</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"> The learning process is what shapes us as learners and what influences our decision-making and skill development as we participate in future learning tasks. The end, of course, can matter greatly, and as many of us have seen firsthand both in our classrooms and in our #learningprojects, it may or may not be reached by all learners. However, my #tieyoga #learningproject has stressed the importance of the journey for me and that's what I hope I can take to my students; I want them to understand that growth is not only possible, but likely, as an outcome, regardless of reaching a destination. Get on board, keep trekking on your path (as twisted and switchback as it can sometimes seem) and make the most of your journey.</span><div class="MsoNormal">
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I took some time to reflect on my #tiefit journey and the #learningproject that is #notmylearningproject. I used </span><a href="http://piktochart.com/" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">piktochart</a><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> to create this infograph to act as an outline of sorts for my ramblings in my (very first) vlog post. I initially vlogged using iMovie, but had some difficulty uploading it from my iPad, and then, after a 2nd failed attempt at vlogging (more uploading issues) using my iPhone, I gave the app, </span><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/ca/app/explain-everything/id431493086?mt=8" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Explain Everything</a><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">, a try. My third time was lucky, indeed, and my novice attempt at vlogging is posted here for all to see.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I would have liked to have spent some time doing at least a bit of editing, but there are only so many hours in the day, so I'll save that for next time. As well, I think I need to work towards being "tighter" in my ramblings; you'd think that by the 3rd try things would have become pretty polished, but apparently not! At any rate, I am glad I tried vlogging and want to say that I'll do it again, but it certainly takes some effort to get past both listening to and looking at myself. One thing is for certain: I could never have pursued an acting career.</span></div>
SpEd Learnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14254010736004093459noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3135124499240108014.post-23953328974971622742015-03-14T14:37:00.001-07:002015-03-15T20:14:47.012-07:00Making Meaning of Mendeley<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i> I'm excited to share this blog post because it's my first time writing a blog collaboratively. This particular post is a shared effort based on a meeting of #tiegrad minds to discuss reference tool options for our Master's #litreview. It represents a collaborative effort, combining thoughts, reflections, knowledge and learning by <a href="https://twitter.com/h_james18">Heidi James</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/mrjkemp">Jason Kemp</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/jarodfong">Jarod Fong</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/learningmurd">Mardelle Sauerborn</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/HarpritN1">Harprit N</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/Doppers16">Angela Dop</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/MelodyLWatson">Melody Watson</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/namesescapeme">Liane Loeppky</a> and me (<a href="https://twitter.com/spedlearner">Tanya Ross</a>). </i></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Recently a group of us from #tiegrad logged into a Google Hangout session together (after a less than successful attempt to meet via </span><a href="http://bluejeans.com/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Bluejeans</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">) so that </span><a href="https://twitter.com/mrjkemp" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Jason Kemp</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> could school us on </span><a href="https://www.mendeley.com/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Mendeley</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> as a reference tool. In the past, we had each used a variety of reference tools with success, including </span><a href="http://www.easybib.com/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">EasyBib</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, </span><a href="http://www.uvic.ca/library/research/citation/refworks/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Refworks</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> through UVIC, </span><a href="http://endnote.com/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_term=%7Bkeyword%7D&utm_campaign=endnote%20brand%20exact&gclid=Cj0KEQjwuI-oBRCEi87g0K3O8OoBEiQAb25WAYpkKJ4cliT-LaKKd60lj-e0kh5Giay3s24tMg5ewHEaAqti8P8HAQ" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">EndNote</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, and </span><a href="https://www.zotero.org/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Zotero</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, but many people were recommending other tools this fall and exploring some of them seemed like a good idea. A number of us found ourselves overwhelmed when looking at each of the options, however, and similar requests for help and information began to surface. Believing that Mendeley might be The One, a group of us emerged from the #tiegrad pool, all wanting to learn about this tool; we all boarded the collaboration train. If there is one thing we have learned about ourselves in this last year and a half, it’s the benefit of sharing the load and hashing things out together.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> After a request for help from the group was posted a out on Twitter, Jason agreed to host a Mendeley sharing session. He admitted to being a bit nervous (as any of us would have been), as he had only recently made the switch to Mendeley himself. He explained that he was looking for a reference management software that was user-friendly and had obtained a copy of Endnote from a friend, but had difficulties using the program. Jason had used Mendeley briefly for another course, but this was only to create a bibliography. </span></div>
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-4ee2b5df-1a59-1948-9005-2b6cb25807e7" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /><img height="186" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/znmbHGSI2DETz6Kv8bptPIJX2ouoIlSj7ReUJn1DXsnlxgeguuk9c7d1hDBf00atR0twgX6R6a7sSJZ-yJe8RjEZ9VeF4Q9OfjdY9R8MTU5TKqcn-M-EpjXAjNSURkMqCNQiVZE" style="-webkit-transform: rotate(0rad); border: none; transform: rotate(0rad);" width="200" /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We initially decided to meet up on </span><a href="http://bluejeans.com/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Bluejeans</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> for our Mendeley session, but soon after we logged on, we began experiencing major issues. As Jason was sharing his screen with the group, it became unresponsive. Unfortunately, Jason didn't realize the participants could not see his screen and continued to proceed with the presentation while the audience, similarly, remained unaware for several minutes. This is a problem when presenting using a program such as Bluejeans to screenshare; it’s not always immediately apparent to either side that there is a problem. After several attempts to rectify the situation, we decided to switch over to <a href="http://www.google.com/+/learnmore/hangouts/">Google Hangout</a> (GHO). For many, it was their first time using GHO to present and we found it to be very slick and easy to use. After the presentation was finished, a few other members were able to share some of the features they had discovered (such as the chat window, screen captures, using accessories to dress each other up and other useful and entertaining tools). This was an awesome way to learn about GHO’s capabilities.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">As many of us do when learning a new program, Jason had viewed a quick tutorial on Mendeley on YouTube and then began to play around and learn a few of the components of the program. Jason noted that it was very intuitive and had an easy help option; these were features that many of us were looking for in a reference tool. Mendeley easily imports .pdfs, cites as you write in Microsoft Word, creates a bibliography for you, and allows sharing libraries between users. Check out the short, user friendly tutorials that can walk you through the basic functionality of Mendeley. </span><a href="https://vimeo.com/user5499963/videos" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Mendeley Minutes </span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">cover such topics as: importing topics, organizing your library, and how to use the group feature.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It is easy to get started on Mendeley. Simply </span><a href="https://www.mendeley.com/dashboard/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">sign up for an account</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, </span><a href="https://www.mendeley.com/download-mendeley-desktop/welcome" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">download the appropriate software</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, and then </span><a href="http://support.mendeley.com/customer/portal/articles/168756-installing-and-using-the-word-plugin-in-windows" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">download the tool bar plug-in for Word</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. Mendeley trumps many other citation tools with its built-in Literature Search. As articles are curated, Mendeley suggests related articles based on key terms, authors, and tags. Mendeley will indicate whether the articles are available through its library, or directs you to where they can be found. Logging into your UVic Library account while searching makes it easy to copy and paste titles suggested by Mendeley into Google Scholar to acquire a found article. Your library builds quite quickly! Each article suggested by Mendeley comes with an additional list of suggested related articles to explore. The program then auto populated the information for referencing. There is also a </span><a href="https://sites.google.com/a/mendeley.com/mendeley-training/home/learn/manage/web-importer" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Chrome extension tool</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> that will allows for clipping articles directly into Mendeley which is very convenient.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Another Mendeley advantage is the fact that there are apps available so you can access the program on other devices and it syncs easily. Once an article is added on your computer, you can see it from any of your devices. Annotating articles using an iPad, for example, will update the article in your library, making all changes visible from any platform you choose to use. One #tiegrad lit review team has been using the group feature in Mendeley to successfully share articles. This feature works well for small groups, as it automatically syncs the articles to each member but, unfortunately, the group limit is 3 participants; adding more members requires paying a substantial membership fee.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> In the end, our fabulous Mendeley Guide, Mr. Jason Kemp had us comfortably navigating our way through the world of online resource curation and citation. Mendeley has proven to be an efficient and effective tool that allows us to search, read, make notes, curate and cite our sources. It organizes our sources however we need, offers collaboration amongst colleagues (three maximum), and integrates beautifully into Microsoft Word making it easier to insert citations and create bibliographies as we progress through our lit reviews. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjyXfchfTsDg4B2kgB1BlJn57aN1ZXvycjyIsv4JWfnZan2E4wid7VbyMI0d4fJo-ESyef1BCJIJ_TtcRttZChCMpKohXtmfenFEG8OFmJPiEuwhyphenhyphenq7ZvirltZ6b3UHdtl_1m_aEuv1SVS/s1600/Heidi2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjyXfchfTsDg4B2kgB1BlJn57aN1ZXvycjyIsv4JWfnZan2E4wid7VbyMI0d4fJo-ESyef1BCJIJ_TtcRttZChCMpKohXtmfenFEG8OFmJPiEuwhyphenhyphenq7ZvirltZ6b3UHdtl_1m_aEuv1SVS/s1600/Heidi2.JPG" height="251" width="320" /></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Our Google Hangout session was a success. It is nice to know that with so many of us using Mendeley, support and new ideas are only a tweet away. While the business end of our session was very productive, we also laughed and enjoyed our #tiegrad community. There is nothing better than dressing as a pirate or mixing and matching props and backgrounds online. The collaborative nature of Google Hangout offers a wonderful mix of business and play. Just remember, that only three microphones can be active at once. Perhaps this is something that Google can increase in the future. Are you listening Google?</span></div>
SpEd Learnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14254010736004093459noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3135124499240108014.post-88696945968920493702015-03-14T10:15:00.000-07:002015-03-14T10:15:04.742-07:00A Tech Tool for School: VoiceNote II <span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"> Recently, out on a #tiefit walk with a non #tiegrad friend, I was introduced to a new speech to text tool that I hadn't heard of. It's called <a href="https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/voicenote-ii-speech-to-te/hfknjgplnkgjihghcidajejfmldhibfm">Voice Note II</a>, available through Google Chrome. While our friendship's grounding is found in our youth and runs 30+ years strong, both of us happen to be special education teachers and we often share resources and discuss tools and apps that might help some of our students. My friend is using this particular speech to text recognition tool to help a student who is struggling with written output. I was very excited to hear that there was something that was effective and easy to use, as well as being free. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtvUotUbwYygq4LAfGLdLN0pUKaSXf3mry6iQUbeNVkc69QIXa7_WCgp1lFcyWicGcoXenW0pFDUw-_w-ByP1CvS6rOXFDCVRBi0ledDO7HtgFnltdDM94SDqe9FOBWSVeVu7MCRtbeKFd/s1600/VoiceNoteII.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtvUotUbwYygq4LAfGLdLN0pUKaSXf3mry6iQUbeNVkc69QIXa7_WCgp1lFcyWicGcoXenW0pFDUw-_w-ByP1CvS6rOXFDCVRBi0ledDO7HtgFnltdDM94SDqe9FOBWSVeVu7MCRtbeKFd/s1600/VoiceNoteII.JPG" height="250" width="400" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"> In the past, I have tried speech to text tools </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">with my students </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">such as </span><a href="http://www.nuance.com/dragon/index.htm" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Dragon Naturally Speaking</a><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> ($$), its app counterpart, </span><a href="http://www.nuance.com/for-individuals/mobile-applications/dragon-dictation/index.htm" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Dragon Dictation</a><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> (free), </span><a href="http://www.goqsoftware.com/" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">WordQ+SpeakQ</a><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> ($$), and </span><a href="https://talktyper.com/" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Talk Typer</a><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> (free), among others, with hit and miss results. Generally, I find that these speech to text tools are okay, but there always seems to be an obstacle--if it's not the price, it's a glitch of one kind or another relating to </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">challenges with</span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">accuracy, punctuation, editing, background noise, verbal pauses or idiosyncrasies in speech. I 'm actually writing this blog post using Voice Note II and so far I have to say I'm extremely excited. It's surprisingly accurate even with the background noise that exists in my busy household. And it's free. </span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3baj8VLbrTrc0YR5SdrXonR-ZifGv_OAPCDQPAWulY66VCKEI_f42REtRUhvgJLs1bqqfMjLfyHcjj0o4vHY7HdDKRQWUuTJprbzBG2BuadA7dijWmq8SQ0E8hLaEBDdw8yrle-MHAnQe/s1600/pencil+broken.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3baj8VLbrTrc0YR5SdrXonR-ZifGv_OAPCDQPAWulY66VCKEI_f42REtRUhvgJLs1bqqfMjLfyHcjj0o4vHY7HdDKRQWUuTJprbzBG2BuadA7dijWmq8SQ0E8hLaEBDdw8yrle-MHAnQe/s1600/pencil+broken.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Image Attribution: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/emagic/">e-magic (Eric)</a> on Flickr</span></td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPzRRhntxdlUCDJRwiUMhHNwJV3Ffa1Gs61PaMb6C8vxLaq4bf24Cob6Fx7OWnopNRFGBK0GgKKIEZP35X7dfS6uiPJev2YMeYUNDNyUmHE412oyNK588JLe29Jir6mkDaWBXHe2eWJyvM/s1600/19_broken_pencils.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"> Finding a good speech to text tool is like finding a pot of gold for the special education teacher. Concerns around written output for students is an area that seems to be consistently growing. My own son, now 21 years old, has a written output deficit that nearly made school impossible and this was further compromised by other learning challenges, including a processing speed that lived in his boots. Through high school we had to try to line up teachers that would (pro)actively support a flexible approach to learning and output so that my son's level of understanding (typically strong) and depth of knowledge (frequently deep) could be accurately communicated. That may sound like a manageable task, but let me tell you it was far more challenging than you would ever imagine. My son also struggles to speak fluently so many of the speech to text tools that we tried did not work for him and this became a source of frustration for him. He had to rely on someone to scribe (and often there was no one available) and opportunities to show what he knew through oral interviews, sound clips and other alternate means. Long story short, my son did graduate from high school, albeit late, and is now working in a field that requires minimal written output. He has expressed interest in pursuing a university degree and has passion for things like history, fiction, earth science, and the outdoors, but the thought of all the writing that would be part and parcel of most university degrees has been off-putting for him. However, my introduction to Voice Note II has me excited to share </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">with him </span><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">what this tool can do</span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> and encourage him to play with it. Technology is evolving at an unfathomable rate and this tool is a great example of the progress that is being made; I can see that a post secondary education might now be within my son's grasp. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"> Professionally I have worked in special education for eight years and actively supported hundreds of students during this time. I would guesstimate that approximately half of these students could have benefited from a speech to text tool. However, the number of students I have supported who experienced success using a speech to text tool (success=using it regularly to complete written assignments both at school and at home) has numbered less than 10. In my experience, many learners with written output challenges rely on a scribe or, eventually, their own keyboarding skills (if they are able to achieve proficiency), or more commonly, try to manage with minimal, if any, support for writing. The obstacles to increasing written output often extend beyond the difficulties with or limited access to tech tools and may include things such as a learner's own desire to appear like everyone else, a lack of teacher or EA support, lack of support at home, and for some students other learning challenges which may impede the development of the skills needed to achieve success with the assistive technology that supports written output. Like my son, many of these students are extremely bright, with psych ed reports that point to perceptual reasoning skills and/or verbal skills at the 95th%ile + and/or an IQ or General Ability Index (GAI) score of 120-140. I liken the lack of an assistive technology tool to support written output to the unavailability of a mobility tool (wheelchair, walking cane, leg brace) for the person who struggles to walk or corrective lenses for the person who is visually impaired.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4d2OgxPzQ8zeTplZkLd-GdZ9We7VXo8xxBh8j0y5iU62xHE5gtQP0X1rYOMCnoBRCxla6LEA6X3oORUs0RDlG_2QiFsO_8z3wgbmrrEU8xFXG5KQC1SVCypuyxdWQhg3fDWuixZb790G2/s1600/time.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4d2OgxPzQ8zeTplZkLd-GdZ9We7VXo8xxBh8j0y5iU62xHE5gtQP0X1rYOMCnoBRCxla6LEA6X3oORUs0RDlG_2QiFsO_8z3wgbmrrEU8xFXG5KQC1SVCypuyxdWQhg3fDWuixZb790G2/s1600/time.jpg" height="211" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Image Attribution: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/smemon/">Sean MacEntee</a> on Flickr</span></td></tr>
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</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"> Even with access to an effective speech to text tool, many students with written output challenges will need extra time beyond what is typical for proficient writers, especially at the start. Today, being my first time using Voice Note II, I can see that it's not necessarily a faster way for me to write this blog post. I've struggled this semester with an overuse injury to the muscles in my left forearm that has resulted from too much time spent on my laptop (along with, admittedly, poor laptop posture). The strain has been quite unbearable and these last few weeks I've had a hard time producing any written work at all, so you can imagine my joy at finding something that will not only benefit my students, but also benefit me. I can confirm that, thus far, the pace of output for this blog post using VoiceNote II has been relatively slow, but as a tool for someone who struggles with any written output this tool will translate to success. I assume that, with practice, I will only get faster and more efficient with VoiceNote II and the same will hold true for students. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"> While I would consider the support that a scribe provides as invaluable as an adaptation for students who struggle with written output, the reality is that the people who typically provide this service in schools (Learning Support Teacher, Classroom Teacher, Educational Assistant) are spread thin. And, quite honestly, knowing my own son's limitations in the context of adult life, a scribe is not a practical solution or one that leads to independence, which should really be our goal. In fact, the BC Ministry of Education document,</span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> "</span><a href="http://www.bced.gov.bc.ca/specialed/docs/learning_disabilities_guide.pdf" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Supporting Students with Learning Disabilities: A Guide for Teachers</a><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">" (Sept, 2011), </span><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">states that an "element of student dependency" may exist through the introduction of some adaptations, noting scribes as an example, and recommends that these adaptations "should be temporary, until the student learns to access...scribes using technology." </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">(p 32) Effectively supporting learners to see them move successfully from a place of non-writing to scribe supported writing to independent tech-assisted writing, requires skilled bodies (teachers, EA, admin, volunteers) to act as a bridge and time; I want struggling writers to see how incredible their wonderful words and ideas can be when they are turned into a body of text, but it isn't a quick fix. We can't just give students a quick introduction to the technology and leave them to it. There is also the question of when; at what point do we say, "We need to do this differently", and actively shift away from pencil paper activities for these kids? </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">It's important to remember that adaptations should be available to all students and a learning disability designation is not a prerequisite for accessing adaptations. At a time when the queue seems to be ever-growing for district based Psychology services, it is appropriate to consult your Learning Support Teacher and use your discretion as a classroom teacher to implement, request or arrange for adaptations as you see fit. However, not all students will meet criteria for access to these same adaptations for provincial exams and other formal testing situations later on, so it's important to keep this in mind when supporting students to access adaptations and/or use assistive technology such as Voice Note II. Be clear in documenting how your students learn best and what adaptations or tools help them to yield the greatest success. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> As a special education teacher, I am constantly trying to figure out how I can help to level the playing field for the many students I work with, with such diverse strengths and needs, and varied interests and abilities. I want to see all learners access what they need to expand their minds, build their skills and share their knowledge and understanding in a meaningful way. VoiceNote II may not be the answer for removing obstacles to writing for everyone, but it's the tool for me today and may be the best one for many others, including my son, until something better comes along. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> I'm glad to have a friend, who loves to walk and talk, and who is such an amazing resource, so willing to share what she learns in life and in education. <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUE6JmyZdJ1VRsFkg_s9bM29LB5Ej7ImuLmAOvBqaQX0XqOP5mdRoV_HleucMbiVRndB0F9VLyUmXagK5k4lwjk2WmZ8czPCswK3j6Xmw7TAFwD0C-spCf8fK8huozPivrSiTfTrEwOCCQ/s1600/2014-09-20+13.24.37.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUE6JmyZdJ1VRsFkg_s9bM29LB5Ej7ImuLmAOvBqaQX0XqOP5mdRoV_HleucMbiVRndB0F9VLyUmXagK5k4lwjk2WmZ8czPCswK3j6Xmw7TAFwD0C-spCf8fK8huozPivrSiTfTrEwOCCQ/s1600/2014-09-20+13.24.37.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My bestie & me</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span>SpEd Learnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14254010736004093459noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3135124499240108014.post-8993422125732544002015-03-07T13:22:00.001-08:002015-03-07T13:22:04.244-08:00Confessions of an EdCamp Newbie<h3 style="text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>#edcampvic </b></span></span></h3>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"> I’m a newbie to EdCamps and it was with
slight trepidation that I responded to my VP’s invite to attend the recent
EdCamp in Victoria. I’m not feeling like I have time to pursue more pro-d on
top of my personal pro-d that is my masters, but I've been curious about EdCamps
as a pro-d activity and this one was happening in my backyard. Besides all that, it’d be another thing to
blog about! A colleague from my school jumped
on board and suddenly giving up my Saturday didn't seem quite so terrible. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"> Saturday arrived, sunny and gorgeous, and Emily Kirzinger (<a href="https://twitter.com/maczinger">@maczinger</a>) and I met for an early breakfast to strategize, guzzle coffee and enjoy some
good eats. Neither Emily nor I really knew what to expect from EdCamp, although
we both had some vague idea how an EdCamp runs thanks to following past EdCAmp
hashtags on Twitter. We arrived to the
venue, which happened to be our own school site, with time to review the topics
that were growing on the board at the front. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="no" height="750" src="//storify.com/spedlearner/edcampvic/embed?border=false" width="100%"></iframe><script src="//storify.com/spedlearner/edcampvic.js?border=false"></script><noscript>[<a href="//storify.com/spedlearner/edcampvic" target="_blank">View the story "#edcampvic: Arrival" on Storify</a>]</noscript></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"> I was surprised to learn that, while topics
had been suggested in the weeks leading up to EdCamp, people were still
encouraged to add to the list as they arrived on the day of the event. I didn't
see anything on the board that related to “<a href="https://twitter.com/anxietyined">Anxiety in Ed</a>”, a topic close to my
passionate heart, but I bumped into Valerie Irvine (<a href="https://twitter.com/_valeriei">@_valeriei</a>) who quickly scribbled “Anxiety and
UDL” on a sheet of paper and shot up to the front to pin it on to the board
before I knew what was happening. I’m glad she was there! </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Once all the ideas were sorted and scheduled, I made my 3 choices for the day: Assessment and Parent Communication, Anxiety & Universal Design for Learning, and Developing School Culture.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"> In my first session, Assessment and
Parent Communication, I participated as an active listener, and was inspired by the
fact that so many people want to do better. The questions used to guide the discussion were:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><b><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">What are people doing for assessment and
parent communication?<o:p></o:p></span></b></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><b><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">What do they want to be doing? <o:p></o:p></span></b></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="vertical-align: baseline;"><b><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Difference between elementary and middle
school assessment/communication?</span><o:p></o:p></span></b></li>
</ul>
<div class="storify">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="no" height="750" src="//storify.com/spedlearner/edcampvic-1/embed?header=false&border=false" width="100%"></iframe><script src="//storify.com/spedlearner/edcampvic-1.js?header=false&border=false"></script><noscript>[<a href="//storify.com/spedlearner/edcampvic-1" target="_blank">View the story "#edcampvic Session 1" on Storify</a>]</noscript></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"> What really struck me
during the discussion, and in discussions we've had in our #tiegrad class since,
is that as much as many educators and experts value a move away from standardized testing, grades and
percentages, towards more formative assessment,many parents and post-secondary institutions maintain the value of "results".
It can feel difficult </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">to defend a shift in assessment and pedagogy, a shift that demonstrates valuing student engagement and the development of high level skills over teacher-centered learning and rote memorization, for example, when you are part of a minority. I can see that, personally, I would need to feel confident in my ability to defend it. For me that confidence comes from starting small
and gradually expanding shifts in practice to other areas of the curriculum and working with others who can lead and work alongside me, reinforces my belief that I can do it. I just get overwhelmed by the idea of jumping straight into the deep end. It’s clear that there is incredible support that comes from being
part of a community of peers, sharing their vulnerability, learning and expertise as they explore and experiment with shifts in teaching practices. Deal maker: I can be modelling good learning to our students by pushing myself outside of my comfort zone, be it through assessment, parent communication, teaching and/or learning practices.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"> I went from active listener in session 1 to actively sharing and questioning in session 2, Anxiety & Universal Design for Learning, with <a href="https://twitter.com/_valeriei">Valerie Irvine</a>. It was really a good feeling to be able to share some of what I have learned as a parent of kids who have struggled with varying degrees of anxiety and as a teacher working with students presenting with anxiety; 80% of my caseload as a Case Manager are students who are burdened with anxiety, among other aspects of mental health. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"> Unfortunately we had no "notetaker" for our session, but the questions I recall include:</span><br />
<ul>
<li><b><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">What does anxiety look like in your classrooms before the kids hit 'crisis mode',? (Crisis mode would be spiked absenteeism or refusal to attend, immobilizing anxiety. This is where most of the students I work with seem to be when they arrive on the doorstep of our school.)</span></b></li>
<li><b><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">What are you doing to decrease feelings of anxiety among your students?</span></b></li>
<li><b><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">How is information being shared (between community & school team members and between schools)?</span></b></li>
</ul>
<div class="storify">
<iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="no" height="750" src="//storify.com/spedlearner/edcamp-session-2/embed?header=false&border=false" width="100%"></iframe><script src="//storify.com/spedlearner/edcamp-session-2.js?header=false&border=false"></script><noscript>[<a href="//storify.com/spedlearner/edcamp-session-2" target="_blank">View the story "#edcampvic Session 2" on Storify</a>]</noscript></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"> I could write a blog every week on #anxietyined, so to keep it concise, the highlight points for me in this session were:</span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Remember, anxiety is a symptom, and it's on a continuum; it's a healthy aspect of our nervous system that sometimes can run amok. For some people, the running amok is a default setting with "fight or flight" kicking in at regular intervals.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Anxiety is frequently misunderstood (by teachers, by parents, by friends & family) and/or not recognized for what it is. It manifests in many different ways and can look very different from one person to the next. Behaviours can be internalized (think of a system shutdown) or externalized (acting out). To the observer, it can be very difficult, sometimes impossible, to see any sort of logic in the actions of the anxious individual from one situation to the next.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Anxiety frequently impedes comprehension, memory, processing speed, and other skills needed for learning.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Learners struggling with anxiety need options that allow access to learning without the triggers (e.g. flexibility in the "when" and "where" a student learns: offsite, via Skype, in the hallway or a separate room), that increase their own sense of control (providing voice & choice). As educators, we need to recognize, identify, and understand the triggers of each student presenting with anxiety and adapt for/accommodate students to the best of our ability.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">In extreme cases, students won't be able to engage in academic tasks until their anxiety is improved. We have to be willing to meet them where they are.</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I know we have a lot of work to do on this subject, as educators and parents, and most certainly, as a society, with no sign of #anxietyined decreasing. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> My third and final session at #edcampvic focused on Developing School Culture. I really enjoyed this topic and the discussion that ensued. Again there was no assigned notetaker, but q's I remember were:</span><br />
<ul>
<li><b style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">How can we develop connections/relationships between our school and its community?</b></li>
<li><b style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">What are schools doing to establish stronger connections and relationships within the school community?</b></li>
<li><b style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">How can parents, who have been actively involved K-8, be more involved when their kids reach high school? Some parents feel like they are shut out.</b></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Having a school liaison officer for a husband, I think it's important for schools to consider how they can use their community leaders and members to support their learning community. Don't be afraid to ask your School Liaison Officer (SLO) for what you want; the relationship between youth and our law enforcement officers needs to have a positive context. It's so valuable for kids to see Police Officers as approachable and as real people. SLO Sgt Nicholas Ross of Saanich Police (<a href="https://twitter.com/SaanichPDsloSgt">@SaanichPDsloSgt</a>) has done things like join the middle school mountain biking club and grade 6 band, connect seniors and elementary students through cycling, coached teams and attended talent shows. Schools should consider bringing their local mayor or council member into their classroom as a guest reader, turning to the retired community to find a crossing guard or guest gardener, and the local bike shop to run a bike rodeo. To be part of the greater community, we need to reach out to connect to the people within it. The connections our youth can make in their own community can influence how they behave and the choices they make within that same community and beyond; it can also hugely impact the public perception of our youth, who are often misunderstood because of their hairstyle, their skateboard, or their teen-speak. During our discussion, this tune from my childhood drifted into my head, and as simple as the message is, it still holds true. Who <i>are</i> the people in our neighbourhood, after all?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"> We could easily change the word "neighbourhood" to "--- School" or "community", to emphasize the importance of knowing our own school population. By seeing them all as "our kids" rather than "my kids" (limited to my own class) helps to establish a strong sense of community within the school. During our session, one suggestion was that staff go through each student list and ensure that each individual student is personally connected to an adult in the building. The point was also made that we need to be mindful of our own relationships "in the building". As teachers, the tone of our interactions with other staff members and the strength of our own school-based professional learning community (if we are lucky enough to have one) will influence the relationships of our students. Are we leaving doors open, stepping outside of our comfort zones, encouraging and reassuring with each other, building authentic connections and working as a team? Think of the kind of community we want for our students and then emulate it: walk the talk.</span><br />
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<iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="no" height="750" src="//storify.com/spedlearner/edcampvic-session-3/embed?header=false&border=false" width="100%"></iframe><script src="//storify.com/spedlearner/edcampvic-session-3.js?header=false&border=false"></script><noscript>[<a href="//storify.com/spedlearner/edcampvic-session-3" target="_blank">View the story "#edcampvic Session 3" on Storify</a>]</noscript></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">And suddenly, it was over. My first EdCamp experience came to a close. While I was devastated to not win the door prize (an iPad mini), my day at #edcampvic was amazing. The sun was shining, the people were smiling, the sharing was invaluable, and I left feeling more than satisfied with the Saturday I had "sacrificed"; I had gained so much in the way of inspiration, ideas and connections from this day of teacher-driven professional development, that my perception of a sacrifice had seamlessly evolved into a day of investment. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">For reference, have a look at the <a href="http://www.edcampvic.ca/sessions.html">#edcampvic </a></span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.edcampvic.ca/sessions.html">Google doc</a> which lists all the sessions, some of which have great notes attached to them!</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
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SpEd Learnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14254010736004093459noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3135124499240108014.post-52793173111201057682015-03-01T10:24:00.005-08:002015-03-01T10:24:44.558-08:00#makered: A Try Different, Not Harder Approach<div class="MsoNormal">
A week ago we were honoured to have <a href="https://twitter.com/smartinez">Sylvia Martinez</a> join our
#tiegrad session as a guest speaker. Sylvia has been integral to the Maker
Movement in education and co-authored the book, <i><a href="http://www.inventtolearn.com/">Invent to Learn</a></i>, with <a href="https://twitter.com/garystager">GaryStager</a>. Within the first ten minutes of
our session, I had the book slotted into my “must reads” list!<o:p></o:p></div>
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As I listened, I could see how the maker movement (#makered)
represents everything that is the BC Ed Plan including the way it supports the development of skills such as collaboration,
problem solving, creativity, communication, and critical thinking. Whether it’s having a weekly scheduled Genius
Hour, a physical classroom/school based space dedicated to “making” or creating, or a bin of interesting materials readily available and regularly filled
for our learners to explore-invent-create according to their imagination and
creative thinking, making is a key component of learning. It’s about encouraging learners to think of
themselves as contributors, inventors, creators, and artists. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Jay Silver talks about the fact that “sometimes what we know gets in the way of what could be” in his Ted Talk, Hack a Banana, Make a Keyboard. This statement hung out in my thoughts for some</div>
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time, and has
really impacted me. I connect with Mr. Silver’s idea in the context of my own
readings for my lit review that looks at obstacles that prevent educators from seizing opportunities that would enable a shift in their own pedagogical
practice. Silver goes on to question how we, as adults and young people in this world, can become “agents
of change” who see “the world as malleable”? I feel that it’s time to realize
that our education system needs to go “live” and recognize the need for our approach to teaching and learning to
become more dynamic, to better reflect the ever changing world we live in and the needs of our young people, before the institution of "school" and the service we provide as educators become systemically
archaic.<o:p></o:p></div>
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While I listened with interest to the discussion that took
place between Sylvia and our #tiegrad cohort that Thursday night, I kept
wondering how “making” could be a more significant component in what I do as a
special ed teacher. I know I can always support my colleagues in (and out of) their classrooms,
make myself available in more collaborative ways or to lead something on another teacher’s behalf
and that is, essentially, my goal from day to day, but there is much of my job that feels
prescribed and dependent upon working with peers who may, or may not, buy in, and our perceptions of student needs do not always line up--often they do, but sometimes they don't. Along with relying on other people’s schedules and agendas, and the endless amounts of paperwork and meetings that I am required to complete or attend, I find myself swimming against the current to try to reach the goal of meaningful support. I find myself wanting to know what other
Special Education teachers and Case Managers, at the various levels of
education are doing, if anything, to provide #makered support and/or creative opportunities, as well as to demonstrate their value. Is there a place for me in the #makered movement?</div>
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Being a Special Education Teacher is definitely a
multi-faceted role, and realistically it requires me to wear many hats, some of them more happily than others. I so greatly appreciated the inspiration behind Sylvia’s rhetorical question,”Why is
school so hell bent with weeding kids out who aren’t so good with Math or
paper/pencil (tasks)?” #tiegrad cohort member, <a href="https://twitter.com/jacobsmain">Jake Main</a>, echoed this when me wrote, "Why should kids need to conform to school? Why can't school conform to kids?" in our chat window during the session. These thoughts epitomize the students I work with and the ones who can readily benefit from all of us to continue trying different, as opposed to trying harder. What would happen if I bought a <a href="http://makeymakey.com/">$50 Makey Makey Kit</a> and pulled
that in to my support role? Perhaps if I start with a specific type of learner
and/or a peer who would dive in…I'll let you know. In the meantime, I would love to hear how other Special Ed teams are creatively utilizing their SpEd Teachers in the context of creativity and inquiry.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
SpEd Learnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14254010736004093459noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3135124499240108014.post-54419453223204213022015-02-26T08:00:00.004-08:002015-03-15T20:15:30.551-07:00<h3 style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Stretching My Practice #tieyoga</span></b></h3>
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<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="_GoBack"></a>Okay, it’s off to the races. I’m
trying a new strategy tonight: blogging in 45 minutes or less. Since my last
#tieyoga post and revised plan for regular practice via Haiku Deck, I have had more success with my
#learningproject. I've been more
regularly practicing yoga and trying to focus on poses that will support the 5
key postures I identified as targets to improve on.
<o:p></o:p></div>
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Several key factors have contributed positively to my
improved yoga practice over the course of this last week. First and foremost, my Accountability Log,
the log of accountability, my #tieyoga journal; it allows for a concrete view
of my success (or shortcomings). I leave the Accountability Log open on my computer (it’s just a basic word
document) and as I log out of my yoga site, I open the document and plug in the
date, the name of the video I used, running time, yogi’s name, and how it went.
Bam. Done. And I know it’s there waiting for me on
days I’m not so inclined to practice, which often (not always) kicks me in the
general direction of the yoga mat. <o:p></o:p></div>
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My motivation for practicing yoga at home has
climbed to a more positive place; I think it’s because I am actually noticing
some improvement in my flexibility…What? WHAAAT??? Yes, that’s right, <b><u>increased
flexibility</u></b>. That’s a good hook for me.
I noticed a similar phenomenon with my #tiefit participation (the
#notmylearningproject fitbit thing). I
am feeling so incredibly good with all my #tiefit walking, that I am currently getting out
every day. I don’t want to miss a single day. I have set personal goals, such as nothing
less than 10 km a day, 12 000 steps minimum as a daily total and walking
to/from work at least twice a week.
While the #tiefit community drew me in, it’s now my own progress and
improvement that is propelling me forward. Bingo.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjikw8PutxBcwQoDi5ASwYfyox6ukm5jWAw79kvnQf5TtBpMk4CYUJkOc6KCUma3Ey-vyEW8eazG7wAQBZZBCLx9U99RIBrUgm4tURAl23AeMZF3-jlDevmYRHO4USAHFFLyMhvsBy9uZ5r/s1600/Bikram+Westshore+FLoor+Bow.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjikw8PutxBcwQoDi5ASwYfyox6ukm5jWAw79kvnQf5TtBpMk4CYUJkOc6KCUma3Ey-vyEW8eazG7wAQBZZBCLx9U99RIBrUgm4tURAl23AeMZF3-jlDevmYRHO4USAHFFLyMhvsBy9uZ5r/s1600/Bikram+Westshore+FLoor+Bow.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo Credit: <a href="http://t.co/4XbQvcrqdA">Bikram Yoga Westshore</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Lastly, I follow my local yoga studio, <a href="https://twitter.com/BikramWestshore">Bikram YogaWestshore</a>, on Twitter and Facebook and recently they shared these 3 photos to emphasize the
progress we can make with regular practice over a fairly short amount of time.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3q6NJ5ImP2KlMiP_-ejr_6YxljH6LCw6kWrOuTI6qW11IF_5lpF4agB2zhcCgKXQ-gGjM26anS7AYzbEEd2BDQfqypbFdFCKfgktiNS-LMCv9gYlVnHqkcc1-3gmWUmsZK-0pHxbmBd7T/s1600/Bikram+handstandpic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3q6NJ5ImP2KlMiP_-ejr_6YxljH6LCw6kWrOuTI6qW11IF_5lpF4agB2zhcCgKXQ-gGjM26anS7AYzbEEd2BDQfqypbFdFCKfgktiNS-LMCv9gYlVnHqkcc1-3gmWUmsZK-0pHxbmBd7T/s1600/Bikram+handstandpic.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Photo Credit: <a href="http://t.co/4XbQvcrqdA">Bikram Yoga Westshore</a></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbsACqfsuP_StnWeb7zGv65Ny_9qdv3fqCmfcDbXoBt3g3wUWsOlCbLexniC11gXipHoAF7oX8gw6j2n2kSF0L2yxpx4g2x3F8StOVS2hyphenhyphen-rIGGS1E7jtskH-qOJa-tQGII8KTq1O5JgR6/s1600/Bikram+Yoga+Standing+Bow.jpg" height="320" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Photo Credit: <a href="http://t.co/4XbQvcrqdA">Bikram Yoga Westshore</a></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
These photos inspired me to use some of the photos I started my project with, along with some I've taken more recently, in a different way. I plan to create similar “collage” pics as a way to compare my own growth in my 5 targeted postures. It’s one thing to <i>feel</i> you've improved, but it’s quite another to <i>see </i>you've improved. I’m excited to see what my #tieyoga growth looks like as I move through these weeks and weeks of practice. It is inspiring to me to see the personal improvements in these pictures over the course of one, two or three months!<br />
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It turns out that #tieyoga is alive and well when, a week
ago, I thought it might have crashed and burned altogether. It’s challenging to have to
figure out my own obstacles to learning and problem solve ways around them
without other learners who are working on a similar thing. Many of our #tiegrad
group are working on #learningprojects, but the projects are all so different. Seeking out support from my peers can be helpful when I am simply looking for a new strategy for my own project or trying to overcome a specific obstacle, but sometimes just to get going
you need a buddy who is working on the same thing. Being part of a team is a huge part of our #tiefit success. Being a lone yogi at home has been my greatest #tieyoga challenge. </div>
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In light of my recent shift, I’m now wondering if pursuing this #learningproject on my own is going
to make success taste all the sweeter. We shall see….but for now, Namaste.<o:p></o:p></div>
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PS: 30 minutes for the writing. Pics & video took a little longer though.<o:p></o:p></div>
SpEd Learnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14254010736004093459noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3135124499240108014.post-19118791833306750742015-02-22T09:34:00.001-08:002015-02-22T09:34:03.013-08:00<div class="WordSection1">
<h3 style="text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: large;">#tiegrad: A Community of Collaborators share out their favourite tech tools</span></span></h3>
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<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Last #EDCI569 class we started a session of
tech sharing between peers. I couldn’t help but think, “Wow, how awesome is
this?!” I was inspired by my peers who
introduced me to more than a few tech tools I was unaware of and, in
reflection, I was quick to think what a great and simple ProD this could be; sign up to share out a tech tool and present
in mini 15-20 minute workshops with staff throughout a school or within a
family of schools. I’m thinking I might suggest this at my own school—as an
alternative, it would be a great way to start each staff meeting—have a 10
minute Tool Share presentation by a staff member or members (voluntary of course).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">During our bluejeans session, my peers shared tech
tools such as the iPad app, Explain Everything, which is a tool that is used interactively with a whiteboard or as a means of screencasting. It seems to have an endless number of practical features including animation, drawing, laser pointer, narration, etc. This is the tool I am most excited to play with. Another tech tool shared was <a href="https://padlet.com/">Padlet</a>, a creation and curation tool that works kind of like an e-bulletinboard (I think). It can be launched via Google, which makes it easy for anyone with a Google account. This tool was shared by <a href="https://twitter.com/MelodyLWatson">@MelodyLWatson</a> who uses it as a way to curate student work in the context of e-portfolios. <a href="https://www.desmos.com/calculator">Desmos</a> was also shared during our session and the Math/Science cohort members were particularly enthusiastic about this tool, an online graphing calculator, that seems to bring a new dimension to comprehension of Math graphing concepts (which, sadly, are beyond my humanities minded brain).</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">In my position as Special Education teacher
and Case Manager in a Distributed Learning school, I have some exposure to and
knowledge of great tools, but coming up with ways to encourage learners to
access and use them in this particular environment can be tough. Much of my work is about supporting students
to just get to school and to stay long enough to endure a conversation. However, I have had some success using
technology as a focal point for my students struggling with significant mental
health issues. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">One tech tool I've had a lot of success with is <a href="https://www.haikudeck.com/">Haiku Deck</a>. While I haven’t used Haiku Deck to support presentation
of curriculum content and academic learning directly, I have used it as a
medium to reduce stress and take the focus off of the student when he or she is
transitioning back into the school environment when significant anxiety has
impeded his/her ability to attend. In
this instance, we often meet 1:1, have a low key chit chat (it’s mostly me who
is chitting and chatting) and I try to get a sense of the student’s interests
etc. I show them Haiku Deck on the iPad and create one, with the student’s
input if s/he is willing; past examples include baking and snowboarding. It tends
to be a fairly quick and easy process. Afterwards
I support the student to create one based on his/her own interest—the level of
support varies somewhat, but generally I find even the most resistant students
are willing. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Haiku Deck is available as an iPad app or
in a web based format. As well, it’s
easy to send a completed Haiku Deck via email, or to share it via social media
such as Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Google+. Much like Twitter, Haiku Deck doesn’t have
room to ramble on; its premise is one point, message or idea per slide. Users are encouraged to be concise as too
much text will reduce the impact of the image. By choosing just one word—e.g.
snowboard—a myriad of pictures are immediately generated. Consequently, the
user ends up with a selection of photos to further inspire the text content,
which can be anything from one word to several sentences. Other ways to use
this tool could include:</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Symbol; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span></div>
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</div>
<ul>
<li><span style="text-indent: -18pt;">KWL </span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -18pt;">Brainstorming </span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -18pt;">ESL</span></li>
<li><span lang="EN-US" style="text-indent: -18pt;">Poetry</span></li>
<li><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Symbol; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="text-indent: -18pt;">Summarizing</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -18pt;">Reflections</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -18pt;">Reading response</span></li>
<li><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Symbol; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="text-indent: -18pt;">Create an outline</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -18pt;">Make connections between a Math
concept to real life examples </span></li>
</ul>
<div style="text-indent: -24px;">
<span style="text-indent: 0px;"> </span><span style="text-indent: 0px;">Here is an example of the start of a KWL Haiku Deck:</span></div>
<div style="text-indent: -24px;">
<span style="text-indent: 0px;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-indent: -24px;">
<span style="text-indent: 0px;"><iframe frameborder="0" height="541" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" src="https://www.haikudeck.com/e/wOrY2CC4jl/?isUrlHashEnabled=false&isPreviewEnabled=false&isHeaderVisible=false" width="640"></iframe><br /><span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 8pt;"><a href="https://www.haikudeck.com/p/wOrY2CC4jl/horses?utm_campaign=embed&utm_source=webapp&utm_medium=text-link" title="Horses Presentation">Horses</a> - Created with Haiku Deck, presentation software that inspires</span></span><br />
<span style="text-indent: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 8pt;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="text-indent: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 8pt;"><br /></span>I’ve included my own Haiku Deck example, which some of you may have seen previously, as it’s a reflection of my own #tieyoga #learningproject. <span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 8pt;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="text-indent: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 8pt;"><br /></span></span></div>
</div>
<iframe frameborder="0" height="541" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" src="https://www.haikudeck.com/e/agiEvtp4DN/?isUrlHashEnabled=false&isPreviewEnabled=false&isHeaderVisible=false" width="640"></iframe><br />
<span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 8pt;"><a href="https://www.haikudeck.com/p/agiEvtp4DN/tieyoga?utm_campaign=embed&utm_source=webapp&utm_medium=text-link" title="#tieyoga Education Presentation">#tieyoga</a> - Created with Haiku Deck, presentation software that inspires</span><br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span>
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span>
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">And, lastly, an example of a poem, a Haiku, in </span>fact, written by yours truly, using Haiku Deck:<br />
<iframe frameborder="0" height="541" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" src="https://www.haikudeck.com/e/n2ASyfZR8L/?isUrlHashEnabled=false&isPreviewEnabled=false&isHeaderVisible=false" width="640"></iframe>
<span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 8pt;"><a href="https://www.haikudeck.com/p/n2ASyfZR8L/10-000-steps?utm_campaign=embed&utm_source=webapp&utm_medium=text-link" title="10 000 Steps Presentation">10 000 Steps</a> - Created with Haiku Deck, presentation software that inspires</span>
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While the app has its own bank of shareable
images, it also has the option to upload personal photos which is really useful
if your learners have the option to take photos of their work or subject. There is also a feature that enables you to
control the slides from your smart device, which I have not tried, but would be
handy if you were sharing in the context of a presentation. If anyone does have experience with that, I'd love to hear about it!<br />
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Sharing tech tools in the context of our own practice has been really helpful to me and made for the most meaningful learning around tech. Peer teaching in this way helps me to better pick and choose a tech tool in the most practical way and it's one more reason I value and appreciate my #tiegrad learning community so much. Thanks guys!</div>
SpEd Learnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14254010736004093459noreply@blogger.com2