The school year is drawing to a close and for many people the prospect of time away will mean time not doing any school work. Unfortunately, that scenario will put some teachers further behind when it comes to web2.0 integration. In fact, teachers who are already having trouble with seeing how these tools can enhance their teaching will be farther behind once the new school year begins. As teachers who are using these tools have observed, the introduction of new tools continues to grow. With little time given to teachers to explore these tools, they are having to pick and choose what tools they will use. With summer vacation coming, it might be time to explore some of the ones that were put to the side during the year. As someone who tries to keep up with the various tools that are being introduced, I have realized that I need reorganize my time in order to make time for exploring and trying new tools. I then need to assimilate them into my teaching strategies, using them to enhance what is already going on in the classroom.
So, with summer vacation on the horizon, I realize that I won’t be able to take time off from learning. Not that I ever really did take time off but this summer will be a bit different because instead of taking in a summer course or going to a class, I will be plotting out how I can use new tools to enhance my teaching and leading and learning about the various tools that are available. The idea that teachers have two months off, which was always a fallacy, is now completely without any merit since teachers will need to invest time throughout the summer months in exploring and learning new strategies for delivering the curriculum to their students. In fact, there is a great need for teachers to use some of this time to reflect upon their practice and evaluate where new tools would best serve their students.
To add to this, there is a growing number of books that teachers might be interested in reading as they try to become more informed about how this digital shift is affecting various sectors of society. Such books as The World is Flat, A Whole New Mind, Wikinomics: How Mass Collaboration Changes Everything and Everything Is Miscellaneous: The Power of the New Digital Disorder a just some of the many titles I’ve seen floating around that seem interesting and relevant to what is going on in education and society. Coupled with this will be my further exploration of SMART goals, reading concepts and PLCs which are the three main areas our school division is focusing upon. Whew, it already seems a bit overwhelming! So what does one do without suffering severe burnout?
Well my plan for the summer is to lay out some priorities for myself and then fill in the blanks with resources that will help me achieve those goals. Since SMART goals and PLCs are two areas of focus for the school division, I will focus my early reading on these two areas. I am going to use a wiki to track my reading and do my planning for the school year. One of my goals is to create a few videos to assist teachers in using some of the tools. Now I know that there are a few RSS videos available so that will be one less video to do! I’m considering a video on how to create a wiki, set up a blog and working within a network like Ning. Again, I think that I will use a wiki to host all these and build up various tools and ideas.
I will also be working on developing my teaching units, going through them and eliminating things that are no longer useful and adding information. I already use a wiki for this so it will be a process of adding and subtracting. Finally, I am hoping to do a presentation for administrators at the beginning of the year and will be focusing on exploring tools that deal with PD and finding information to help administrators gather information for PD. I will be using the pbwikis to do this. They have generously supplied two packages as prizes for my presentations.
Now before you think that this is way too much, you have to realize that I have also planned a few long weekends away, a week long camping trip with my family and I take several afternoons a week to go to the pool, on bike rides or just hang out and watch our newly planted grass grow! I also work for a contractor building houses so I will have quite a few different ventures to occupy my time. Yes. I am a workaholic, to some degree. I don’t sit idle very well but like to be doing something, even if it is reading a book. Afternoon naps are also a highlight of my summer activities. However, the reality is that unless I spend time reading, trying, practicing and using, my skills will not be what they should be and I will not be ready for the year that follows. As a father of seven children, I know that learning is a key to their future and I will spend time with them doing all kinds of wild things (we have a new glide and slide tube to try!). I am also a leader of educators who are responsible for the learning of 200+ children and this is also important. So, without shortchanging my family, I need to work so that I can be my best once the new school year starts.
So, what are your summer plans? Are you going to be exploring new and wondrous tools for learning? How will they fit into your schedule? Will they?
