Don't be "That Teacher"

In middle school I had a math teacher named Mrs. Beige. Well, not really. But I will call her that because those are the memories of her class for me.
Beige.
She droned on in monotone, beige lectures. We completed predictable, beige assignments. The class had lifeless, beige interactions. She doled out meaningless, beige encouragement. I think her chalk was even beige.  I mean, it wasn't like she pelted us with pencil-top erasers (at least that would have brought some life to the class!) or diminished us (she was kind), but there was zero that went on that wasn't beige. Grey. Sepia.

image retrieved from: https://www.flickr.com/photos/fake_eyes/342753239/

We've all had "that teacher"...the one who when we walked through the door, we started counting the moments down until we could get on with our lives.  No one aspires to be "that teacher" but I believe there are a few practical ways to actively avoid becoming her or him:

Break the mold!  In Mrs. Beige's class, we had a beige routine. I'm not saying routines are all bad. I will argue, however, that if your students could write your next lesson plan based on previous classes, you are in a beige rut. My Big Campus offers countless tools to add color to your lessons without any extra work for you- and in many cases, far LESS work for you.  Grab a Schoolwork from the Library (complete with videos and images) and let us grade it for you. Unblock a website for students to practice through games and interactive materials.  Use Chat as a backchannel to find out what students are really thinking/questioning about a video (or your lecture!) instead of pigeon-holing them into a worksheet. Mix it up!

Encourage collaboration! It's school. The word "school" is a six-letter-gateway-curseword in the eyes of some students partly because it is the one place in life they are forced into isolation. Collaboration is normal for our students in all aspects of life from socializing to sports to clubs to even family interactions. We want students to be independent thinkers, but they also have to function as a responsible, contributing team member.  Allowing for collaborative learning not only prepares them for their next steps in life (http://mbcurl.me/S9XW and http://mbcurl.me/S9XY) but also is much more engaging for them.  My Big Campus has the framework ready to go for you through Bundles, Pages, MBC Docs, Discussions, Groups, and Chat. Recommended dose: use liberally!

Give meaningful, prompt feedback! Little kills an inquisitive young mind faster than perceived apathy toward his/her work. With the understanding that large class-sizes and crowded schedules may not allow teachers to give lengthy responses to every piece of work from every student immediately, My Big Campus offers many solutions! Schoolwork offers auto-grade options that provide instantaneous feedback for students.  Teachers can then go back and provide comments as needed.  Teachers can also show approval of student activity simply by clicking the heart icon.  Students love to have their accomplishments acknowledged through Achievement badges as well. Teachers can assign these to entire classes or individuals to be displayed on the students' profile walls. Show your students you are aware of their hard work and they will continue to impress!

Show them you are human!  We all have a unique, personable side that students crave to see (that's why they think you want to be their "friend" on Facebook!). Learning from a robot is a cold, beige experience. Having lengthy conversations with students about Use the safe, academic, social platform offered by My Big Campus to let students have a peek at who you are when you are not teaching math. Add a profile picture of you doing your favorite activity. Blog about your interests. Post on your Wall your thoughts about a school-appropriate current event. By modeling proper netiquette on your account, you are teaching valuable lessons about digital citizenship while allowing for a more personal connection with your students.

Jumping outside of the beige is not only beneficial for your students, but is rejuvenating as a teacher. Let My Big Campus help you splash more color into your classroom!

image retrieved from: http://www.kinderart.com/painting/rainbow.shtml

Training the Arm-Crossers

I just finished an incredible training session in Lunenburg, Virginia with a group of instructional leaders, administrators, and technology trainers. I said, "Try this!" and without hesitation they tried it!  I said, "Search for a Schoolwork in the Library you could use and duplicate it" and they were already in edit mode of their duplication before I even had a chance to explain it!  I showed how to unblock YouTube videos and there were cheers! CHEERS, I tell you!

image from: http://blogs.e-rockford.com/applesauce/files/2013/09/cheering-2.jpg

We had momentum, buy-in, enthusiasm, and willing, tech-savvy participants!  So, when we started designing their training plan for the Lunenburg technology leaders to train the rest of the faculty, I felt we needed an honest heart-to-heart. 

The truth is, with few exceptions, there is a certain amount of consistency in the composition of training groups. There will be a population that is genuinely interested and engaged.  There will also be a few that walk in with their arms crossed. These teachers sometimes even have approached me before we begin to tell me they will never use this (they've never seen it!), they don't like technology because it breaks (cars break down, but we use those, right?), on-line learning is just another fad (hmmmmm...I think not.), or a number of other reasons they are not as happy to see me as I am to see them. However, by the end of the day, even the most reluctant teachers typically come around to see the value of My Big Campus for their students and themselves. I believe mostly this is a testament to the powerful teaching tool the My Big Campus team has developed. However, I do offer a few training tips to help get the arm-crossers on-board!

WOW THEM WITH WHYS!
Anticipatory sets are common practice in the classroom, so don't forget about it during training! Specify exactly what the learning outcomes will be as well as address why this is important. It's a digital world, now! Students learn differently (do a bit of research on F versus Z reading patterns for some interesting details, for example)! Engaged students learn better!  Be sure to address the importance of learning what the training has to offer.

MAKE IT CONNECT!
One of the best ways to inspire usage is to let trainees know this IS for them. As a company, we often say "any time, anywhere, any device." Expand that to include all of your trainees. Any grade level, any elective, any administrator, any technology position, any media specialist, any coach, any sponsor, any cart, any 1:1 schools, any lab-based schools, any BYOD program...anyhow, you get the point!

REACH THEM WHERE THEY ARE!
Have a conversation about what trainees' fears are in trying a new learning management system. Dispelling myths, easing anxiety, and discovering the root of the arm-crossing helps trainees know you are interested in their training journey. Developing that trust can go a long way in creating teacher buy-in!

AVOID LOADED TERMS!
There is little more frustrating than being told "it's so EASY" when it really isn't to you.  Try to avoid phrases that, despite their intent, could come across as diminishing.

LOAD IT WITH PEDAGOGY!
"Click here. Now click here. When you click here, this happens. Then drag this here. Now right click." Are you asleep yet?!?!?! Instead, talk about how AND why. "Let's chat for a second about chat, then let's try it out! Chat can be used as a backchannel during guest speakers, as a way for students to collaborate on projects without talking, or even use it during a movie and act as a facilitator to the chat to help bring out the main points! What other ways can you think of?" See? All better (and no one is sleeping!)!

DON'T LEAVE THEM FEELING ABANDONED!
I recall many trainings that I left thinking, "Well, I can do it while you're standing here! But when I'm on my own...meh."Don't leave them feeling alone.  Front-load your training group with Resources like the How-To Guide,  Self-paced Training Series, Flipped Learning Series, and weekly webinars. And certainly have every trainee Quicklink Bob Campus for his expertise 24/7!

Turn this teacher:

   into THIS teacher!

Appreciation and Admiration

It's Teacher Appreciation Week and I dig the social media about how teachers change students' lives, have the most important job in the world, and continue to have a unique, lasting impact on our youth. Love when students, parents, ANYbody recognizes amazing educators! Amen and kudos and yes!

Yet, as I reflected on how much it means when students reach out, I became slightly guilt-stricken.  I was basking in my teacher good-mojo-vibes for a bit and then thought, "Whoa, lady. Time to spill it." Time to actually come clean to the teacher who continues to provide lessons, insight, and humor to my life on a regular basis.

To be honest, the first week or so, my twelfth-grade English teacher scared me. She was feisty, intense, wicked-smart, and it was clear that she was in charge. Not in a creepy-dictator-ish way, but in an immediately-gain-your-respect way. Mrs. Michaels had this literature-journey under control...welcome and enjoy the ride!

Passionate to the core about what we were reading, Mrs. Michaels also exuded another passion. Us. Me. Students. I will attest to the concreteness of this in a moment, but there were less-obvious indicators to me as a teenager than there are now. You see, when I travel down the hallways of Cimarron-Memorial High School in my memories, I picture exactly where her room was. I see the decorations. I remember our work displayed. I know where I sat. I may not be able to tell you what I had for breakfast yesterday, but I can tell you EXACTLY where the motion-sensor for the lights was in that room (and if we all sat very still for a few moments, the lights would go out and we would all stand and wave wildly around in an exaggerated manner). I have vivid recollections because it mattered. I mattered. That room was a safe, fun, challenging place where I never knew what was going to happen next- but I knew I was in good hands.

Sure, there were the literature regulars. We groaned during A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man (sorry, James Joyce), grieved through One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich (well-done, Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn), chuckled when we finally understood Waiting for Godot (fist-bump, Samuel Beckett), and loathed Jude the Obscure until we LOVED it (you almost lost me at the beginning, Thomas Hardy...glad we hung in there!). In Mrs. Michaels' class, though, we didn't read the book; we experienced it. The activities in class weren't designed to check a box that she had covered the material. She wanted us to discuss, act, relate, analyze, feel, apply, and remember. And I do remember. I remember it fondly.  It mattered. I mattered.

Dynamic classroom teacher? Absolutely! What separated Mrs. Michaels, though, was that she treated us as valued individuals. We chose to eat lunch in her room and chat. We sought her advice on all those teenage issues we were SURE would be our demise (think prom-dress drama). She not only made the time, but treated us with dignity. We convened at her own home to cram for AP exams. She called my house to check on me when I was out sick for a few days. We saw her beam with tears in her eyes at graduation. Mrs. Michaels wanted the best for us. Each of us. We mattered. I mattered.

As an adult, I've had the honor of Mrs. Michaels keeping in touch with me. Truth be told, I don't let her know how often she crosses my mind. As we share posts, anecdotes, and photos, I am still in awe at how much I learn from her- and strive to be the person she is. Mrs. Michaels did not teach twelfth-grade English. Mrs. Michaels taught students. This student smirks out of the blue at some wonderful high school memories in her class. This student still has "B.R." pop in her mind when she flakes out (yeah...inside joke). This student knows she would be a different person having never met Mrs. Michaels. This student mattered.

Happy Teacher Appreciation to all! Especially to my favorite, Judy Michaels (and I will NEVER really feel comfortable calling her "Judy" - regardless of the time that passes!).

What am I DOING?!?

Blog. Blahhhh-g.

Or at least that's what I thought when I first started blogging, if I may be honest. I'd never been a blogger and only followed a very small handful of blogs.  Typically these ranged a narrow span of my nearly-obsessive running passion and my love of dogs. Don't get me wrong- I love to read! But I categorized blogs as the editorials of electronic media, and as someone who historically skipped over the editorials in newspapers, when I transitioned my media intake to on-line versions, I conveniently skipped over blogs.

Then I was charged with blogging professionally a few years ago. "Neat-o" was my less-than-enthusiastic inner-monologue.  That was followed up with, "I better do some research here!"  And thus my blogging journey began...

image from: https://www.flickr.com/photos/nightthree/300232474/

Finding #1: Blogs can be research-based.
Well, this kind of blew my mind! So much for my blog-bashing based on my unfounded opinion that blogs were simply a stream of consciousness for anyone with Internet access.  Some of my favorite postings include commentary on well-researched concepts and pedagogy.  Whether or not I necessarily agree with the commentary is beside the point- these blogs make me think!

Finding #2: There is a blog for everyone.
Admittedly, I had a poor attitude at the get-go.  It was short-lived, I assure you.  As part of my research, I wanted to read different blogs to find a style that was comfortable, get ideas, and seek inspiration.  For a week or so I searched and read, searched and read, searched and read.  And then I realized at one point I was kidding myself.  I wasn't researching anymore.  I was reading because I wanted to.

Finding #3: Blogging starts conversations.
Once upon a time, I erroneously thought that blogs were a one-way purge of thoughts. Nope. Sometimes blogs stand alone, but often, through the comment sections, conversations are started that provide rich discussions of issues addressed in the blog. Points, counterpoints, new research, respectful debates, and even blogs inspired by the original blog all happen through these comments.

Finding #4: Blogs connect people.
The power of posting a public blog are immeasurable. People from all over the world (especially with the translation tools available at the click of a button) can find, read and, interact with these blogs. Discovering new viewpoints, networking outside of one's immediate community, and becoming a part of a global association all happen through blogs.

Finding #5: Blogs don't have to run on forever.
In my naive mind, I thought that blogs were kind of ramble-ish, lengthy, scroll-down-nine-times, and somewhat never-ending. I found that some of the best blogs (in my opinion) were concise, yet thought-provoking or lengthy out of necessity. The beauty of blogs is that there is no pre-determined word count.

Finding #6: Blogs can be inspired from anything.
Albeit I still admit running into writers' block occasionally, the truth is there is so much to ponder, opine, and share, a more common problem is focusing on one topic. Blogs can be commissioned, out-of-the-blue, themed, etc. My own range from life lessons learned from my kids to power-outages to my love of educational technology tools (in particular, My Big Campus).  Having a venue to share, connect, and reach other educators has been a unique experience for me- and one tempered by my own postings about whatever topics I broach in a new post.  Speaking of, I am already feeling inspired for a sequel to this post...something along the lines of "Students Speak! No Ifs or Ands...Just Blogs!"

Snow way!

For the tenth evening in three weeks, my children joined the greater Richmond area youth staring at the screen with crossed fingers, inside-out jammies, and silent pleas. The alphabetical listings of closings seemed to take forever to get to the P's, but sure enough, there it was! "Powhatan County Public Schools closed Friday."  Oh, how they rejoiced! Fist-bumps, shrieks, high-fives, a victory dance that would put Merton Hanks to shame! Instead of assessments and homework, there would be another day of sledding, cocoa, movies, puzzles, and forts!

Meanwhile, my inner-teacher was seeped in empathy for the educators who had carefully planned, prepared materials, and tried desperately to follow the scope and sequence. I received messages from teachers about on-line practices and games to keep my kids' experience with class material fresh. Although I insisted the children do these activities, it was not quite the same as receiving new lessons, getting teacher feedback, and being able to pace themselves through relevant content.  For these reasons, I strongly advocate a growing practice of "virtual learning days" versus "snow days."

You can check out this enlightening article of a real-life experience here: Homework in bed or you can read on further to see how My Big Campus can help recover time lost to Mother Nature and keep students engaged regardless of lengthy weather-delays.   Here's how to get started:

* Make students and parents aware!  In your syllabus, make note of the fact that your class will still move forward despite hurricanes, blizzards, tornados (think postman's creed here)! Send the message from day one that your class is ready for whatever surprises this year has in store! Give concrete directions of where students are to navigate on days the school building is closed.  It is rare that inclement weather truly hit us by surprise, so be prepared to post and remind again as ominous conditions arise.

* Bundle a self-paced unit! Keep the momentum going in your class!  For each unit, pull resources, assessments, discussions, and activities together and let students keep working.  You can use bundle locks to reveal content by date, user, or mastery of material. Let it be known that your students will continue on this bundle for the unit, thus making the time spent on this relevant (instead of being viewed as busy-work).

* Have a non-wired back-up plan!  Not every student may have Internet connectivity at home. Make note of those students ahead of time.  Provide them with hard-copies of materials ahead of time (if possible) and even follow-up with a phone call or two to check-in. With the simplicity of branching and editing bundles, you can modify the unit for students that need to work both on and off-line. Bundle-stashing on the MBC ap also allows for work off-line that is automatically submitted once students are wired!

* Make virtual office-hours! Post an hour or two that your class can meet on chat or video-chat if they are available.  Despite students' enthusiasm for days off, they also do miss each other (and you!) and the social aspect of class.  It is a novelty to students and you just may be surprised at the level of participation you get!

* Debrief when you are face-to-face again!  What worked? What was helpful? What was confusing? What would they like to see more of? What did they feel was worthwhile? What was their favorite part? What was difficult and why? Ask them! Oh, they WILL tell you!  Then use this feedback to create your next virtual learning day unit.

Despite students' enthusiasm for unexpected days off, there is not one student that wants to be in school until the middle of July making up days. Although it is a district/state-wide decision how to make-up days (if they are made up at all), it can be a classroom teacher's decision whether or not to keep the momentum and learning going even on days off.  Keeping pace with teachers' original plans leaves more time for enrichment and improvement!

Not only will you be keeping your students on-track academically, but believe me when I attest to the amount of parent support you will receive! After the hands and cheeks are too pink to stay outside any longer and the hot-cocoa is gone, children inevitably revert to those two words that drive parents nationwide batty. "I'm bored."  Parents will embrace the meaningful activities you have planned for their children.  Trust me! I know first-hand!

You're Wired Just Perfectly

I have two kids that mean the world to me.  I dote on them, love them to a point of distraction, smother them in hugs, and regale them with words of wisdom about all aspects of life (at least that's the aim). As my career revolves heavily around appropriate use of the Internet, this topic comes up rather frequently as I promote liberal, responsible use of technology in my home.  Of course, I have them safely filtered and under parental controls- and they are fabulous children- but occasionally they slip on the rules.  I caught one child creatively playing with WordArt. The WordArt itself was enchanting to look at on first glance- vibrant colors, twisty contour- and it was all with the word "underpants."

I sighed, the child looked at me abashedly, and I went through some of my standard lines. "Is that something you would want your Grandmother to see?  Is that something that would make your teacher proud? How do you feel about yourself now that I saw it?"  We discussed, deleted the "underpants," and resolved to make better decisions.

The thing is, I was ok with this- all of it.  My kids are curious, boundary-testing, typical students- just like your students.  We adults can tell, model, preach, and even DEMAND rule-following, but the way they grow and learn is through trial and error.  I would much prefer my own children err in a safe, monitored environment than out in the wide world of Internet-ness.

This is exactly why I adore My Big Campus.  MBC provides an environment in which students can navigate through a social-learning platform under an umbrella of safety (check out more here).  With safety features such as 24/7 monitoring, profanity interception, user -report abuse buttons, flesh-tone scanning, and suspicious activity reporting, My Big Campus is indescribably secure.

Nevertheless, it is understandable when teachers have questions about monitoring a site that is available to students 24/7.  Fear not! Whether you unplug at 3:30 when the kids leave or have your smart phone as another appendage, My Big Campus is for you!  Here is how this works if you are:

Unplugged   It is perfectly acceptable to unplug! It is absolutely ok to tell your students that after you leave school, play taxi-service to your own children, make dinner, and settle into your home, you will probably not be on-line checking assignments or messages.  No worries! With the features My Big Campus already has in place, Discussions are already monitored, Bob Campus is around for any Q/A, and those assignments will be waiting in the cloud when you are ready!

Semi-plugged    It is also super if you know you will have some dedicated time to check back in on your classes at some point after class is out.  Let them know that any questions they have before 8 PM will be answered before you go to bed- anything else will be handled in class or in the morning.  You could also dedicate a chat-time to hang out on-line and be available for them in Group Chat. No need to use up the whole evening on the computer, but if you are more comfortable jumping on-line a few times at night, we have the tools for you!

Fully-plugged  If you are wired like me, chances are you are rarely without some sort of device to be on-line. I let students know that before I went to bed, most questions would be answered almost immediately if they messaged me (then I changed my notifications to send me a text of their messages). This worked for me as I am rarely without my phone. Any messages after bedtime, I simply addressed in class.  I was both refreshed and rejuvenated to find my students participating and inquiring at all hours outside of our regular meeting times. We really had created an active extension of our classroom!

image retrieved from: http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3061/3077035953_2aa573c111_o.jpg

 Regardless of how you are wired, you are wired just perfectly for My Big Campus!

It's All About Who You Know

The other day, as I was cruising around one of the winding country curves near my house, a man came running up the street at me flailing his arms and screaming for me to slow down. I slammed on the brakes and tried to size up the situation.  I mean, any man willing to play a game of chicken with a car had to be a little crazy.  Before he had a chance to even say a word, I saw the issue, which was also headed straight toward me.  It seems this man's pig had decided to take a leisurely stroll right down the middle of this two-lane road. To fully understand the situation, let me divulge a few details:

1- There are no shoulders on country roads. Most often there are ditches or trees that reach out onto the road.

2- I am referring to a pig that is a country pig. I mean, 700 pounds of bacon slowly ambling up the road.

3- There's no way either one of us (me or the pig) are getting by each other.

To add to the chaos, there was another man trying to coax this creature into submission. He was begging, holding up food, and even using his full body-weight to try to push the swine toward the edge of the road and presumably home. It was like watching a cartoon-or watching a ground hog try to derail an NFL tackle. Not happening. The pig could not have cared less- and wasn't breaking his lethargic stride.

I just sat there in the car for a bit. This was not the first time (nor would it be the last) I was running late due to animal-intervention. I have been held hostage on a dirt road by a flock of turkeys that was running in circles. My cars have been accosted by deer too many times to count. I have sat patiently while a line of alpaca decided to s-l-o-w-l-y cross the road in front of me. I even followed behind a cow for miles once because it simply would not get out of my lane (I was in a no-passing zone...it just felt wrong).  Such is life in rural Virginia- there are some huge upsides to country living, but there are some unpredictable deterrents.

Teaching in rural Virginia also presented some unique opportunities, but also obstacles.  One of my biggest frustrations was feeling isolated professionally. Often I was the only teacher in the district that taught the classes I taught. I had no one to share ideas with and generate plans. I didn't know where to go for collaboration and often felt stuck with the ideas in my head.  I could go to conferences and pick up ideas, but then would stagnate. I was truly stuck to my own devices once I headed home, which presented a very real problem when I wanted to try to flip my classroom or teach the on-line Senior Project course. I realized, too, that my students were victims of operating in my cutoff classroom.  I knew there were other classes and educators out there that must feel the same as me, but I struggled to find them. Enter My Big Campus...

Connecting with other educators was effortless with all of the site features on My Big Campus that foster collaboration, building relationships, and linking people together.

My first stop was EduTalk:

EduTalk is a news feed (that can also be integrated with Twitter) specifically for educators. Reading the current trends and finding educators that share my interests and passions was simple through keyword searches and hashtags.  I can go on the general feed to make new connections and see the latest trends there. I even created my own personal feed to streamline the people I interact with most.

Speaking of personalizing my learning, I also started Following people:

By following others, their posts and insights showed up on my Activity Feed.  I could keep current with their on-line happenings and use them to generate ideas of my own.  I could also Message them to collaborate or create a think-tank. I have met incredible educators with innovative ideas and strategies through these connections.

Looking for more ways to connect? Try the Library:

                

In the Library, once you find quality resources posted by other educators, you can see who added the items as well as their other contributions.  I made dozens of connections exchanging resources with other teachers who shared my preps and interests.  My Big Campus made it easy to put me in touch with classroom leaders I had so much in common with- but would never have found otherwise!  Finally, I was truly collaborating and exchanging ideas!

Next, I discovered Topics:

Topics are global spaces for any non-student users to view/post resources, start/join discussions, meet other educators with the same interests, and expand their professional networks. Search around the Topic repository and you will surely find some relevant to you and your interests! Whether you are seeking subject-matter expertise, want to read up on 1:1 initiatives, crave some iPad collaboration, or even just need cool bulletin board ideas, we have Topics for you!

Speaking of...check out this Topic made just for educators seeking connections:

Campus to Campus

Go ahead and click and join! This new Topic is already populated with educators itching to reach out and connect with you!  Whether you want to video chat with a classroom in another region, pair students up with e-pals, or get creative in lesson-design by collaborating with other campuses, this is a one-stop shop made just for MBC users!

So, having alleviated many of my rural-teaching woes, I am still stuck with a few chagrins of country life. The pig eventually took a detour off the main road (maybe due to its owner's pleas, but I think mostly it just got bored with the terrain) and I eventually got home.  Sometimes I struggle with what to make for dinner, but it was an easy choice that night- and those pork chops were delicious!