Reflections on Learning spacesSpace has a direct impact on social and emotional well-being. Enclosed spaces with desks all in a row can feel “prison-like.” More open, flexible spaces inherently create a more creative and collaborative feeling. Thinking back to the Visual Literacy course, we need to keep color and other visual stimuli in mind when creating spaces. A messy space can feel chaotic, for example. It is difficult for students (and adults for that matter) to focus in dark, cramped spaces. These are rarely objectively perceived, of course, but we have all felt how rooms can affect us. In this way, the classroom space itself contributes to the ability to learn.
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Reflections:
What was my biggest takeaway from this course on Global Collaboration and Community?
A couple of years ago, I was at a PLAYDATE with Jennie Magiera and she kept mentioning the day’s Twitter hashtag. I finally asked her, “why the heck would I want to be on Twitter? Isn’t that for people talking about whatever food they ate?” She laughed and showed me her Twitter feed. I was overwhelmed by the sheer amount of resources, ideas, and camaraderie. I sat down, joined, and tweeted “@MsMagiera @astillman am I trending, yet? New to twitter. #playdate14” From that inauspicious start, I have joined several vibrant communities and have learned so much. It is vitally important for educators today to reach out and discuss the issues we are all facing. Whether crowdsourcing resources, troubleshooting issues, or just commiserating, being a connected educator provides you with a massive network. Helping others tap into that not only helps grown my own PLN, but adds more powerful voices to the mix. What changes will I make in my teaching and professional development practice? For me, and it is sad/funny, that I never really thought of this, but the biggest change for me is thinking through how I will discuss social media with students. I have evangelized the power of social media for educators for some time, now. I know my students “get” social media on a level that I don’t (most of it was built for them, after all), but I want to help guide them in using it to its fullest. Connecting with the topics they are passionate about and, more importantly, the people who are are important in those fields/topics. Social media allows us to connect in ways that were nearly impossible before. That needs to be leveraged more in student’s lives. Not, just following your favorite band, or actor, but connecting with people who are building communities around music and film, for example. What impact will this have on my students? I touched on this briefly above, but to move the thought further, I am certain that as we all learn these tools for connecting to other people we will discover new ways to enhance our student’s learning. That could be as simple as discovering innovative ways to use edtech tools, or new ways to use non-edtech tools educationally. Also, the old adage about “two heads being better than one” is amplified when we think of crowdsourcing lesson plans! How have I become a more courageous leader so far? What steps will I continue to take to become a more courageous leader? As I grow my own PLN, I have access to educators doing amazing work that pushes my own thinking, making me a better educator and courageous leader. I will continue to learn, and more importantly, share what I am doing (and learning) to help others grow. Is there a better definition of leadership?
We use Schoology as our LMS at Chicago Academy High School. It has a social media look and feel that can be used to help teach students aspects of Digital Citizenship in a safe space. For this lesson, Sara Carroll, Dana Shabica, and I put together a lesson plan for our RISE Communities (our version of a "homeroom").
In this lesson, students will discuss various social media tools and how they present themselves online. We will discuss the differences between "fun" social media and professional social media, stressing the importance of maintaining a strong "personal brand" that is professional and smart. Finally, they will open their Schoology accounts and create a professional profile using the skills we have discussed. |
AuthorI am the Technology Coordinator for Chicago Academy High School, Chicago's first 1:1 Chromebo0k School ArchivesCategories
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