Skip to main content

Evolving in a Metamorphic World

3634-monarch-butterfly-at-chrysalis-with-wrinkled-wings.jpg

Teachers are evolutionary. They start each year fresh, making adaptations to the way they did things in the past. Each year, getting incrementally better. They look back at their notes and change a lesson here or there, fine tuning their instruction. They reflect throughout the summer about missed opportunities and how they will not let that happen this year. They sift through files, throwing out old files and making room for new ideas. These are important processes for teachers to embrace change and try new things. Unfortunately, it is too slow. With the speed at which technology changes, teachers need to undergo a metamorphosis in order to transform into technology savvy instructors. The question is, how to do we take chimps and turn them into butterflies. Chimps are good animals. They are highly evolved, social, intelligent animals. But they can not grow wings in a week's time. They can develop opposable thumbs, given a few thousand years, but we are looking for transformation, the kind that takes place within a chrysalis.

So the question is, how do we transform our teachers into butterflies? How do we grow wings and allow our teachers to soar? Of course, we can't get all teachers to change overnight. However, we can start looking at ourselves differently. If we view ourselves as butterflies, we can jump from higher perches and try more challenging ideas.

Instead of weeding through an old file and throwing a paper here or there, try dumping the whole folder and trying something completely different. Butterflies are fragile animals, like our confidence when it comes to technology, but they are able to fly incredible distances.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Creating Traditions

Over the winter break, my wife and I got talking about traditions. At this time of year, there are many. Somehow or another, the conversation ended up on technology. (I don't know how... really!!) We were talking about how traditions are a part of our core values. For us, a love of nature is a core value. We have planned a couple of family trips to take advantage of the nature that is accessible throughout our country. We talked about how many people, including us at times, feel like technology can be a threat to our core values. It might be in conflict with our work/life balance, our love of the outdoors, our perceptions of what good relationships are about. But then we began talking about how technology has helped us build on our core values. As we planned our trip to Utah to go to the National Parks, we used the Internet to research the parks, find a flight, book a hotel, rent a car, and look at maps of the area. We might use a GPS system to help us get around while we are there...

From See Saw to Balance Beam

Lately I've been feeling a bit conflicted. I hear some people write very eloquently about the power of data. If we collect good data on our students, we can use that data to help inform instruction. We will make sure that every student gets the instruction they need. They talk about common formative assessments. They talk about personalizing education. I hear others write equally eloquently about the fact that easy access to information changes how and what we teach drastically. They talk about constructivism and project based learning. They talk about the importance of creativity and design. They talk about deconstructing curriculum and focusing on skills instead of content. And me? I feel like a see saw. One day I'm on the data bandwagon. The next day I'm a hardcore constructivist. And I often have a hard time reconciling these two notions. On my data days, I'm thinking about standards, assessments, how my instruction ties into the curriculum. On my constructivist day...

The Well Equipped Computer Lab - Feedback Encouraged!

I have the wonderful opportunity (and responsibility) to research and select some software for our elementary school computer labs. I have a moderate budget, but it is enough to purchase 3-5 new titles depending on costs. The committee will meet throughout this year and hopefully make its decision by March. I am very interested in the feedback of others, both within the district and elsewhere. We currently have some software in the labs that are still being used. This is an opportunity to fill in some gaps. I also want to go on record as stating that I recognize that there are many websites, free or otherwise, that can meet some of our needs. However, as we collect websites for specific skills and concepts, we are learning that there are often drawbacks to many of them, whether it is the fact that they are not part of a cohesive program that can track progress and individualize instruction or that they have many distracting elements on the screen. I also feel strongly that the core of ...