Cathy Nelson’s Professional Thoughts

How? Twitter, CoveritLive, and Ustream!  My favorite apps during BLC08.  My family thinks I’m nuts.  I think I’m very smart.  I also think most students would be able to handle this!

I am seeking answers in my own professional circle (teacher librarians) but decided to open this survey up to my network as well.  If you are taking the survey from the link provided here, please indicate that in the last open-ended question.  Feel free to remain anonymous though. I only strive to keep the data from SC Teacher Librarians separate form blog readers.

Here is the message I sent to my fellow teacher librarians in my state:

Much discussion of late in my network circles center on filters at school.  Concerns range from students’ abilities to circumvent them to them being too tight, blocking more than just inappropriate material. While in my recent years I’ve felt when filtered content was blocked, I’ve had an appropriate method to request an opening or unblocking of content, based on these recent conversations, I feel that is not the case for many.  I am in a lucky few and minority.

Please take some time to answer these ten questions. My survey is probably neither valid or reliable in terms of measurement standards, but will appease my curiosity.

Click here to take the Survey.

or here
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=zEGGCctTqE3HD7j_2bm9twkA_3d_3d

Thanks in advance for any who decide to participate in my very informal survey.  Come to think of it, I probably should have made this a cell-phone texting survey and twittered or plurked it for you all!

Attribution form Flickrcc:

Processing the last 2 weeks of the Upstate Technology Conference and NECC, and I still can’t seem to put to words all that transpired or even how I felt about it all. I feel a sort of elation, though many have expressed disappointment or even more critical feelings about NECC. I’m still satisfied with my conference experience, as I got to meet SO MANY virtual friends f2f. This picture of nodes was shared frequently at NECC, but it really represents well how virtual relationships can expand your learning. My learning in the last 2 years can mostly be attested to virtual relationships I have cultivated in the last 2 years.

In the last 2 weeks, I met up with my friend Chris Craft at UTC, and together we went right in and met up with Ewan McIntosh and David Jakes there in Greenville. I also met for the first time f2f Pat “Loonyhiker” Hensley. I hung out with Heather Loy, Pat Hensley, Maryann Sansonetti, Julia Davis, and Chris Craft, and best, Daid Jakes and Ewan McIntosh came and ate lunch with us the one day I attended UTC.

At NECC, it was nice to meet up again with all the people I hung around with in Philadelphia at Educon 2.0, like Laura Deisley, Will Richardson, David Jakes, Joyce Valenza, Carolyn Foote, Kristin Hokanson, Robin Ellis, Sylvia Martinez, Chris Lehman, Maria Knee, Marcie Hull, and way too many others to mention.

I met f2f for the very first time Diane Cordell, Kitty Forbus, Doug Johnson, Derrall G, Vinnie Vrotney, Lisa Parisi, Stefanie Sanderfer, Darren Draper, Wes Fryer, Mighuel Ghulin, Scott Mcleod, Kevin Honeycutt (actually I did meet and get to know Kevin at EBC/NECC 07), and Dean Shareski, just to name a few.

The trip to San Antonio was worth it alone for just the opportunity to meet and talk shop with all these people. I had a great mixture of sessions and meeting up with my peeps while IN San Antonio. I am defintiely looking forward to NECC2009 in DC already. Can you believe I read where someone had already booked their rooms for next year’s NECC?

Today’s photos are compliments of Crafty184’s photostream, and mine.

Chris Craft, happiest person I know! An SC resident, no less. My mentor and friend.

David Jakes (from the Chicago area) and I–we made a pact to be buddies in real life, even though we are not buds in Twitter. Who needs Twitter when one can have a f2f friendship?

Upon meeting Ewan McIntosh (Edinburg, Scotland), he pulled me close, kissed me lightly on each cheek, and exclaimed, “Cathyjo, you look just like your avatar!” It was the sweetest greeting I think I’ve ever gotten!

Meeting Diane Cordell (upstate New York) was quite possibly icing on the cake! We met through social networking circles and have cultivated quite a friendship in the last year. What spunk!

I finally get to meet Kitty Forbus. Oddly enough I think we virtually met through my blog in its earliest phase, and then cultivated a friendship by playing with the tools (remember our foray into Skype, Kitty?) and most recently mentoring Kitty through some of her National Board Certification Process. Kitty is form Alabama, and recently my school district lured her superintendent away to South Carolina. Talk about a small world!

Lisa Parisi is from Long Island, NY, and we have met before in many social networking circles. She is so genuinely nice and SMART! I want to be like her someday.

Perhaps there will be more post-NECC reflections. But I just had to share about the people I met recently. So who did you enjoy meeting, and better, where are the pictures?

Attribution:

Okay so I’m still reeling from our session at NECC (so titled in the above blog title.) You can visit our wiki handout here. It is very surreal to even now reflect and realize that I have done 2 presentations (both panel style) with Joyce Valenza. My other panelists, Carolyn Foote, Diane Cordell, Judy O’Connell, and Anita Beaman, all could have held down the session alone too. I am astonished at the content I alone learned in our session, and all was pulled together with only a little interaction before hand. We each sort of divvied up the topics, and went our own way with them, not sharing a whole lot until right before the conference. I think this is why I was able to enjoy listening after my contribution.

Time was ticking

Speaking of that, we began with Joyce going first. I was stunned at the number of slides she used, considering we had all decided before hand to just use pictures, and leave the text for our voices. Not a single bullet or visible powerpoint template to be seen, which seemed to go over really well. I had nine slides, Joyce had twenty-seven last time I counted. OUCH. I was following her, and we had decided before beginning that we each had seven minutes to talk. Seven minutes times seven people (Kim Cofino had a part that was pre-taped using Voice Thread) would mean forty-nine minutes, leaving ten minutes for discussion and questions/answers in a perfect world. I worked hard to make sure my part was seven minutes, and so having nine slides should have made that easy. I saw as we all loaded our slides on the wiki in the days leading up to our session that some had a large set of slides. I wasn’t worried though b/c Joyce had said seven minutes, and she had a large number, so I just figured if she could cover hers in seven minutes, we all could create that many and be successful.

Sometimes it’s a perfect world…

Well it wasn’t a perfect world, b/c even with a timer, some of the group went over their allotted seven minutes. I was just after Joyce (what huge shoes to fill) and so felt at ease thinking I would probably be done with mine well before my time was up. Low and behold the timer gave a warning of one minute and I still had 2 slides to go! I wrapped it up in just exactly seven minutes, whew! Our time did not allow though for Kim’s video, but it is available for any who still haven’t seen it. Awesome work too.

I became a sponge

After my part, I just sat back and absorbed like crazy b/c shockingly enough each panelist was FANTASTIC. I am proud to report that I learned so much from the other panelists. It is worth your time and effort to go back and watch/listen to the session, which is on the wiki in an archived u-stream (THANKS Derrall G.)

One of my OMG Moments

One surprise I had in our session was when just after we began I saw David Loertscher–yes, THE David Loertscher–come in the back of room. Since we had a full back channell (from the Ustream chat–53 was the highest number I saw–and then the “cover-it-live” live blog that Carolyne Foote was trying to maintain, I decided to let it be known that he had joined us. I tweeted, added it in the Ustream Chat, and added it in Carolyn’s live blog. Shocking to me, about a third of the room turned around to get a glimpse of David Loertscher. WOW. That is truly a powerful feeling–1) he chose our session (and that he was AT NECC), and 2) other people in our room were apparently live in the various chats and visibly turned to look for him. (He even has a blog–though its not as up to date as I like. Still, I’m impressed.)

Now What?

This has made me realize that we in SC should also do a session like this for SCEdTech, SCASL, SCASA, SC Middle School Conference, and any number of other conferences held around our state. So, I’m looking for recruits. Who’s in? Chris? MaryAnn? Julia? Bob? Fran? Come on!! I also think its time for me (and all the other panelists as well) to step up to the bigger conferences on our own. It’s Independence Day, right?

Want to see some other streamed sessions from NECC? Visit here.

Image Attribution:

Image: ‘David Loertscher‘
http://davidloertscher.wordpress.com/

Image: ‘Flat time‘
www.flickr.com/photos/45451323@N00/108818423

Image: ‘Panel‘
http://necclibrarians08.wikispaces.com/

Image: ‘Sponges‘
www.flickr.com/photos/96878569@N00/826064663

I am still trying to process the entire NECC 2008 experience, though it is difficult. This year was the year of the C’s if someone had to ask me–there were many buzzwords that began with C, and not just those from the theme:

Connect

Convene

CoLearn

Collaborate

Create

Some highlights:

The keyring that Kevin Honeycutt brought was a big hit. Teachers come to short trainings (Fifteen minutes?) and at end of sessions, receive a plastic laminated tag for their keyring. The front has the 2.0 tool name on it (i.e. Twitter, Plurk, Flickr, etc.) and the back has the URL and sometimes the name/contact of a helpful person.

Here we are –rocks stars for the moment right after our session at necc, but in all likelihood more like glowing in the shadow of Joyce Valenza, certified teacher librarian rock star–the rest of us, back up singers/players who may eventually grow into our own. (Picture bottom row l-r:Carolyn Foote, Joyce Valenza, Diane Cordell, Judy O’Connell, top row, l-r: Anita Beaman, me.) Where is Joyce’s badge? She such a known entity here at NECC, none is really needed.

My dinner mates (minus Scott McLeod, who is taking the picture) form Tuesday PM. We went to Rosario’s on South Alamo, and it is true I’m afraid. Doug Johnson, while in all his greatness in libraryland, is a self professed curmudgeon! (Pictured l-r: Miguel Ghulin, Ann Johnson, aka LWW, Wes Fryer, Dough Johnson, me)

EBC was fun–not the same as 2007, but I didn’t expect it to be. I expected more participants, and i was not disappointed. Conspicuously absent for me–> John Pederson.

Still trying to figure it all out. Can anyone else think of the C words that were buzzing?

I arrived for the UTC around 7:20 AM and was very surprised at how quickly that happened.  It was just under a 2-hour drive and easy.  I was dismayed though to discover my sessions were scheduled for Thursday and not today as I had planned, and had to apologetically withdraw/cancel my sessions for tomorrow.  I have a meeting in Columbia at the State Department of Education, and it is one I cannot miss. I (along with others) will be working with other educators across the state on a curriculum project and even though I am not sure of the exact details, this is an opportunity to demonstrate that teacher librarians are partners in instruction and collaborative planning, and can be an asset in the development of standards-based instruction. Since way too many schools use the teacher librarian as holding area so teachers get a planning period, I want to do my very best in this project.  I love brainstorming project design.  Hopefully I will “represent” teacher librarians well.  It is important that teacher librarians help change the view that so many have, that which is incorrect.  So I feel this is more important than the UTC tomorrow. I am disappointed though because I am leaving the conference with 2 empty spots, and this is the first time ever I’ve done this.  I am also missing what I’m sure will be fabulous sessions and a keynote by David Jakes.

Mind Boggling

Today’s material was mind boggling and terrific.  I commend the planners for the UTC.  I really thought it would be difficult to top attending a conference the day before that featured a keynote and 2 sessions by Marc Prensky, but Ewan McIntosh blew my mind.  He is probably the strongest “think outside the box” speaker I’ve ever heard.  I left with many ideas on rethinking my approach to teaching, using video games in a classroom, and how to have fun with pictures that tie into the curriculum.   I remember reading McIntosh last July while BLC was happening (in both his blog and a skype backchannel), and he wrote some outstanding material about Resnick’s contribution, which focused on keeping the term “play” relevant throughout all grade levels, not just preschool/kindergarten.  I wondered if Ewan would be able to top it from back then, but he has shown me even more, taking it to a higher level for me.  If you do not read Ewan McIntosh, you should.  Ewan, you are a ROCK STAR in the field of education for me, forging a new way to think about learning.

Like brothers and sisters

I am still processing all that I learned today, and trying to collect my pictures.   I’ll share them as soon as I get them.  Pat (aka Loonyhiker) sent me one we had taken together today (but it’s not available under creative commons.).  It was nice to group up with so many in my PLN, like Ewan, Jakes, Chris Craft, MaryAnn Sansonetti, Julia Davis, Pat, Heather Loy, and others.  We had a great time today, and oddly enough each session I attended had me sitting with or by several from this group. I guess we all think a little bit alike, though that would make sense if we are truly a PLN.  When I first arrived after meeting up with Pat, I followed Chris Craft into the auditorium, where we saw David Jakes and Ewan McIntosh.  Ewan hopped down from the stage, greeted me warmly by calling me by my Twitter name, and then firmly planted a kiss on each of my cheeks.  He exclaimed, “You look just like your avatar picture!”  That’s the beauty of a PLN—we all feel some kind of brotherly/sisterly connection.  These people are not strangers at all. They frequently mirror my thoughts and extend my thinking/learning.

P.S.  I did sit right in the front row as I vowed yesterday! Best, I had David Jakes on my left, and Chris Craft on my right! What more could a girl ask for? Brilliance all around.  Oh no, I guess I really am some sort of edtech groupie.  Pictures to come, I promise.

“Mitch Resnick”
Photo by Ewan McIntosh licensed under Creative Commons Attributon 2.0 Generic

Okay so Wordle has been the rage in the bloggosphere of late, and many are making tag clouds for their Delicious Accounts. I can’t because I hate to admit this, but my delicious account is a mess, one that I seriously need to take the time and clean up. Why? I have tags that only have meaning to me. My tags would not mean anything to anyone else. Like what? Well like dates for when I need something–it is a tag. See what I men? Meaningless to anyone but me.

So I was missing out on the Wordle fun! This morning I took time to check out Wordle, and wow the possibilities. I discovered that Wordle will make a cloud out of any writing. I made a cloud (above) of my June archive in my blog. My hot topics are school, blog, learning library, media, teachers, & students. I’m pleased to see I focus more on “learning,” but disappointed that the word “teacher” and “student” still seem to be prominent words in m vernacular. I had a goal not too long ago to try and replace those two words synonymously with “learner.” Well at least I can see the effort is there.

I can definitely see the possibilities of this in the classroom, particularly a classroom where writing is emphasized. It will help writers see what words are used in abundance (or overused). I can just imagine the word “like” hugely displayed in most middle-schooler’s writing. I can also imagine a lot of txt-talk there as well. I am looking forward to sharing this with the learners who lead in the classroom at my school.

I’ve been reading in different places (Blue Skunk, Leader Talk, Dangerously Irrelevant, just to name a few) about how k12 education has such a stronghold on tradition, despite evidence that tradition is holding us back.

Examples that come to mind:

• 9 month calendar instead of year-round school
• Textbook driven courses
• Curriculum driven test scores
• Students still required to have paper and pencil
• Rows in the classroom that face the teacherBoard at the front of the room
• Teacher imparts knowledge on studen
• Mastery is demonstrated only through testing
• Grades decide success (data driven decision making rules)
• Computer labs have rows of tables with computers side by side and numbered, all facing the front of the room where a teacher may lead instruction

I even see much of tradition affecting my context – the library:

• Gatekeeper of books
• The need to scan every book out of place for an “in-library use” so circ stats support keeping the library
• Books constantly straight and even, almost pristine and untouched.
• Labels to say checkout, don’t check out, read me, you can’t read me in their own special way
• Heavy emphasis on literacy and reading programs, with little emphasis on literacy of the digital side.

So what signs would tell a different story? Even when I visited the Science Leadership Academy in Philadelphia, without the students there, I would have suspected a traditional school. The only difference I saw were in the ways of the learning, where I saw tables instead of desks, laptops instead of textbooks, groups of varying sizes in each class, some appearing on task, others seemingly off. Evidence of project based learning. But the difference here was the students seemed to be learning despite their focus or lack of focus on the teacher.

What characteristics help identify a more progressive school setting? The human factor and their actions can say it all. Our schools for the most part continue to be designed in the traditional sense. A new, first time opening school in most areas will still have desks for kids, desks for teachers, boards in the room, and depending on the wealth of the location, some technology including projectors, interactive white boards, and other gadgets. But what sets apart a traditional from a progressive school in ideas and thinking is still the human factor.

I sure wish more of the human factor would join the ranks of progressive thinking in K12 education. I am tired of tradition and feeling behind.

Image Attribution:

Image: ‘Ecological consequences‘
www.flickr.com/photos/31929257@N00/345712329

Image: ‘final exam‘
www.flickr.com/photos/34017702@N00/74907741

2 incidents–and I’m thinking…

This evening I was reading my reader, and branched out to comment on Mr. Granito’s Blog. You see, he was lamenting many variables about testing that he cannot control, like what kids bring to school with them as a mindset on test day. I tried to relieve his concerns with a comment and then cheer him on with an upcoming really cool project we (mostly he) has planned. But I wanted to assure him that I’d be there to help, which made me think of this song.

Also this afternoon, I relieved some concerns for a group of 8th graders who came a couple of days ago looking for cool sound effects to use in their skit for English. As we looked online, we found many–for sale. And much of even those were blocked. The boys left disappointed but vowing to get their sound effects from home, even it meant making them on their own. I contacted higher ups, and was promised a cd of sound effects by Friday. I expressd as much to the teacher over this skit project, who responded with a lot of shocked thanks and she wished she had thought to collaborate with me from the get go on ths project. She had no idea the lengths I would go to meet their needs. Afterall, it wasn’t a research project. The boys returned this afternoon just before dismissal, upset b/c they could not get their edited sound effects (I guess they could not wait for the promised free ones Friday) off the computer they worked on. Of course I suggested they save it and let their teacher fish it off the network, but they turned away, had a small chat, then turned back to say they were not on the network, and their work was on a computer with no CD or floppy. (Of course I’m wracking my brains b/c I can’t figure out what computer is in the building that wasn’t on the network or even able to log in, but usable. No matter, it was time to go. So I asked guys if it had a flash drive port, which brought smiles all around. I assured them I’d make sure they had a flash drive firsst thin in the morning, so the happily left. (I really don’t think they’ll be back to get one from the library, but I helped them think up a solution-I imagine if they did not have one this afternoon, they will bring one tomorrow. Note: They have my curiosity piqued, so I’ll be sure to go and hear their sound effects, and beg to see the skit. I also now want to check what workstation in my building will not get on the network–a ws with no floppy tells me it is NOT old.)

It is days like this when I realize I am in the perfect job. My job allows to me to be a point of need type person. Teachers, students, and more seek me out to help them think through their problems. I spent the morning helping Granito by seeing a program get loaded on al workstations for his project newt week. I worked with our resource office to video a one act play for a presentation planed next week. I helped some guys think through their dilemma. And I boosted the morale of a teacher worrying of uncontrollable things. I even sent this one a link to a song I remembered from my elementary years!

“I’ll be there….”

The more I thought about the song, the more I realized the words really fit and describe how I feel about my job…what it is I’m supposed to do. It’s weird, but this is really why I love my job. I do what I do because 1) I really want to help, and 2) I really want to see others be successful.

So I ask you to listen to the song. And remind yourself if you are in any position that allows you to serve your entire school environment, you should feel just like this–here are the words:

“I’ll Be There”

You and I must make a pact, we must bring salvation back
Where there is love, Ill be there

Ill reach out my hand to you, Ill have faith in all you do
Just call my name and Ill be there

Chorus:
And oh – Ill be there to comfort you,
Build my world of dreams around you, Im so glad that I found you
Ill be there with a love thats strong
Ill be your strength, Ill keep holding on – yes I will, yes I will

Let me fill your heart with joy and laughter
Togetherness, well thats all Im after
Whenever you need me, Ill be there
Ill be there to protect you, with an unselfish love I respect you
Just call my name and Ill be there

Chorus

If you should ever find someone new, I know he’d better be good to you
Cos if he doesnt, Ill be there

Dont you know, baby, yeah yeah
Ill be there, Ill be there, just call my name, Ill be there

(Just look over your shoulders, honey – ooh)

Ill be there, Ill be there, whenever you need me, Ill be there

Don’t you know, baby, yeah yeah
Ill be there, Ill be there, just call my name, Ill be there…

Do not read this as a love song to any one person, but rather why I help the ones I work with. A very large part of my job as a teacher-librarian is to teach students and supplement instruction through partnerships, collaboration and support. This song totally nails it for me, huh?

This week SC marks the annual state-wide testing known as PACT. PACT stands for Palmetto Achievement Challenge Test, and yes our state testing program is truly a challenge, much more rigorous compared to other state testing programs. While SC traditionally falls low in state ranking for performance, we equally rank high for our rigorous standards and this test being a pretty tough assessment program. Most SC teachers I know lament many issues with the test, including the fact that the length of time to get results back is way too long–and the test does not really give any diagnostic information to assist teachers in improving student performance.

The answer to that in many districts across SC is to implement the MAP Test, which supposedly correlates highly to PACT.

Here is the funny part–the test, claimed to be flawed even by the Jim Rex, our state superintendent, is funded again for another year. But look at one of the headlines in the Sunday paper today (really this is the opening line):

The House approved a final version of the state’s $7 billion budget Thursday that falls short of meeting a basic state function: getting children to schoolhouses.

Essentially it will pay for testing, but not for gas to get our kids to school on our SC Buses. Oh well, unless we speak to our legislators, this will continue to be the case. At least there is evidence in Anderson of a legislator asking the hard question–why do we continue to use PACT. Best, State Superintendent Jim Rex answers this letter, pointing that his hands were tied regarding this year’s state assessment, and that until the governing body comes up with another acceptable state assessment, this one will continue to be used. Read that letter and Rex’s response here.

SC is not the only state arguing the merit of high stakes testing. So as we educators (and our student and parents) face arguably a 2 week period of stressful testing, turning our schedules and routines upside-down, and making some endure self inflicted suffering, let me leave you with this video titled “Not on the Test.” NOTE–this is intended for educators, not students.

Last, remind educators to be positive with students no matter how you feel about the assessment program. Having high expectations and a positive attitude can go a long way in relieving student pressure, test anxiety, and tension, and that can mean the difference b/w advanced, proficient, basic, and below basic, which defines our students performance according to PACT.