Not surprisingly, there is a focus on teaching in these troubled times on the posts from Ontario Edubloggers. I’ve tried to bring a bunch of them together for your Friday and weekend reading.
One Size Fits All, Even When It Doesn’t
Tim King leads off with a confession that he has a big head. I hadn’t noticed. The point of Tim’s post was that he requires a medical mask and couples that with sinus issues to make things ugly. The mask isn’t sized to accommodate him and that makes for an uncomfortable day.
Couple that with the life of a technology teacher in a warm shop area setting up and dealing with the tech and you get the picture that he’s trying to paint.
The plot thickens as the topic turns to computer technology and his need to fix things so that his students have a place to work. Renewed Computer Technology of Ontario may be part of the answer to his dilemma of getting parts these days.
Then, there’s the whole concept of the long, extended class periods and the need for a break …
I suspect that Tim speaks for hundreds of educators across the province.
Amanda Potts tells of a story that I can only interpret as loneliness in the days of school building re-opening.
So, we know that social distancing is the rule these days but this is how it plays out for an LST.
“Hello, this is Amanda Potts, calling from Canterbury High School. I’m your child’s Learning Support Teacher this year. Is this a good time to talk about their IEP?”
It’s just her and parents on these calls when she gets a request from a colleague. Of course, it’s from a distance but can’t be entertained as she’s setting the stage for her parents and the students she’ll be supporting.
Although I’m sure that it adds another level of concern, I like the fact that she’s concerned about family life as she calls to talk to parents.
I just have this vision of going into B41 and working on things in the summer all by myself. A school or a classroom without students is really a lonely place.
School Online – Journal – Day 12
Terry Whitmell has a collection of blog posts that’s documenting her experiences and observations for re-opening in her part of the world. She is one of a team of principals for online learning in Peel.
I think we’ve all read and heard about stories of teachers who didn’t have classes or timetables ready to go. Here’s a look from the other side.
However, with student timetables a priority, the entry of teachers next to courses didn’t begin until near the end of the day, and is ongoing as I write.
I used to help our principal and vice-principal with timetabling and conflicts can be maddening. Sometimes, it takes a second set of eyes to see something that was staring right at you! She also takes into consideration teacher preferences. It’s an interesting read – particularly if you think that it’s all computerized and all that’s necessary is to click on GO to make the magic happen.
Of course, there are all the technical nerdy things that students will have to learn like the choice of LMS and video conferencing software – I can’t believe that the system offers a choice. Despite that, her wish is for community building first.
Lest we think that it’s just teachers and principals that are affected with everything that’s going on, Paul Gauchi reminds us that there are others in the system too.
He’s a long term occasional teacher and has been watching the comments coming from teachers in the classroom.
However, the more I read posts on social media and hear stories from them, the more I cannot be silent.
He’s taking on those who have complained about:
- having to wear PPE
- having collapsed classrooms
- teaching a new grade level
and reminds us that there are many out there still looking to get hired.
Managing virtual and in-person synchronous instruction
I’m not the only one who uses dog-walking time to do some thinking. Jennifer Casa-Todd recently did the same sort of thing. She’s collaborating with a group of teacher-librarians to provide a resource for their teachers, doing their teaching online. I’m hoping that she looks at the resource that Elizabeth Lyons created (and I shared on this blog earlier this week). It would be a nice product to replicate and provide additional local resources.
She brings into the conversation a number of technical solutions, all the while in typical Jennifer style, keeping students at the centre of the conversation.
- Peardeck
- Padlet
- Jamboard
Those are leading products in their genre but certainly aren’t the only ones.
I enjoyed reading this post from Aviva Dunsiger. It’s a question that people asked “back in the day” when social media was new as a way to justify diving in.
In her post, Aviva shares her reasons for sharing
- We share this way because it allows kids and families to benefit from each other’s thinking and learning
- We share this way because it encourages the social
- We share in this way because it helps us remember and celebrate the positives!
- We share in this way because of the implied message that it also sends
- If all thinking and learning is just kept private, what do our actions say about our beliefs?
I actually read her post when it first came out – because she had tagged me in the announcement (I do appreciate it when that happens) – and I had written a reply that I continue to stand by.
We share because it makes us more observant to what is going on and we share so that we don’t forget.
To me, the proof lies in the actual implementation. Right now, I just picked up my MacBook Pro and I’m in search of a Twitter message that I shared this morning about the new Safari so that I can poke around. I was using a Chromebook when I read the original message.
My original share may not mean anything to others but it’s a chance to share my learning with anyone who cares to join me and now I get the benefit myself by going back and finding it.
There was a time when I would just bookmark it and go back but I’ve learned that that approach teeters on selfishness. If it’s good for me, it has the potential to be good for others.
That may have been the first time ever I’ve used the word “teeter”.
Finally, from Alexandra Woods, a post that will break your heart. It’s not unique to her; I just happened to read hers first. It’s from the perspective of a mother and teacher.
She had a moment with her son that caused her to pause and focus on what’s really important.
Teaching is all-encompassing and professionals are doing their very best to make sure that it’s going to be positive for students. Kudos for that; that’s what good teachers do.
And yet, there’s another factor in all this and that’s the family at home. Those of us who are parents know that we turn over these little ones to someone else for the time spent at work teaching. In a normal world, the time spent not teaching is easier to manage but many teachers are observing that teaching and planning to teach is creeping into that time not officially devoted to working.
There’s always this sense that you should be doing more and sometimes a wakeup call to reality is needed.
Please take the time to click through and read these posts in their entirety. There’s great inspirational stories there from a number of different members involved in education.
Then, follow these folks on Twitter.
- Tim King – @tk1ng
- Amanda Potts – @Ahpotts
- Terry Whitmell – @TerryWhitmell
- Paul Gauchi – @PCMalteseFalcon
- Jennifer Casa-Todd – @jcasatodd
- Aviva Dunsiger – @avivaloca
- Alexandra Woods – @XanWoods
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doug -- off the record 
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