Well, my first week back at the keyboard is in the bag and the voicEd Radio This Week in Ontario Edublogs was back on air. All is good and this Friday post is inspired by these great Ontario Edubloggers.
Weekly Plan for Online Learning: Special Education Classroom
From the ETFO Heart and Art blog, this is an interesting and very brave post.
I think most of us who are presenters are accustomed to putting our content and slide decks online for all to take a look at.
Tammy Axt goes one step further. She puts her entire teaching plan for her class online. It’s very precise in terms of the time for each activity and shows a nice balance between technology and non-technology activities. Of course, there would be the ever present meeting software running throughout. So, parents, students, colleagues, and now you can see what’s happening in her class this week.
It’s a jam packed schedule. No wonder teachers are exhausted.
Cal Armstrong shares with us a brutally honest look at his teaching life.
He’s a strong man and a real leader and so I know that, when he confesses he fell asleep at his desk, that there’s incredible amounts of stress going on in his teaching life.
He describes very nicely his working conditions, complete with plexiglass, and also some of the challenges. You can’t turn a school around 180 degrees in such a short period of time. There are challenging areas like the department office and I get that. I’ve never been to his but our office was over capacity.
Despite all the personal issues, it’s a testament to Cal that he also worries about his family and colleagues.
This is a hard, long post to read but I know that Cal speaks for many.
GO Explore! Developing an Explorer Mindset in Yourself and Your Students
When I first read this post from Peter Cameron, my first thought was Holy Overload, Batman.
It’s darn near everything that you might expect to have at your disposal if you decide to unlock your inner explorer and the explorers in your students. You can’t just throw this to the students; you need to experience it yourself and determine where it fits into your plans.
Great advice – start local and then go global.
Topics you could explore
- Start an “Adventure Log” with your Students
- Take the Learning Outside!
- Don’t Forget Your Camera!
- Novels Are Gateways to Adventure!
- Virtual Field Trips to Anywhere in the World
- Snow Kidding!
- Google Earth: Bring the World to Your Classroom
Each of these topics is fleshed out in detail with links to all kinds of resources.
Many educators are exploring #oneword as a way to inspire themselves in 2021. It’s like a New Year’s Resolution but with a combination of personal and professional elements.
Sue Bruyns’ work hit me a little personally since it was my grandmother’s first name and my mother’s middle name – “Grace”.
When you research the word and the name, it quickly takes on a religious meaning.
In a world where you can be excused for being frustrated, lashing out, blaming others, blaming a virus, blaming a government, Sue suggests taking a step back and handling things with grace.
I don’t typically do a #oneword but I suspect I will have the meaning of this post running in the back of my mind at times as we move into the new year.
Follow Recommendations from a Twitter-Obsessed Nerd
I don’t typically use the word “nerd” myself but Shawna Rothgeb-Bird does use it to describe herself.
She’s found the advantages of making connections with quality educators and the power that comes from sharing and learning together. I love that.
She’s so enthralled with the concept, she shares a list of educators that she recommends following. I’ve already followed some on the list through one of my Ontario Educator Lists.
There was one person missing from her list of people to follow and that is Shawna herself. You can follow her here.
Expect the Unexpected and #OneWord2021
Diana Maliszewski jumped in with her #oneword for the upcoming year. Last year, she had chosen “push” and does a quick reflection. I think anyone could be excused for things not falling into place like they might.
So, her word for 2021?
“Well”
What follows next is her analysis of the word but her plan is to
- Do well.
- Be well.
- Stay well.
Trust Zoe Branigan-Pipe to cheat with her #oneword for 2021.
But, you know what, we all were cheated from many things in 2020 so this may well be a payback.
Her word?
“Alone Together”
Her explanation falls nicely from understanding each of those words individually.
I can’t remember a time in my connected life where Zoe wasn’t part of it. I so value the opportunities to sit and chat with her. I truly enjoyed the opportunities that I had to co-present with her.
I look forward to the opportunity to connect again. May it be sooner rather than later.
As always, I hope that you’re inspired by the thinking from these incredible bloggers. They’re all worth a click through to read in their entirety.
Then, please make sure that you’re following them on Twitter. Shawna, if you’re reading this, you can’t go wrong further building your network with these names.
- Tammy Axt – @MsAxt
- Cal Armstrong – @sig225
- Peter Cameron – @petectweets
- Sue Bruyns – @sbruyns
- Shawna Rothgeb-Bird – @mmeshawna
- Diana Maliszewski – @MzMollyTL
- Zoe Branigan-Pipe – @zbpipe
doug -- off the record 
Please share your thoughts here. I’d enjoy reading them.