1, 5 and 10 years

I am really looking forward to next year and focusing more of my time on the classroom and the students. I have decided to let go of a lot of my responsibilities that I have had this year and focus more on the teaching. I am not extracurricular free, but I look forward to spending more time with my family. I tried to do it all this year and have learned a valuable lesson that you can't do it all, or at least without going a little crazy here and there. Next year I hope to have a more balanced lifestyle and to spend more to with the family. Maybe take more vacations. So after taking a year to have some more zen plan on taking my son to and from school. There is something really special about getting to take your child to school. We built a house just so that our son can go to Byron where I work. Hopefully, by then Harper will have a sibling. Now how to figure out squeezing the sibling in before I go to Greece and Italy next year. If a baby comes I will hand over the trip to Brooke Bordelon and she will have a great time. In five years I may have gone on many trips or not many at all. I do not have major goals for the future, right now I am just trying to get through the present. By 10 tens years I will probably be coaching again since my son will be in middle school. I would love if he plays soccer, but we will see what happens. I will probably still be teaching art and maybe doing some of my own artwork on the side. Gosh, I hope I am still not doing prom by then! I am not sure at this time if I want to continue more schooling, but if I did it would be in the fine arts. I will continue to make relationships with my students and prepare them for their futures, wherever that may lead them.

Metaphor for Teaching

Teaching art is like a personal trainer. The art teacher will do one on one coaching, see your potential even when you can't, push you harder than you have ever been pushed, make you analyze your decisions, exercise your problem solving skills, pick you up when you fall, encourage you to try new things and to keep going when you want to stop. There are so many things that we do as teachers, I don't really feel like we can fit under just one metaphor. There are so many hats that we wear as teachers. We are facilitators, moms when we need to be, friends and disciplinarians. I know I am missing a bunch of other things that we do everyday.

Can you think of someone who reminds you of Marion Campbell, the weaver in Scotland? What was this person like? She was amazing, she was my old neighbor at the Byron Middle School. She was an all around good person and very much a possible saint. How did his or her example influence you? She would do a lot of volunteer work and always tried to model good behavior. I enjoyed doing some of these volunteer opportunities with her and have kept some of them as an annual tradition. What have you learned from this person? To always try to do the right thing, be graceful and considerate. Person: Kaylene Geiger Impact on me: Just to always try to be a good person. List two or three attributes you have that you can use to "be your best for the world." How can these help you do your job-whether it's as a parent, an employee or a member of the community? Quality: Thoughtful How I can use it: With my students, friends and family. Quality: Giving How I can use it: For those in need.

Conference

Share something that you picked up from someone at the conference and how you implemented/plan to into your classroom in the forum. Share the impact on student learning with our community in your blog. How did it go? I gave more choice to one of my paper cutting projects. I told them they go do something more difficult than a cartoon character if they would like. I still want them to determine the positive and negative space. It went ok, some kids were able to pick something more tailored towards their liking, but some picked pictures that created the positive/negative spaces for them. One student chose to draw her own design. What changes did you need to make? Just giving them the choice, but then trying to real them back in when they wanted to do different size paper or use different materials. Sometimes you give certain kids an inch and they will take a mile. How could someone else use it? Choice can be put into almost any assignment/project.

Take Yourself to the Edge

We usually think of "going to the edge" in terms of athletic endeavors. How might this concept apply to your job? It can be difficult and more time and effort than usual to try to change your current teaching. Getting this Masters has pushed me to the edge. I jut need to keep through pushing through the school year. I push my students a lot and now I need to push myself. If your efforts fall short, do you gain anything? For instance, going to the edge may mean calling one more time on a prospect just to see if he or she will buy or practicing a presentation over and over again until you can do it flawlessly. I think that if you fall short you can still reflect on what went wrong and learn from it. The real push comes when you are willing to try again, instead of giving up. How "going to the edge" applies in my job: I have added a lot of technology this year. I have also created an Art Club and/or team. I will soon find out if all of my work from the previous year will be worth the effort. I have also added a program that helped bring our technology up to the proper standards at our high school. We use it in our Graphic Design class and next year we will be adding Digital Photography!! What I gain even if my efforts fall short: I will have gained relationships and experiences. That in itself is something to be cherished. Do you think that you always need to take yourself to your edge? I think that everything needs to happen in moderation. Too much pushing will result in burnout and quitting something all together. Are there times when "good enough" really is good enough? I think there are times in our life that good enough is enough. Especially, when there are other circumstances present. Do you need to "pick your battles" when you're going to your edge? Yes, this is a true statement. Even if you are persistent I do not think you get everything you want or at least not all at once.

Reflection and goals

Begin with some self-reflection. What “principles of practice” have you learned about and incorporated into your own daily existence that you will continue utilizing, even post-SMU? Always being flexible and trying new fun activities to make learning more interesting and motivating. I will also continue to use technology on a regular basis. Why are they so important to you? Education is constantly changing and it is my job to keep improving and reflecting on my work. What research supports these practices? There is lots of research on technology and how it helps motivate students. Reflecting on your work will help make teacher's lessons better. Keeps a teacher from being stagnant. What has been their impact upon you as an individual, within your teaching, and throughout your learning? I am now more knowledgeable about technology and it has increased communication with my students in an online sense. What has been their impact upon your colleagues? I have been able to have many conversations about technology, the iPad and flipped classroom with many of my classmates. What has been their impact upon your students and student learning in general? Having the discussions with classmates make it easier to learn from each other rather than needing to rewrite history. Having the collaboration has been awesome. My goals for next year: 1. Continue to improve Art Team- Hopefully is approved in April or May by the school board 2. Continue to use Technology- I will be teaching digital photography next year and will be learning a new current program. 3. Staying flexible- Continue to try new things and keep class fun.

Ride the Change

Do you agree that change holds the most potential for success? It depends on if the change is necessary or not. There is no sense in change for change sake. Yes, change should occur, especially if it is needed. Are there times when change is negative? For example, you may know of people (or employers) who change just for the sake of change, rather than thinking through what they're trying to accomplish. It can be seen as negative if the reason for change is not clear. The reason for change needs to be clear, honest and upfront, otherwise how do you make the right changes if the initial issue is unclear. Can you think of a period in your life that was a time of great change? This year has been a year of great change. I created an art club that will go in front of the school board in April to become an Art Team. How did this influence you? This has been an incredibly fruitful, yet time consuming opportunity. I know it is all for the greater good for the kids, but starting this change would have been better suited for after my Masters was accomplished. At times I question if this change made me a better person. One person can only do so much and this was too much for me and my family. Hoping for lots of changes that are needed for next year. Sometimes doing less can be a good change to:) Are you better or worse off today for having gone through this? I will be better off when it is all done. Right now I am still in the struggling stage of trying to balance my time, which is completely out of balance. My time is not where my priorities are right now. Period in my life: Trying to get through Masters and a lot has happened this last year. Effect on me: I have accomplished a lot which is great for me and my students, but I constantly feel that my family (My #1 Priority) deserves better than this and that changes will need to occur for next year. Too many changes at once can push too hard, causing a negative personal affect.

IDEA

What are your current beliefs about what you value within IDEA? IDEA(instruction, discipline, environment, assessment) has influenced the environment of my classroom a great deal. I have enjoyed taking a much closer look at rubrics and scales. I like the flexibility of trying new activities when doing my instruction. What do you hold true in your beliefs about Instruction? I believe that my instructions and rubrics need to be very clear and need to be followed up with students throughout the unit. What do you hold true in your beliefs about your Discipline area or best practice? I believe that art can be appreciated, created, analyzed, imagined and capable by all. What do you hold true in your beliefs about the Environment you create for students? I believe my students need a safe and encouraging environment for them to succeed. What do you hold true in your beliefs about formative and summative Assessment? That both are equally important. There are many ways to assess and students should be assessed both by the teacher and student often. What do you believe to be the important foundational pieces of IDEA? Classroom management, instruction and community in the classroom. What piece of work demonstrates your change in Instruction? The implementation of the iPad was the big change for me. What changes have you made with your Discipline? More choice given in assignments. How have you changed the physical and emotional Environment in your classroom? I have done more activities to get everyone involved with each other. Getting them out of their seats and working with someone they don't know very well. I have limited headphones to create a better community environment. Limiting personal music has made more artistic and social conversing student to student. What changes have you made with formative and summative Assessment? I make assessment a priority and even more so keep the rubric posted and to critique throughout the creation process. Which content within these artifacts supports those beliefs? I would say multiple intelligence makes understanding the project and expectations more clear. I need to be sure to explain the above rubric and critique in ways that all students can understand.

Growth Plan

For my improvement growth plan I would like to focus more on the critiquing I do with the students halfway through their assignments. This will give me a better handle on their work and have a more of a connection with the students. This will help make sure we are all on the same page and that the students are being pushed to their highest ability. This also will help me formative assess their knowledge.

To truly benefit teachers, evaluations need to involve more than checklists. In "Evaluations That Help Teachers Learn" (pp. 35–39), Charlotte Danielson describes a five-step evaluation process (p. 38) that promotes self-reflection and professional conversation. How does this process compare to the process in place at your school? At our school we currently use iObservation. We do a lot of pre and post refection on assignments. Our Principal does come around and observe us, takes notes, talks to the kids, gives us a post observation and meeting. We then reflect on the lesson as well. We have different domains that need to be covered. Right now we are only focusing on 2 different domains. The other part of our evaluations is that the teachers will go and observe each other and have discussions about it. How would a system like Danielson's work at your school? I fee the teachers doing the observations, in our case would be all teachers, would need the training to really understand the expectations and coaching expectations. What adjustments might you make to your evaluation system to foster teacher improvement? Adding coaching training and I liked the rubric that was clear and transparent about what "good teaching" looks like.

The Flexible Teacher

In "The Flexible Teacher" (pp. 46–50), Leila Christenbury tells how she changed her plans when her students did not meet her expectations. Have you ever found yourself in a situation like Christenbury's? Yes, every once and awhile I get a class like this one. I do adjust my expectations, but it can be hard to keep in fair when looking at the high flyers in your class. It can be a lot to balance between lower level kids and higher level kids to all succeed at high levels. I usually spend more time with those that need it. As long as they are growing in their learning then it proves to me that they are learning. Not everyone will have the exact same craftsmanship of work. How can educators adapt their plans to their students' needs and abilities without lowering standards? The standard in art is that the student has shown growth from the beginning work to the end product. I usually need to look at those expectations on an individual basis. In art I usually look at the student's retention of reading, writing, thought process, critiquing and final product (craftsmanship). I always say on the first day of the class that you maybe very talented, but that does not mean you don't need to try hard and learn to succeed. If you are someone is not as confident in art then you need to practice just like any other subject and you will get better at it. It is important that every level puts in full effort.

Unleash Your Energy

Do you agree that focusing on the positive can give us the energy to fix what's not right? I do believe in the above statement. Or, do we need to concentrate on what's wrong if we want to fix it? You do need to identify the problem, but dwelling on it does not do any good. By being positive and looking for problem solving solutions is a better use of time. Do most people you know tend to focus on the positive or on the negative? I would say most look towards the positive. Some I would say identify the problem and are stuck there. It is harder to get on board with change when you are negative. Do you seek out one type of person or another? If so, why? I try to surround myself with positive people, otherwise it stresses me out too much.

Look for the Possibilities

Think of a time when you were able to find a new answer to a seemingly no-win situation. This does not need to be an earth-shattering discovery. For example, perhaps you left your slides behind when you went to give a major presentation. How did you make things work? I usually try to stay flexible and model problem solving with the kids. A lot of times the kids will come up with an answer. I am currently working through that right now. We have had a lot of challenges with our kiln not working. It will not get fixed until the summer so we decided to transport all the work to the Elementary school! The kids helped package the work and even helped transport it at times. We pulled together to get the work where it needed to go both with students and with staff. Did you take away any lessons that you have been able to use since? The more people there are to help the easier it is to get the job accomplished. Step 2: Do you agree with Dewitt's observation that the opposite of scarcity isn't necessarily abundance, but possibility? I think when you can see the good in things it makes everything more positive. Even in negative situations positives can be found and lessons can be learned. Why or why not? How does this connect to your classroom? How does it connect to the Spring Conference. I think both in the classroom and at the conference that not everything goes as you plan, but there is always something that can learned from the experience.

The most!

A lot of my assessment reflections would fit under the "The Most" category. The questions on the assessment are examples such as: 1. What did you like the most about the project? 2. What part of the process surprised you the most? 3. What would you change if you did the project again? 4. What did you find to be the most difficult? The other questions are very similar to these. These questions give insight to the students thought process and problem solving skills. It is always interesting to see how they maneuvered problems and what they would change in the future. This give them an opportunity to analyze their work and reflect.

Recognizing Abundance

How do you reconcile Dewitt's contention that fear and scarcity reflect an attitude more than a reality, with the fact that life often can seem like a zero sum game? For instance, if one person is going to win a promotion, aren't those who don't get it losers? Those that do not get the promotion are just not at the right point in time to get it. It doesn't mean that there will not be another opportunity to get a promotion. Maybe they need more experience and time to grow. This promotion can not be the end all in their eyes. If there can be only one valedictorian, spelling bee champ, etc., what about the rest of the market? I believe there is a place for everyone. Everyone has talents and people need to adapt to the growth mindset that everyone has something within. As much as we are all different we should also strive for different things. I don't think everyone strives for the same goal, because we are all not the same. Even if everyone had the same goal ones that do not achieve that one spot might need to re-evaluate and try for a similar, but different goal. When a team does not win the super bowl they don't all quite. They try harder, reflect and try again. Do we need to broaden our definition of winners? It think we could broaden what successful looks like, but if everyone is a winner then there is less to strive for. That is, while someone may not get one promotion, they may get another or find a new job. Yes, someone maybe devastated that they did not get the job they wanted, but it could be a blessing in disguise and there true calling may appear.

Behaving Intelligently-Habits of Mind

I am going to focus on trying to learn something new everyday. The new thing that I am trying to learn about now is my kiln. Being that one of the coils, I now know is called an element has sprung outside of the brick casing. Apparently this is bad. So, now I am researching and investigating the alternatives of fixing this problem. I am working with the maintenance men in my building and the Principal to come to a solution. We will see what we come up with as a result. It has been interesting to get different perspective with the men I have been working with. After talking with the above I then tried Applying past knowledge to novel situation with my class. This unfortunately has happened before. Luckily, there was not as much items as in the past, but still two class project so about 45 pieces. I talked with my class and explained the situation. We talked as a class about how we would need to package everything up together and transport their work to the Byron Elementary School. Luckily, I work with a fantastic team that really helps each other out when needed.

Leadership update- Art Club

When I have worked with the students about creating a power point to present I will update withe presentation and after that the response from the school board. At this point there is no news to update to the leadership plan, except that we have sold almost half or more of the tshirts that we designed for the school district!! It is a lot of work to design, tweak, tweak, tweak some more, mock up, presale, order, and then get kids to take their time to sell the shirts. It has been a really good experience and it is raising money for the club!! Until further updates.....

My Leadership Plan

So, to continue along with the rest of my leadership blogs my plan relates to where I am at with the Art Club. I am focusing on number 10. Building community. I feel that Nicole has established or maintain a great bit of unity in her community through art. I would love to share as much art in the community as she has. Right now we are starting small. We have a few murals going up in town and have designed a tshirt for our district. This also gives the kids an opportunity to get their work seen by the community and outside of the school walls. I had a plan of starting an Art Club this last fall. It was approved by the school board. Since then we have done so much. We Elf-ed the school giving quotes to the teachers, participated in the Byron Community Showcase, ZED Travelling Art Show, HVL Show and upcoming MSHSL Visual Arts contest in April. The students have also been working on having their own show out at Oxbow. We also helped design a shirt for the Senior Elves and design a district shirt for young and old to wear. We are also putting murals out in the community. Two girls are doing a painting for the local grocery store and the other is for Project Kids in Byron. We may even have a third mural as well. We have been working really hard to raise money for our group. We also had an art sale to raise money to. My plan now is to have the President speak to the school board to get Art Club an official Team next year. The students would get points and would be able to letter in art!! We have done the work and now we need to present it well to the school board so that we can continue Art Club or Team next year. We hope that they believe in the work and community we have build through our art.

Leadership goals - Identify a transformation leader you know

Identify a transformation leader you know and celebrate with them, thank them, or share with someone else: What is a transnational Leader? "How to Become a Transformational Leader To do this, you need to: Create an inspiring vision of the future. Motivate people to buy into and deliver the vision. Manage delivery of the vision. Build ever-stronger, trust-based relationships with your people. Note: As you can see, our process doesn't map directly onto Bass' list. However, it does translate the traits that he set out into clear and actionable steps. Use these pointers to develop your transformational leadership skills. (this should look familiar.) Point 1: Create an Inspiring Vision Point 2: Motivate People to Buy Into or at least understand what you do and why you do it. Point 3: Develop a plan to deliver and implement. Tip: Clear communication is essential to transformational leadership. Take time to make sure that your communications are heard and understood, and give clear, regular feedback , so that your people know what you want. Point 4: Build Ever-Stronger, Trust-Based Relationships - As a transformational leader, you need to focus your attention on your people, and work hard to help them achieve their goals and dreams. Key Points: Transformational leaders inspire great loyalty and trust. They have high expectations, and they inspire others to reach their goals. Keep in mind that, to succeed as a transformational leader, you'll need to work on your own skills, and set aside time and space for personal development." RB2 Website When I think of the qualities above I think of Nicole Mentje's. She is the Pine Island High School Art teacher. She has been a great person to share ideas, resources and experiences with. Not only is she a great leader in her classroom, but also in the extra art activities she does in the community. Looking at the different points listed above this is where I see her as a transformational leader. 1. She is in charge of Art Scream which is the Pine Island Art Club. They raise money to go on trips and other art activities. Through the Art Scream group they are offering a trip to Italy and Greece. As I have learned this year that you need to really sell this trip and be confident about how exciting it will be to go on the trip. She created the vision by making a power point and adding visual of the places and things the kids will see and experience. 2. Nicole is very motivating when listening to her speak. She is very confident and fun. She is also very organized and has a true commitment to her people. She has already created buy in by having 12 students and 6 adults attend the trip. She also has a thriving art club. 3. Develop and delivery/implement- It takes a great deal organization to do activities, fundraisers, put art throughout the town, art shows and abroad trips. She does research that is clear to understand to help support her lessons and various activities. She is a clear and thoughtful communicator. She tries to think of issues that may arise before trying something new. She truly is visionary that can roll with the punches when things do not go her way. She can change that failure or mistake into a learning point. 4. Nicole is a constant in her students lives. She makes her students a priority. She is available after school and there are students in her room after hours frequently. She needs to have a gentle manner to be able to critique and push kids to go out of their comfort level to do their best. She brings her best to state every year at the most pieces to bring possible. She also fights for her program and what is best for the kids. She is a true inspiration.

Step 1: Post a reflection on “Believe It and You’ll See It” with the following prompts in mind: Think back to a time when you believed in something- and it happened. How much of a hand did you have in creating the outcome you were hoping for? I was incredibly prepared for trying to get an art educator job in the area. No matter how much I prepared there would be no guarantee that I would get a job in the area. I was starting to look into plan B, moving to Alaska where they need all kinds of teachers or at least at the time. Do you agree with Dewitt's claim that we need to "believe it, and then we'll see it?" I truly believed that I would be a great art teacher and was actually wanted to mainly be at Byron. I wrote all my resume materials praising Byron and the experience I had there. I had a job interview at PEM for a middle school position and did not get the job. There wasn't even a Byron opening, but then the Byron MS teacher took the PEM MS teaching job creating an opening in Byron. In the mean time I got an interview at Byron, but before I could do the interview I got offered a job in Stewartville. This is where the believe it, and then we'll see it comes in. I actually turned down the job at Stewartville and at my interview I asked if they could tell me right away, because I may or may not have a job at Stewartville and I explained what had happened. My roommate could have killed me she was so upset with me for turning down a job as a first year teacher. She went to school for education for history. In the end I got the job in Byron and they let me know almost immediately after the interviews that the job was mine. I have been at Byron ever since. It was one of the biggest risks I have ever taken, but when you do big risks there are usually big rewards. Or, do you think that you need some idea that what you're striving for is realistic; that you don't want to spend your life constantly chasing dreams that are totally unattainable. I believe it can go either way it just depends on how lofty your goal is.

16 Habits of Mind

There are 16 Habits of Mind and I will categorize them by A- Already doing it, P-A good possibility, M- A must- implement immediately, U- Unlikely -It won't fly at! 1. Persisting-A 2. Managing impulsivity-P 3. Listening with understanding and empathy- A 4. Thinking Flexibly- A 5. Thinking about your thinking- A 6. Striving for accuracy and precision- P 7. Questioning and problem solving- P 8. Applying past knowledge to novel situation- P 9. Thinking and communicating with clarity and precision- -P 10. Gathering data through all senses- P 11. Creating, imagining, and innovating- A 12. Responding with Wonderment and awe- P 13. Taking Responsible Risks- P 14. Finding Humor- A 15. Thinking interdependently- M - Need to make a plan with the other art teacher at the HS. Hopefully, the same teacher will be in the same position next year. We do PLC's, but it would be so much more meaningful to have another art teacher at the high school I am at. 16. Remaining open to continuous learning- A

A.G.A. P.E continued

Step 2: Continue your reflection in your blog under A.G.A.P.E. - Engagement answering the following questions: How am I facilitating student Engagement with learning through relevant, personalized, authentic, challenging and self-directed learning presently? Being an art teacher I use this process a lot with the kids, I would almost say all the time. The projects that we do are all of the above and it is fascinating to watch them create their projects. To what degree do I see myself as capable of fully Engaging learners for deep learning and growth in their own ability to direct and regulate their own learning? We do this everyday. The kids are given guidelines, but they have the choice of how they will make it their own, how they will create and problem solve their work, they collaborate and work together, they reflect and analyse their work. What’s difficult for me when it comes to this aspect of A.G.A.P.E.? I am very support of if this, but tracking data would be hard for this process. When everyone wants to see data about everything in the schools. What’s easy for me when it comes to this aspect of A.G.A.P.E.? This is the process that I learned when I got my bachelor's so it almost feels natural to me. How would I like to grow when is comes to Engagement this semester? Continuing to give challenging, interesting projects to my students. This the video we watched and it was really interesting. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDZFcDGpL4U

The Cycle of Action Research

At this point I have done by abstract, submitted my questions and now I need to pull my paper fully together. I feel as though I have pieces of my paper in different places and it all needs to come together. I am excited to use visuals to help navigate my paper. I need to set aside a few days to tie it all together. I was hoping I would have it done by now, but this year has been very busy for me. My next goal will be to have my paper fully written or at least a rough draft by mid March.

Action Research Fixed Mindset vs Growth Mindset

Share of a time you faced your action research with a fixed mindset. In the beginning I had thought what am I going to do with this iPad in an art classroom. There are so many projects we do that our hands on. I was very quick to think that the iPad in the classroom may not be successful for a specialist. It took trying some new things that I was not sure about how to use or how it would go over before I started to see that the iPad was not as scary as I thought. It did take some failure and picking myself back up before I started to feel comfortable. There is also that uncomfortable feeling of the kids know more about these iPads and apps than I do! Share of a time you faced your action research with a growth mindset. When was there a setback that you saw as another opportunity for learning and growth? Once I got over the obstacles that I shared above my mindset started to change and I felt like the opportunities to use it were endless. It has completely changed my mind about the iPad. Now some days I feel like how could I live without this device. I keep finding more and more ways to use the iPad. My latest revelation was in a floral design class I was coteaching and I thought this would be so much easier to show what I am doing in making this arrangement to 26 kids if I had used the iPad to record and Apple Mirror to show everything I was doing on the SMART Board. Wow, now I am innovating and implementing all the time!

Storytelling

Our assignment was to do storytelling in the classroom. This is my story... I played claytionary (sculpting with clay from words drawn out of a bowl) with my kids as a review. The team with the most combined sculpting and question review scores as groups would be the winning group to get a treat. So I had to keep it competitive so that they would try to be the top winner. In the end I told them a story of the first time we did this game type of learning that the winning team was given a choice of having a full cupcake or sharing half of it and then the whole class would get a treat. I was astounded when the group took the full cupcake. How could have I have thought they would have shared! So, from now on I always bring enough treats for everyone, because you never know if they are going to share or not. I suppose my prop was that I was holding a box of cookies, sure kept their attention. I guess the lesson learned here is to not assume things and to always be prepared!

AGAPE Teacher Reflection

The transformation from the start of the Masters program to now has been incredibly beneficial. Especially looking at AGAPE and what it stands for has really been present in my classroom in the past many months of this program. I observe the association of learning, generativity in building community of care, adaption to authentic learning problems, presence with others through a spirited inner life, Engagement of whole hearted learning. To look at all of these elements as a whole in my classroom I feel the learning is so much richer. I feel I am more of a facilitator of learning with my students. I give them guidance, but they are the ones doing the problem solving and collaborating to make their best work. I hear myself asking a lot of coaching questions and letting them come up with the answers. The asking of questions might be what I like the most from the changes I have made. I have implemented the iPad a lot more in my classroom and I can see that there is engagement happening with my students and the use of technology as an educational tool. I do believe that the technology needs to be limited to keep the community of the classroom. As the old saying goes "Everything in Moderation." Letting the students have choice in their projects keeps them present and engaged. I have truly enjoyed how far I have come in this program and where my classroom is today.

Action Research Critical Thinking Questions

For my Action Research I have the following critical thinking questions for the people that come to my presentation. 1.How can the iPad be used to enhance your current projects? 2. What classroom rules help keep distractions on the decline? 3.Unplugging, how it can benefit students? I am hoping that the questions will get the listeners minds thinking about how iPads might change their classrooms and what steps might need to be taken. Hoping to help them find their own balance with using the iPad in the classroom and finding the best use of apps per assignment. I think there could be a lot of discussion around these questions.

Action Research Questions

How do you communicate your action research with your student and their parents? I have just talked with my students about my research about the iPad in the classroom. How do you communicate your action research to you administration? I have mentioned it to them, but there has not been much inquiry about it. What do you hope is the outcome of your action research? My hope was that the iPad was a valid and useful purchase. My school is 1 to 1 iPads. How do you plan to sustain what you have started? The projects that have been beneficial to the learning process will be kept. I will continue to add 25-50% use of the iPad in my classroom. Who or what has been the most helpful resource for your work? Being able to talk to our digital learning committee. I have many teachers that I can go to ask about good apps, questions and brainstorming. How do you involve your learners in action research planning? I have given google forms to have them answer questions about what devices they prefer for certain projects. How do you see your action research impacting your teaching? I feel that it has brought me closer to the 21st century technology and learning. How do you see your action research impacting your students' learning? I feel like it makes it more interesting for them and another opportunity to create, but with a technology medium. What evidence do you have that supports your action research? I have gotten evidence that proves that there are both positive and negative, but it has become more specific for me to be able to decifer when to sue the iPad and when not to.

Entertaining an elephant last chapter

If I were to write the last chapter of the book it would be Week 3, day 2. Mr. Reaf was at home reading the students writings about the quote "The future will depend on what we do in the present," by Mahatma Gandhi. After having an successful reading of his students he will write is own paper reflecting on what is currently happening in his life. He would then take the writing and share it with his class, emphasizing the changes he made with the help of Louis. I would have liked to see Louis running an after school program with middle school to high school students So, this chapter would then reveal that he was cut as a janitor, but was given a new opportunity in the school district to help young people. It saddens my heart to think that such a kind soul would be homeless, so I would rewrite the ending. I would also have written that Louis left Mr. Reaf a number to call so that they could catch up every once and awhile and talk about the reading in the new literature book for next year. I imagine them having coffee at a table as equals and as friends.

Action Research Analysis of Data

Action Research Analysis of Data I have found that the analysis of the data shows that the iPad is great motivational and educational tool. It makes researching and using the internet very convenient. Having a 1 to 1 program has created a mainstream tool among teachers that helps each teacher help each other. Having everyone using the iPad instead of multiple devices have mainstreamed the learning of certain apps. As well as having a self serve site of where the apps that the school paid for is housed for students to use. This is the 2nd year we have had the iPads and there has been a huge learning curve for me from year 1 to year 2. I have also found that having a determined plan for the use of the iPad in your classroom was extremely beneficial. The iPad is only a tool and does not need to be used all the time. I also found that needing to have the kids unplug was very important and changed the dynamic of the classroom and the community of the classroom I found that the iPad worked very well as a communication tool with students regarding email, websites, grades, assignments and so on. The more items I make digitized for examples, assignments, descriptions, rubrics and so on the easier it is to communicate expectations. So when asked if the iPad is Helpful or Harmful? My answer would be helpful!

Entertaining an Elephant

What are 3 positive things that are happening for Mr. Reaf? 1. Mr. Reaf is being flexible and changing up his routine. 2. He has let his guard down with a student. 3. He is using the quotes for the students to learn from. What are 2 characteristics of Mr. Reaf that you see in yourself? 1. When working with high school students you want to be able to have conversations, but still maintain your classroom management. 2. There are some students in my class that are very hard to motivate. If you could ask Luis 1 questions, what would it be and why? Have you always been a janitor? I would ask him that because I am curious of his story. Did he get all of his knowledge through reading? He seems to have a good re pore with the students. Answer the following question by creating a TV dinner that you could feed from. Who is your “janitor?” Bob and Allen. Bob is our day janitor and Allen is our night janitor. We also have Brian who is our district maintenance man. What role do the quotes play for Mr. Reaf’s class? The quotes get the students engaged, thinking and learning. The quotes for them to do critical thinking. What do you use for “quotes?” I do not have quotes on my board, but I should put some up. Most wisdom comes from personal conversations I have with the kids. What do you consider Mr. Reaf’s greatest transformation? Starting to share information about himself and caring enough to learn information about someone else.