My Twitter Story #mytwitterstory
I cannot believe that I am only a few weeks shy of my 3rd Twitter birthday. Or is that my “twirthday?” In 2008, I was working as the Director of Development at a local independent school. I was trying to finish my M.Ed. in school administration and supervision and looking for ways to connect with school alumni, parents, and friends. A few years earlier the school had responded rather negatively to student use of MySpace. At the time, our response had been to send out a big warning and tell parents to keep their kids away from the medium. However, by 2007, the tide of opinion on social media had changed, and I had led the school to use Facebook as a way of building and establishing relationships for our physical and virtual community.
Angie was a friend on the school’s board. Over the course of several conversations, she convince me to also give Twitter a try. So on December 4, 2008, I joined twitter and immediately started following Angie, her sister, and a few of the people they were following. The tweets were random, usually funny, and well, pretty inane. I gained a few followers and tried to follow most folks back if they didn’t appear too creepy, but in all honesty I never found much use for Twitter. In fact, I was not exactly sure what I should tweet or even why I should tweet. In early 2008, I was listening to the radio on the way to school and the announcer was talking about how narcissistic Twitter was. The criticism matched my experience and within a few hours I had deleted my account. I saw no value in reading what others were having for breakfast, watching on TV, or thinking about politics. Why did their posts (or mine) need amplification or my (other’s) attention? I shut down the account and quietly walked away. I’d spend my time on Facebook.
I was away from Twitter for a few months. In the meantime, Twitter grew. From February to June 2009, Twitter use exploded. People, organizations, and businesses began jumping on the Twitter bandwagon, and I started hearing talk of Twitter everywhere. It was inescapable. I started rethinking Twitter and decided maybe my problem wasn’t with Twitter but rather with how I used Twitter. How could I use it differently? I reopened my account and began to be much more selective about who I followed. I wanted to connect with other educators. Within a few days I was following some wonderful teachers from around the world–people like Monte Tatom, Clif Mims, Shelly Terrell, Tom Whitby, Eric Sheninger, Vicki Davis, Roger Zuiderma, Patrick Larkin, and Jason Flom. I closely watched how they used Twitter and began using it the same way. Tom and Shelly invited me to participate in #Edchat. I did and loved the conversations and added many other educators to my network. I also learned about RSS, social bookmarking, wikis, blogging, etc. Twitter was a learning goldmine!
One of my richest Twitter experiences occurred one Saturday morning. I was engaging several teachers in conversation about learning when Russ Goerend and I struck up a conversation about social bookmarking. Russ had made several videos for his own students about how to use Diigo. He kindly shared them with me and suddenly I understood the possibilities of web 2.0, networked learning, and the cloud. The conversation was career altering.
In a matter of a few weeks I had developed a good friendship with Clif Mims, attended a local Barcamp, and started a new blog. All because of what I was learning online. I quickly became addicted to Twitter and the opportunity it provided for continuous learning. My online connections introduced me to new ideas, new tools, new philosophies, and new methods, and they were always sharing–24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. I was so excited by what I was learning on Twitter that I couldn’t quit checking the feeds. (It took a while to find a better balance.)
By the spring of 2010, I had become a Twitter-evangelist. At Dr. Tatom’s suggestion I presented ”The Value of a PLN” to the West Tennessee Administrators’ Technology Academy and connected with Jason Bedell to offer a Twitter for Teachers Workshop at TeachMeet Nashville. While there, I met Melissa Smith, Steven Anderson, Nancy Blair, Adam Taylor, John Carver, Shannon Miller, and Deron Durflinger. These connections have developed into real friendships and into other professional opportunities as well. My connections with Clif and Melissa led to an invitation to present at the Martin Institute’s Fall Conference last year and to our first InnovatED workshop in Memphis–both of which led to my current role teaching 6th grade reading in a 1:1 setting at PDS. Honestly, I’m amazed at how much networked learning and Twitter has reshaped my professional landscape.
I have met some incredible people, learned with some amazing educators, and developed some life-changing friendships–all through connecting with others on Twitter. In just the past few weeks, I’ve Skyped into a Visible Thinking study group in Australia, had brunch and talked connected learning with a prominent marketing/blogging guru, and had lunch to discuss project-based learning with a brilliant IDT professor–all because of connections made on Twitter.
So what about you? Do you have a Twitter story? If so, please share and make sure you tweet it with the hashtag #mytwitterstory. You can link to others’ Twitter stories from Dr. Michael Grant’s original post.
Goal: Better Teaching and Learning Via Thinking Routines
This year, my professional development goal is to incorporate the Visible Thinking Routines into my 6th grade reading class. In a year when all things are new, I want to capitalize on my experience and learning from Project Zero. I am convinced that incorporating the visible thinking routines will improve the learning experience for my students and help them develop into more thoughtful readers. My hope is that using the thinking routines will deepen class discussions, improve student understanding, and provide time for meaningful reflection.
In order to accomplish this goal, I plan to take the following steps:
- Read Ron Ritchhart, et al’s Making Thinking Visible (2011).
- Blog my metacognition marks and reflections on the text.
- Meet regularly with colleagues in a book club to discuss the text and our experiences incorporating the routines.
- Research and connect with other members of my PLN who are using visible thinking routines.
- Design and write lessons/units employing the routines.
- Document student thinking and the use of routines through sticky notes, photos, pencasts, student reflections, and blog posts.
- Blog reflections on my experiences using the routines in class.
When my blog posts, conversations, and lessons demonstrate greater proficiency using the visible thinking practices and student thinking shows a deeper understanding of read texts, I will consider my goal accomplished. I know that’s somewhat obtuse and not measurable, but I’m not trying to create data. I’m trying to become a better teacher–and no matter what politicians and reformers say, that isn’t easily quantifiable.
If you are interested in talking about the routines, in reading the MTV book together, or even collaborating on a project, let me know. As always, I am open to questions, comments, and feedback.
In Retro Cite 10/25/2011
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Making thinking visible… « What Ed Said
“Reading Ron Ritchhart’s latest book (co-authored by Karin Morrison and Mark Church) ‘Making Thinking Visible’ on a recent flight, I made many connections and was reminded yet again of his powerful influence on my approach to teaching and learning.”
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Tech Transformation: Visible Thinking Routines to introduce G3 students to blogging
“Having been an advocate of Visible Thinking routines for many years, I was excited to be involved in using these with a Grade 3 class as they started blogging.”
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educational-origami – Visible Thinking
“This is a project out of Harvard University. The essence of this project is a series of routines or perhaps “mantras” for thinking. They are simple and to the point. While more suited to Middle school students they are good, apt and appropriate. Some of the truth and understanding routines will definitely have a place in senior classes.”
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Thinking is pretty much invisible. To be sure, sometimes people explain the thoughts behind a particular conclusion, but often they do not. Mostly, thinking happens under the hood, within the marvelous engine of our mind-brain. As the name suggests, the basic strategy is to make thinking visible in the context of learning.
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“Visible Thinking is a flexible and systematic research-based approach to integrating the development of students’ thinking with content learning across subject matters. An extensive and adaptable collection of practices, Visible Thinking has a double goal: on the one hand, to cultivate students’ thinking skills and dispositions, and, on the other, to deepen content learning. By thinking dispositions, we mean curiosity, concern for truth and understanding, a creative mindset, not just being skilled but also alert to thinking and learning opportunities and eager to take them.”
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“The goal of this site is extend the pictures of practice featured in the book and to continue the conversation about students’ development as active, engaged thinkers and learners by inviting teachers to share their own stories about their use of thinking routines and questioning strategies.”
Becoming What They Need – My #TMKY11 Keynote
On Friday, I had the honor of presenting the afternoon keynote at TeachMeet Kentucky in Bowling Green. I don’t fancy myself much of a public speaker, but I do appreciate William, Allen, and Adam giving me the opportunity to share. I firmly believe the world has changed since I started teaching school in 1999, and I believe the role of the teacher is different from what it used to be. I’m not yet the teacher that my students need me to be, but I am working on it. The goal of my keynote was to share with other teachers how I’m trying to change and to invite them to join me on the journey.
I won’t replay my whole message here, bu I did want to share my slides. All images are licensed through Creative Commons and attributions are provided. I started with a visible thinking routine (Compass Points) that I learned at Project Zero just to give everyone a moment to digest the morning. Then, I shared a little of my story, my struggles, and how I’m working at “Becoming What They Need.” I’m not sure I’m doing it well, but I am trying to do it differently based on what I’m learning about, well, learning. Enjoy the slides; there are some great images. If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions, I’d love to hear from you.
Thanks again to all the #TMKY11 folks. It was nice to meet ya’ll. I hope our paths cross again soon.
See/Think/Wonder – Mr. C.
While at Project Zero I was inspired by Lisa Verkerk, a 5th grade teacher from the International School of Amsterdam. (Lisa’s classroom and teaching play a prominent role in Ritchhart’s Making Thinking Visible.) I attended Lisa’s class “Developing the Disposition to Be Reflective.” Truthfully, the class wasn’t what I had expected when I enrolled. Nevertheless, Lisa modeled how she uses two specific thinking routines–See/Think/Wonder and Sentence/Phrase/Word (see Making Thinking Visible, 2011, pp. 207-213). Then, she talked about how she uses reflective art journals with her students to document their thinking. Instead of writing, students draw, paint, or color their reflections. Sometimes she asks them to explain their art in writing or simply to talk about their art and thinking. The artwork and testimonials were powerful stuff.
Lisa shared that she likes to show how much she values thinking by having her students do a See/Think/Wonder on the first day of school. I loved her idea. The former me always started school the “Wong Way” distributing my prepared syllabus and speaking to rules and procedures. Lisa’s idea resonated with me because it prioritized what I value (or want to value) most–THINKING! So, I stole Lisa’s idea, and guess what we did on the first day in sixth grade reading. That’s right! The students used the See/Think/Wonder routine to think about 6th grade, my classroom, reading class, and me.
- I see a woman wearing a wedding dress.
- I see a picture of Mr. Cummings wearing St. Louis Cardinals clothing and standing with four kids outside a baseball stadium.
- I see desks pushed together in groups.
- I see two comfy couches sitting on some rugs next to the book shelves.
- I see a stuffed Phineas, Ferb, and Perry the Platypus.
- I see “the language of thinking” words posted around the room.
After ten minutes of exploring, students returned to their seats. I instructed them to write “I think” statements based on the evidence they had collected while they were “seeing.”
- I think Mr. Cummings is married to the redhead in the picture.
- I think Mr. Cummings is a Cardinals fan and has four kids.
- I think we will work in reading groups this year.
- I think the couches, rug, and bookshelves are designed to be a reading center.
- I think Mr. Cummings likes Phineas and Ferb.
- I think Mr. Cummings wants us to use our brains.
- I wonder how long Mr. Cummings has been married.
- I wonder if Mr. Cummings took his family to a Cardinals game this summer.
- I wonder what kinds of small group activities we will do this year.
- I wonder how much time we’ll have to sit on the couches and read.
- I wonder why Mr. Cummings is so fond of Phineas and Ferb.
- I wonder if Mr Cummings entire room is designed to be a metaphor. (No lie. A student actually wrote that!)
Project Zero, Visible Thinking, and Developing Through Lines
One of the many things that drew me to PDS is the school’s commitment to ongoing professional development for teachers in both public and independent schools. A little over a year ago, with the help of a generous donation, the school founded the Martin Institute for Teaching Excellence. But even before it started the Martin Institute, PDS had committed to sending every one of its teachers to Harvard to attend Project Zero (PZ). When PDS offered me the sixth grade reading position and asked me to attend PZ this past summer, I seized the opportunity. The fact that my good friend Clif Mims, the Martin Institute’s executive director, was leading the cohort was a fortunate bonus, and during the last week of July, Clif and I, along with four other PDS teachers and five public school teachers, traveled to Cambridge, Massachusetts to rethink our teaching.
I knew little about the PZ program before boarding the plane for Cambridge. I’d been prepped by friends at PDS and by what I’d read online, but I didn’t really understand the program goals until I arrived on site. The design of the program includes time in large group instruction (keynotes), classroom instruction (mini-courses), and small group interaction (study groups). I’ll confess that before attending I totally dreaded having to attend the study group time (I needed an attitude adjustment), but it became my favorite part of the week. The typical morning started with a keynote, followed by a break, then a class. Lunches were on our own. We spent the entire afternoon in study groups. We registered ahead of time for our mini-courses, and PZ assigned us to study groups according to our professional teaching roles (age-level & subject content). Each keynote presented a idea about teaching and thinking; the mini-courses modeled its use, and the study groups allowed time for conversation, discussion, and reflection. The entire week was awesome.
Project Zero centers around these essential questions (“through lines”):
- What are the components of an effective education for the world that students live in now and will live in 10, 20 or 50 years from now?
- What is understanding and how does it develop?
- What are the roles of reflection and assessment in student and teacher learning?
- How can participants continue to share and pursue their understanding of Project Zero’s ideas with others after the institute? (via PZC)
I took pages and pages of notes and grabbed every handout and business card I could find. I also bought a ton of books as resources. To be honest, the learning was overwhelming. I had already begun the process of reinventing myself, but PZ kicked everything into overdrive, and I had to return home and start in-service almost immediately. Yikes! It’s now the middle of October, and I’m still sorting through all I took from the experience.
The PZ week culminates in a brief project presentation made in study groups. I had a tough time narrowing my project because I’d been blown away by so many new ideas, but two things surfaced that I want to share. First, I committed to learning more about the visible thinking routines and incorporating them into my classroom instruction. I have set this as my professional development goal for this school year. I have created a study group with some of my PDS colleagues to read and discuss Making Thinking Visible by Ron Ritchhart, Mark Church (CV .pdf), and Karin Morrison. I started using the routines on the first day of school, and appreciate the learning and discussions that have resulted with each use. (I plan to blog about a few of the experiences I’ve had.) Second, I am trying to design my class experiences using the Teaching for Understanding (TfU) framework from PZ. I’m still working my way through TfU, but thanks to my study group’s guidance I was able to identify the through lines I am using to design my sixth grade reading class. The through lines, or big questions, are the bones around which I am building the class learning experiences. I am also trying to consider my students’ interests as well. Here are the through lines as they currently stand:
- How can we become more thoughtful readers and writers?
- How do reading and writing help us connect with others and better understand the human experience?
- How does reading and writing shape our voice and our actions?
- How does reading and writing help us better understand and engage in our grade-level theme of conflict?
I’d love some feedback on these ideas. This is all new to me. Not only am I in a new position, new to PDS, and new to single-sex education, but also I’m new to sixth grade, new to thinking routines, new to “teaching for understanding,” and new to teaching reading outside the traditional English curriculum. It’s a lot of new. It’s a year of trial and error–of experimentation–of learning, and I love that I’m at a school that encourages me to do so. If you have questions, comments, or suggestions about what I’m doing, I’d love to hear from you.
Starting Over
As some may know, I decided to start over this school year. Well, that’s an over statement. Last April, while I was pulling double duty as a Title I facilitator and an English 10 Honors teacher, I received an offer to return to the classroom full-time. The Title I job, a quasi-administrative position, was a great opportunity when I accepted it. I learned a ton about federal programs and gained valuable experience. I was well on my way toward reaching my goal of becoming a high school principal. At the same time, I started on a personal learning journey with the help of my PLN and began to rethink what it means to be well-educated and a networked learner in the information age. I realized that while I had been a successful teacher in my old job, I would totally reinvent myself if I ever returned to the classroom.
Over the course of last few years my perspective and my satisfaction with my job changed. The problem was that while I admired the people with whom I worked, I was totally disillusioned by the constant focus on high-stakes testing and quantitative data. I didn’t (and don’t) believe it was best for students, teachers, or schools in general. I wanted to lead a change in the way schooling was done, but if I was truly honest i had no idea how to go about teaching the way I believed it needed to be done. When the opportunity presented to pull double duty and spend the majority of my day in the classroom, I jumped at it because it allowed me to focus less on test data and test prep and see if I could actually be the teacher today’s students need.
I loved being back in the classroom. I loved the re-connection I made with students, other teachers, and my PLC. I also realized just how hard it is to truly reinvent oneself. I think I made strides, but I also fell short. I was to blame for most of the failure, but I was also limited by things beyond my control. I struggled with the lack of student access to technology, the required standardized test prep, the required number of summative assessments (and inflexible grading scale), and the mandated standards and pacing guides. It’s no wonder all the teachers are stressed.
When the opportunity presented to teach 6th grade reading at PDS, I jumped at it. PDS has an excellent reputation in town, and I had already connected with several other PDS educators through the Martin Institute and TeachMeets. They were (are) an impressive bunch. I’d also worked closely with my friends Melissa and Cindy to organize InnovatED, which PDS hosted, and I knew they’d continually push me to innovate. I love that PDS is committed to preparing boys to be critical, creative, and connected thinkers. Besides, how could I say “no” to the opportunity to teach in a 1:1 laptop setting and try to become the kind of teacher I think today’s students need.
So this August I started over. I moved to a new school, a new subject, and a new grade level. I rethought what a classroom should look like and how a classroom should be led. I stopped reading so many educational theory articles and dove head first into young adult literature. I cut back on the amount of time I spent on Twitter and spent more time considering how to teach kids to think. It’s been an adventure–one that I’m loving, and I wouldn’t change a single moment. I’ve experienced some success and some frustration, made new friends and missed some old ones, but when the alarm sounds each morning I cannot wait to get going. There’s just so much to learn.
I’m going to do my best to chronicle this journey here but I confess that finding time to blog has been problematic already. If you have any advice as I move from high school to elementary school or any tips on how best to get out of my students way, I’d appreciate the feedback. I’ll let you know how things go.
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