The Ariel View

While I was living in Asakusa, I never had the desire to cross the river to the east. Then after I moved, they built the Skytree.

Skytree

Last week I was in Tokyo and had the chance to go to the Tokyo Skytree. I lived within walking distance of this place for three years, before it was built, then moved out of the city, and when I did make it back to Tokyo, never took the time (or had the time) to make the trip to Oshiage where the Skytree sits.

the view                               the ariel view

It was interesting to compare the view from the top (well, the midpoint observation deck) and the street. It got me thinking about a song.

only when we get to see,

the aerial view,

will the patterns show,

we'll know what to do.

Nada Surf - Inside of Love

Now is the time when I can take a look at the ariel view and see where to go and leave 2015 behind. I think it was a great year - a whirlwind year - but I am looking forward to 2016.

I remember sitting here in this same spot last year, getting ready for interviews, not knowing where I would be

now,
today,
a year later,

how different life would be.

Being removed from the blur of the school schedule is the time to take a step back and think about what needs to be accomplished in the second half of this school year.

Here are some things I want to more of next semester ...

serendipitous encounters

In the beginning of the school year, I would come to school around 6:30 am and just walk the halls. This gave me a chance to be more visible if any teachers had a question or issue they needed help with. I know there were times when I had a question and only thought of the question when I saw the person who had the answer. I have been coming a little later recently and want that to change. I should go back to coming in a little earlier and make a point to visit certain teachers in the mornings to check in and have conversations.

get in classrooms

The best advice I got before I started my role as a technology coach was to get into classrooms. The only way to know what is happening is to see it in action, they said. They were right. I feel uncomfortable going into classrooms without a stated purpose - the last thing I want people to think is that I am coming in to check boxes off a list. I want to go in to see how I can help.

join meetings

My schedule makes this challenging, so I need to be more creative with how I go about this one. Fortuately, the middle school and high school meetings are on one day, and the elementary meetings are on another. That gives me the opportunity to meet most of the teachers. One thing I would like to see more of in meetings is lesson sharing.

promote teachers in meetings

I tried this in the beginning of the year, but my approach was flawed. A teacher did a really cool project with her students, and had her to talk about it with other teachers. I won't do that again with such short notice, but I would like to see more teachers share ideas and celebrate student work. It would be great if a rotation could be set up so all teachers would have a chance to share something for 3-5 minutes in every meeting.

promote teachers through central hub

This year we set up a central space to share learning and teaching. Next semester I want to continue being a learning recorder for the school to help spread ideas.

practice mindfulness every day

I noticed towards the end of the semester I was feeling really burnt out. Next semester I want to take a city trip at least once a week, take more pictures, and practice some sort of mindfulness/meditation during the school day. This might be best done in the morning before the day starts. I could spend 10 minutes in quiet sorting the thoughts in my head.

prioritize
Prioritization has been the area I have found most challenging and another focus for next semester.


There were a couple other things I wanted to try this year that I might try this second semester. One of them was starting a book club. This one is purely for selfish reasons to get me to read more, but the more I think about it, the more interesting it is to me. I am just not sure that same level of interest is out there.

The other thing I am interested in is doing some sort of EdCamp or Meetup for the southern Taiwan region. I think this would be a great way to get teachers together to share ideas. Even though we have a great staff, I think getting fresh perspectives is always good. This wouldn't even have to be held at KAS. It could be at a coffee shop, or library perhaps, or anywhere convenient.


Of course, sometimes, the ariel view leaves things looking blurry.

The Words Left Unsaid

I often think about what I did or said and relive moments in my life trying to think of ways I could have made them better. It's weird and it is probably not healthy, but this is the way I have been since I remember. If unchecked it can spiral into rumination.

summer fireworks in Japan

Recently I feel left wondering if I  could have said something in a different way after an encounter with someone. Questions like these race around my head:

• Could I have extended the conversation? 
• Could I have been nicer?
• Could I have been more engaging?
• Could I have left a question more inviting? 
• How could I have made my conversation partner feel better? 

Don't Wait

There was another post in my drafts entitled "don't wait". I decided to combine these posts since there seemed to be a theme running through both of them.

That theme - there is never a good time, so don't wait. Don't wait to say what you want to say. Don't put things off. If you are meaning to talk with someone, head down the hall and do it. The sooner the better.

If Students Aren't Socializing While Using Tech, You're Using It Wrong

The above clip was taken at our Hour of Code event. These first graders were helping each other work through a coding app. They would then periodically cheer when they accomplished something.

While I was watching this, I kept thinking of the editorial in the Washington Post called "I gave my students iPads — then wished I could take them back". 

I was biased from the start since I think iPads are a great learning tool. I can see uses for them throughout K-12. If you have the right apps on them - apps that allow for creativity, visual thinking, and flexibility in demonstrating their skills. 

• Students should be pushed to share knowledge and teach each other.
• Students should be encouraged to help each other overcome technical challenges (without doing the action for the studetn who needs help).
• Students should be free to express themselves while working, and be free to have a quiet space when they need it.

Digital Citizenship with Grade Threes

I sat down to talk with our third-grade team last week about lessons in digital citizenship. I was excited to get going on helping students use technology more responsibly and be more aware of how they are using technology.

I had already been planning a push with digital citizenship lessons to start off next school year, and this will be a great opportunity to try out some lessons with a great group of students.

The cat who liked the dog kennel.

I do feel like I dropped the ball this year, and perhaps let some students down who got into trouble due to their irresponsible choices while using their computers. I could have got some lessons in with most of the grades in the beginning of the year that may have gotten some of those students to think. Most of our problems are minor offences, which is a highly subjective term. My philosophy is usually to have a conversation with a student who makes a questionable choice. 

For these lessons, I want to make them as interactive as possible, incorporating role play to let the students to share their knowledge and experiences. I have found when students are able to share experiences they have had, they know possible solutions which can build their self-confidence.

And a note on the term digital citizenship: I don't like it. I think our lives are too intertwined for there to be a distinction between online and offline. But how many people are the same online as well as off?

I believe it is best to continually talk with students about digital citizenship, using real-time examples from class. Brian Lockwood recently released a video saying teachers should have YouTube channels so they know how it feels to be trolled. What if teachers created a YouTube channel and shared questionable comments with students? Or simply go to any site that receives a decent amount of traffic and look through the comments and talk through what is appropriate and what is not -- ask them what they would write and why.

As with any subject, I don't think there is ever one lesson that will make students experts in digital citizenship because there are so many factors at play. Conversations that push students to make and defend judgements though do have long-term effects.

What Makes a Good Day?

This has been sitting in my drafts folder since August. Today I was looking for a post idea and came across this draft called, "What Makes a Good Day?"

It all started one day when I had a meeting to check in with my principal. It was the beginning of the school year, and she asked me how my day was and I replied saying that it had been good.

She replied, "What makes a good day for you?"

I liked this question because it is one of those that turns a question around and forces a thoughtful answer. 

What does this have to do with the post? Nothing except I made it a few years ago and it needs to live somewhere other than a hard drive.

I think I answered something about accomplishing something or helping other teachers.

Now a few months later, and I am completely addicted to the feeling of accomplishment: whether it's making something or helping someone, these are what make my days recently.

And I've been really lucky to be involved with some interesting projects lately. To name a few:

• The grade 1's wrote stories that went through Book Creator and onto Seesaw and YouTube. Soon students in Australia will be commenting on the stories.
• A middle school teacher is in the process of gamifying a unit.
• A grade 4 class has connected with blogging buddies from other schools.
• Creating a central location where ideas can be shared.
• Implementing mini-meetings where teachers can bring lesson ideas for peer feedback.
• Creating a Scope and Sequence of tech skills linked to lesson examples.
• Designing lessons for classroom use. 

There are days when I go home not feeling good about my day, and those are the ones where I do not cross many tasks off my checklist, but I need to remind myself that a lot these projects are ones that do not get done in a day, and take time.

So what makes a good day for me? I would have to say seeing results.

What makes a good day for you, and how can you make tomorrow a good day?

Endurance

I recently saw a quote that said:

"     he who conquers, endures

I thought about this for a while, and while it may be true, endure has another meaning. So, this could be turned around to say:

"     he who endures ... conquers

 Endurance is essential to success and it is something that has been on my mind for a few weeks. When I arrived at KAS in August, after being in the city for a month through the heat of July, the superintendent warned me of feeling tired around Thanksgiving.

Well, here we are. Ready for the holiday break. And I'm not one to count down days either.

It's just caught up to me.