Mary Wade

October 24, 2016May 9, 2018

An Inquiry Into Tech Use

By show of hands, who else is exhausted by the ping-pong-like opinions on tech use whizzing by?

One side: “We’re disconnected, we’re not missing anything when we cut screen time, our children aren’t getting enough exercise, we don’t carry on proper conversations anymore.”

And the other: “We’re more connected than ever on a global scale, accessibility is growing, we are finding new ways to connect with our loved ones, we are building new literacies.”

Author Alison Gopnik recently said in an Edutopia interview,

“We tend to panic too much about technological change. Maybe this time the technology is, in fact, going to have all these disastrous effects that everyone’s worried about. But children have always been the first adopters of new technologies, and the previous generation has always been terrified when the new technology was introduced…

But school-age children have been gossiping and interacting with one another and trying to figure out peer relationships for as long as we’ve been human. And the way that they’ve done that might have been just whispering and talking in that hunter-gatherer culture, or passing notes in the culture that I grew up in, or texting in the culture that children are growing up in now. I don’t think there’s any particular reason to believe that the technology is going to make that worse or more problematic than it was before.”

So, this week’s provocation is to let those children consider both sides of this tech issue themselves. The first resource is a photo series by Eric Pickersgill entitled “Removed.”

The second is a video I’ve shared before, but that I think would pair well with the above resource for this provocation. The Millennial Rebuttal by Welzoo:

Provocation Questions:

Why do people have different perspectives about technology use?
How does tech use impact your life?
How does tech use impact your family’s life?
How does tech use impact your school/community function?
How do you see tech use impacting your future?

featured image: DeathToTheStockPhoto

October 21, 2016May 17, 2017

10 Signs Brene Brown’s Work Has Reached A Teacher

Odds are, you’ve probably heard of Brene Brown. You may have watched one of her TED-Talks. You may have even read one or more of her books, like Daring Greatly or The Gifts of Imperfection.

If you’re like me, it’s all of the above. But I’ve noticed that lately, there seems to be more and more of us, especially in the education field. I hear phrases, read blog posts, and have conversations that make me feel sure that the scope of her work is becoming more widespread. Here are a few signs that make me think so…

They model daring and taking risks. (they don’t just teach their students to do so, but are right there “in the arena” with them).
They share their “real” selves with their students.
They sit on the same side of the table as their students.
They consciously work to “see” their students, rather than looking first at scores, assessments, and behavior notes from previous teachers; they value human connection above impersonal statistics.
They tell themselves that they are enough for their students, despite their limitations and imperfections (and realize that their limitations and imperfections are the very things that help them connect best with their students).
They regularly use the terms, “authenticity,” “vulnerability,” and “worthiness.”
They may have a printout or two from Brene Brown’s books and website posted in their room.
They maintain healthy boundaries.
They are compassionate with themselves and their students.
The see overlap when it comes to the entire concept of personal authenticity with authentic learning (ie, opportunities for authentic reading choices, authentic writing audiences, authentic math application…).

I am proud to be part of this growing tribe, not just because I feel emotionally healthier, but because I feel better equipped to connect with my students than I used to.

featured image: Gina Lee Kim

October 19, 2016December 15, 2016

Sometimes, Nothing Goes According to Plan, & That’s OK #TeacherMom

Sometimes, the toddler refuses to say he’s finished with his cookie, but also refuses to take more than one infinitesimal nibble at a time.

Sometimes, the baby decides the whole afternoon nap thing (which happens to be your blogging time) isn’t his cup of tea anymore.

Sometimes, your first grader just needs a tea party–and by golly, you need one, too.

We make these rhythms and routines for ourselves, hoping to create a sense of order and achievement out of each day. And then we get annoyed when they get out of sync. And we get impatient for things to get “back to normal.”

But maybe that’s never what was normal to begin with.

Maybe, I’m most in-sync when lunch with my toddler takes longer–longer to pretend our fingers are little people dancing on the table, longer to chat about Batman, longer to exchange goofy grins.

Maybe I’m most in-sync when the baby ends up needing to be walked to sleep for a bit and then snuggles down for his nap on my chest in the baby carrier.

Maybe I’m most in in-sync when I’m pouring imaginary tea with my 6 year-old.

The bridge to the world of education here is very short indeed. It reminds me of a section that resonated most in Taryn Bondclegg’s latest post: her description of the internal struggle when it comes to letting go of our careful “plans:”

“Yet I have to admit, I had an internal struggle. The teachery teacher side of me kept saying “Hurry up! Move along! There is content to get to! You are behind your team! Report cards are coming!” While the inquiry-teacher side of me kept saying “Slow down. What’s the rush? Follow your students. Notice the learning that is happening everyday.” “

That word “notice” particularly stands out to me. It seems to me that “hurry” and “notice” are almost always nemeses.

When we hurry to start the day, do we notice who seems to have had a really rough morning?

When we hurry through our lesson, do we notice the thoughtful questions that deviate from the plan (though they might take us somewhere even better)?

When we hurry our assessments, do we notice the growth and small victories as well?

And yes, we do have obligations and content and testing to answer to. But if we are continually rushing to keep up, both as teachers and as parents, we are much more likely to miss the good stuff. The stuff that puts us most in-sync. The stuff that makes us connect most as human beings.

Slow down. Notice. And don’t worry when things don’t go to plan. That’s usually where the best learning and connecting happens anyway.

featured image: DeathToTheStockPhoto

October 17, 2016July 9, 2018

A Provocation Into Who We Are & Reflection

This is part of a series of inquiry-based provocations for essential elements of the PYP. For more, click here.

In the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme (IB PYP), teachers organize their curriculum into six units of inquiry with broad titles. One of them is designated as the “Who We Are” unit, and it’s always a pleasure to watch my students investigate the central idea within this framework. A powerful resource to help provoke their thinking is a photo series by Tom Hussey called, “Reflections” (see his site for more).

Provocation Questions

What does reflection look like for you?
How does reflection help us figure out who we are?
How does looking back help us move forward?
Why is reflection sometimes difficult for people?
How does the process of reflection change for people over time?
What causes people to become more interested in reflecting?

featured image: Shin-ichi Ueda

October 15, 2016May 17, 2017

Digital Citizenship: A Richer Perspective on #Edtech

Digital empowerment through digital citizenship. This will be the main focus of my upcoming professional development training sessions I’ll have the opportunity to conduct at my old school.

Inspired by the idea of providing differentiation in PD, I decided to run one K-2 session and one 3-5 session. Hopefully that will resolve the issue we encountered during last year’s technology PD when teachers of younger students voiced concern over applying more complex resources to their students.

As I reflect on my personal journey with classroom tech application, the good, the bad, and the ugly come back to mind:

Like that time I required every student in my class to create a Prezi for a unit summative assignment. And then we watched them all.
Or when I created a diy interactive whiteboard with my students so we could more easily select answers for some gameshow-like software.
Or when we decided to collaborate on Google Docs by having everyone revise others’ writing pieces and parts kept getting accidentally deleted. (this was before I was aware of the “See Revision History” feature…
Or when I introduced students to Storybird and they created beautiful digitally illustrated fantasy stories.
Or when my students started blogging and sharing their work/commenting on peers, including their quadblogging pals in England and China.

The list goes on and on. But now that I have had time away from the classroom to reflect and research, I’ve gained a couple of key perspectives that I believe will make a big impact on how I use technology with future students:

Digital citizenship is about leveraging our opportunities to enhance connections.

I used to think that when it came to technology, I needed to spend a lot of time teaching my students to use it efficiently and effectively (ie, learning to type, navigating interfaces, etc.). While these skills are still important, I now realize that it’s more important to spend time opening my students’ eyes to the possibilities available to them today. I want them to know that they can gather perspectives from around the world, share interests with peers well beyond their classrooms, curate resources that matter to them, and enjoy stories with a global audience. Once they have that spark lit, the other skills will come as they dive in.

Digital citizenship is more about empowerment than caution.

We teach about identity theft, cyberbullying, and password security. And with good reason. But there is much more to the conversation on what it means to be a digital citizen! As George Couros often preaches, we must “find the awesome, create the awesome.” A Twitter exchange with Edna Sackson further illuminated the idea:

Just as in citizenship in general, the opportunities for good are too overwhelming to wallow in excessive hesitation and fear for what might happen. We are empowered when we are encouraged to see what’s possible, to take ownership over our available resources, and to collaborate positively with other learners throughout the world.

I think one of my favorite aspects of our students developing a strong self-identity as digital citizens is that we can’t fathom what they will do with it. With the exponential nature of tech resources and access, if we give them confidence to explore, create, and contribute, the possibilities are truly boundless.

featured image: DeathToTheStockPhoto

October 12, 2016May 17, 2017

Hunting For Good Nonfiction Picture Books (10 Ideas) #TeacherMom

In the middle of a long speech about her favorite books, my 6 year old recently said something that surprised me: “But learning books are boring.”

I paused, not quite sure what she meant by “learning books.” Then I asked, “Do you mean nonfiction–books about real people and places and facts?”

“Yeah, I don’t like those ones very much.”

As I thought a bit more, I was transported back to my own elementary school years–I could almost feel the musty dinginess of the nonfiction corner of the library again. I honestly didn’t like nonfiction very much as a kid, either.

So I told her, “You know what, I have a hard time liking learning books sometimes, too. They often don’t really tell a story, do they? And I’ve noticed that a lot of time, the pictures aren’t as fun. But you know what? There are WAY more fun nonfiction books now than when I was a kid. How about we hunt together for the good ones?”

Since then, we’ve been working to shift her opinion of nonfiction. I try to forego even telling her a book is nonfiction until we finish reading it–then it’s all the more a pleasant surprise when she finds out how much she liked that “learning book.”

This is just one of several strategies to help students become better readers and enjoy the process of making meaning for themselves–which, of course, is what reading is all about.

What kids say would help them read nonfiction better: pic.twitter.com/Fq3k1JGo4U

— Kylene Beers (@KyleneBeers) May 6, 2016

Since we started this expedition, here are a few of our favorite discoveries. If you have any great “learning books” to share, too, please add them in the comments–my 6 year old and I will thank you!

Laurel Snyder’s biography of dancer Anna Pavlova had us both mesmerized. The beautiful illustrations and vibrant storytelling felt like a dance in and of themselves. My daughter spent days afterward creating her own versions of “Swan.”

I love the way Tina Kugler shares Mary Nohl’s love of making art for her own enjoyment. It’s a beautiful and important message for kids everywhere.

My daughter couldn’t wait until the end of the story to find out if this was a real “learning book.” We were both eager to learn more at the end of Jenny Sue Kostecki-Shaw’s book about Julia Hill’s conservation activism.

A simple and charming read by Angela DiTerlizzi to get us thinking about all the different types of bugs and their functions.

Kate Messner’s Over & Under the Snow was really an eye-opener to get my 6 year old considering what happens to animals in the wintertime.

Both my daughter and my 2 year old son loved Steve Jenkins’ Actual Size, comparing the images with their own hands.

Lindsay Mattick’s story of this loveable bear is an instant classic. You’ll be surprised to find out whose origin story this is…

Despite Bethany Barton’s best efforts in providing all the facts that show what useful and loveable(?) creatures spiders are, my 6 year old still wasn’t convinced. But she did walk around afterward for a while telling people that she was trying to love spiders.

Miranda Paul does a beautiful job introducing the water cycle in a way that will captivate any audience, sparking our imagination for the many forms and uses of water.

Already an avid birder (following after daddy’s footsteps), it wasn’t tough to get my daughter to love this one. But I was impressed at just how engaging and informative Annette LeBlanc Cate’s guide on bird watching was. And best of all, it resulted in my daughter creating her own birding field journal.

October 10, 2016May 17, 2017

The Evolution of Innovation (2 Videos)

This week’s provocation centers around getting students to reflect on change and innovation.

Resource #1: “The Evolution of the Desk” from BestReviews (see original here)

Resource #2: Did You Know 3.0 by VideoShredHead

Provocation Questions:

What do you think the desk in the first video will look like in 5 more years? 50 more years? (See one educator’s predictions of 21 things that will be obsolete by 2020)
How does society change as people’s resources change?
How do people’s individual lives change as their resources change?
Why are we sometimes reluctant to accept change? What are the consequences (positive? negative?) of accepting change quickly/slowly?
How does #edtech impact learning?
How has preparation for the future changed since our parents/grandparents were growing up? How do we prepare for such an unknown future now?

featured image: DeathToTheStockPhoto