A Physician's Oath for Teachers

Image by James Vaughn

The other day I was watching one of those fictional doctor shows and they talked about the physician’s oath that doctors take before entering the medical community. It is an oath that commits all those that take it to a common code of appropriate behavior. This got me thinking: what if beyond uniform standards and teaching credentials there was an oath for teachers entering the education field, code of conduct that binds us all by our common desire to serve children and our communities above all else?

This is what my oath would look like:

• I solemnly pledge myself to consecrate my life to the service of my school community;
• I will give to fellow teachers, administration and parents the respect and gratitude which is their due;
• I will practice my profession with conscience and dignity; the well-being of the whole student will be my first consideration;
• I will maintain by all the means in my power, the honor and the noble traditions of the education profession; my colleagues will be my brothers and I will learn from and collaborate with them;
• I will not permit considerations of religion, nationality, race, party politics, financial or social standing to intervene between my duty and my students;
• I will maintain the utmost respect for the unique personalities, backgrounds and learning styles of my students, even under government intervention, I will not treat my students like a test score;
• I make these promises solemnly, freely and upon my honor.

If you had to make an oath, what would it look like?

A Week in the World of Google

This week Chris Penny and I had held a Google workshop for educators. We had students from education, accounting and even government. Despite the variety of fields, Google tools could be used to increase productivity, improve collaboration, and support student learning. What makes web 2.0 tools like Google apps so valuable? There is:
                         1. Nothing to install.
                         2. Nothing to buy.
                         3. Access from any connected device.

Students were introduced to Google Drive as a place to create and store documents in the cloud and collaborate effortlessly and paperlessly. They also learned the vast number of ways to refine their Google search to yield better results. The week ended with students using the tools they used throughout the week to create their own Google site for their classroom. Using a project-based approach, the students became the teachers demonstrating tools and their application in the classroom.

This week was also my introduction to the Nexus 7 tablet, the Android tablet created by Google. This small, lightweight tablet was excellent for managing Google tools from anywhere with an Internet connection. This device has potential as a contender for mobile computing in education.

What amazed me most about this week is how quickly teachers can embrace and apply technology with the right support and encouragement. Many of our students had little experience using Google tools and by the end of the week, many of them integrated multiple tools to complete their final projects. This is encouraging for the future of technology integration if teachers are provided with, and take advantage of, training but more importantly, support from administration and fellow teachers. Creating supportive learning environments allows teachers to work collaboratively and see each other as resources.

Letting Students Fail

Photo by John Liu 

At the ISTE conference in June, Chris Tully presented on the motivated and engaged classroom. He said that as teachers we need to "let students learn by failing." The idea of allowing my students to fail made me very uncomfortable. I had always believed that the mission of education was to help students succeed and to me that meant preventing failure at all costs. As a teacher, it is hard for me to watch my students fail especially when my intervention could prevent that failure. Since that day I have been wrestling with how helpful is "too helpful." I began to wonder if my continual need to step in was helping my students or ultimately hurting them. As I wrestled with the idea of allowing students to fail, I reflected on my own experience as a learner. Many of the things that I struggled with the most were the ones that I worked the hardest at and learned the most from.

In his blog post on resisting being helpful, Dan Rockwell suggests that there are benefits to failure:
         1. Struggle strengthens.
         2. Failure humbles.
         3. Defeat opens hearts and minds.

What I had failed to realize is that failure can teach students just as much (if not more) as success. What brought me a moment of clarity is when Rockwell states: "The simple question is, 'Will pulling back [or stepping in] aid development?'" At the end of the day, what I want is to aid in my students' cognitive, academic, and social development. There will be times when stepping in will be the way to go and times when stepping back would be better. 

What are your thoughts on allowing students to fail?

Why ISTE?

Photo by Marcel Leitner

This year will be my second year attending the annual ISTE conference. I have noticed that there are not many graduate students/preservice teachers that attend . In fact, last year, I think there were only two of us and we were just lucky enough to meet each other and share how overwhelmed we were at being there. Like I said: we're pretty rare.

So why do I go when there are so few people that are at my professional level?

Because I like to learn from people more advanced than I am.

Meeting the amazing Shelly Terrell

At the ISTE conference, I am surrounded by people at all stages of their career. Some of the people I've met (and hope to meet) have been teaching and training for 5, 10, 15, 20+ years and they've still maintained their sense of inquiry, discovery, thirst for knowledge. What is even more amazing to me is that despite their experience, they don't care that I am a little "green;" they care about sharing ideas and learning with me. As with any conference or event, I get to meet the people in my learning network face-to-face and move relationships beyond 140 characters and Google+ hangouts. I get to have conversations with people that are doing things in their classrooms that I hope to throughout my career. With every conversation, I am challenged and inspired. Once I come home, I don't keep what I learn to myself; I bring it back to my classes and share them with my peers so they are learning with me. I am really looking forward to four days of learning and spending time with the people who have been such a huge part of my learning and development as a teacher.

See you all in San Diego! :-)

Week in Review

News
The impact of digital learning on achievement
Strategies for engaging parents
7 habits of tech-leading principals
Digital learning leads to deeper thinking
GlogsterEDU will be included in the Google Chromebook
Mirroring on a Mac without an iPad
50 k-12 edtech blogs to read
The value of digital writing
2012 K-12 Horizon report on emerging technology
New updates announced by Apple


Tools & Apps
Curate the web using eduClipper
Learn about apps for summer learning
New tools teachers can use in the classroom
Interactive science activities at Wonderville
Tools for creating sharing communities


Technology Integration
QR codes for school communication
Using technology to engage students over the summer
Using the Apple TV in the classroom e-book


Professional Development Opportunities
Professional Development and resources for teaching online from Edutopia
Apply for the next Google Teacher Academy in New York (October 3-4)
Digital Teacher series at The Center for Learning
ISTE Conference in San Diego, CA (June 24-27) or attend remotely
Engaging parents webinar (June 21)

iAm a Supporter of Student Branding

Last week, Steve Hargadon interviewed Apple Distinguished Educator Christine DiPaulo about her iAm Collection, a collection that originated from last year's ADE summer institute. The course involves students completing a series of exercises such as creating personal brand statements, designing logos, and concludes with a resuME which tells their story. Christine shared the collection and had some of her students share their personal projects and discuss their journey of creating them. I was amazed hearing the students share their stories of self-discovery as a result of creating their student brands. I applaud and support projects and courses like these because through them students are learning how to establish and control their digital identities. They are learning that everything they create, in the digital world as well as the real world, is a representation on themselves to the world. Instead of fearing student interaction with the Internet, students are being encouraged to showcase their work and tell their story. As digital media becomes more ingrained in students' lives, it is important that they are taught how to create a digital legacy they can be proud of in the years to come.

If you missed the interview with Christine and her class, you can watch a recording of it here

For information on the iAm Collection and personal branding, check out their student page and iTunes U collection

Week in Review

News
An article about the need for teachers to have professional training in social media
Facebook's planning to allow children under 13 to use their service
Districts prepare to apply for the new Race to the Top grants
10 ways that teachers can be learners
Connecting to a network
The new conference model: edcamps
Mentoring for new teachers
Misconceptions about technology in education

Tools and Apps
Educational apps for student learning during the summer
Collaborative task management tool Any.DO
Free search tools for teachers
Teachers can find educational videos at YouTube EDU

Technology Integration
Tips for Twitter in the classroom
Teaching Internet safety to younger students
8 resources for iPads in education
The value of digital mind mapping

Professional Development Opportunities
Professional Development and resources for teaching online from Edutopia
Digital storytelling webinar (June 13)
Apply for the next Google Teacher Academy in New York (October 3-4)
Digital Teacher series at The Center for Learning
ISTE Conference in San Diego, CA (June 24-27) or attend remotely
Engaging parents webinar (June 21)