A Blog is Born

It's that time of summer again when school is quickly approaching and summer is fading away. It's one of my least favorite time of year because suddenly all of my freedom feels like it's being taken from me. However, it's also one of my most reflective times of year, when I think about what I'd like to do with my new students and classes and how I can improve my teaching. It's the only time of year that I have enough time to make quality lesson plans without also having to teach and grade and do everything else. So this summer, I've started reflecting a lot on the use of technology in my classroom.

Image the creation of Dr. Ruben Puentedura, Ph.D. 

http://www.hippasus.com/rrpweblog/

Last semester of my graduate courses, one of my classmates posted the SAMR model that really started my reflection process. To me, one of the greatest aspects of having technology in the classroom is its ability to transform teaching and learning, and yet, as I reviewed this model, I realized that much of my use of technology in the classroom was used to enhance teaching and learning. Enhancement is good, but transformation is better. So, I've been reflecting on how to make it to those levels of modification and redefinition, to rise above the line.

Last year was my first year with all of my students have Google Chromebooks in the classroom. For a first year of that experience, I would call it a success. But, I want to do more with them, and less with them at the same time. Sometimes I thought pencil and paper were best, and sometimes we used them, especially to practice writing for timed tests like the SAT, ACT, and AP Exam. And sometimes annotating on an actual article rather than just adding comments on a Google Doc actually helps them to find more stylistic elements that are important to the purpose of writing.

I want the Chromebooks to transform my classroom. The revision/review part of the writing process already has been transformed. My students and I can comment in real time, and I don't have to worry about holding on to their one copy of their paper while I get through the stack. In the fall, I want to try voice comments using Kaizena in hopes that not only will it save me time, but it will allow me to give my students better feedback by more clearly explaining myself.

I also want to rethink the end products of a lot of my course assignments. I have spent much of my teaching career knowing that students need authentic writing experiences but not knowing how to go about those. I think it's finally time to try blogging in class, as I'm finally trying myself. My students need real readers and real reviewers and not just their classmates and family and friends. They need to know that what you write matters, and how clearly you can communicate matters. Writing is such an incredibly powerful tool and these Chromebooks have given me the opportunity to transform my students into writers as soon as I figure out how to modify and redefine traditional assignments.

So this blog is a chance for me to share what I want to try, what I do try, and how it works. I also want to reflect on current technological trends in education, share some of what I'm learning in my graduate courses, and give tips to teachers about how to use technology to not only enhance, but also to transform teaching and learning.