Blog Posts

Cliche

9/7/2020

I feel so cliche. As people ask me how I am doing in the virtual world, I answer thus so:
"It's getting better."
"It's been rough."
"I only cried once this week."
"It's a little overwhelming."
"I am not being the teacher I hope to be."
"I look forward to diving into more ways to teach online once the dust settles."

Blah. Meh. Shrug. I am getting tired of these dead-end non-comments. They are honest. But are they true? If they are true, can I investigate on another level? My goal is this:
-to understand myself better
-to communicate clearly to those who are interested
-to become a better teacher
-to claim my destiny (well, at least take charge of what is in my control)

Photo by Abbie Bernet on Unsplash

Let's unpack these:
"It's getting better."
-What is getting better? Why is it getting better? How much is within my control?
"It's been rough."
-What has been rough, exactly? What do you mean by rough? How has rough felt to me?
"I only cried once this week."
-Why am I crying? How do I take care of myself when I am crying? What am I doing once I am done crying?
"It's a little overwhelming."
-What is making it overwhelming? What does overwhelming feel like? What can make it less overwhelming?
"I am not being the teacher I hope to be."
-What does this even mean? What teacher do I "hope to be"?
"I look forward to diving into more ways to teach online once the dust settles."
-When will that happen? What does "dust settles" mean?

Oh! I am seeing a pattern! When I make a generic comment to others, what is the truth behind that comment? Ask yourself (myself) these questions:
1. Why is it _________? Why did I _______?
2. What does it feel like?
3. What do I mean by ______?
4. What is in my power to do about it?

I'm not going to dissect all of those questions and thoughts now, but I like the direction this blog post is taking me. I was inspired by watching some of my son's YouTube videos (Svelte Master) to just get up and post. I set the timer for 20 minutes and so I am done for today. (Oh how I wanted to take longer to make better visuals and add some bells and whistles....)

More thoughts to come as I think through some of those follow up questions.
It's time to keep this day rolling!
Jill

Blogging makes me a better thinker, teacher, and person.
Reflection matters and makes a difference.

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I just got a little excited

7/23/2020

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I had the privilege of attending some sessions at Indiana Connected Educators conference this week. I was inspired. Nudged. A switch was flipped in me. It was such a delight to feel a little bit excited about starting the school year.

I had not felt that. I had felt dread and concern and apathy and anxiety. But not the excitement I usually feel as I get geared up for a new school year.

The two particular workshop leaders that inspired me were Kevin Honeycutt and Rushton Hurley. I am grateful to them for putting themselves out there to share their thoughts and ideas.

From Kevin I loved how he kept it real and showed us a few things we could try as we re-enter the school year. It wasn't what he said so much, but how he said it and encouraged us. His topic was making connections. My favorite quote of his was, "Get out your crazy." He re-affirmed what I know to be true. This year it is not business as usual. This is the time to try new things and let our creativity blossom.

From Rushton I was inspired to do one small thing a day to become a better teacher. He showed us some ways to shift our thinking just a little to make a difference and move us in the right direction. His humor and upbeat nature made all of us attendees smile. I am sure I was not the only one who was inspired!

In walking with a friend this morning, I was able to think through some of the silver linings on the horizon. One thing I visualized this morning was only having 8-10 students in a class. The atmosphere will be calm. The social conflict will be less. When I saw it in my mind it was not so bad---pleasant even.

Another thing that I reminded myself this morning was that CDC recommends having class outside whenever possible. We are SO fortunate to have a huge and lovely park adjacent to our school property. Over the years I have found great joy taking my students there on a regular basis. Knowing that this is recommended and will be supported makes me as happy as a maple tree in the fall. In the past, I've had to justify my purpose of taking my students to the park, but now, joy of joys, it is a recommendation!

Lastly, my innovative, creative, risk-taking self can be let out of her pen now. The flush of sweetness that comes over me when I give myself permission to try new things, research what others have done, make learning meaningful, and push myself out of my comfort zone fills my cells with and makes me zippy from the sugar high.

A big thank you to ICE and Kevin and Rushton. A big thank you to my walking buddy for thinking things through with me. A big thanks to myself for allowing my switch to be flipped. I still have all the "what ifs" running through my mind, but instead of:
"What if I COVID?"
"What if students don't participate in e-learning?" etc. (I am sure you know these questions all too well.)
I am now thinking:
"What if we become tree experts?"
"What if Fridays are passion project days?"
"What if each child keeps a blog?"
"What if we try podcasting?"
"What if students had more time to read?"

And I'm telling you, the relief is real and huge.

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5 things i need to do

7/8/2020

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Photo by Wes Hicks on Unsplash

I am a teacher and I know that I am not alone. The inside of my mind has not been unlike a pinball machine as of late. So many questions dinging around in my head like the random noises and lights of a pinball machine. At times I feel like I have no control over anything when it comes to going back to school. Then I see my hands on the buttons. I realize that I DO have some control in how I respond to these rowdy, unanswered questions and underlying anxiety. I can choose. I will choose. I do choose. Here is my top 5 list of what to do during these pinball times. Each item has a common theme: Reclaiming my body, mind, and spirit.

1. Extend grace.

Have you ever asked yourself these questions?
Why haven't they said anything yet? Why aren't they communicating more? Or made these statements in your mind:
S/he/They should have let us know. S/he/they should be emailing us. S/he/they are not doing what needs to be done.
I have. I am put out by what others are NOT doing. Let me repeat that. I am put out by what others are NOT doing. Be I right or wrong about the situation, it is uselessly spent energy to dwell on that line of thinking. I am confident in saying I never know the whole picture. While it would be nice to know more, I am going to trust that we will be given the information we need when we need it. I am going to extend grace and forgive others, even when they don't know it.

2. Avoid overload.
Distraction, distraction, distraction. Just recently I have been distracting myself with Facebook videos. Not the funny cute cat kind, but the COVID 19 and political kind. And the repetition of what I watch is frankly, embarrassing. I am trying to distract myself. If I flood my mind with endless drivel, the questions in my mind aren't noticed. But here's the ironic piece. In watching those kinds of videos, I am only stirring up unrest in my mind. I am not against escaping this madness with a good book or a good TV binge. What I am against (for myself) is gorging mindlessly on videos commenting on the state of things. I got the gist. It's bad. I am choosing lower my "news" intake. If I want to distract myself, I'm going to do it right. I'm going to do it so I can re-enter with a clearer mind and a calmer spirit.

3. Live now.
Until it was announced that we will be going back to school on the originally planned date, it had been my most relaxing summer yet. I did not know what was going to happen in the fall. I skipped the professional reading and my mind wasn't thinking of a thousand things to do better next year. It was a weird phenomenon that I didn't choose. It just happened and I was grateful. Once I learned when we would be going back, I kicked back into pinball mode. My mind clattered and I was pulled out of the now. I am choosing to come back. In the now I can choose to research online learning. In the now, I can share my thoughts on my blog. In the now, I can enjoy what I am doing. In the now I can feel all my feelings. It's a bit of a relief.

4. Trust myself.
I have the strength, smarts, creativity, and ingenuity it takes to start school again. No matter how it looks. I need not waste another minute entertaining any other notion. Period.

5. Embrace disquiet.
Embrace what, exactly? The challenges that lie ahead of us. The normalcy of not knowing. The problems that wait to be solved.
Challenges, uncertainty, and problems make way for my grit, creativity, and spunk to shine.

grace, now, trust, embrace
unplug the pinball machine
colorful quiet

Photo by Daniel Olah on Unsplash

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Day is done

5/30/2020

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We made it. Yesterday was our final day of Home Learning. For this year. That we know of.

I, for one, am sighing a big sigh of relief. Teaching online took unexplainable tolls on me. There was an underlying stream of stress that was bubbling quietly below the surface. The kind of stirring that you can't fully understand until it is gone and your whole being exhales like its been holding its breath. Like I said, unexplainable.

In an attempt to flush out and calm down some of my buzzy cells, I am leaving town for a week. Detox, regroup, and breathe again.

I've been blogging about what I am passionate about. A new kindling of passion is my love for children's books. I have a feeling that will be a focus of mine this summer.

I'm still in the brainstorming stages, checking out the plethora of options. Just checking out the menu forming in my mind. Eventually I will have to decide (or decide not to decide), but for now I am enjoying the ideas and holding everything lightly. I don't want to tie myself down after feeling an influx of lightness.

PS I am committed to blogging every week even when I don't have much on my mind. This week, that's a good thing. Then not much on my mind. That's exactly what needs to be there. Not much.

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Peda-tech and tech-anues

5/23/2020

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When I first started blogging and posting and Tweeting a year ago, my goal was this:

-To combine solid pedagogy with technology avenues to allow for creativity, expression, and achievement.

I didn't want to just show how to use tech-anues (technology avenues...just made that up). There were so many people already doing that. So I dove into Visible Learning, Best Practices, Asking Questions and other philosophical and pedagogical resources. I learned a lot. I was excited about going forth with peda-tech. (Pedagogy and technology...made that up, too.) My hope was to take the best pedagogy and merge it with the best technology.

I find myself reflecting on this original goal. I am wired to learn. I often find myself eager to change and improve my craft. I rarely do things the same way from year to year. If you know what I am talking about, you know it is a blessing and a curse. I've been paying attention to the things that really get me excited. Paying attention to when I am lost in the zone, the flow, the flow-zone. What do I gravitate towards? What do I WANT to do, but don't let myself do because it is too small or too simple or too this or too that?

Here's what I am wondering and pondering...
I've been wanting to delve into some tech-anues. Break them down, figure them out all by myself. But in my mind that is too simple, too small. After all, there are an ocean of tutorial fish out there, so why wouldn't I just go to those and learn? (And I do and I will, but...) I'm certified in FlipGrid, Nearpod, Seesaw, Book Creator, and Screencastify. Not for the glory, though the badges are cool to be sure. I've done it so I can learn a new platform in a systematic way. And that works, to an extent. But I find that I still do not come away with all the learnings I crave to have. I want more and I want to be the driver.

As I am typing this, I am transferring my reflection to my students. How does this same line of thinking apply to them? I think it ties back to inquiry. The joy of discovering things by yourself. But I digress.

I find that I get in a rut and use tech-anues in the same way. Need to post a video? Flipgrid. Need to post a drawing? Seesaw. Need to create a book? Book Creator Need to record your screen? Screencastify. Need a ready lesson? Nearpod. As I continue learning more about strong and simple ways to teach, I am going to give myself permission to go play, discover, dig, and meander. And ironically, as a side-product, I believe I will become better equipped "take the best pedagogy and merge it with the best technology." (Am I allowed to quote myself?)

And that makes me very happy and excited to start my summer! (After a vacation, of course!)

P.S. Blogging helps me think through things. I don't always follow through. I don't always make sense. I don't always have ideas. BUT I do learn to know myself better. I do sort out my ideas. I do nudge myself in life-giving directions. So, just a little shout-out for blogging!

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TWitter Thoughts

5/17/2020

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What do I value about Twitter?
How do I grow with Twitter?
What do I want more of on Twitter?
What do I have to offer my Twitter community?

These are questions I've been asking myself lately. My word for the year is INTENTION and I am feeling a nudge to be more intentional with my Twitter time.

These questions are not heavy, but exciting to me.

One thing I value about Twitter is all the wisdom, expertise, and inspiration I soak up from amazing educators, technologists, readers, writers, thinkers, and doers.
When I ask for help and ideas, help and ideas I get. When I message someone with a question or to make a connection, 9 times out of 10 I get a message back. People encourage me. I feel like I can post things without fear, because people know that I am testing my wings. It truly feels like a community to me.

I grow on Twitter because I follow people who share things peak my interest, open my mind, and point me in curious directions.
Twitter is like a springboard for me. I see something interesting and I bookmark it or investigate. I love it when an idea flies across my feed that I had never thought of before. It gives me energy to learn new things.

I don't know if I can word this right, but think I want more concrete ideas on Twitter. I value pedagogical and/or philosophical conversations. I am open to thinking about things in new ways. (Here comes the but) But I think I am looking for more focused learning for myself. I'm not sure what this will look like, but I am going to have fun figuring it out!

I am also wondering what I love and what I want to share with the world. I've dabbled here and there, and that has been fine. Perhaps that will be my "style" for a while until I find my focus. My hope is to think about this more. I look forward to doing some more thinking about my self and what I truly am passionate about.

To be clear, I 💙 Twitter. I am happy to "waste" time looking and learning. AND I am hoping that some intentionality will enhance my Twitter experience even more.

I look forward to it!

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Real-EYES-Ation-nation

5/9/2020

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This realization hit me yesterday.
1. The year is ending.
2. The new year will begin.

With all of the treading water and diving into the deep end I've been doing, I forgot that the boat is coming to take me to the beach.

Why does this matter? It matters to me for a couple of reasons.

Photo by Toa Heftiba on Unsplash

For one thing, soon I will have the time and space I need to reflect. To think about what went well this year and what didn't. To think about what I want to do again next year. In a nutshell, I will have

SPACE

Although I have had more "free time" than usual, my mind has been restless. Abuzz with thinking of ideas to (try to) improve elearning. My mind bustles with thoughts about how to do things better, how to be better, how to connect better, repeat. When summer comes along, I can settle, breathe, and reflect.

I look forward to having that space.

Secondly, in my heart of hearts I believe we will be returning to brick and mortar schools in the fall. While this can feel overwhelming, I still delight in the summertime to learn more and ponder new ideas. I love the time to learn and plan and organize my mind. Oh, I love the not thinking about it as well, to be sure. The relaxing and learning and reflecting prime me and energize me for a new school year.

Photo by kyo azuma on Unsplash

I'm not going to lie, I panicked a bit when I first thought about going back to school. But then I remembered I have the summer to regroup. I am going to have time to get ready to rejoin what is yet to be known. Panicking will happen again, to be sure. Right now, though, I am choosing to see the reality without carrying it around with me.

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Neat-O Ideas for biographies

5/7/2020

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Neat-o?
Oh, I said it and I stand by it.

I asked my Twitter colleagues if they had any ideas for how to do the infamous biography report with my students in creative ways and they delivered. I am finally taking the time to scour them and get my students ready to research and share their findings in creative ways. Here are the ideas that were shared with me: (In no particular order.)

1. From @BradyVenables
Co-create a template with the kids so they can decide what important facts are for bios!

I so often have to be reminded of including my students in the planning. It's the whole it-is-easier-if-i-do-it-myself mentality that creeps in so easily. (I am reminded of when I let my young sons help me cook...) And I get it. Sometimes it is best to just plop it out there with three easy choices. But I commit right here and right now to letting my students help sculpt our direction.

2. From @joliboucher (also suggested by @MrsErinFisher)
Here is a succinct Google Slides Template shared by Joli Boucher. What I love about this layout is that Joli not only gives students a template, she also coaches them in her descriptive text boxes on the side. Thank you so much for sharing this, Joli!

3. Michele Eaton @micheeaton shared this idea: 50 Ways to Tell a Story from @AZYearbookGiant. I love this because it gets me out of my default ideas and gets me thinking about new ways to think of information. Thank you, Michele and Jen Crutcher.

4. Matt Miller of Ditch that Textbook shared this Time Magazine Google Slides Template from Ryan O'Donnell @creativeedtech. I am in awe of this template! It is not just a template. Ryan gives different tips and resources along the way. He guides the learner in making a visually appealing and well-structured project. It is like having a coach within the slides. The visuals and humor in these slides make it highly appealing as well. What I like about these slides is that students have a structure, but then they can make it their own.

5. Kasey Bell was generous enough to point me towards her article on Fake Instagram accounts. Carly Black @teachmomrepeat made a Google Slides template to use with her students. Here is a guest blogpost by Carly on Kasey's Blog Shake Up Learning. Click on the picture below to find a link to Carly's template. Thank you Kasey and Carly!

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I'm not diving in. I'm sitting on a big unicorn and floating down the river.

4/7/2020

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Photo by Vicko Mozara on Unsplash

Here I go reframing again. It can be a little addicting.

I pulled up the blogs I have been wanting to read.
I opened up all of my Twitter bookmarks I've been wanting to investigate.
I opened up some of my faves on Twitter.

My typical approach has been rolling up my sleeves and diving in. Begin with the end in mind! Figure out how to fix. Study how to improve. Dig deep. Swim hard. Go for the gold!

But there is a problem with diving in. It's called holding your breath. Such an apt metaphor for me. When I am diving in with a driven mind, it can feel anxiety producing. Like holding your breath. What if I don't find what I need? What if I am not enough? What if I can't fix things? Coming from a place of deficiency drives one in a fearful way. Oh, I love diving in and learning and growing and trying. But I would be lying if I didn't acknowledged the feeling I get sometimes of something nipping at my heels.

My behavior will be the same, but my perspective is changing.

I remember one morning I came downstairs and there was a life-sized unicorn pool-floaty thing in my living room. It took up most of the living room and I remember being so delighted by it! My son had blown it up as a birthday surprise for his girlfriend. So as I was thinking about this, an image came to mind. Me on a river with some of my best Twitter buddies, floating along in our choices of life sized pool-floaty things. Bumping into one another occasionally and laughing. Talking. Sharing. Floating along and seeing the sights and soaking up that which is beautiful and meaningful. Capturing images of what we want to remember.

Not diving in and grabbing, but floating along and accepting.
Letting go of the things that don't delight us or challenge us or nurture us.
Just letting them flow by.
Trusting that we are enough. We will be enough.

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unframe. Freeze frame. reframe.

4/7/2020

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Photo by Lance Grandahl on Unsplash

I think I am feeling unframed.
Been sitting at my computer all morning.
Hulu in the background. Watching touching videos.
Trying to figure out WeChat.
Marcopolo-ing with my family.
Getting up for lunch.
Eating two cookies.
Staring out the window.
Sending "The Pets will Thrive" video to my partner and son.
Figuring out my finances.
Planning for my online classes tomorrow.

Wait. I'M not unframed.
My life IS unframed and I am feeling it.
Maybe you are feeling it too.

This puts me into a freeze frame.
Not sure what to do next.
Wondering if I am widdling away this precious time.
Thinking I need to go on a walk.
Hoping to learn a bunch and get ready for a better week of learning.
Feeling trapped by the more restrictive guidelines.
At the same time having no ambition to go anywhere.

Photo by Caleb Minear on Unsplash

I feel frozen.
It is hard to move and take action.

And a gentle reminder comes my way. When something is unframed, it can be reframed. And that is the process I am going through.
I have placed a weight on myself to be thee very best online teacher I can be for my students. This is the question that keeps traipsing through my mind. "What am I missing?" eLearning just doesn't quite feel right yet. I am trying to find that balance between "keeping things the same" and trying new ideas. Is there a better way to organize things? How can I keep us connected? And on and on and on. I keep asking myself, "What is missing?" But what if I reframed that question?

What new things can we try together to stay connected?
What pillars do we already have and how can we enhance them?
How can we bring joy to elearning?

Instead of kicking myself with "What is missing?" (fear-based), I want to reframe it and think, "What can we add? Or change? Or enhance?" (trust-based) Trusting myself to find the right resources. Trusting my students to lead the way.

I know it is the exact same question just reframed, but I'm gonna go out on a limb and say that reframing matters. I can shift my mindset to one of deficiency or nurture the mindset of abundance.

It's a small little shift, but one I am making more than usual these days as I learn to live in this unframed world we find ourselves in.

Is there anything you need to reframe? I would love to hear your thoughts about coping and thriving during this unique time. While we are feeling confined, it is also a time to bust our worlds open to investigate, discover, try, fail, and fly.

Photo by pine watt on Unsplash

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Blogging makes me a better thinker, teacher, and person. Reflection matters and makes a difference.

grace, now, trust, embraceunplug the pinball machinecolorful quiet

This realization hit me yesterday. 1. The year is ending.2. The new year will begin.With all of the treading water and diving into the deep end I've been doing, I forgot that the boat is coming to take me to the beach. Why does this matter? It matters to me for a couple of reasons.

3. Michele Eaton @micheeaton shared this idea: 50 Ways to Tell a Story from @AZYearbookGiant. I love this because it gets me out of my default ideas and gets me thinking about new ways to think of information. Thank you, Michele and Jen Crutcher.

Not diving in and grabbing, but floating along and accepting. Letting go of the things that don't delight us or challenge us or nurture us. ​Just letting them flow by. Trusting that we are enough. We will be enough.

Wait. I'M not unframed. My life IS unframed and I am feeling it. ​Maybe you are feeling it too.

I feel frozen. ​It is hard to move and take action.

What new things can we try together to stay connected?What pillars do we already have and how can we enhance them?How can we bring joy to elearning?

Is there anything you need to reframe? I would love to hear your thoughts about coping and thriving during this unique time. While we are feeling confined, it is also a time to bust our worlds open to investigate, discover, try, fail, and fly.

Blogging makes me a better thinker, teacher, and person.
Reflection matters and makes a difference.

grace, now, trust, embrace
unplug the pinball machine
colorful quiet

This realization hit me yesterday.
1. The year is ending.
2. The new year will begin.

With all of the treading water and diving into the deep end I've been doing, I forgot that the boat is coming to take me to the beach.

Why does this matter? It matters to me for a couple of reasons.

Not diving in and grabbing, but floating along and accepting.
Letting go of the things that don't delight us or challenge us or nurture us.
Just letting them flow by.
Trusting that we are enough. We will be enough.

Wait. I'M not unframed.
My life IS unframed and I am feeling it.
Maybe you are feeling it too.

I feel frozen.
It is hard to move and take action.

What new things can we try together to stay connected?
What pillars do we already have and how can we enhance them?
How can we bring joy to elearning?