Wendy

Teaching Tuesday – YouTubers

May 3, 2017May 3, 2017 Wendy

I don’t know if you are aware of this or not, but there are Minecraft YouTube stars…I mean real celebrities who share nothing but Minecraft videos. Mind-numbing Minecraft videos. If you know any elementary students, ask them if they know Stampylongnose. Guaranteed, they will talk year off about him or someone else. Currently Dustin’s favorite Minecraft Youtuber is SP737, but certainly Stampy introduced him to this world. And now both boys are obsessed with becoming YouTubers also.

At first I resisted the pleas and made provided a list of reasons why I did not think it was a good idea. But then I got to thinking. I thought about the opening address Steve Wyborney delivered at the beginning of the school year and his subsequent reminders to create opportunities for students to produce. And I wondered…wouldn’t producing YouTube videos count as such an opportunity? So I set some ground rules and we set off on a Youtubing learning adventure.

Here is what I have found: My boys consume the stars’ videos in a different way now. They are no longer watching just for the entertainment. Instead they watch to analyze the style of each YouTuber. I have also watched Dustin, come out of his shell. He is typically shy, but not when he is creating a video. I have also seen the creativity of both boys increase. They are considering new ideas and wanting to branch out. They have started to learn coding and are considering other games to play. What I really like, however, is the opportunities YouTubing has provided for us to have authentic conversations about the importance of learning to use our language as a tool. We are having conversations about academics without resistance because they see the relevance.

If you have never considered it before, perhaps you will consider giving your children/students a similar experience.

As an added bonus…I have been able to use the software to create some screen cast videos to share on Math Mondays and Teaching Tuesdays.

So I have a request…If you are so inclined, checkout our channel and give the boys a like or comment. Fair warning…we are beginners…all of us, so there are some very raw moments….you can expect the occasional melt down, and some yelling…and not just from me…ha, ha.

And when we are famous Youtubers, you can say you knew us when

Teaching Tuesdays

Teaching Tuesdays (Only, It’s on a Friday) – PD: Action, Passion, and Acdvocacy for All

April 28, 2017 Wendy

I am a professional development junkie. This month has provided me with an abundance of PD binging. And Duh duh duh duh duh I’m loving it.

What follows are snippets from my binge.

I started the month participating in the third of a series of English Language Learners trainings provided by Education Northwest.

How are you feeling so far in our work? I am hungry. I want to learn more. I want to change my major. 🙂

How has our work impacted your craft? I notice the use of the word apprentice. I look for language in action.

Big take away: Language is a tool we use to act in the world.

The following day, I was a pirate. From Dave Burgess I learned that pirate teachers have passion

Passion in content, what in the content are you passionate about? Within my profession what am I passionate about? You don’t have to have an assignment from a teacher to learn. Life changing impact! Outside of my profession what are you passionate about?

Teacher pirates are immersed.

Immerse yourself in the moments. When I am doing whatever I do am I doing just that?

Pirate teachers have a rapport with students and colleagues. They build relationships.

Relationships of influence. This is a no meanness zone. 1 minute of informal interaction with a student is worth 10 hours of instructional time.

Pirate teachers also ask and analyze.

Ask because questions are the key to creativity.

Don’t give homework give challenges! This provides creative alchemy.Create a capture system for you ideas. Brackets are engaging. Be prolific not perfect

Pirate teachers transform

Transformation …. you can’t be good you have got be remarkable.

If they didn’t have to be there would you be teaching to an empty room? Do you have any lessons you could sell tickets for?

Finally, pirate teachers engage. Dave Burgess definitely delivered on engagement.

Now I am at the ORTII conference. I came here thinking I would learn strategies and skills, but the keynote address by Anthony Muhammad changed my focus. I am now thinking about culture.

Culture = soil and technical innovation = seeds. We need a fertile soil.

Prior to this conference, I was an Anita Archer virgin. I heard I would love her. I heard she was the best. She did not disappoint and caused me to rethink some of my deeply held beliefs (i.e., beliefs about spelling and I do, we do, you do). However, she made us put away our phones so I was not able to capture my thoughts here. I will have to report back at a later date.

So are have they reached teacher crush status? The verdict is still out on that one. I still need to try things out and process. Again, I will have to report back.

Math Mondays

Math Mondays – A Train Question

April 25, 2017 Wendy

I typically pass a train on my daily commute home. Some days, like today, I am traveling in the same direction. Others I am traveling in the opposite direction. I usually pay little attention to them, but Friday and today the trains were exceptionally long.

So I have a question…several actually. Initially I wanted to know if the train was more than one mile long. Then I wondered if there was a way to determine the train’s length. This made me wonder if is this the making of a three act task. And since I believe it is, I also want to know what is the necessary information to determine the train’s length. How does the problem change if you are traveling in the same direction instead of the opposite direction?

And this leads me back to three act tasks. If you know Dan Meyer 🙂 please tell him I have a ton of questions for him about these tasks. For starters, when engaging students in this process do you provide all three photos or only the first photo? I am thinking you should make them ask for the other photos and determine the details of the second act as a group.

For now, I will take the questions I have asked here and I will let them carry me as far as they can.

I hope you are all willing to jump on board and ask and answer questions along with me. It should be quite an adventure

And, that, to me, is what math is all about!

All aboard!!!! (Sorry, I could not help myself.)

Sacred Sundays

Sacred Sundays – Forever

April 23, 2017April 23, 2017 Wendy

Some days are just too hectic. These days are jam-packed with coming and going but little time for reflection. Starting with Easter, last week was filled with those days. At church I managed to record three comments:

He is risen

We shall overcome

We are loved

I wish I knew more. I wish I had taken the time to write…to reflect.

Here is what I do know. The comments were written in response to this video and the testimonies that followed.

When I think of Those Days, the miraculous events, I wonder…Do I fully appreciate?

Moroni 7: 28 For he hath answered the ends of the law, and he claimeth all those who have faith in him; and they who have faith in him will cleave unto every good thing; wherefore he advocateth the cause of the children of men; and he dwelleth eternally in the heavens.

Do I cleave unto good things? Do I trust in my Advocate? Will my faith carry me through Forever?

Happy Easter my friends.

He is risen!

And we shall overcome…for we are loved!

Farm Life Fridays

Farm Life Fridays – Goats

April 22, 2017April 22, 2017 Wendy

Have you ever tried to take a close-up of a goat’s eye? I mean…seriously!!!!It is not an easy task.

Despite warnings to:

Never look a goat in the eye, never.

goatsimulator.wikia.com

I want to take a picture of their eyes.

I thought it would help to launch what I believe will be where I settle for my blog post framework. The framework is an adaptation of a reading strategy I heard on a podcast. (Sorry, no link…it was quite awhile ago and I am not sure which podcast it was.). The strategy I heard was 2Q’s and a C. I want to try 2Q’s and a CAP. That is, I want each post to include a question, a quote, a comment and something that starts with A…application, answer, adaptation, ah ha…., and photos. But not necessarily in that order.

Which brings me back to the goats. My question is not if you have ever tried to take a close-up…rather I want to know why the pupil of a goat’s eye is a rectangular, Do you have any idea why this is the case?

I think I found an answer,….but….I am still not settled on the posts framework. I guess I will need to keep my eye open!

And that is my final comment🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐