The Tweet Seen Around the World

Dear PLN:

Please help me show the power of Twitter during the 2013 International Education Week on our campus.  I’m presenting, “The Tweet Heard Around the World” and will be sharing the benefits of embedding social media into higher education with particular emphasis on teacher education.  It is my hope that my presentation will support the need for iCitizenship in teacher education to further support global collaboration with classrooms, students and teachers across the country and around the world via Twitter.

Please leave a comment below sharing where you are from and any comments. Also, I’d be most appreciative if you would RT this blog post to see if we can get it seen/heard around the world!

Thank you for sharing your time, talent and passion with the world!

*Here’s the link to the presentation I did for the 13th Annual International Week. This entire project has been so inspiring! My 7 year old was actively involved keeping a tally on all the locations that have responded.  He looked up every place on a world map and as a result started his first blog.  He wants to keep the geography lesson going, so please take a moment to visit his blog, Around the World With Curran and leave a comment where you are from and a fun fact about your location.  Make sure you see my son as a guest blogger for Angela Maier too!

High School Skype and Twitter Project Request

#EdCampBOS and our collaborative Skype session with #EdCampDet got my wheels spinning. Anything is possible with Skype and Twitter. I’m planning to teach a First Year Seminar for the first time this fall. My seminar, Pleased to Tweet You: Are You a Socially Responsible Digital Citizen will allow freshmen to examine social media and digital citizenship. Here’s the course description:

Schools across the country promise to provide a safe environment for learning, but so many students are afraid and embarrassed to come to school.  In today’s globally diverse and digital world, a bully’s reach goes far beyond the playground.  As more teens use computers, cell phones and other electronic devices they will experience being harassed, threatened and humiliated publicly online at greater rates.  Cyberbullying is the biggest hazard our young people face today and will continue to face in the future as more teens consume and produce digital media.  An interactive multimedia approach to this course will provide students an opportunity to explore the problem and extent of cyberbullying through readings both on and offline.  Using a reflective lens, students will create an action plan to help others navigate the Internet as responsible digital citizens.

I’m looking for a high school teacher or several high school teachers to collaborate and participate in our Saint Joseph College First Year Seminar experience in the fall.  Any takers?

A Little Like Casablanca

My Twitter experience and the start of this blog two weeks ago today is much like what Rick said to Captain Renault in the 1942 movie Casablanca, “I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.”

I’m amazed at the number of people I have met, the incredible resources they are so willing to share (or find) 24-7 across this magnificent world.  Dedicated educators committed to making a difference in the lives of children.  Two weeks ago, I had no idea the power of virtual colleagues.

As I write this now, I feel empowered.  My newly started PLN is what I’ve always needed and wanted in my professional career.  Teaching is all about relationships.  Relationships with our students, our colleagues, our parents and community.  But now, my vision is expanded and it doesn’t have walls or boundaries for either teachers or students!  The possibilities are really endless! Thank you, PLN!  This really is the beginning of a beautiful friendship!

Do You See Me?

I participated in my first #edchat this week.  It was hard to keep up, but I thoroughly enjoyed being part of the conversation which focused on how we provide effective and meaningful feedback to students.  To me, it starts and ends with creating relationships and building trust. Without them feedback is meaningless, so is learning.  Anyway you look at it, it’s a two-way street and we are responsible for modeling what it means to build positive relationships in our classrooms and schools.  Thanks to Twitter and @stumpteacher for sharing this must-see YouTube: The MHS LIP DUB: FIREWORK.  This is exactly the type of culture we need to develop in our schools.

One of  my #edchat posts says it all.  It confirms my belief for building and sustaining relationships with our students: “do you recognize my efforts, do u notice my attempts, do u respect me? do you appreciate my gifts & talents & celebrate them?” If we can do this in our classrooms and schools we can create a culture and climate that resembles what Magnolia High School demonstrated in their school video: a school that recognizes and appreciates the individual gifts and talents of each and every student.  When this happens providing effective and meaningful feedback will become a two-way street.

Make it a point to see me.  Recognize me.  Appreciate me.  Celebrate me.  I’ll be willing to go the extra mile for you if you do!

Modeling Being a Risk Taker EDUC 536

Ok, here I go walking the walk and talking the talk and trying something new.  A little nervous, a little anxious, but excited to take the risk!  It’ s Wednesday morning and I’m creating my first WordPress blog before class tonight.  It’s a new format and I’m used to navigating through my Weebly and Ning accounts.  Plus, I’m very aware that my words and feelings are now public and I find myself typing, deleting and retyping to make sure I’m as accurate as possible.  We’ve been safe in our own PLN in our class Ning, but now our boundaries are expanding.  Are you ready to jump in with me?  In class tonight, let’s take time to try something new.  Get comfortable with the uncomfortable and embrace being a change agent!

Here are a few ideas/applications to get you going…

If you are interested in starting a blog, check out this great resource for students: Blogs for Kids – it’s a fabulous LiveBinders that highlights blogs for students to read and join the conversation.

Love this site I found this week for early education, Little Bird Tales – a great way to capture and record children’s voices.  It’s much like StoryBird, but allows you to narrator your story.

I haven’t created a Diigo account yet.  Anyone up to the challenge?  Voicethread?  Symbaloo?  Jing?  LiveBinders? Fuzzwich? Animation-ish?  Whatever you decide, make sure you are pushing your comfort level and trying something new!

Also, a special wicked-proud shout out to Tracy Mercier and her incredible third grade students for breaking barriers and constantly modeling what it means to be risk takers!  Check out this new concept, Tweet Quest that Tracy created: Tweet Quest.

In case you need a little confidence to help you take the plunge: 3 Ways to Encourage Risk Taking.

See you in a few hours!  I’m all about making tonight a “wow” teaching experience!  Hope you’ll say the same thing after trying something new tonight too…

PS: I’m going to publish this link through Twitter and perhaps we’ll get some comments and suggestions.  For anyone outside of EDUC 536, we’re a graduate class at Saint Joseph College in West Hartford, CT and we’re embracing change this semester and exploring social media in K-12 classrooms.