January+2012

January 31, 2012.
So, is it fair that I am actually writing this on February 2nd? One thing I have learned about trying to write every month is that some months are too busy to write about (so I never get to it) and some months are surprisingly quiet (so a page becomes a placeholder-the July & August pages are examples of this...). It might be a bit Goldilocks-ish of me to want a month where just enough happens to write about and yet where I also find the time to do the writing.

January was the first kind- LOTS going on. I know this is a place for me to s-l-o-w- d-o-w-n and try to record a bit about the transformations occurring in me, in my teaching practice, in my school, and in my students. I really do see things changing. [|Mercurial] as all of it is, I need to slow it all down. If I end up writing something along the way that helps other teaching colleagues/ friends along the way/ curious onlookers, then so be it.

On January 6th I received news that I'm going to be part of the live audience at [|TEDxManitoba]. I've enjoyed watching TED talks online for a few years now. [|Hans Rosling] is one of my favourites, but not for the sword swallowing bit. I do think that somehow there ought to be a newer [|George Siemens TED talk] on learning analytics. Could someone who knows George make this happen?? I'm just asking. Of course I love the [|Sir Ken] talks on creativity in education too. It was cool to see him here life and in person about a year ago.

TEDxManitoba will have 100 people in the room at the Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre Warehouse in Winnipeg. Here's the schedule:

[|TEDxManitoba Event Opener]
 * 08:00**

[|Jeremy Rusu and Patti Lamoureux] (Performance)
 * 08:30**

[|Grant Barkman]
 * 08:40**

[|Linda Cureton]
 * 09:00**

[|Getty Stewart]
 * 09:20**

40-Minute Break
 * 09:40**

[|David Zinger]
 * 10:20**

[|Aisha Alfa]
 * 10:40**

TED Talks (videos)
 * 11:00**
 * Homaro Cantu & Ben Roche: “Cooking as Alchemy”
 * Richard St. John: “8 Secrets of Success”
 * Marco Tempest: “The magic of truth and lies (and iPods)”

[|Robert L. Peters]
 * 11:20**

[|Wilma Derksen]
 * 11:40**

60-Minute Lunch Break
 * 12:00**

Video: Karen Letourneau (from TEDxManitoba 2011)
 * 12:40**

Robert Sawyer
 * 13:00**

Gem Newman
 * 13:20**

TED Talks (videos)
 * 13:40**
 * Louie Schwartzberg: “Nature. Beauty. Gratitude.”
 * Sebastian Wernicke: “Lies, Damned Lies and Statistics”
 * Derek Sivers: “How to Start a Movement”

Matt Henderson
 * 14:00**

Kale Bonham
 * 14:20**

40-Minute Break
 * 14:40**

Event Chair’s Address
 * 15:10**

TJ Dawe
 * 15:20**

Hazel Borys
 * 15:40**

Brian Glow (performance)
 * 16:00**

Michael Champagne
 * 16:20**

Brad Tyler-West
 * 16:40**

Closing comments (Emcee et al)
 * 17:00**

Looks to be a pretty full day. I'm glad to have the opportunity to attend, with the backing of my employer and my Teacher's Association, who together are counting this as Personal PD, and therefore paying my substitute costs. Thanks, [|LRSD] & [|LRTA]!

Also in January: a classroom visit by five of the school trustees & a variety of School Division leaders as part of a tour of our school. We are involved in a unique (and really successful so far) 1 to 1 student owned learning pilot. It is always nice to get to show others what's going on in my classes, and to open up the floor to the students as well. So often the extra adults in the room are expecting me to address the questions they have about technology in fusion, learning and engagement, reliability of the equipment and the tech learning curve. Of course I do some interpretation, but for the most part I allow my students to do the talking. It always feels like a bit of a risk, because I really never know what the students might say, and I really don't coach them in advance.

So far the extra adults (be they school leaders, tech directors from other districts, divisional staff or school trustees) seem to have come away from my class surprised and energized by the fresh & eloquent responses from the students. The fun thing for me is listening to the students describe what we do in class, how it works, what we do when it doesn't work (this is reminding me of [|Papert] now), and how they like working with computers every day compared to having to go without them.

January has also been a planning month for the Professional Development committee at our school. [|Joel], Zoya & I have been working on introducing our staff of about 90 teachers to the "[|Unconference]" idea. With the approval of our Principal, we have planned a very brief (2 hour) space & time for colleagues to connect and discuss centred around the following theme: //**"How are teaching and learning changing at Dakota Collegiate?"**//

Three consecutive Tuesday emails filled with reminders and links (and crafted by our staff humorist, Robbie Scott) got the word out. I made the pitch to the staff at the staff meeting- I think we are ready (as in, we have built enough staff capacity for self-directed Professional Development over the past 16 months) to make tomorrow morning work. We are following the edcamp and [|open space technology]principles of self-organizing meetings, and we have provided some helps to the staff (like plans about food & readings to consider). Joel has been the contact with the admin, and he has also sussed out a bunch of the details. I chatted with our custodians (nicely) about installing a couple of more screens in the library, and removing all of the tables so we can create conversation circles, cells, & clusters. Lots of planning. Yep, January has been a busy month.

All of that, and my report cards are due tomorrow, and I start Semester 2 with 120 fresh new faces in 4 English classes on Monday, February 6th. Prepping new courses and stretching my own envelope again with a few new ideas, but I'll save those for a February post.

Assuming that I find the time.