When NOT to teach #michEd #edleadership

This week I have been spending a lot of time ( just talk to my family) with my robotics team.  I am a mentor on the strategy team. Saturdays are our work days. What I was reminder this Saturday was that as teacher sometime the best thing we can do is not teach.

The students arranged a meeting when the robotics team room was open and staffed, But I could not be there. We planned our goals for that session and they went off to meet.

When I could show up, the teacher in me want to start teaching. Stop their conversation. Start talking myself. Have everyone listening and focused on me. Start giving directions/instruction.

But I took a deep breath and just stood there for awhile observing. The team was on task with a large part of their project for the day done. I asked some questions so they could bring me up to speed. Gave some targeted feedback on what was looking good and some areas they could improve on. Then let them know I was in there until five that day.

By not teaching those students guided their own project. They worked as a team giving feedback on the project. They learned skills they can apply to any group project and any problem. Some times the teacher just needs to sit back and watching the students learn. I am proud of them.

Stock image source https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/cd/MapsAtWork.JPG

Ninja Skills of Online Teaching:The Written Word #mlearning #k12online

The Myth: You can say everything you need to say in one email.

What the Ninja online teacher knows:

• Student will only answer the last question you ask. 
  
• If they have to scroll, their eyes roll. 
• You cannot have difficult conversation in writing. 

Reflections:

• Tone is important. When writing you have to consider every tone the reader hear in that message. 
• The reader of your message hears it from their context - not yours. How will they understand your message. 

Ninja Strategies:

• Use the "Above the Fold" Rule if it could not be put on the front page of the student paper above the fold - don't put it in writing. 
• If it takes a page or 20 minutes to write an email- it should be a phone call. 
• Only ask one question per email. Only one topic per email. 
• Know when to call. For difficult conversations phone are better where you can heard the tone and the conversation can adapt better. 

What's your moon shoot? #moonshot #google #edleadership

"Moonshots live in the gray area between audacious projects and pure science fiction; instead of mere 10 percent gains, they aim for 10x improvements," according to Google. source http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2453259,00.asp

What's your moon shot? 
What are you doing to continuously improve your practice and stretch yourself?

I look for this in the teachers and staff I hire at our program. I also look for it in the mentors I  look up to. Personally I believe being highly effective is just being good at the status quo. Not something I aspire to. Beyond high effective is innovation and a growth mind set. That's where it really gets interesting! 

So with a little extra time on my hands this week here's some of my moon shots. Please join me in any ( or all) of them. 

• Apply to a PhD program 
• Apply to for award at MACUL yes! nominate yourself! 
• Get a Google certification  
• Apply to TedEd Innovative Educators due 1/29/16
• Apply to PBS Digital Innovators  due 2/8/16
• Write a guest blog post for anyone! 

Make sure you reach out to me on twitter at @julieAllThat and tell me what your moon shot was. 

Ninja Skills of Online Teaching: Organization #mlearning #k12online

The Myth:Online teachers stay in their PJ's all day and take naps.

Reality: Your still in your PJ's because you were too busy to get dressed today!
Teacher will quit online teaching because they cannot organize themselves.
Students reach out to you at all times. Sunday nights, Christmas day - because some are not Christians.

What the Ninja online teacher knows:

• The classes are there for the students 24/7. School is always open. 
• Many students are not working traditional school hours.
• Between welcome calls, weekly interactions, answering questions and live lesson, I feel like I am always behind in grading. 
• Many teachers struggling with the lack of structure. 

Reflections:

When I started teaching online it was hard to find a balance because all the student are in all different places all the time. One student might have the essay test from lesson 20 waiting for me to grade, while another is just starting composition and another is asking me to tutor them in fractions.

Grading papers during the day is great but it's often interrupted. It's hard to not to respond to every student instantly.

It was hard to find a rhythm. And that rhythm is something that changes every school year due to the students work habits. It's a balancing act between instantly responding to student, keeping up on grading, making sure weekly interaction happen, and keeping up on paper work.

Ninja Strategies:

• Make a list of what your duties are and build a schedule from that.
• When building your schedule, it's OK to have published grading time where you are not available.
• Know your busy times. The end of the semester you will be slammed. In the brick environment, I gave one test to get class at finals. In the click world those kids may submit many tests each or have retakes. Get ahead of the work in preparation for those slam times.