Keeping it Simple!

As the end of the school year is upon us, I'm noticing a wide range of changes that are taking place in my own school district.  With budget cuts already causing discussion and the uncertainty of class schedules and teacher placements weighing heavily on our shoulders, I'm reminded of some simple advice an administrator gave to me several years ago: Keep It Simple...Shane!

These words echo in my mind at the end of each school year when the pressure begins to build, but this year I hear them louder than ever before.  And in looking to next year, here's how I'll keep it simple:

• Keep a simple focus on the "stuff" that needs to be finished by the end of the year.  Grades, report cards, and goodbyes are all part of the job.  

• Reflect on the successes of the year and don't dwell on the failures. 

•  Identify some simple things to improve upon for next year.  (I'll probably make a list and keep in in my wallet or iPad or phone so I don't forget!)

• Don't sweat the small stuff!  

I suppose these things might seem like common sense, but when the hustle and bustle of our daily lives starts to take over,  it's comforting to be reminded of these simple ideas.  Sometimes, keeping it simple can take us a long way! 

New Teacher Evaluations

As part of a project through Cleveland State University, a group of teachers, administrators, and guidance counselors spent some time discussing the Entry Year Teacher Program for the State of Ohio.  New teachers are considered Resident Educators and are required to attend a series of meetings and go through a series of activities before they can move on to their next year of teaching.  

In our group, we discussed some of the benefits of this new program but also focused on some of the areas in which this program could be improved.  In part, we developed some great recommendations:

• Entry year teacher programs should focus more on and emphasize collaboration through Teacher Based Teams and other professional learning communities.  DuFour's work is essential! 
• Entry year teacher programs need not focus on the basics and fundamentals of teaching that are learned in college education programs and instead focus on state and school district initiatives.
• Entry year teachers should be evaluated by a Mentor teacher and an Administrator throughout the year to support the teacher and to identify growth.
•  Entry year teacher programs should not be filled with busy work that takes away from the already hectic first year of any new teacher.

As principals and teachers enter into a new era of accountability with new evaluation procedures already in writing, it is important to keep things simple.  While much of what we see on paper looks excellent, in practice it might be unbearable.  With new teachers in mind, giving the highest levels of support will go a long way in paving the way for a successful career.

For more information on the Entry Year Teacher Programs in the State of Ohio, go to www.state.oh.us.  Feel free to comment on this post and let me know your own ideas on teacher evaluations. 

My Case for Interactive Fiction - Part III

In this final post to make my case for interactive fiction, I am sharing a video by leading games researcher James Paul Gee.  While Gee will share his credentials during the video, his seminal book What Video Games Have To Teach Us About Learning and Literacy is a must read for any teacher or leader who is interested in using interactive fiction, media, or video games as a learning tool in the classroom. Enjoy!

Being Twitter-versed

While there are websites, blogs, podcasts, etc. that stress the usefulness of Twitter in business and education, I wanted to take a few moments to share how I use Twitter in my classroom.  As a teacher and school leader, I am relatively new to the Twitter game, but it has had a meaningful impact on how I view my world. 

Professional Development

As a tool for professional development, nothing can beat Twitter.  Gone are the days of the old sit-and-get professional development. With Twitter, I can find the professional development that I need and that I want without much searching.  With Twitter, the professional development comes to me; albeit it comes to me 24 hours a day!  This, however, is a good thing.  When we as teachers and leaders stop thinking about PD as a full day in the auditorium, we can really start catering to the needs of the teachers and ultimately the students. 

Professional Learning Community

While my district has structurally manufactured times for small teams to meet on a regular basis, I have found that Twitter has expanded my community outside the walls of my school.  While I follow my colleagues and they follow me, I also follow many other people in the educational world.  With this constant ability to share information amongst each other, I have found myself sharing with the history department at our school more than I ever had before.  This is a real professional learning community. 

Communication/Collaboration

As a teacher, I was hesitant about using Twitter because of all the “old fears.”  What I’ve found, though, is that the students who follow me appreciate the updates I give about grades, assignments, and projects.  Along with those updates, though, the students also get insight into my profession.  They receive my tweets about using the Common Core.  They receive my tweets about using video games in the classroom.  And the more they can see me as a teacher who is constantly learning and sharing, they too will become people who are constantly learning and sharing.  This is true communication and collaboration! 

Well, enough for today.  Find my name @SSullivanLHS on Twitter and follow me if you would like to become part of a growing community of educators committed to excellent teaching and leadership. 

Making a Case for Interactive Fiction - Part II

After a decade long push for “proficiency” in education, the transition to college and career ready standards is quickly working through school districts across the country.  In my district, collaboration, creativity, critical thinking, and communication has become the central focus in every classroom; it is these skills that students need most to compete in the academic and business worlds they will encounter when they graduate from high school.  And in my opinion, there is no better time to turn our attention to interactive fiction. 

Collaboration/Communication

The majority of today’s top selling video games have some sort of multi-player component.  And in many cases, the multi-player component is the primary reason players buy the game.  Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, for example, made a billion dollars after only 16 days when it was released in late 2011. 

So what’s the draw?  Communication and collaboration!

Games like Modern Warefare 3 or World of Warcraft provide players with opportunities to communicate and collaborate in an environment that is unlike the one they live in every day.  Players can communicate and collaborate with other players from around the world to carry out objectives and reach goals. The players are forced to use clear communication skills in order to sustain team objectives and initiatives.  (In my world this sounds like a professional learning community!)

In the end, it is these types of communication and collaboration skills that colleges and businesses are expecting our students to know...and video games are teaching them!

Creativity

While one argument against interactive fiction is that it limits the creative capacity of the players because the world is already created for him/her, games like Minecraft give players an unlimited amount of resources to create a brand new world.  

Minecraft allows players to create items and objects to use in the game world with only the resources that they can harvest in the game.  As many RPG games allow players to craft items, Minecraft provides players with an opportunity to truly stretch the limits or their creativity to populate a new world. 

Similar arguments can be made for the multi-player components of games like Halo: Reach.  In many of these types of games, players can create maps for use in multi-player games.  With trial and error, players create maps that are both challenging and enjoyable and stretch the limits of their creativity.

Critical Thinking

There are many times that I sit down to play a game to simply allow myself to be immersed in a new world.  However, there are other times when I sit down to play a game and want to think critically.  With games like Portal 2, Myst, or World of Goo, I get the opportunity to think deeply about how to solve difficult puzzles and problems.  

These games give players a chance to solve difficult puzzles and problems within the confines of the game world.  While there may be more than one way to solve the problem, players use trial and error to find a solution that works to advance to the next level.  This type of critical thinking, along with immersive interaction, it what keeps players engrossed in these types of games.  

With all this said, it's time that we meet our students where they are.  We know they go home at night and play video games.  Let's begin to use their knowledge of interactive fiction to teach collaboration, communication, creativity, and critical thinking.  It's time to start making the case for interactive fiction! 

Making a Case for Interactive Fiction - Part 1

I’ll wholeheartedly admit it, Atticus Finch is my hero!  To Kill a Mockingbird is one of the novels I look forward to reading each year with my freshman students.  Integrity, character, and standing up for what’s right are concepts that students seem to understand through Atticus’s struggles while defending Tom Robinson in a community that is seemingly against him.  To Kill a Mockingbird is undoubtedly a wonderful novel.  But I have another admission: Sometimes I need more! 

And I’m not alone.  Over the last five years, I’ve heard excellent discussion amongst my students about character and story development from reading To Kill a Mockingbird, but the “real” conversations about these topics takes place after class is over—when students crowd around my desk to talk about video games.  It is in these conversations that my students skillfully analyze character and story through interactive fiction.  It is from these conversations that I slowly realized that my students demand more interaction with characters and story than a novel can provide. 

As the increase in technology pushes our capabilities of teaching in the classroom, it also increases the level of collaboration and interaction students have with each other and the world.  Growing up with Twitter and Facebook, today’s students need interaction in order to understand and make sense of the world around them.  The same is true in the classroom.  Reading a book “the old fashioned way” doesn’t offer the same level of interaction that our students have grown up enjoying; it just doesn't seem as relevant.

Over the course of the last twenty years, video game technology has also improved from the seemingly archaic visuals, characters and settings of the 8-bit Nintendo Entertainment System to lush, vibrant vistas of the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3.  These artfully rendered games immerse players into a world that a written novel could not begin to describe.  Look at the Playstation 3 downloadable title Flower for example.  In this game you play the role of a flower petal seeking to re-populate a world devoid of color.  Using the intuitive controls, players are able to engage in a truly unique, "Zen-like" experience. 

In the end, as a teacher seeking a relevant entry point for students to engage in literature, I can't deny the power and influence of video games.  While there are many games on the market that I would not use in my classroom, there are twice as many that I would.  The same could be said for books, of course.  Regardless, I know the majority of my students are playing video games at home with greater regularity than they read books.  And with that said, it's time to start making the case for interactive fiction!

Battelle For Kids - Common Core Verticle Progression Training

As the deadline for the full implementation of the Common Core draws closer, I am fortunate enough to have the opportunity to attend professional development dedicated to "unwrapping" the Common Core standards in order to make them easier to implement in the classroom. 

With some major shifts in focus and rigor, I am looking forward to pushing my students to think creatively and collaboratively.  Today, at the ESC of Cuyahoga County, I took part in a Battelle For Kids sponsored training that presented the vertical progression of the Common Core in English Language Arts.  And I must admit, there is much work to be done. 

So what does all this mean?  This is the beginning of a very exciting shift in how we teacher our students.  Using technology to add depth to they types of lessons I teach is certainly appealing.  The expectations are greater, the rigor is increased, and the urgency is clear. 

I'm excited to experience the future with the Common Core!