Oh Wow - An Adventure with my Livescribe

Recently, thanks to a wonderful member of my PLN (I won't name him so he doesn't get inundated with requests) I was mailed a LiveScribe pen.  I have wanted one of these little wonders for a long time thinking it would help me assess my students, keep a record of their progress and also let them hear my thoughts about their work.  Having 25 students in my room means I simply do not get as much time to sit down one-on-one with them to give them all of their needed feedback.  The Livescribe pen allows me to record my thoughts and then have them listen to it so we can start a dialogue.

Life has gotten in the way a bit, though, so I haven't had enough time to really get to know the tool and thus had not used in a professional sense yet.  The opportunity finally came Monday where  I was involved in an integration day for one of my students with special needs.  This is where the genius
of this little pen shone brightly; during the meeting I was able to take notes and record the goal discussion that was happening in the room. I, of course, informed the meeting participants that I was recording and then we started to work.  I now have notes and a recording of what we discussed should be this student's main goals accessible to me at any time.  Sheer brilliance.

The recording has already been shared with other members involved in the child's education and I am planning on referring to it throughout the year as we try to keep him engaged and involved in the learning. One click of the button and now my memory can fault me all i want, I have it all right there.

PS:  In a way you can say this is a sponsored post since I was given the pen for free to try out, but the enthusiasm is genuine.  I am already excited about the other possibilities of using the pen; hello post-observation conference!

Dear 4 1/2 Graders

Dear 4 1/2 graders,
Boy, where has the year gone? This last week has given me some time to think about the goals, the learning, the excitement and the end of fourth grade. So as I prepare for our next units, knowing there is half a year left, knowing we have so much learning to do, knowing that we have so much growing to do, I get excited. The path we are on. this year is incredible, the learning journey eventful, and sometimes even a little bit magical. So as we inch closer to fifth grade, I hope we

Slow down to relish the everyday magic. It is ok to get excited when you solve something on your own or do that great work. Let's share, let's celebrate, after all, learning is meant to be wondrous.

Struggle together. Let's look for answers, questions our assumptions, and even question each other (especially the teacher!).

Reach out. The world is our classroom so let's invite others in and do our share to be global citizens. Think of how rich our lives a now because of our blogging and projects.

Believe! Let's believe more in our own brains, creativity, problem solving skills, and most of all each other. Ask others for help when needed but don't forget to ask yourself first.

Create. I am only a teacher, not the inventor of everything interesting. So create learning possibilities for yourself as well as we continue learning in our room.

Set goals - and then exceed them. We must continue to strive for better but also not be satisfied when we reach that goal. Push yourself when it makes sense.

Smile, laugh, giggle and have fun. School is meant to be somewhere fabulous where magical things happen, let's continue to make learning fun.

I cannot wait to see you on Monday.

Love,
Mrs. Ripp

Oh You Lifelong Learners...

As I browse through people's Twitter bio's, one word that catches my eye over and over is the designation of being a lifelong leaner.  As my school's mission was revealed we as educators are supposed to create lifelong learners.  And while yes, I would consider myself someone who aspires to be a lifelong learner, it is not something I am, yet...

You see, in my view, a lifelong learner is someone who has lived their whole life learning, and while I have learned most of my life, I have not finished living or learning.  This may be just an attack on semantics but the title bothers me when I am supposed to create lifelong learners in my classroom.  I am there to create learners, in fact my mission is to make sure that my students still love learning by the time they leave my room.  So I suppose my goal is to create year-long learners and hope that every year someone will make it their goal to create year-long learners, as well,  We cannot create lifelong learners, students must start on that journey through their own desire to learn and continue learning, no matter the teacher or lessons being presented.  What we can do, though, is to not destroy the love of learning they bring into our room on the first day of school.

So make it your mission to continue to let them love school, love the lessons, the explorations, the challenges and even the teacher.  Let them love the friends, the questions, the failures.  Let them know that we learn through mistakes, that we learn by being curious and that most of all we must learn to evolve.  If that means that one day my students will say they are a lifelong learner then mission accomplished, however, I cannot create that in one year no matter my passion, no matter my drive, no matter my urgency.  Yet a year-long learner that I can do and I promise to not ruin the love of learning, no matter the costs, no matter the hardship.  Can you promise the same?

The Elusive Hunt for the Goal of Education

This is my guest blog that I wrote for Edutopia 2 weeks ago

"So tell me, what is your goal of education?" It's a question asked in interviews throughout the globe as nervous candidates vie for that elusive teaching job. Well-researched, with philosophy of education chosen, the candidates offer answers that they hope will score high on the interview rubric. Successful words often include "kids," "learning," "citizen" and any other buzzwords floating around the education community. Yet ask a veteran teacher, or even a semi-veteran, and they may come up with an answer that would not fit into any interview rubric, knowing full well that the goal of education cannot just be summed up in one sentence.

So really, as a community we must ask ourselves: Is there such a thing as a common goal?

The question of what is the common goal of education was the recent topic of #edchat and one that I hesitated to participate in. I love the forum, however, this topic seemed listless to me. Isn't the goal of education to teach? Well, maybe not, if you ask teachers around the world.

Some people say that the goal is to shape citizens, or to create lifelong learners, or even to be guides. All wonderful goals, but can any one of them claim to be the ultimate goal for us all? The one constant in the discussion is just how different we all feel the goal of education is. Some people need the goal to be retention of information so that their school is not closed. Others need kids to perform better so jobs are not lost. And still others need to prove just why the community should support their school with another referendum so that they can buy new textbooks. I teach in a school where we have wonderful community support, as well as above-average academic standing; therefore my goal of education is vastly different than most, and then again, maybe not.

My goal is simple: It is to learn.

Not just learn about the topics, or the tests, facts, assignments, how to get from point A to point B, but instead how to learn and how to love learning. Granted, I did not love school as a child. My classroom teacher hated me for being different and locked me in a closet on a summer day, no joke. Nor did I love the homework that seemed pointless and unrealistic, or the parent-teacher conferences where my mother would be told that I did not apply myself. Yet, my mother continued to believe in me as a learner, knowing that I did love learning; just not the way the school presented it. Reflecting on it now, I recognize that there was no goal that included me in it.

So when we discuss a common goal of education I liken it to the tale of the Loch Ness Monster. Some people claim to have seen it, some people pursue it relentlessly, and many hope in their quiet minds that maybe our world is magical enough to really possess such a thing. I agree that if we had a common goal of education, it would make it much easier to participate in the debate.

But how would that play out?

You could use that goal to twist and mold it into whichever educational philosophy you choose. Policy makers and big talkers could point to the goal and use it to push their way of thinking onto unsuspecting teachers. One single goal could mean one single voice in the debate. And yet, that is exactly what we, as educators, fight against every day. We fight against complacency and average pursuits. We fight against one way of learning, of teaching, because we know we will not reach all of our students that way. We fight for our classrooms not to be framed by one sentence since we are multidimensional teachers who bring vast arrays of learning into our rooms and would prefer to stay that way.

So the goal of education can be many things.

You may choose to answer the question in whichever way you want, because ultimately you have to believe in the goal that you choose. I cannot tell you what goal will work for you, that is your own path to explore. I just hope that you realize that it is okay to choose a different goal every day, every topic, every student. After all, we are the shapers of the future and not just people hoping against all odds that true learning is not just a myth but something we participate in every day. So explore your goals, change them, turn them on their heads, and use them for inspiration. But most of all do not let them become inflexible.

Do you agree or did I miss my mark?

Ahh, My First Ever Guest Blog

Last week I was asked by the fantastic website Edutopia to do a guest blog on the topic we had discussed during #edchat.  After much excitement, trepidation, and inspiration, here is the final result.  Comment, share, do whatever you please.