Nothing left to do but Act

I started using Twitter in earnest just a day or two after the last Blog 4 Real Education Reform took place. I started reading about PLN‘s soon after, and started blogging by the end of November. In two months I have learned more from “the internets” than in-house face-to-face PD has taught me in as many years. And I’ve been inspired to take Action. Since #Blog4Reform-The Sequel is about taking action I will strive to put something onto paper, here and now.  For me, powerful reform must start in the classroom, then teachers must open their doors and collaborate. Thus, my contribution to Blogging 4 Ed Reform is highly personal.

I loved Jeff Delp’s Wizard of Ed post that articulated action steps, so I’m using that as my model.

“Technology needs to be like Oxygen” Action – I am obsessed with this quote by Chris Lehmann.

Yet, I see this as a major challenge in my classroom when we’re always worried about what is available and allowed. I know my kids would use their phones, laptops, tablets to take notes, write, share if they could. Yet, policy dictates that this can’t happen. As PD team member, I am going to contribute to our best practices discussion and ask for ways that teachers are using tech in their room and publish it. I hope that if we start to see how people use tech differently it will become more commonplace and we will start to break down the barriers that we have with policy. Make change then change policy?!?  Which leads to the next idea…

“Spread the love” Action – run a workshop introducing colleagues to the power of a PLN. We’re lucky enough to have teacher run workshops at school – I’ve taught a workshop on Google Apps and Sites, but I think this goes beyond that. Teachers want to feel as if they are continually learning, staying fresh, and on top of innovations. This is what the PLN is all about, and this is what has down for me. Time to help others.

“Moving Forward” Action – In my last post I wrote about a great teacher training model that really benefits the interns, the teachers and the students. In thinking about #Blog4Reform, I slapped myself in the forehead – why just talk about something that works? Why not make the effort to bring it here? I don’t know where to start with this – but I would love to improve the student teacher model that we use. This is no small task and would love suggestions from people who are already involved in teacher training, because as I wrote about with the Tufts/Boston Schools model, it is all about everyone working together. But I know that I want to work on this. Okay… so the action isn’t quite there, but I’m working on it.

I have read the contributions on Cooperative Catalyst from some heavy weight thinkers. I hope that I can add some small piece to the puzzle, even if it is just a kick in my rear to take action.

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