This week we were asked to share about our experiences with our Personal Learning Network. To be completely honest, I had no idea what that even was! So I decided that I needed to do a little research on what a Personal Learning Network was and how I was going to build my network.

I began and found this article, “What is a PLN? Why Do I Need One? by Teach Hub. com. The article stated that as teachers we are building a “network to make us better teachers.”  It continued that as educators we are not just absorbing this information, but we are sharing what we are learning, in addition, we are building relationships with other teachers across the globe!  I really feel, that by having a PLN, I will be able to collaborate with other teachers, learn and share with them and bounce ideas of what worked in the classroom and what they have tried. From this I decided that I wanted to build my PLN around education, with a focus on elementary and preschool education and authors.

So, to get started, I searched the internet for Personal Learning Networks for Educators and  several sites popped up and I checked them out and found lots of fabulous ideas. This site, Teach Thought had a list of the 50 best Twitter accounts, it can be found here.  It was a nice starter list to begin with.  It was helpful as I would look at one and then I would get an idea to find another account to look at. Before long, I had an abundance of  accounts and ideas, which I was excited about.   I had a great time reading and searching from these accounts and eager to see what they all post.

This one account, from Samatha Neill has been a great follow. She is an educator from Kansas who teaches 9th and 10th ELA English. I know that it is a little higher in the education field that I was thinking of, but  her tweet caught my attention. She shared about how she was teaching her class how to create their own PLNs! I was thrilled that a teacher was teaching a young group early in their lives to go forward and start now and create their network.

 

I know that with time, I will want to filter through my network, add and drop a few here and there. As of right how, I am enjoying reading what other teachers are posting and learning more and more. Its been exciting to read what other teachers are writing and sharing!

Some of my cut fabric! Photo by me.

I was so excited to get back to my Independent Learning Project this week and spend two hours of time on my quilt and maybe start sewing! This week our blog assignment was to share what we have done, what we are thinking, how our project is going and our plans.

Let me bring you up to speed.  Last week, I finished pressing and organizing my fabrics and my plan was to start cutting and sewing the fabrics this week.  I started cutting my fabric and I’m still cutting after two hours! I really thought that I would have been finished with the cutting portion of my pattern, but I am not. In all honestly, I thought I would have a small block finished by now to post on my blog.  But, I need to take a step back and remember that there are lots of pieces to this quilt, 86- 4″ squares from just the fat quarters . In addition, I need to remember that I want this assignment and project to be as relaxing and enjoyable as possible. So I don’t want to rush through and make a mistake, like cut something wrong, which I have already done! Thank heavens for extra fabric! 🙂

This brings up some of the questions that have come up during my research of this pattern and process. For one, the pattern requires sewing flying geese blocks. In the picture of the quilt pattern, this looks like triangles with nice crisp points. I have not sewed a block like this, so  I decided to dig a little deeper and read how to do this correctly. In the pattern, it states that I can do this by drawing a diagonal line from corner to corner and then sew on the line and then trim the seam allowance and press towards the darker fabric. Sounds simple enough, rather than cutting out the triangle and the square and trying to piece it together. I am excited to try this way of making the flying geese blocks. I think I will make a practice block of geese before I use my quilt fabric until I get the hang of it.  I think I will find a YouTube video tutorial of the block to see exactly how its sewn together. Hopefully, next week I will be able to share my experience and have a block to show you all.

As far as my plans for my project, I am going to keep on cutting my fabric! I have at least 60 more 4 inch blocks and 25 – 4 x 10 strips to cut and then I will finally be able to start sewing. The first block is the flying geese pattern so I want to practice the block with strap fabric before I sew with my quilt fabric. It might be an additional step, but this is a learning project too, and I want to learn how to do it correctly. So, I’ll keep on cutting and smiling! I’m just loving this project!

 

 

 

 

For our assignment this week, we were to choose three articles on passion-based learning. The first article I choose was, Passion-based Learning in the 21st Century: An interview with Sheryl Nussbaum-Beach.  Before this article, I didn’t have a clear understanding of passion-based learning,  now I understand that it is where we turn our focus on helping our students learn.  Sheryl Nussbaum-Beach stated, “We must help students understand how to synthesize and analyze and to create – to think deeply and become passionate learners.”  She continued and stated to make this happen in the classroom, the students do most of the talking and feel empowered. In addition, the teacher needs to create a classroom that is free from threat and stress and where students feel comfortable to take risks. My favorite was the way she described this learning as a “sense of wonderment” and giving students  more control.  The key take away from this article was that teachers need to help kids know how to learn and help them discover their talents and interests and create a learning environment where they can use those talents to shine and grow.  As educators, we can find ourselves so worried about the content and curriculum that we can forget  about teaching our student how to learn and help them become lifelong learners.

After reading the article on the learning in the 21st century, I wanted to know how can I do this in the classroom and was drawn to two articles. The first article, 25 Ways to Incorporate Passion Based Learning in the Classroom, by Saga Briggs, who stated that “Common sense tells us that students are more likely to learn if they are motivated by and engaged with the curriculum or project at hand.” She stated that if the students are truly engaged in the learning activity, students  will feel in control of their own learning. This article went on to give examples of how this can be done in the classroom. Here are a few of my favorites. One, share your passions with your students and how excited you are about your passion and it will flow into your students and lessons. Second, let your students share their passions with others and help students find others who share the same passion. She stated here that when we share our passions with someone who has the same, if confirms our passion is valued; in the end, it confirms that you are valued as a person.

The third article I choose to read was by Kimberly Vincent, Nine Tenets of Passion-Based Learning. This was another great article for teachers on passion-based learning. One point she made was that passion is infectious. Vincent stated, “Being around passionate people is the best way to become passionate.” We are to be models for our students, show them that we have lives outside of school and that we are well-balanced people. She continued that students will work harder for teachers who show that we matter to our students.  Allowing for students to learn along side of their teacher, she stated will provide for great opportunities for building respect and openness.

 

I was so excited to begin my Independent Learning Project this week and spend some time sewing and quilting!

The main photo is the quilt I am going to make for my Learning project, At A Glance. Photo by me.

To start out, I decided to find the pattern that would be fun and challenging to work on. A while back, I purchased the pattern book, Quilt Cravings by Gathering Friends. I was thrilled  for our Learning Project assignment and right away knew that this book would have the right quilt pattern for me!   Inside this book, there are several patterns that are tempting  me to create! However, I narrowed it down to At A Glance quilt.

I think that this will be a great project for me. There are some challenging elements in this pattern. Some of  challenges will be making the flying geese blocks and there are lots of angles! But, I am not going to let those elements turn me away. I decided to study the cutting and  sewing instructions before I went to the quilt shop to purchase the fabric, this way if I had any additional questions, I could ask the gals at the quilt shop for advice. Then after reading and studying the instructions, I basically took the pattern apart and looked how it was sewn in the directions and found that it was sewn in strips. I thought I can handle this!

Photo by Me

My next step was go to Prairie Point Junction Quilt Shop in Cozad and purchase my fabric! I was so excited to find the right fabric for this project! This can be an overwhelming part of the process. There are so many fabrics to choose, anything from plaids, solids, and prints. Then you need to decide if you want to use flannels or cottons! Luckily, I had great help and found the right fabric. I decided to going along the lines of the picture in the book. I choose cotton fabrics in the browns, reds and blues. Simply beautiful fabrics! I am excited to share the picture of my fabric choice with you all!

Picture of my fabrics! I think they are gorgeous! Photo by me.

Next, I came home and true fun began, I started my project! My daughters wanted to help, but this first part they found to be kind of boring, but they were big help organizing the fabrics.  To start, I needed to iron and press my fabrics in order to cut the fabric. I actually don’t mind the ironing part. I find it to be relaxing and gives you some time to study the fabrics and prints. After I got all my fabrics pressed, I began cutting my fabrics! This always make me a little nervous, what if I cut something wrong is my worry. But, I have learned the hard way previously, measure twice, cut once! I didn’t get everything cut for pattern, but I am happy with the start of my project and I look forward to showing my peers my process through out this semester!

Until next time,

Jaime

For this weeks blog I choose to watch the Ted Talks from Inspiring Teachers. I have always found it interesting to hear from the teachers who are in the classrooms and I have found valuable lessons hearing first hand what they did and how they shaped young students lives.

The first Ted Talk video that left an impression on me was from Rita Pierson and her video was entitled, “Every Kid Needs a Champion.”  She discussed the value and importance of human connection that teachers make in their classrooms. Rita shared that its the relationships that are key. She stated that “everyone in this room has been affected by a teacher or an adult.” WOW! She is right! I am sure that we all can describe that one person who made a difference in our lives, that truly believed in us or the one that said, “Hey, have you ever thought of becoming a teacher?” This made me think of my elementary teachers that did not give up on me! I am so grateful for my teachers that believed in me and pushed me to continue on!

I also watched another video entitled, “How to fix a broken school” with Linda Cliatt-Wayman. She is a principal of a thriving school now, but before she went to this school it was on the persistently dangerous list. She had so many positive points and has great slogans for her school and way of life. The first was,  “If you are going to lead, LEAD.” She stated that as a principal it was her goal to be at school  and she was going to show her students that she was a leader. Her second point, was “So what, now what”. Her her point was to eliminate the excuses and keep on going. Her third slogan and point was that she told her students everyday that “If nobody told you that they loved you today, remember that I do.” How many of our students don’t hear those simple words of love. It breaks my heart.  The greatest take away from this Ted talk was that Linda reminded teachers that our students are just children, often scared by what the world tell them to be. As teachers we need to provide them hope, consistency and love them, no matter what. I was so truly inspired by all the videos from the inspiring teacher list. Each video had great take away points and inspirations and let me to think of myself as a future teacher and how I want to make a difference in the lives of my students.

Check out these Two amazing Ted Talks:

This first Ted Talk is by Ingrid Fetell Lee who shares her story on joy and how she found it. Great talk and she made so many good points. She asks us, “Where does joy come from? What brings you joy? How would you answer? Check this Ted Talk out!

The second Ted Talk I found to add to this blog was from Lera Boroditsky and entitled, “How Language Shapes the Way We Think.” Did you know that there are approximately 7000 different spoken languages in the world? Lera stated that she has done research on language and how things like time, numbers, colors, grammatical gender and how we describe events is all spoken different in different languages. I found this Ted Talk really interesting on language. I am anxious to see if you find anything that surprise you as well.

Sewing Photo By Bruce Turner

 

How awesome is it that for our Digital Learning Course we get to explore an area where we want to learn something new or expand our knowledge in! After reading about this assignment, my mind starting think of all the possibilities that I could explore and do! Immediately, my mind went to sewing and quilting! This is an area where I want to learn more. Quilting these days seems to be a favorite past time of many! There are several quilt shops in our area, tons of ideas on Pinterest and to do be honest, I have a collection of patterns and projects that I have purchased in the “hopes” of completing someday!

 

Pictures of some of my completed projects. Photos by me.

I first started to sew a couple of year ago. Growing up, my parents were busy with children, work and life, so teaching me how to sew was not a priority on their list. Being inspired by the quilt shop in our area and other quilters, I wanted to learn!  I took a beginners sewing class at our local quilt shop to help me learn the basics. I instantly fell in love and was hooked to be sitting at a sewing machine and piecing together fabric. I was able to purchase a sewing machine, cutting mat and rotary cutter for my sewing projects.  Many people ask, “Why would you buy a yard of fabric, cut it up into little pieces and then sew it all back together again?” I just smile and say, “Because its fun and it can be challenging to do!” I made my first quilt, it was a row quilt. Very simple strips and piecing and I tied it together. I was so proud of my accomplishment! Then I have made a couple of quilts and always ready to make another!  I have also made a few pillows and hand sewing projects. I found that hand projects are more flexible, as I could sit on the couch or take them into the car on road trips. For the past few years, my hobby has gone away or like in blog we read, gone asleep! So I am beyond thrilled to try a new sewing pattern and devote some time into making a project and rekindle  and awaken my love for sewing and hand projects!

Quilting and sewing is something that I want to teach my daughters how to do. I would like to teach them the basics and if they are not interested in sewing, that is fine. My husband and I have always wanted to expose our children to an array of experiences in life. Everything from sewing, cooking, fishing, carpentry to how to maintain their cars.  In addition, it is my personal goal to make quilts for my daughters. I would like to create them as heirlooms for our family and its my goal that they would pass them down to their children. Likewise, another goal is to make quilts for my nieces and nephews when they arrive in our families. I am a little behind, as I have three!

Opportunities like these will only help myself and my classmates grow as students. By allowing for time to explore our areas of interest, we will continue to learn, play and help put a focus on our long term goals in life.  I am excited to start this project and I am also excited to read what my peers are seeking to learn from this experience.

This week we were assigned to watch Logan LaPlante’s TED Talk  on “Hack schooling Makes Me Happy” and read Bud Hunt’s blog post on “Centering on Essential Lenses: Make/Hack/Play.” Each had a fascinating perspective on life, creativity and what makes us happy.

LaPlante made some good points when he stated that we don’t make learning how to be happy and healthy in our schools.  He continued that a lot of kids are just wishing to be happy and health and many parents just assume that their children are happy and in reality they are not. He shared eight tips  from Dr. Walsh’s Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes that are important: exercise, diet and nutrition, time in nature, contribution and service, relationships, relaxation and stress management and religious and spiritual involvement. I found these tips very important in my own life and want to incorporate them into the classroom. LaPlante continued to share what his life is like since his mom took him out of  a public school and he explained how his learning has continued. He described his “hack schooling” thinking. When we think of hacking, negative thoughts arise, but LaPlante’s see hacking as people who challenge and change the system to make them work differently, its a mindset. He shared that his learning involves taking advantage of the vast opportunities from his community, friend and family.  His learning is flexible, and his main goals are that he is happy, healthy and his creativity are a propriety. I can see  how the “hack schooling” mindset work in my future. As a teacher, our classrooms are filled with diverse learners, and I need to find hacks that will help my students so they can learn and be all they can be.

Photo CC By: Praveen Kumar

The blog reading continued on with LaPlante viewpoints and shared how we can use make/hack/play as lenses. When we make things, we learn new things. As simple as that sounds, our learning grows when we make sense of new situations and new things. Both Hunt and LaPlante share the same views on hacking and how the word is worth reclaiming. When we use the tool of hacking, we are finding value and what is important to us and how we can improve something. Playing could be an area where you make something or hack something. The part that struck me most was when Hunt said when we play we may discover parts of yourself that have gone to sleep or have never been awake.I have found myself to let the play part of my life go or become less. I usually put play last on list of things, because I either have homework or housework. This is an area where I want to work on.

Photo CC By: Fabrice Florin

When I first began to think of Digital Literacy, some ideas that popped into my head were “literacy” means reading and “digital” means involving the use of technology. So if the two were together, it would be reading with technology. After research and time to think about it, I have come to understand that digital literacy involves so much more than what I previous thought.

What does digital literacy mean? One article that I found helpful was,  What is Digital Literacy?, where it was stated “Digital literacy is when students are able to engage with multi-media to read and interpret text, sounds and images.” This article continued to state that students can take the information that they are learning and construct  their own meaning of the content.   In addition, students can also learn how to use it effectively and appropriately to communicate a message. This article helped me realize two important key elements that I did not consider  before with digital literacy. The first was  how necessary it  is that  students  create their own meaning about the information that they are gathering or learning about. Secondly, how important it is that teachers and adults stress to our children to use information appropriately.

This article continued and gave examples of digital literacy and non-examples to help clarify the definition. Examples of digital literacy include: understanding how to use web browsers, search engines, emails, texts blogs, and PowerPoint to showcase learning, evaluating online resources for accuracy/trustworthiness of information, and encouraging students to use technology to showcase their learning.  Non-examples of digital literacy include: learning just how to use multi-media to research and investigate a specific topic, having a computer lab in your school and technology as a specials class separate from the daily classroom. There are more listed on the article and I found these to be helpful in my learning and understanding of digital literacy.  Check out the article here.

Another great article was titled, “Digital literacy in the Classroom. How important is it?” This article explained the essential elements of digital learning. These elements include: creativity, critical thinking and evaluation, cultural and social understanding, collaboration, the ability to find and select information, effective communication, E-safety and functional skills. The article then stated how the need for digital literacy in the classroom is necessary so our students become digital citizens and learn to become responsible for  how they use technology to interact with the world.

Most importantly, I feel that it is important for future teachers to get out of our comfort zone, take risks, learn and create digital environments that will meet our learners. The digital literacy in the classroom article, went on the explain how as teachers we can address digital literacy into our lessons. One important idea was to teach students about online safety.  It was stressed that teaching our students to make smart choices with using technology is just as necessary as teaching them reading and writing. Another ideas was to teach our students about “fake news.” I was sadden that the idea of fake news has now crept into the classroom as well. We as teachers need to remind our students that just because we see it on the internet, doesn’t mean that it is true and that we need to dig a little deeper and check out the sources.  The third idea was to encourage students to think ethically. This involves teaching our students that once they hit send or publish, the information that they created is open to the world, and this includes their future employers, family members and friends. For more ideas for your classroom, check out the article.

In conclusion technology is here to stay. I feel that teachers need to  teach digital literacy along with the basic reading, writing and mathematics in their classrooms.

 

There are many key moments in my life that have influenced me and have helped me become the woman I am today. It was almost difficult to narrow down just five key points, however, I came up with the most influential moments that have impacted my life. These moments include the closure of our grocery store, finding a new job, my family, returning to school and graduation.

 

Photo CC-By: rick

The first moment was the closure of our grocery store. We live in a community of approximately 3500 people, there is another grocery store in our town, and the convenience of a Wal-Mart thirty miles east and west of our town. With the struggle to make our finances meet, we were forced to close our doors.  This was a difficult time in my life and also for my husband. Thoughts and doubts plagued our minds, “Why was it us?” We both questioned what greater plan does God have in store for us. So with our eyes focused on God and trusting in His greater plan, we continued on living by faith and trusting that He will see us through.

Photo CC- By: Alan Levine

With the closure of a business, we were forced to find work else where. There was always a special place in my heart for teaching, but I didn’t have the self-confidence in myself that I could go to school and become a teacher. As it turned out, there was a job opening in our local school for a para-educator. I took a chance, prayed for God’s guidance and got the job! I was thrilled. From the first moment I walked into the school, there was this sense of calm and peace about myself that this is where I am supposed to be.  I found great encouragement from my colleagues that I should pursue a teaching career. Here was another area where I prayed for God’s guidance and direction. Was this something that I was supposed to do? Go back to school at my age. I would be a nontraditional, older student, and a mom.  After several years, I took the giant step and decided I would do it. I went back to school.

Photo CC-By: Min Liu

Returning to school was one of the hardest things I have ever done. I left my job  and our family’s  extra income. It was years since I had stepped into a classroom and I have never taken an online course. It was difficult to run a household, take care of my family and find time to study for my classes. It became even harder when my family was doing something fun and I need to sit at the table and study. Or when my daughters, just need their mom to sit and play and ask “You still have to study!” It’s times like this that question my decision, but I just remember that God put me here and gave me this opportunity. I know that He has a plan for me and I am going to keep on trusting Him!  My husband and daughters have been my greatest cheerleaders. My family has all helped me see that I can do this. I can be a teacher.

Photo CC- By: Conway Suz

Another milestone in my life was last May when I graduated from Mid Plains Community College with my Associate of Science Degree. It was definitely a rewarding experience walking across that stage and hear my name that I have completed some of my schooling. I know that I am not done yet, but I am going to keep on trusting God with His plans for my life.

Photo CC- By: Charles W. Karl

Thanks for joining me!

Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter. — Izaak Walton