I have no idea what to write about.
I could write about the interesting conversation I had today with a 9th grade teachers who's been using smartphones in her classroom. I could tell about how doesn't see it as a big deal, about how it's just another tool in her classroom, about how she and her students develop their own acceptable use policy and about how they learn together.
I could also write about how the day before I wrapped up a Digital Story Telling Academy with 15 teachers who talked about what they've learned over the year. I could tell you how they've begun to allow students new ways to express and communicate ideas but more importantly how they deconstruct media and learn how to create their own using those exemplars. I could mention how at least two of those teachers who were very well versed in technology before we began are now discovering the power of sharing.
I also could write about how on Tuesday I spent a couple of hours in a car driving to a meeting with principals of inner city schools. I could write about how they've been working to provide students with the experiences they lack. About how they've worked to connect them with adults in the community. I could tell you about how they've built bikes from old parts and given them away to other kids with even less than they have. I could tell you how they've increased attendance by 25% overall.
I also could write about the Cardboard boat races that took place last Friday. I could write about how 7th and 8th graders spent weeks planning and researching cardboard boats that be raced across an Olympic size pool and be tested for design construction, speed across the pool and weight carried. I could tell how they learned about water permeability, friction and direction control, principles of structure, strength, rigidity as well as buoyancy and displacement in an deep and relevant manner.
There's lots to write about, I just don't know what to choose.
Epilogue So the point of that little monologue is to ask you to consider all the amazing stuff that's happening in your district and building and classroom. It's very easy to focus on all that's wrong with schools and education. In general we all agree the system is fractured if not down right broken. Yet within that broken system exists wonderful people providing quality learning for students. I'm privileged to have a job that allows me to peek into many of these spaces and try and help them do better and yes, at times rebuild some less than exemplary environments. But I know that no matter where you work or teach, you can tell these same stories of great learning. Are you?
Image: Writer's Block by Vince Kusters http://www.flickr.com/photos/vince_kusters/3027753318/
