Creating a Textbook Based Reading Class You Can Live With: Part 2

This is part 2 of a series I am writing on how I modified my textbook based classroom.

With this post I will deconstruct how and why we approached vocabulary this way. Below is the section on vocabulary the students saw. Each one of these choices had been modeled extensively in the classroom before I turned them loose with this assignment. I also want to make clear that I only took two grades over this work, the written test on Thursday and the project on Friday. No other grades were given (or even necessary.)

Ghost Towns Check List

Vocabulary
Do page 244 in Reading Practice Book due Tuesday and choose two of the following due Wednesday:

• Create graphic representations of each vocabulary word

• Write definitions of each vocabulary word

• Create a flash card with definitions for each vocabulary word

• Use in graphic organizer as outlined in Skills section

• Create a word web with synonyms of the vocabulary words (Visuwords is an excellent source)

• Create a word web with antonyms of the vocabulary words (Visuwords is an excellent source)

With this post I will deconstruct how and why we approached vocabulary this way. Below is the section on vocabulary the students saw. Each one of these choices had been modeled extensively in the classroom before I turned them loose with this assignment.

The vocabulary work in our practice book (workbook) was usually a matching assignment with the vocabulary words on the left and the definitions on the right. This required the students to look up the word (if they didn't know it) in the glossary and then make the correct match. I found (no surprise) that the students did not carry this information to the written test given on Thursday. After doing some question analysis I found that there was no actual transfer from this type of assignment to the test. This assignment was done to keep my districts requirement for "using the workbook".

 For the rest of the assignments I gave my students several choices. The first choice, creating a graphic representation of the word, came from Marzano's Classroom Instruction That Works where he explains that the use of visual representations of the words really help student recall them. The way I approached this in the classroom was to 1) write the word on the board 2) draw a picture of what the word reminds me of or means to me 3) explain why I drew that picture 4) have the students create their own pictures. They were required to draw a different picture than I drew. This worked very well for students that preferred visual learning/representations. 

Some students preferred just writing the definitions. While I can completely zone out while I copy out of a book, this does not mean that everyone has the same experience. One in four of my students chose this as one of their learning methods. Oddly, it was usually the students with the best grasp of vocabulary that used this method.

Creating a flash card not only allowed students to carry their learning with them, it also allowed them social interaction with a partner since I allowed them to practice that way. The students would create the cards and then pair off or even work in small groups. This is great for kids that prefer to learn socially.

Creating a graphic organizer using the workbook page. I never had a student do this, and honestly I don't even remember what they looked like. I guess they were not too useful.

Creating a synonym or antonym word web worked well for several students. They would look up the vocabulary word and find the synonyms and/or antonyms and then draw a web with the original word in the middle and the others branched off. Usually the students would choose Visuwords to find the synonyms and antonyms.Visuwords is an interactive, fun site that makes connections between words very visual. This was a popular activity by my students. 

The average written test score was in the mid sixties before we changed to these methods. After we changed the average moved to the high 80's. That includes the ELL student that was in my room that had a 2.3 reading level. (I also modified how she read the story by putting it on an ipod for her to listen to.)

Creating a Textbook Based Reading Class You Can Live With: Part 1

A couple years ago when I was teaching fifth grade I decided to experiment with my reading program. I was not happy with the reading series schedule and my students were even less impressed. I was required to use this series, and I was expected to use the workbooks that accompanied the textbook. I knew that something had to change and one weekend came up with a plan that worked very well for my situation. Perhaps you can modify it to use in your classroom as well.
 
First I would like to state that this is not to replace the act of reading in the classroom. My students had 45+ minutes daily to read independently library books. Our reading series had very few reading opportunities in a week (how can we call it reading class when it is mostly vocabulary and skills that is being taught?)

This is the text from the blog post my students read to introduce this particular weeks work:

Image by mlhradio

After last years great Ghost Town moments, see post 1 and post 2, we have a high standard to meet. Since the skill this week is graphic sources you will have the opportunity to create your own. You will also look at Flickr pictures of real ghost towns to get and idea what they really look like. Then you are going to use Kerpoof to create your very own ghost town.

Here is the link to the checklist for you to use.

 The reading series story was a non-fiction story about ghost towns in the west. Because ghost towns have such a visual appeal I decided that I would incorporate a visual component to the week's work. This is the checklist I created for my students to print out and use. It is linked on the post above. The students would print the list if they needed to and then precede to go through the work. I created due dates because I discovered that many students needed guidance for what to do first. This really helped my students that were not very organized and it modeled how to break down a large task, finishing all this work, into more workable steps.

Ghost Towns Check List

Vocabulary
Do page 244 in Reading Practice Book due Tuesday and choose two of the following due Wednesday:

• Create graphic representations of each vocabulary word
• Write definitions of each vocabulary word
• Create a flash card with definitions for each vocabulary word
• Use in graphic organizer as outlined in Skills section
• Create a word web with synonyms of the vocabulary words (Visuwords is an excellent source)
• Create a word web with antonyms of the vocabulary words (Visuwords is an excellent source)

Skill

Do pages 243, 246, and 247 in Reading Practice Book due Wednesday and do the following due Wednesday:

• Got to my blog post on the Ghost Towns of McDonald County. After reading the post, click on the map of McDonald County. Make a map of McDonald County and put on it the ghost towns of Coy, Wylie, Saratoga Springs, and Erie.   Write why you think those towns are no longer here.

Content Gathering
Read story on Monday and Tuesday and do following due Thursday:

• Look through the first five pages of ghost town pictures on Flickr 
• Other: See teacher for approval __________________

Note Taking
Choose one of the following to use to take notes:

• Visual representations (sketch a few pictures of ghost towns)
• Other: See teacher for approval ___________________________

Assessments
Comprehension test over the story will be Thursday and pick one of the following due Friday:

• UseKerpoof to create a picture of a ghost town. You choose the medium, but remember this is due Friday. Upload picture to the Compendium.
• Other: See teacher for approval ________________________

On my next post I will explain how and why we approached our vocabulary work.

They Didn't Fail, They Just Haven't Succeeded Yet

I just had a knock down fight with my students. They failed an assignment miserably, only one of thirty students even came close to doing it right. Ordinarily I would shoulder some of the blame for their failure, but I refused to do it this time. I think I was wrong....

My students were expected to do some real thinking. I asked them to read about the Wisconsin union troubles and identify what was going on. They were supposed to write a paragraph explaining both sides of the issue and then identify if CNN or Fox News had written stories that the students felt were biased. Here is a link to the assignment.

Today we reviewed their work, and it was not what I asked for at all, not even close. Most of the students had read articles from Fox and CNN and summarized them. Many did not even complete the project at all. After we looked at their work, I sat with them and told them I would not accept responsibility for their failure on this assignment. I went out of my way to explain what I wanted 3 days in a row. As I roamed the room I told them they were not doing the assignment correctly and would have them read me what the assignment asked for. I even told them to look at the one post that was closest to being done correctly, but still they did it wrong.

I allowed the students to give me feedback over the assignment. I got two arguments, both of which I dismissed. The first was about grades. They thought that even though they failed to do what I asked they deserved some points for effort. The second was about not understanding the assignment. This one I jumped on with both feet. What part of write two paragraphs did they not understand? Where does it say in the instructions to summarize the four articles? On an one I went. I was not a happy camper.

Now that I have had time to think about it, I think that maybe they are right. They don't know how to gather in information and think about it critically. For almost nine years they have been given small pieces of information to read and very specifically guided questions to answer. They in effect have been following a formula that all textbook companies (and most teachers for that matter) have been using for years. They really didn't understand how to do the assignment!

When I break down my "simple" assignment I can see where the problems are:

• They have to find their own sources of the information instead of having it given to them.
• They have to analyze that information to determine both sides of the problem.
• They have to have to understand what bias means.
• They have to identify if a story is biased.
• They have to post their insights onto a blog.
• They have to hyperlink back to the stories they wrote.

I guarantee that a very, very large percentage of the adult population of the United States would fail this same assignment. 

I am resolved that this assignment will not remain a failure. We will be doing this same assignment with a different topic tomorrow. Maybe the dissonance my students are feeling over this assignment will gradually give way and we can actually start doing some critical thinking.

Reflecting on My Class Blog

Mike, a student at SUNY Potsdam left a comment on my class blog. I decided that instead of writing a very long comment on that post, I would just go ahead and answer the questions here where it might be seen by more people.


How do you feel this blog improves classroom instruction?


I use my class blog to deliver instructions to my students. Because the words are static, I don't have to worry about inconsistencies in my delivery. The instructions stay on the blog and can be accessed by the students or their parents at any time. There is the added benefit of having tools right there that can be used by the student for purposes of clarification. For example the student can read the text or have it read to them by clicking a button on the post using Odiogo. If the student does not know a word, they can double click it and it will bring up a definition from Answers.com . There is the Google translator widget on the side for students or parents that need the post translated as well. You can find my contact information easily on the site too.


Not only do these tools allow students the ability to work on their own, it also allows students to have choice in how they want the content delivered to them. See this post on the Toolbelt Theory for more clarification. 


Have you seen an improvement in classroom participation and interest with the creation of this blog?  


The blog is a little over four years old. The students I have in eighth grade now were in my classroom when I started it. It is not a new thing to them. What I have seen is that students of varying levels of ability and interest seem to like being able to work at their own pace using the instructions from the blog. I have students that come in, sit down, and get to work very quickly. Some students take more time to process. One major benefit is I don't have to repeat instructions often. They are already there on the blog. 


I don't think interest is sustainable by taking something and making it digital. The process is pretty much the same. Good lesson design and working toward relevancy for the students is much more important than whether or not you use tech tools.


Have you found any difficulties in using a classroom blog for students?


Creating posts that are not wordy, but still get the directions across can be difficult to master. If the students don't have access to tools like I have listed above, there can be a real barrier to learning. Some students don't like using technology (not unlike some adults) so they are maybe less motivated than they would be. The biggest problem I have found is when the hardware or the internet is not working properly. It is very important that you have a back up plan whenever you are using technology, just in case.

A Reflection on METC: 10 Random Thoughts

1. Social media may be the catalyst to creating relationships, but it isn't as valuable as being face to face with each other. Yes, I know this is me being a broken record, but it still is true. :)
2. Seeing people I recognize (who also recognize me) shrinks the size of even large crowds. Just a nod or smile as we pass makes me feel much more comfortable in a strange situation.
3. There are many unbelievable people that work very hard to put on the conference. I would list them, but I know I would miss some and that would not be good. You know who you are. :)
4. Our community is not growing as quickly as I think it should. There are approximately 4 million k-12 teachers in the United States, but only a small fraction of a percent are connecting through social media. Are there other places where reform issues are being discussed by a larger group?
5. Students making connections seems to becoming a real theme among many speakers at these conferences. 
6. I'm not sure that this is the message most attendees are hearing though.There still seems to be too much focus on tools, not on why we use them. The message isn't being picked up quickly enough by "normal" teachers.
7. Teachers know how to have fun. 
8. The Embassy Suites in St. Charles is a pretty cool place to stay. If you stayed there you know why. ;)
9. I didn't see any students at this conference. I may have missed them, but maybe we should think about including them more in our presentations.
10. I know there were pre-service teachers in attendance. I think that there needs to be some presentations  specifically geared to them. While all the workshops are appropriate, they might feel a bigger sense of community if they have a few that address their specific needs. Perhaps a social networking class for them so they can learn more about being an online professional or how to develop a learning network using Twitter or Plurk. 

Posting and Commenting Are Only the Beginning

I have been stressing over my METC presentation for next Tuesday. It is supposed to be about how to use the blog and hash tag Comments4Kids to get comments on student and teacher blogs. Think of it as Beginning Conversations 101. The problem is I don't find this conversation very satisfying anymore.

Don't get me wrong, I do think that posting and commenting are important first steps, but I really believe that these are imperfect. I want my students to develop real thinking, express that transparently, and defend it (or change it) as they encounter push back. A great example is happening now on Jabiz Raisdana's blog Intrepid Teacher.

What will it take to get my students to be as transparent and reflective as Jabiz? I don't know. I don't even believe that most of them will. But I believe the journey to get there is really useful for those than don't, almost as much as those that do. The process of thinking, writing, responding, reflecting, defending, and growing may be the most important thing we ask our students to do.

How do I move past the process of posting/commenting to something more in depth? How do walk into my presentation and talk about baby steps when they have been so unfulfilling? 

Can We Adopt a Master/Apprentice Approach to Learning?

In this post I make a lot of assumptions about your belief of the role of teachers education. 

Assumption one: You want students to become master learners. 

Assumption two: You are or are working to become a master learner.

Assumption three: You model learning to your students.

The master/apprentice model has been around much longer than the factory educational model we have been using and, it might be argued, been much more successful. The basis of this model is the master has a specific set of skills. He then contracts with the apprentice to teach him these skills in return for the apprentice working for the master. 

If we apply the master/apprentice model to learning, what would it look like? Obviously we would have fewer students and spend much more time with them. We would be focused on teaching them learning skills that help them develop into master learners. We would model learning for them and encourage them to follow by example.

Just as the master printer controls what content the apprentice prints, the master learner would control the way learning skills are imparted. Just as the apprentice printer spends free time creating their own content, the apprentice learner would spend his/her free time learning what he/she chooses to learn. 

Could schools be re-purposed to this end? Could a teacher take on the role of a master learner, take on a small group of apprentices (very probably of varying ages)? Can teachers as master learners help create master learners from their apprentices?

Snow Days Are Not My Friend

I have a confession, I don't do work on snow days. As a matter of fact, I don't do much work outside of my classroom. That doesn't mean I don't learn or explore or design, I simply do not like to do the schooly stuff outside of school.

Due to the school schedule and the weather we have not had a full week of school since before Christmas. Honestly, this makes it really difficult to "get in the groove". I feel my brain really disengaged from my classroom which is not where I want it to be.

Typically I would find myself musing about things to experiment with in the classroom while not in the classroom. I would be planning in the shower or checking if a particular digital tool would work while sitting in front of the television.

You can all pray, wish, or even do a snow dance if you want. I want to get back to normal.

Trying a New Spin on Current Events

I am teaching an elective class this semester on current events. While it would be easy to come up with stories for the students to look at and talk about, I am more interested in helping them develop critical thinking skills from the context as well as the content.

I believe too much of the news we consume is pre-packaged from a few large sources, think of it as fast food news. Are we supposed to give as much credibility to the stories written by anonymous writers working for big organizations more than the local beat reporters that write under their own by-line?

I also want my students to think critically about the importance of the news being reported. Do these stories directly effect us, our nation, or our world? Are they distractions such as sports or entertainment stories or are they really important? My suspicion is that most of the news people want to read falls into the former category.

To begin the semester I have had the students visiting international news sites (we are in the United States.) I have asked them to look for differences in word choice, and types of stories that are being reported.  Thanks to the Ted Williams story, we had a chance to discuss word choices from different sources. I was actually quite surprised by my students' responses.

What do you think about the way I am approaching this subject? Do you have any advice or some different ideas?

Social Media in the Classroom as Artificial Societies

Yesterday's afternoon #edchat was focused on using social media in the classroom. I have been thinking about community building and social networking with my students a lot lately. As projects I work on mature, I often see that there are limitations to the way I have set them up. While this is not usually a problem since most of my lessons are not long term, the Comments4Kids project is a long term project. Originally it was just a way to drive traffic to student posts. After conversations and time to think I have really seen the limitation of project.

My problem with C4K and social media in general is that we (teachers) are creating connections that (for the most part) are artificial and just not very useful for our students. For example, most of the time the C4K is a one shot comment on a blog post. Yes, it is social but it is not very engaging for either party. In fact, the best use of the meme happens when teachers and classes develop long term relationships through it. Even then, the relationships are usually created by the teachers, not the students.

When I started to use Twitter as a way to connect and share with other educators it was a natural process that developed over time through our shared passion. It worked for me because it engaged me on that level. There was no mandate to use it, no artificial society created by others that I was forced to engage in.

Instead of focusing on creating these artificial societies, perhaps our time would be better spent introducing the tools we use to our students and allow them the time to start to develop their own societies based upon their passions and interests. What do you think?

An Evolutionary Idea: Students Opt Out by Opting In

A few weeks ago my elective class decided they wanted to work on their own projects. One group decided to create a video news show which worked very well. The other decided to do comedy skits. That one didn't work out so well. The problem was they liked the idea of doing the skits, but had no idea how to (or any desire to find out.)  As you can imagine, this was a problem.

I decided to go back to the normal lessons where I direct their learning. They were instantly back into their comfort zone and enjoyed the return to normal. Tuesday the students learned about the attack on Pearl Harbor. Yesterday some of my students were expecting the same type of lesson on the death of John Lennon. I didn't have one prepared so I created one for today. When the students came in some were excited, others not so much. Really, this realization has become a game changer for me.

I realized that I could design lessons for the students, but I could also allow them to design their own lessons. So tomorrow we will begin plans to create a way for students to design their own lessons, their own learning. When a student isn't interested in a lesson I present, they will be able to pull out one they have designed (and reviewed with a conference with me) and work on it instead. Students will still be able to follow what interests them and opt out of what doesn't. We will be able to individualize learning and still get in the skills I want them to learn and because we will have set up guidelines (I am thinking a template using Google forms) they will not be left without a purpose, directions, or goals.

I will share the template and the students efforts when this gets rolling.

An Accident of Geography Won't Save Us

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Ggas_human_soc.jpg

 In Jared Diamond's impressive book Guns, Germs, and Steel the author ascribes the the fall of the Incan empire not to the superiority of the Spanish, but by the accident of geography. The proximity to domesticated animals shared throughout Europe and Asia as well as the shared knowledge and innovation by those people. This is a very simplified explanation of the book. I highly recommend you read the whole thing.

As I was explaining this concept to my class today I realized that this is how classrooms are today. Some classrooms are like the Spanish, of which the Flat Classroom Project is a great example.  These teachers are facilitating the sharing of knowledge and innovation in their classrooms.

Most classrooms are like the Incan empire. They are isolated, not realizing what is outside their classroom. They assume they are the masters of learning using the same techniques that have worked for generations. They do not even know that they are being passed by.

Now that the problem is identified, what is the solution? I think that we must not only expose our classrooms to other classrooms, we must find ways to create learning communities with them. I am not espousing "quick hit" projects where students work together with others for short periods of time. Instead I believe we need to create long term communities that share knowledge and innovation through longer periods of time. We shouldn't rely on an accident of geography to get us where we need to go, we need to reach out and learn from others.

Netflix is a Great Resource for the Classroom

My students are watching Guns, Germs, and Steel a great documentary by National Geographic base on Jared Diamond's book by the same name. My school library doesn't have this video (I looked). My county library doesn't have it either. I could have bought it, but I didn't have to because I have a Netflix subscription. I didn't even have to have them send me the disk, this documentary is one of many that is streamed online.

If you have been thinking about getting a subscription to Netflix, now you have one more compelling reason to spend the $9!

If Your Students Posts Are Not Being Commented On By Other Students, Their Audience is Not Authentic!

I had a great and very valuable discussion with Melanie McBride a couple days ago. It centered around commenting on students blog posts. Melanie made the point that students need to be creating peer networks through their blogging and commenting just like we adults do. She wrote that teachers using their social capital to generate comments is "an artificial model of how community works...peer developed networks are what kids need to learn."


This brought to the front something that has been bothering me for a while. The original idea was for Comments4Kids to be a way to identify student work that could be commented on. My plan was and still is to have my students leave comments on these posts. Of course I like to leave comments on the posts too, but the value in the process needs to be experienced by my students too. 


Do you really believe that students writing for other teachers is any different than writing for their own teacher? How authentic is the audience when they are virtual teachers? For our students to write for an authentic audience, that audience has to be their peers. Peers that have no "educational" agenda. Peers that are reading the posts because they are interested in what the author has to write.


I am not saying you should not comment on student blogs. What I am saying is the students won't find the value in your comments like they will from another student. Make time for your students to comment.

EdCampKC: A Rather Painful Reflection

I guess it is my turn to reflect on the unconference that was edcampKC. A few weeks before I went I wrote a post about what I wanted to get from the conference. While I really feel that my goals were realistic and that they were met, I was not ready for the let down that has happened this week. 

I really wanted to meet my online friends, and I did and they are wonderful. What I didn't see coming was the letdown from going back to my building where I have no one to share my passion with. I had no idea (although in retrospect I should have) that meeting and conversing with people face to face would mean so much to me. 

A couple years ago a new teacher came into my building. He shared a real interest in how I was using tech in my classroom. He was someone I came to depend on to talk about tech, tools, and how to best leverage learning from them. Unfortunately he only stayed one year. It was a tough transition to go from having someone to share with to being without, I didn't realize how much I missed him until this week. 

I guess what I want to express is that online connections are not a good enough replacement for the relationships we develop off line. I really want to spend more time connecting with those I met on Saturday, but I realize that this simply won't happen anytime soon. It hurts.

I have spent a lot of time and energy trying to create relationships online and to foster others creating their own relationships. I think I need to move some of that effort back to my school district. I also need to find ways to help my students learn the same lesson. There is no more important community than the one you are with every day.

Stanley Is Flat and He is Making the World Flatter Too!

In the mail Monday I had a surprise, Flat Stanley! Jason Schmidt's class in Omaha, Nebraska sent him to us. 

I decided to post the letter I was writing on my class blog and sent it out on Twitter. After Jason talked to me aand Theresa Murray, he decided to create a wiki for his class and those that he sent Stanley to.

While Flat Stanley has been around and has been a successful teaching tool for years, the ability to get almost instant information back from wherever Stanley is sent is very compelling. Creating a more permanent record is also very useful. Now Jason's students have access to the information at their fingertips with all the added benefits that the internet provides with information that can be found about each place. Flat Stanley is flattening the world!

Should I Punish Students for Bad Behavior in Another Class?

My school has in-school suspension for students that behave inappropriately. I am not sure if it is because of not doing homework or because of what they have said or done. As the "computer" teacher I have never given any work for those students to complete, not much of a punishment if I let them use a computer in my opinion.

Today a teacher asked me if I ever sent any work for the student to do. When I replied I didn't she implied the student was "getting off" from doing the work in my class. My reply was that it would be hard for them to do the work in ISS when we are using the computers. I could figure out some make-work for them to do, but our administration is just as capable of that as me.

Thinking back over the exchange I have a different response. I really don't think I should punish a student by giving him/her make-work for improper behavior in someone else's class. What do you think?

Journaling Using Pen and Ink

In my media history class I have been having my students create journal entries detailing events that happen during the American Revolution. Here is a link to our blog where you can find the posts.

A few years ago I received a calligraphy kit to use for teaching an after school class. It has a class set of pens and points that we used to create handwritten journals entries. While the students enjoyed the activity (I may let them continue to do them that way if they choose), they did have a problem with the pens. They are extremely messy and since my students are not used to working with this new medium, there were a lot of spills.

I think that having the students use the old-fashioned tools helps them to understand a little more about the complexity of the process of writing that the soldiers would have had. Imagine having to carry around all that material just to write a journal entry!

Using a Comic Book Creator with Character Education

This week my students will be using the Marvel Create Your Comic web application to illustrate this month's character education word peace.

Originally I thought I would have the students use the application to create a fractured fairy tale. That entails re-telling a fairy tale from the point of view of one of the characters. I start that lesson by reading The True Story of the Three Little Pigs an amazing story by Jon Scieszka. Unfortunately, the application does not allow the comics to be saved. The students would have to create a couple pages in class then download them. I think this would really alter the flow of the story (even if they had already written it out.) That is when I decided to go with the character ed. word.

This may sound like I am trying to fit a lesson around a web app, but that is only because I am :)

Why EdCampKC is Important to Me

On Saturday, November 6 my wife and I will be attending EdcampKC at the University of Central Missouri. EdcampKC is an unconference where the attendees are also the presenters.

Many districts, including mine have focused all or a very large percentage of professional development money toward communication arts and mathematics. Unless the conference can be tied directly to either or both of those areas, there is no monetary support from the district. Obviously, this means that I must pay my own way to any conference I wish to attend that deals with technology, even unfortunately technology that can be tied into those areas. Thanks to the sponsors, this conference is free. All it will cost my wife and I is a hotel room, gas, and some money for food. When you consider how expensive other conferences such as METC or ISTE are, you can see how inexpensive this conference really is.

Speaking of METC and ISTE, are you aware that presenters are still required to pay to get in to the conferences they are providing the professional development for? While METC gives a discounted rate for presenteres, ISTE requires payment in full! If you choose to present at edcampKC it will cost you nothing. If you choose to just attend edcampKC the price is still zero!

I will be presenting this year at METC on the importance of commenting on student blogs. While I have never been to this conference before I gather it is a rather large conference. When I went to the ISTE conference in San Antonio I was overwhelmed by the number of people attending. My point is, I am looking forward to edcampKC because it will be small enough for me to make real connections with others. I went to ISTE to attend, I am going to METC to present, but I am going to edcampKC to meet people. These are people that share my passion for student learning who I will not only learn from them at the conference, but I will be able to continue to learn from them online throughout the year.

Ever since I really started to participate on Twitter, my goal was to find passionate educators that care about their students and want to focus on learning. While I have made many contacts and even a few good relationships I cannot wait to develop the types of relationships I have jealously followed others making at unconferences they attended.

I also want my wife (a pre-service teacher) to develop a few relationships to that can help guide her through the rest of college and into her teaching career as well. :)