B- Blogs & Books #28daysofwriting Day 3

B- Blogs & Books

I was thinking last night that I wasn't sure what I will be talking about with the letter B, but in the end it quite easy - Blogging, Books and one of my favourite activities - Barbecuing (ran out of time for this one)

Blogging

This does not come naturally to me, I  have never been a very easy writer with the ability to articulate exactly what is mulling around in my head. But---Blogging is changing this. It is allowing me to write down my thoughts, to challenge my reflections and help me gain more insight into my own teaching practice. I love the ability to share my thoughts, ideas on education as they develop (and change), and and what i'm doing in my classroom. The ability to share and connect our stories is an invaluable tool for all of us to learn from one another

When I started on Twitter 3 years ago I discovered many different blogs that helped me get to terms with this new learning environment and opened my mind to so many great possibilities.

My favourites when I started were:

Vicki Davis - The CoolCatTeacher

Josh Stumpenhorst- Stump the Teacher

Nicholas Provenzano - The Nerdy Teacher

Over the time the blogs I read changed and I added more, but these 5 have always been part of my list of Blogs to check in. Now I follow and read so many fantastic blogs by Australians and New Zealand Teachers. There is even a growing list of Australian Blogs to follow: Australian Education Blogs Worth Reading. They provide fantastic insight and many I read regularly. Some fantastic educators are on there: Matt Esterman, Aaron Davis, Corinne Campbell and Andrea Stringer to name only a few. Well worth having a look at.

The second B is Books. I wrote a Blogpost a little while back about some of the books I read over the holiday, and honestly they have had such a positive impact on my thoughts about education and motivation. I have so many more sitting on my shelf, and I can’t wait to delve into them. I’m really looking forward to ‘Uplifting Leadership’ by Alma Harris, Alan Boyle and Andy Hargreaves. I also have on order ‘Self-Determined Learning: Heutagogy in action’ by Stewart Hase and Chris Kenyon. Great reads to look forward to, and challenge me.

Running out of time.....

Bonus: My Twitter Recommendations- Letter B

These educators have been part of my PLN for some time and it is fantastic to be able to connect with them, share ideas, be challenged and learn from one another.

Bec Spink @BecSpink

Bianca Hewes @BiancaH80

Brett Salakas @MRsalakas

A - Assessments, Authentic & Australia #28daysofwriting Day 2

A is for...............Assessment, Authentic & Australia

So when I had the thought of doing the alphabet as part of my #28daysofwriting project/challenge I thought this would be easy, but I do believe as I make my way through the letters I might run into a few obstacles. 

Assessments are so intrinsically linked to education. We all use them; we do assessment of learning, assessment as learning and assessment for learning. We report on them to parents, to students, to education bodies and many more. We are told to backward map from the assessment, teach towards an assessment and make sure students are prepared for assessments. 
Should they really be the driving force of reporting (or learning), is there a better way to showcase learning? I'm constantly grappling with this as to whether we are creating students that play the system and end up with no independent thinkers. It is so crucial that assessments do not get in the way of learning...

This leads me to my second 'A' - Authentic (Authenticity) of learning. Creation of tasks that offer authentic experiences, situations and applications is paramount for learning. A definition for authentic assessments from Grant Wiggins:

"...Engaging and worthy problems or questions of importance, in which students must use knowledge to fashion performances effectively and creatively. The tasks are either replicas of or analogous to the kinds of problems faced by adult citizens and consumers or professionals in the field." -- Grant Wiggins -- (Wiggins, 1993, p. 229).

Authentic assessments is my aim, even with the overwhelming presence of senior school curriculum constraints. Changing tasks, making them applicable to students lives, how they can impact others and a diversity of learning opportunities will enrich their educational journey. I want to be able to create assessments that allow students to be independent, take up social causes and be creative.

Already this #28daysofwriting is making me reflect on my own thoughts and giving me ideas for future blogposts. Authentic assessments is definitely bookmarked to be explored further.

Australia -  Why put Australia in this post? We have been living here for 6 years and we are extremely grateful to be part of the 'Lucky Country'. It is an amazing place to live, filled with a diversity of people and natural beauty. We have been blessed with our daughter while living here, and many opportunities/experiences along the way.

Bonus: My Twitter Recommendations- Letter A

These educators have been part of my PLN for some time and it is fantastic to be able to connect with them, share ideas, be challenged and learn from one another.

Andrea Stringer @stringer_andrea

Aaron Davis @mrkrndvs

Anne Gripton @gripgirl

Alycia @aly_ciab9

Time is up, tomorrow the letter B......

And so my random thoughts begin with #28daysofwriting

When Tom Barrett posted about #28daysofwriting I was immediately drawn to the concept of somehow forming a habit of writing, collecting my thoughts and be pushed to publish them. I'm not a natural writer like my wife Jacqui (@JaxduT), and I struggle to find the time to put these thoughts down. This is the perfect challenge to kickstart this new habit and hopefully unleash a creative force before university starts. 

In 4 weeks I launch myself into a challenging and rewarding Masters program with Charles Sturt University doing 'Knowledge Networks and Digital Innovation' under Judy O'Connell, with Ewan McIntosh, Julie Lindsay and Dean Groom as some of the lecturers. I'm looking forward to the challenge and the amazing new learning opportunity.  By getting into the habit now of thinking, reflecting and writing about education (and other random thoughts) I should get my mindset ready for the start of the semester. 

So my 28 days will be split into this opening post, 26 posts on the letters of the alphabet and my random thoughts educationally related to that letter, and then we finish with number 28 reflecting on the whole process. I hope that I can share some insight, new ideas, gain new perspectives, or just have some fun along the way. 

Day 1 done, and tomorrow we launch into Day 2: Assessments, Authentic & Australia

Image from: http://www.eurekaschool.com/p-1274-dr-seuss-encouraging-and-positive-abc-mini-bulletin-board-set.aspx#.VM4G4WSUdPI

New Insight & Learning from Holiday Reading

My 5 week holiday in South Africa allowed me lots of free time to pursue some reading, and it was wonderful to have this chance to read again without all the pressures of the school term and studies. Here are the books I read and a short note on each. Click on the title if you wish to have a look at the book in more detail and see some reviews.

Open - How we'll work, live and learn in the future
David Price


Absolutely loved this book. Fantastic book that challenges ideas and explores a very relevant change that is required in how we approach business and education. Highly recommended.

Digital Leadership
Eric Sheninger

Excellent examples, and provides a clear direction of where school leaders should focus. The 7 pillars are each equally important and leaders can definitely benefit from embracing modern tools to connect, share and communicate. This book I found to have the most useful and practical advice for me to use in my own situation.

A Whole New Mind
Daniel Pink


Very enjoyable, and interesting insights into the differences between left/right brained individuals. Why Abundance, Automation and Asia will play such a huge role in our future.

Drive - The surprising truth about what motivates us
Daniel Pink



This book needs no introduction, brilliant overview of motivation. One of my favourites from the holiday, and highly recommended.

Outliers - The story of success
Malcolm Gladwell

This book has many different stories and reasons why people become successful. The 10000 hour rule, opportunity, culture and much more play a role in why people become successful. Really enjoyed this book.

Tribes
Seth Godin


This book was probably the one I enjoyed the least, seemed a bit of  a rant and repetitive. We all understand that we need to lead, and that we need to have people that will be part of our group. Was a very quick read though, and he does cover some interesting point on why we need to lead.

Linchpin
Seth Godin


Another book I was looking forward to reading, but at the end it also felt a bit repetitive. I agree with the concept that we need to become Linchpins, and to show our students how they can become indispensable. 








Some Fiction in the mix too

The 100 year old man that climbed out the window and disappeared was absolutely brilliant. Outrageously funny, absurd, and weaves historical events together. A great book by the swedish author, Jonas Jonasson. 

The Girl who saved the King of Sweden is the second book by the Swedish author, also a very funny story that somehow makes sense at the end of weird sequence of events.

This Matthew Reilly book was quite average compared to the bulk of his previous work. Short easy read, and you will enjoy it if you are a Reilly fan.


Next up on my reading list
Looking forward to these books below over the next few months as I find time.

World Class Learners: Educating Creative and Entrepreneurial Students

Uplifting Leadership: How Organizations, Teams, and Communities Raise Performance

by Andy Hargreaves, Alan Boyle, Alma Harris

The New Digital Age: Reshaping the Future of People, Nations and Business

by Eric Schmidt, Jared Cohen

Pure Genius: Building a Culture of Innovation and Taking 20% Time to the Next Level

by Don Wettrick

Holiday Relaxation and Recharge

School holidays allow us to have a chance to recharge after a busy year. I've been fortunate to visit family and friends in South Africa with my wife & daughter these past 5 weeks. It has been a wonderful time to relax, catch up with everyone and to have a chance to do a few things that I just don't get around to during school term time. Some great memories made, and plenty of good food eaten for the waistline;). Looking forward to what 2015 will bring professionally and personally, and all the exciting opportunities to share with Jacqui and Joscelyn. Here are a few images from our time away. I hope everyone has had a wonderful Christmas break.

  

   

   

 

 

 

The year that rocked and the people that made it possible

It is the end of an amazing school year where I have had some tremendous success and multiple things to be grateful for. As the year draws to a close and 2015 beckons, I thought I would write a reflective blog post about 2014 - my highlights, what I'm thankful for and the people that have inspired/impacted me. I'm extremely humbled and eternally grateful to everyone that have been part of these last few years.
(I started this before going on holiday, but only finishing it 4 weeks later).
In no particular order, here they are:

1 My family
My wife Jacqui (@JaxduT) has always encouraged ad challenged me, and a lot of my success I owe to her. My daughter Joscelyn turned 4 at the end of 2014, and I'm motivated to improve education for her future (the one that we have no idea what it will look like). They will always continue to be my most important motivation and inspiration.

2012 Family photos

2 TeachMeet at EduTECH

Early this year Matt Esterman (@mesterman) asked me on Twitter if I was interested in presenting at the TeachMeet sessions he was organising for EduTECH. At this point I had never even been to a TeachMeet, but my mantra this year was to try and say 'Yes' to as many new/different opportunities that I came across. What a wonderful opportunity and I loved being part of this event. This was the start of many new adventures that would follow in the second half of the year. Here is my blog post that I wrote about this event from earlier this year EduTECH and Teachmeet reflections 2014

3 CSA Queensland Conference 
At around the same time my schools Assistant Principal, Stuart Taylor (@sharelearning), left a note on my desk with the application form to present an hour long workshop at the CSA Conference in Brisbane. The note read "Go on, make my day and sign the form". Well I did, and in July I was presenting an hour long workshop on using Evernote in the classroom. It was another tremendous learning experience that helped me develop my own skills in presenting. 

4. Google Teacher Academy 2014 in Sydney
Being selected to be part of the 2014 GTA in Sydney to become a Google Certified teacher was unbelievable. Here is my blog post on the journey:What a journey: Google Teacher Academy 2014. It was such an amazing experience, and I'm excited for the journey ahead in 2015 to build to my 'Moonshot'. I made so many new connections and met many of my Twitter PLN face-to-face for the first time. I'm looking forward to building these connections over the coming year and being part of the Google Certified Teachers community. I even made it onto the local television news and newspapers.

5 The #tweetingAztecs Project
The #tweetingAztecs Project I did with my Ancient History class in October was so much fun, and the students loved it. Have a look at the blog post, it explains it. I was so grateful for the assistance of Simon McKenzie (@connectedtchr) in sharing his resources and what he had done. The project got noticed by Vicki Davis (@coolcatteacher) - click here, one of the most inspiring voices in education online & one of the first people I followed on Twitter, and I was contacted to appear on her radio show podcast next year. I'm looking forward to being part of her Every Classroom Matters Podcast to discuss #tweetingaztecs.

7 Student achievements
I teach seniors, and every year a new group finishes and graduates. One of the most exciting parts is looking at how they have improved from the previous. I sit down with them at the start of the year, we look at where they were and where they want to end up. Also seeing the skills and knowledge that the students have gained over the course of their time in my classroom, and then how they are applying it in other subjects or life areas.

8 School colleagues
I work with some amazing teachers, and many have been part of my journey over the past year. Whether it was as support, encouragement, challenging me, guiding me or just being a good friend. Stuart Taylor (@sharelearning), the man that started me on my Twitter journey; Robyn McCarthy (@moocargirl), passionate Middle School champion; Debbie White (@biowhitey), Biology, moderator, wearer of countless hats and straight shooter; Larry McKeown, passionate middle school teacher, good friend; Tonya Holder, another passionate middle school teacher; and many others that have been there along the way.

9 Twitter
The impact that Twitter and my PLN have had on me over the past few years has been immense. It has opened up my world to so much more in education that I could have imagined. There are countless number of people that I have interacted with and have helped me along the way. I'm extremely grateful to everyone that have been part of my PLN. Some do require special mention (I would highly recommend you follow them on Twitter), the individuals that I have interacted with often, collaborated, challenged ideas, supported and become online friends along the way:

• Matt Esterman @mesterman
• Stuart Taylor @sharelearning
• Simon McKenzie @connectedtchr
• Robyn McCarthy @moocargirl
• Andrea Stringer @stringer_andrea
• Jon Andrews @jca_1975
• Steve Box @wholeboxndice
• Corinne Corisel @corisel
• Jordan Grant @JTGrant81
• Aaron Davis @mrkrndvs
• Chris Munro @CmunroOz
• The regular #histedchat people: Jan Molloy, Brad Snell, Catherine Hart, Ilja van Weringh, Anne Gripton, Alycia Bermingham and @sallyluane
• My GTA Team Giant Leap group
• Many of the GTA Sydney people on Google+ 
• and many many more that are connecting and growing alongside me with the Twitter journey...

10 Teachmeets
Getting involved in TeachMeets this year has been fantastic. From the EduTECH experience I launched TeachMeet Fraser Coast in my region with our first event in August - click here. At the end of the year I did another more informal TeachMeet and I'm looking forward to plenty more in 2015. It is such a brilliant way for educators to share and get together.

11 Tech Tools Tuesdays
I started a weekly morning session for staff at my school where I could share some ideas, and tools that they could use. Still in its infancy, I have several regulars and hopefully next year a lot more will join in. The blog for this is not quite up to date, Term 4 was incredibly busy. 

12 Peter Grobler
I also had the opportunity to catch up with one of my old high school teachers. He is truly an inspirational man, that had a big impact on my life. One of my inspirations to become a teacher. We all need time in our lives to acknowledge these wonderful people that impacted us. Peter is a humble, passionate man, loves God and I have the highest respect for him.

Looking at 2015
I'm very excited about lies ahead over the next 6 months. More on these as the year progresses. I have been selected alongside Matt Esterman and Simon McKenzie to co-present at EduTECH in June (extremly excited about this). I start my Masters with CSU - Knowledge Networks & Digital Innovation (also very excited about this and what I will be learning). I will also be organising TeachMeets & GEG (Google Education Group) events, plus getting involved with other schools in the region. I have also managed to secure Eric Sheninger to do a whole day workshop at my school before he keynotes at EduTECH. Plus so many other ideas that I want to try with my students and who knows what else...

There are so many people and experiences that shape our lives, and we need to remember to acknowledge this. I still have a lot to learn, a lot to grow and a lot to share. I'm looking forward to seeing how my teaching journey changes, develops and progresses in the future. I love what I do, and it so exciting to be involved in Education.


PS: I forgot to add in my week as @edutweetoz, and that was also a great highlight and interesting experience. Great format with so many different and new perspectives. Have a look at this great format - http://edutweetoz.org/