Priorities

Like most other teachers out there, I seem to spend an enormous amount of time planning the things that will take place in my classroom. Even after 12 years of teaching, I still take a long time to do this. Especially at the beginning of the school year. Ideas seem to come slowly and my planning book seems to move ahead only in fits and starts.

This morning I was thinking about some of the things that we have "on the go" in my classroom and was already wondering about fitting in some of the things I want to do. I was truly struck by how much you need to prioritize the things that you want to take place and the things you want to happen in your classroom.

This includes 2.0 plans and projects. Teaching this way cannot be an aside or an added on thing. Teaching in ways that place blogging, knowledge building, and online content creation at the centre of a classroom require daily work, persistence, and prioritizing how time is used in classrooms in new ways. Instead of spending time working on spelling programs and worksheets, we blog and create a community of learners. Instead of working through canned anthologies of stories, we podcast, and edit videos. Instead of handing out chapters of text book readings, we make our own on a wiki, and put together project plans online. It requires time and patience with ourselves and our students as they adjust to learning in new ways.

So my planning has required realignment with the priorities I have for my classroom and for the learning of my students. I'm done with being there only halfway.

Now I need to find a way to get ten laptops for my classroom.....

technorati tags:classroom, change, wiki, podcast, video, 2.0

Comments

[Jeff Utecht]

This is the cool part. You've made the switch. You are teaching in a 2.0 classroom. It's about prioritizing your time with the tools you have. But more importantly you are using the tools! I will be interested to see how long it takes students to adapt to this new landscape...and then compare that with how long it takes parents to adapt. This is great stuff, now only if pbwiki was not blocked in China I could have a look at your projects. I have a hour meeting today with our 6th grade team who have a class set of laptops. The administration won't let them have them until I meet with them and we talk about what you can do with laptops. They want to see them used for more then just research and word processing. You better believe you will be my Middle School example!

Thanks for sharing your classroom with all of us!

Jeff