The fact of the matter is that as an occasional teacher, you will likely find yourself covering for the French teacher, whether it be in a French Immersion classroom or as the Rotary French Teacher in an English-speaking school.  And, it's a scary prospect, if you have a less than basic knowledge of the French language, like, you took it as far as they made you (Grade 9)...

Here are some tips, gathered from personal experience, as well as from conversations with other supply teachers:

Wearing a TuTu is Empowering.  I was instantly transformed into the most beautiful ballerina ever... and I just couldn't stop twirling!...

I'm making myself an E-Folio! That means I am transferring old content from a Semi-professional Blog I was using, as well as uploading current content.  Please bar with me:)

I am usually too over-whelmed on Twitter.  I mainly use it professionally, so my connections are either Educators or Local News & Events.  Still – I usually find it all too much all at once.  And by too much, I mean too much relevant information that has the potential to make me a better educator, and a better person, in general.  So, I mark some of it for for later, share some on Facebook,  or save inSpringpad… and then loose it… forever.

Not this time!  This time, I will share my Exploration into Twitter Chat Land.  I have pulled out some examples of Top Tweets (as determined by myself for myself, but also for others in a similar situation).  As well as some of the links to Blogs and other resources.  In a follow-up blog, I may include these to create The Compilation of Mega-Advice for Successful Job Interviews.  Of course, then…

I WILL LAND MY PERFECT FIT TEACHING JOB!I am a Twitter Newbie…. kind of.  I’ve been on it for over a year, but I am more of a passive user – for now –  I think I might try a chat one of these days, like the New Teacher Chat (#ntchat), moderated by Lisa Dabbs ‏@teachingwthsoul.  You can check out the Wiki here.

Also note that I did not notice this wonderful and extremely relevant chat until the end.  I scrolled through and was impressed by the succinct, yet helpful comments and links to informative blogs.

So, for all you other Twitter Chat Newbies out there, here’s what seems to happen…

The moderator will tweet the topic details, like this:
Lisa Dabbs Join me in 15min for New Teacher Chat ‪#ntchat‬ Today, Wed. 7/11 8et/5pt Topic:Tips for Performing Your Best at Your Next Interview‪#edchat‬.

Next, she introduces herself and the chat (just like if it were a f2f convo!):

Welcome, All!!  I’m the founder and moderator of ‪#ntchat‬ Join me for this time of learning and collaboration!!  To join the chat you may want to use Tweetdeck, tweetchat or other client that allows columns. Use the hashtag ‪#ntchat‬ to join the convo!  We are a small, but mighty chat…dedicated to being practitioner focused and supportive to new teachers! ‪ Before we get started…Let’s take a minute to introduce yourselves. Share who you are and where you’re from! Thanks… To be supportive we do a “structured chat” for first 20 min: Q1, Q2, Q3 with A1, A2, A3 to have everyone participate!

And, the chat begins:

QUESTION 1: WHAT’S THE FIRST THING (A NEW TEACHER) SHOULD DO TO PREPARE FOR AN INTERVIEW? LET’S SHARE IDEAS!Participants contribute to Q1:

A Teacher’s Life Have a clear educational philosophy that you can discuss in a few minutes & a prospective discipline plan for your classroom.

Jerry Blumengarten Prepare a portfolio preferably Digital http://tinyurl.com/4btmvrg Have an ed philosophy, Practice answering questions…Must show how you would differentiate learning but also they look for classroom management skills which are very important …

Karl LS Research the school they are interviewing with-the more specifics you can reference about the school the better.

Blanca E. Duarte Read about the community, visit and observe children at the library, the stores, the park. Know your community and it’s children.

Dave Burgess I think it is very important to be able to speak from a place of passion about why you want to be a teacher.  Also important to show you are a learner.Talk about what you have recently done to grow and a recent relevant book you have read.  One way I got my job (revealed to me later) is because they asked what I had read recently and I knocked it out of the park.

José Popoff The focus needs to be on what you can do for the school not other way around

QUESTION 2: HOW DO YOU PRACTICE FOR THE INTERVIEW TO BE SURE YOU SHARE WHAT’S IMPORTANT?‪Lisa Dabbs Schedule a day of introspection. Think about your career, your goals, and your past experiences. Organize your work samples!

RT @PrincipalDunlop: RT @cybraryman1: A2 Video your practice sessions and you will see/hear things you can work on.

RT @guster4lovers: ‪#ntchat‬ I’d say make yourself a website with as much work/info as possible. it’s how I got my last job

RT PrincipalDunlop: A1: ask a mentor about possible interview questions. Do a mock interview. Painful but so helpful!

Two Teacherz Make Top 5 List of key words that represent most important items; at end of ALL interviews you get floor. Use them!  Be able to express how you can reach, teach ALL learners (differentiated instruction).

QUESTION 3: HOW IMPORTANT DO YOU THINK IT IS TO MEMORIZE THE THINGS YOU WANT TO SAY, BUT STAY CONVERSATIONAL? COULD BE TRICKY?Sue Dunlop instead, organized experiences into themes: literacy, numeracy, assessment, classroom management, PLC’s etc Have a framework to organize your thouhgts, especially if you tend to ramble or if you get paralysed… had an art teacher bring in art pieces done by students. Fantastic!

Lisa Dabbs I think it’s important to have some strong talking points prepared. Then feel confident to go with the flow and SMILE!  Know what you want to emphasize but don’t memorize – you’ll have enough on you mind that day!  Stay focused on the interview question. Do not ramble. And it’s okay if you do not know the answer. Be honest!

Melissa Edwards Practice speaking slowly and distinctly without saying “ummm”. Know a few things you want to emphasize but don’t sound rehearsed.

Cheryl Morris Try to give a general principle followed by specific example: “I believe in x. In my classroom it looks like y.”  Bring water so u can pause to think/drink.  ALWAYS ask on the phone beforehand. then bring what they tell you to. if they say nothing, then listen to that.

QUESTION 4: WHAT KINDS OF PRESENTATION ITEMS DO YOU THINK ARE IMPORTANT TO BRING TO THE INTERVIEW?(WE MAY HAVE SHARED THIS, BUT…)‪RT @Miss_Doig: An iPad if you can so that you can refer to examples quickly. Make sure your digital portfolio is well organised.  (I KNEW I was right in proclaiming, “I need one!“

Lisa Dabbs I loved it when new teachers brought in actual artifacts of lessons worked on. Really impressive.  I also had a prospective interviewee, bring in a video she had done of herself teaching a class! It was great to see.

Billy Spicer My experiences on interview committees is that you have to embed your portfolio INTO your responses. I’ve interviewed candidates that created websites, infographic resumes (cool!), & @prezi to use in interviews. You MUST stand out.

Jimmy Casas If I were interviewing for job today I would ask permission 2 teach a class so they could see my skill set in the classroom w/kids.

QUESTION 5: HOW DO YOU DRESS FOR THE INTERVIEW?William Gabriel Suit and Tie. I try to wear a tie that matches the color of the school. Subliminal message. It was what my g-father taught in.

RT @dalehancock: Be confident with humility. Most of all, be yourself. That is who you’ll be your first day on the job.

Lastly, the moderator will close the chat with suggestions on “where to go from here” for follow-up:

Wow! Where did the time go!! A HUGH heart felt Thank You to all of you for stopping by tonight! Be sure to follow some of the new friends you met here, tonight at New Teacher Chat ‪#ntchat‬ to continue the convo!  Archives of New Teacher Chat will be on the wiki soon http://goo.gl/yLYf See you next week for our chat w/@KleinErin on Pinterest.   OK friends…remember we are here for you. If you need a mentor…you need to check out our group! (http://tinyurl.com/8ylavvm)  Be sure to check out & LIKE our New Teacher Chat Facebook page!http://goo.gl/kZCPv  Share it with your FB buddies!  I also have a list of interview questions that I will post to the wiki as soon as @evernote comes back on line!!

There it is, in a nutshell… Do check out the archives because there were many more super contributors.  Always remember:

Faige Meller Be true to yourself. Don’t try to impress. Share who you are and why you want to teach.

The clincher testimonial to convince one of Twitter’s potential…

Mary Bertram Hi! Cant stay for the chat today but just wanted to drop by & say all the weekly ‪#ntchat‬ convos helped me get my first job!

SUPER BONUS LINKS THAT I WILL BE DELVING DEEPER INTO:…and this is why teachers should have blogs - George Couros

10 Tips to Help You Break to the Front of the Interview Pack! - Randee Kallison

#MentoringMonday An Article a Day…Might Just Save Your Teaching Life – Lisa Dabbs

http://www.freetech4teachers.com/2012/07/how-to-ace-your-interview-for-teaching.html

http://www.edulang.com/blog/7-things-you-should-let-go-of-to-become-a-happier-teacher/

10 Mistakes to Avoid In Your “Hire Me” E-mail – Carrie Jackson

http://oregonstate.edu/instruct/ed416/Task4.html – This is an Educational Philosophy Task that is good for Newbie & Not-So-Newbie teachers alike!)

http://cybraryman.com/teacherinterviews.html

http://cybraryman.com/portfolios.html

http://cybraryman.com/chats.html

 

I know a great and innovative teacher who is transforming education. Her name is Heidi Siwak. (check her out if you are not already familiar with who she is and what she does… http://heidisiwak.blogspot.com/)

The other day, I had the opportunity to work in her classroom. I had her Core Language/Social Studies class for the morning. They were in the middle of a self-directed inquiry project about Canada and its trading partners. I knew this because I read her blogs and teach in the school she works at quite often. So, I thought, “Great!” I told the students at the beginning of the day that I had been reading Mrs. Siwak’s blogs and I was here to help should they become stuck or unsure, as well as doing my rounds while they worked in the computer lab.  We were disrupted when another class had there computer time period 2, and had to relocate.  Unfortunately, the students were not as productive as I, and their teacher, had hoped they would be.  I saw the usual things from students when they have a guest teacher: sitting around, chatting about things not project-related, goofing around, playing games and focussing too much on YouTube music videos.

The problem: when the teacher’s away, productivity decreased, or, to put it another way… the students will play.
Why? I know that in itself is not a foreign concept, but I really thought that this sort of project would work well no matter what teacher was in the room. Especially because, Heidi had conferenced with the students to help them set up “next steps” and work through problems. I know this. I read the blogs!

Despite my constant reminders, checking in and offers to help, only 2 students came to me to voice concern. I was able to help them and they were able to work. I was becoming concerned.

I didn’t want to disappoint Heidi and I didn’t want the students to, either.  I figured many of them had already wasted two periods, and we needed to make it better. I thought, “What would Heidi do?”
Aha! I know, she would have a discussion with the students; she would share her concerns, let them voice theirs, and together fix the problem.

I shared my concerns that they were not working to the best of their ability and that the next time Mrs. Siwak was absent they may not get the freedom to do this kind of work. They would likely have the more traditional ‘read the text book and answer the questions’ type of work.

Thinking that maybe they were a little out of sorts simply because their teacher was not there, I asked them.  Some said that was a problem; others were just goofing off.  We talked about what we should do instead.

I made an anchor chart (there’s always an anchor chart!) to guide in their reflection/next steps…

The whole process proved beneficial as the students spent all of the next work period on task, and the trend continued at the end of the day in French class.

I saw Heidi the next day, who said, “that was great. Thanks for doing that. It was great that you texted me in the day. I knew exactly what to expect when I came in to school.”

… OR, A TECHNOLOGY-FREE MORNING…
Early in the morning of June 8th, we had a magnificent storm.  The eerily comforting glow and hum of digital/technical life was replaced by the repeated shine and crackle of lightening, the angry booming of thunder, the teeming rain and the assault of hail on the window panes.  As suddenly as it came, the storm passed and the house grew abnormally silent and dark.

Shortly after 5 am (boo!), My Hubby and I were (quite rudely) awakened to the sound of the phone ringing, as the alarm clock no longer worked (Note to self: Replace battery in Alarm Clock).  It was my Hubby’s father and Boss calling to see if we had power…

“Huh?! What? No!  What time is it?!  Yikes!”  Within a couple seconds, we had him out the door in time to leave with his ride for work.

So, after that excitement, I couldn’t get back to sleep.  I was thinking back to the Great Power Outage of 2003; it lasted more than one day!  And, I had just gone to great lengths to procure Radiohead tickets for the sold-out Toronto show, only to have it be cancelled and postponed to a date I absolutely could not attend.  Anyway…

As the years pass, more and more people are replacing newspapers with online news and listening to radio online or on satellite.  But what happens when we have no access?  What happens when the power goes out?

The mobile phone is good for awhile, until the battery is used up, and it is my only lifeline to other people.  The iTouch is also rendered powerless when the battery is spent, and without a Wifi connection, it is not so useful anyway.

I was lying in bed trying not to think about all the food that we couldn’t afford to replace that could have gone bad.  And then, the most disturbing and distressful thought of all, “HOW WILL I STRAIGHTEN MY HAIR?”  (You see, I had my shower the night before so my hair is a disaster area until I run my trusty ELECTRICAL straightener through it.)  I reluctantly came to the conclusion that I wouldn’t be straightening my hair, and then, “I am working at a school in town, where we have no power.  Will there even be school today?”  Normally, I would check the Board’s Website, but I couldn’t – No Power.  I may have had to actually go outside and talk to real live people for some information – just like the good ol’ days (so I hear!).

Ironically, this forced a Technology Detox from my frighteningly techno-dependent life.  I had just started reading “The Digital Diet” by Daniel Sieberg.  Regaining balance in our lives and breaking our technology addictions are the main themes in the book, and one of the first steps is a Detox, and there’s the irony!

So, I’m not sleeping, and I’m thinking all these things and I find some paper and a pen (wow, old-school!) and I get out of bed to sit by the window.  It was turning into a hot, sunny morning.  The effect of no power was quite evident, allowing a reflection on how I depend on it and the part it has in my life.  With the noises of life silenced, I could clearly hear the birds, singing their morning songs, quite clearly unaffected by the turmoil their human neighbours were experiencing.   Here is what I didn’t hear:

No constant hums of the fans, the refrigerator, or the computer powering up.  No YouTube videos or songs playing on iTunes that accompany my morning routine.  Not even an alarm clock going off!  Just the shrill ring of the cell phone (a temporary tie to our technological life).

As I was sitting there, in a state of fleeting peacefulness at 6 am, I made a list of how this lack of power has affected me:

- No coffee (in a power outage, coffee makers and electric kettles are rendered useless.)

- No smoothie (ditto with the Blender)

- No light to help me find clothes (Note to self: Find flashlights and make sure there are batteries)

- No computer/Internet to see if I missed anything during my slumber (Facebook withdrawal is setting in…) And, I can’t help but feel slightly unsettled without the muted glow of Computer, which, admittedly, is the first thing that gets turned on upon arisal and arrival.

- No status updates, no Tweets, no checking the weather on-line (oh, wait… My cat’s fur had gone sort of crimpy.  That meant it wass humid out… )

- No air conditioning, no fans

- I’ve already mentioned that my hair straightener was cruelly unavailable (Note to self: get a mini-generator for next time – I must be able to straighten my hair at all times!)

- Heck, I can’t even charge my tooth brush (Note to self:  Get backup non-electrical one)

“Oh, dear! WHAT DO I DO? WHAT DO I DO? WHAT DO I DO?  WHAT DO IDO?”

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Things to do with No Power:

- Eat all the food (Romantic-Style Candle Lit Dinner, not in front of the Telly or Computer)

- visit someone with a BBQ

- read (by sunlight)

- write (My. gosh! I still remember how!)

- Art (on paper, with a pencil or crayons!)

- play cards/boardgames (how they were originally meant to be played)

- Make a List of things needed to be done before the next power outage

- Take a walk and notice your surroundings… and, if it gets to be night and still no power – gasp, oh the horror! – then marvel at the world without power

- Reflect on how technology (and lack thereof) affects you

- Exercise (most likely does not require electricity)

- Talk to actual people!

So, I got ready for work, the best I could in the dark with no power and I walked to work.  No power means no school.  I walked home from work and found that…… the power had returned.  I thought to myself, “Ah but why not use this as an opportunity to stick with a power-free day, to step away from my monitor and my gadgets.  Take the time to appreciate REAL LIFE.  Why don’t I exercise?  Why don’t I…….”  Excuse me, computer has booted up;)

Conclusions:

1.  We are screwed if the apocalypse or some other worldly disaster were to occur!

2.  Perhaps, I should follow through with the Notes to self!

3.  Maybe, we should try to do some of those things that don’t require power a little more often!

Technology has great potential to “level the playing field”.  It also has great potential to divide it even more.

Unfortunately, it may be the latter statement that is true in many cases.  I am speaking from the point of view of an occasional teacher who goes into different schools across a large city.  I am not a consultant or an expert, and thus, this blog is simply my humble opinion.

There are a lot of great teachers doing great things with technology in their classrooms.  That is Truth.  I’ve seen it; they share it; the students love it and they are engaged.  These are all facts.  And, this is all very Awesome.

But, what about all of those teachers who would love to get in on all of this only to find that the school they teach at does not have the technological resources available to do so?  What about the students who do not get to build an application for an iPad because their school does not have even one iPad?  What about the schools with no Smart Boards, or classrooms without one computer, never mind a pod?  What about the school without digital cameras or the means to create a Podcast, or to Skype professionals around the world? What about those schools where the main concern is the Food Programs because the students are not coming to school with enough food?

Sure, you don’t NEED technology to teach.  We’ve been doing it without forever, but wouldn’t these students benefit from the experience gained and the engagement that technology can provide?

I am not at all suggesting that any teachers stop what they are doing with technology in their classrooms, but something needs to be done.  It seems that education is all about, “No Child Left Behind” and “Every Child Matters” and similar such Sentiments.  It is being said by Boards and Provinces, but is it really being reflected?  Not all the time.  It comes down to money.  It always comes down to money.  Technology seems to be furthering the divide between the “Haves” and the “Have-Nots”, perpetuating the cycle.  Some of our young people will be fluent in Digital Literacies and others will not be.  I wonder who will have a better chance at getting into higher education, and then better-paid careers?  Who will be more likely to remain engaged in their learning and stay in school?

(*Just something I’ve been pondering this week.)

BUMP IT UP – Do Better to Be Better!

I have recently come across this article by Marc Prensky, 2009, in which he 'examines ways in which existing technologies and future developments in the digital world could facilitate the development of wisdom and wise decison making.'  http://www.wisdompage.com/Prensky01.html

In other word's, digital technologies are allowing us to think in whole new ways.  Further, the speed in which these technologies are being created and changing keeps us on our toes.  To our students, this is second-nature them.  They do not get the problems that their older teachers and parents may be having with all of this.  Basically, it is change and it is coming at us faster than ever.  Change in Education has always been met with resistance, but, now, instead of the Evolution of Education, we have a Revolution of Education.

To understand some of the resistance, we can look at the purpose, or function, of Education.  But, of course, it depends who you ask, and do we mean, "What should the purpose of education be?" versus, "What is the purpose of our present education system?"

Of course rote and memorization and facts and 'only one right answer' is all very measurable.   But, critical thinking skills and creativity - how on Earth do you quantify that?  You can, however, see the results of this new thinking by looking at what our students are producing; by listening to what they are saying; by looking at the jobs the first of the Digital Natives are doing.  We are beginning to be able to see what the effects on our world are that Digital Technologies are enabling.

"Kids have it too easy, nowadays.  They don't have to find anything.  It makes them lazy.  When I went to school, if I wanted to know something, I had to physically look for the answers in books, such as encyclopedias, maybe even in the library.  Kids, today, just use Google and the answer comes up.  They can just be lazy.  Plus, they can't even add without using calculators!"

Albert Einstein recognized that, "the problems that exist in the world today cannot be solved by the level of thinking that created them."

The same person got into a discussion about the state of politics in our city, which is the same in most places, I believe.  Everybody complains about the idiocy of government, but instead of taking the chance to elect an all-new council, only 3 out of 15 were new, and the Mayor was similar in age and beliefs as the last bunch of mayors.  Thus, the grumbling and complaining persists.

Digital Natives are those who grew up with digital technology from birth, whereas Digital Immigrants are those who were already socialized in predigital ways when digital technology arrived on the scene. For more information, see Prensky (2001).

Our students are Digital Natives, myself and many of my colleagues are Digital Immigrants, but many people are just Analogue, I guess.

INFOWHELM…. too much info!!!  There is a lot, like virtually an infinite amount, of information available to us at any given moment....

So, what can we do?  We simply educate ourselves and our families and friends — everybody, really! There are countless articles and videos available on the Web.  I've pointed out just a few to get you started.

NOTE! — It is important to realize that (once you know how) the actual mechanics of checking the credibility of information only takes a few seconds of clicking, copying & pasting, searching, and judging for yourself.  THE PART THAT TAKES THE MOST WORK IS LEARNING TO DO YOUR OWN JUDGING!!!!! - And it is vital that we teach our students about safe-gaurding themselves. 

While “surfin’ the Net”, whether it be for fun & folly, or for work or school,  ensure you have your ‘Crap-Detectors’ out – “Every man should have a built-in automatic crap detector operating inside him.”
—Ernest Hemingway, 1954

A good question to ask yourself, particularly if asked to download anything, is: “Might someone be trying to put one over on me?” — This could be anything from actual cash, to the more common phishing spam, going after your personal info.

For example, there is one going around Facebook about a horrific roller coaster accident… Never click on a link from a friend if you think it is not something they would normally send, post, or say.  Also, if you see numerous posts with the exact same comment, it is probably suspect. 
Here is a wonderful article explaining how these types of spam work, as well as what to do if you’ve clicked one of these:
http://nakedsecurity.sophos.com/2011/04/10/theme-park-accident-video-used-as-bait-by-facebook-viral-scammers/

Howard Rheingold has written some excellent guidelines about basic information literacy that everybody should become familiar with, plus some lesson plan ideas to use in the classroom (if you are a teacher):
http://newstrust.net/guides/crap-detection-101
(He also provide many informative links.)
This website, too, has some great information for lessons… http://globaldigitalcitizen.org

Here are 2 videos about spam!

Happy Judging, Questioning & Critical Thinking, everyone!!


And, don’t forget to BUMP IT UP — DO BETTER TO BE BETTER:)