Today's word (s)...."That was fun"

This past week I happened upon Twitter. 

Well, not exactly...I have been on twitter for a few years. It's just that a colleague of mine 'inadvertently' planed a lesson for me...with the tool to drive the lesson being Twitter.

The class began as per usual...and then it began. I posed a question on Twitter regarding earthquakes. 

I was realistic, I expected a response or two by the end of the class...and it was the end of the day. I fully thought that I would be reverting back to my plans that were already laid out.

Well, as I was preparing the class for the original lesson, we got a reply.

Quickly I asked my class how we should respond, with a voice in the back of the room saying to "Thank them" for the reply..and then we posed a second question. LOVED IT... a reply to a question that we asked.

And then another reply came...and then another...and then another.

Until finally, we had responses from California, good old E-Town (Edmonton) and Eastern Canada, with a wide range of people sharing their experiences.

Seismic Activity in Canada - not much happening in the middle

The conversations that we were engaged in were amazing...people who had been in earthquakes were sharing their memories, websites, photos and conversations that they had when the earthquake struck.

We had quakes that were small - consisting of localized ground shaking, and some were larger, with considerable damage. We discussed what the local governments had in place as a result of seismic activity, parks that you could visit and observe fault lines and websites of quakes giving details that we could never imagined, being an area where earthquakes simply never happen. We also asked  those who were visiting an area when an earthquake struck if they would return.

At the end of class, you could see the class crackling with excitement...great discussions, an anticipation for the next time we used an avenue (such as Twitter) to connect with people around the world and experience authentic learning.

We learned so much about earthquakes that day...we vowed to emulate what happened in that class and hopefully recreate some of the magic (ahem..I mean learning) that came forth. The learning was relevant, current, and real.....it is almost as if we journeyed to where authentic inquiry made learning so enjoyable. 

Earthquakes in the classroom...wow, that was fun!

Today's word...."Inspiration"

This past weekend, my family lost a dear friend.

To say it was sudden is an understatement. One weekend you are laughing and joking, sharing and dreaming. The next....you are left wondering why someone so dear to your heart and with so much to give is gone.

Inspiration comes in many forms, and I would like to say that I draw upon numerous avenues...each of which have formed me into the peron that I am today.

In terms of inspiration, my family is an integral part...my beautiful wife and children each inspire me to dream big and achieve those dreams. My colleagues are as well as they push me to try new things and work together to make our school something amazing.

It goes without doubt that friendships are a driving force of who we are. We laugh and cry because of them and we savour the moments together.

My friend Wendy Konoza inspired me.

Not only will she be one of the dearest and most genuine people I will EVER know, but she will always have a place in my heart as someone who cared deeply for everyone in her life and made sure that she did everything to make you smile.

As my Convention Buddy she would pick me up in the morning and drive the both of us to the train, pick up breakfast and help me decide which sessions to visit. We would roll our eyes when something ridiculous was said in a session we would rather forget about, and look at eachother with that classic look of "hmmmm..how would that look in my our classrooms?" in those that made us wonder. We would stroll the vendor floor looking for nothing in particular or the next big thing that would find a place in our classrooms.

What I admired most is that despite our teaching different grades, there was always that discussion that good teaching is good teaching and there has to be a way to make learning easy and fun for students. It brought us back to the days when we went to Salt Lake City for a conference on Differentiated Learning and the hour long talks about the relevance of what we had just heard.

Little did I know how much of an impact Wendy would have on my classroom...in how my students learn, and how I interact with them every day.

Somehow crammed in between all of this dialogue, was the time to laugh at our failings, marvel at our accomplishments and rejoice in our friendship....which was built on honesty, laughter and love. Having children of the same age and experiencing all that life put in our path was part of the joy that made each day a new chapter in our friendship. Gatherings where laughter was non stop, playdates that lasted for hours, and tweets, emails and phone calls where you knew that you had a best friend on the other end.

With her passing, my family mourns. My wife has lost her best friend, my children have lost a role model beyond compare, and I have lost among other things, my inspiration. Our gatherings will be forever changed, our playdates will be missing her smile and laughter - and there will be an empty seat next to me on the train when I go to my teacher convention.

My family lost a dear friend this weekend who always brought joy everytime our families got together.

Wendy challenged me and dared me to become better in the classroom. She inspired me in ways that I will continue to realize for many years to come.

Inspiration.


I miss my convention buddy.

Today's word...."footsteps"

As in...where did I step today, and where will I go tomorrow?

It was one of those days where I went into it not really expecting much. Although I had the gala this past Saturday night that made me think about what I could do each day to make it memorable (with some incredibly amazing stories being shared, it made me hopeful that I could bottle a little bit of the magic that was being shared and open it a bit each day)....in the end, I did not walk into today expecting something extraordinary.


I suppose it started last Friday at our grade nine farewell, when a colleague and I discussed how the grade nines that were leaving were role models for students in the school. It dawned upon me that it was not just the grade nines.

So, I had another class that I teach work with students in a younger grade...and it made be stand up a bit and wonder how something as simple as playing can have a profound effect on students in both classes and the teachers that are involved. The very idea of "playing" seems like a monumental waste of time...but in a school where a ages range from very young to mid teen, having kids getting together and working for a bit and then singing, drawing and laughing is perhaps the greatest use of time that I can imagine!

The kids loved it! The young students look up to my students as guides, role models and someone whose footsteps that they can follow. What is more important than working with others across a wide age spectrum and teaching each other as they go along?

Perhaps growing out of this experience, I had another class which was very thought provoking. Armed only with a Van Der graaf Generator, I talked up water in the world and placed a typical bottle of water on top of the generator...the reason why we did so was based on agoogle search that briefly described by searching "Van Der Graaf" and "experiments". The question that students had was "Why?"

After powering it up and then pausing for a moment for three successive times. We watched as the lightning show that played across the water bottle sparkled and caused ooh's and aah's in the class.

I then grabbed the water bottle and was amazed by the amount of charge that was built up in the bottle. I was zapped multiple times as I discused what was happening...shocking!!

Well, as our discussion led to saltwater and freshwater on the Earth, it seemed natural to compare the tap water in the bottle with a quickly made saltwater solution....the resulting shocks and zaps that were present when we performed the experiment again was amazing! Higher, longer and very much visible by all in the class...and the stored charge was present longer with greater effect (again, my poor hands...how they were zapped!)

What did it teach me?

That the best lessons are those tha tare not planned...they are the ones that begin as a question. The discussion was relevant, inspiring and once the students got down to work, the students had a genuine interest to learn about the topic at hand (which happened to be water filtration). The students are encouraged to focus on a question and create an understanding of it by creating mind maps and collaborating with table mates.

I had a great day...it laid down a framwork where students can build upon their knowledge and participate in authentic play...I mean work.

Are they not the same thing?

I have some footsteps to follow in for tomorrow.

And that's the word.

The Word of the Day....Keep it Real

Well, okay...it's more than one word.

So you look at the day that is ahead of you and you realize that it looks like a mountain. Lots of steps to climb and each looks taller and steeper than the one before it.

Daunting.

As you realize that you must climb up to get to your goal you think about the steps (no pun intended) to reach your destination. What causes an ever so slight pause? Is it the constant thinking that every step might be different? Perhaps you obsess with how you must place your foot....step by step....must it be in the exact same location every time you heave youe leg forward and then up? Should you use your hands, or even a walking stick to assist you? What if you don't? My gosh..what if the weather changes?

How is one to assess such a task?

Part of me is using this loose analogy to consider how to best address the needs of my students.

I feel in part I have been obsessing with how to assess the small things, yet trying to find a way to bring in some real world applications. I want to allow students to see how what they are learning is relevant...I want to prepare them for the year 2020 and beyond, when who knows what types of careers or jobs will be available to them.

I want them to find their passion. I need to keep it real. I need to stop and consider how to best assess how each student is doing in my classroom.

Keep it simple, keep it real.

And that's the word.

Colleagues...How do you keep it real in your classroom? 

Students....how can your teachers keep it real for you?

Drop me  a note...

The word of the day.... Ooh la la!

Ooh la la! For a 'Moment of Science' you can't beat this!

Carl Sagan once queried "How many rivers we had to cross, before we found our way...check out this video...

 

His take on us on our "Pale Blue Dot" and what we will become is mesmerizing.

After much hype (albeit on my part) students at my school watched along with the world as the Space Shuttle Discovery launched today on its final mission to the International Space Station.

What made this a neat experience was the number of classrooms that voluntarily stopped what they were doing to watched something remarkable.

In a day when we can watch any launch on Youtube, it was quite a spectacle to see as the astronauts suited up and were led to the cockpit of the Discovery....I watched them off and on through three different classes and each time shared with them what they were doing (and the most popular discussion point was noting how bodily functions played out as the astronauts were strapped in for the better part of three hours). The classes loved having the monotone speakers inform us of what was transpiring..it was backgorund info that was our soundtrack as we worked on projects relating to 'Body Systems' throughout the day...I loved it!


Technology allowed us to witness a launch for the ages....it was "ooh la la' in my books as there is nothing quite like seeing a launch firsthand, watching us zoom into space to asisst in whatever experiment/repair/restocking mission we may be on.

Go Nasa...go space...go us. Ooh la la!

And that's the word.

The Word of the Day...Stars

Well, about thirty minutes ago I brought my son and wife up to see the International Space Station as it soared over head.

On an evening when there were things being done and places to go, for a moment it was one of those memorable moments...when we all just stopped and held our collective breaths as something that we all have read about and seen pictures of finally seemed so real.

It was one of those moments when a blip of light represents so much, and made us consider for the briefest of moments how amazing everything around us truly can be....this definitely will be somthing that I share with my students in class tomorrow, and I will be asking for them to remark in the sheer volume of wondrous things are around us.

Every Thursday I make an effort to bring science into my classroom from outside my classroom. A topic in the news (helloooo Christchurch..this ought to be a good discussion), an image to be shared, a website to watch and most importantly, a chance to consider something that truly amazes us.

I would not have had the chance to view it if it were not for my PLN on Twitter....thanks to those who keep me informed, in touch and most of all, in the stars.

Stars above, stars online....stars.

And that's the word.

What amazes you? This is my moment of science today....Please share yours!

The Word of the Day....Enlighten

Well...I did it.

I entered back into the Blogging Arena with a brand spanking new blog. Not sure why, but it was a natural and seamless fit. I resurrected my old blog last week and had the students comment on a post titled "collaboration"...you can see it at http://nriemann.edublogs.org.

Since then, I have observed how other teachers on my Twitter PLN have used blogs, and I have to say that there is some good stuff out there.....I suppose the reason I got away from blogs was that I did not know how to connect a blog to student learning. I did find some success, but I felt that I was too much in the drivers seat, not enough student input....I drifted away and forged ahead in new directions.

Well, the neat thing is, those new directions brought me back here...new ideas, new ways to enlighten student minds.

The word of the day (and title of this blog) is enlighten. I want students to walk away from my room mentally exhausted as they were forced to think, dialogue and collaborate.

I want to enlighten my students.

How do you 'enlighten' your students? How do you use blogs (and for that matter) any form of technology to create an environment where students can be students and not things occupying space in a chair?

Please share your thoughts...I want to think, dialogue and collaborate a I never have before....

Enlighten...and that's the word.

Blogging Begins.......now.

Moments of Science coming soon...stay tuned!