Why I'm Blogging...

It's no secret to anyone who truly knows me that if they have a question I'd like to be able to answer it.  I've created this blog so that I can investigate the 'how-tos' of Blogger and hopefully help out a friend in the process.  I do not consider myself a strong 'blogger,' but who knows?  This may lead me back to the path of writing I travelled many years ago.  So here begins a journey of writing, learning, and sharing.

Following is an excerpt from my 'other' blog.  Please feel free to comment!

The following humble anecdotes, musings, and opinions are purely those of the author and not those of Weatherford Independent School District.  That being said, I do hope you enjoy them!

In the beginning....
I freely admit I may be a little over-enthusiastic about Epsilen/Project Share.  There are many days I receive a collective 'eye-roll' from my entire department when I mention something I've learned from or about this platform.  But really...what isn't there to be excited about?  TEA and Epsilen have provided us with tools we may never have been able to provide on our own.

 

Watching the reactions of my colleagues, I am reminded of the day my husband rushed into the house after work hauling two rather large boxes toward our little office.  With a childlike 'can I keep it' expression, David happily stated that he had purchased a home computer (our first).  I vaguely recall giving him an eye-roll, strolling back to the living room, and grumbling a bit as I settled back into the book I was reading. A few weeks later here he came again with the excitement of a kid at Christmas as he announced that he had subscribed us to our new Internet Service Provider.  That one brought an angry response as I demanded to know why we needed the Internet.  You may have noticed from my job description that times have changed a bit.

What prompted the change?  David, of course!

For the first few weeks after bringing home the computer, he spent a lot of time in the office playing games and surfing the web. One weekend he called down the hall for me to come take a look at something he found on the Internet.  I reluctantly joined him in the office and watched the screen from over his shoulder.  He was in a chat room.  "What's so interesting about that," I wondered.  He pointed at the room's name which clearly labeled the room as a place where writers gathered to share their ideas.  That was it.  That was the moment I became 'engaged.'  That was the day I realized what a powerful tool we were fortunate enough to have.

Smart man, my husband.

So what does this story have to do with Epsilen and the TEA initiative, Project Share? 

Teachers in Weatherford, and many other districts across Texas, are required to maintain a web presence.  Here our teachers use their ePortfolios to provide information to students and parents, and many of our teachers only view Epsilen as their teacher webpage.  They have not had the opportunity to dig a little deeper and make the connections that will help them realize there is so much more to this platform.

They are not yet engaged.

 

K12 educators spend a great deal of time as a whole discussing how to 'engage' our students, how to reach kids on their level;  how to leverage the tools kids love with the concepts we want to teach.  We don't do enough of that with our staff.  Epsilen gives us many ways to engage not only our students, but each other.

Every one of us can remember at least one person who influenced the way we teach and communicate.  It is not necessarily the information alone that influenced us, but the way in which it was delivered. We recognize that all of us learn through different methods.  We use auditory, visual, and kinesthetic information and each of us use these learning styles differently.  Take a look at the tools available in Epsilen / Project Share.  Teachers and students can do so much more than simply 'present' information.  We can write blogs, edit wikis, and upload/embed audio, video, or interactive documents. We can comment and reflect on the items we share.  We can find the tools that are relevant to us as individuals and enhance the way we teach, not replace it.  We can teach, and we can learn.

I'd like to encourage you to take another look around.  Try one new tool a week; you'll be amazed what you can do.  Try them all, then use the tools you like best.  Join a group...any group.  Read posts and blogs and be sure to comment on those that interest you.

Post, produce, and (most importantly) participate.

I look forward to hearing from you!