Jen Stover: July 2009

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July 2009

Another Amazing Year On Its Way!

Today I have spent the afternoon with my laptop, google reader open, twitter page going, learning so many new and amazing things from my PLN (Personal Learning Network). Those of you who have not embraced the concept of twitter or subscribing to a blog, this is another call out to you.....DO IT! Your experiences with these tools will be substantial, I guarantee it.

Okay, enough, I'm stepping off the soapbox....and now to what I really wanted to share.

My daughter is getting excited (and this mommy, a little nervous) as my baby begins kindergarten. Just a few weeks from now she will get her first taste of public education.

I am thinking two things:

1) How can this be possible, she's in kindergarten??? 2) I hope she loves what she sees, experiences, feels, learns and wants to return.

Every teacher getting ready for school is probably feeling a bit anxious, with so much to do and so little time. I want to encourage you all (again) to stop, focus and remember what your JOB is about. You hold so much promise in your hands each year. Your JOB is to help children learn to LOVE LEARNING. And to BELIEVE in themselves. And you should promise each year to do everything in your power to make this happen. I know so many of you do. And I know how daunting a task this can be.

If I could write this letter directly to my daughter's teacher, begging for a few things, it would be this: Please love my daughter. Help her feel important and worthy. Give her courage to try those things that stretch her thinking. Build her confidence. Deem her an important part of the community. All these things can be accomplished (again) with the love of a teacher.

One of the blogs I love to follow is written by a gentleman named Larry Ferlazzo. Today's blogpost was fantastic, and one I think every teacher should read as you get ready for another school year. It discusses the relationships you build with your students and how those first few seconds you spend with them can make or break the entire year of learning. (Here's Larry, to the right). Great blogger, awesome site....you should read it!!

Please enjoy these last days of summer. Soak up those rays, eat a few fair corndogs, take a long walk,.....then breathe deeply and get ready to GEAR UP! It's going to be a great year!

Posted at 10:31 PM in INSPIRATION | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Educators Who Are Lifelong Learners.....get a PLN!

One of the most important steps an educator can take in today's world is to build a personal learning network, or PLN.

You might be thinking.....I already have that. Everyday I learn from my colleagues when we discuss our lesson plans, problem solve issues we may be having with discipline or concepts that are difficult to teach, and so on. Everyday, you are surrounded by your peers at work. They are the people you depend on to help when you have a need, a question, or to celebrate a success.

Your co-workers are definitely an important part of your personal learning network. There is nothing greater than the face to face contact you have with your peers each and every day.

Can I tempt you with something though, just for a second?

What if you could have a network of educators, from all around the world, sharing their most brilliant discoveries, their latest research, a newly-written lesson plan, a fantastic website that supports the learning in your classroom, or a simple "hello" from the other side of the world? Would that be a network or "club" you'd like to join?

It's my new favorite network/club (outside of my face to face peers) and it is called:

TWITTER!
(I know.....you already knew that!)

Image via CrunchBase

I don't even know where to begin about Twitter! I have so much to say, I can't even type fast enough. There are so many stigmas related to twitter. Everywhere you turn, people are talking about it, celebrities are joining up, comedians are making fun of the "tweets" written on twitter. I completely hated the idea of being on twitter in the beginning (just a few short months ago), now I rely on it as one of my main resources for the latest and greatest in education research.

Twitter provides so much, in such an easy way. In 140 characters or less, people from around the world communicate for many purposes. Some use it to just say "hi" and tell everyone what kind of cereal they happen to be eating for breakfast that morning. Others use it as a tool for sharing ideas and information based on their work, family life, etc. Whatever the reason, you can customize your network of "tweeple" to be exactly what you want it to be....personal or professional.

I am excited to be following so many great educators. I find it exhilarating that I can actually "talk" with them in this shared learning space, ask questions, share resources, etc.

The best part about twitter is.....the support group you create for yourself! If you have a question about a lesson you are preparing, or need advice on how to find a website related to a topic, all you have to do is "tweet" your question, and in a matter of minutes you have a multitude of answers!

So, in case you haven't figured it out, I am addicted to twitter! Teachers, you will not regret trying it out. Give it a shot! You will experience yet another change in what it means to be a lifelong learner. (And, if you have any questions, or don't have a lifechanging experience, please email me. I want to hear about it!)

Twitter is my world-wide, professional learning network! I hope it becomes an important resource for you as well. Oh, and you can find me on twitter....the name is @jenstover!

Have fun!

Posted at 12:36 AM in 21st CENTURY LEARNING, EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)

From One Teacher to Another

Today, the purpose of my blog is just to share some resources; one of my favorite things to do!

I've been looking through my delicious bookmarks. If you subscribe to my friendfeed, you probably already have these (thanks for that, by the way!). There are a lot of resources piling up in there, and many of them are great links I have completely forgotten about. Just sharing a few today....

www.raylit.com
This website is great for the preK-2 age group. Lots of games and interactive activities in a variety of curriculur areas. A fun way to continue the learning over the summer months. It's July, and you are probably looking for some new things to keep those kiddos busy, I bet.

www.tumblebooks.com

I just sent an application to enter this site, and haven't gotten my approval....yet! But, when and if I do, I think it is going to be fantastic! You are only allowed a 30 day trial. My guess is after that, as a classroom teacher, I would want to have this available in my school. Take a 30 day trip through some wonderful books, check out the resources yourself, then decide what you want to do....just in time for the school year!

www.photojojo.com
Ok, maybe I missed the boat on this one.....this is a cool website! It's not really an "educationally related" website, but hey....it's summer, and we all need a break to work on a few projects, right? This site has an rss feed, so you can subscibe to their newsletters and project ideas. Might give you some good ideas for your classroom. Photojojo has a cool online store, too.