When I was working on my national board certification a few years ago, I remember how much they emphasized reflection as a method of improving teaching practices. I tend to reflect on my own quite often…making daily notes in my lesson plans to improve them for the next semester. But the problem with my own private reflections is that they don’t foster a sense of collaboration or learning from others. It is so valuable for teachers to communicate with each other, especially teachers who are new to the field. I think blogging could help minimize the sense of isolation that so many teachers feel. I know that I felt better when I read blog posts by other Kenan fellows, describing the exact way I was feeling! I also gained ideas about how to use technology in my classes, just by reading the blog posts from friends.

Right now I follow several chemistry teachers’ blogs to get ideas and hear their points of view about education. I am still considering whether or not I want to start my own blog. It may be a project that I will take on for the 2014-2015 school year. But regardless of whether I continue to blog, I definitely see the value in it and hope to follow some of the other Kenan Fellows if they continue to share their stories online!

In one of my original blog posts, I wrote about several things I hoped to gain from the Kenan Fellowship, including connections with others and knowledge about technology.  Without a doubt, the relationships I built with people in my Kenan cohort was the number one aspect of the program that influenced me.  I feel like there is a lot of negativity in the world of education…and even in the teacher workroom at school, griping is the most common conversations you’ll hear.  So being surrounded by 48 teachers who are excited about teaching was really refreshing!  And I learned a lot about ways they incorporate technology or new teaching tools in their lessons.  Now I communicate regularly with other chemistry teachers from across the state!

I also have been able to incorporate several technology tools into my lessons.  For example, I have a website now that I created using weebly.  And I text parents and students on a regular basis, using remind 101.  I also document student work by taking pictures and videos with the Lenovo tablet we were given.  It’s tough to keep up with technology sometimes, so I am extremely thankful for all the professional development sessions I was able to attend with the Kenan program this year!

The lesson I created involved doing a class debate about nuclear energy.  I implemented it in the fall with all three of my honors chemistry classes.  As I was preparing for it, I was quite apprehensive because class debates can be difficult to run with high school students.  And my Kenan mentor was coming to observe my classes, so the pressure was even greater.  Fortunately, I was really surprised at how well the lesson went.  My students LOVED having the chance to debate their arguments.  And some of them were more talkative during the discussion than they were all year!!  I couldn’t believe how some of the shy students stepped up to the plate and really participated.  It is definitely a lesson I will repeat with my students as a way of improving literacy skills and science communication skills.  It also helped them understand some real world applications of what they learn in chemistry class.

In addition to using this lesson in my own class, it is also going to be incorporated into the NC Science Festival.  Over 20 teachers from across the state are going to pilot the lesson I created in their high school classes this spring.  We are hoping to improve the lesson by using feedback from those teachers so we can repeat it again for the 2015 Science Festival.  Several of the teachers participated in a webinar recently and they sounded enthusiastic about trying it.

Having said all that – I also must mention that my lesson had some definite kinks that needed to be worked out.  Following the debate, my students tried a technology called Padlet (that I learned about during our Kenan mountain week!).  They did a follow up online discussion that worked fine in my first class.  But in my second class, they started to realize I didn’t know which students made which comments.  So students named “Batman” and “King Tut” started popping up, making inappropriate comments.  It was also really messy and hard to follow the discussion.  Since then, my mentors have worked to adjust the lesson to use Backchannel, instead of Padlet.  I’m thankful we were able to test out the lesson with my students before creating the Science Festival documents!

The Lenovo tablet proved to be very helpful over the summer, as I used it almost daily instead of a computer.  It was convenient to bring it to my fellowship each day and I used it to write my blog posts, upload documents onto the Curriki site and do research on the internet.  To be honest, it took me awhile to get used to it though.  I struggled at first and almost gave up a few times.  I expected it to be like an ipad, but found that it was significantly different.  The webinar helped though, and each time we met as a whole group of Kenan fellows, I learned from other teachers.

While teaching, I have been using the Lenovo tablet to document my students’ work throughout the semester.  One of the professional development sessions that really made an impact on me was the one about collecting data while teaching.  I realized that my end-of-the-year evaluation could be much more convincing if I used pictures and videos of my students interacting with each other as they worked on cool activities.  So I carry the tablet with me to take pictures and record short videos.  The students also used it as they uploaded the pictures I took onto a website that they created as part of their honors project.  One of my pictures shows a group of students doing their honors project and the other shows some students working out their calculations.  I’m so thankful we were given the  opportunity to use this new technology!

The lesson that I implemented was a class debate about nuclear energy.  Prior to the debate, students had to read and reflect on an article that described the pros and cons of nuclear energy.  We discussed the science behind nuclear chemistry the week before this debate too.  During the debate, I used all the teacher resources I created over the summer as part of my externship.

            There were several positive aspects about my lesson.  The students REALLY got into the debate part of it!!  Kids who had been quiet all semester spoke up and defended their arguments.  And they were able to use the article to support their ideas too.  Some of the discussions took turns that I didn’t expect and it was really cool to hear what the students thought.  After they finished the discussion, several students commented to me that it was fun and we should do more debates like that this year.  I received so much positive feedback from the students that I decided to repeat the lesson again with my spring students.

            However, there were some kinks in the lesson that I will change for next time.  After we finished the debate, I had students participate in an online discussion, using padlet.  My first period did fine with it (although the discussion was unorganized and kind of crowded to read on the screen).  However, my second period had some issues.  After about 10 minutes, students started posting things from “Batman” that said “Call if you want to go out tonight” or random things like that.  They realized I couldn’t tell who was writing which comment, so they started to make things up to be funny.  In the future, I would find an online discussion site that will allow for more organization and teacher control.

            Other than that, I was extremely pleased with the outcome of my lesson.  It will be used for the NC Science Festival this spring.  So far they have 25 teachers from across the state who are going to implement the lesson into their teaching as well.

When I first found out that I would be a Kenan Fellow, several staff members at my school sent me congratulatory emails, saying that the Kenan Fellowship “opened so many new doors” for them.  I didn’t quite realize what they meant, until I started working with my mentor this summer.  He is so passionate about science education!!  It was energizing to work with someone who wanted to make science interesting for K-12 kids by creating cool events for the NC Science Festival.  Sometimes teachers at my school tend to vent to each other, which creates a very negative work environment.  It was great to build a relationship with my mentor that was so positive and enthusiastic!  He also introduced me to other people at UNC and at the Morehead Planetarium and I’m so thankful to have those connections now!  I truly believe that the best educators are the ones who collaborate often with others.  Because of this fellowship, I have met so many great people and built relationships that will help me become a better teacher in the future.

After completing all of the Kenan professional development institutes, I have to say that I wish ALL of my required PD opportunities were as beneficial!  As I think about what I will take with me, three things stand out.

The first has to do with new technologies and teaching techniques.  While we were in the mountains, I learned about SO many beneficial tools that I am now using in my own classroom.  When we started school in August, I was able to share what I learned with several other teachers at my school, who are now tying new things too.  I was proud that I was “in the know” for all the latest advancements in education!

The second way I improved was as a teacher leader.  I am learning how beneficial it is to share my experiences with others and to become more involved in policies and politics.  I did not realize how much influence teachers can have, until I heard all the speakers at our latest professional development institute.

However, I saw main benefit of all of our “get togethers” as time to talk and collaborate with other teachers.  I loved hearing ideas about teaching techniques from so many amazing teachers across the state.  And it was incredibly refreshing to see other teachers who are excited and enthusiastic about teaching.  There are a lot of negative people in the education world, so I appreciated the chance to see that there are other positive teachers out there.

Thanks for all the work that went into organizing such successful professional development opportunities for us!

Social media is definitely a hot topic with teenagers.  I hear the words twitter and facebook and instagram every day in the halls.  It makes sense that teenagers would be addicted to those, because their social lives become such a high priority for them at this time in their lives.  The question is:  should teachers be using social media as an educational tool?

I remember learning in graduate school that true learning cannot occur with out socialization.  Students have to be able to communicate with each other and with those who have more knowledge, in order to make developements in learning.  Because social media is such a popular thing  with teenagers, it seems that all teachers would jump at the chance to connect with students through a tool that is both fun and familiar to teenagers.  And for some teachers, it works!  It allows students to ask questions, discuss topics, share ideas, collaborate on projects and find information through the use of electronic devices.

However, social media also poses risks.  There are liability risks, bullying issues, and that fine line where teachers and students can have TOO much interaction and it becomes inappropriate.  I think some districts would prefer NOT to fight those battles by just banning social media all together.

As a teacher myself, I definitely use some forms of social media…but I stick to ones that are encouraged by my district.  I have a website with links to a lot of valuable chemistry tools, as well as a contact sheet where students and parents can contact me directly with questions.  I used padlet for class discussions.  And I use Remind101 to send secure text messages to students and parents as reminders.  Those tools are not related to my personal life at all (because my cell phone number is not used and they cannot text me back).  So I allow for communication through electronic devices when needed, but I am able to maintain strictly professional relationships with both parents and students.  Social media can be very useful, but educators should be smart and careful about the ways they use it.

I am currently sitting in my classroom for the first time since June.  And it actually feels good to be back!  I am so excited to incorporate all the new things I’ve learned this summer from my Kenan Fellowship.  I think the number one “something learned” that I will take with me for the remainder of my career is the attitude of “let me try it out”!  After seeing SO many new technologies and learning from SO many new friends, I have realized that trying out innovative ways of teaching is not as scary as it seems!  I’m now ready to continue to learn and improve my own teaching so that I don’t end up being one of those teachers who gets complacent and teaches the same thing year after year.

There are some specific things that I learned this summer that I am already starting to use now.  I have set up a Remind 101 account to text parents and students about important dates and reminders for my classes.  I will also be holding an online discussion about nuclear chemistry, using Padlet in a few weeks.  I’m going to attempt to write a grant for the first time so that I can get more chemistry equipment.  And I’m going to incorporate more research (using pre and post surveys) to get better feedback from my students and to develop better relationships with them.  These are just a FEW of the ways I will be improving my teaching because of my Kenan experience!

When I start seeing Back to School supplies in the seasonal section of Target, I usually cringe.  I know it means I’ll be getting a “Welcome Back” letter from my principal in the mail soon…which will lead to teacher workdays and then the swarms of students again…and the end of summer freedom.  However, this year I am actually excited about going back to school!  I feel like I’m on top of the game and I’m so pumped to implement all the things I learned this summer!

I love using technology in my class….but it intimidates me and I often shy away from new things that I hear about because I don’t know enough about them.  But not this year!  I feel like I am ahead of my colleagues because of all the professional development we did this summer.  I’m ready to have my students participate in online discussions using Padlet and make videos with Animoto.  I also want to create online presentations with Screencastomatic for my maternity leave substitute to use this winter so those students don’t get behind while I’m out.  I am going to try to collect and USE more data from my students to help me become a better teacher.  And I want to try writing a grant for some chemistry equipment that I’ve been trying to get for several years now.  I feel like I have so many new tools at my fingertips and I can’t wait to try them!

In addition to incorporating information from our PD workshops, I will also be piloting the program I’m developing at my externship with the Morehead Planetarium.  It is all about science teachers leading “Decision Rooms” in their classes.  I love the idea of having students read current science articles and then debate the societal issues involved.  I’m excited to try this out in my own lessons.

Finally – I will be taking this experience with me in the form of new friendships and colleagues.  I am definitely going to keep in touch with the friends I’ve made here because they are amazing teachers and I have already learned so much from them!