Ooooooo! Ahhhhhh! Huh? Grrrr! Ohhhhh! Hmmmm! Ok!

My “aha!” moment has two distinct parts: Kenan and DPI.  First the Kenan…

…I would sum it up as both a humbling and enlightening experience. Up to now, my focus on technology has been to learn as much as I can to integrate it into my instruction. Also, the students in my district are very geographically isolated from obtaining the opportunities that students in, say Wake County, would receive. As a result, my goals have been to narrow that “chasm” of opportunity using technology. Distance learning opportunities through various organizations like the NC Museum of Natural Sciences and the NC Wildlife Commission have been proven parts of the solution. My former students still come back to visit with me and share how those opportunities were pivotal parts of their school year.

…This tremendous fellowship has opened my eyes to even more technology opportunities and new ways to “think instruction”. From the very first day at NCCAT to the latest PD in Raleigh, I am impressed with the possibilities to enrich my teaching and my students’ learning that are “out there”. I love that! Now, I am committed to bringing both back to my school and district to share with others and hopefully widen the understanding to more and more educators. I am also committed to taking as much of it as possible and share and show the ways it can be integrated into their classrooms. Thus is evolving into my teaching unit/project for Kenan. In a nutshell and if all goes well AND if I can find and apply the time I need…I hope to teach about what I do for my fellowship with a healthy and integrated dose of new technology and thinking added in. My lessons will have the needed information about Home Base, but the methods and modes will include as much formative assessment examples and technology innovations as possible. I hope that not just demonstrating it, but utilizing it and getting my colleagues involved with also inspire them to be stakeholders in it, too.

…so I guess an “aha!” would be that as my philosophy/message stays strong…my method and modes will be unique, changing and probably new.

Now the DPI…

… This experience has been humbling and enlightening, as well. The elaborate, yet focused and consistent, use of the tagging rubrics for Home Base has provided comfort with the idea that the resources on Home Base have a connection. They aren’t just chosen as one might find on a random Internet search. They have had terms and conditions applied to them in order for their inclusion. As an educator who upholds high standards for my students, I celebrate the idea that the “chaff” has been separated already.

…My actual tagging efforts have been such an educational experience, too. The knowledge I have had to gain when thinking of not just my grade level, but of multiple grade levels, has been huge as I keep track of over 90 Science objectives alone; and then to decode the challenge of aligning both ELA and Anchor Standards has been tough. As my collaborator, Kerry, put it lately: “There still is miscommunication/misunderstanding…” going on there. I refuse to give up.

…. Another “aha!” moment has been to reconnect with the folks who work at DPI. Often times, there seems to be a big chasm between teachers in the field and “those” at DPI about what is best to do and teach for children. The reasoning for what I have to do , I must honestly admit, is often lacking from the missives I receive from DPI. On the contrary, my  mentors from DPI are intelligent, focused, trained and dedicated ladies. They know their ” stuff” and they do it well. Laverne Weldon has the strength and maturity to handle all situations and people beautifully. She is a true listener and is able to take in all comments (good and bad) to ensure that the focus of the need is not lost or diverted, and she is able to make sure that everyone feels vital to the project. I already admire her greatly. Carmella Fair is also very focused and knowledgeable. Her dedication to spreading the word about formative assessment and its application to teaching through Home Base is admirable. She is also a great listener and I admire her ability to get to the point in a positive way. Finally, the ladies from CUACS and NCSU who have been doing so much of the resource tagging are truly dedicated and focused to the success of their project, as well. They are incredibly knowledgeable on the curricular/standard side of Home Base that I admire so much how they are providing the backbone of the system with the resources they have tagged into the system.  Home Base is in good shape based on the pure ability of these ladies!

Soooo, if I had to put all this into one “aha!” moment, I would have to say that it is the people connected to my fellowship who have just amazed and inspired me with their intelligence, ability, knowledge, willingness to share and dedication that ultimately trickles down to our students. Bravo and thank you!