Okay, I’m going to be honest. I am really struggling with the curriculum writing piece. Here’s why.

One of my very first duties at my externship was to attend a 3 day training on a new biofuels curriculum developed through NC State, Cooperative Extension and 4-H. It is FANTASTIC stuff. It comes complete with 6 different lesson plans designed to lay the foundation for students with no prior knowledge of alternative fuels and turn them into little experts. There are blogs, and news articles, and games, and labs (awesome, awesome labs) and everything a teacher could ask for. It’s been put together by a team of education and industry experts (one of whom is my mentor.

So, how the heck can I compete with that? And why would I want to. We are the first county in the first state with access to this curriculum and it is amazing. So I’m struggling with the idea that all I’m doing is reinventing the wheel. No, not just the wheel. I’m reinventing the shiniest, toughest, biggest, baddest wheel out there.

Even though I struggled through and managed to turn in my (oh, you wouldn’t believe how rough) rough draft, I’m not at all happy with what I’ve created so far. I think instead of reinventing this wheel I need to look at some different wheels. Suggestions would be so appreciated.

Often I hear students make comments about our county. They talk about how poor it is, how bad the schools are, how there is nothing good going on in Sampson County. So I am incredibly excited to be able to go back to my classroom and tell my students that things are happening in Sampson County that aren’t happening anywhere else in the country (yet.)

I’ve learned through my externship that Sampson County is now on the cutting edge of the alternative fuels industry. From researching and growing biomass, to the establishment of a cellulosic ethanol plant, to the many, many businesses and individuals that are already using energy from alternative fuels, Sampson County is poised to lead the country and bring revenue and opportunity to this area.

To me this is exciting news! Not only is what is happening here exciting for the alterative fuels industry, it gives our county something in which they can take pride… if only they know what is going on. That’s where I come in. 🙂

Technology has become a staple in the way we function as a society. Almost everything we do relies in some way on technology: driving, grocery shopping, health care, farming. While technology can make lots of things easier and more engaging, I feel there are also some challenges that arise from being so dependent on it.

1) It doesn’t always work. And when it doesn’t, you have to have a plan B. As teachers, I think we have this pretty much figured out, but not all parts of the education system do. (See also: that day I couldn’t buy lunch from the cafeteria because their “system was down” and they could not access teacher or students accounts.)

2) It’s expensive and becomes antiquated quickly. A prime example: When I started teaching I was fortunate enough to inherit a classroom set of iPads purchased with grant money. It was amazing for the first few years but then the Generation One iPad was quickly updated and replaced by new, faster, shinier technology. Now, because the hardware is too old, it no longer can handle system updates and therefore many features and apps are no longer working as smoothly. Aside from that they are in fantastic condition, but they are depreciable inventory and won’t be useful much longer.

3) Because of #2, it’s very limited. There is always a waiting list for the laptop carts and unless you want dirty looks from the english teachers (no offense) don’t even THINK about  trying to reserve the computer lab. Therefore, it requires very careful planning to incorporate technology into a lesson, and even then there’s the chance you’ll get “bumped” for a higher priority need (like testing. Woo.)

4) Personal technology is also somewhat limited. Though many of our students do have their own devices, some still do not. So if, for example, I wanted to use Kahoot and have the students access the quiz from their own devices, some students would be left out. Often, those students are from a low income background and are already very sensitive about that. So drawing attention to the fact they don’t have a cell phone can be embarrassing and cause the student to shut down.

5) We’re turning into Zombies. I had a student who, when I asked him what he was doing this summer, told me he was going to play video games. I laughed, because I thought he was kidding, and asked him about going to the beach or hanging out at the community pool. He answered that he didn’t need to do any of that, he could just hang out with them on the game. We live in a generation where digital interaction is more desirable and common and if we aren’t careful this is going to have a negative impact on our students. In the race to incorporate technology and keep up with the times, our students (and probably some of us) are losing real world skills that are necessary for success. Written and verbal communication takes a back seat in the lives of most youth to texting, snapchatting and other forms of impersonal (and lazy) communication. This may be fine for social situations (if you can call them that) but it does not prepare students to be comfortable and successful in professional situation. If our job is to prepare students to be productive citizens, then we must stress to them the importance of real world skills in addition to technology skills and teach them to balance and value both.

As our week at NCCAT draws to a close I am overwhelmed will all the new friends and information I’ve gained throughout the week. The highlight of this week has definitely been the resources I’ve learned about through the professional development. I have so many games and web tools that I can’t wait to use in my classroom. I also really loved learning more about the ecology and culture of the river! I’ve been rafting before but never with such knowledgeable guides and teachers. Overall, it was an amazing week and I’m so excited to take my new resources and enthusiasm home!

To be really honest, I have been so excited and overwhelmed by being chosen as a Kenan Fellow that I haven’t given a lot of thought to what I want out of this experience. I know that there are so many wonderful opportunities and I have already learned so much from my mentor. In just two weeks with my mentor and two days of NCCAT I have gained more than I could have imagined. So wrapping my head around what more I could want is a little challenging.

The first thing I’d like to gain from this experience is relationships. Until yesterday, I didn’t even know what the BRAC region was, much less that I was a part of it. Now that I’m aware, I am encouraged that there are other teachers in my area working toward the same goals I am, just in different ways. I hope that through this experience I can build relationships with those teachers and that we can become resources for one another. I also hope to continue to grow my relationship with my mentor. She is such a wealth of knowledge and I have learned so much from her already. I hope that we can build a relationship that continues even after my externship has finished.

I’d also like to (continue to) gain content knowledge related to alternative energies in my county. This is absolutely a growing industry that needs my students and I want the knowledge and experience to inspire and encourage them to become a part of this industry. The little bit I have learned so far has been just enough to get me excited about all the possibilities! I have the enthusiasm! Now I just want to keep learning more.

Finally, what all of this boils down to, is that I hope to gain experiences from the Kenan Fellowship that will ultimately help me to become a better teacher. I was super intimidated coming into NCCAT because I know that Kenan Fellows have a reputation for being the best and the brightest! There is such a wealth of experience and knowledge and creativity within the program and I hope that during my year of service as a Kenan Fellow that I can glean as much as possible, and take every opportunity I can to grow and learn and improve.