Society demands evidence, especially in education. Are we hearing the truth? Are schools checking the validity of data? I doubt it. Data is driving curriculum, teaching methods, and technology integration options. Are these choices actually helping kids learn better? Without reliable information, we may never know.
If you are hoping to contribute to the ocean of information to improve education I urge you, be honest. Be honest about what you know and don’t know, and the truth about the experiences you share. My success; my students’ success depends on your truth.
We all need motivation, especially at the end of a long school year. Every year comes crawling to an end, but some years drag you through potholes and over mountains to get there. No matter what your line of work, having someone who can help you re-calibrate is vitally important, especially to teachers.
Teachers want to leave a mark on the world and they do it through others. They are the messengers. Like the pizza delivery guy who never contributes to the diner conversation, but who is still extremely important to the experience, teachers feed students so they may grow. I believe the messenger is often the single most important person in students’ lives.
Find your Purpose
While looking for a new motivational resource I came across John Maxwell. He is a wonderful story teller who has a history as a pastor and author. While watching his YouTube recording I became completely engaged, listening as if he was speaking to me directly. Good speakers know how to make listeners feel that way. His words answered questions I’ve been asking in my head for months; what is my purpose here? Should I stay? Is this where I belong? Maybe you are hearing the same questions from your inner voice.
He said something I’ve never heard before; “if you don’t have your own dream God has someone else waiting for you to join him. Your purpose could be to build the work of others. Put your purpose into the purpose of someone else” (Maine, 2013). I think these words are life-changing.
Maxwell went on to say that if you really don’t know what purpose you serve in the world, use these two clues; first, feel your passion, and second know your skill. Hopefully you are a teacher because these two clues collided in your life. But if you don’t feel re-energized after your summer break, and you truly dread the road full of bumps ahead, please look for different work. Imagine how awful the dinner conversation would be if the pizza guy didn’t make every effort to do his job well.
To see Maxwell in action, watch what he has to say about leadership.
Resources
Maine, N. (2013, Dec. 13). Finding My Purpose – John Maxwell. [Video]. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/0Qr_vJvqItY
Have you considered if the kids in your class or home are socially ready for the technology they use? How do you know? Look for future articles about starting the conversation about kids, technology, and how to know if they are really ready to collaborate.
Resources:
Photo credits: all images retrieved from Pixabay.com under creative commons license CC0.
Being a good Digital Citizen isn’t that difficult. It boils down to a short list of important considerations described in depth at Mike Ribble’s website. Here’s a simple interpretation.
It’s challenging trying to get society to change. Truthfully, it’s really too much for one, two, or even a hundred people to take on alone, but if it’s important enough, it’s worth trying. Lately, while learning about the many sides of digital citizenship, I have developed a mantra for my school to present as part of the next school year’s technology plan activities, in an effort to build the awareness that will lead to change in how we communicate with and treat each other online.
“Be your best self – in person & online”
Nothing gets the point across as well as a mantra. That’s where we will begin. Digital citizenship is about relationships; relationships with friends, enemies, adults and students, and strangers. It’s about being respectful in spite of our difference, our likes and dislikes, and our personal opinions. So why not start here? We can all become good digital citizens if we simply bring our best selves to every digital encounter. You know who that person is inside of you. All you need to do is choose to be that person.
To read more about the back story behind this mantra, visit
If you’re like me, your understanding of technology and its related parts goes only as deep as is necessary to get the job done. Nothing wrong with that, I say, but in the age of digital citizenship, we ought to know more about how to cite the images that bring our words to life. I am by no means an expert and have much to gain from reading and listening to others, so I share this link with you, for the same purpose.
Here, Creative Commons offers examples (visual examples) of the good, bad and ugly attributions we (as consumers of free images) should know about in order to be better stewards of these great resources. If you want to share other links to credible information about becoming a good digital citizen, please do so in the comments section. I am happy to re-post.
It’s challenging trying to get society to change. Truthfully, it’s really too much for one, two, or even a hundred people to take on alone, but if it’s important enough, it’s worth trying. Lately, while learning about the many sides of digital citizenship, I have developed a mantra for my school to present as part of the next school year’s technology plan activities, in an effort to build the awareness that will lead to change in how we communicate with and treat each other online.