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15. <description>Reflections on Living and Teaching in Germany</description>
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32. <title>Video killed the&#8230;lecture.  Or did it?</title>
33. <link>https://mrsralf.wordpress.com/2021/03/25/video-killed-the-lecture-or-did-it/</link>
34. <comments>https://mrsralf.wordpress.com/2021/03/25/video-killed-the-lecture-or-did-it/#comments</comments>
36. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Kathleen R]]></dc:creator>
37. <pubDate>Thu, 25 Mar 2021 11:29:38 +0000</pubDate>
38. <category><![CDATA[Education]]></category>
39. <category><![CDATA[art teacher]]></category>
40. <category><![CDATA[edutopia]]></category>
41. <category><![CDATA[Khan Academy]]></category>
42. <category><![CDATA[leveraging the pandemic]]></category>
43. <category><![CDATA[Sal Khan]]></category>
44. <category><![CDATA[Teaching]]></category>
45. <category><![CDATA[TikTok]]></category>
46. <category><![CDATA[YouTube]]></category>
47. <category><![CDATA[zoom]]></category>
48. <guid isPermaLink="false">http://mrsralf.wordpress.com/?p=3609</guid>
49.  
50. <description><![CDATA[First off, let me just apologize for my absence. I took on a new role at my school and my blogging skills have been put to use via bi-weekly emails of blended and online learning encouragement and inspiration. Today&#8217;s email encouraged teachers to share their work with a wider audience, [&#8230;]]]></description>
51. <content:encoded><![CDATA[
52. <p><strong>First off, let me just apologize for my absence.</strong>  I took on a new role at my school and my blogging skills have been put to use via bi-weekly emails of blended and online learning encouragement and inspiration. Today&#8217;s email encouraged teachers to share their work with a wider audience, then I thought&#8230;I should really take my own advice.  What encourages and helps my colleague at my school just might encourage and help my virtual colleagues out there living somewhere along the information super highway.</p>
53.  
54.  
55.  
56. <p>So with that, on with the show&#8230;</p>
57.  
58.  
59.  
60. <p><strong>Well it has been quite a week so far</strong>.&nbsp; A friend in the states said, &#8220;I think we are finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel.&#8221;&nbsp; I said, &#8220;Well, I think we are in the&nbsp;always darkest before the dawn stage.&#8221;&nbsp; We can&#8217;t seem to get a break, figuratively or literally.&nbsp; We a few short days away from Spring Break, but facing tighter lock downs.&nbsp; Midterm grades are looming. And we are doing our best to spread sunshine to our students at home who seemed bogged down in the grey clouds.&nbsp; </p>
61.  
62.  
63.  
64. <p>There are some silver linings, though.<br></p>
65.  
66.  
67.  
68. <p><strong>Beam me up, Scottie!</strong>&nbsp;</p>
69.  
70.  
71.  
72. <p>During the pandemic our school has been not only beaming&nbsp;into our student&#8217;s homes for learning, but beaming experts to our school community to share their knowledge and expertise. This week our student leaders of Project Cedar (a service group dedicated to supporting school children in Beirut) hosted a lunch discussion via Zoom. Sara el Yafi, a political activist from Beirut, shared about the current crises there, as well as her personal story of the day of the fatal explosion. In the face of seemingly insurmountable challenges, there are people out there running to the center of conflict to make reforms and change their&nbsp;countries for the better.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>
73.  
74.  
75.  
76. <p>But it hasn&#8217;t just been Sara who has Zoomed in.  Two weeks ago <strong>Linda Sue Park</strong> discussed her book <em>The Single Shard</em> with our grade 6&#8217;s.  Today our Global Politics students will join experts at the <a href="https://hiik.de/?lang=en" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Heidelberg Institute for Conflict Research&#8217;s Conflict Barometer</a>.  We took some risks, asked our colleagues, &#8220;Who do you know&#8230;?&#8221; and we have been able to leverage Zoom to invite in people who never would have had the time to travel here for an hour chat.</p>
77.  
78.  
79.  
80. <p><strong>Reach out!&nbsp;</strong></p>
81.  
82.  
83.  
84. <p>Our work doesn&#8217;t have to be just for our students.&nbsp; Many of you already use videos off <em>YouTube</em> produced by colleagues you have never met. I am forever indebted to those great teachers out there in hyperspace. Schools haven&#8217;t always had online spaces to house content, so teachers used YouTube for students to access their content.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>
85.  
86.  
87.  
88. <p><br>Have you ever thought about publishing your own work on YouTube?&nbsp; If your video tutorials help your students, maybe they would be helpful to both teachers and students around the world?&nbsp; Need some inspiration?&nbsp; Check out our Art teacher&nbsp;<a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXOX7zQaTwdTj860t1GSCtQ" target="_blank">JessIca Russo Scherr&#8217;s channel on YouTube</a>.&nbsp; When I sit down to draw, and I&#8217;m struggling, I can always find a video that helps me work through it. My trees look so much better now!</p>
89.  
90.  
91.  
92. <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><a href="https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2021/03/screenshot-2021-03-25-at-12.13.47.png"><img data-attachment-id="3615" data-permalink="https://mrsralf.wordpress.com/screenshot-2021-03-25-at-12-13-47/" data-orig-file="https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2021/03/screenshot-2021-03-25-at-12.13.47.png" data-orig-size="2414,1218" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}" data-image-title="screenshot-2021-03-25-at-12.13.47" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2021/03/screenshot-2021-03-25-at-12.13.47.png?w=300" data-large-file="https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2021/03/screenshot-2021-03-25-at-12.13.47.png?w=863" src="https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2021/03/screenshot-2021-03-25-at-12.13.47.png?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-3615" width="863" height="434" srcset="https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2021/03/screenshot-2021-03-25-at-12.13.47.png?w=150 150w, https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2021/03/screenshot-2021-03-25-at-12.13.47.png?w=300 300w, https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2021/03/screenshot-2021-03-25-at-12.13.47.png?w=768 768w" sizes="(max-width: 863px) 100vw, 863px" /></a></figure>
93.  
94.  
95.  
96. <p><strong>TikTok and you don&#8217;t stop!&nbsp;&nbsp;</strong></p>
97.  
98.  
99.  
100. <p>I have to admit the first time I saw one of my colleague&#8217;s TikTok videos to teach students about processes in Geography, I was skeptical. But I also know that sometimes in order to reach our students, we have to go where they are.&nbsp;<br></p>
101.  
102.  
103.  
104. <p>So how are teachers using this video platform for teaching?&nbsp; Check out&nbsp;<a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.edutopia.org/article/headache-helpful-teachers-using-tiktok-classroom" target="_blank">From Headache to Helpful</a>&nbsp;from&nbsp;<strong><a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.edutopia.org/" target="_blank">Edutopia</a></strong>. Numerous teachers are now leveraging the power of TikTok for teaching.&nbsp; TikTok is a social media platform where people post 30-60 minute videos, usually dancing and lip synching.&nbsp; But it doesn&#8217;t have to be all dance and music.&nbsp; Check out this&nbsp;<a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.tiktok.com/@iamthatenglishteacher/video/6940384969231518981?lang=en&amp;is_copy_url=1&amp;is_from_webapp=v1" target="_blank">simple grammar check with Ms James</a>.&nbsp; Or&nbsp;<a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.tiktok.com/@oneoldkid/video/6939955417183276294?is_copy_url=0&amp;is_from_webapp=v1&amp;sender_device=pc&amp;sender_web_id=6943445034743399942" target="_blank">this brain break</a>&nbsp;with PE teacher Matt Head. Or check out our very own&nbsp;<a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.tiktok.com/@atypical_teacher/video/6887906718110567682?lang=en&amp;is_copy_url=0&amp;is_from_webapp=v1&amp;sender_device=pc&amp;sender_web_id=6943445034743399942" target="_blank">@atypical_teacher sharing some info on the Black Death</a>.</p>
105.  
106.  
107.  
108. <blockquote class="tiktok-embed" cite="https://www.tiktok.com/@atypical_teacher/video/6887906718110567682" style="max-width:605px;min-width:325px;"> <section> <a target="_blank" title="@atypical_teacher" href="https://www.tiktok.com/@atypical_teacher">@atypical_teacher</a> <p>We’ve come a long way <img src="https://s0.wp.com/wp-content/mu-plugins/wpcom-smileys/twemoji/2/72x72/1f9a0.png" alt="🦠" class="wp-smiley" style="height: 1em; max-height: 1em;" /> <a title="humanities7" target="_blank" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/humanities7">#humanities7</a> <a title="theblackdeath" target="_blank" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/theblackdeath">#theblackdeath</a> <a title="teachersoftiktok" target="_blank" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/teachersoftiktok">#teachersoftiktok</a></p> <a target="_blank" title="♬ Notice. - Reubo" href="https://www.tiktok.com/music/Notice-6834155972152281862">♬ Notice. &#8211; Reubo</a> </section> </blockquote> <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/embed.js">https://www.tiktok.com/embed.js</a>
109.  
110.  
111.  
112. <p></p>
113.  
114.  
115.  
116. <p><strong>Sage on the stage</strong> <strong>be gone!</strong> </p>
117.  
118.  
119.  
120. <p>Still not convinced you have it in you to film yourself doing the cool things you do for your students?&nbsp;&nbsp;<a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://youtu.be/9nHtFixQK0M?t=62" target="_blank">Check out Sal Khan</a>&#8216;s back yard interview, creator of Khan academy and the KING of the video tutorial, on his advice for making student tutorials.</p>
121.  
122.  
123.  
124. <div class="jetpack-video-wrapper"><iframe class="youtube-player" width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/9nHtFixQK0M?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent" allowfullscreen="true" style="border:0;" sandbox="allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox"></iframe></div>
125.  
126.  
127.  
128. <p><strong>What cool things are you doing with video?</strong> </p>
129. ]]></content:encoded>
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141. </item>
142. <item>
143. <title>Hello from the land of Hybrid</title>
144. <link>https://mrsralf.wordpress.com/2020/05/31/hello-from-the-land-of-hybrid/</link>
145. <comments>https://mrsralf.wordpress.com/2020/05/31/hello-from-the-land-of-hybrid/#respond</comments>
147. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Kathleen R]]></dc:creator>
148. <pubDate>Sun, 31 May 2020 07:53:34 +0000</pubDate>
149. <category><![CDATA[Distance Learning during Covid]]></category>
150. <category><![CDATA[Education]]></category>
151. <category><![CDATA[Technology Integration]]></category>
152. <category><![CDATA[Blended Learning]]></category>
153. <category><![CDATA[Covid-19]]></category>
154. <category><![CDATA[curriculum design]]></category>
155. <category><![CDATA[Distance Learning]]></category>
156. <category><![CDATA[Flipping the Classroom]]></category>
157. <category><![CDATA[hybrid]]></category>
158. <category><![CDATA[hybrid teaching]]></category>
159. <category><![CDATA[instructional design]]></category>
160. <category><![CDATA[Planning]]></category>
161. <category><![CDATA[Teaching]]></category>
162. <category><![CDATA[Teaching History]]></category>
163. <guid isPermaLink="false">http://mrsralf.wordpress.com/?p=3584</guid>
164.  
165. <description><![CDATA[“I’m always looking for cool ideas to help people improve their hybrid lessons. Can I come by later this week to observe what you are doing?”&#160;&#160; My door is always [&#8230;]]]></description>
166. <content:encoded><![CDATA[
167. <p>“I’m always looking for cool ideas to help people improve their hybrid lessons. Can I come by later this week to observe what you are doing?”&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>
168.  
169.  
170.  
171. <p>My door is always open.&nbsp; We even have these cool signs on our rooms at our school that say “The Door is Open” so that if my door is closed, you are welcome to come in.&nbsp; But I wondered if observing me doing “hybrid” would be observable?</p>
172.  
173.  
174.  
175. <p>I thanked my colleague for the huge compliment of them thinking that I would be a good person to observe.&nbsp; But what they would see wasn’t really what would be helpful.&nbsp; Me in front of a class, and in front of Zoom is only the tip of the iceberg.</p>
176.  
177.  
178.  
179. <div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter size-large"><img width="1010" height="1023" data-attachment-id="3587" data-permalink="https://mrsralf.wordpress.com/screen-shot-2020-05-31-at-09-40-17/" data-orig-file="https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2020/05/screen-shot-2020-05-31-at-09.40.17.png" data-orig-size="1328,1346" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}" data-image-title="screen-shot-2020-05-31-at-09.40.17" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2020/05/screen-shot-2020-05-31-at-09.40.17.png?w=296" data-large-file="https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2020/05/screen-shot-2020-05-31-at-09.40.17.png?w=863" src="https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2020/05/screen-shot-2020-05-31-at-09.40.17.png?w=1010" alt="" class="wp-image-3587" srcset="https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2020/05/screen-shot-2020-05-31-at-09.40.17.png?w=1010 1010w, https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2020/05/screen-shot-2020-05-31-at-09.40.17.png?w=148 148w, https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2020/05/screen-shot-2020-05-31-at-09.40.17.png?w=296 296w, https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2020/05/screen-shot-2020-05-31-at-09.40.17.png?w=768 768w, https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2020/05/screen-shot-2020-05-31-at-09.40.17.png 1328w" sizes="(max-width: 1010px) 100vw, 1010px" /></figure></div>
180.  
181.  
182.  
183. <p>In our pre-Covid world, those of us who had been teaching for awhile could plan out a week’s lessons pretty easily.&nbsp; We didn’t have to flesh it all out.&nbsp; We knew what worked and what didn&#8217;t. We knew which digital tools were the best to do this job or that one. Not that what we did was brainless, or “winging it”, it is just that we had a workflow we had grown comfortable with.</p>
184.  
185.  
186.  
187. <p>And in a way many teachers moved to distance learning thinking they could continue to work this way.&nbsp; They could just replicate what they did in the classroom via Zoom.&nbsp; They figured, “I can ride this thing out with not much change until this whole thing is over.”&nbsp; But it isn’t over, and it isn’t going to be over&#8230;maybe ever.</p>
188.  
189.  
190.  
191. <p>In a recent talk with heads of schools, Michael Nachbar the Executive Director of <a href="https://globalonlineacademy.org/"><strong><em>Global Online Academy</em></strong></a> stated that, “The prospect that online learning will become a forever part of your schools, should shape the way we talk about it now.&nbsp; Lean into it.”&nbsp; We can’t just stay the course until the end of the year in the hopes that things will go back to normal in the Fall.&nbsp; We need to embrace the change and do the hard work that will make our schools models of what a truly innovative school can look like.</p>
192.  
193.  
194.  
195. <p><strong>How do I go Hybrid? Who is doing it well?&nbsp; What examples are there already out there that we can replicate?</strong></p>
196.  
197.  
198.  
199. <p>The answer is…</p>
200.  
201.  
202.  
203. <p>There are no examples.&nbsp; This has never been done.&nbsp; No one out there right now feels they are doing it well.&nbsp; No teachers, no administrator, no curriculum coach, has ever had to deal with teaching both face to face and virtually at the same time, ever.</p>
204.  
205.  
206.  
207. <p>But there is a solution.&nbsp; First, let&#8217;s just drop the words hybrid, flipped, and blended. They aren’t helpful.&nbsp; What we need to talk about is getting back to what we know is the key to any good lesson, module, or unit: <strong>PLANNING</strong>.</p>
208.  
209.  
210.  
211. <p>Most teachers have already scaled down their curriculum to bare bones while doing Distance Learning.&nbsp; As we look to next year, we will have to continue to look at the curriculum with fresh eyes.&nbsp; What is the most essential? When thinking about how to design lessons with kids in front of you and at home you have to begin with your standards or objectives in mind.&nbsp;</p>
212.  
213.  
214.  
215. <p><strong>First: What is it that kids need to know and be able to do?</strong></p>
216.  
217.  
218.  
219. <p>What standards do the students need to meet with this unit/lesson?</p>
220.  
221.  
222.  
223. <p>What skills and content do you need to teach your students in order to meet that standard?</p>
224.  
225.  
226.  
227. <p>Get as explicit with this as you can so that your goal is clear for both you and your students.</p>
228.  
229.  
230.  
231. <p><strong>Second: How should the content be delivered? How do you want your students to do?</strong></p>
232.  
233.  
234.  
235. <p>Do you want to deliver a lecture? Or are they doing some reading for context? Or are you having them do some investigation?</p>
236.  
237.  
238.  
239. <p>How much interaction do you want them to have with you?&nbsp; How much interaction do you want them to have with each other?</p>
240.  
241.  
242.  
243. <p>Who is responsible for what?&nbsp; What is your role in the lesson?&nbsp; What responsibilities do you want the students to have in the lesson?</p>
244.  
245.  
246.  
247. <p>What about feedback?&nbsp; Who will give feedback to whom? What do you want the kids to do with the feedback?</p>
248.  
249.  
250.  
251. <p>So really be thinking about the input and output of the lesson.&nbsp; Who is doing the input?&nbsp; What do you want the output to look like?</p>
252.  
253.  
254.  
255. <p>And also consider that you don’t want to keep using the same delivery.&nbsp; You and your students need variety.&nbsp; Some kids learn better with different modalities, so you have to give students opportunities to learn and interact in multiple ways.</p>
256.  
257.  
258.  
259. <p><strong>Third: Design the Activity.</strong></p>
260.  
261.  
262.  
263. <p>Where do you want this to happen?  Is this something that can be done from home? Or Is this something that can only be done face to face?</p>
264.  
265.  
266.  
267. <p>How will feedback be given?&nbsp; Face to face? Video? Written?&nbsp;</p>
268.  
269.  
270.  
271. <p>What about space and movement within the classroom?&nbsp; Kids must be 1.5 meters apart and stationary.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>
272.  
273.  
274.  
275. <p></p>
276.  
277.  
278.  
279. <p><strong>Did you notice I haven’t said anything about technology yet?</strong>&nbsp; That is because that is what comes last.</p>
280.  
281.  
282.  
283. <p>What tech tools need to be used to make this happen?&nbsp;</p>
284.  
285.  
286.  
287. <p>What tech tools are needed for delivery of content?</p>
288.  
289.  
290.  
291. <p>What tech tools are needed for interaction?</p>
292.  
293.  
294.  
295. <p>What tech tools are needed for giving feedback?</p>
296.  
297.  
298.  
299. <p>Are the pathways and transitions through the lesson at home and in school navigable for students and parents?</p>
300.  
301.  
302.  
303. <p>The answer to these questions might be that little to no tech is needed.&nbsp; Or it might be that for all of these, a combination of tools might be needed.</p>
304.  
305.  
306.  
307. <p><strong>It is hard work.</strong></p>
308.  
309.  
310.  
311. <p>Doing this kind of planning is why this new school model is so exhausting.&nbsp; Every lesson is new.&nbsp; It is like being a brand new teacher again.&nbsp; Even if we have taught a particular course for 10 years, the planning and execution of delivery of content in that lesson is completely different.</p>
312.  
313.  
314.  
315. <p><strong>The planning is what is going to save us.</strong>&nbsp; This doesn’t mean that you will no longer have moments of trial and error.&nbsp; Iteration is a critical piece of becoming better at anything.&nbsp; It is just that we must really think through all aspects of a lesson, try things out, adjust, redesign, try, etc.&nbsp;</p>
316.  
317.  
318.  
319. <p>The design cycle is now more important than ever.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>
320.  
321.  
322.  
323. <p><strong>The more we can concentrate on design and pedagogy the better.</strong>&nbsp; The less we focus on the word hybrid, flipped, distance, remote, the lower the stress level and confusion will be for us and our colleagues.&nbsp;</p>
324.  
325.  
326.  
327. <p>This is all stuff people can do and are doing,<strong> we just need to have time to sit together and plan </strong>for what we are doing, so we can make what we are doing better.</p>
328.  
329.  
330.  
331. <p><strong>Looking for inspiration in this planning process?</strong> <a href="https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1FUk1wWevc824ujqrSYrKOSY5NFmEQ66m0yp-NigALgE/edit?usp=sharing" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Here</a> is a great unit/lesson planner that helps you organize all the above questions.  There are also some great ideas <a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLIxT265bzQT1lT2Cbs39NnlqzKgBdmRgZ" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">here</a> in Global Online Academy’s playlist on YouTube for their Catalyst Cards.</p>
332.  
333.  
334.  
335. <div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter size-large"><img width="1024" height="574" data-attachment-id="3588" data-permalink="https://mrsralf.wordpress.com/screen-shot-2020-05-31-at-09-42-06/" data-orig-file="https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2020/05/screen-shot-2020-05-31-at-09.42.06.png" data-orig-size="1724,968" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}" data-image-title="screen-shot-2020-05-31-at-09.42.06" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2020/05/screen-shot-2020-05-31-at-09.42.06.png?w=300" data-large-file="https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2020/05/screen-shot-2020-05-31-at-09.42.06.png?w=863" src="https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2020/05/screen-shot-2020-05-31-at-09.42.06.png?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-3588" srcset="https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2020/05/screen-shot-2020-05-31-at-09.42.06.png?w=1022 1022w, https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2020/05/screen-shot-2020-05-31-at-09.42.06.png?w=150 150w, https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2020/05/screen-shot-2020-05-31-at-09.42.06.png?w=300 300w, https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2020/05/screen-shot-2020-05-31-at-09.42.06.png?w=768 768w, https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2020/05/screen-shot-2020-05-31-at-09.42.06.png 1724w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure></div>
336. ]]></content:encoded>
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355. </item>
356. <item>
357. <title>More Tour Guide, Less Teacher</title>
358. <link>https://mrsralf.wordpress.com/2020/05/09/more-tour-guide-less-teacher/</link>
359. <comments>https://mrsralf.wordpress.com/2020/05/09/more-tour-guide-less-teacher/#comments</comments>
361. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Kathleen R]]></dc:creator>
362. <pubDate>Sat, 09 May 2020 06:29:12 +0000</pubDate>
363. <category><![CDATA[Education]]></category>
364. <category><![CDATA[Technology Integration]]></category>
365. <category><![CDATA[Choice and Voice]]></category>
366. <category><![CDATA[Covid-19]]></category>
367. <category><![CDATA[Distance Learning]]></category>
368. <category><![CDATA[Online classroom]]></category>
369. <category><![CDATA[online education]]></category>
370. <category><![CDATA[project based learning]]></category>
371. <category><![CDATA[Rethinking the Classroom]]></category>
372. <category><![CDATA[self paced]]></category>
373. <guid isPermaLink="false">http://mrsralf.wordpress.com/?p=3568</guid>
374.  
375. <description><![CDATA[Well I Fixed the Feedback Loop and have begun to find more balance with the time consuming nature of delivering all courses online in a Distance Learning Model.&#160; Some are [&#8230;]]]></description>
376. <content:encoded><![CDATA[
377. <p>Well I <a href="https://mrsralf.wordpress.com/2020/05/02/fixing-the-feedback-loop/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Fixed the Feedback Loop</a> and have begun to find more balance with the time consuming nature of delivering all courses online in a Distance Learning Model.&nbsp; Some are still thinking&#8230;how could this be time consuming? You aren’t teaching in a classroom.&nbsp; Ah, but I am. It is just that my classroom looks different.</p>
378.  
379.  
380.  
381. <p>Have you ever been on a really organized, interactive, and engaging trip where a tour guide led you through a city or  museum?&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>
382.  
383.  
384.  
385. <p><strong>A truly excellent tour guide gives you&#8230;</strong></p>
386.  
387.  
388.  
389. <ul><li>Context for what you are looking at.&nbsp; They give a little background&#8230;but not too much.&nbsp;&nbsp;</li></ul>
390.  
391.  
392.  
393. <ul><li>A map or a framework to use and guide you as you analyze other key artifacts or points of interest in the area.&nbsp;&nbsp;</li></ul>
394.  
395.  
396.  
397. <ul><li>Time and space to explore on your own so you can use the map and apply what you have learned.&nbsp;&nbsp;</li></ul>
398.  
399.  
400.  
401. <ul><li>And if your lucky, that tour guide has booked lunch or dinner in an amazing location where you can share all that you saw and experienced during the day with your tour group.</li></ul>
402.  
403.  
404.  
405. <p><strong>Teaching online is a lot like that.</strong>&nbsp; I build context for my students.&nbsp; I want them to have a little background to set the scene.&nbsp; Yet, I don’t give too much.&nbsp; I don’t want to overwhelm them with the whole. </p>
406.  
407.  
408.  
409. <p>Before I send them off to explore on their own,&nbsp; I usually give them a framework to help them analyze the topic.&nbsp; Whether it is looking at the Economic, Social, and Political impacts (ESP) of an era, or 7 Characteristics of a Civilization, or maybe the 10 Stages of Genocide, students have a map to guide them in their analysis of their new topic.&nbsp; They know what to look for as they travel around the landscape and explore.&nbsp; </p>
410.  
411.  
412.  
413. <p>And I set up synchronous and asynchronous check-ins so they can share with me and their classmates some of the new discoveries they have made, their high and low points of their journey, and their advice to others for future learning.</p>
414.  
415.  
416.  
417. <p><strong>As much as I have wanted to be that teacher in the physical classroom, many things have kept me from it.</strong> Content is king in a History course. Course outlines must be followed. Essays must be written.&nbsp; But now that we have had to drastically scale down to what is most important that kids know and can do, the shackles of the content released, and we were allowed to rethink how and what we teach.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>
418.  
419.  
420.  
421. <p>Then there is the classroom management issue. How can 21 student be doing all different things?  If I am meeting in a small group with these 5 kids over here, can I make sure the other 16 are on task and moving forward?</p>
422.  
423.  
424.  
425. <p><strong>Planning is key.</strong> Having two weeks off at Spring Break allowed my team and I to redesign and reboot our courses.&nbsp; For grade 6 we decided to focus on the key aspects of Ancient Greece, by giving students a learning journey.</p>
426.  
427.  
428.  
429. <p>We created a series of pages within our Learning Management System that had a series of tours through various highlights of Ancient Greece.&nbsp; Athens, Sparta, Sculpture, Architecture, Philosophy, Sport, Religion, Drama.</p>
430.  
431.  
432.  
433. <p>Each tour starts with building knowledge, usually a section from their text.&nbsp; </p>
434.  
435.  
436.  
437. <div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" data-attachment-id="3569" data-permalink="https://mrsralf.wordpress.com/screen-shot-2020-05-07-at-15-17-14/" data-orig-file="https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2020/05/screen-shot-2020-05-07-at-15.17.14.png" data-orig-size="1374,490" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}" data-image-title="screen-shot-2020-05-07-at-15.17.14" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2020/05/screen-shot-2020-05-07-at-15.17.14.png?w=300" data-large-file="https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2020/05/screen-shot-2020-05-07-at-15.17.14.png?w=863" src="https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2020/05/screen-shot-2020-05-07-at-15.17.14.png?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-3569" width="670" height="238" srcset="https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2020/05/screen-shot-2020-05-07-at-15.17.14.png?w=1024 1024w, https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2020/05/screen-shot-2020-05-07-at-15.17.14.png?w=667 667w, https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2020/05/screen-shot-2020-05-07-at-15.17.14.png?w=1335 1335w, https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2020/05/screen-shot-2020-05-07-at-15.17.14.png?w=150 150w, https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2020/05/screen-shot-2020-05-07-at-15.17.14.png?w=300 300w, https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2020/05/screen-shot-2020-05-07-at-15.17.14.png?w=768 768w" sizes="(max-width: 670px) 100vw, 670px" /></figure></div>
438.  
439.  
440.  
441. <p>Then they are given 4 to 5 other sources to choose from. These are TED Ed videos, websites, Khan Academy lectures, or other multimedia resources.&nbsp; </p>
442.  
443.  
444.  
445. <div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" data-attachment-id="3570" data-permalink="https://mrsralf.wordpress.com/screen-shot-2020-05-07-at-15-17-20/" data-orig-file="https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2020/05/screen-shot-2020-05-07-at-15.17.20.png" data-orig-size="1386,490" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}" data-image-title="screen-shot-2020-05-07-at-15.17.20" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2020/05/screen-shot-2020-05-07-at-15.17.20.png?w=300" data-large-file="https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2020/05/screen-shot-2020-05-07-at-15.17.20.png?w=863" src="https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2020/05/screen-shot-2020-05-07-at-15.17.20.png?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-3570" width="667" height="236" srcset="https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2020/05/screen-shot-2020-05-07-at-15.17.20.png?w=1024 1024w, https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2020/05/screen-shot-2020-05-07-at-15.17.20.png?w=667 667w, https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2020/05/screen-shot-2020-05-07-at-15.17.20.png?w=1334 1334w, https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2020/05/screen-shot-2020-05-07-at-15.17.20.png?w=150 150w, https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2020/05/screen-shot-2020-05-07-at-15.17.20.png?w=300 300w, https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2020/05/screen-shot-2020-05-07-at-15.17.20.png?w=768 768w" sizes="(max-width: 667px) 100vw, 667px" /></figure></div>
446.  
447.  
448.  
449. <p>Then the final part of their journey is to share what they have learned.&nbsp; They have 3-4 for choices for how to show their understanding.&nbsp; This gives students to do more than just write what they know.&nbsp; They can sculpt, build, design, write, record, video, animate, or act out.</p>
450.  
451.  
452.  
453. <div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter size-large"><img loading="lazy" width="657" height="1024" data-attachment-id="3572" data-permalink="https://mrsralf.wordpress.com/screen-shot-2020-05-07-at-15-35-26/" data-orig-file="https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2020/05/screen-shot-2020-05-07-at-15.35.26.png" data-orig-size="772,1204" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}" data-image-title="screen-shot-2020-05-07-at-15.35.26" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2020/05/screen-shot-2020-05-07-at-15.35.26.png?w=192" data-large-file="https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2020/05/screen-shot-2020-05-07-at-15.35.26.png?w=657" src="https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2020/05/screen-shot-2020-05-07-at-15.35.26.png?w=657" alt="" class="wp-image-3572" srcset="https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2020/05/screen-shot-2020-05-07-at-15.35.26.png?w=657 657w, https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2020/05/screen-shot-2020-05-07-at-15.35.26.png?w=96 96w, https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2020/05/screen-shot-2020-05-07-at-15.35.26.png?w=192 192w, https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2020/05/screen-shot-2020-05-07-at-15.35.26.png?w=768 768w, https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2020/05/screen-shot-2020-05-07-at-15.35.26.png 772w" sizes="(max-width: 657px) 100vw, 657px" /></figure></div>
454.  
455.  
456.  
457. <p>The &#8220;Create&#8221; tasks are where we see the depth of their understanding. This is the work that makes us and our students the most excited.&nbsp; Students are showing their understanding of Greek Architecture by building temples in Tinkercad or MineCraft.&nbsp; Students are showing their understanding of Sculpture by creating figures with household supplies. Students are showing understanding by filming interviews with their family using the universal Philosopher questions like what is beauty or what is evidence?</p>
458.  
459.  
460.  
461. <p>At the end of the week students meet in small groups to share out what they have learned.&nbsp; Sometimes these are mixed groups that allow opportunities for them to compare and contrast their learning.&nbsp; And sometimes we meet in topical groups, to share about what was most meaningful to them or about thechallenges they faced in their creative tasks.</p>
462.  
463.  
464.  
465. <p><strong>So far so good.</strong>&nbsp; As you know <a href="https://mrsralf.wordpress.com/2020/04/25/teaching-in-the-time-of-covid-19/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">the beginning was excruciating</a> as I tried to manage who had completed what.&nbsp; But after I figured out the feedback loop, it has been much more manageable.</p>
466.  
467.  
468.  
469. <p>The kids are happy and enjoying the choice they have and the pace they are allowed to take.&nbsp; Some kids bust through the work and give themselves extra free time at the end of the week.&nbsp; Some take it in bits every day.&nbsp; And some are doing multiple topics each week and enjoying the fact that they no longer have to wait for others to finish before moving forward.</p>
470.  
471.  
472.  
473. <p>At the end of our Ancient Greece tour our students will reflect on which of the topics that they studied are most important to their lives today.&nbsp; Whether Sport or Drama, Architecture or Religion, students have engaged in a more personal way with the content.&nbsp; </p>
474.  
475.  
476.  
477. <p>They are more eager to share what they discovered and they are excited to show their creative projects.&nbsp; They are proud of their work, much more proud than if they had gotten a top grade on a paper and pencil test.  I can&#8217;t tell you how many times this week kids said, &#8220;Have you looked at my screencast yet of my temple?&#8221; or  &#8220;Have you listened to my read aloud?&#8221;</p>
478.  
479.  
480.  
481. <p>Sharing in my student’s passionate discoveries these past few weeks has been the best therapy for this virus. <strong>I hope that as we return to the brick and mortar classroom we will continue being more tour guide than teacher.</strong></p>
482.  
483.  
484.  
485. <p></p>
486.  
487.  
488.  
489. <p><strong>Looking for more inspiration on giving students choice and voice in their learning?</strong></p>
490.  
491.  
492.  
493. <p><a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.edutopia.org/discussion/5-tips-giving-students-choice-leads-student-voice?fbclid=IwAR0gA1uuCepoR7WfoLMLvjin5S7e3H82X3Aeh3p5WNmaSmhwHS6ASeA_4Nc" target="_blank">5 Tips for Giving Students Choice and Voice in the Classroom</a>-Me, Edutopia.org</p>
494.  
495.  
496.  
497. <p><a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://globalonlineacademy.org/insights/articles/six-ways-to-move-beyond-the-classwork-homework-divide-and-never-look-back" target="_blank">6 Ways to Move Beyond the Classwork/Homework Divide (And Never Look Back)</a>-Susan Fine, Global Online Academy </p>
498.  
499.  
500.  
501. <p><a href="https://www.edutopia.org/article/putting-students-charge-their-learning" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Putting Students in Charge of Their Learning</a>-Beth Pandolpho, Edutopia.org</p>
502. ]]></content:encoded>
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523. </item>
524. <item>
525. <title>Fixing the Feedback Loop</title>
526. <link>https://mrsralf.wordpress.com/2020/05/02/fixing-the-feedback-loop/</link>
527. <comments>https://mrsralf.wordpress.com/2020/05/02/fixing-the-feedback-loop/#comments</comments>
529. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Kathleen R]]></dc:creator>
530. <pubDate>Sat, 02 May 2020 07:40:46 +0000</pubDate>
531. <category><![CDATA[Education]]></category>
532. <category><![CDATA[building community]]></category>
533. <category><![CDATA[competency based learning]]></category>
534. <category><![CDATA[Covid-19]]></category>
535. <category><![CDATA[Distance Learning]]></category>
536. <category><![CDATA[feedback]]></category>
537. <category><![CDATA[International Education]]></category>
538. <category><![CDATA[online education]]></category>
539. <category><![CDATA[self reliance]]></category>
540. <guid isPermaLink="false">http://mrsralf.wordpress.com/?p=3555</guid>
541.  
542. <description><![CDATA[As I stated last week, I was pretty confident in my abilities as an online teacher at the outset of this Covid-19 journey.  But lately I have felt less confident.  [&#8230;]]]></description>
543. <content:encoded><![CDATA[
544. <p>As I stated <a href="https://mrsralf.wordpress.com/2020/04/25/teaching-in-the-time-of-covid-19/">last week,</a> I was pretty confident in my abilities as an online teacher at the outset of this Covid-19 journey.  But lately I have felt less confident.  Or maybe what I’m feeling is exhaustion.  </p>
545.  
546.  
547.  
548. <p>Due to the overwhelming task teaching has been these last 6 weeks, I have had to practice a more mindful way of being.&nbsp; I cling to that mental image from my Malibu Club Summer Staff days of the sign on the tree outside the Capilano lounge:&nbsp; <strong><em>BE HERE NOW</em></strong>.</p>
549.  
550.  
551.  
552. <div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter size-large"><img src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/97/MtArt.JPG/1920px-MtArt.JPG" alt="" /></figure></div>
553.  
554.  
555.  
556. <p>When I start to think of all that needs to be done, all the planning that will come with a new school year, all …. Wait.&nbsp; Stop.&nbsp; Breath.&nbsp; <strong>Be Here Now</strong>.</p>
557.  
558.  
559.  
560. <p>Last Sunday I spent 5-6 hours checking to see if work was done, entering comments in the gradebook, and then sending emails to each student on what they still needed to do.&nbsp;</p>
561.  
562.  
563.  
564. <p>It was exhausting.&nbsp; I felt broken.&nbsp; I felt overwhelmed.&nbsp; I went for a walk to gain perspective and insight on what needed to change.&nbsp; I needed to see where we had come from, so I could have a better <strong>Now</strong>.</p>
565.  
566.  
567.  
568. <p><strong>At Global Online Academy, we do much to prepare our students to be self-reliant and proactive in their first weeks of online learning.</strong>&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>
569.  
570.  
571.  
572. <ul><li>We meet one on one with each student to get to know our student’s work flow, to discuss expectations, and explain how we will communicate feedback throughout the course</li></ul>
573.  
574.  
575.  
576. <ul><li>We spend the first week of class learning how to learn online, as well as do activities to boost community and at the same time, self-reliance.&nbsp;&nbsp;</li></ul>
577.  
578.  
579.  
580. <ul><li>We reflect a lot.&nbsp; We ask students to reflect on what they are doing each week.&nbsp; Not so much about content, but about the skills they are rocking, and the skills in which they need more practice.</li></ul>
581.  
582.  
583.  
584. <p><strong>When we moved online with our students at my Brick and Mortar school, I did none of this.</strong>&nbsp; I figured they have been with me all year.&nbsp; I know their flow, they know mine.&nbsp; I know their quirks, they know mine.&nbsp; They know how to navigate my PowerSchool pages.&nbsp; They know how to email.&nbsp; Why waste the precious time we don’t have on this stuff.</p>
585.  
586.  
587.  
588. <p>And that is where I made the big mistake.</p>
589.  
590.  
591.  
592. <p>Although I have done my best to make my students courageous self reliant learners, the truth is they are not.&nbsp; By nature, a brick and mortar classroom is a place of reliance on the teacher.</p>
593.  
594.  
595.  
596. <p>Now I’m not saying that you, or I, or any teacher out there intentionally makes kids reliant.&nbsp; We are always looking for ways to build their self reliance.&nbsp; But as long as I am in the room to ask, “Where is the stapler?”&nbsp; “What do I do when I’m done?” “Can you help me with A, B, and C?”&nbsp; Students will always defer first to me, rather than relying on the knowledge they have inside them to find the stapler, read the instructions on the board, or try to solve the problem first, before asking me first.</p>
597.  
598.  
599.  
600. <p>As we saw the Covid closure looming, I did begin to spend a part of each lesson, each day, troubleshooting.&nbsp; I would ask, “If you were using this app at home and you knew your assignment was due and the app wasn’t working, what would you do?”&nbsp;</p>
601.  
602.  
603.  
604. <p>I set tasks that were more digital to give them more experiences where things might go wrong when we were still face to face, in order for me to train them for what to do when we aren’t face to face any longer.</p>
605.  
606.  
607.  
608. <p>I thought I had done enough to prepare them.&nbsp; But last Sunday proved that I obviously had not.</p>
609.  
610.  
611.  
612. <p><strong>Don’t get me wrong.&nbsp; My students are working.</strong>&nbsp; They are enjoying the lessons. I have had great parent feedback on their son/daughter’s excitement for the projects we are working on.&nbsp; The problem I was facing was the feedback loop.</p>
613.  
614.  
615.  
616. <p>I’d forgotten where I had come from.&nbsp; I forgot to teach them about their responsibilities as a learner in the online classroom.</p>
617.  
618.  
619.  
620. <p>When I got back from my walk, I immediately switched tacks to come up with a new feedback plan.&nbsp; I met with my classes on Monday and talked about my responsibilities as their teacher and their responsibilities as my students.</p>
621.  
622.  
623.  
624. <p><strong>We agreed my job was to:</strong></p>
625.  
626.  
627.  
628. <div class="wp-block-group"><div class="wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow">
629. <ul><li>Place stars in PowerSchool grade book at the end of each week.&nbsp; *** is complete, **1 thing missing, * 2 or more things missing, -not attempted</li></ul>
630.  
631.  
632.  
633. <ul><li>A comment will be next to the stars. If * or ** it will say in the comment what needs to be done.</li></ul>
634.  
635.  
636.  
637. <ul><li>More detailed feedback on the quality of your work and what to improve on will be updated in your Feedback Doc attached to your assignment in Google Classroom.&nbsp; This will usually be done Monday or Tuesday the following week.</li></ul>
638. </div></div>
639.  
640.  
641.  
642. <ul><li>I will send one group email to let you know when stars and feedback have been updated.</li></ul>
643.  
644.  
645.  
646. <p><strong>We agreed that the student&#8217;s job was to:</strong></p>
647.  
648.  
649.  
650. <div class="wp-block-group"><div class="wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow">
651. <ul><li>Check PowerSchool after an email is sent at the end of the week.</li></ul>
652.  
653.  
654.  
655. <ul><li>If a * or **&nbsp; then complete the work that is missing, then write to me to let me know it has been done so I can go back in and look at it and update the grade.</li></ul>
656.  
657.  
658.  
659. <ul><li>Check the Google Doc attached to assessment for more specific feedback when I send email that feedback is ready.&nbsp;&nbsp;</li></ul>
660.  
661.  
662.  
663. <ul><li>If the feedback shows something is missing or incomplete, complete the work. Then email me that the work is done so I can go back in and look at it and update the grade.</li></ul>
664. </div></div>
665.  
666.  
667.  
668. <p><strong>So far so good.</strong>&nbsp; Students are taking more responsibility.&nbsp; Students are reading their feedback, adjusting their work, and asking for me to update their grade/feedback.&nbsp; This group email reduced my time giving feedback from 5 to 6 hours, to 1 to 2 hours.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>
669.  
670.  
671.  
672. <p>Rather than sending out 40 emails like, “Hey Steve, can hit the publish button on your website so I can view your work?” I was sending only 3 to 4 emails out to specific students who were very behind and at risk.&nbsp; I was able to meet one on one with my most at risk students to work out plans for how to stay on track. And I even had a couple of discussions with parents on how to help their child better manage the feedback loop.</p>
673.  
674.  
675.  
676. <p><strong>And I know I said I needed to BE HERE NOW, but sometimes we can find relief by looking to the future.</strong>&nbsp; As I plan for next fall, I know things will look more like now and less like what the first weeks of school used to look like.</p>
677.  
678.  
679.  
680. <p>One thing is for sure though. My first week online or in class will be about Community, Feedback, and Self Reliance.&nbsp;</p>
681.  
682.  
683.  
684. <p>As we work in what will probably be a hybrid model of in school, and distance learning, it will be even more important to get the year started with clear expectations for this new hybrid learning journey.</p>
685.  
686.  
687.  
688. <p>In order to get to know our students and help them reflect as learner I must:</p>
689.  
690.  
691.  
692. <ul><li>Give them vocabulary to express what they can do and what they struggle with.&nbsp;&nbsp;</li><li>Give them opportunities to solve problems and make choices on their own.</li><li>Give them opportunities to fail and correct course and succeed.</li><li>Give them opportunities to explore the digital space and take ownership of their feedback.</li><li>Give them opportunities.</li></ul>
693.  
694.  
695.  
696. <p>And now it is time for Saturday. Time to power down, close the lid, hide the phone and BE HERE NOW.</p>
697.  
698.  
699.  
700. <div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter size-large"><img loading="lazy" width="1024" height="768" data-attachment-id="3559" data-permalink="https://mrsralf.wordpress.com/img_2328/" data-orig-file="https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2020/05/img_2328.jpg" data-orig-size="4032,3024" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;1.8&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;iPhone XR&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1586944612&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;4.25&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;50&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.0082644628099174&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}" data-image-title="img_2328" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2020/05/img_2328.jpg?w=300" data-large-file="https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2020/05/img_2328.jpg?w=863" src="https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2020/05/img_2328.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-3559" srcset="https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2020/05/img_2328.jpg?w=1024 1024w, https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2020/05/img_2328.jpg?w=2048 2048w, https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2020/05/img_2328.jpg?w=150 150w, https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2020/05/img_2328.jpg?w=300 300w, https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2020/05/img_2328.jpg?w=768 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure></div>
701.  
702.  
703.  
704. <p><strong>Want more Feedback inspiration?</strong></p>
705.  
706.  
707.  
708. <p><a href="https://globalonlineacademy.org/insights/articles/progress-not-praise-how-to-design-feedback-for-competency-based-learning">Progress, not Praise: How to Design Feedback for Competency Based Learning</a> by Susan Fine</p>
709.  
710.  
711.  
712. <p><a href="https://globalonlineacademy.org/insights/articles/six-strategies-for-using-feedback-to-build-community">Six Strategies for Using Feedback to Build Community</a> by Jason Cummings</p>
713.  
714.  
715.  
716. <p><a href="https://globalonlineacademy.org/insights/articles/all-that-jazz-using-feedback-to-make-learning-visible">All that Jazz: Using Feedback to Make Learning Visible</a> by Jeff Schwartz</p>
717.  
718.  
719.  
720. <p><a href="http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/apr16/vol73/num07/The-Secret-of-Effective-Feedback.aspx">The Secret of Effective Feedback</a> by Dylan Wiliam</p>
721. ]]></content:encoded>
723. <wfw:commentRss>https://mrsralf.wordpress.com/2020/05/02/fixing-the-feedback-loop/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
724. <slash:comments>4</slash:comments>
728. <media:thumbnail url="https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2020/05/img_2328.jpg" />
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730. <media:title type="html">img_2328</media:title>
731. </media:content>
732.  
733. <media:content url="https://0.gravatar.com/avatar/97d1088362bf1d0768036600c230f50e1f4a694df3891945985ec33bdc9ad755?s=96&#38;d=identicon&#38;r=G" medium="image">
734. <media:title type="html">mrsralf</media:title>
735. </media:content>
736.  
737. <media:content url="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/97/MtArt.JPG/1920px-MtArt.JPG" medium="image" />
738.  
739. <media:content url="https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2020/05/img_2328.jpg?w=1024" medium="image" />
740. </item>
741. <item>
742. <title>Teaching in the time of Covid-19</title>
743. <link>https://mrsralf.wordpress.com/2020/04/25/teaching-in-the-time-of-covid-19/</link>
744. <comments>https://mrsralf.wordpress.com/2020/04/25/teaching-in-the-time-of-covid-19/#comments</comments>
746. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Kathleen R]]></dc:creator>
747. <pubDate>Sat, 25 Apr 2020 08:43:31 +0000</pubDate>
748. <category><![CDATA[Education]]></category>
749. <category><![CDATA[Covid-19]]></category>
750. <category><![CDATA[Distance Learning]]></category>
751. <category><![CDATA[History Teacher]]></category>
752. <category><![CDATA[Lockdown]]></category>
753. <category><![CDATA[Online Learning]]></category>
754. <category><![CDATA[Pedagogy]]></category>
755. <category><![CDATA[teacher life]]></category>
756. <category><![CDATA[Teaching]]></category>
757. <guid isPermaLink="false">http://mrsralf.wordpress.com/?p=3524</guid>
758.  
759. <description><![CDATA[When we initially started the planning for Distance Learning I was pretty chill.&#160; And I have to say there was part of me that was really excited to think outside [&#8230;]]]></description>
760. <content:encoded><![CDATA[
761. <p><span style="font-weight:400;"><strong>When we initially started the planning for Distance Learning</strong> <strong>I was pretty chill.</strong>&nbsp; And I have to say there was part of me that was really excited to think outside the box and try some new things.</span></p>
762.  
763.  
764.  
765. <p><span style="font-weight:400;">As I had already been teaching online with Global Online Academy for 6 years, I was confident in my skills as an online educator and designer. Yet I have always been torn on how to bring some of the cool things I do online with my GOA kids&nbsp; to my students in my brick and mortar classroom.</span></p>
766.  
767.  
768.  
769. <div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="alignleft size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" data-attachment-id="3531" data-permalink="https://mrsralf.wordpress.com/img_2411/" data-orig-file="https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2020/04/img_2411.jpg" data-orig-size="3024,4032" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;1.8&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;iPhone XR&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1587810104&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;4.25&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;125&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.016666666666667&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}" data-image-title="img_2411" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2020/04/img_2411.jpg?w=225" data-large-file="https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2020/04/img_2411.jpg?w=768" src="https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2020/04/img_2411.jpg?w=768" alt="" class="wp-image-3531" width="251" height="336" srcset="https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2020/04/img_2411.jpg?w=251 251w, https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2020/04/img_2411.jpg?w=502 502w, https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2020/04/img_2411.jpg?w=113 113w, https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2020/04/img_2411.jpg?w=225 225w" sizes="(max-width: 251px) 100vw, 251px" /><figcaption>My new classroom</figcaption></figure></div>
770.  
771.  
772.  
773. <p><span style="font-weight:400;">When teaching online, you design a course well before the students arrive at it.&nbsp; That means all activities, resources, instructions, are all in place day 1.&nbsp; Then as a teacher, my job is to interact, help, give feedback, and meet with students.&nbsp; Once the course starts, you might have to do a few tweaks here and there on the design, but the bulk of&nbsp;your time is spent just interacting, and well&#8230;teaching.</span></p>
774.  
775.  
776.  
777. <p><span style="font-weight:400;">The other thing about a normal semester of online teaching is that I only have one class online.&nbsp; The rest of my courses are face to face.&nbsp; So I might be online an hour here or an hour there, but most of the time I’m walking around the classroom interacting with my students and colleagues, or planning my lessons.</span></p>
778.  
779.  
780.  
781. <p><strong>So how is it different with distance learning?</strong></p>
782.  
783.  
784.  
785. <p><span style="font-weight:400;">The kids arrive at the course as you are creating it.&nbsp; I have tried to make sure that I have everything front loaded for kids by Sunday afternoon.&nbsp; That means that they can jump in on Sunday night or Monday morning and get an overview of what they will be doing for the week.</span></p>
786.  
787.  
788.  
789. <div class="wp-block-group"><div class="wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow">
790. <div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="alignleft size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" data-attachment-id="3537" data-permalink="https://mrsralf.wordpress.com/screen-shot-2020-04-25-at-10-35-50/" data-orig-file="https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2020/04/screen-shot-2020-04-25-at-10.35.50.png" data-orig-size="216,452" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}" data-image-title="screen-shot-2020-04-25-at-10.35.50" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2020/04/screen-shot-2020-04-25-at-10.35.50.png?w=143" data-large-file="https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2020/04/screen-shot-2020-04-25-at-10.35.50.png?w=216" src="https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2020/04/screen-shot-2020-04-25-at-10.35.50.png?w=216" alt="" class="wp-image-3537" width="67" height="141" srcset="https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2020/04/screen-shot-2020-04-25-at-10.35.50.png?w=67 67w, https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2020/04/screen-shot-2020-04-25-at-10.35.50.png?w=134 134w, https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2020/04/screen-shot-2020-04-25-at-10.35.50.png?w=72 72w" sizes="(max-width: 67px) 100vw, 67px" /></figure></div>
791.  
792.  
793.  
794. <p><span style="font-weight:400;">Rather than having all the kids going at the same pace on the same assignment, I have tried to create learning journeys for students.&nbsp; For example, for our unit on Ancient Greece, students are choosing subtopics to explore by interacting with a playlist of resources to gain knowledge. To show their understanding, they have a variety of ways to express their learning: video, art, act it outs, screen casts, models in Minecraft, cartoons, written text, etc.</span></p>
795.  
796.  
797.  
798. <p></p>
799. </div></div>
800.  
801.  
802.  
803. <p><span style="font-weight:400;">While kids are doing their work for the week, I am doing similar things that I usually do with my online kids.&nbsp; I meet with them in small groups or whole class for 15 minute discussions or instructions. I give feedback on the work they are doing. I send email reminders if they fall behind. I might even have to pull some kids into Zoom with parents to set some goals to correct their path if needed.&nbsp;And if I have time, I also try to design the lessons for the following week, so that I have a break on the weekend.&nbsp;But I haven’t quite been successful at that yet.</span></p>
804.  
805.  
806.  
807. <p><span style="font-weight:400;">Oh and don’t forget, I’m still teaching an online course for GOA.&nbsp; So I will also go online before and after school to respond to student messages, give them feedback on their work, and meet with them in Zoom for check-ins, once every other week.</span></p>
808.  
809.  
810.  
811. <p>This means I am in front of a computer from 5:45 to 5:30/6:00pm every day.</p>
812.  
813.  
814.  
815. <p><strong>I’m not writing all this to get your sympathy, but wanted to just share the kind of time it takes to deliver good, well designed distance learning activities.</strong></p>
816.  
817.  
818.  
819. <p><span style="font-weight:400;">Over Spring Break, which was two weeks, I spent 4-5 hours each day catching up on feedback for my students, and designing lessons for the following weeks. Before you scold me for using my vacation for work, know that work is what kept me from going crazy in lock down.</span></p>
820.  
821.  
822.  
823. <p><span style="font-weight:400;">I had hoped to get ahead so that I could spend more time interacting with kids and their work, and less time designing, so I could have weekends back.&nbsp; Unfortunately, there is always more planning to do.</span></p>
824.  
825.  
826.  
827. <p>And know that this planning is exciting and rewarding. My students have risen to the occasion and are also creating great work and showing their knowledge in inspiring new ways.  However I know this kind of workload is unsustainable.</p>
828.  
829.  
830.  
831. <p><b>A typical day distance learning might look like this:</b></p>
832.  
833.  
834.  
835. <p><span style="font-weight:400;"><strong>5:45</strong> Wake up, get my coffee, and check the feed.&nbsp; I check <a href="https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/">Worldometer</a> for the latest counts of new infections and deaths, because I like to start the day on a positive note.&nbsp; I read a bit of news and read my emails:personal, GOA students, and my school mail. I skim through Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram for inspiration from my digital PLN. It is amazing the things people are doing with kids and then sharing online.</span></p>
836.  
837.  
838.  
839. <p><span style="font-weight:400;"><strong>6:30</strong> Begin going through student work from the day before to send out reminder emails to anyone who has fallen behind.&nbsp; I try to set the emails to send at 8:00 am so they don’t think I’m available at all hours.&nbsp; Depending on the day I might be able to get through all of this by 8:45 when classes start, but sometimes I have to use my prep periods for this.&nbsp;</span></p>
840.  
841.  
842.  
843. <p><span style="font-weight:400;">And somewhere within those times I get dressed, get the family up, and squeeze in breakfast.&nbsp; A shower usually happens in the afternoon.</span></p>
844.  
845.  
846.  
847. <p><strong>8:45-2:15 (one hour lunch either at 11:40 or 12:30)</strong></p>
848.  
849.  
850.  
851. <div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="alignleft size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" data-attachment-id="3535" data-permalink="https://mrsralf.wordpress.com/screen-shot-2020-04-25-at-10-35-29/" data-orig-file="https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2020/04/screen-shot-2020-04-25-at-10.35.29.png" data-orig-size="774,1212" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}" data-image-title="screen-shot-2020-04-25-at-10.35.29" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2020/04/screen-shot-2020-04-25-at-10.35.29.png?w=192" data-large-file="https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2020/04/screen-shot-2020-04-25-at-10.35.29.png?w=654" src="https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2020/04/screen-shot-2020-04-25-at-10.35.29.png?w=654" alt="" class="wp-image-3535" width="452" height="707" srcset="https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2020/04/screen-shot-2020-04-25-at-10.35.29.png?w=452 452w, https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2020/04/screen-shot-2020-04-25-at-10.35.29.png?w=96 96w, https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2020/04/screen-shot-2020-04-25-at-10.35.29.png?w=192 192w, https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2020/04/screen-shot-2020-04-25-at-10.35.29.png?w=768 768w, https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2020/04/screen-shot-2020-04-25-at-10.35.29.png 774w" sizes="(max-width: 452px) 100vw, 452px" /></figure></div>
852.  
853.  
854.  
855. <p><span style="font-weight:400;">Each lesson throughout the day looks something like:</span></p>
856.  
857.  
858.  
859. <p><span style="font-weight:400;"><strong>Go to Zoom Room:</strong></span></p>
860.  
861.  
862.  
863. <ul><li><span style="font-weight:400;">If whole group meeting, it is instructions for 10 minutes, then they go off and work, checking back in if they have questions.</span></li><li><span style="font-weight:400;">If small group meeting, I rotate 15 minute intervals with prearranged small groups of 3-5, when kids aren’t in meeting they are to be working on activities set.</span></li><li><span style="font-weight:400;">If no meeting, I’m just in the Zoom room for kids to come in and ask questions if needed.</span></li><li><span style="font-weight:400;">When not with students (but Zoom is still on) I’m going through student work, giving feedback, sending email reminders to students to do work, reading and responding to emails from students/colleagues/parents, checking to see that my daughter is focussed on her lessons, planning for next week of lessons.</span></li></ul>
864.  
865.  
866.  
867. <p><span style="font-weight:400;"><strong>If it is a prep period</strong>, then I am meeting with my collaborative team, or answering emails, or giving feedback to student work, sending email reminders, or if I’m lucky, using the time to plan for the following week.</span></p>
868.  
869.  
870.  
871. <p><span style="font-weight:400;"><strong>2:15-3:10 is Study Hall</strong>. We have dropped our 6th lesson each day for Office Hours and time for students to catch up.&nbsp; This time looks very much like what I do every other lesson.</span></p>
872.  
873.  
874.  
875. <p><span style="font-weight:400;"><strong>3:30</strong> I go out for a run or walk.</span></p>
876.  
877.  
878.  
879. <p><span style="font-weight:400;"><strong>4:00</strong> Yoga for 20 minutes.&nbsp; Thank you to <a href="https://www.downdogapp.com/">Down Dog</a> for the Freemium subscription through July for teachers.</span></p>
880.  
881.  
882.  
883. <p><span style="font-weight:400;"><strong>4:30-5:30</strong> Last check of email.&nbsp; Check student work and participation for my at risk students who need more support.&nbsp; Respond to parent emails of “did my child respond, do work, etc if I sent out a message previously in the day.</span></p>
884.  
885.  
886.  
887. <p><span style="font-weight:400;"><strong>By 5:30</strong> I try to shut if off.&nbsp; But as my online course is still in session, I usually try to spend that moment before dinner to check in and see how they are doing.</span></p>
888.  
889.  
890.  
891. <p><span style="font-weight:400;">And then the next day looks very much the same.</span></p>
892.  
893.  
894.  
895. <p><b>What about weekends?</b></p>
896.  
897.  
898.  
899. <p>During a normal school year<b>,</b><span style="font-weight:400;"> the only thing I do on weekends is hang out with family and do normal weekend stuff.&nbsp; I am lucky to work in a place that allows for a good work/life balance.&nbsp; </span></p>
900.  
901.  
902.  
903. <p><span style="font-weight:400;">But things are no longer normal.</span></p>
904.  
905.  
906.  
907. <p><span style="font-weight:400;">So in order to function in this new world of teaching, my weekend looks more like regular work days, and less like a weekend.</span></p>
908.  
909.  
910.  
911. <p><span style="font-weight:400;"><strong>6:30-7:30 Normal wake up ritual.</strong>&nbsp; Also check for any pressing emails that must be answered.&nbsp; If there is an emergency for at-risk kids, I will respond.&nbsp; If it can wait until Monday, I usually respond at that time, but set the email to send Monday at 8:00.</span></p>
912.  
913.  
914.  
915. <p><span style="font-weight:400;"><strong>7:30-10:30</strong> Check in with my GOA online student work.&nbsp; Send them any pressing reminders.&nbsp; Use some time to plan lessons for the following work.&nbsp; Build PowerSchool pages, find resources, write instructions, make Loom video for overviews.&nbsp; Watch FlipGrid reflections from Friday.&nbsp; These always cheer me up.</span></p>
916.  
917.  
918.  
919. <p><span style="font-weight:400;"><strong>11:00am-10:00pm</strong> Once the family is up and going, I try to be present and not think about school. We do our shopping, take a bike ride, maybe go to the garden, take a hike in the neighborhood woods, or maybe we do some arts and crafts at the kitchen table.</span></p>
920.  
921.  
922.  
923. <p><b>Sundays are a bit more about school work</b><span style="font-weight:400;">.&nbsp; Usually most of the day is spent planning. Then by 16:00, I send out emails to my students with the overview video of the week and publish their pages in PowerSchool for the coming week’s activities.</span></p>
924.  
925.  
926.  
927. <p><b>I don’t think my schedule is much different from most of my colleagues.</b><span style="font-weight:400;"> Team meetings and WhatsAp chats have confirmed for me that we are all working similar hours. Many of us are doing the same things with our time.&nbsp; I have yet to talk to any colleague who feels like this whole situation has finally given them time to do all those things they have never had time to do.&nbsp;</span></p>
928.  
929.  
930.  
931. <p><span style="font-weight:400;">Recently on the world of teacher bashing on Twitter, a person complained that he was tired of seeing all the fresh baked goods teachers were flaunting. He was disturbed that they were getting paid to do a bit of baking instead of working. </span></p>
932.  
933.  
934.  
935. <p><span style="font-weight:400;"><strong>Love the response he got:</strong></span></p>
936.  
937.  
938.  
939. <figure class="wp-block-embed-twitter wp-block-embed is-type-rich"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
940. <div class="embed-twitter"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">I saw someone tweet earlier if they see one more teacher post home baking they are doing on Twitter on full pay they will scream. I feel we owe it to society to cause a scream for teachers by all sharing a photo of a cake/pie/casserole we have made in lockdown.</p>&mdash; Ceridwen Eccles (@Teacherglitter) <a href="https://twitter.com/Teacherglitter/status/1253402704677912576?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 23, 2020</a></blockquote><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
941. </div></figure>
942.  
943.  
944.  
945. <p><span style="font-weight:400;"><strong>My response to people like that is that we all have our ways to find balance and peace amidst it all.</strong> Some of us bake. Some of us exercise.&nbsp; Some of us make.&nbsp; One of my colleagues has been making masks for community members, and another has been 3D printing and delivering PPE’s to hospitals in the area.</span></p>
946.  
947.  
948.  
949. <p><span style="font-weight:400;">But to those who wonder what teachers do all day now that they are home,&nbsp; I hope this gives you a little taste.&nbsp;&nbsp;</span></p>
950.  
951.  
952.  
953. <p><span style="font-weight:400;">My goal for the next few weeks&#8230;spend less weekend time on work.&nbsp; Maybe, just maybe things will look a bit more like normal.</span></p>
954.  
955.  
956.  
957. <p></p>
958.  
959.  
960.  
961. <hr class="wp-block-separator" />
962.  
963.  
964.  
965. <p></p>
966.  
967.  
968.  
969. <p><span style="font-weight:400;"><strong>If looking for inspiration on how to better design lessons for online learning, check out these blog posts from the past:</strong></span></p>
970.  
971.  
972.  
973. <p><a href="https://mrsralf.wordpress.com/2018/02/06/learning-doesnt-have-to-stop-when-teachers-are-out-sick/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Learning Doesn&#8217;t Have to Stop When the Teacher is Out Sick</a></p>
974.  
975.  
976.  
977. <p><a href="https://mrsralf.wordpress.com/2016/04/01/showing-understanding-screencasting/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Showing Understanding Through Screencasting</a></p>
978.  
979.  
980.  
981. <p><span style="font-weight:400;">&nbsp;</span>Making the Most of Your Learning Management System:</p>
982.  
983.  
984.  
985. <p> <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://mrsralf.wordpress.com/2016/02/11/making-the-most-of-your-lms-wayfinding/" target="_blank">Part 1</a>-Wayfinding </p>
986.  
987.  
988.  
989. <p><a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://mrsralf.wordpress.com/2016/02/20/making-the-most-of-your-lms-part-ii-collaboration/" target="_blank">Part 2</a>-Collaboration </p>
990.  
991.  
992.  
993. <p><a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://mrsralf.wordpress.com/2016/02/28/making-the-most-of-your-lms-part-iii-formative-assessment/" target="_blank">Part 3</a>-Formative Assessment</p>
994.  
995.  
996.  
997. <p></p>
998. ]]></content:encoded>
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1020. <item>
1021. <title>What do you see when you look into his eyes?</title>
1022. <link>https://mrsralf.wordpress.com/2019/01/20/what-do-you-see-when-you-look-into-his-eyes/</link>
1023. <comments>https://mrsralf.wordpress.com/2019/01/20/what-do-you-see-when-you-look-into-his-eyes/#comments</comments>
1025. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Kathleen R]]></dc:creator>
1026. <pubDate>Sun, 20 Jan 2019 08:18:20 +0000</pubDate>
1027. <category><![CDATA[America]]></category>
1028. <category><![CDATA[Education]]></category>
1029. <category><![CDATA[German History]]></category>
1030. <category><![CDATA[History]]></category>
1031. <category><![CDATA[Living and Working in Germany]]></category>
1032. <category><![CDATA[Christianity]]></category>
1033. <category><![CDATA[Covington Catholic High School]]></category>
1034. <category><![CDATA[empathy]]></category>
1035. <category><![CDATA[Holocaust]]></category>
1036. <category><![CDATA[MAGA]]></category>
1037. <category><![CDATA[Native Americans]]></category>
1038. <category><![CDATA[School Trips]]></category>
1039. <category><![CDATA[Teaching History]]></category>
1040. <category><![CDATA[WWJD]]></category>
1041. <guid isPermaLink="false">http://mrsralf.wordpress.com/?p=3503</guid>
1042.  
1043. <description><![CDATA[My students know I can get a little upset when it comes to racism and disrespect of any kind.  I teach a course on Genocide and Human Rights, so I’m [&#8230;]]]></description>
1044. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>My students know I can get a little upset when it comes to racism and disrespect of any kind.  I teach a course on Genocide and Human Rights, so I’m just a tiny bit sensitive to some issues.  And by tiny bit, I mean I fly off the handle, one student might say irrationally.   But don’t we all have our hot button issues?</p>
1045. <p>Teachers can&#8217;t help but see the world through their subject lens.  A science teacher reads the newspaper and is drawn to issues of global climate change, new findings in medical research, and latest images from the Mars rover.  An English teacher reads every novel with the thought of, “I wonder if this would be good for my course on…”  So, it is only natural, that when I see the news, and I see a young man and his classmates taunting a Native American Elder, I see it through the lens of history.</p>
1046. <p><img loading="lazy" data-attachment-id="3504" data-permalink="https://mrsralf.wordpress.com/2019/01/20/what-do-you-see-when-you-look-into-his-eyes/a16e35eb-5cef-4d44-9ade-e610f8ba2e89-large16x9_covcath2/" data-orig-file="https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2019/01/a16e35eb-5cef-4d44-9ade-e610f8ba2e89-large16x9_covcath2.png" data-orig-size="986,555" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}" data-image-title="a16e35eb-5cef-4d44-9ade-e610f8ba2e89-large16x9_covcath2" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2019/01/a16e35eb-5cef-4d44-9ade-e610f8ba2e89-large16x9_covcath2.png?w=300" data-large-file="https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2019/01/a16e35eb-5cef-4d44-9ade-e610f8ba2e89-large16x9_covcath2.png?w=863" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-3504" src="https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2019/01/a16e35eb-5cef-4d44-9ade-e610f8ba2e89-large16x9_covcath2.png" alt="a16e35eb-5cef-4d44-9ade-e610f8ba2e89-large16x9_covcath2" width="986" height="555" srcset="https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2019/01/a16e35eb-5cef-4d44-9ade-e610f8ba2e89-large16x9_covcath2.png 986w, https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2019/01/a16e35eb-5cef-4d44-9ade-e610f8ba2e89-large16x9_covcath2.png?w=150&amp;h=84 150w, https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2019/01/a16e35eb-5cef-4d44-9ade-e610f8ba2e89-large16x9_covcath2.png?w=300&amp;h=169 300w, https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2019/01/a16e35eb-5cef-4d44-9ade-e610f8ba2e89-large16x9_covcath2.png?w=768&amp;h=432 768w" sizes="(max-width: 986px) 100vw, 986px" /></p>
1047. <p>I also have chaperoned numerous school trips, shuttling 45 to 150 kids to various locations around Europe.  Regardless of how many students, these are always the best and worst weeks of my life.</p>
1048. <p>My mommy instincts kick in and I worry about the precious cargo I’m in charge of.  I worry one or two of them will get left on a train.  I worry that a few might feel left out or be homesick. I worry that they might do something that reflects poorly on themselves, their families, and our school.  They are kids after all, they don&#8217;t always think about the possible consequences of their actions.</p>
1049. <p>99% of the time, we return home all in one piece.  (There was that one time a student broke her wrist.) We have a few funny stories to tell about nearly losing teacher in the city, the crazy antics the kids got up to after 10 pm, and the amazing learning we all shared together. But I have never EVER had a situation where, when unsupervised, my students did what these boys did on Saturday.</p>
1050. <p>There was that time that I had a student in class say something like, “Didn’t the Jews sort of ask for it?  I mean, they could have just left?”  The the room went into an eery silence.  A giant vacuum left us breathless, my mind exploded in emotion as time stood still.  How do you respond to that in a respectful and measured way?</p>
1051. <p>I tried to remain calm, to not show emotion, but inside I was a raging.  With restraint, I tried to explain why I found the question to be inappropriate.  I tried to explain why the question was insensitive. I tried to explain that no one ASKS for genocide to be committed against their people.</p>
1052. <p>Then there was the time we were in Berlin. As my homeroom approached the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe I gave them a warning:</p>
1053. <p>&#8220;This is one of the most important things you will see today.  It is to be respected.  No climbing on the blocks. No taking of selfies.  No yelling or playing tag in the maze of stele. This is hallowed ground.&#8221;</p>
1054. <p><img loading="lazy" data-attachment-id="3505" data-permalink="https://mrsralf.wordpress.com/2019/01/20/what-do-you-see-when-you-look-into-his-eyes/2011-0620berlin20283029/" data-orig-file="https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2019/01/2011-0620berlin20283029.jpg" data-orig-size="1200,674" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;4&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;Canon PowerShot G12&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1308378727&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;6.1&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;80&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.00125&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;,&quot;latitude&quot;:&quot;52.523405&quot;,&quot;longitude&quot;:&quot;13.4114&quot;}" data-image-title="2011-0620berlin20283029" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2019/01/2011-0620berlin20283029.jpg?w=300" data-large-file="https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2019/01/2011-0620berlin20283029.jpg?w=863" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-3505" src="https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2019/01/2011-0620berlin20283029.jpg" alt="2011-0620berlin20283029" width="1200" height="674" srcset="https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2019/01/2011-0620berlin20283029.jpg 1200w, https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2019/01/2011-0620berlin20283029.jpg?w=150&amp;h=84 150w, https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2019/01/2011-0620berlin20283029.jpg?w=300&amp;h=169 300w, https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2019/01/2011-0620berlin20283029.jpg?w=768&amp;h=431 768w, https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2019/01/2011-0620berlin20283029.jpg?w=1024&amp;h=575 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px" /></p>
1055. <p>We stood along side it. One of the students had prepared a short speech about how it was designed and what it was to represent.  Then I gave them more instructions.</p>
1056. <p>&#8220;Each of you needs to take your own path.  Don’t go together.  Walk amongst the stele and remember why this was created.  Have your own experience.  I will meet you on the other side.&#8221;</p>
1057. <p>They took their own paths.  They wandered for maybe two minutes and then the sky opened up into an apocalyptic rage of wind and rain.  You couldn’t really see or manoeuvre in the chaos, but some of the students were able to find each other and huddle amongst the monoliths.  Their screams and cries joined the screams and cries of others caught with no protection from the storm.</p>
1058. <p>When the torrent subsided, the students emerged.  They were giant sponges weighed down by their wet sweatshirts and jeans.  They were cold, shivering, and miserable.  They seemed to have understood what just happened.  They were all visibly moved, shaken.  The monument spoke to them.</p>
1059. <p>No one complained.  They knew that in the shadow of that monument, there was no room for complaint.</p>
1060. <p>And as I gaze into this boy’s eyes I have so many questions.  Where are the adults?  Why would adults allow you to wear MAGA hats on your service outing?  If your school is sending you to march alongside those who are in support for the Right to Life, why would you stand and jeer at others who have just as much right to live?</p>
1061. <p><img loading="lazy" data-attachment-id="3504" data-permalink="https://mrsralf.wordpress.com/2019/01/20/what-do-you-see-when-you-look-into-his-eyes/a16e35eb-5cef-4d44-9ade-e610f8ba2e89-large16x9_covcath2/" data-orig-file="https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2019/01/a16e35eb-5cef-4d44-9ade-e610f8ba2e89-large16x9_covcath2.png" data-orig-size="986,555" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}" data-image-title="a16e35eb-5cef-4d44-9ade-e610f8ba2e89-large16x9_covcath2" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2019/01/a16e35eb-5cef-4d44-9ade-e610f8ba2e89-large16x9_covcath2.png?w=300" data-large-file="https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2019/01/a16e35eb-5cef-4d44-9ade-e610f8ba2e89-large16x9_covcath2.png?w=863" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-3504" src="https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2019/01/a16e35eb-5cef-4d44-9ade-e610f8ba2e89-large16x9_covcath2.png" alt="a16e35eb-5cef-4d44-9ade-e610f8ba2e89-large16x9_covcath2" width="986" height="555" srcset="https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2019/01/a16e35eb-5cef-4d44-9ade-e610f8ba2e89-large16x9_covcath2.png 986w, https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2019/01/a16e35eb-5cef-4d44-9ade-e610f8ba2e89-large16x9_covcath2.png?w=150&amp;h=84 150w, https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2019/01/a16e35eb-5cef-4d44-9ade-e610f8ba2e89-large16x9_covcath2.png?w=300&amp;h=169 300w, https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2019/01/a16e35eb-5cef-4d44-9ade-e610f8ba2e89-large16x9_covcath2.png?w=768&amp;h=432 768w" sizes="(max-width: 986px) 100vw, 986px" /></p>
1062. <p>And I wonder, do others see what I see through my history teacher lens?  Do they see boys in brown shirts? Do they see boys using their power and privilege to belittle others? Do they see boys taunting those that do not fit their view of a master race?</p>
1063. <p>Monday is going to be a difficult day for Covington Catholic High School and their diocese.  Already their website&#8217;s “contact us” page is set to password only.  Their Twitter accounts and their Facebook page are locked. I can only imagine the disappointment the teachers at Covington are feeling right now.  This is not what usually happens on their annual trip to Washington DC.</p>
1064. <p>We can only hope that for Covington’s next service project, these boys will work alongside people like Nathan Phillips.  Maybe these boys will learn to build bridges of empathy, rather than build walls of prejudice.</p>
1065. <p><em><strong>Looking for programs and resources to teach empathy amongst your students?  Contact <a href="https://culturesofdignity.com/">Cultures of Dignity</a>, <a href="https://www.tolerance.org/">Teaching Tolerance</a>, and <a href="https://www.facinghistory.org/">Facing History And Ourselves</a>.</strong></em></p>
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1086. <item>
1087. <title>Adventures in Classroom Seating</title>
1088. <link>https://mrsralf.wordpress.com/2018/11/13/adventures-in-classroom-seating/</link>
1089. <comments>https://mrsralf.wordpress.com/2018/11/13/adventures-in-classroom-seating/#comments</comments>
1091. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Kathleen R]]></dc:creator>
1092. <pubDate>Tue, 13 Nov 2018 10:38:24 +0000</pubDate>
1093. <category><![CDATA[Education]]></category>
1094. <guid isPermaLink="false">http://mrsralf.wordpress.com/?p=3486</guid>
1095.  
1096. <description><![CDATA[Inspiration for the new adventure: After a recent trip to the American School of Bombay (Mumbai) to collaborate with teachers from all over the world for the CIE conference, I [&#8230;]]]></description>
1097. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><strong>Inspiration for the new adventure:</strong></p>
1098. <p><span style="font-weight:400;">After a recent trip to the <a href="https://www.asbindia.org/">American School of Bombay</a> (Mumbai) to collaborate with teachers from all over the world for the </span><a href="https://iscollaborative.org/"><span style="font-weight:400;">CIE</span></a><span style="font-weight:400;"> conference, I was inspired by how teachers at ASB were using flexible seating options at both the elementary and middle level.  </span></p>
1099. <p><span style="font-weight:400;">The teachers at the lower levels were trying to give space to those kids who needed low stimulation zones, places to get comfortable for reading, places that encourage positive interaction, or places that would promote focus.  The teachers were collaborating with students to find their “just right” working environment. </span></p>
1100. <p><img loading="lazy" data-attachment-id="3488" data-permalink="https://mrsralf.wordpress.com/2018/11/13/adventures-in-classroom-seating/screen-shot-2018-11-13-at-11-03-18-2/" data-orig-file="https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2018/11/screen-shot-2018-11-13-at-11-03-181.png" data-orig-size="1310,990" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}" data-image-title="Screen Shot 2018-11-13 at 11.03.18" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2018/11/screen-shot-2018-11-13-at-11-03-181.png?w=300" data-large-file="https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2018/11/screen-shot-2018-11-13-at-11-03-181.png?w=863" class="  wp-image-3488 aligncenter" src="https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2018/11/screen-shot-2018-11-13-at-11-03-181.png" alt="Screen Shot 2018-11-13 at 11.03.18" width="549" height="415" srcset="https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2018/11/screen-shot-2018-11-13-at-11-03-181.png?w=549&amp;h=415 549w, https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2018/11/screen-shot-2018-11-13-at-11-03-181.png?w=1098&amp;h=830 1098w, https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2018/11/screen-shot-2018-11-13-at-11-03-181.png?w=150&amp;h=113 150w, https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2018/11/screen-shot-2018-11-13-at-11-03-181.png?w=300&amp;h=227 300w, https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2018/11/screen-shot-2018-11-13-at-11-03-181.png?w=768&amp;h=580 768w, https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2018/11/screen-shot-2018-11-13-at-11-03-181.png?w=1024&amp;h=774 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 549px) 100vw, 549px" /></p>
1101. <p><span style="font-weight:400;">Some teachers scheduled students to rotate through the different types of seating. Some teachers allowed students full choice of seating, but with this students were asked to reflect on those choices and possibly take some risks with seating choices in the future.  </span></p>
1102. <p>
1103. <a href='https://mrsralf.wordpress.com/2018/11/13/adventures-in-classroom-seating/screen-shot-2018-11-13-at-11-09-18/'><img width="150" height="112" src="https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2018/11/screen-shot-2018-11-13-at-11-09-18.png?w=150" class="attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail" alt="" decoding="async" srcset="https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2018/11/screen-shot-2018-11-13-at-11-09-18.png?w=150 150w, https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2018/11/screen-shot-2018-11-13-at-11-09-18.png?w=300 300w" sizes="(max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px" data-attachment-id="3489" data-permalink="https://mrsralf.wordpress.com/2018/11/13/adventures-in-classroom-seating/screen-shot-2018-11-13-at-11-09-18/" data-orig-file="https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2018/11/screen-shot-2018-11-13-at-11-09-18.png" data-orig-size="1318,988" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}" data-image-title="Screen Shot 2018-11-13 at 11.09.18" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2018/11/screen-shot-2018-11-13-at-11-09-18.png?w=300" data-large-file="https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2018/11/screen-shot-2018-11-13-at-11-09-18.png?w=863" /></a>
1104. <a href='https://mrsralf.wordpress.com/2018/11/13/adventures-in-classroom-seating/screen-shot-2018-11-13-at-11-09-42/'><img width="150" height="112" src="https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2018/11/screen-shot-2018-11-13-at-11-09-42.png?w=150" class="attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail" alt="" decoding="async" srcset="https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2018/11/screen-shot-2018-11-13-at-11-09-42.png?w=150 150w, https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2018/11/screen-shot-2018-11-13-at-11-09-42.png?w=300 300w" sizes="(max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px" data-attachment-id="3490" data-permalink="https://mrsralf.wordpress.com/2018/11/13/adventures-in-classroom-seating/screen-shot-2018-11-13-at-11-09-42/" data-orig-file="https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2018/11/screen-shot-2018-11-13-at-11-09-42.png" data-orig-size="1306,976" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}" data-image-title="Screen Shot 2018-11-13 at 11.09.42" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2018/11/screen-shot-2018-11-13-at-11-09-42.png?w=300" data-large-file="https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2018/11/screen-shot-2018-11-13-at-11-09-42.png?w=863" /></a>
1105. </p>
1106. <p><span style="font-weight:400;">Some kids need to stand.  Some kids need to get away and hide in a small cozy space with a book.  Some kids need to lay on their bellies, engage their core in order to write a story.</span></p>
1107. <p><span style="font-weight:400;"><strong>From <a href="https://mrsralf.wordpress.com/2016/03/12/redesigning-the-classroom-one-lesson-at-a-time/">past posts</a>, readers know that I have a fully moveable classroom.</strong>  I can move desks out, I can raise them for standing, and I can roll them into any configuration.  I have wobbly chairs and rolling chairs and bean bags. Up until this point, I have never really given my students free reign to design their best learning environment. I design the environment.</span></p>
1108. <ul>
1109. <li style="font-weight:400;"><span style="font-weight:400;">Silent reading days mean bean bags.  </span></li>
1110. <li style="font-weight:400;"><span style="font-weight:400;">Group work means clumped desks for 4.  </span></li>
1111. <li style="font-weight:400;"><span style="font-weight:400;">Working on laptops, desks face out so I can see screens.  </span></li>
1112. <li style="font-weight:400;"><span style="font-weight:400;">Working in pairs, desks in rows and faced forward.</span></li>
1113. <li style="font-weight:400;"><span style="font-weight:400;">Class discussion means a u-shape.</span></li>
1114. </ul>
1115. <p>
1116. <a href='https://mrsralf.wordpress.com/2016/03/12/redesigning-the-classroom-one-lesson-at-a-time/12528136_10207840992414309_1466957476_n/'><img width="150" height="63" src="https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2016/03/12528136_10207840992414309_1466957476_n.jpg?w=150" class="attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail" alt="" decoding="async" srcset="https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2016/03/12528136_10207840992414309_1466957476_n.jpg?w=150 150w, https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2016/03/12528136_10207840992414309_1466957476_n.jpg?w=300 300w" sizes="(max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px" data-attachment-id="2861" data-permalink="https://mrsralf.wordpress.com/2016/03/12/redesigning-the-classroom-one-lesson-at-a-time/12528136_10207840992414309_1466957476_n/" data-orig-file="https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2016/03/12528136_10207840992414309_1466957476_n.jpg" data-orig-size="960,404" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}" data-image-title="12528136_10207840992414309_1466957476_n" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2016/03/12528136_10207840992414309_1466957476_n.jpg?w=300" data-large-file="https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2016/03/12528136_10207840992414309_1466957476_n.jpg?w=863" /></a>
1117. <a href='https://mrsralf.wordpress.com/2016/03/12/redesigning-the-classroom-one-lesson-at-a-time/12825237_10207840844890621_1109549731_n/'><img width="150" height="64" src="https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2016/03/12825237_10207840844890621_1109549731_n.jpg?w=150" class="attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail" alt="" decoding="async" srcset="https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2016/03/12825237_10207840844890621_1109549731_n.jpg?w=150 150w, https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2016/03/12825237_10207840844890621_1109549731_n.jpg?w=300 300w" sizes="(max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px" data-attachment-id="2847" data-permalink="https://mrsralf.wordpress.com/2016/03/12/redesigning-the-classroom-one-lesson-at-a-time/12825237_10207840844890621_1109549731_n/" data-orig-file="https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2016/03/12825237_10207840844890621_1109549731_n.jpg" data-orig-size="960,408" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}" data-image-title="12825237_10207840844890621_1109549731_n" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2016/03/12825237_10207840844890621_1109549731_n.jpg?w=300" data-large-file="https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2016/03/12825237_10207840844890621_1109549731_n.jpg?w=863" /></a>
1118. <a href='https://mrsralf.wordpress.com/2016/03/12/redesigning-the-classroom-one-lesson-at-a-time/12825273_10207833859075980_653694078_n/'><img width="150" height="70" src="https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2016/03/12825273_10207833859075980_653694078_n.jpg?w=150" class="attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail" alt="" decoding="async" srcset="https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2016/03/12825273_10207833859075980_653694078_n.jpg?w=150 150w, https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2016/03/12825273_10207833859075980_653694078_n.jpg?w=300 300w" sizes="(max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px" data-attachment-id="2848" data-permalink="https://mrsralf.wordpress.com/2016/03/12/redesigning-the-classroom-one-lesson-at-a-time/12825273_10207833859075980_653694078_n/" data-orig-file="https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2016/03/12825273_10207833859075980_653694078_n.jpg" data-orig-size="960,449" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}" data-image-title="12825273_10207833859075980_653694078_n" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2016/03/12825273_10207833859075980_653694078_n.jpg?w=300" data-large-file="https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2016/03/12825273_10207833859075980_653694078_n.jpg?w=863" /></a>
1119. </p>
1120. <p><strong>The Experiment:</strong></p>
1121. <p><span style="font-weight:400;">Knowing that we would soon be working on individual research projects and writing assignments, I decided it was time to leverage the resources I had to give my 6th and 10th graders a choice over their learning space. I wanted them to engage in figuring out what configurations help them to be more productive and focussed.</span></p>
1122. <p><span style="font-weight:400;">On the first day that students had their choice of seating, I met them in the hallway to discuss seat selection and set some ground rules.  The room was already arranged with bean bags, yoga mats, standing desks, and regular desks. </span></p>
1123. <p>
1124. <a href='https://mrsralf.wordpress.com/2018/11/13/adventures-in-classroom-seating/img_9726/'><img width="150" height="113" src="https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2018/11/img_9726.jpg?w=150" class="attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail" alt="" decoding="async" srcset="https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2018/11/img_9726.jpg?w=150 150w, https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2018/11/img_9726.jpg?w=300 300w" sizes="(max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px" data-attachment-id="3491" data-permalink="https://mrsralf.wordpress.com/2018/11/13/adventures-in-classroom-seating/img_9726/" data-orig-file="https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2018/11/img_9726.jpg" data-orig-size="3264,2448" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;2.2&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;iPhone 6&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1540289094&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;4.15&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;64&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.03030303030303&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}" data-image-title="IMG_9726" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2018/11/img_9726.jpg?w=300" data-large-file="https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2018/11/img_9726.jpg?w=863" /></a>
1125. <a href='https://mrsralf.wordpress.com/2018/11/13/adventures-in-classroom-seating/img_9728/'><img width="150" height="113" src="https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2018/11/img_9728.jpg?w=150" class="attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail" alt="" decoding="async" srcset="https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2018/11/img_9728.jpg?w=150 150w, https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2018/11/img_9728.jpg?w=300 300w" sizes="(max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px" data-attachment-id="3492" data-permalink="https://mrsralf.wordpress.com/2018/11/13/adventures-in-classroom-seating/img_9728/" data-orig-file="https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2018/11/img_9728.jpg" data-orig-size="3264,2448" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;2.2&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;iPhone 6&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1540289115&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;4.15&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;80&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.03030303030303&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}" data-image-title="IMG_9728" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2018/11/img_9728.jpg?w=300" data-large-file="https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2018/11/img_9728.jpg?w=863" /></a>
1126. <a href='https://mrsralf.wordpress.com/2018/11/13/adventures-in-classroom-seating/img_9753/'><img width="150" height="113" src="https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2018/11/img_9753.jpg?w=150" class="attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail" alt="" decoding="async" srcset="https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2018/11/img_9753.jpg?w=150 150w, https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2018/11/img_9753.jpg?w=300 300w" sizes="(max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px" data-attachment-id="3493" data-permalink="https://mrsralf.wordpress.com/2018/11/13/adventures-in-classroom-seating/img_9753/" data-orig-file="https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2018/11/img_9753.jpg" data-orig-size="3264,2448" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;2.2&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;iPhone 6&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1540906714&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;4.15&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;80&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.03030303030303&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}" data-image-title="IMG_9753" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2018/11/img_9753.jpg?w=300" data-large-file="https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2018/11/img_9753.jpg?w=863" /></a>
1127. </p>
1128. <p><span style="font-weight:400;">Students experimented with various styles, some moved up to 3 times during the lesson. </span><span style="font-weight:400;">Others were the most focussed I have ever seen them.  They barely moved except to type. </span></p>
1129. <p><span style="font-weight:400;">I allowed students to listen to music, but I also played music that was subdued and calming.  Students commented that the atmosphere was more like Starbucks and less like school.</span></p>
1130. <p><span style="font-weight:400;">By the end of the week, students remarked, “I hope we never have to go back to the old way of sitting again.”  One student even went so far as to encourage my daughter to sway my thinking. She was cornered at lunch with a, “Hey, tell your mom we should be able to use yoga mats the rest of the year.”</span></p>
1131. <p><b>My Takeaways:</b></p>
1132. <p><b>Students are more relaxed and focussed when working independently. </b><span style="font-weight:400;">When doing high stress activities, like expository writing or research, students often work well for about 15 minutes and then begin to lose engagement.  Or they completely shut down before ever being able to start. With the varied seating students were much more able to work for a steady 35 to 40 minutes, often being completely quiet, except to ask questions or seek feedback.  Anxious students didn&#8217;t panic, they just dove in and began the writing process without shutting down.</span></p>
1133. <p><b>Students respect each others space.  </b><span style="font-weight:400;">One challenge, especially at the middle level are students who have trouble defining their space.  These students will often take over a two seater table, pushing their table-mate to the outer edges unable to work.  Or these students might mess with their table-mate’s belongings. When things get difficult, these students also tend to pester to distract themselves and others from the work. When on a bean bag or yoga mat, these students had their space defined.  It was shocking how different their demeanor was when they had a spot just for themselves to move, squirm, or just lie on their bellies.</span></p>
1134. <p><b>Students can be trusted to be on their screen when I can’t see it. </b><span style="font-weight:400;">This is a hard one for me.  I like to be in control.  I like to see my student screens to give them an added sense that I am watching what they are doing.  When students are sitting in a variety of places and positions, seeing everyones screens at once is impossible.  There were only two instances where students were playing games instead of working, but they were quickly found out. Their faces gave them away, as well as their lack of progress during the lesson on their document.  But even when screens are all facing me, there will always be one or two who will try to spend their time doing something other than what they are supposed to do.</span></p>
1135. <p><b>My feedback and interactions with students were more personal.</b><span style="font-weight:400;">  When students are sitting at desks, I am usually standing up or bent over a student’s work.  My conversation is with one student, but if they are sitting at a table with another person, or if the desks are close together, everyone can hear my feedback.  When students are spread throughout the room in various working positions, I found I was much more likely to get on the same level as the student to talk to them. My conversations were quiet and only heard by the one student.  In general, I moved around the room more and I was more interactive while they were working independently.</span></p>
1136. <p><b>After three weeks of experimentation I’m ready to give my students more agency in how and where they work.</b><span style="font-weight:400;">  But there will always be times when I need to dictate how to arrange the classroom.  Tomorrow, for example, the librarian will be teaching the students how to construct a Works Cited page.  I have told the students we will all be seated at table facing forward.  It will be much easier for me to see screens from the back while the librarian gives instructs from the front. This will allow me see who needs help and support, and who is doing fine on their own. </span></p>
1137. <p><span style="font-weight:400;">My students and I will continue to experiment and discuss what is working and what needs fixing.  There is no turning back now. The reduction of stress in the classroom and the increase in student focus has made learning more relaxing and ultimately more respectful in my classroom.</span></p>
1138. <p><span style="font-weight:400;">Students feel empowered to make decisions.  And students feel cared for and respected because they are given those choices.</span></p>
1139. <p><b>My Current Classroom Furniture Wish List:</b></p>
1140. <ul>
1141. <li style="font-weight:400;"><span style="font-weight:400;">4 more bean bags</span></li>
1142. <li style="font-weight:400;"><span style="font-weight:400;">6 full length yoga mats of my own (I’m borrowing mine from PE)</span></li>
1143. <li style="font-weight:400;"><span style="font-weight:400;">2 low sitting tables for 2 with square cushions for seating.</span></li>
1144. </ul>
1145. <p>&nbsp;</p>
1146. <p><strong>Are you experimenting with classroom seating?  How are you empowering students to rethink the classroom environment?</strong></p>
1147. <p>&nbsp;</p>
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1184. <item>
1185. <title>Learning Doesn&#8217;t Have to Stop When Teachers are Out Sick</title>
1186. <link>https://mrsralf.wordpress.com/2018/02/06/learning-doesnt-have-to-stop-when-teachers-are-out-sick/</link>
1187. <comments>https://mrsralf.wordpress.com/2018/02/06/learning-doesnt-have-to-stop-when-teachers-are-out-sick/#comments</comments>
1189. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Kathleen R]]></dc:creator>
1190. <pubDate>Tue, 06 Feb 2018 09:52:00 +0000</pubDate>
1191. <category><![CDATA[Classroom Culture]]></category>
1192. <category><![CDATA[Education]]></category>
1193. <category><![CDATA[Technology Integration]]></category>
1194. <category><![CDATA[activehistory.co.uk]]></category>
1195. <category><![CDATA[Blended Learning]]></category>
1196. <category><![CDATA[EdPuzzle]]></category>
1197. <category><![CDATA[FlipGrid]]></category>
1198. <category><![CDATA[kahoot]]></category>
1199. <category><![CDATA[Loom]]></category>
1200. <category><![CDATA[Online classroom]]></category>
1201. <category><![CDATA[PowerSchool Learning]]></category>
1202. <guid isPermaLink="false">http://mrsralf.wordpress.com/?p=3460</guid>
1203.  
1204. <description><![CDATA[It has been a long time since I have had to take a day off for illness.  In fact, I think the last time I was out sick was in [&#8230;]]]></description>
1205. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>It has been a long time since I have had to take a day off for illness.  In fact, I think the last time I was out sick was in 2011.  I eat right, exercise, and take care of myself.  My job comes with some stress, but usually not enough to wear me down.</p>
1206. <p>Like most teachers, if I have a cold, I go to school.  It is way easier to sniffle through a week than to write out detailed sub plans for each individual course for 5 days.  So, imagine my horror at being told to stay home for 2 weeks.</p>
1207. <p><strong>What is a teacher to do?</strong>  Luckily, I had some strong antibiotics and a strong online toolkit that helped me get through the hardship of being away from the classroom.  <a href="https://www.powerschool.com/solutions/lms/">PowerSchool Learning</a>, <a href="https://www.useloom.com/">Loom</a>, <a href="https://info.flipgrid.com/">FlipGrid</a>, <a href="https://kahoot.com/welcomeback/">Kahoot</a>, and <a href="https://edpuzzle.com/">EdPuzzle</a> allowed me and my students to interact and learn together, even though I wasn’t on campus.</p>
1208. <p><strong>Have a g</strong><strong>ood foundation.</strong> I would be lost without the use of a learning management system (LMS).  I have used many in my time, but it wasn’t until I started teaching online with <a href="http://www.globalonlineacademy.org/">Global Online Academy</a> that I really got a grasp of how to make an LMS a dynamic space for my students to interact with course content and each other.</p>
1209. <p>As some of you have read <a href="https://wp.me/p3gLHO-Hm">in my blog</a> a few years ago, I make the most of my PowerSchool Learning pages (aka Haiku Learning).  I put all of my units, lesson by lesson, on my pages within the LMS.  Students can see a calendar of lessons, they can see the individual lessons, and they can access all lessons resources: video tutorials, documentaries, links to other online activities, text, worksheets, or whatever was handed out in class.</p>
1210. <p><img loading="lazy" data-attachment-id="2701" data-permalink="https://mrsralf.wordpress.com/2016/02/11/making-the-most-of-your-lms-wayfinding/screen-shot-2016-02-07-at-09-17-11/" data-orig-file="https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2016/02/screen-shot-2016-02-07-at-09-17-11.png" data-orig-size="706,461" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}" data-image-title="Screen Shot 2016-02-07 at 09.17.11" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2016/02/screen-shot-2016-02-07-at-09-17-11.png?w=300" data-large-file="https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2016/02/screen-shot-2016-02-07-at-09-17-11.png?w=706" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-2701" src="https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2016/02/screen-shot-2016-02-07-at-09-17-11.png" alt="Screen Shot 2016-02-07 at 09.17.11" width="706" height="461" srcset="https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2016/02/screen-shot-2016-02-07-at-09-17-11.png 706w, https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2016/02/screen-shot-2016-02-07-at-09-17-11.png?w=150&amp;h=98 150w, https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2016/02/screen-shot-2016-02-07-at-09-17-11.png?w=300&amp;h=196 300w" sizes="(max-width: 706px) 100vw, 706px" /></p>
1211. <p>When students go away for sport, or if they are out sick, they may not be in class, but that doesn&#8217;t mean that they have to miss out on the learning.  Funny that I had never considered how this would ultimately benefit  me if I was out sick.</p>
1212. <p><strong>Explain the content and instructions.</strong>  All of the lessons and digital materials that students would be engaging with during the week were already posted on my PowerSchool Learning pages.  I just needed to give my students a quick explanation of each day’s tasks.</p>
1213. <p>I used Loom, a free online application, to make 3 to 10 minute screencasts showing students what task they would be doing each day and where they would find the resources they needed to complete those tasks. I also gave feedback on work that had been collected and handed back to them.</p>
1214. <p><img loading="lazy" data-attachment-id="3464" data-permalink="https://mrsralf.wordpress.com/2018/02/06/learning-doesnt-have-to-stop-when-teachers-are-out-sick/screen-shot-2018-02-01-at-16-19-45-2/" data-orig-file="https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2018/02/screen-shot-2018-02-01-at-16-19-451.png" data-orig-size="1364,980" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}" data-image-title="Screen Shot 2018-02-01 at 16.19.45" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2018/02/screen-shot-2018-02-01-at-16-19-451.png?w=300" data-large-file="https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2018/02/screen-shot-2018-02-01-at-16-19-451.png?w=863" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-3464" src="https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2018/02/screen-shot-2018-02-01-at-16-19-451.png" alt="Screen Shot 2018-02-01 at 16.19.45" width="1364" height="980" srcset="https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2018/02/screen-shot-2018-02-01-at-16-19-451.png 1364w, https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2018/02/screen-shot-2018-02-01-at-16-19-451.png?w=150&amp;h=108 150w, https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2018/02/screen-shot-2018-02-01-at-16-19-451.png?w=300&amp;h=216 300w, https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2018/02/screen-shot-2018-02-01-at-16-19-451.png?w=768&amp;h=552 768w, https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2018/02/screen-shot-2018-02-01-at-16-19-451.png?w=1024&amp;h=736 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 1364px) 100vw, 1364px" /></p>
1215. <p>Students couldn’t say they didn’t know what to do. The amount of views let me know they all watched it. If they were unsure of the task, they could watch the video again, ask the substitute, or they could put a question in the comments on the video.  Kids also gave me emoji feedback as they watched the video, often giving my instructions a thumb’s up or a smiley face.</p>
1216. <p><strong>Interact with students. </strong>PowerSchool Learning does have discussion boards to involve students in discussion.  These can work great to get a class started or to use as an exit ticket, but this kind of written discussion has its drawbacks. For my ESL kids, reading all that text, and then writing a complete response in English is a real struggle.</p>
1217. <p><a href="https://info.flipgrid.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">FlipGrid</a> is an online video discussion application that can be embedded into your LMS, linked to your Google Classroom, or accessed on the web, or their phones, using a link you provide your students. As this was the first week of the new semester, I had a class of students I hadn’t met yet.  I wanted to get to know them and have them check in with me as they dove into this new subject.</p>
1218. <p>Students shared their understanding of who they thought was most to blame for World War I, they reflected on what it is like to learn online when their teacher wasn&#8217;t present, and they discussed their big take-aways from a documentary they watched through EdPuzzle.</p>
1219. <p><img loading="lazy" data-attachment-id="3465" data-permalink="https://mrsralf.wordpress.com/2018/02/06/learning-doesnt-have-to-stop-when-teachers-are-out-sick/screen-shot-2018-01-31-at-10-41-47/" data-orig-file="https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2018/02/screen-shot-2018-01-31-at-10-41-47.png" data-orig-size="1372,1142" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}" data-image-title="Screen Shot 2018-01-31 at 10.41.47" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2018/02/screen-shot-2018-01-31-at-10-41-47.png?w=300" data-large-file="https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2018/02/screen-shot-2018-01-31-at-10-41-47.png?w=863" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-3465" src="https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2018/02/screen-shot-2018-01-31-at-10-41-47.png" alt="Screen Shot 2018-01-31 at 10.41.47" width="1372" height="1142" srcset="https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2018/02/screen-shot-2018-01-31-at-10-41-47.png 1372w, https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2018/02/screen-shot-2018-01-31-at-10-41-47.png?w=150&amp;h=125 150w, https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2018/02/screen-shot-2018-01-31-at-10-41-47.png?w=300&amp;h=250 300w, https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2018/02/screen-shot-2018-01-31-at-10-41-47.png?w=768&amp;h=639 768w, https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2018/02/screen-shot-2018-01-31-at-10-41-47.png?w=1024&amp;h=852 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 1372px) 100vw, 1372px" /></p>
1220. <p>And they also enjoyed creating weird and wacky selfies using the stickers and emojis to personalize their video responses.</p>
1221. <p><strong>I checked for understanding</strong>.  Just because I wasn’t in the classroom, doesn’t mean I didn’t have the chance to evaluate student understanding of lessons.  As stated before, kids participated in discussions through FlipGrid.  I used the assessment function on PowerSchool Learning to give a quiz.  I embedded a few Kahoots and put them on “challenge” mode so kids could choose when they wanted to check their own understanding of the topics.  And I embedded EdPuzzle videos for students to review content.</p>
1222. <p><img loading="lazy" data-attachment-id="3466" data-permalink="https://mrsralf.wordpress.com/2018/02/06/learning-doesnt-have-to-stop-when-teachers-are-out-sick/screen-shot-2018-02-01-at-16-29-44/" data-orig-file="https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2018/02/screen-shot-2018-02-01-at-16-29-44.png" data-orig-size="1928,1166" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}" data-image-title="Screen Shot 2018-02-01 at 16.29.44" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2018/02/screen-shot-2018-02-01-at-16-29-44.png?w=300" data-large-file="https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2018/02/screen-shot-2018-02-01-at-16-29-44.png?w=863" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-3466" src="https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2018/02/screen-shot-2018-02-01-at-16-29-44.png" alt="Screen Shot 2018-02-01 at 16.29.44" width="1928" height="1166" srcset="https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2018/02/screen-shot-2018-02-01-at-16-29-44.png 1928w, https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2018/02/screen-shot-2018-02-01-at-16-29-44.png?w=150&amp;h=91 150w, https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2018/02/screen-shot-2018-02-01-at-16-29-44.png?w=300&amp;h=181 300w, https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2018/02/screen-shot-2018-02-01-at-16-29-44.png?w=768&amp;h=464 768w, https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2018/02/screen-shot-2018-02-01-at-16-29-44.png?w=1024&amp;h=619 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 1928px) 100vw, 1928px" /></p>
1223. <p>EdPuzzle is an online application that allows teachers to take a video and make it interactive.  Using a video on YouTube, on Khan Academy, or Vimeo, EdPuzzle allows you to clip the video for only the parts you need.  You can then add extra visuals like maps or diagrams to enhance the material being delivered in the video.  And you can add quiz questions (multiple choice or extended response) to check that your students understand what they are watching.  Their responses are then saved for you to check and record.</p>
1224. <p><strong>Now some of you might say, “You were supposed to be home resting, not working.” </strong> I know.  But really, I was doing this all from the comfort of my couch, in my pajamas, sipping a cup of tea. My lessons would take mere minutes to write since the details were in the videos and on the LMS.  And my screencasts took 3 to10 minutes, depending on how long winded I decided to be.</p>
1225. <p><strong>Did my kids learn anything while I was away?</strong>  Heck ya! Through various formative assessments, students showed they understood the content.  What was interesting here was that my new history students scored much higher on their first quiz, than my students did last semester.  Their responses to the essay question were much more detailed and used more specific events, terms, and policies to back up their opinions.</p>
1226. <p>They learned about themselves as learners.  In one FlipGrid reflection, students commented on the empowerment they felt to make their own decisions about how to use class time.  They loved their new-found independence.  They liked that they were given a clear path to access the info and that they were solely responsible for their own learning. They had full access to the content via the LMS and they had dozens of responses from their peers in FlipGrid to help them understand a topic better.</p>
1227. <p>There were some students who didn&#8217;t like this new found freedom.  They were very candid about their need to have a teacher present to actively motivate them to do work and make choices for them.</p>
1228. <p><strong>Did I learn anything while I was away? </strong>Of course, I did.  I learned that the tools I use to make my online courses successful, also work to make my brick and mortar classes successful.</p>
1229. <ul>
1230. <li><strong>It is good to be organized</strong>. Having units of worked mapped out on an LMS with all the content embedded saves time.  Yes, it took some time to put it all up online,  but I spend just a little bit of time tweaking and adjusting the lessons with each new year.  In this case, all my sub plans were already written, because the content was already online.</li>
1231. <li><strong>Show your face.</strong> Using applications like Loom and FlipGrid helped me create a positive classroom rapport with my students. They could see my face and laugh (or roll their eyes) at my jokes.  We had a place to share ideas and get to know each other&#8217;s personalities.  One particularly sensitive student mentioned that to see me talking each day was reassuring that I was ok and getting better.</li>
1232. <li><strong>Have a full toolbox.</strong> Making the most of tools that give formative feedback like online quizzes, Kahoots, and EdPuzzles, gave me and my students a clearer picture of how well they were acquiring new knowledge and concepts.</li>
1233. <li><strong>Push for independence. </strong>Students need more opportunities to exercise their skills and to find solutions to problems on their own.<strong>  </strong> It was clear that my 9th graders were ready for the challenge of independent learning, but the 6th graders were not.  A younger student will look up how to do something on YouTube when confronted with a problem on Minecraft, but they don&#8217;t show the same willingness or sense of urgency in the classroom when confronted with a problem.</li>
1234. </ul>
1235. <p>I’m glad that I’m feeling better.  But I’m also glad that I had this opportunity to test out some new learning environments with my brick and mortar students.  And I will continue to use my toolbox to grow my students into becoming more independent in their learning.</p>
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1265. <title>Trapped at 35000 feet by a bottle of Vodka</title>
1266. <link>https://mrsralf.wordpress.com/2018/01/23/trapped-by-a-bottle-of-vodka-at-36000-feet/</link>
1267. <comments>https://mrsralf.wordpress.com/2018/01/23/trapped-by-a-bottle-of-vodka-at-36000-feet/#comments</comments>
1269. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Kathleen R]]></dc:creator>
1270. <pubDate>Tue, 23 Jan 2018 10:32:21 +0000</pubDate>
1271. <category><![CDATA[Travel]]></category>
1272. <category><![CDATA[airlines]]></category>
1273. <category><![CDATA[CNN]]></category>
1274. <category><![CDATA[fear of flying]]></category>
1275. <category><![CDATA[harassment]]></category>
1276. <category><![CDATA[Lufthansa]]></category>
1277. <category><![CDATA[Rene Marsh]]></category>
1278. <category><![CDATA[Tom Bunn]]></category>
1279. <category><![CDATA[Trans-atlantic flights]]></category>
1280. <guid isPermaLink="false">http://mrsralf.wordpress.com/?p=3448</guid>
1281.  
1282. <description><![CDATA[As many of you know I hate to fly.   I wrote a few years back about how I used to love flying, but something changed after my daughter was born.  [&#8230;]]]></description>
1283. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>As many of you know I hate to fly.   <a href="https://mrsralf.wordpress.com/2014/02/24/today-is-a-good-day-to-die/">I wrote a few years back about</a> how I used to love flying, but something changed after my daughter was born.  I was a nervous wreck the minute the sound of the engines changed or if I felt a slight bump in the air.  <a href="http://www.fearofflying.com/">Tom Bunn</a> found my post and sent me his book which gave me some great tips to help me somewhat enjoy the flying experience again.  Did you know you could look up the turbulence forecast before the flight?</p>
1284. <p>Whether traveling home, traveling for vacation somewhere in Europe, or for professional development, flying is an essential part of my lifestyle.  I cannot NOT fly, so I have learned to just suck it up and get on the plane.</p>
1285. <p>With few exceptions, I always fly Lufthansa.  For work, for travel, for going home, I rarely fly with any other airline.  I pay the extra money to fly with them because I have always received excellent service from the flight crew, the long haul was usually more comfortable, and I trusted that I was safer with them, than with their competition.</p>
1286. <p>But this last August I had a new experience to heighten my anxiety about flying.  I had pushed the nightmare out of my mind, but the Rene Marsh&#8217;s recent story on CNN detailing the harassment of women on airline flights brought all my fear and loathing of flying back.</p>
1287. <div class="jetpack-video-wrapper"><iframe class="youtube-player" width="863" height="486" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/dwVv194Bf-Y?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent" allowfullscreen="true" style="border:0;" sandbox="allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox"></iframe></div>
1288. <p>What resonates with me about these women&#8217;s stories is that the flight crew seemed to not have a plan. And that is exactly how I felt on my flight last August when I was harassed by the woman sitting next to me.</p>
1289. <p>The flight started out pretty routine.  My daughter and I found our seats.  I like to sit in the row behind Economy Plus.  I pay a little extra, but the leg room is amazing! I was beginning to think the seat next to us was going to be empty, but right before the doors closed a woman came to take her seat.</p>
1290. <p>She seemed friendly enough.  She rifled through her small suitcase to get some things for &#8220;in-flight&#8221;, placed them around her seat, and then put the case in overhead bin.  She seemed uber-friendly.  All seemed quite nice until we started to taxi and the captain asked the flight crew to go to their seats for take off.</p>
1291. <p>She then unhooked her seat belt and went to the bathroom.  It was a busy day on the Seattle runway, so this woman was able to get up and go to the bathroom and return at least three times before take off.  Each time she came back to the seat sniffing and rubbing her nose.  It seemed like a scene from Airplane.</p>
1292. <p><img loading="lazy" data-attachment-id="3452" data-permalink="https://mrsralf.wordpress.com/2018/01/23/trapped-by-a-bottle-of-vodka-at-36000-feet/giphy-23/" data-orig-file="https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2018/01/giphy-23.gif" data-orig-size="337,196" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}" data-image-title="giphy (23)" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2018/01/giphy-23.gif?w=300" data-large-file="https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2018/01/giphy-23.gif?w=337" class="  wp-image-3452 aligncenter" src="https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2018/01/giphy-23.gif" alt="giphy (23)" width="409" height="238" srcset="https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2018/01/giphy-23.gif 337w, https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2018/01/giphy-23.gif?w=150&amp;h=87 150w, https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2018/01/giphy-23.gif?w=300&amp;h=174 300w" sizes="(max-width: 409px) 100vw, 409px" /></p>
1293. <p>As we climbed to cruising altitude she texted on her phone.  It wasn&#8217;t until she finally lost signal that she put her phone away.  At that point she got out her bottle of vodka.</p>
1294. <p>I tried to act like I didn&#8217;t see it.  I kept my eyes on the magazine.  After all, what was I going to do?  I&#8217;m stuck in the air with this woman for the next 9 1/2 hours, I better play nice.  Yet, at the same time I was worried.  If the woman was in fact doing lines in the bathroom and now consuming a 5th of Vodka, what was my ride going to be like?  If I confronted her, would she become violent?  If I stayed silent, would she pass out on me?  Neither option seemed palatable.</p>
1295. <p>&nbsp;</p>
1296. <p>When first drink service passed by she ordered a red wine and an orange juice.  When the wine was gone she used her orange juice to create a nice couple of Screwdrivers.</p>
1297. <p>After the flight crew moved down the aisle she got up to use the bathroom a couple of more times.  At one point she had accidentally screwed the vodka bottle cap down onto her scarf she was using as a belt.  So when she stood up, the bottle was dangling back and forth in front of her as she walked to the toilet.</p>
1298. <p>I then got up and went to speak to the flight crew.  The young stewardess was visibly upset at what I had to tell her.  She then told her purser.  I kept repeating that I didn&#8217;t want to cause any trouble, I just thought they should know.  Rather than discussing with me his next steps, the purser rushed down the aisle and collected the almost empty bottle from her.  She then looked down the aisle and saw me standing there.</p>
1299. <p>I sat back down and tried to act like nothing had happened.  My seat mate then proceeded to glare at me.  She was pretty drunk and high at this point.  When she would turn to stare at me she made huge movements as she lacked control.  It was obvious she was upset with me.  I made some comment about having to get some kleenex and I went to complain about her behavior.</p>
1300. <p>&#8220;Um, sorry, I don&#8217;t want to be a bother but it is really difficult in my seat right now.  She keeps glaring at me and looking angry.&#8221;  One of the flight crew said, &#8220;Well we are about to serve dinner.  Let us know if it gets any worse.&#8221;</p>
1301. <p>Dinner was served.  As you can imagine this was quite comical.</p>
1302. <p><img loading="lazy" data-attachment-id="3451" data-permalink="https://mrsralf.wordpress.com/2018/01/23/trapped-by-a-bottle-of-vodka-at-36000-feet/giphy-22/" data-orig-file="https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2018/01/giphy-22.gif" data-orig-size="300,231" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}" data-image-title="giphy (22)" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2018/01/giphy-22.gif?w=300" data-large-file="https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2018/01/giphy-22.gif?w=300" class="alignnone  wp-image-3451 aligncenter" src="https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2018/01/giphy-22.gif" alt="giphy (22)" width="371" height="286" srcset="https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2018/01/giphy-22.gif 300w, https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2018/01/giphy-22.gif?w=150&amp;h=116 150w" sizes="(max-width: 371px) 100vw, 371px" /></p>
1303. <p>She frequently dropped her silverware, would glare at me, then almost tip over her tray.  When drink service came by shortly into the meal, she tried to order more alcohol.  When they informed her that the captain had cut her off, she again swung around to look at me.</p>
1304. <p>The fear and anxiety were building within me.  We were only an hour in, what were the next 8 hours going to be like?  Dinner was taken away, I complained again when my seat mate was once more on the toilet.  The flight attendant calmly said, &#8220;Let us know if it gets worse.&#8221;</p>
1305. <p>When my seat mate returned she decided to get a little more comfortable.  She grabbed my arm and tried to kiss me and then passed out on my shoulder.  The woman sitting in the aisle behind me asked if I needed help.  I nodded my head, as I was afraid to move or say anything.  When the purser returned the woman had shifted her position so she was no longer completely on me.  The purser whispered, &#8220;Let us know if it gets any worse.&#8221;  I&#8217;m thinking&#8230;this is worse.  How could it be worse?  She just tried to kiss me and passed out on me.</p>
1306. <p>In my head I played out the numerous scenarios.  Push her off me and tell her to leave me alone.  Confront her the next time she glares at me or tries to grope me.  Or do I just sit there and do nothing?  What if she gets more physical?  Where would I have to go?</p>
1307. <p>And what about my daughter?  I must remain calm.  I don&#8217;t want her to think anything weird is going on.  She was sitting next to me by the window, completely oblivious to all this, completely enthralled with her movies.</p>
1308. <p>I was trapped.  Trapped by the responsibility of not wanting to upset the balance of a quiet plane journey.  Trapped by wanting to protect my child from the chaos that might ensue.  Trapped in my seat by a drunk woman who, at this point, is literally laying on top of me.</p>
1309. <p>For about an hour I endured the off again on again experience of being a drunk person&#8217;s pillow.</p>
1310. <p>At around 3 1/2 to 4 hours in my seat mate woke up and looked at me. She then proceeded to put her hand down her pants.  I wasn&#8217;t sure if she was using me as inspiration, or if she was searching herself for another stash. I just kept my eyes on my Kindle acting like a saw nothing.  She then passed out in a way that allowed me to exit my seat without being blocked in. I had had it.</p>
1311. <p>I got up and walked into the area between economy and business class where the flight crew were on break.  The minute I opened my mouth, I started to cry.  I couldn&#8217;t stop myself.  All that pent up tension and anxiety over what to do and how to handle the situation had taken its toll.</p>
1312. <p>A flight attendant, who seemed to be in charge, came up to me and hugged me.  She let me cry and tell her all about what had happened.  She said that she had heard about the drunk woman already, but she still needed to talk to the head purser about what to do next.</p>
1313. <p>When the purser came he said, &#8220;Well the captain already approved for you and your daughter to be moved to business class.&#8221;  It seemed as if a decision had been made long ago, but they were just waiting for me to finally have enough.   I had had enough hours ago, but for some reason my enough wasn&#8217;t enough for them?</p>
1314. <p>My daughter and I settled in to our new places but it took awhile for me to calm down.</p>
1315. <p>Flying business class was quite a treat, but the last hours continued to plague my thoughts.  What had just happened?  What could I have done differently? Was it my fault? Why did the crew leave me to suffer like that?</p>
1316. <p>Some of you might be thinking, &#8220;Well, they did do something. They moved you.&#8221;  Yes.  They did.  But why did it take 4 hours?</p>
1317. <p>I have yet to have a final response from Lufthansa about my official complaint.  I recently tweeted out my frustration and someone from Lufthansa responded within one minute.</p>
1318. <div class="embed-twitter">
1319. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
1320. <p lang="en" dir="ltr">Hello Kathleen, sorry to hear this! Please provide a feedback ID so that I can ask my colleagues about the handling status. /Lolo</p>
1321. <p>&mdash; Lufthansa (@lufthansa) <a href="https://twitter.com/lufthansa/status/946411463320702978?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 28, 2017</a></p></blockquote>
1322. <p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
1323. <div class="embed-twitter">
1324. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
1325. <p lang="en" dir="ltr">Hello Kathleen, Rest assured that you will be contacted by Customer Relations the soonest possible &#8211; the earliest next week as they don´t work on weekends and holidays. Wishing you a Happy New Year! /Lolo</p>
1326. <p>&mdash; Lufthansa (@lufthansa) <a href="https://twitter.com/lufthansa/status/946765365484376064?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 29, 2017</a></p></blockquote>
1327. <p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
1328. <p>Rene Marsh even asked for my contact information:</p>
1329. <div class="embed-twitter">
1330. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
1331. <p lang="en" dir="ltr">Can you email me your contact info at Rene.marsh@turner.com</p>
1332. <p>&mdash; Rene Marsh (@Rene_MarshCNN) <a href="https://twitter.com/Rene_MarshCNN/status/950499448660156416?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 8, 2018</a></p></blockquote>
1333. <p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
1334. <p>As luck would have it.  They contacted me 6 days later with this:</p>
1335. <p><img loading="lazy" data-attachment-id="3450" data-permalink="https://mrsralf.wordpress.com/2018/01/23/trapped-by-a-bottle-of-vodka-at-36000-feet/screen-shot-2018-01-23-at-10-20-15/" data-orig-file="https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2018/01/screen-shot-2018-01-23-at-10-20-15.png" data-orig-size="1088,356" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}" data-image-title="Screen Shot 2018-01-23 at 10.20.15" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2018/01/screen-shot-2018-01-23-at-10-20-15.png?w=300" data-large-file="https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2018/01/screen-shot-2018-01-23-at-10-20-15.png?w=863" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-3450" src="https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2018/01/screen-shot-2018-01-23-at-10-20-15.png" alt="Screen Shot 2018-01-23 at 10.20.15" width="1088" height="356" srcset="https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2018/01/screen-shot-2018-01-23-at-10-20-15.png 1088w, https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2018/01/screen-shot-2018-01-23-at-10-20-15.png?w=150&amp;h=49 150w, https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2018/01/screen-shot-2018-01-23-at-10-20-15.png?w=300&amp;h=98 300w, https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2018/01/screen-shot-2018-01-23-at-10-20-15.png?w=768&amp;h=251 768w, https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2018/01/screen-shot-2018-01-23-at-10-20-15.png?w=1024&amp;h=335 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 1088px) 100vw, 1088px" /></p>
1336. <p>But I didn&#8217;t receive a voicemail from anyone at Lufthansa.  We had just switched telephone providers and our voicemail wasn&#8217;t hooked up yet.  There would have been no way to leave a message.  And my cell phone number had no calls from Lufthansa.</p>
1337. <p>I tweeted again, but this time I got no reply.</p>
1338. <p>I&#8217;m still waiting for someone to apologize.  I&#8217;m still waiting for them to give me that escape plan for if/when this happens again in the future. I&#8217;m waiting for that promise  that the next time I&#8217;m assaulted by a woman with a bottle of vodka on a plane, I won&#8217;t have to wait until it gets worse.</p>
1339. <p>And if someone from Lufthansa is reading this,  FB ID 31175016.</p>
1340. ]]></content:encoded>
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1343. <slash:comments>2</slash:comments>
1347. <media:thumbnail url="https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2018/01/trapped-at-35000-feet-by-a-bottle-of-vodka.png" />
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1349. <media:title type="html">Trapped at 35000 feet by a bottle of Vodka</media:title>
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1351.  
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1353. <media:title type="html">mrsralf</media:title>
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1366. </media:content>
1367. </item>
1368. <item>
1369. <title>The Absolutely True Thanksgiving Reflection of a Part-time American</title>
1370. <link>https://mrsralf.wordpress.com/2017/11/27/the-absolutely-true-thanksgiving-reflection-of-a-part-time-american/</link>
1371. <comments>https://mrsralf.wordpress.com/2017/11/27/the-absolutely-true-thanksgiving-reflection-of-a-part-time-american/#comments</comments>
1373. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Kathleen R]]></dc:creator>
1374. <pubDate>Mon, 27 Nov 2017 10:31:29 +0000</pubDate>
1375. <category><![CDATA[America]]></category>
1376. <category><![CDATA[Education]]></category>
1377. <category><![CDATA[Living and Working in Germany]]></category>
1378. <category><![CDATA[English teacher]]></category>
1379. <category><![CDATA[expat]]></category>
1380. <category><![CDATA[expat life]]></category>
1381. <category><![CDATA[life in the west]]></category>
1382. <category><![CDATA[Pacific Northwest]]></category>
1383. <category><![CDATA[PNW]]></category>
1384. <category><![CDATA[Sherman Alexi]]></category>
1385. <category><![CDATA[Thanksgiving]]></category>
1386. <category><![CDATA[The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian]]></category>
1387. <category><![CDATA[the West]]></category>
1388. <guid isPermaLink="false">http://mrsralf.wordpress.com/?p=3437</guid>
1389.  
1390. <description><![CDATA[This past long weekend was Thanksgiving. When living in Germany though, life takes on a different rhythm. The calendar is based on different traditions. Holidays and birthdays, back home, are [&#8230;]]]></description>
1391. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>This past long weekend was Thanksgiving. When living in Germany though, life takes on a different rhythm. The calendar is based on different traditions. Holidays and birthdays, back home, are sometimes forgotten.  But on Thursday morning I finished a book that made me hyperaware of what I was missing back home.</p>
1392. <p>Typically, I don’t get home sick. Nostalgic maybe, but never home sick.  This is something that probably frustrates my family.   But I think my dad gets it.  He also moved away from his home, his culture.  His exodus was from the center of the heartland to the fringes of the United States.  The Pacific Northwest called his name, and then because of his teacher’s schedule, he became a seasonal nomad.</p>
1393. <p>The school year was punctuated by vacations or long weekends that took us to various locations:  the peninsula, the high desert, the mountains.  Wherever the salmon were running, whenever the bird season was open, we were out there hunting or gathering because we could.</p>
1394. <p>It was on these journeys that I learned to love the west.  The west was my home, my culture.  The need to be in the high up open spaces, the need to feel the stinging cold of salt air on my face, the need to buck the system and venture out into the unknown.</p>
1395. <p>I even learned to love the ugly places.  Places like Aberdeen and Hoquiam that struggled to survive after logging and industry had left them.  Places like the Quinault or Yakima Indian Reservations where a once great people lived in a level of poverty that didn&#8217;t make sense to me.  How could these kinds of places exist in the home of the American dream?</p>
1396. <p>On Thanksgiving morning, I woke up early and finished reading the <strong><em>An Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, </em></strong>by Sherman Alexi.  The book takes place in and around the Spokane Indian Reservation in Washington state.  Alexi’s semi-autobiographical story is about a boy who decides to leave the reservation each day to attend high school.  His destination-Hope.</p>
1397. <p><img loading="lazy" data-attachment-id="3438" data-permalink="https://mrsralf.wordpress.com/2017/11/27/the-absolutely-true-thanksgiving-reflection-of-a-part-time-american/45df4e8c-fd72-49a1-9849-a57041c49fa3/" data-orig-file="https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2017/11/45df4e8c-fd72-49a1-9849-a57041c49fa3.png" data-orig-size="3744,1424" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}" data-image-title="45df4e8c-fd72-49a1-9849-a57041c49fa3" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2017/11/45df4e8c-fd72-49a1-9849-a57041c49fa3.png?w=300" data-large-file="https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2017/11/45df4e8c-fd72-49a1-9849-a57041c49fa3.png?w=863" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-3438" src="https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2017/11/45df4e8c-fd72-49a1-9849-a57041c49fa3.png" alt="45df4e8c-fd72-49a1-9849-a57041c49fa3" width="3744" height="1424" srcset="https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2017/11/45df4e8c-fd72-49a1-9849-a57041c49fa3.png 3744w, https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2017/11/45df4e8c-fd72-49a1-9849-a57041c49fa3.png?w=150&amp;h=57 150w, https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2017/11/45df4e8c-fd72-49a1-9849-a57041c49fa3.png?w=300&amp;h=114 300w, https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2017/11/45df4e8c-fd72-49a1-9849-a57041c49fa3.png?w=768&amp;h=292 768w, https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2017/11/45df4e8c-fd72-49a1-9849-a57041c49fa3.png?w=1024&amp;h=389 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 3744px) 100vw, 3744px" /></p>
1398. <p>The protagonist takes us on a journey through his freshman year where he learns about living in a white world and how this white world plays by different rules than those he played by on the reservation.  He is like many freshmen in high school: looking for friends, questioning teacher authority, playing basketball, and falling in love.  He shares with us the challenges of being poor, the challenge of having a loving but dysfunctional family, and the challenges of losing friends and family to death by alcohol.  The protagonist ultimately releases himself from the shame of leaving his old tribe for a new one when he realizes that he is a member of many tribes, from many places, that give him love, acceptance, and belonging.</p>
1399. <p>I closed the book and began to cry.  I didn’t cry because it was sad.  On the contrary, it was quite hopeful.  I cried because the themes of the story dredged up all the experiences and hard choices I have made that got me here.</p>
1400. <p>I cried for the traditions and way of life that I can no longer participate in.  The Friday night game, the game of games, that determines the fate of the young and could destroy the reputation of the community that fails to win. The weekend walks through the ponderosa pines where your only companions are the stellar jays scolding you for stepping in their territory.  Or the lonely drives across an empty expanse where there is nothing and no one for miles.</p>
1401. <p><img loading="lazy" data-attachment-id="1371" data-permalink="https://mrsralf.wordpress.com/cropped-summer-2013-189-jpg/" data-orig-file="https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2013/07/cropped-summer-2013-189.jpg" data-orig-size="1500,523" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;}" data-image-title="cropped-summer-2013-189.jpg" data-image-description="&lt;p&gt;https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2013/07/cropped-summer-2013-189.jpg&lt;/p&gt;
1402. " data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2013/07/cropped-summer-2013-189.jpg?w=300" data-large-file="https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2013/07/cropped-summer-2013-189.jpg?w=863" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-1371" src="https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2013/07/cropped-summer-2013-189.jpg" alt="cropped-summer-2013-189.jpg" width="1500" height="523" srcset="https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2013/07/cropped-summer-2013-189.jpg 1500w, https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2013/07/cropped-summer-2013-189.jpg?w=150&amp;h=52 150w, https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2013/07/cropped-summer-2013-189.jpg?w=300&amp;h=105 300w, https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2013/07/cropped-summer-2013-189.jpg?w=768&amp;h=268 768w, https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2013/07/cropped-summer-2013-189.jpg?w=1024&amp;h=357 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /></p>
1403. <p>I cried because, like the protagonist of the book, I made the choice to leave what I loved because staying was turning me into that person I had fought hard to never become.  Alexi reassures us at the end of his book that we all belong to our home tribe, but we also belong to many tribes that help us navigate and survive in our world.   Some of us are nomads and some of us are meant to stay.  Not that leaving makes us love our land or tribe any less, and not that those who stay are stuck. It is just who we are.</p>
1404. <p>I cried because my students of wealth and privilege deal with loss and poverty too, but their loss and their poverty are not tied to material wealth.  They have food on the table and will probably go to college, but they may never know a life where they stay in one place with two parents who are always home for dinner. They may never have an understanding of what their culture is as they are continually inventing their culture. The loss they deal with might not be a death in the family, but the loss of friends who move on, or the loss of a home when they are asked to move on themselves.</p>
1405. <p><img loading="lazy" data-attachment-id="3440" data-permalink="https://mrsralf.wordpress.com/2017/11/27/the-absolutely-true-thanksgiving-reflection-of-a-part-time-american/img_7716/" data-orig-file="https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2017/11/img_7716.jpg" data-orig-size="1280,960" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}" data-image-title="IMG_7716" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2017/11/img_7716.jpg?w=300" data-large-file="https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2017/11/img_7716.jpg?w=863" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-3440" src="https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2017/11/img_7716.jpg" alt="IMG_7716" width="1280" height="960" srcset="https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2017/11/img_7716.jpg 1280w, https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2017/11/img_7716.jpg?w=150&amp;h=113 150w, https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2017/11/img_7716.jpg?w=300&amp;h=225 300w, https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2017/11/img_7716.jpg?w=768&amp;h=576 768w, https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2017/11/img_7716.jpg?w=1024&amp;h=768 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 1280px) 100vw, 1280px" /></p>
1406. <p>I cried that some of my colleagues don’t get this book.  When they read the book, they see a world they have never experienced, a culture too foreign from those they have lived in or traveled to.  They read it and see a world that they don’t think our kids will understand.  How could our students from X, Y, and Z countries relate to a Native American teenage boy living in abject poverty?</p>
1407. <p>I cried because it was Thanksgiving. In the evening, I would be celebrating with my tribe.  The Czech, the Brit, the Aussie, the Mexican, the Americans, and the Germans were going to gather for our Thanksgiving feast.  We would give thanks that we were nomads. We would give thanks that we found each other.  We would give thanks that we made the hard choices to be where we were in order to be who we are.</p>
1408. <p><img loading="lazy" data-attachment-id="3441" data-permalink="https://mrsralf.wordpress.com/2017/11/27/the-absolutely-true-thanksgiving-reflection-of-a-part-time-american/screen-shot-2017-11-27-at-11-29-24/" data-orig-file="https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2017/11/screen-shot-2017-11-27-at-11-29-24.png" data-orig-size="904,1208" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}" data-image-title="Screen Shot 2017-11-27 at 11.29.24" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2017/11/screen-shot-2017-11-27-at-11-29-24.png?w=225" data-large-file="https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2017/11/screen-shot-2017-11-27-at-11-29-24.png?w=766" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-3441" src="https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2017/11/screen-shot-2017-11-27-at-11-29-24.png" alt="Screen Shot 2017-11-27 at 11.29.24" width="904" height="1208" srcset="https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2017/11/screen-shot-2017-11-27-at-11-29-24.png 904w, https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2017/11/screen-shot-2017-11-27-at-11-29-24.png?w=112&amp;h=150 112w, https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2017/11/screen-shot-2017-11-27-at-11-29-24.png?w=225&amp;h=300 225w, https://mrsralf.files.wordpress.com/2017/11/screen-shot-2017-11-27-at-11-29-24.png?w=768&amp;h=1026 768w" sizes="(max-width: 904px) 100vw, 904px" /></p>
1409. <p>Illustration above by Ellen Forney which appears in <em>An Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian.</em></p>
1410. ]]></content:encoded>
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1413. <slash:comments>6</slash:comments>
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