Comfortable with the Uncomfortable

Today I was talking with one of my favorite colleagues about my excitement in attempting new things like flipping my classroom and the integration of different types of technology.  As we were having our conversation, the fear of failure when learning something new came up.  I think it is this type of fear, which in the past, has held me back when it came to trying something new.  I related totally with my colleague.  When I do something in or out of the classroom, I want to do it well.  I don't like to put a half effort into anything I do, because I am never satisfied with the result of that effort.  The same went for integrating the technology into the classroom and flipping.  I am not sure why that fear seems to have dissipated, but the feeling was familiar to me just last week before I posted my first online tutorial for my students to view.  I was self-conscience about so many things..."What does my voice sound like on the computer? Is it dorky that the kids can see my face in the side window?  Is my video as understandable as my lecture (which I am so used to doing)?  Will the flip actually work?  Will my students really watch the video and do the homework?"  Oh the self-doubt was so thick, you could cut it with a knife!  I was really skeptical about making my video public for the world to view as well.  I had a lot to get over and quick, because I had been telling my students the flip was coming. I think the key with me was getting okay with it all...becoming comfortable with the uncomfortable.  This is hard for a teacher with 13 years experience.  The easy thing for us all is to fall back on what we know.  Sometimes our experience is best for our students, but the more I learn, the more I realize, the field of education is changing.  Don't get me wrong, the goal is still the same...Teach kids!  But teaching is so much different than the experiences I had growing up or even what I learned to do in college.  As educators we need to adjust, adapt and overcome our fears of technology integration in the classroom.  I don't think that technology will replace teachers.  I think teachers who don't use technology will be replaced.  For now, I'm comfortable with the uncomfortable.

All at once

So I am somewhat overwhelmed this afternoon.  There are so many things that I want to have in place for my students in this next week incorporating the flipped tutorials as well as a functional website, not to mention, correcting and grade updates need to be completed.  Last night when I couldn't sleep, I decided to work on the creation of a website that is functional for students and easy for me to update.  One of the things I  struggled with in the past was keeping an updated website because of the difficulty with editing.  A few years ago I was using Teacherweb, and it was incredibly easy, however, I had to pay for it.  I know there are so many available free options out there, so I used last night's insomnia interruption to explore.  I settled on weebly.com.  I played around with it and added text and pictures, and so far is pretty easy to use.  I noticed it doesn't hold my tutorial files because they are too large, but I can easily create a link and continue to use @Sophia for that.  The part that took the longest with development was coming up with a name for the site, I didn't want to be drab and call it "Mrs. Garno's webpage."
I settled on "The Junto."  This name holds some significance for me and...historically it fits a history teacher.  In high school, I was an active member and "Feature" editor for a year of my school's newspaper.  The paper was called "The Junto."  I learned that the name had come from a "club" started by Benjamin Franklin when he was in his 20s. (Hard to imagine Ben as a young guy)  This group gathered together on Friday evenings to discuss and debate philosophy, politics and morals.  Their goal was mutual improvement.  So after about 45 minutes of debate within my own head, I finally decided "The Junto" is a perfect name for my website.
I suppose my only real issue now is that I am so anxious and want the work done all at once.  I have decided to jump head first into "flipping" rather than take it a class and a lesson at a time.  I guess the way I am looking at it is, "if this is the best thing for my students, why wouldn't I do it all the way?" Plus, I have never been one to test the waters cautiously before jumping in...it's not in my nature.  I suppose the situation is pretty easy, take a breath, pour a cup of coffee (this would make 3 cups today) and make a list.  Things always seem less overwhelming with a list.

Even though it is under construction, see what I started.  Feedback is welcome! www.thejunto.weebly.com

A New Journey

A few weeks ago Rhode Island was hit with a storm dropping roughly two feet of snow on our houses and schools.  Two snow days capped our weekend, giving educators two extra days on our weekend to get some extra work done.  This storm couldn't have come at a better time for me.  It was like the world knew exactly what I needed at that moment.  For the past few years, I have felt as though I have been in a sort of rut.  While I have enjoyed my career, my daily satisfaction wasn't holding up to the way it used to be when I was young and went to work.  In fact, up til a few years ago, I never really considered my job to be work.  I wanted that vitality again and I used those four days of snow (minus 3 hours of shoveling) to recharge my battery.  I spent the weekend learning how to use Twitter in a way that would enhance my experience as an educator.  WOW! I can not believe the change in my attitude and my outlook in just three short weeks.  For the first time in years, I am excited to go to work again...who knew?
After exploring Twitter, reading blogs and figuring out what the heck a # is, I finally decided to watch some tutorials on flipping my classroom.  Teachers who were blogging and sharing their videos about the flipped class seemed to be so excited and energized, so I decided to give it a shot.  I created an account with @Sophia or www.sophia.org, because another teacher who is flipping at our school recommended it.  This is where my new journey began.
In the last three weeks, I have watched dozens of tutorials made by educators and I have thoroughly explored Khan Academy and TED talks.  I am inspired for the first time in a long time and if feels wonderful!  Today I have assigned my first "homework" tutorial for my students on the "Causes of World War I." I took what would most likely to have been a 60 minute lecture and made it 6 minutes.  With the lecture out of the way, I can't wait for class on Monday!