Since my last visit....
1. I have lost a hard drive and all its data (it is a painful story.... its best not to talk about)
2. I learned a really important lesson
My hope is to share that lesson here. The loss of the hard drive has put me in non stop recreating mode, not to mention continually reoccurring moments that go like this; "I can send that document...... oh wait no I can't"!!!
So, what has losing a hard drive taught me. Back up, Back up, Back up (By the way, I was backing up to time machine and none of the files copied). The real lesson: it has been refreshing to be forced to reflect on the work I do.
We always hear that being reflective is the key to good teaching, but what good is reflecting if we don't actually invigorate ourselves with the freshness of something new, something different, something better.
Assessment, Assessment, Assessment!!!! We all claim that we assess in multiple ways, but is it reflective assessment that allows both student and teacher to understand what they know and what they don't know. Maybe a better question: Are the assessment tools you use allowing your students to know what they don't know????
I am not advocating change for change's sake, rather advocating that internal reflection on your own best practices is a necessity. Not every new trend that comes out is best practice, but neither is every tried and true trick from 2003!! Search for new ways to do old things, but also include old reasons into new means!! After all you did it for a reason.... make the reason shine by incorporating into a new method that reaches more, if not all, your students!!
Having lost 13 GB worth of files and documents was not that fantastic, but I had a lot of it in email and in class posts, so I recovered quite a few items --- which reminded me why it is so great to share information rather than hold onto it for yourself!
I have spent a lot of time re-engineering, if you will allow me the pun (Since I am at a STEM academy), documents, forms, databases and other items pertinent to my job. I have been quite enthralled by reclaiming the inspiration and uniqueness of the original material. I know that the "new" docs will not be identical to the old ones.
Even more critical is that the "new" materials will be peppered with multiple reflective based items that the originals were missing....
Here's to hoping I will be here a little more regularly now :)
