Comments on: Work With the Willing: Moving Teachers into the 21st Century http://mscofino.edublogs.org/2008/01/13/work-with-the-willing-moving-teachers-into-the-21st-century/ teaching technology abroad Wed, 04 Nov 2009 12:54:20 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.2 hourly 1 By: Difficult Conversations | always learning http://mscofino.edublogs.org/2008/01/13/work-with-the-willing-moving-teachers-into-the-21st-century/comment-page-1/#comment-2898 Difficult Conversations | always learning Sun, 06 Sep 2009 07:23:55 +0000 http://mscofino.edublogs.org/2008/01/13/work-with-the-willing-moving-teachers-into-the-21st-century/#comment-2898 [...] required and expected to work with all teachers. This directly contradicts my long-held belief in working with the willing. Perhaps I simply need to adjust that to: we should start with the willing, but know that [...] [...] required and expected to work with all teachers. This directly contradicts my long-held belief in working with the willing. Perhaps I simply need to adjust that to: we should start with the willing, but know that [...]

]]> By: neo.phyt.us » Lowering my expectations http://mscofino.edublogs.org/2008/01/13/work-with-the-willing-moving-teachers-into-the-21st-century/comment-page-1/#comment-2100 neo.phyt.us » Lowering my expectations Sun, 30 Nov 2008 17:42:17 +0000 http://mscofino.edublogs.org/2008/01/13/work-with-the-willing-moving-teachers-into-the-21st-century/#comment-2100 [...] adoption. I was also thinking about a post I read several months ago over at Always Learning about working with the willing. I realize I need to take a step back and look at the audience I have to work with and keep in mind [...] [...] adoption. I was also thinking about a post I read several months ago over at Always Learning about working with the willing. I realize I need to take a step back and look at the audience I have to work with and keep in mind [...]

]]> By: mscofino http://mscofino.edublogs.org/2008/01/13/work-with-the-willing-moving-teachers-into-the-21st-century/comment-page-1/#comment-2019 mscofino Sat, 08 Nov 2008 02:00:27 +0000 http://mscofino.edublogs.org/2008/01/13/work-with-the-willing-moving-teachers-into-the-21st-century/#comment-2019 @Michelle, This is something I struggle with myself. It is always surprising to me just how frequently teachers actually don't know what they want their students to walk away with. I can't even imagine trying to teach a unit without knowing what the end goals are! So, when this situation arises, and it does, I usually try to lead by example. We can work slowly through the activities for the unit and try to find out if there is a goal already embedded, or we can just start from scratch and develop the goal ourselves. Usually this depends on the teacher's comfort level with curriculum planning. It's a very fine line to walk, though, and it can be stressful, because in essence, this is just good teaching - nothing to do with technology. So balancing the collaboration piece, with the modeling piece, can be a very political experience. No matter what, I do believe it is critical to only move forward when you have clear outcomes. I was at a conference earlier this year where the keynote speaker said something along the lines of "don't involve yourself in mediocrity" and it just resonated with me. If you're going to work with someone, it only makes sense to make sure its a valuable use of everyone's time. @Michelle,

This is something I struggle with myself. It is always surprising to me just how frequently teachers actually don’t know what they want their students to walk away with. I can’t even imagine trying to teach a unit without knowing what the end goals are!

So, when this situation arises, and it does, I usually try to lead by example. We can work slowly through the activities for the unit and try to find out if there is a goal already embedded, or we can just start from scratch and develop the goal ourselves. Usually this depends on the teacher’s comfort level with curriculum planning.

It’s a very fine line to walk, though, and it can be stressful, because in essence, this is just good teaching – nothing to do with technology. So balancing the collaboration piece, with the modeling piece, can be a very political experience.

No matter what, I do believe it is critical to only move forward when you have clear outcomes. I was at a conference earlier this year where the keynote speaker said something along the lines of “don’t involve yourself in mediocrity” and it just resonated with me. If you’re going to work with someone, it only makes sense to make sure its a valuable use of everyone’s time.

]]> By: Michelle P http://mscofino.edublogs.org/2008/01/13/work-with-the-willing-moving-teachers-into-the-21st-century/comment-page-1/#comment-2013 Michelle P Thu, 06 Nov 2008 17:19:38 +0000 http://mscofino.edublogs.org/2008/01/13/work-with-the-willing-moving-teachers-into-the-21st-century/#comment-2013 Hi Kim, Although I have read your posts before, it is only recently that I have really dug in, so I guess I am a little late to the party. I like your three year model and can totally relate to feel of urgency to push forward faster. One piece that I have discovered time and time again when I sit to work with teachers is a sort of lack of direction when it comes to what they want their students to know at the end of the day, what are they walking away with? I am still so far from where you are, but I hope to get there soon. (Impatient as always.) What do you do when you sit down with teachers and they answer your question, "So what do you what the students to know or be able to do at the end of this?" and they reply "You know, Iwant them to know some major things about Mexico." Pause, exhale. "Okay, what?" "Well, you know." And then the sort of perturbed shrug and look away. I know that some of it is a need to become more comforatable with technology but some is a need to reevaluate what we are doing and why. Have you ever had this experience and how do you handle it? Hi Kim,
Although I have read your posts before, it is only recently that I have really dug in, so I guess I am a little late to the party. I like your three year model and can totally relate to feel of urgency to push forward faster. One piece that I have discovered time and time again when I sit to work with teachers is a sort of lack of direction when it comes to what they want their students to know at the end of the day, what are they walking away with? I am still so far from where you are, but I hope to get there soon. (Impatient as always.) What do you do when you sit down with teachers and they answer your question, “So what do you what the students to know or be able to do at the end of this?” and they reply “You know, Iwant them to know some major things about Mexico.” Pause, exhale. “Okay, what?” “Well, you know.” And then the sort of perturbed shrug and look away.
I know that some of it is a need to become more comforatable with technology but some is a need to reevaluate what we are doing and why. Have you ever had this experience and how do you handle it?

]]> By: The Energy to Focus on Change | always learning http://mscofino.edublogs.org/2008/01/13/work-with-the-willing-moving-teachers-into-the-21st-century/comment-page-1/#comment-1984 The Energy to Focus on Change | always learning Sat, 01 Nov 2008 08:54:43 +0000 http://mscofino.edublogs.org/2008/01/13/work-with-the-willing-moving-teachers-into-the-21st-century/#comment-1984 [...] Some may be lucky to have the support of their administration, or to have a group of teachers ready and willing to change their teaching practice, or even to have a small team to work with, but very few seem to [...] [...] Some may be lucky to have the support of their administration, or to have a group of teachers ready and willing to change their teaching practice, or even to have a small team to work with, but very few seem to [...]

]]> By: Planting Seeds | always learning http://mscofino.edublogs.org/2008/01/13/work-with-the-willing-moving-teachers-into-the-21st-century/comment-page-1/#comment-1958 Planting Seeds | always learning Mon, 13 Oct 2008 09:50:39 +0000 http://mscofino.edublogs.org/2008/01/13/work-with-the-willing-moving-teachers-into-the-21st-century/#comment-1958 [...] the whole, I spent the year convincing, in every possible way, as many teachers as I could conceivably work with, that technology can be fun, it’s really not an add-on, and that I am here for [...] [...] the whole, I spent the year convincing, in every possible way, as many teachers as I could conceivably work with, that technology can be fun, it’s really not an add-on, and that I am here for [...]

]]> By: A New Year of Collaborations: Partner Classrooms Wanted! | always learning http://mscofino.edublogs.org/2008/01/13/work-with-the-willing-moving-teachers-into-the-21st-century/comment-page-1/#comment-1882 A New Year of Collaborations: Partner Classrooms Wanted! | always learning Sun, 14 Sep 2008 10:56:02 +0000 http://mscofino.edublogs.org/2008/01/13/work-with-the-willing-moving-teachers-into-the-21st-century/#comment-1882 [...] I have a willing and enthusiastic teacher on almost every grade level ready to fully collaborate with me this year. [...] [WORDPRESS HASHCASH] The comment's server IP (72.34.61.211) doesn't match the comment's URL host IP () and so is spam. [...] I have a willing and enthusiastic teacher on almost every grade level ready to fully collaborate with me this year. [...]

[WORDPRESS HASHCASH] The comment’s server IP (72.34.61.211) doesn’t match the comment’s URL host IP () and so is spam.

]]> By: Ready, Set, Action! | always learning http://mscofino.edublogs.org/2008/01/13/work-with-the-willing-moving-teachers-into-the-21st-century/comment-page-1/#comment-1820 Ready, Set, Action! | always learning Sat, 23 Aug 2008 07:54:16 +0000 http://mscofino.edublogs.org/2008/01/13/work-with-the-willing-moving-teachers-into-the-21st-century/#comment-1820 [...] for about a month, we were immediately on the same page about where to start: how to best support teachers that are willing to embed technology into classroom experiences - no matter what their level of technology [...] [WORDPRESS HASHCASH] The comment's server IP (72.34.61.211) doesn't match the comment's URL host IP () and so is spam. [...] for about a month, we were immediately on the same page about where to start: how to best support teachers that are willing to embed technology into classroom experiences – no matter what their level of technology [...]

[WORDPRESS HASHCASH] The comment’s server IP (72.34.61.211) doesn’t match the comment’s URL host IP () and so is spam.

]]> By: Priorities « Learning Mosaic http://mscofino.edublogs.org/2008/01/13/work-with-the-willing-moving-teachers-into-the-21st-century/comment-page-1/#comment-1705 Priorities « Learning Mosaic Sat, 17 May 2008 10:51:14 +0000 http://mscofino.edublogs.org/2008/01/13/work-with-the-willing-moving-teachers-into-the-21st-century/#comment-1705 [...] some day it will sink in permanently I hope. It’s time to reread Kim Cofino’s post,  Work with the willing… [...] [...] some day it will sink in permanently I hope. It’s time to reread Kim Cofino’s post,  Work with the willing… [...]

]]> By: links for 2008-02-19 « The View From My Window http://mscofino.edublogs.org/2008/01/13/work-with-the-willing-moving-teachers-into-the-21st-century/comment-page-1/#comment-1448 links for 2008-02-19 « The View From My Window Tue, 19 Feb 2008 06:26:27 +0000 http://mscofino.edublogs.org/2008/01/13/work-with-the-willing-moving-teachers-into-the-21st-century/#comment-1448 [...] » Work With the Willing: Moving Teachers into the 21st Century always learning Moving Teachers into the 21st Century always learning (tags: kimcofino 21stCenturySkills literacy ProfessionalDevelopment readings) [...] [...] » Work With the Willing: Moving Teachers into the 21st Century always learning Moving Teachers into the 21st Century always learning (tags: kimcofino 21stCenturySkills literacy ProfessionalDevelopment readings) [...]

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