But I am also a very conscientious and still more-than-slightly anxious student, and so taking a class is the best way for me to make sure that I finish what I start. I would never dream of abandoning a book that was assigned work (even though some of my posts have been late), so this one got finished. I am so glad that this title was the focus of our group this summer because I don't think I would have picked it up otherwise. It felt like a book that would make me feel bad about my classroom.
I was so wrong. SO. WRONG. George Couros (@gcouros) has hit the perfect balance between nudging readers toward innovation and reinforcing that teachers are doing their best, that good things ARE happening in schools. His point that everything is a journey and that we never really get there manages to make me feel like I AM doing things right...and that what I'm doing right now will not be good enough next year or the next year or the next. I feel empowered and supported but also pushed (gently) to be better.
I'm still thinking about how I know a lesson is innovative and how to measure the impact of innovative practices on education, but I believe I have had a breakthrough about how I want to at least start implementing some of the ideas that Couros talks about in this book. The idea that resonated with me the most was that of digital portfolios. He uses the term "digital portfolio" and "blog" interchangeably in the book, so for parts of it, I had the wrong idea of what he meant, but I think either way, it answers a question I have had for a while now: How do I house copies of the different iterations of my students' work (specifically writing) so they can see their growth without having to store reams of paper somewhere? And, since we are moving to more electronic versions of writing (at least with final drafts and submissions), how does that work with Google Docs? My biggest management problem this year has been with the fact that all the comments I make on drafts get "resolved" by the students, and when they make changes, they are automatically saved, so there's no way to look at each draft side by side. I know I can un-resolve the comments and re-open them, and I can also see all the changes individually, but that's a lot of clicking; having all the paper copies together was much easier.
However, it's also easier for me to comment on a typed Google Doc than it is to write everything. So...what if each kid had a digital portfolio where every copy of their writing pieces were uploaded? I've looked for apps for this for more than a year and no one has been able to help me. Couros talks about using Edublogs, which look easy enough, but I haven't looked into them too much. Just the idea of digital portfolios, however, is enough to energize me to look at the situation anew because it feels like there could be a solution to my paper management problem. Edutopia has what looks like a great list of potential tools, and since our school provides a Gmail address for every student, Google Sites might be the easiest. I'm also familiar with it, and the kids have worked on them for projects for my class. However, I've heard really good things about Evernote too, and the kids seem to be familiar with it. TeachThought also has another list of potential tools that also look great!
Whatever I end up choosing, it feels like a step in the right direction. I've known that there was a missed opportunity here for a while, and using Google Docs and Schoology more has helped me move toward the digital portfolio step. I thought that Couros' words about how to use the digital portfolios two different ways were really important, and I think that this year, my students need to use them for both ways: as a "'learning portfolio,' which shows the individual's growth over time...[and] as a showcase portfolio,' that highlights the person's best work" (208). My vision, which will hopefully become a reality, is for the "learning portfolio" to include at least the drafting and revision parts of the writing process as well as other pieces (TBD) and for the "showcase portfolio" to include whatever pieces the student thinks show his or her work the best. This doesn't have to be and shouldn't just be written pieces; they are doing great things with other formats as well.
Anyone who knows me as a teacher knows that I love writing things longhand - I love paper and pen or pencil drafts because I can see the changes in the students' thinking, and there are more and different connections made in the brain when writing by hand than there are while typing. I don't intend to completely give up the writing notebook. However, I do intend to give my students more choices about what the "final" version of their work looks like, and I think that will be a good first step on the way to encouraging innovation in the classroom.
(thanks giphy.com!)
(thanks giphy.com!)
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