Reading Review Blog Post #1: "Seriously, do I have recess duty again?!"

In my last several years as an administrator I have struggled daily to reach reluctant learners, and even though I am using technology as much as possible to draw them in, I still have a lot of room for improvement in that area as well.  Both of these topics appeal to me to delve into more deeply during this course, as do kindling motivation in all learners, fostering curiosity to learn, and developing citizenship in all our students.  We have many challenges at our school like most other educators do, so I am already using the Jeffrey Benson book, "Hanging In: Strategies for Teaching the Students Who Challenge Us Most" to work through issues that I encounter. 

I am sure I will be moved from my school in a few years, as most Vice-Principals are shuffled around in order to give them different experiences, so I can't totally anticipate what issues may arise in my future as it will depend somewhat on the unique school community I am next a part of.  That being said, my current situation includes a high number of students without access to technology, so at our school we are in a "Smart Board" blitz.  Almost every class has one, and the ones that do not will be getting one this year, but I am hesitant to suggest every teacher uses them a lot, well, or to engage learners.  I will be the first to admit that I could be doing a better job of drawing in learners through more engaging use of my Smart Board.  That's something I would like to investigate how to get better at.  I try to personalize learning for students and make it a collaborative process but it seems many of the kids I work with come to school with so much else going on in life that they have little energy left to give during class time.  I am interested in learning how to utilize learning centres to teach literacy in the Library with our Primary students.   I like the idea of play based learning and hands on activities that will help make their visits to the Library more engaging and fun.  I have begun reading "The Centered School Library" by Carl S. Young as a way to begin that process and transformation of our Library.

Since I am also working with the video game gereration, it seems I have to keep them "entertained" constantly and their short attention span and emerging self regulation skills are a challenge to manage.  I could also channel this into a positive experience by incorporating gaming to engage learners.  I am unsure of where to start or what games would be; a) appropriate for Elementary school students, b) affordable, c) able to help kids learn at grade level for our curriculum, and d) authentic and connected to real life.  Our District is currently going through a very rocky technology upgrade and shift from Mac to PC, and I can only say the word frustrated is an understatement to how many feel about using the machines regularly with all the problems that have arisen as a result of this change. 

That being said, some more areas I would like to explore in my professional practice are how I can incorporate Problem Based Learning, Genius Hour, and ethical online behavior in our Intermediate students during my lessons in the Library.  I am concerned about how many of our older students in lieu of after school sports, clubs, or programs are given video game consoles, tablets, or smart phones to access online "entertainment" with little or no parent supervision.  I would like to work with them to help develop a set of guidelines to regulate their online lives and ensure they make positive choices with their devices. 

These are just some of the ideas I am batting around to research and inquire about to improve my practice. My keywords are bolded as possible topics to delve into more deeply during this course, but as has been my experience, the road is often not linear and I may take a detour here or there along the way.

Bibliography
1) Quote image at top of blog page courtesy of www.mattbgomez.com
2) Hanging In image courtey of www.ASCD.com
3) School Centered Library image courtesy of http://librarylearners.com
4) Video Games Teacher image courtesy of infospace.ischool.syr.edu