A Year to Remember
I am currently sitting on a plane flying home from a week away, reflecting on the past academic year. It has been an unforgettable year really, and one that has completely changed the direction of my career in a way I never thought possible.
This time last year I was feeling very apprehensive
about the role I was taking on, coming out of the classroom to cover PPA across
the whole school. Panicking about teaching in EYFS and KS1 for the first
time, worried about other teachers and their perception of my role as I managed to dodge reports,
parents evenings and levelling 35 long pieces of writing every other week. I am not
going to lie, that aspect made the role very appealing however there was a fear
of not having the same connections with children that you have as a class
teacher and not having that responsibility for a class and see them develop and
excel as learners and people. You can read more about the role here.
Would I change it
now? Not at all, I learnt a lot about the school as a whole, giving me a vast
experience of what being a senior leader would be like. I quickly discovered
the different expectations and challenges that face different year groups and
saw how vastly different teachers' issues are within specific year groups and
classes. It was the best of both worlds, valued as a class teacher without the
stresses (mainly paperwork) of one. I completely fell in love with teaching
again and every lesson was as creative and interesting as I could possibly make
it and the children seemed to revel in each one. Time that I would normally
spend on classroom tasks meant I could really delve into the subject I was
teaching and easily spent more time working at home than any previous year.
My role of
covering PPA came with a distinct focus on ICT and embedding it across the
curriculum. This is where the iPads came into play and what a difference they
have made. In my opinion the potential for these devices is immense, there is
nothing that comes close to how versatile and effective this technology can be
when used effectively in the classroom. I foresee most schools eventually
purchasing iPads, however, I fear many will not use it to its full potential.
What makes the iPad enhance learning isn't the device itself but the
teacher. The teacher's confidence and willingness to use them in their teaching
is the real key and this is where schools really need to have a clear vision
when purchasing iPads. Schools need to be prepared to invest time to train
teachers and develop their professional development in this area. Schools who
do this, will see the biggest impact from investing in this technology.
But my journey
this year hasn't just been about the iPad it has been able to explore
many different avenues for how modern day technology can impact on me as a
teacher and the children I teach. Firstly, I would encourage, no plead, for
every teacher to embrace social media. I know there is a lot of stigma attached
and some people feel they would be vulnerable but without it you are narrowing
and restricting your connections with the teaching world. The number of
inspiring and truly phenomenal teachers I have connected with this year has
been overwhelming and all through social media platforms such as Twitter. To
read more about using Twitter as a teacher please read these previous posts – here and here.
The amount of
ideas from Twitter we have implemented as a school this year has been endless.
For some of the teachers I have introduced to the world of twitter, they have
been amazed by how they can connect and interact with many different teachers
and educators. It is also thanks to twitter that my career has now taken a
completely new direction. From being recommended by other teachers I was
approached by Alan Peat and
have now made the decision to drop to part time as a teacher so I can
provide iPad training through his consultancy company. I have
had the opportunity to contribute to the phenomenal resource that is the LiteracyShed,
I have also written an article for the fantastic Springboard
Stories magazine and I also have other very exciting prospects
on the horizon which I cannot yet reveal. All of this just from using twitter!
It truly is astounding when I reflect on the amazing way this platform has
created these opportunities.
Using twitter or
other social media platforms such as Pinterest means you become part of a
global staff room, one where you can connect with teachers all over the world.
All of whom are looking to share ideas and find new resources. Most will gladly
reply and answer questions and it can be a massive confidence boost to you as a
teacher when an idea you share is commented on by a fellow teacher. There are
no hidden agendas, just teachers who want to share and learn about ways to
improve as a teacher. I heard from another teacher that she doesn't use Google
to search for resources, instead hashtags on twitter and 9 times out of 10 get
the answer she wanted, I too now take this approach. Most of the ideas I shared
came from this blog, which brings me onto my next recommendation that has been
crucial this year... blogging. Blogging both as a class/school and as a teacher
has been both inspiring and a great way for me to reflect as a teacher. To
really use iPads to their potential you will need a blog as a platform to share
work produced on them.
There is no
doubting the impact blogging has raising standards, just follow David Mitchell for
evidence of this. As this has been the first year we have blogged we have had
glimpses of the potential blogging has. Our problem at the beginning was that I
was the main driving force behind it without a class, meaning it limited us in
certain ways. To read some of the ways in which blogging has been used
successfully click here and here. We mainly used it to showcase what we were doing on the
iPads and we had an amazing response (visit our blog
here.) This led me to create my own teacher blog. This has been an
amazing way for me to reflect and share thoughts, ideas and resources again to
a wonderfully surprising response. It has contributed massively to the new
direction I will be taking in September and I thoroughly intend to continue to
use my blog as a way of sharing experiences and lesson ideas.
There has also
been other tools that have helped me on my way and things I would recommend
getting involved in to further extend your network and also gain some amazing
ideas. Teachmeets are
an great way for teachers to share successful projects and resources and it has
been a fantastic way to connect with other teachers, they are also brilliant as
they are free! I also attended a Speed Learning event which was similar and just as
useful.
I could continue
this post listed the endless great tools I have come across this year, but most
will have been previously blogged about. I could also mention everyone that has
made my new venture possible and I want to make it clear I am extremely
grateful to everyone who has recommended me, helped me and given me the
opportunity to train them or work with their school. I hope most people know
who they are and the main reason for writing this post was to say thanks to
everyone who has continued to support me. I am looking forward to my new
venture as a trainer for schools who have purchased iPads and require guidance
for the best way to use these devices in the classroom. If you want more
information and details of what training I can provide please click here.
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