I stumbled upon the quote “Every child deserves a champion: an adult who will never give up on them, who understands the power of human connection and insists they can be the best they can be.” It really resonated with me and I did a little research and found the quote was attributed to Rita Pierson, a master teacher of 40 years. She did a Ted talk recently and I include the seven minute talk. It’s really powerful, and so worth the watch.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SFnMTHhKdkw[/youtube]
Enjoy!
Danielle
I watched that a few months ago and also loved it!!
Hi Danielle,
It’s great to see you on the Cohort 21 blog! Thanks for the resources, and this inspiration. It underscores the idea that I introduced in our first F2F that technology is just a tool, and that teaching, first and foremost, is about relationship and character.
Thanks,
garth.
It’s a fine balance for me…finding the “sweet spot” in teaching with technology. If it disconnects me from my students or if I can’t find a way in to their learning experience or it isolates someone, I’m not interested! Technology must make things better or I’m not playing! LOL. Lucky for me, I’ve been pretty lucky in terms of what I’ve introduced or used.
Danielle, I wholeheartedly agree with what you’ve said regarding the “sweet spot” with technology, and with Garth’s comment that teaching is foremost about relationship and character. One of the great things about having a good relationship with your class, is that they support you in trying new things. Students who know that you care about their progress will really give an initiative you bring in a shot. They will appreciate that you are trying new things and they will forgive the flops. 🙂 My favourite thing is when they provide honest feedback on the technology — one advantage to teaching teenagers. 🙂
Danielle,
We are really looking forward to your action plan post and the area of teaching and learning you would like to explore. Remember that before publishing your post be sure to add an action plan category and tag to your post.
Refresher How-To Video : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m3QG8WcSPoU
Also
* Be sure to read at least one other blog and comment on it.
* Don’t Stress… Your Action Plan post can be in the form of a question, musings, or concrete task. It can be short, it can be long………it just has to be meaningful to YOU!
Justin