#ALedchat is a weekly chat on Twitter about education topics. It is held each Monday from 9-10pmCST. While the discussion on #ALedchat continues on Twitter well beyond our weekly one-hour chat session, this platform affords us the opportunity to extend, expand and share the conversation with an even greater audience. Educators from across the state of Alabama, and the world, can come here to find encouragement, support, resources, professional growth opportunities and advice, while providing the same to their colleagues.
Intros: Tell us who you are, where you're from, and a little about your background/ experience in education. Be sure to add #EDpiper to all your tweets.
Jennifer McCaleb. I am an administrator at Calera High School. I have 18 years in education and am currently pursuing my EdS in Instructional Technology. #aledchat#UMEdtech
Q1: To begin, tell us how you are creative in lesson design, about someone who inspires you to be creative, or about a book you have read to spark creativity. #ALedchat
A1: I am inspired by the book "The Wild Card" by Wade and Hope King. They are committed to teacher creativity and student engagement. #aledchat@heyhopeking@heywadeking
A1: My son's STEAM Lab teacher has the most imaginative mind both at school and in her personal life. I love to see what she is doing next. Her strength is taking the old and making it new! #aledchat#UMedTech
For me, the best way to do this was through Instructional Rounds. I loved going to other teachers' classrooms and seeing what they were doing and taking those ideas back to my own classroom. I was fortunate to be in system that provided subs to do this #UMedtech#aledchat
A1: I try to be creative with my lesson design by incorporating different formats of literature and different technologies. My students inspire my creativity. I always try to have something new and different. #UMedtech#ALedchat
A1: My creativity stems more from my desire for differentiation. I enjoyed/enjoy learning in different ways and showing evidence of learning using different methods (project based, not just paper-pencil) #aledchat#UMedTech
A1: I am inspired by our instructional coach @loudenclearblog because she always has different tips and tricks on creative classroom management ideas and lessons for my class. #ALedchat
A2: In the classroom, creativity is when teachers create an environment that sparks learning by using sound, visuals, and smell. Students are engaged using eye contact, conversation, and products. #aledchat
A2: Teachers and students are learning side-by-side, engaged discourse around problem solving and improving, and variety of materials with which to work. #aledchat#UMedtech
A2: Creativity in the classrooms can have many different looks...teachers performing, students leading, students creating...Most of all-students are at the center! #aledchat
A2: I love watching students create- finding pictures for vocab words, or making picture. I also enjoy witnessing students create skits or videos to demonstrate learning. #aledchat
A2: Creativity in the classroom is teachers engaging students and students engaged in learning. Fun learning is going on in the classroom with different tools; songs, videos, ebooks, technology, STEAM, books. #UMedtech#ALedchat
A2: Creativity takes many different forms in my classroom. I love to give my students the opportunity to show their creative side as well. One of my favorite creative lessons I've done is an escape room review game before a test. #umedtech#ALedchat
Q3: Teacher creativity can lead to student engagement. How has student engagement increased in your classroom or school because of teacher creativity? #ALedchat
A3: Student engagement has increased because students are involved in the lesson. Discipline issues are decreased and the culture of the classroom is positive. #aledchat
A3: I am seeing the difference between students being on-task and students being engaged. Teacher creativity leads to that spark for students to be creative as well. #aledchat#UMedTech
A3. Typically when a teacher is using their creative juices, they are going to be excited about what they are teaching. Excitement is contagious! #UMedtech#aledchat
A3: Student engagement has increased as a result of teacher creativity because students are excited to try something new each time they visit the library. They like the differentiated lessons. #UMedtech#ALedchat
A3: When students are engaged in the lesson, they take ownership of what they are learning and achieve more than they thought they ever could. #UMEdTech#ALedchat
Q4: There are many different ways to be creative in the classroom (music, movement, games, STEM/STEAM, room transformation, etc). What have you found to be the easiest and most challenging to implement? Should all teachers implement all of these strategies? #ALedchat
A4: To me music and games are easier to implement than room transformation. However, I am exploring ways to make this easier. Anyone have great ideas? #aledchat
A4: The most challenging lessons to implement are the unknown. Ex. A new resource that I haven't used before. Because I taught high school, I would have my students jump in head first. You have to be willing to take risks and step out of your comfort zone. #ALedchat#UMedtech
A4: Middle Schoolers will make a good song or rap (but then be embarrassed to share it)- Love being able to move desks to facilitate discussion, small group, etc. #aledchat
A4: the specifics are different for every classroom. It depends on you and your students. What works this year may not next year. What works today may not work next month. We too have to be flexible and willing to grow. #aledchat
A4: I have found that it is easier when I focus on one or two new strategies to implement at a time. It is most challenging to think about a complete transformation all at once rather than pieces over time. #aledchat#UMedTech
A4: I have tried many different tools like these. I have found most are easy to implement but my biggest challenge is trying to do something new (like a new technology) in a very short time frame in library class. #UMedtech#ALedchat
A5: Schools must encourage risks for teachers and students. Administrators must support teachers even when they make mistakes. We all mess up, but we must get back up and try again. #aledchat
Q5: For me it was always related to time. I attended a technology workshop a few years ago where we not only learned about new technological tools, but we were also given the time to create lessons. #aledchat#UMedtech
A5: As an AMSTI specialist, I have found that when teachers invite us in for support implementation of something new quickly becomes an everyday practice. It is getting your feet wet the first couple of times at first. #aledchat#UMedTech#amstiworks
A5: growth and change require support and time. Time set aside for collaboration and research is important. It’s also important to have peers and admin to support efforts. #neveralone#growingtogether#aledchat
A6: I hear time as a consistent barrier. We will have to evaluate the way we use our time and some things that are not as effective will need to go. #aledchat#UMedtech
Q6: I see the biggest challenge being trust. They need to trust their professional judgement and trust the administration. Admin needs to trust employees as well. #aledchat
A6: I truly believe it’s a result of pressure to get so much in! Teachers are in high gear every minute of every day. They put in 100% effort, but aren’t getting the same output. We have to make sure our time is used most efficiently. #aledchat
A6: I see the biggest challenge being trust. They need to trust their professional judgement and trust the administration. Admin needs to trust employees as well. #aledchat
FA: I want to find a way to make our teachers to feel empowered to take risks. Let them know they are supported and it's ok to mess up as long as they get up and keep going. #aledchat
FA: I want to find more creative approaches to building time for collaboration between teachers. If you have suggestions, please let me know! #aledchat
FA: I am going to reach out to more teachers and see what I can do to help them implement more technology in the classroom. Also, at our next faculty meeting, I plan to implement something new of my own 😃 #UMedtech#aledchat
FA: This chat has inspired me to welcome the unknown and expand the boundaries of my educational comfort zone through new avenues that are unfamiliar to me #UMEdTech#ALedchat
