New Tricks

Several weeks ago, the title of my memo was “How Do You Know?”  It was about the difference between learning declarative and procedural knowledge.  Specifically, it was about what we were doing with our professional development time as we prepare for next year’s BYOD initiative and continue to work on the HSE21 Best Practice Model.

In response to that email, Kathy Sherman hit “reply” and responded.  I have her permission to share parts of our correspondence.  Many of you know and love Kathy.  For those of you who don’t, Kathy has been at HSE for a little while.  She has seen the school morph from a small rural school in the bucolic Hamilton County countryside to becoming one of the largest schools in the state, situated in one of the fastest growing communities in the nation.  Kathy is our World Language Department chair, and I think it is safe to say, she doesn’t consider herself to be technologically savvy.

That is part of the reason I enjoyed her emails so much, and I thought you might as well.  Here, in part, is our email conversation:

From: Sherman, Kathy
Sent: Sunday, February 01, 2015 7:15 PM
To: Lederach, Philip
Subject: Re: From B106: How Do You Know?

I worked with my 3 Honors classes On Google Docs. They are turning in a project using Google Docs for Tuesday. They understand that it is a new learning for me and we are working on this together. I will let you know how it goes….

From: Lederach, Philip
Sent: Sunday, February 01, 2015 7:22 PM
To: Sherman, Kathy
Subject: Re: From B106: How Do You Know?

Who is this and how did you get into Kathy Sherman's email? J

Can't wait to hear how they did.  You made my day, Kathy!

Sent from my iPhone

From: Sherman, Kathy
Sent: Tuesday, February 03, 2015 2:22 PM
To: Lederach, Philip
Subject: RE: From B106: How Do You Know?

Did you feel the earth shake during 4^th or 6th period today?

I am feeling pretty good with this Google Docs thing.  My 4^th period helped me maneuver around some of the finer points—making the picture larger, backing out of one presentation to another, etc.  But almost all students turned in the presentation via Google Docs—only a couple of glitches. 

I have been able to make comments about the presentations and return them to students. 

I know I will try it again.—maybe even with my 1^st year kids.  “No se aventura, no gana el mar (Nothing ventured nothing gained!)”

I feel like I have gained a bit of technology savvy today! 

This is a great example of how learning actually happens.  It doesn’t take place all at once, but it certainly involves taking risks and moving out of our comfort zones.  It is what we ask students to do all of the time, and, just like Kathy, it is also what we need to model. 

Photo from Glenn Hervieaux

Kathy sent one more email reflecting on her experience:

After hearing the “glories of Google Docs” touted to me like words from a preacher in a revival tent, I decided to brush away the black cloud of technology that hangs over my head.  With the help of several department members (especially Liz Rose), I sought the help of my Spanish 3 Honors students to develop a project using Google Docs with their HSE Google accounts.  We spent part of one period just making sure everyone had their HSE Google ID.  I asked some students to try and send me some practice files, and we set up a folder for the class.  I am sure these seem like super simple steps for many, but….

On the day the project was due, all but one student was able to send me their projects—no paper involved!  I was able to pull up each student’s report quickly, project the picture on the screen and listen to the presentation while I followed along the written copy they had included in their Google file!  No one had to give me flash drive, take time to go to Blackboard, search my e-mail, etc. 

I know this was a small step, but the success I experienced makes me want to try again.  I may even tackle an assignment with my Spanish I students.  An old dog can learn new tricks! 

Kathy, there are many good reasons you are loved by so many students and staff at HSE.  You are a rock solid teacher, you constantly give the gift of humor and laughter, and now you show us the importance of continual learning.  Gracias por todo lo que hace usted.

Have a great week, HSE.  Thanks for all you do.

Phil

“Learning makes you to stay forever young.  Commit yourself to lifelong learning.” 

--Lailah Gifty Akita, Ghanaian teacher, scientist, and philosopher