Mrs. Levine Teach

It is hard to believe that this is my final reflection and an end to the coursework to obtain my ed-tech specialist endorsement.  For three years I have been working towards gaining expertise and knowledge and skills and an understanding.  My pedagogy has shifted, my focus too.  When I began this journey, I intended to work towards becoming a STEAM teacher.  I wanted to teach kids about technology.  Now, I will be working mostly with adults as a coach and I have never felt more prepared than I do right now. Not only has a pandemic ravaged our world, but our roles in education have also shifted and changed in an instant.  It is only because of the last three years of graduate courses that I have taken that I have felt solidly prepared for this challenge.   If you had asked me two weeks ago how I was doing, I might have said awful.  This is a very different response for me because typically, I am lighthearted and energetic ...

One last thoughtful vision... When students and teachers are engaged in work that is challenging, adventurous and meaningful, learning, and achievement flourish.  This is a vision that speaks to me and I hope for my children and grandchildren.  

March 22, 2020 Dear Readers, I have finally come up to breathe.  Barely.  These have been some of the most trying weeks I have ever faced in my entire life.  Personally and professionally I have been asked to transform.  And I know I can do it.  I am prepared to face this challenge and lead colleagues and citizens with my skill-set and knowledge.  But I just can't explain how hard this has been. Reflecting on my experiences I realize that I am fortunate to have had the coursework in achieving my Ed Tech Specialist endorsement from UVM.  I am prepared and have what I need to engage in "remote learning".  At this point, my students have engaged in hours of technology tools in my classroom and most have shown proficiency in many of the programs I have introduced.  Google Classroom has continued and many are engaging using google hangouts and chat.  Docs are being shared and feedback is being given.  Questions are being a...

Welcome Back! My professor asked us to indicate our Twitter use very early on in our EDCI 325 course.  I identified as a user, but not exactly a part of my everyday life. At the time, I had limited use and truly only tweeted and engaged on occasions that I wanted to appear connected with technology.  It was more for show and not for learning. I can now say that because of this course, I see how my PLN communities (all thanks to Twitter) will be invaluable resources for my next adventure in the world of education.   It began with the mandatory book study and what was seemingly the least time-consuming assignment that I had been given.  I’ll read a chapter or two a week, give a couple of short responses, and that piece of the course would be an easy thing to check off.  Boy, was I wrong! This assignment created a playground for me in my professional learning and keeps leading me to new and exciting opportunities.  I have been engaging with expe...

Hello all, When I consider the new coaching role that I will take on next year, Switch: How to Change Things When Change is Hard is speaking to me in new ways.  Yes, you read that right, no more classroom teaching for me next year, but I'll save that for another post.  On Friday we went through a data-meeting using the 5  Why's  Protocol.  It was amazing to me after reading this chapter and noticing now how many people went to the negative observations first.  Rather than focusing our energy on the good, we focused on the bad.   This observation reminds me that I want students to focus more on the "dos" then the " don'ts " as the Heath brothers and the ISTE standards for digital citizenship recommend. I want students (and teachers) to have a "solution focus" and not a problem focus.  How many of us have been guilty of going down the rabbit hole of negativity?  And how helpful has that been?  This growth mindset ...

February 5, 2020 Happy Wednesday, "Shouldn’t our mindset and work be rooted in creativity and innovation and not just in best practices?" ~Raymond J. McNulty This quote is the optimism that I seek.  The question is, do you have the freedom to create and redesign lessons & curriculum using the "new practices"?  I am lucky, I do.  This time to collaborate and innovate meaningful learning experiences for our students is a must. As a nation, we must do better in the world of education.  To do this, we must relook at how we are running things and change, adapt, and grow.  As educators, we cannot resist change but encourage big moves to be made.  We need to prepare the next generation in our country so that they can have the knowledge and skills to be positive citizens of the world. We need to be innovative.  We need to enlist coaches and teachers that inspire connection, reflection, and support change.  Katie Novak, Chip Heath, and To...

Happy Sunday! I am thankful to my growing PLN and have seen many examples of mavens, connectors, and salesmen.  In my newest learning network, Jaime Donally has been all three for me.  Not only have I been reading her e-book to participate in a "slow chat" but I have engaged in some of her live chats on Wednesday nights around AR/VR/MR resources.  She has a way of connecting with her audience and is persuasive in her mission to use technology in innovative ways.  Donally has clearly gathered a lot of information on this topic and is spreading the word using online tools (thank you Twitter, such an efficient way to hear the message!)  The infographic below explains how information can spread so quickly using Twitter and my new passion for using this resource to grow my PLN. At St. Albans City School, I find myself playing the role of a maven and connector often.  This year I am not the literacy leader (I have been in the past) yet I find myself sharing ...

A few years ago, I quit Facebook and never really started Twitter.  I found myself after hours and hours of "research" realizing that I had been lost in cyberspace, reading a lot and learning about absolutely nothing that would help me be a better citizen of the world.  I would look at pages of people I knew, which led me to pages with people I sort of knew, which led me to pages of people I did in fact know but didn't realize they knew the other person I knew.  Then I began my sleuth missions, looking to see why some people were connected to others or why they weren't. Waste. Of. Time. I realize now that I can quit Facebook and Twitter as personal relationship social media, but it is irreplaceable for the professional connections and collaborations that can be created.  It is our job is to be stewards of educational technology. To do that well, we must be connected in ways that are immediate, relevant, and allow us to collaborate globally.  These two platform...

January 16, 2020 Hi again! As I began thinking about what makes a great leader, I pondered the definition of a leader first.  I used to think that you had to be loud and strong and pushy and stubborn to be a good leader.  After reflection and thinking about some of the amazing leaders that I've witnessed over my career, I think about one in particular.  This leader kept work relationships professional but was also empathetic.  This leader supported their teachers first and foremost.  This leader was assertive with their agenda but listened to what should be on that agenda.  They were the strong but silent type and made everyone want to be better.  We were held to high standards and it raised the bar of our teaching and student learning. I picked this leader because they showed me how I can have a balance between friendliness and professionalism and has helped me stretch my skills, making me a better educator. ~Ashley agenda a...

Hello all, To those of you that have stumbled upon this blog, WELCOME, and thank you for taking the time to read my considerations for our educational institutions in the year 2020.  As a classroom teacher of 14 years, I have found myself often in the position of leadership.  I am not quiet or shy and speak up for the voice that isn't always heard.  I have persevered in instances where others have given up and have remained optimistic, even in times where others have not.  It is important to me to transform curriculum and instruction in our school districts to be equitable for all learners.  I have been known to collaborate effectively with faculty both in and out of our district as well as create meaningful experiences for some of our most fragile students.  I often do this through work on smaller committees that strive to meet a common goal but also look beyond the work of committees to extend to long term goals and solutions. My communicati...