New Directions

Two invitations were sent out this weekend by two different connected educator PLNs. As this Monday night's moderator of #NYEDChat, I was preparing questions to send via Twitter when Margaret Simon, leader of #DigilitSunday tweeted her prompt. 

Each January, millions of people around the world turn their attention toward finding balance in their professional and personal lives. New goals versus immediate needs are weighed. Resolutions or one words are created to steer an individual's journey knowing that continued reflection leads to a fresh start. 

Whether it is a make-over, redo, or new direction on your mind, there are always questions on how to get started. This is the point where focus comes into play. A new energy generated from the process propels us forward. 

If we FOCUS on the task at hand, 

LISTEN to our hearts 

as planned,

our thoughts can soar,

touch the sky, 

and momentarily

 FLY, FLY, FLY.

2015 C. Varsalona 

I have been debating how to mindfully move forward in a new direction without procrastinating. I am reminded of the words of Thomas Merton, "Happiness is not a matter of intensity but of balance and order and rhythm and harmony." What a beautiful thought as a start today with some steps to help me mindfully move forward.

• Assess my needs for both my professional and personal life 
• Prioritize tasks but be flexible 
• Be conscious of those around me to support their needs
• Reflect at day's end

A positive attitude is needed as I seek joy (my #oneword2017) in everyday, ordinary routines and tasks. What will you do to seek balance as you find a new direction this January?

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Please visit #DigiLitSunday at Margaret Simon's blog here to read how the other bloggers are addressing the topic, Balancing Goals and Needs. Then, save the date to join #NYEDChat for our hour conversation, Come Celebrate New Directions with #NYEDChat, tomorrow night at 8 pm EST. 

Linger Awhile in Autumn

There is a certain calm in the November air as I gaze into an autumn field. The chill does not dissuade me. I stay transfixed on the peacefulness of the scene, pick up my  camera lens, and freeze the quiet beauty of morning. I capture its essence thinking that winter is waiting to make its entrance. For the time being, I linger to notice the last colors of autumn and wonder how this feeling of serenity will affect my day. Then, I turn to join my colleagues for a day of learning.

The digitized image below is a combination of apps smashed to capture the serene morning scene.

I showcase Emily Bronte's poem for its lines that resonate with me: Every leaf speaks bliss to me/Fluttering from the autumn tree. 

Fall, leaves, fall

By Emily Bronte

Related Poem Content Details

Fall, leaves, fall; die, flowers, away; 

Lengthen night and shorten day; 

Every leaf speaks bliss to me 

Fluttering from the autumn tree. 

I shall smile when wreaths of snow 

Blossom where the rose should grow; 

I shall sing when night’s decay 

Ushers in a drearier day.

Source: Poets of the English Language (Viking Press, 1950)

Linger awhile in Autumn. Then, turn to Jama's Alphabet Soup, the wonderful blog site of Jama Rattigan, poetry advocate, blogger, and food connoisseur where you will find the Poetry Friday Roundup. 

Continue the path of wonder with Margaret Simon and the DigitLit Sunday community this week as they discuss the topic, purpose. 

Being inspired to capture fall this season has led me on a purposeful digital journey. You can access a new digital composition I created, a revolving Rubik's cube of three autumn scenes, here.

Gentle Reminder: 

I am accepting diglitacompositions, inspirational quotes, image poems for Autumnventure. Please submit your offerings this coming week. Be one of the creative voices of my newest global gallery of artistic expressions. 

Agency

As connected educators who wish to make a difference in the lives of our students, we must become guides on the side and facilitators of learning and lean in to model and promote effective classroom learning by:

• Establishing a tone of positivity from the start of the school year
• Designing student-friendly norms and protocols to create a culture of trust in our learning spaces
• Gradually releasing responsibility for learning to our students
• Embracing change that will effectively impact teaching and learning

But we cannot stand alone. 

It takes momentum and support from a community of educators and parents working together to assist students in becoming meaning makers of their own learning. 

It is our calling as educators to empower our learners to take risks, see failure as a steppingstone to success, collaborate openly, explore inquiry paths, and understand that choice leads to amplified voice. 

So what is it that we need to do immediately to transform the landscape of learning? How do we bring about positive change in a world of flux?

What road will you take to be a difference maker this year?

How will you comfortably create a culture of trust to influence students to become agents of their own learning?

As Eric Sheninger says, "Student agency is about empowering kids to own their learning (and school) through greater autonomy. It is driven by choice, voice, and advocacy." 

I have been playing with the septercet form of poetry (a poem consisting of any number of three-line stanzas, each with seven syllables) that Michelle H. Barnes encouraged writers to post at Today's Little Ditty Challenge last month. I decided to compose my thoughts on agency using the septercet form. Margaret Simon asked the #DigiLitSunday blogging community to write on this topic two weeks ago. You can access others thoughts here.

Slice of Life (#sol16) is featured at Two Writing Teachers each Tuesday. Since I am finishing the design of my Summerscapes Gallery, I will offer this piece as my thought for the week.

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Teachers skillfully hone craft

empowering students on,

closer toward independence.

Children journey with teachers

on inquiry paths of choice

as agents of their learning.

So stamina is needed 

by learners who seek knowledge

to become meaning makers.

Charge for difference makers:

Create a culture of trust.

Positivity spreads fast.

Charge for owners of learning:

Step beyond your comfort zone

take risks and own your learning.

©CV, 2016

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Cloud Pictures

Over the Labor Day weekend, the media broadcasted repeated announcements about tropical storm Hermine and the probability of it hitting Long Island. Fire Island was evacuated as a precaution and the Long Island south shore beaches closed on Sunday and Labor Day. Long Islanders witnessed night skies lit with variegated hues, folding into creative patterns that hovered over land. Each scene was like an artist's rendering of cloud pictures, reminding me of Van Gogh's statement that "night is more alive than the day." (www. artible.com)

While I was on the east coast spotting the glory of the summer's night skies, my daughter was on the west coast capturing brilliant sunsets. A story unfolded in nighttime cloud pictures.

Have you ever wondered how nature creates brilliant sunsets across the world? Artists have been studying the skies for decades, capturing its distinct beauty of movement and majesty. One of the most recognized night sky paintings in the art world and in classrooms is Vincent Van Gogh's, Starry Night. 

When taking sunset photos of brilliant cloud formations this summer, I wondered how clouds form. As teachers and students engage in first week activities, they may recount the brilliance of the summer night skies. Wonderopolis' Wonder of the Day 1413, How Do Clouds Form?, may be a starting point for an inquiry-based, cross-curriculum study. Art, literature, and science paired together can provide a multi-faceted approach to understanding the whys of cloud pictures. This can lead to a fascinating project where students represent their synthesis of the content studied through multi-mediums.

Please visit the Wonder Ground here where you can see lessons stemming from Wonderopolis' Wonders of the Day. Send me your thoughts or writing extensions that can lead students to noticing, wondering, and creating from the Wonders of the Day. Perhaps, a cloud picture will evolve from a similar inquiry as mine. 

Margaret Simon, creator of DigiLit Sunday, posed last week that members of the writing community write about the topic of motivation. I believe that our noticings and wonderings allow us to stimulate our thinking patterns and lead us to create. 

If we can turn our passions for wondering about life and learning over to our students, we can lead them onto interesting inquiry paths of choice. Engaging students in the act of noticing and wondering is a practice worth exploring on a daily basis. You can access #DigiLitSunday responses on Twitter and here.

Preparing for School: Awaken Joy

Back-To-School 2016 Thoughts

Teachers:

With the start of a new school year, many images come to mind. In the early days of education, the teacher was thought of as the sage on the stage who filled students' minds with new knowledge to lead them onward. With the advent of the technological age, the sage on the stage has undergone a make-over. Moving from old school to a contemporary version, the teacher emerges as a passionate awakener of learning who opens the door to inquiry-based learning, collaborative exploration, self-awareness, and self-efficacy. The teacher is more than a facilitator of learning. He/she becomes the guide and the life-long learning coach. 

Students:

Students walk through the doors on day one of the new school year into a community of learners under the guidance of their awakeners. They are guided to become young historians, investigative reporters, avid listeners, active scientists, and writers with voice who notice, wonder, explore new avenues of learning, and discover paths to pursue. Teaches as awakeners are the front-line instructors who lead the way and step aside to kidwatch happenings where learning is turned over to curiousity-driven children.

Hacks for Teachers as Awakeners to Shift the Literacy Landscape Toward Student-Led Learning:

• Bring positivity and passion to classroom practices to motivate and engage
• Introduce collaborative activities to build positive relationships in a culture of trust
• Create a climate of questioning and inquiry for aspiring wonderologists
• Offer choice to amplify student voice
• Foster continual reflection

Please visit Margaret Simon's site for the return of DigiLit Sunday as the writers discuss preparing for the school year. 

Today is #CelebrateMonday, time to trend the positives in education and awaken joy.