Innovate-Collaborate-Inspire

Today, as we move through the 21st century, connectivity has increased, opening many channels that were not available before. Now, adults and students can communicate quickly and effectively through social media, expanding our reach to those around the globe. Global collaboration easily occurs through virtual platforms, as evidenced in the image below.

Photo from India shared at the #INZpirED Twitter chat
this past Friday night.

In addition, digital communities meet regularly and share ideas through tweets and blogs empowering educators and students to expand their own learning paths. The digital world has opened doors to innovative practice, inspiring inquiries, and engaged learning. It is in this digital world that ideas move from thought to actions and swell beyond local areas to regions and into global movements. 

On February 20, 2017, #NYEDChat will air at 8 pm EST to celebrate digital learning in preparation for Digital Learning Day 2017 on February 23rd. An invitation to all state chat moderators, parents, and students has been sent out via Twitter and Facebook. Everyone is welcomed to join #NYEDChat, the voice of New York State educators, to celebrate innovative ways that ignite active learning.  

What is Digital Learning? 
The Digital Learning Day site defines it as "any practice that effectively uses technology to strengthen a student's learning experience." Across the world, education chat leaders and participants explore digital learning as an integrated component of a student's day-an engaging practice that blends technology with content areas. In one-to-one environments, students can easily explore inquiries of choice, create projects based on information gathered, and amplify their voices through digital means. Beyond the school day, adults are provided opportunities to connect with other individuals in asynchronous, high-powered conversations, and professional learning opportunities that would not be accessible without digital means. 

Why was Digital Learning Day started?

The Digital Learning site states that #DLDay started as a way to actively spread innovative practices and ensures that all youth have access to high-quality digital learning opportunities no matter where they live." The short video below from Digital Learning Day 2015 provides a glimpse into the event.

On Twitter, educational chats discuss relevant and timely topics. Join #NYEDChat on February 20th to examine innovative, collaborative, and inspiring digital practices that allow students to become content creators and owners of their learning. Let's bring education leaders, teachers, parents, and students together to celebrate #DLDay with the understanding that it is "not about technology; it's about the learning." 

Tonight, I link with the #DigiLitSunday community of writers under the leadership of Margaret Simon to explore digital learning. 

Celebrating Winter Snow

It tiptoed into darkness

with breathtaking deftness.

I watched it glide and dance-

patterning the night sky.

Falling, it dusted earth 

with a glistening white.

No one heard its soft 

descent until dawn

when it boldly rushed in. 

Announcing its arrival,

winter snow left its 

unblemished calling card

upon an awaiting region.

©CVarsalona, 2017 Long Island

Silently, like thoughts that come and go, 

the snowflakes fall, each one a gem. 

William Hamilton Gibson

I celebrate the arrival of winter snow. It added a new dimension to life, a stilled wonder in each neighborhood that was touched by its gentle start, its incessant descent, and its glistening wonder. The snowstorm left its mark upon Long Island, especially when the day before it was only a distant thought in the spring-like warmth. I celebrate moments I was able to notice, wonder, and wish upon a snowflake. I celebrate that the cascading snow inspired me to write. Lastly, I celebrate the quiet evening hours in which I find serenity within as I reflect and write about nature's winter guest to Long Island.

Snow is a reminder that no matter how old you become and how much you've see, things can still be new if you are willing to believe they still matter. - Candace Bushnell

It is time to celebrate this week of fluctuating temperatures, poetry writing, and wishing upon snowflakes that fell like glistening, silent dewdrops from the sky. Ruth Ayres opens her writing space each weekend for the #celebratelu community at her blog. You can access Ruth's thoughts and those of the community I am a member of here.

Note: I am inviting all who read this post to join me in celebrating winter at my newest gallery, Winter Wonder, that I am designing. Consider sending me a photograph, image poem, or inspirational quote for the gallery, even if winter is not signified by snow in your locale. There is a story in every season and digitals can be the medium to express your thoughts. 

Stilled Wonder

If you enjoy living, it is not difficult to keep the sense of wonder.

Ray Bradbury

Lady Winter strikes a variety of poses this season. Perhaps, she is preparing for a New York City runway show like she did last winter at the Gallery of Winter Wanderings. Above she is fully dressed in winter white while yesterday she gave Long Island a peek at her spring line as she strutted her steps under a 60 degree brilliant sky. 

Today, I opened the door to winter.

Sky was snowing and

Fat snowflakes blowing. 

No animals were munching

But boots started crunching,

So with shovel in hand

The first snow day began.

My

May you keep a sense of wonder

Close to your heart this winter.

Reminder: No matter what shade winter is in your locale, I invite you to create a digital offering for the Winter Wonder 17 Gallery. I am collecting inspirational quotes, image poems, playlist titles, photographs at #WinterWonder17.

It's time for the Poetry Friday Round-up. Katie at The Logonauts is hosting. You can join her here.

What's Next?

I read the tweets and headlines from educators, journalists, and legislators and then saw the 12 p.m. vote today and thought: 

How will education look in the future? 

I am not sure. What I do know is that committed, passionate educators with growth mindsets will continue to move forward bringing joy to classrooms while filling public schools with inspiration and pride. 

Why? 

For America's Children, our Future!

The timing was right for the following article, A Texas kid spotted a rattlesnake in the toilet - and then the snake-removal crew found 23 more, to become the prompt for today's #10FoundWords, a private Facebook writing community. If interested in joining the writers, please contact Laura Shovan, the poet who created the project. 

My offering for today's #10FoundWords is below. The poem is developed from the 10 words chosen as the prompt from the article: clump, toilet, rattle, cellar, camouflage, killing, surprise, dens, shovel, cryptic.

Winter Surprise

Imagine this:

Within the underpinnings

Of the privy, a clump

Swishes up the

Toilet on its way

To making havoc.

A slittering rattler

Greets day as an

Unsuspecting

Resident shrieks

In defense of life.

Fierce women power

to the rescue,

Superhero Mom

With shovel in hand,

Kills the encroacher

Only to discover a

Secret den of

Cryptic snakes

Camouflaging their

Existence.

Warning:

Those inexperienced

stay clear. Experts

Needed for the fix.

©CVarsalona, 2017

Today is Slice of Life Tuesday at Two Writing Teachers.

I offer a slice of thoughts today.

All Eyes on Visual Literacy

Image created with the digital tools, Tagul and PicMonkey

Classrooms alive with literacy are filled with noticings, wonderings, and investigations. Teachers are guides, coaches on a journey of discovery as students become the adventurers. 

Idealistic, you may think. 

Look around. There are classrooms across the globe, seeking the path to joyful learning where agency is developed. Here in these havens of learning, small steps are taken to invite vigorous learning in daily.  

What does this look like?

Visual literacy is an entry point. Images fill the room. Words spill out and walls of wonder paint the room a brilliant shade of learning. Gallery walks spark inspiration. Students learn using different modalities, moving from paper to digital mediums and back again. Authentic learning is real-world driven and full of vibrancy, challenges, and new paths of wonder. 

What happens?

Thoughts turn into words communicated through visual and written means. Students' word power is nurtured and developed through conversation, reading, and exploration of new ideas. Vocabulary building becomes more than dictionary work. It becomes a quest of knowledge, turning over words to become the honey that sweetens the pot of knowledge. Students become the curators of their own museum of learning, not just consumers of information.

Read through these interesting facts from the Visual Teaching Alliance.

FACT: Approximately 65 percent of the population are visual learners. 

FACT: The brain processes visual information 60,000 faster than text. 

FACT: 90 percent of information that comes to the brain is visual. 

FACT: 40 percent of all nerve fibers connected to the brain are linked to the 

          retina. 

FACT: Visual aids in the classroom improve learning by up to 400 percent.

FACT: Students who are twice exceptional are often visual learners. 

“When we see, we do so many things: we experience what is happening in a direct way; we discover something we never noticed or possibly never even looked for before; we become aware through a series of visual experiences of something we eventually come to recognize and know; we watch for evolving changes through patient observation.” 

― Donis A. Dondis, A Primer of Visual Literacy: Strategies for Managing the Digital Economy

I am joining Margaret Simon at DigiLit Sunday this week where Margaret is expressing her thoughts on visual vocabulary in her classroom. 

 thank Margaret for sharing my story on how I became interested in the digital tool, Tagul, and also showing my new mantra for lifting voice through written means: Write On!

 

Some Kind of Wonderful

It's Saturday morning. The sun is shining but the cold air smacks me in the face as I set off to drive to a daylong work assignment. The highway is clear but then again it is Saturday. I start to relax at the wheel taking in the sights until I reach a congested spot where drivers seem to be in a frenzy of motion. 

Two cars break my concentrations as they twist and turn down the highway but a song on the radio reminds me to take a breath and relax as before. Some Kind of Wonderful by the Drifters plays with a soft, melodic tone and I start reflecting on what is wonderful about the start of the day.

Recounting the some kind of wonderfuls helped me to forget any negativity on the road and life. I celebrate the some kind of wonderful feeling that allows me to capitalize on the positive aspects of my week. 

This has been a week of poetry in motion. 

Eye on Women

Rise

Day 3 of Laura Shovan's #10FoundWords Project

Day 4 of Laura Shovan's #10FoundWords Project

Let Kindness Spread

I celebrate with Ruth Ayres tonight at Celebrate This Week. You will be interested by what Ruth has to say this week. It made me stop and reflect.