United Streaming
Let me know if you are having difficulties getting into United Streaming. I can send you the login info.
The question came up this morning about streaming, downloading, and saving.
I download to my H drive because that is the easiest for me to pull up when am running from school to school.
Often people put it on their flash drives because it is there and doesn't take up space on their computer. Sometimes it is hard to get to a USB port, so the H drive is a good option there. I save it on the hard drive of computers when I need to do so too. You can always save it to your flash drive later.
The rule of thumb is to download before and after school. When you have a teaching moment, on a short videos like I run (one or two minutes) with the alphabet, streaming is not going to hurt once in awhile. We are hearing loud and clear in the surveys that bandwidth is a problem.
MIA
i will be MIA Wednesday to visit my nephew.
TIRED
East Side staff did a cool activity today regarding how much teachers have on their plates and how to handle it all. Teachers by design are great multi-taskers but I know a body gets weary. When I was teaching at Middle School and was in the middle of IEP's, I once got tired, mad, and discouraged trying to keep up with it all. I was whining to Dean Barent about something, and he basically said, "Cowboy up and get 'er done." You would have thought that wouldn't of helped, but it did. It helps to think of the end result instead of getting bogged down in the endless pit of worry and exhaustion. I have learned so much from all of you in these little ways.
The Implementation Dip
From an article published in a Literacy Web
A few months ago I wrote about my daughter Dee taking a driver's education course and receiving her learner's permit. Dee insisted on taking the course right after her 15th birthday, as soon as she was eligible. A full year before she could take the test for her driver's license, she was eager to hit the road. She loved the class, and took the wheel every time we got in the car in the weeks after she received her learner's permit.
But a funny thing happened a couple months after Dee began driving. She spent a few weeks out of state this summer, unable to drive during this time. Before she left, there were a couple disagreements about what music she could listen to while driving (and how loud it could be). The transition from taking the advice of a certified instructor to listening to her parents for guidance wasn't completely smooth. By midsummer, my husband and I were the ones nagging Dee to take the keys and drive, quite a switch from the days right after her training.
I've talked to other parents who have children the same age, and they experience similar issues. What we're up against is the "implementation dip." When people try new things, there is often a time after the first rush and pleasure of making a change when skills level off, or even atrophy. It's hard to resist the pull to go back to what is comfortable and routine. For a veteran teacher, it may be a return to the way you've done reading groups for 20 years. For a teen driver, it may be a move back to the passenger seat, where you can plug into your iPod and listen to your tunes at any volume you please.
Michael Fullan has written extensively about the implementation dip - the drop in "performance and confidence as one encounters an innovation that requires new skills and new understandings" (National Staff Development Council Tools, November, 2006). Simply put, things often get worse before they get better when changes are made in learning communities. These bumps in the road are a natural, expected part of any change process. October is a time in schools when new ideas, a new curriculum, or new protocols for staff meetings will be put to the test by the implementation dip. In August or September, colleagues and students will be willing to give most new routines a chance. It's only after a few weeks or months that confidence and performance may take a hit.
One of the best ways to deal with the implementation dip is to recognize and expect it. Literacy leaders can reassure colleagues and students that it's a good sign of change and growth to reach the point where you're uncomfortable or unsure about your skills, or questioning what progress is being made. Just knowing that things will improve once you get beyond the dip and the innovation becomes habit is all that is needed to push through for a few more weeks.
Are you seeing any implementation dips yet? Have you prepared your classroom or school for them? With Dee, it was a matter of firmly letting her know it wasn't an option not to practice her driving every week, and it's a routine now for her to drive certain routes regularly to build her practice time. In schools, literacy leaders can talk through dips and brainstorm ways to assist colleagues as they struggle with what's new. We think through and prepare for the initial resistance that is expected when making changes. But in terms of enduring improvements, it's the quiet dips in the midst that probably deserve more of our attention.
This week, we've got some materials on implementation dips, plus more as always. Enjoy!
Brenda Power
