Coming into 2018, I had taken a huge leap. After 22 years of teaching, I had left my tenured job teaching in an independent IB school and leapt into two very different worlds: I joined the York Region District School board as an Occasional Teacher, and I officially started my consulting practice titled from the name of the approach and projects that I had been creating for several years, Building Outside the Blocks (BOB). Looking back, it’s been quite a year.
YRDSB
I am so grateful to be part of the York Region District School Board. When 2018 hit, I was lucky enough to be beginning my second LTO at Rosedale Heights Public School. I was teaching Grade 3 and 4, and I facilitated 3 BOBs over 6 months. My 3/4 class began their time with me with the newly created Healthy Start. My Grade 4’s experience Rock It- the very first BOB that I created for someone else but got to finally use in my own classroom. My Grade 1 gym class led games and activities through Game On.
When I was lucky enough to be hire at Silver Pines PS, I began the year with my Grade 8’s with What’s in a Name. It was a very powerful experience that I have written about several times, but the project keeps getting deeper and more profound. One of my students was selected to present as one of the Student Voice Talks front of a large audience at YRDSB’S Quest Conference. There was such a positive response that now my entire school is undertaking a name exploration for this year’s Story of Us film.
This informative, personal, and cultural identity-oriented BOB was followed by the Personal Playlist Project. This P3 is an adaptation of my podcast, The Personal Playlist Podcast (P3) which is an adaptation of a project that began was I was teaching Grade 7 called the PS2. One of the things that I encouraged was for students to choose songs from their first or any language. We even had an original compositions shared. It was a wonderful way to get to know my students even more and add music to our classrooms. Many of my friends have begun with my outline and tweaked it for their students, bring the P3 to their classrooms with ever-powerful results. I can't believe that I haven't yet blogged about it (though I have been a little busy).
OEMConnect Was Born
I had been on voicEd Radio since February of 2017. I had been invited to be on the panel for OnEdMentors, a show that began with Chris Cluff, Derek Rhodenizer and Stephen Hurley, the visionary behind the newly launched edu-radio station. I loved it from the start. Over the year, I began to collaborate on topics, prepare for the shows and even host them when Derek couldn‘t be there. I was having a conversation with Stephen and Derek about how to grow the show beyond the radio but also filter back to the radio. That is when a long held vision of mine began to crystallize. I asked to run with the idea and was given the liberty to do so.
After many months of planning and weekly meetings, Leigh Cassell, who I had met on my podcast, had partnered with me. Using her digital Human Library, we were going to begin to build a space for educators to find mentors. We developed a 3 phased plan and shared it with Stephen and Derek. It involved the radio station, dHl and my work of building initiatives. We launched Phase 1 of what came to be called OEMConnect in Sept, and we have just launched Phase 2. Here are my three posts on that experience:
The P3 Turned 1
I started the Personal Playlist Podcast because it celebrates people and tells their story through their three songs nostalgic identity and pick-me-up/inspirational/motivational. To celebrate my First Podcastiversary, Stephen Hurley hosted an anniversary episode of my show that was full of surprises and special guests. It fed my soul and showed me why this work was so worthwhile. The P3 resonates with people who listen, but it has had an even greater impact on my guests. I blog about each guest weekly, and they are all my favourites. You can follow the show on voicEd or on my website. I, along with my growing audience, looks forward to each new weekly guest from across education.
NexusEdUK
I started blogging for NexusEdUK. I have really enjoyed revisiting my work for a new audience and am honour to be nominated for a blogging award.
I presented Using EdTech to Build Outside the Blocks at EdTechCamp on Air:
I presented BOBbing Through the Music for MAD PD:
I presented Project Based Learning: Building Outside the Blocks at the National Innovative Teaching Strategies Conference in Atlanta.
I Joined the Board of Learning Forward Ontario
There are a few projects I have done that I haven't mentioned, and the year had some very personal struggles. Looking back, at the end of 2017, I was still standing on the precipice, unsure of what was to come. Now, I feel that I‘ve landed on solid ground- the perfect place from which to keep on building outside the blocks.
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