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Technology allows us, invites us even, to collaborate more and more. No longer am I a lonely teacher behind closed doors of a classroom. Through my PLN (Professional Learning Network) on Twitter and Facebook, I have met colleagues. Teachers are doing the every day thing in innovative ways. Months ago, Leigh Anne Eck tweeted me about helping with her high ability camp. She was teaching poetry. I Skyped with a group of 2nd and 3rd graders this week. What fun! I didn’t have to care at all about the boy who wiggled all around in his seat and started drumming with his pencil. That’s my kind of teaching. I was on screen far away in my own living room.
Leigh Anne shared the student work and her thoughts about the collaboration on her site A Day in the Life.
The haiku lesson itself was a collaboration because I used another colleague’s poetry project. Linda Baie blogs at Teacher Dance. We’ve never met face to face, but every week we are in contact through our blog posts. She’s one of my top commenters. Her poetry project in April was to write a haiku each day. She catalogued them on her site.
I am encouraged by this collaboration to look for ways to use Skype more in my class during the year. We’ve had author visits. These are great, but what about connecting with other teachers and students? We could Skype a whole hour lesson and share our writing together across the miles.
This next school year, I will have two 6th grade girls at two different schools. I am wondering how I can use collaboration to make their world bigger and more meaningful. Through Kidblogs, we could create a site just for them. If you know you will have high ability sixth graders next year, maybe we could collaborate on a book or writing prompt. Let me know in the comments.
In what ways are you collaborating using technology? What ways do you plan to collaborate? Link up your blog post and/or tweet out your response to #digilitchallenge and @MargaretGSimon.
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Reflections on the Teche 
Great minds think alike Miss Margaret. I was just writing about how Twitter has transformed me and how I need to make it work even harder for me. I felt like I’d abandoned you and come to find out we were thinking along the same lines. Happy Sunday to you my friend. xo
Yeah, I know. We are great minds, huh?
So you saw that boy huh? I will have one section of high ability 6th graders this school year. Not sure the time for that period yet, but let’s certainly think about doing something together again. Have a great Sunday! I will be seeing Linda this, so I can thank in her person for her part in our collaboration effort!
I saw him but loved being able to ignore him. Easier to do from a screen shot. Let’s email closer to school starting about a 6th grade collaboration.
I really have enjoyed reading about the collaborative work with Leigh Anne’s class. So many new possibilities.
Cathy
Late to the table, Margaret. Thanks for including me in your post. I was at school most of yesterday again moving things & cleaning out the classroom. I hope that I can contribute some whenever it seems appropriate. You all have started something important, that connection among us, but showing students how exciting it is, too. Have a great time on your vacation!