No one ever said that change is easy. But it can be exciting. After Mary Ellen had participated in a ready-made project (Alphabet Adventure Gallery) in which she learned elements of technology, dealt with technology management in her classroom, and built her confidence, she was ready to strike out on a project of her own. Mary Ellen started with tentative steps when she needed to share her students’ work with the parents via the Internet. She chose to create a blog to do this. This led her to read blogs by other teachers. Soon she found herself learning from the work of others and she joined a social network – Classroom 2.0 where she came across a teacher from Oregon who was studying butterflies, as was her class. They arranged a Skype videoconference between the two classes. Through small steps throughout the year, the dynamic in Mary Ellen’s class has changed. The students are collaborating more within and outside the class and their voices are being heard. Whether she knows it or not, she is now a force for change in her school. Other teachers are seeing what she has done with her students and are interested in learning more. You can learn more about the process Mary Ellen went through by watching a video interview with her and with her Vice Principal. This interview took place just after the students’ Skype videoconference.

We are all different kinds of learners, as are our students. Our journeys may take different paths, but we are all on a learning journey. Where has your journey taken you this year?