05.14.16
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Inspiration From an Unlikely Source

It was my 46th birthday in March. With that specific number came a mix of emotions and thoughts, not many of them particularly good. I am now officially closer to 50 than to 40, which was sort of hard to swallow for me. Later on in the day, I received an email from a parent. As a teacher, parent emails can put you over the edge in many ways. This one was very different. It was by far the nicest, most inspiring email I have ever received as an educator. In short, it validated everything I have ever done as an educator. The email included the quote below from Maya Angelou which sums up the essence of the message.

“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”

This quote resonated with me in so many ways as an educator and as a person. It was obviously nice to hear that I had made someone FEEL good about their experiences with me as a teacher and that those experiences impacted someone positively. However, it made me look more introspectively about my practices as an educator.

Here is what I have learned…

  • Students are more likely to connect with teachers when teachers make it a priority to connect with them.
  • When students are comfortable with their teachers they are more willing to take risks with their learning.
  • Students need to know that teachers care about them as individuals and not just about the content they learn.

I know I could go on.

What would you add to this list? What or whom has inspired you?

05.05.15
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Using Google Images

Source image to the one : By Bronwynne Gwyneth Anne Jones , CC-BY-NC-SA 2.0

One of the most common misconceptions that people have about using images online is that you can use whatever image you find when you search. That is simply not true. All images are copyrighted the minute they are created. They are owned by the photographer or artist. In many cases, images that end up online are used by people without permission from the owner of the image. This is a common practice that is, in fact, illegal. So, what can you do if you are putting together that killer presentation and you find the greatest image ever, but it’s not yours? You could reach out directly to the person who owns the image to ask for permission, although that could be difficult depending on where the image came from. However, there are ways to find images where the creators have already given permission for various kinds of use (so long as you give attribution to the creator.) These images are licensed under Creative Commons. There is a special page on their site for media searches or you can do a Google Image search and then use the search tools to limit your results by usage rights. Regardless of the method, it’s much better to find images that you can legally use.

Special thanks to Judy Van Alstyne for her mad proofing skills!

04.17.15
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#MakeSchoolDifferent

During some recent Twitter travels I stumbled onto a blog post by Tom Whitby, called We Have To Stop Pretending… #MakeSchoolDifferent. I found another from the Open Teaching Blog put together by University of Oklahoma called, We Have To Stop Pretending…. Both of these posts have a common thread, and that is to #MakeSchoolDifferent. This all began with a simple post from Scott Mcleod, entitled, We Have To Stop Pretending. After reading these posts, I felt inspired to share my own thoughts. To anyone reading this, let’s keep this going!

When it comes to education, we have to stop pretending that…

  • Academic rigor can only occur in a traditional classroom setting.
  • Grades aren’t punitive and detrimental to student growth.
  • Test scores and grades directly correlate to how intelligent you are.
  • The “real” world and “real” work only begins after you graduate from school.
  • That all students need go to college in order to be successful.

03.27.15
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Maker Class Update – Earth Day Project

gauntlet

Check out the prototype of a “gauntlet” made by a 7th grader. Version 2 will be made of recycled metal.

So far in Maker Class, Allendale Columbia School middle school students have been working on collaboration skills, completed a few creative design challenges, and started to design and repurpose desks to be used by classes in the new middle school space (aka The Scrum Room). I have been asking each student in class to reflect on their experiences and here a few random thoughts they have shared with me…

“Working in groups was very difficult because everyone had different opinions on everything.”

“I feel like this class is a new experience for me. I liked taking apart the tables because I’ve never taken furniture apart before.”

“What surprised me is how many talents other people have and how good they are in a group.”

“Sketching ideas before starting was new for me because every time I would work on a project, I would start without sketching an idea of what I would want it to look like. I liked doing this because if you sketch an idea, you already know how to start the project.”

After recess students will be working in small groups to create something using primarily recycled materials. This project will be displayed during the Earth Day celebration on 4/22 and possibly during Evening of the Arts. The project needs to be completed by no later than 4/21.

01.10.15
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Starting an iPad 1:1 program

We started our iPad 1:1 program with our middle school students 4 years ago. If given the chance to reset and do it all over again, here are the top five things that I would make sure to do.

  1. Know why you are going 1:1 before you get to far into the process.

If you are going 1:1 to replace textbooks or as a direct substitute for existing educational technology tools, then you are wasting your time and money. iPads, and any 1:1 initiative, should transform your learning environment. It should also change the way teachers teach. Which leads me to #2.

  1.  Provide teachers planning, and professional development time.

When we first started, we gave our teachers about 5 months to prepare. It just wasn’t enough time. At that time, were one of the first schools to go with iPads in a 1:1 environment, so there were hardly any resources available. I would make sure to provide teachers with a good base of understanding of how the iPad works, with time for them to play and meet with each other on a semi-regular basis. I would introduce teachers to the SAMR model of technology integration. I would  have faculty meetings to brainstorm and rework curriculum based on using the SAMR model.  Send a few teachers to some conference or training that specifically covers iPad integration. There is so much more available to schools and teachers now.

  1. Establish a “program”.iPad program

Meaning, set up rules and guidelines that everyone adheres to. This should cover everything from etiquette to appropriate time for usage both in and out of the classroom.  The image to the right has our our current iPad policies. We review this at the end of every school year or sooner if needed. Establishing a program should also include a learning management system (LMS). An LMS will help you with consistent delivery of information to your students. We currently use Google Classroom, but there are a ton of great LMS options to choose from. Schoology, Haiku and Canvas are a few that we have tried.

  1.  Include parents and students in the process.

I am not suggesting that parents or students should make the decisions when it comes to implementing changes at your school. However, they are voices that need to be heard. If you can’t reasonably answer most of the parental concerns then you might want to rethink what your are doing. The student voice is also important, since they will be the ones carrying around these little powerhouse devices. They should be part of how the devices are going to be used at school. There is no better way to get student buy in than to have them be part of the process. Our student government plays a major role in establishing the policies that were created for our iPad program.

  1. Establish a Digital Literacy class for both teachers, students and parents.

Contrary to popular belief, young people are not digital natives. If they were, then they wouldn’t make so many mistakes in online spaces. This class will help you establish a baseline of skills that the teachers all know and can expect the students to be able to use in their classroom. The skills can range from how to manage the storage on your device to what is the best workflow for turning in work to digital citizenship.

I could go on for days. What do you think are vital and important for establishing a 1:1 program? What am I missing?

01.05.15
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Edcamp Rochester

On January 17th, Allendale Columbia School will host the first Edcamp Rochester. The most common question; what is edcamprocedcamp?

“Edcamp is a form of unconference designed specifically for teachers and their needs.

What makes Edcamp an unconference? Unlike traditional conferences which have schedules set months in advance by the people running the conference, Edcamp has an agenda that’s created by the participants at the start of the event. Instead of one person standing in front of the room talking for an hour, people are encouraged to have discussions and hands-on sessions. Sponsors don’t have their own special sessions or tables, all of the space and time are reserved for the things the people there want to talk about. People could pay hundreds of dollars to attend another conference, or they could go to Edcamp for free.

Built on principles of connected and participatory learning, Edcamp strives to bring teachers together to talk about the things that matter most to them: their interests, passions, and questions. Teachers who attend Edcamp can choose to lead sessions on those things that matter, with an expectation that the people in the room will work together to build understanding by sharing their own knowledge and questions.”

–Edcamp Founation

I was fortunate enough to attend Edcamp Philly two years ago, and it was a transformative experience for me professionally. It was one of the few times as a professional that I was able to have some control of my learning. The structure of edcamp allowed me to choose or create sessions that were of value to me. I was able to bring something back and implement it right away into my curriculum. You can read more about how I used this edcamp experience in my classroom here, “Inspiration from Edcamp Philly”. You will get out of edcamp what you put into it. It is an experience that requires participation and collaboration. Come with an open mind and be ready to learn and share!

For more information and to register for Edcamp Rochester, on January 17th,  go to the website. I hope to see you there!