Last weekend I had the extreme pleasure of traveling up to Minneapolis-St. Paul to visit many friends in the area. My main purpose was to also attend Edcamp MSP. I am by no means new to Edcamps as I began attending these events whenever possible in 2010 at Edcamp Chicago. Now, with my location I more regularly attend Edcamp Milwaukee, Edcamp Madison, and Edcamp MSP. I wouldn't count myself out of the running to attend in many other places as well.
This year Edcamp MSP was held at the Minnesota History Center and may I add a breathtaking venue, cool exhibits, and views to explore!
There is something to say about getting to drive my own learning. I get to choose where I go, what I see and experience. If I leave unhappy, it is no one else's fault than my own. We are educators professionals and we have the ability to build a schedule, build considerate learning with the sole purpose to better education, better ourselves, and focus on student learning. It is truly a remarkable experience and one that keeps me coming back for more and more.
Now, in my process to digest all the conversations, resources, and new ideas I had flowing from this wonderful one day event... I kept focusing and reflecting around a common concept or an idea...
I do NOT go to Edcamps for the learning...
well not exactly.. it's a bonus, so let me explain
I go to Edcamps for the Connections, Collaborations,
and the Environment!
I kept coming back to the odd (yes, it's a tad odd) concept that I was attending not for the learning but to reconnect and see old friends, and make new ones! The longer I thought about this it made complete sense. Those educators that attend these events are in it for the right reasons. The heart is there, the passion is exploding in every room, and the energy level is something we could only wish to see in our school hallways on a daily basis. The knowledge and years of experience in each given location is astounding. So where was I going with this...
I found myself in the sessions, yes, by my decision, but more importantly was the conversations I had with individuals in the entryway walking in feeling the energy of the Hulk, the conversations then spread to the hallway, the auditorium as we prepped the schedule for the day, the reception area holding coffee and donuts, the museum exhibits walking through and seeing others from Edcamp present, and the diner where we sat to catch our breath... Okay and even the green walls and carpet where we wanted to explore and try out some new things.. Thanks friends for the laughter and fun that still should exist in every learning experience.
Those people are my friends. I go for the connection to others. There is nothing like sitting down with a coffee and a shared dream to inspire learners to make you feel like you have won the lottery. I go to connect, to chat, to build and foster those relationships. Those people are what make the experience memorable and worthwhile. We sat and pondered, shared, explored, and questioned one another. We also challenged one another- their thinking and visions became pushed to an all new level. AMAZING.. Simply put.
You have to see it and live it to truly understand. And as I sat and focused on why I travel hours and hours to attend an education event on a Saturday I keep coming back to.. It's not about the learning... it's about the people, the connections, the conversation that will keep me coming back for years to come!
Let me preface this post with the fact that this year I attended by 4th ISTE conference. It has taken me to some amazing places, allowed me some amazing experiences, and truly inspired me to challenge and push myself further than ever before. Each year when I return home for a little reflection I begin a blog post and never click publish because I feel its just so insignificant. I believe many people feel this way, but this year I am making it happen. Keep in mind I am not a professional writer and I don't really enjoy it, however my purpose is not to show all my grammar knowledge and skills, but to share my knowledge and ideas with others so someone else might benefit and learn from me. I feel that is more important than correct grammar every time!
Sure we saw the tech.. it is AMAZING.. so cool... But again we are challenged with how we can look past the "oooo shiny factor" and actually think/figure out how to apply it in our daily teachings. How can I integrate it so I don't put on a show in the classroom. What's the meaning and purpose behind what I want my learners to discover? Now comes the moment and time for personalized learning to truly take effect. Time for some self REFLECTION!
Below you will find in my own special way reflections of my experiences and takeaways from ISTE2014 in Atlanta.
Connections
For me my excitement for this conference has solely been around connections. I am a fairly social person and love the connections I have fostered over the years. I love how I can talk and share my learning with my twitter friends from all over the world, and then we see one another each year at ISTE and we carry on the conversation just as if we had been childhood friends. Paula Naugle of Louisiana is just one of those individuals. We make time to see one another every year and Paula was one of the individuals that I met face to face when attending my 1st ISTE in 2010 (Denver). It was through this conversation I realized the power in connections. Paula also joined me a few years back to share her use of Skype as an educational tool with my school district here in Wisconsin. Such a dear friend and I wouldn't have it any other way!
Paula and I. She is an official #WIAMIGO Why some may think PLN is our
Professional Learning Network... It also stands for Paula... And I Got Her! :)
Along with many annual friendships to reconnect with comes the opportunity to meet and continue to foster new ones. Every year there are new techies that I hope to meet as they are individuals that truly inspire me to continue on my path! This year I had the extreme pleasure of meeting Brad Wilson from Michigan. I have known Brad for the past few years and helped test out the Write About This & Tell About This apps. They are in my opinion "Must Haves!" I am excited to see his knew project as his team brings writing beyond the tablet world and create another great tool that keeps student success in mind. Stay tuned to Writeabout.com for new info! I am excited to see it!
I also enjoyed my conversations with Daisy Marino & Carla Staffa as well as many other.. A special thanks to Sarah Hunter who while flying in for only a day, with many other things in her schedule made time to reconnect and share a special "hello" with me. While short it was still great to reconnect my dear friend! This section could go on and on, but those connections made my conference experience the very best. New friends and friends I have known for years! They all help me stay connected and push me to be better!
Poster Sessions
Last year I began to see the extreme power in dropping into the poster sessions for some quick discoveries, conversations, and a broad showcase of learning! Last year I was amazed to see students who came along to help present to adults and truly share what they have learned and taken away! This is how it should be everywhere. Students always taught me things and it was my job to listen, learn from them and adjust if needed. Who says students can't be educators? They are some of the most creative and innovative minds out there.
Here is Diego from Mexico City! What an amazing and knowledgeable learner! You could hear the passion and excitement in his words! He shared his learning with me during one of the poster sessions I visited!
*Picture courtesy of Carla Staffa ~ thanks for tracking me down and sharing it with me. I love it!
Diego, is the perfect example of a student as an educator. He approached me and asked very politely if he could share his project with me. The communication skills of that young man were truly amazing and of course who could say no to that? He told me how he used a programming platform to build the game he was sharing with me on the iPad! What a cool experience and the professionalism of each of those students was amazing!
The second piece from the poster sessions is I wanted to followup with a project I took part in this year as the global project was on display and I wanted to meet the wonderful woman behind my experience. Karen Stadler is an educator from South Africa and creator of the "Save Our Rhino's" project. My experience even as an adult was amazing. I too was able to learn and share with both adults and students, which I think is so important! We are all learners and we must never give that up! Here is the project wiki, which will show the page I completed showcasing our adventures sharing the project with Makulu over the course of about 2 weeks before sending it on to another location. If you explore the site pages along the left you will see plenty of other examples from around the globe and how this project impacted learning! I am so glad to have had the opportunity to talk with Karen and meet the individual that inspired me with another great experience as a participant in a Global Project! One day I hope to connect with her again... This time in South Africa ?? :) Sounds like a bucket list item!
Igniting the world
The ISTE ignite sessions became a very popular session beginning last year in San Antonio. An ignite session is a showcase of 10 or so (depends...) individuals that are on a race against the clock. They each share their powerful message, while their selected slides advance automatically by the clock. The challenge is staying on point to deliver your message clearly and hopefully ignite the room! I had the pleasure of popping into one that featured Todd Nesloney, AKA Tech Ninja Todd as one of the ignite participants. Todd and I met last year in San Antonio and is truly an inspiring individual. His passion, excitement, and comedy are just a few of the things that show what an amazing educator he is. I am very excited to see and watch his experience as a principal in Texas. I have no doubt he will continue to do amazing things and spread his excitement and educational passions with others.
While I enjoy the Ignite sessions and the idea of becoming inspired and learning about a variety of topics in the same session, I feel like the term Ignite can mean so much more! ISTE is an opportunity for all to become Ignited, Inspired, and Invigorated. To me I look for the opportunities to be Re-ignited so I can continue on my path and "Ignite others..."
I also had the opportunity to sit in and listen to a panel including Todd Nesloney, Angela Maiers, Brad Waid, Drew Minock, and Steve Mesler. Each of these individuals has their own story and power to share with other educators, but again for me it was helping to "Ignite" a passion within me. They all spoke around the importance of spreading the simple message to others... "YOU MATTER!" Two very powerful words that everyone needs to hear more often. Have you shared and told someone lately that "They Matter?" A simple human gesture that will help to build and strengthen our world. As educators we have the power to spread and Ignite our students. They need to see that They Matter and what they have to share with us is important to us as well. First, help them see that they matter in your classroom, community, and to you and then watch the REAL learning unfold! It isn't always a tangible assignment that holds the most weight!
The Challenge as accepted by me while at ISTE and now passed along to you: Tell 5 individuals around you "YouMatter" They could be perfect strangers, but imagine what those simple words could ignite within another human being.
Since I began attending ISTE I have had the pleasure of meeting individual startup companies, creators, and learning how their vision can impact education and move us forward. It is always amazing what is out there and I feel I come across some of the most amazing people!
One such individual is Brett Kopf, Co-Founder and CEO of Remind. When we first met this tool was called Remind101. This simple yet amazing tool allowed for educators to better communicate with students and parents in a safe and secure way. I love that subscribers also had the ability to opt-in and choose to receive text message updates or email depending on the users preference. The world is evolving and changing and I feel that the team at Remind are doing just the same. They have transitioned and continue to create a user friendly service that supports open communication in a safe and innovative way.
While they have grown from a simple 3 or 4 employees several years ago when we first met, to now over 30, they have transitioned, BUT remain with the same vision and passion to support education with their service. The team is a great group of individuals and we got to spend time together visiting and sharing stories since we met last year. A great connection to this excellent team. I greatly enjoyed my time with them while we were out to dinner with a smaller group of them, chatting around their meet-ups in the Bloggers' Cafe, and celebrating at one of the social events, EdTech Karaoke night.
You can learn more about this amazing FREE tool below. I have personally used it in a different setting within a daycare organization and its power to share and communicate in our busy lives today has simply made it easier to spread the word! They have an amazing vision. I look forward to watching them continually grow and change, evolve and transition with the world of education AND I look forward to reconnecting with this team every chance I get! They are just a fun, great group of individuals I am blessed to be able to call friends!
Presenting & Hitting the Stage w/ Deb :)
Deb Norton and I in our Presentation Room. We presented on Transforming Your
Instructional Approach within a 1:1 Chromebook Environment.
This year was the first year I have had the opportunity to present on the ISTE stage. It was a dream of mine to share my knowledge with others on this National level. Certainly a highlight. I will be honest and say my nerves always get to me before presenting, but I find it so rewarding when I assist others and help support them and their needs in the classroom. To think of the educational impact and the students I am able to reach is enough to counter balance any nerves I may have. I also want to thank Deb Norton for standing beside me and supporting me once we get rolling! She is a wonderful team member and I enjoy sharing the stage with someone so knowledgeable, passionate and FUN! We have a knack for picking on one another to add some excitement to our presentations. It is something that lightens the mood in a room. Learning is meant to be fun after all!
I want to thank Naomi Harm for the experience to speak at this level. We wish you could have also joined us during this session to add your personal touch as well, but being double booked it is too difficult to be in two places at one time. You are such a supportive individual and who would have known that you talked us into presenting in a room that was a "Sellout crowd" of over 200 people AND to top it off, there was a large camera system along with spotlights to make sure we could be video recorded as well. Way to be sneaky Naomi ;) "What doesn't kill you, can only make you stronger..." Well, I'm still alive and after a few days rest I think I will feel stronger given this experience. Thank you ISTE! I hope to do this again!
Parties, Networking, and remembering the FUN!
Each evening we find opportunities to go out and celebrate the day, the connections, the learning and network with other individuals. Sure it is a big giant party in the evening to go around and enjoy food, drinks and more, but what always amazes me is watching the connections and conversations continue. We may be out enjoying the different venues that will house us, but the conversation is still about best practices, tools to support learning, integrating technology in classroom learning, and how to empower and motivate students to perform at their very best! We are there to focus on the learning, but we still know how to enjoy the town and have FUN!
Wisconsin Crew: Jena & Jenna and I enjoyed some dinner before the event!
Jena, you are the most amazing travel buddy and roommate ever!
Always fun to stay and share laughs with you!
I was amazed at the Edtech Karaoke Event that was held in the Tabernacle in Atlanta. It was such a cool and unique building. I love as ISTE travels to different cities the venues and places that we are able to see and explore. Edtech Karaoke is definitely a not to miss event. It amazing to watch others share their vocal talents as well. This years contest had some amazing performers! Great job to all! It was truly a blast!
Tools, Resources, and More...
Well, this took much longer to form into this small novel than I had thought. It doesn't mean my reflection and formation of new integration is over... It is truly just beginning. I hope to take some additional time to reflect and think about the application and add some followup posts to share those with others as well.
And a SPECIAL THANK YOU:
Deb Norton, Naomi Harm, and I at the Remind Party!
These ladies are members of the Innovative Educator Consulting Crew. I couldn't very well skip without saying "GO TEAM!" Thank you for always being there and supporting one another. #TogetherWeAreBetter We have accomplished some amazing things and I know there is much more to come! Thank you for making the work seem like play... Something I can come and do each and everyday and want to return to do and become more! You are both truly inspiring!
Forward thinking.. NOW what...
Now leaving the way I came in~ I shared many of the experiences and highlights to MY ISTE experience. I didn't dive into many of the tools, resources yet.. That can be saved for another day. I urge others to share their experiences as well, but remember while the tools and resources are exciting and amazing, it is good teaching that makes all the difference to our learners. We need to spend time to truly understand how to integrate the tools to support student learning by remembering to identify first the purpose and student outcome we are trying to attain!
Well, it happened! Tonight at 8PM EST, we welcomed #1stchat into the world of Twitter's many educational chat series. I have been present and followed along with edchat and several other level specific chats when the topic seems to be something that I can benefit from. That is the best part about it really. You don't have to be a teacher of a specific level to fit in, rather just an educator or person with a similar interest or something to contribute. The more involved I get into similar twitter groups, or the closer the relationships I build with members of my PLN, I am amazed at what I take away from these experiences. The one thing I do wish is that others that don't understand would see what a valuable resource it is and truly an inspiration! In just over the 2 or some odd weeks that #1stchat has been in the works, I have met wonderful people, whom I may not have come across, such as the organizer Christine Yarzebek (@CYarzy). She is a great person who has really contributed a lot to my learning as well as the many others who have come to be apart of this wonderful close nit group of First Grade Educators. I have also been able to have more conversations with Laura Komos (@Komos72), whom I first met a few months ago at EdCamp Chicago. After connecting with her I followed her on twitter and have found her blog to be an interesting read that I am looking forward to following more closely as I think I will find things to implement in my classroom as well. http://delightfuldaily5cafe.blogspot.com/ Here she talks about implementing the Daily 5 in her classroom, which is becoming much more popular throughout my district and staff. Alright, enough with my ramblings, but these are just two short examples of the ways that my presence on Twitter and being an active participant in online chats such as #1stchat have helped me to grow personally and professionally. I cannot think of a better way of spending my summer vacation that interacting with other excellent educators that are truly an inspiration to me and help me to strive to be even better! I hope that you con see the positives in being an active member on Twitter as well as participating in some chat that may interest you and help you to grow as an individual as well.
It is my new goal to begin blogging more often and get into a habit of writing down the things that inspire me and new things that I am learning. Until next time, go out and do something great and wonderful!
It's been forever since I last blogged on here, however it is my hopes to start getting more into this and learn my way through life as a blogger. Here's some new excitement in my life:
Last Friday I was able to finally take the dive and purchase the new IPad 2. It had been a long time coming and I was very ready to have one. Last year when the 1st generation came out I was more skeptical along with many others. I also knew if it was anything like the iTouch a second generation would be on it's way. I am also sure there are others to follow the 2nd for Apple, but have been able to research enough to know this is in fact a good buy. As a teacher I saw what a wonderful tool this could be for my classroom as well as how it would benefit my professional life as well. It's only been about a week, and I have discovered so much and know that I have only just begun to clear the icing on this cake. To me that is exciting. I will share my discoveries as well as the experiences that I have as I utilize this in my classroom. I am excited for the possibilities! It is opening even more wonderful doorways.
Am I a blogger? Well, that is my hopes. Also to bring the information to one place in hopes that I will begin to "infect" some of my staff! Over the past few years, I feel like I have been infected with the edtech bug, but it is something I completely embrace and find an interest in. I work with some amazing educators, but let's face it the whole time concept is prevelant in their lives, as in everyones. It's not the easiest to work all day, and then go home and delve into more technology knowledge online. And if you have a family, that is almost impossible. Well, it's not, but to most families it makes it much more difficult. One of my goals is to provide technology tidbits for my staff and district by beginning this blog, but also to give back to the wonderful members of my PLN (and beyond) who have served as great mentors in modeling the process of blogging! It is a new adventure and I look forward to seeing where it takes me!
As one of my first blogs, I was asked to help provide some training to our summer school staff on how to appropriately utilize the Smart Board systems in my school. My district has 4 elementary buildings. My school being the newest just opening in the fall of '09. We have rooms ready for 21st Century learning and are blessed to have the technology that the other schools have limited access to. Some of the staff from the other buildings have little to no training on this equipment and our Administration wanted to ensure that our equipment is used appropriately for the benefit of the students in which we serve.
For this project, I utilized JING to capture short video tutorials to lay the beginning foundations of how to utilize the equipment and provide some beginning professional development. I have never used Jing and after today, I am a huge fan. One thing I like is these can be shared many times over, without having to hold a direct Prof. Development session myself. I can provide support beyond the basics that are covered in these short video segments. Second bonus, its FREE and easy to use! Thank you!
*Click the links below to connect with each video tutorial. Each is just under 5 minutes in length!
1. Power On Smart Board http://www.screencast.com/t/NjNlMGJl
Description: How to turn on your Smart Board Pole Vault system and orient the board prior to use!
2: Smart Board and Document Camera http://www.screencast.com/t/MmFhOWY1OWQ
Description: This tutorial discusses important things to remember about using the correct pens while working with the Smart Board as well as shows you how to turn on the Document Camera and project the images onto your Smart Board as a teaching aid.
3: Using Smart Notebook 1 (Part 1 of 2) http://www.screencast.com/t/MzJhZTE0N
Description: Intro to Smart Notebook. I go through the different tools along the toolbar so that you know what each of the tools does.
4: Using Smart Notebook 2 (Part 2 of 2) http://www.screencast.com/t/OGUxYzI0Z
Description: This segment completes the toolbar in Smart Notebook as well as highlights briefly the gallery that is provided in the program to find visuals to add to your Notebook content. At the end I recap a few important reminders!
5: Smart Exchange (online collection of Smart Lessons ready for you to download!) http://www.screencast.com/t/MDk0ODQxMDgt
Description: This is a great online tool to search for Smart Board lessons that are already created. Be sure to try this out!
Alright, there is a documentation of my journey. Next, I need to learn to keep things a little more brief and simple, however, I felt that these all went went together well. I hope you enjoy and have taken something away from these tutorials. If I can be of any further help please do not hesitate to contact me! I would be glad to help!
