Saturday, September 27, 2014
Sunday, August 24, 2014
You Have a Twitter Account...Now What
As I returned to school this year, it seemed that our district underwent a Twitter transformation. It seems every administrator now has a twitter account. They are posting quotes and are communicating the happenings in their buildings to the public. All of this is great...they are controlling the message and image for their buildings. Because these principals are now on Twitter, I am seeing a greater number of teachers getting Twitter accounts....and this is great! Teachers are now sharing what is happening in their classroom and controlling the message. Others are not defining their classrooms...they are taking the lead. But now what? Is that all a Twitter account can do? Absolutely not!
While all the above uses of Twitter are great, they only scratch the surface of what teachers and administrators can do with a Twitter account. Twitter gives you a key to a whole new world of professional learning and collaboration.
So if you are new to Twitter, I challenge you to do one or more of the following:
- Find educators and educational leaders outside of your district to follow on Twitter. An outsider's perspective can help us look at resources, problems, and issues in a different way. This different perspective can give us new ideas to try with our students and staff. This can provide a great growth opportunity! Not sure how to find people to follow on Twitter? See the video below.
- Use Twitter for more than a resource grab...converse with someone. Talking, arguing, and discussing ideas and topics only make us more knowledgeable. Collaborating with others makes our instruction and leadership more effective. Twitter is more than one way communication...it is a 24/7 discussion forum that is waiting for you. Don't be shy. Ask a question. Add a thought. Dare to disagree with someone. All of these interactions will lead to growth.
- Participate in a Twitter chat. There are chats happening everyday on every type of topic. Chats are organic and they rely on the participants to create a rich experience for all users. If you are not sure, just sit back and watch. Then when you are ready, jump into the discussion. Check out this schedule to see when these Twitter chats are happening. Not sure how to even participate in a Twitter chat...see the video below for one way to participate.
While all the above uses of Twitter are great, they only scratch the surface of what teachers and administrators can do with a Twitter account. Twitter gives you a key to a whole new world of professional learning and collaboration.
So if you are new to Twitter, I challenge you to do one or more of the following:
- Find educators and educational leaders outside of your district to follow on Twitter. An outsider's perspective can help us look at resources, problems, and issues in a different way. This different perspective can give us new ideas to try with our students and staff. This can provide a great growth opportunity! Not sure how to find people to follow on Twitter? See the video below.
- Use Twitter for more than a resource grab...converse with someone. Talking, arguing, and discussing ideas and topics only make us more knowledgeable. Collaborating with others makes our instruction and leadership more effective. Twitter is more than one way communication...it is a 24/7 discussion forum that is waiting for you. Don't be shy. Ask a question. Add a thought. Dare to disagree with someone. All of these interactions will lead to growth.
- Participate in a Twitter chat. There are chats happening everyday on every type of topic. Chats are organic and they rely on the participants to create a rich experience for all users. If you are not sure, just sit back and watch. Then when you are ready, jump into the discussion. Check out this schedule to see when these Twitter chats are happening. Not sure how to even participate in a Twitter chat...see the video below for one way to participate.
Twitter is your opportunity to make professional development your own. You choose who to follow. You choose when to read. You choose what you learn. Isn't that what professional learning should be?
Saturday, August 9, 2014
Google Teacher Academy - Atlanta 2014
Two days in June were ones I will never forget. I was fortunate enough to attend the Google Teacher Academy in Atlanta, Georgia. The chance to collaborate and work with other exemplary Google users was inspiring and sadly those two days seemed like they flew by. So for over a month I have been reflecting on the experience and trying to put the whole experience into words. But this one thought kept entering my mind....a reflection marks the end to something. Even though the Google Teacher Academy is over, the journey and the work to be done is just beginning.
With that "Moonshot" mindset in place, we proceeded to learn more tips and trick about a variety of Google products. I remember finishing my first session with James Sanders about YouTube and thinking to myself...Am I in over my head? Our lead learners were challenging us to look at Google products differently and to see additional possibilities. Once I wrapped my head around this, I became much more comfortable and began to think of the possibilities.
Another highlight was seeing Google Classroom in action and learning more about the theory behind it, how it was tested, and its future. This product is creating a lot of buzz in my buildings and I look forward to seeing it blossom.
As a more quiet and reserved person, I probably did not mingle enough. However, the conversations and relationships I forged were excellent. It is good to have a group of people you can learn with beyond the Google Teacher Academy. I look forward to seeing their action plans and to continuing our conversations in the Google+ community.
But as I stated earlier, this reflection hasn't marked the end. My Google journey continues with my action plan. This week, I will put my action plan website out there for my teachers to use. I am creating a self directed, crowdsourced professional learning site. The first module will be on Google Classroom. When we launch this product, my teachers will be able to learn from this site and hopefully connect via a Google+ community. I know the first attempt at this will probably not be the best and the site needs to become much more eye-appealing but it is a start. Maybe it will take off but maybe not. No matter what, I will learn from it and improve.
The Google Teacher Academy was life changing but the journey is just beginning. I do not know what the future will bring, but I look forward to ride!
The most profound part of the Google Teacher Academy happened in the first hour. Being introduced to the idea of "Moonshot Thinking" is something that has stuck with me day after day.
This idea goes beyond working with Google products or even technology. Thinking differently and challenging what we feel to be impossible is the only way we will truly solve the problems in education that plague all of us. I do not know what my moonshot idea will be or whether it will be successful, but I will try, fail, and try again until I get it right.
With that "Moonshot" mindset in place, we proceeded to learn more tips and trick about a variety of Google products. I remember finishing my first session with James Sanders about YouTube and thinking to myself...Am I in over my head? Our lead learners were challenging us to look at Google products differently and to see additional possibilities. Once I wrapped my head around this, I became much more comfortable and began to think of the possibilities.
Another highlight was seeing Google Classroom in action and learning more about the theory behind it, how it was tested, and its future. This product is creating a lot of buzz in my buildings and I look forward to seeing it blossom.
As a more quiet and reserved person, I probably did not mingle enough. However, the conversations and relationships I forged were excellent. It is good to have a group of people you can learn with beyond the Google Teacher Academy. I look forward to seeing their action plans and to continuing our conversations in the Google+ community.
But as I stated earlier, this reflection hasn't marked the end. My Google journey continues with my action plan. This week, I will put my action plan website out there for my teachers to use. I am creating a self directed, crowdsourced professional learning site. The first module will be on Google Classroom. When we launch this product, my teachers will be able to learn from this site and hopefully connect via a Google+ community. I know the first attempt at this will probably not be the best and the site needs to become much more eye-appealing but it is a start. Maybe it will take off but maybe not. No matter what, I will learn from it and improve.
The Google Teacher Academy was life changing but the journey is just beginning. I do not know what the future will bring, but I look forward to ride!
Saturday, July 5, 2014
Saturday, June 21, 2014
Blog Posting (weekly)
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NBC News - Breaking News & Top Stories - Latest World, US & Local News
- Credible author , although biography is provided I did not find a link for contact . - post by Josh Andrews
Tuesday, May 27, 2014
Another Year in the Books...
It is hard to believe that I have been in education for 15 years...that does not even seem possible. Even though I will be teaching summer workshops and my year never really ends, this is a good time to reflect upon the past year. Reflection is something that educators need to make time for but we don't always make time. Blogging is a great way to reflect and to get feedback on those thoughts. So here we go...
This year started with a new adventure...middle school. After having been a 4th grade teacher and then 6 years as an Instructional Technology Specialist at the elementary level, I made the move this year. This move was the best decision and opportunity that has come along in a while. Moving to a different level rejuvenated me and allowed me to use my skill set more effectively. Forging new relationships is never easy, but I found that I quickly became comfortable in my new buildings. Looking back, I would not change a thing.
This year was also the year of Google for me. The year started with my district rolling out Google Apps for Education. As one of co-leaders for this endeavor, I had a huge vested interest in the success of Google Apps. It has been very satisfying to see Google Apps being used by more and more teachers in my district. Seeing the difference that it is making in student learning is worth all the time and effort put into this project!
The year of Google continued by deciding to pursue Google trainer status and by applying to the Google Teacher Academy. After completing all five of my Google tests to become a qualified individual, I worked on my trainer application. Now that it is turned in, I need to wait a few more weeks to see if I made it. Then came my Google Teacher Academy application. I poured much time and thought into every piece of this application, especially my video. All of this paid off as I was selected to attend the Google Teacher Academy in Atlanta. I talk about it every day and I am so excited to learn more and work with others who are just as passionate about Google! This was definitely the year of Google.
This year was filled with so much more. We rolled out BYOD, a new assessment system, and an updated student information system. Thinking back about the beginning of the year, I realize just how busy and crazy we were with all the changes. It has been a great year and I look forward to even more next year. On top of this, I became more involved with EdcampSTL and joined the planning team. Working with this group of educators was fascinating and it was inspiring to work with a group so dedicated to teacher learning. I will be doing this again next year!
If you are reading this and it is the end of your school year, take a moment to reflect, assess, and make new goals for yourself. Enjoy some much needed time off, but spend some time growing for the next school year.
This year started with a new adventure...middle school. After having been a 4th grade teacher and then 6 years as an Instructional Technology Specialist at the elementary level, I made the move this year. This move was the best decision and opportunity that has come along in a while. Moving to a different level rejuvenated me and allowed me to use my skill set more effectively. Forging new relationships is never easy, but I found that I quickly became comfortable in my new buildings. Looking back, I would not change a thing.
This year was also the year of Google for me. The year started with my district rolling out Google Apps for Education. As one of co-leaders for this endeavor, I had a huge vested interest in the success of Google Apps. It has been very satisfying to see Google Apps being used by more and more teachers in my district. Seeing the difference that it is making in student learning is worth all the time and effort put into this project!
The year of Google continued by deciding to pursue Google trainer status and by applying to the Google Teacher Academy. After completing all five of my Google tests to become a qualified individual, I worked on my trainer application. Now that it is turned in, I need to wait a few more weeks to see if I made it. Then came my Google Teacher Academy application. I poured much time and thought into every piece of this application, especially my video. All of this paid off as I was selected to attend the Google Teacher Academy in Atlanta. I talk about it every day and I am so excited to learn more and work with others who are just as passionate about Google! This was definitely the year of Google.
This year was filled with so much more. We rolled out BYOD, a new assessment system, and an updated student information system. Thinking back about the beginning of the year, I realize just how busy and crazy we were with all the changes. It has been a great year and I look forward to even more next year. On top of this, I became more involved with EdcampSTL and joined the planning team. Working with this group of educators was fascinating and it was inspiring to work with a group so dedicated to teacher learning. I will be doing this again next year!
If you are reading this and it is the end of your school year, take a moment to reflect, assess, and make new goals for yourself. Enjoy some much needed time off, but spend some time growing for the next school year.
Saturday, May 17, 2014
Blog Posting (weekly)
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- For hero's journey / screenwriting you need to see Kal's work over at http://www.clickok.co.uk/index4.html - post by Kunter Hampton
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