Is a picture really worth a thousand words?

The idiom "A picture is worth a thousand words" refers to the notion that a complex idea can be conveyed with just a single still image, or that an image of a subject conveys its meaning/essence more effectively than a description does. (https://goo.gl/Mz63a4) In education pictures can be a useful tool, easily interpreted and understood. But sometimes a student needs more.

Whenever I know I have to be gone from class, I put together my sub notes and try to make sure my students have the knowledge and learning necessary to conduct a productive class hour in my absence. But even the best plans don't go accordingly. 

My go to for leaving detailed instructions (for my students) has been SoundCloud.  There are audio clips there I use in my classes, but even better I can create an audio clip and put the link in my class LMS. Using this I leave my class detailed instructions in a 3-5 minute audio clip, and they are more likely to listen to this then read a lengthy document with the same information.

At this time, I am still about the free stuff, so I am using that version of SoundCloud, but if I were ready to move to a blended or flipped learning environment, I could update to a paid version. So if you are looking for avenues to change the environment of your classroom (whether you're absent or not) I would recommend trying SoundCloud. 

How about this challenge: Create your free account and record 2 or 3 small instructions for an activity in your classroom. Divide the class in half, provide one half with the audio clips, the other with the same instructions in a written format, and let them work and compare the two. Could you see significant differences in the finished work? Which group had more questions throughout the process? Did one group finish quicker than the other? Which group appeared more engaged? 

I'm not advocating for students to NEVER have to read and interpret instructions, but if you know you'll be gone, and want to have things go in a particular direction, this might be the way to do it!

Happy Recording!

Google Tone w/ Mr. Segar

For those of you that have seen or used Google Tone, you already know how great this is! But if you haven't check out these videos. I introduced this to Todd Segar, one of the science teachers in my building, and all around test dummie for any new technology I can find. (Seriously, I find something, throw it at him, and he tries it out, he's the best!)

So he set up a sharing opportunity in his course and invited me to come in and take some videos.  In the first clip, Todd, is giving a short explanation of the lesson and sending the Tone to the students to get the document. If you catch it, he says he needs to make sure he has his speakers on because Tone is based on sound.

 

As long as the class is all logged in when Todd sends the tone out, they get information instantly. As he works to get the lesson started, he encourages students to share with each other using Tone, another collaborative use of the extension. In the clip below, if you look closely at the student's screen, in the bottom right is a message to let them know the shared item is being received through Tone and they can click on it to open.

The lesson begins and all students have the same information. Students worked for about half the class period following Todd's instructions, and then they need some feedback. Are they on the right track, answering questions correctly, etc. So what next? Use Tone again to share the correct data.

This procedure allowed for practice, collaboration, assessment, & feedback.

Your First Twitter Chat

Do you remember the first time you participated or witnessed a Twitter Chat? I remember mine! It was #nebedchat (Nebraska Ed Chat) on Wednesday nights. I was following a number of educators from NE, and was on my Nook of all things, and noticed they were suddenly tweeting excessively with A's and Q's at the beginning of their tweets. I searched the hashtag and followed along, just "lurking". Before I knew it I was hooked!

Jump forward about 3 years, and the teachers at my school had their first building wide Twitter Chat! We have a variety of Twitter users, lurkers, and "you're making me do this" staff members, and you know what, THAT'S OK! We all started at the beginning in one way or another.

I had been sending out instructions so staff are sure they can get logged in, and have added the appropriate #FmtChat column to make it easier to follow along. Requests for guidance here and there "just to make sure it's all right" were abundant, but everyone I worked with was ready to go! Staff were assigned to rooms so they would not feel completely isolated, and it have more of a group feel for the first time. 

The down side to this for me, at least, was I was not in the building! I had to be at a meeting in Mankato, so was en route while this wonderful learning happened!  Thank goodness for Storify, allowing me to go back and take it all in (although I'm told the best tweets were the ones created but not posted by the groups in the rooms!) 

The best is seeing originally reluctant staff members tweeting to each other the day after! (I can see you!!)

Wish I could have been in a group for this. HUGE shout out to Sturdy for stepping in and being the moderator! You did a great job! What a great experience!

How Are You Using Technology?

In most everything I see regarding technology and how teachers are using it, the SAMR model comes up. Now I'm not saying this is not a good measure of use, but it's not the end all of tools to measure a teacher's use of technology. 

I have been spending my "lunch time" doing professional reading (this was a goal of mine when we started back in January) and am reading "The Innovator's Mindset" by George Couros. (Can't say enough times how much this book is speaking to me right now!) and in Chapter 10 he refers to educator Bernajean Porter and her idea of moving from literate, to adaptive, to transformative.

"If I am literate, I am able to manipulate a device. I know how to turn it one, work with i, and turn apps on. 

If I am using the device in an adaptive way, I am doing something with this new technology that I used to do in low-tech way. For example, I am taking notes on the iPad or reading a textbook on the device.

If I am using the device in a transformative way, I am doing something with the device that I could not do before, such as creating video, connecting with people around the world through a blog, or sharing items with other students in the classroom at any time, from any place." 

This is written so easy to understand and interpret, I knew I wanted to get it out there for my colleagues to see.

We are continuing to increase the number of devices in classrooms, which is pushing some teachers out of their comfort zone. They are looking for ways to adapt and integrate these new tools.  I can honestly say everyone in the building can use their devices in an adaptive way. What I would love to see, and be able to share with those outside our walls, is teachers sharing their move to transformative, and how students are being pushed to the transformative level as well, to show their learning. 

Many students are probably already doing the transformative activities for their personal interests, now we just need to take that knowledge, that passion, and encourage them to use it in an educational setting. How can a student connect their love of Minecraft to the novel they just read in Advanced Literature? Or they passion for coding to their Physical Education class? It's all about educators being open and innovative to new ideas.

What innovations are happening in your building? I would love to hear some! 

  

What Culture is Doing to our Kids

Thank you Chris Sturdy for sharing this TEDtalk on Twitter today. How do we teach both girls and boys to be the best versions of themselves, not to succumb to our cultures obsession with image? And teach the parents the same?


I always worried about this when my girls were going through elementary, junior high and high school. To this day I tell them how beautiful they are, inside and out. I know they don't believe me, because I'm "the mom". But you tell me, if they put a video out there and asked "am I ugly?" how would you respond?

 

Jordan & Shelby
November 2014

And still I wonder, would my own girls ask that question of themselves?

Trust is the Most Powerful Tool

I have started 2016 by dedicating some regular to professional reading. If you saw the books in my office, all on teaching, classrooms, students, mindset, etc., and knew how few I got to read cover to cover, you might think I were nuts to ever purchase another book again. Each purchase was made with a thought, goal, or hope in mind, and it's time to achieve these.  So each "lunch time" I get at school (which really, for me, is covering the media center) I read my education book. Currently I am tackling "The Innovator's Mindset" by George Couros.

I am engrossed in this and look forward to my 30 minutes of reading each day. I am a slower reader than most when it comes to technical or educational reading (something I want to learn or retain), I recognize this about myself, and I know I should highlight or take notes of the key ideas I want to remember. I think I would be accurate in saying that the color of the pages in my book are pretty much highlighter yellow. There are so many ideas and thoughts and quotes I want to keep in the forefront of my mind.

I just finished (twice mind you) the chapter on relationships and trust. Now whether it was the frame of mind I was in, the weather, just coming back from Christmas break, I have no idea, but those pages are burned into my memory. Having trust in any working relationship is vital to the success of the business/job/project/classroom. From the classroom teacher perspective, I have to create an environment where students feel trusted. It's OK to make mistakes, if you forgot to do your homework, if you failed a test, all of these scenarios have (and will again) happened in my classes. If there is a feeling a trust, my students know they just need to come and talk to me and we'll work together to find the next step and keep moving in a positive direction.

OK, I understand that and work on that with every new class. But that is only half of my day. The other half I'm working with teachers helping them to integrate technology into their classroom. I'm not only introducing them to new technologies and helping them learn to use it in the classroom, but I also need to build trust with them to try these new ideas, that might be completely out of their comfort zone, and know that if it doesn't work out as planned, THAT'S OK! This cannot be done in a building staff meeting.

For one, we're talking PreK-12th grade. The needs, wants and abilities are so completely scattered, I don't think I could even accurately chart it. And I am primarily located in one building. There are many staff members from the other building I only see at workshop in August. So how am I going to do this with only half of the school day? How can I build a one-on-one relationship that is essential to me to be able to help with tech? This has been a struggle for me three years running.

There were a couple of quotes in particular that hit me. The first was:

"As leaders in education, our job is not to control those whom we serve but to unleash their talent"

Don't I need to know their talent first in order to help unleash it? Then a few pages later I read:

"But to move people from their point A to their point B, I believe it is necessary, as Gawande mentions, to create regular opportunities for human interaction that help build relationships and spur innovation."

Create regular opportunities, huh? That's my next goal, create these opportunities, during the school day, not on their own time (possibly mine) because that's how important this is.

Welcome 2016!

I know we had a Holiday break. I'm sure of it. I have recollections on being curled up in my recliner under a quilt, in my PJ's, watching Netflix, on multiple days, DURING THE WEEK! Was it all a dream? Could I have imagined the comfort of drinking HOT coffee all day long, not putting on make-up and saying "I did my hair today" when in reality I only got as far as using a hair tie to pull it out of my face.

Oh yes, I remember it well, as does every teacher who gets those few but brief days to recharge over a short break. To solidify the fact that I didn't do much was the 10-12 inches of snow we got in about a 24 hour period. Not only did this add to my workout routine (can't tell you how many times I went out and shoveled the driveway to stay ahead of the snow) it also prevented my out of state travels to see my family. Needless to say I got in a funk. I didn't touch my computer, check emails, or think about school work until Sunday came and "Crap, I have to teach tomorrow" went through my head.

Now that I've got half a day in, I am glad to be back, truly. I missed my students, my colleagues, my schedule. But I was right there with all the other teachers in denial on Sunday night. I had enjoyed being at home, I found time to do some things for me, that I enjoy, not related to school. I got to sew quite a bit and clean up my sewing area (which had me finding many more projects and quilt kits than I thought I had). I'm glad I took the break to "unplug" and do something for me. I feel much more rejuvenated today, relaxed, and ready to tackle the next three months (our next day off is not until Easter break!).

Bring on 2016! It's going to be a great year!