6 Tips for a Successful Conference Experience: The Before and After

 

 

We all attend different conferences and professional development sessions as models of lifelong learners.  What makes a successful experience?  What is your approach while you’re there to extend your knowledge base?  How do you bring back the information and share it successfully?  Here are our tips to ensure it was a successful experience.

1)      Have Fun 

Surround yourself with good people. 

Learn to laugh at the current challenges that you all face.  Take moments to eat together, get a little sight-seeing in, and take time to care about the day-to-day lives of your coworkers.  It’s amazing how making time for each other strengthens your team bound.

2)      Work as a Team

One person can’t make every session because there are usually multiple topics during the same chunk of time.  Agree to go into different sessions and then debrief about what you learned. 

3)      Take Away New Learning from Each Session

Regardless of whether the presenter was entertaining or dry, there is at least one thing that you may not currently be incorporating.  The entire session may have been filled with wonderful new points, or you may feel like you knew everything the presenter shared.  The first is the easiest to walk away feeling like you have grown.  However, the latter might have made you feel like you could have done the presentation.  In that case, at least walk away with a sample of what they are incorporating in their classrooms.  Take that back to your staff and show them the example of what another classroom has done so that they can have a reference point.  There is always something that they are doing that could help improve what you are doing.

4)      Make a Plan

Begin to think about how you are going to share what you discovered.  Most likely it can all be done at once if any good is to come of it.  Begin thinking about what can be shared immediately.  Likewise, think of the stuff that maybe down the road.  Hit the ground running with the easy suggestions and encourage your go getters to implement within a short time frame.  Save the more intense development for when time allows for it.  Maybe that is at the beginning of a new grading cycle or after a long vacation. 

5)      Extend Your PLN

There are a lot of great people with incredible ideas at these conferences who are starving to learn more.  Introduce yourself face to face.  If that intimidates you, tag them in a tweet or shoot them an email.  What’s the worst that could happen, they don’t respond? 

6)      Be Proud of Your Accomplishments

Reflect on your new learning and your growth.  Also take time to pat yourself on the back and reassure yourself that you are heading in the right direction. 

 

A special thanks to all who attended our session today!  What’s your approach for getting the most out of your conferences?

Be the HEAD Coach in your Classroom!

Using the analogy of a Head Football Coach, I beg the question:  How much time do we spend on a week’s worth of lessons?  Having filled that role myself for several years, I thought it would be a fun analogy to do a basic breakdown of what a Head Football Coach and his Staff does in preparation for an upcoming game, and then in parentheses, apply classroom lesson terminology alongside it: 

Scout the Other Team: (Students' Interest Inventories, Boys vs. Girls learning styles)
Know their Strengths /Weaknesses: (Data, Question Item Analysis, Student Item Analysis)
Know their Tendencies/How they react to certain situations: (Lecture, Active Learning, Out of their seats, Peer Interaction).
What Plays will work best: (Learning Styles)
Have your Game Plan Ready: (Lesson Plans - purposeful - make a plan to WIN )
What to do on Special Teams: (Transitions to/from Lesson Subjects or Activities without a fumble)
Prepare your Team:  (Practice, Practice, Practice)
Pre-Game:  (Provide relaxing, purposeful environment.  Provide materials, supplies, equipment for your players to Win)
Organize Warm-Ups: ( Non-Instructional Routines, like getting Laptops, logging on, "Turning Screens" to the instructor, etc.)
Coin Toss: (The SET Activity)
Game Time: (Acting on your Plans, Using your Play sheets)

Offense: How to score points (Positive encouragement, authentic feedback, push to the Goal)

Defense: Prevent the opponent from scoring (Keep the negative things at bay, learn to make a positive out of a negative, keep them focused.)

Special Teams: Kick Off, Kick Off Return, Punt and Punt Return, Extra Point and Field Goal, Onside kick and Onside Kick Return Teams) Modifications for student learning, IEPs, Pacing, Re-Teaching a concept, Re-Testing)
Quarters: Change ends of the Field - wind conditions, the sun, etc. (Change up the Approach, allow student to take charge of their own learning.)
Time Outs:  Hear from the Players on the Field - (Feedback, Reinforcing Effort, individual Attention, Re-Focus, Re-Direct, Encourage)
Half Time: (Monitor and Adjust, Re-Teach from a different perspective, get information from the Players on what is happening, and then find a way to help them be successful)
Momentum:  (Shifts both For and Against you - take advantage of the "For"...stay with something a little longer than planned if you need.  Stop a bad activity before it takes you too far off course.)
Penalty Flag: Penalizes your forward progress. (Stop things that takes you backwards...away from your Goal.)
Out of Bounds: Play between the lines and boundaries.  (Something that's not in the Standards for your grade level or Subject, just because you like it...or have taught it for 20 years.  These get you off track...Off your game plan.)
Stop the Clock:  Slow it down... Keep the Players on the field a little longer, dictate the pace and speed of the learning.  Allow students the chance to be successful. Allow them more of a chance to score.)
Run out the Clock:  Let the clock run out so the game will end.  (Know when it’s been enough a time in your lesson that is Long to cover a subject, but Short enough to keep it interesting.)

WIN:  Score more than the opponent. (The really cool thing here is that when the students win, you win…Just like the Head Coach, and the Opponent is the non-engaged student or the teacher that fails to plan).

4 Tips for a Successful School Year

The world of education is unlike any other career.  We end each year in June: reflecting, vowing to research and discover new ways to improve in our profession.  Summer provides an opportunity to relax and rediscover what has inspired us all to be lifelong learners.  Every August we welcome new learners to an exciting new beginning.  The energy and possibilities are endless. 

So how can we make certain that it stays this way? 

 

 

Here are a few suggestions from our Instructional Technology team to help you this year:

1)      Safety Police: Travel Safely

At times we become so focused on what’s innovative and new that we can overlook the most important aspect of all, make sure everyone is safe.  Familiarize yourself with all safety procedures and follow them.  Be sure to have emergency contacts (try using Google forms or Remind), and get to know your learners.  Understand CIPA, COPA, and FERPA and how they apply to your learners.  Remember that the most important component is ensuring everyone’s safety as you travel throughout the Internet.  To quote Barney Fife, “Thanks and happy motoring!”

 

2)      Driver: Keep your eyes on the road and hands upon the wheel!

Who knew that Jim Morrison and the Doors would have some great advice for teachers? 

Each year we model how to set goals: for ourselves, for our classrooms, etc.  Promote an environment where learners are encouraged to drive their own learning, no matter the vehicle.  Help learners create their own path for learning and demonstrate how necessary it is to be aware of those we share the road with.  Edmodo, Padlet, and Kidblog can be great vehicles that promote communication and collaboration.   

 

3)      Wave Rider: Be a Risk-Taker

Model how to take appropriate chances.  Gone are the days where the teacher needs to be the owner of all the knowledge.  It’s ok to “not know everything”, and it’s ok to be unsure of how to do something.  Model for your learners how to ask questions, find the answers, and how to step out of the box and try something new.  Invite an instructional tech coach into your room to co-teach a lesson!  If you haven’t blogged with your classes, flipped your classroom, or tried any other strategies you’ve heard about; there’s no better time to start than now.  John Kabat-Zinn said it best, “You can’t stop the waves, but you can learn to surf.” 

 

4)      Fun Police: Have Fun

“Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.” – Confucius

Ever watched elementary school students get off the bus?   When’s the last time you walked into a Child Development class?  Take wake-up calls from Kindergarteners: learning is exciting and it is fun!!!  Be sure to smile and laugh throughout the day.  After all, the more we model these good behaviors, the more we are helping to increase the life expectancy of those around us. 

My suggestion for bad days, whistle more.  My grandfather told me that it is hard to be in a bad mood when you whistle; try it sometime. 

 

What suggestions do you have for a successful year? 

The Technology Fair isn’t just about Technology

We recently held our Fourth Annual Technology Fair for the Georgetown County School District in Georgetown, SC.  By the very nature of the fair, “Technology” was the star…and that is true to an extent.  But the Technology Fair is much more than that once you dig a little deeper into the essence of the event.

There were five different Categories in which students and teachers signed up to compete:             (1) Creativity, (2) Communication and Collaboration, (3) Creative Thinking, Problem Solving and Decision Making, (4) Innovation, and (5) Educator.  We had Kindergarten-2nd grade students showing off Power Points and Paper Slide Videos.  We had 3^rd – 5^th graders showing off Web Quests and Little Bird Tales.  There were 6-8^th graders solving problems with Robotics and introducing Padlets, Weebly web sites, and Prezi presentations.  High School students were creating programs for Apps and Weather Balloons, and Flipped Classrooms.  Teachers were introducing unique strategies and “paperless Classrooms” in the Educator Category.

The aforementioned are just a few examples of what was presented among the over 400 students and 60 teachers.  What was really impressive was what they learned along the way.  Students learned to find, navigate through and document relevant and important pieces of information.  Furthermore, they learned to take that information and make more informed decisions in creating products and projects.

Students learned to work together in pairs and in groups more efficiently.  Some began to show leadership qualities by delegating different jobs within the group, while others learned to be the followers and pull their own load for the project to be completed.

Students learned how to dig a little deeper into “how” and “why” to be able to think critically on a deeper level…and find ways to solve problems for their projects…a skill they will certainly develop more and more as they get older and progress in their school or in their careers.

Using all of the things they have experienced as they were producing a Tech Fair Project, students formed a hypothesis, used trial and error, and dared to create and innovate…to design original and unique projects.

The skill set that students were exposed to, and learned to manipulate for the good of the project itself, will be an invaluable part of their life’s toolbox.  Learning by doing…taking the risk…not being afraid to fail…driven to succeed…the journey starts with the first step.  The more we can provide our students with the opportunities to utilize these skills, the better off they will be while they are in our classrooms, and long after.  And besides, isn't that the goal.

The Technology Fair definitely isn’t just about Technology.

Are you a Passenger in the Car...or Driving?

We have come a long way in the last decade.  The technological advances are simply mind boggling.  Can you imagine that not so many years ago…well OK…it was a lot of years ago…that we did not have ATM’s on the corner.  There was no such thing as a Debit Card.  There was a time when we had to stop at a store and find a phone booth to make a call.  To get to an unknown location we actually had to “read” a map…a paper map.  We didn’t have GPS available to us.  There was a time when listening to music meant we bought a new vinyl record and played it on our Hi-Fi…not Wi-Fi system. 

There are so many advances with the Internet, with Web Tools, Wi-Fi, and Facebook. Twitter and Instagram…we connect to MORE people than ever before…but we don’t always connect to the PEOPLE.  We grow our “followers” but we don’t follow the growth. We hear from people, but we don’t always listen.

I think it is inevitable, that in order for us to become better educators, we have to force ourselves out of our comfort zones.  We have to invite feedback.  We have to want to grow professionally in order to be able to plant the right seeds, and cultivate young minds.

Many teachers have been participating in Peer Observations for some time.  Some are very open to others being in their classroom; observing, taking notes, and them making suggestions as to what they saw.  Some have a problem with being observed.  Not because they are doing anything wrong, but because they are nervous in front of other adults.  They can speak to hundreds of students a day, but get a nervous stomach when they have to speak or be in front of other adults…their peers.  Comedian Jerry Seinfeld once said in one of his standup routines, that the number fear in America was public speaking.  He said that death, was number two…then jokingly followed up with:  Meaning that people would rather be the subject of the service, than be the one who had to deliver the eulogy.

In order for us to grow professionally, we have to model what we ask our students to do:  Be problem solvers, think creatively, be innovative, think outside of the box, communicate and collaborate with others.  Some might say that they don’t have time.  I say we have to make time.  Take 10 minutes a day to look at something new, create a blog, read an article, and “follow” somebody on Twitter professionally.  If we carved out some of the time we spend watching television or surfing the web or checking our Social Media sites…we could have time.

Some say they don’t know how to use technology.  That they are so far behind that they don’t feel like they can ever catch up to the 21^st century…that they “don’t know how to so all this new-fangled stuff.”  I equate that to an analogy of traveling in a car.  When you drive, you pay attention to the directions, the turns, the shortcuts, and the landmarks along the way to help you arrive at your destination.  If you are a passenger in that same car, you don’t pay attention to the turns, the landmarks, or the traffic lights.  If somebody else is driving, you don’t really know how to get there on your own.

It’s not as scary as it might seem.  It’s the anxiety and anticipation of what “might” happen once you take the leap.  So when it comes to taking charge of the technology challenge, the question is:  Are you a passenger, or are you the driver?

 

What Can We Learn From Quotes?

I love a good quote.  I love to read something, and have it bounce around in my brain a few times, only to have it all of a sudden, make sense in so many ways different than my initial interpretation.  Most tend to see a good quote and can’t wait to hang it on a wall.  Those of us in education love to find a quote that speaks to us, and immediately think it will speak to our students in the exact same way.  It doesn’t always work like that.

Lately, what I have been trying to do with great quotes that just “jump off the page” at me, is to:


Collect:  Save the great ones when you find them.  I have found that sometimes it’s hard to go back and find them, even with Internet search engines.  Mostly because we forget who said them or exactly what was said. 

Articulate:  Express your own thoughts and ideas about what the quote means.  Write them down and keep them along with the quote itself.  I have found it interesting to note that after some time has passed, I might see a quote in a different light and apply a different interpretation.  Mostly this is based on my experiences and lessons learned.

Share:  Sharing a quote does not always imply that you have to share what YOU think it means.  To share a quote and then ask others to tell you what THEY think it means may open a completely different application for you.  This can also be a great activity for students as a “bell-ringer.”

Now since this is a technology kind of blog, let’s reflect on the thoughts above through a technological lens.

Some of us continue to struggle to keep up with the fast pace that newer technology presents.  We think that if we don’t get it now, that in six months, the technology will have moved on to a newer version.  This kind of thing frustrates many who feel like they are already behind the eight ball in the technology arena.  And since we didn’t get in on the ground floor, it is impossible to catch up.  And since the systems and tools have upgraded several times, and we still don’t understand the last thing, we grow more and more frustrated…pressured…overwhelmed. (Wow…it just hit me that this is what a lot of our students might be feeling when we introduce new concepts to them…hmm… “Makes ya’ think.”)


Well, here are a few things to think about before I give you a few quotes to ponder.


1.  Most of the tools are very intuitive.  Those creating the tools have to make them user friendly…or else there is not profit in selling their ideas and products to a small percentage of the world’s population.  We just have to conquer the fear that we are going to mess something up, and “jump in there and hang on.” If you have a Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Vine, or Snap Chat account, ask yourself:  who taught me how to manipulate around those Social Networks?  What class did I take to learn how to post, share and tag?  The answer for most of us is that we either picked it up along the way by trying it out ourselves, or a friend showed us.  Newsflash – the same is true of many of the Web 2.0 tools.  I can’t wait to learn new ways, tricks and tips from the students and other teachers.  People with knowledge just naturally want to share.


2.  Many of the tools work with the same basics.  How to set up an account.  How to add classes or students or followers. How to customize the tool for your needs. How to set up the tool so you can moderate it.  The specifics come in the form of tutorial videos and manuals.  There are lots of tutorials within the sites themselves for how to navigate and learn the new tools.  The Technology Coaches for your school may also provide tutorials…and I know they would welcome the opportunity to assist you.


3.  Time seems to be a problem for most.  Many feel they don’t have time to learn new technology with what they already have to know, and teach to students.  Many tools can be used in conjunction with what you want students to learn…and Newsflash #2 - you can combine several task and tools to help you with “bringing home the point” for students.  They tend to learn better when you differentiate instruction, give them engaging tasks, and allow them to collaborate.  Marva Wilks, of M.W. Consulting, an Educational Technology Professional Learning specialist, said this about combining technologies toward mastering lessons: “This shows concept attainment which is always the goal.”


4.  And here’s the big one…Newsflash #3 – the students are already there.  They are already comfortable with new technologies.  They already know how to navigate around a tool and figure out how to make it work.  They are not afraid to try it out.  When faced with new technologies and new tools, their pattern of thinking goes something like this, “Let’s try this, oops, that didn’t work…OK let’s try something else.  Nope.  How about this?  Yes!  What’s next?”  Allow them the freedom to explore…and then learn from them.  The looming question for us becomes:  If my students are already there, and I’m not…am I hindering their learning?


So with that being said, here are a few quotes for you to ponder.  See them through a technology lens.   Reflect afterward on how you could use them to inspire not only your students, but yourself.  Ask your students how they interpret them.  Ask them to share how they could apply them to their lives.  Then LISTEN.



“If what you have done yesterday still looks big to you, you haven't done much today." 



                                                                                                             Coach Mike Krzyzewski

 “Education can be encouraged from the top down, but can only be improved from the ground up.”
                                                                                                            
                                                                                                             Sir Ken Robinson

“We do not learn from experience…we learn from reflecting on experience.” 

                                                                                                             John Dewey

“After all, we are the instruments by which students learn to write and play their own music.”

                                                                                                             Keith Brown

“If we teach today's students as we taught yesterday, we rob them of tomorrow."
                                                                                                           
                                                                                                             John Dewey

“Schools have to prepare students for jobs that have not yet been created, technologies that have not yet been invented and problems that we don’t know will arise.”

                                                                                                            Andrea Schleicher

 

 

 

Do you "PODCAST"?

In this digital age, we write, we post, we download, we upload, we subscribe, we Instagram, we Tweet, we follow, we unfollow, we invite Friends, we Facebook, we Vine, we Snap Chat, we "Like" and just like you and I are doing at this very moment...we Blog.  All of these are great ways to share, communicate and collaborate.  Well, in case you haven't had the opportunity to try this one out, let me introduce you to the Podcast.



There are a lot of great podcast tools out there.  Many of the podcast tools are free...but, as with "free", there are limits to what you get for that..."price."

• Some podcast tools are host sites - meaning they allow you to upload a previously recorded audio file, made with a different tool, to their host site.

• Some of the podcast tools have a "recording" feature and also serve as a host site.  Most often than not, these kinds of sites are a better deal, but this kind of deal may come with a fee.  Not that there's anything wrong with that...it just depends on what works best for you.  A podcast could be very beneficial to the auditory learners in your class.

• Some of the podcast tools include editing features, but many do not.  You may have to use a third party tool to do the editing, or adding of background music if you so choose.

Along with the fun you'll have coming up with great podcast ideas, the byproduct is that a podcast allows students to develop several skills that they can use across the entire curriculum, such as: improving research and information fluency,  developing problem solving skills, refining time management and organizational skills,  and becoming better writers and public speakers.

Most of the readers of this Blog have probably listened to a podcast of some kind?  Maybe you've listened to a podcast of a sermon, an inspirational speaker, the head of a successful company or an author.



But how would you use it as an educator?  Here are a few suggestions:

TEACHERS
Record your lesson activity for students
Create audible homework assignments
Report classroom news for Parents
Record your "guest speakers" (with their permission)



STUDENTS
Practice storytelling and presentation skills
Record classroom announcements
Do "commercials" for a school program or play
Create a newscast



ADMINISTRATORS
Record Weekly Bulletins
Record your "State of the School Address"
Send an Audible Invitation to your school's PTO, SIC or Open House

Take a look for what's out there on the Internet.  Search for the podcast tool, editing tool, and other podcast ideas that might fit your needs and style.


Here are  couple of sites that list Podcast tools:
https://sites.google.com/site/richardbyrnepdsite/podcasting-resources


http://mashable.com/2007/07/04/podcasting-toolbox/



See you...I mean hear you later,



Keith

Take a Chance on Success

Try these three things to get you on your way to becoming more computer savvy.

1.  Explore a Tool.

Most are very "intuitive."  Who out there has a Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter account?  Who taught you how to do those?  Did you go to a class to learn how to use them?  Probably not.  You most likely just worked your way around and learned it on your own or even asked someone to show you.  Spend 10 minutes a day trying out a new tool.  If you can find a video tutorial on the tool, that is even better.

2.  Connect to a PLN.

Twitter, Edmodo, Remind 101, Wiki ... are all examples of Professional Learning Networks.  There are hundreds of them. Having is one thing. Using is another. It's like owning a boat:  you can't wait to get it, ride a few times, fish, etc., but for most folks, it sits on a trailer or at the dock. Set the tools to notify you as to your preferences.  Most tools have a way they can do this easily.  Check your PLN regularly.  Actively involve yourself.

3.  Take the Next Step. 

Read a Blog. Start a blog. Create a Weebly. Turn the resources you have into a Performance Task.  Make a Photo Story or Movie. Learn to edit.

     By nature, we move forward. How many of you have kids…or have been around those first learning to walk?  They pull themselves along, then crawl, then toddle, then walk.  But if you watch carefully, when they first start to get up, and they fall…they generally fall forward.  Up, balance, hold on for support, and take a first step... maybe a second step. Fall forward. FORWARD!!!  Then UP...and FAIL again until we progress... 2-3-4 steps... SUCCESS! 

    
     Kids then begin running, hopping, skipping... climbing...you are pulling your hair out... Oh sorry, that's when it transfers over to the parents.

      The point being that we succeed when we move forward, a little at a time at first until we gain the confidence to move faster.  Take a chance on success for your own sake... And for those you lead.

If you only get one thing from this blog post, think on this: 

I believe people aren't so much afraid of FAILING... But afraid they will SUCCEED and do nothing with it!

Keith

Who's Working Too Hard?

When you look at the title of this Blog, the thing most consider when pondering the question is the element of time.  Technology is coming too fast…I don’t have the time to put in to stay up with it…I am so busy with my job, my family, and my outside responsibilities, that I simply don’t have the time to put into keeping up with technology. Besides, technology is changing too fast, and I can’t keep up...IT'S TOO HARD!

We are working too HARD. We put in a lot of time doing the step by step instruction, and our students spend too much time as passive learners. What if we flipped how we approach our lesson development? What if we spend time in PLN’s (Professional Learning Networks) developing learning paths for our students based on the resources that they can access.
What if we spent majority of our time guiding them in the development of the Career and College Skills that they will need to function? What would our lessons look like if we spent time in these areas?
Our students are about to enter the fast paced 21^st Century world.  We need to spend our time teaching them how to operate successfully in that world.  It’s not that we’re too slow or that technology is too fast…it’s a matter of focusing on good reflective teaching and let time manage itself for us.

Here are four areas where we need to make sure students have the tools to be able to operate in that environment:

Research & Information Fluency*:  In the 21st Century classroom, students find, navigate through, and evaluate large amounts of information. Teachers provide guided and independent research opportunities for students to make informed decisions and create products.


Communication & Collaboration*: In a 21st Century classroom, students communicate and collaborate effectively to reach a common goal or create a product.  The teacher utilizes a variety of communication methods, structures student interaction in groups, and engages students in collaborative projects.

Critical Thinking & Problem Solving*:  Students will apply knowledge and skills in practical ways to solve real world problems. The teacher provides the activities, experiences, and feedback needed for students to develop critical thinking and problem solving skills.

Creativity & Innovation*:  In the 21st Century classroom, students develop original ideas and create products by applying critical thinking, research methods, communication tools, and collaborative processes. Teachers provide experiences that allow students to create unique ideas and products. 

The ideal target for us as teachers is to stimulate the students to be able to do their own research, to work together, to think critically, and to “reach outside the box” as an innovative learner.  The Technology will keep coming fast, but most of it is so intuitive, that you will be able to embrace it and keep up.

If we are able to get a handle on these ideals, we will have the time, and it won't be so hard.  We can explore new technology…but more importantly, we will be able to enjoy the fruits of our concentrated and purposeful labor. 

Sources: * Advanced Learning Partnerships

Contributors to this post:  Keith Brown and Marva Wilks