Preparing for the Shift

Education is approaching a difficult cross road with a new set of challenges, if you’re a teacher this means a paradigm shift. Many districts are heading towards 1:1 in technology, but is the instruction changing? Just 5 years ago Psychology Today published an article about children’s immersion in technology. The results are startling. Let’s take a look at look what technology is used the most:

Television 4:29 hours

Computer 2.31 hours (video sites account for 16% of this time, social media sites 25%)

Video games: 1.13 hours

Reading .28 hours

Movies .25 hours

What would these numbers look like today? Would there be an increase in users under the age of 8? What about the number of kids on mobile devices such as tablets and cell phones? Have you considered how this might impact your instruction? Although there are basic skills that all children need, neglecting technology integration could result in missing the mark with today’s child.

YouTube is definitely on it’s way to becoming a TV replacement. Most teachers shy away from YouTube due to lack of control over comments and ads, but it’s worth a second look. Educational companies such as Mastery Connect, Google, etc. have YouTube channels. In addition to the educational products you use creating their own informational channels, there’s a wealth of good content available. It’s very easy to curate content by simply creating a playlist on unit topics.

Teachers can also create their own videos in YouTube and annotate them. When using videos to support instruction they should be 4 minutes or less. Video time can extend up to 22 minutes if they’re interactive.

EdPuzzle is one Chrome extension worth downloading. EdPuzzle allows teachers to embed different types of questions within the video. Videos pause themselves and remain stopped until the student answers the questions.

The educational website maxmoby.com allows students to work on different subject areas. This site helps students work on weak areas, as the students work they earn points towards game time. This generation responds well to games, use them.

In addition to creating games on the internet, teachers can create game boards on any topic. Templates are available online at sites such as Timis printables.

These are just a few strategies to start making small steps towards our changing world. As the access to technology increases, it’s important to prepare for the shift rather than be shifted.

References

Taylor, J. (2012, September 10). Children's Immersion in Technology is. Retrieved February 09, 2017, from https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-power-prime/201209/children-s-immersion-in-technology-is-shocking

Google's Innovation = Life

Google’s latest updates just gave me life! If your district utilizes Google’s GSuite (formerly known as GAFE) these last few changes will blow your mind. As many districts make the shift to paperless classrooms, Google Classroom has grown in usage and popularity as an LMS. This latest revision now gives teachers the power to differentiate lessons and resources with just one click. Instead of all handouts or assignments being shared with the entire class, teachers can now select which students receive various resources.

The current shift in education is moving teachers towards personalized learning this new feature combined with tools like newsela.com or tweentribune takes the stress out of implementing leveled reading strategies. In addition to utilizing some of the latest strategies, Google’s given teachers the power to meet accommodations effortlessly.

In addition to the revisions in Google Classroom, the new Google Sites is also available. The new interface is easier to navigate for those the inexperienced web designer. It’s also easier to use with students. Allowing students to build a site throughout the semester or school year is a great way to document learning and share learning experiences with parents. Google Sites is an authentic way to provide students with an audience for their work.

If you haven’t checked out the new tools, take a look today!

Recruiting vs. Creating the Staff your Organization Needs

The field of education is always faced with challenges, the new task on the horizon is finding teachers.  Where are the good teachers? Teacher preparation has shifted from traditional college classrooms to online programs and alternative routes to certification. Educators are entering the field from other disciplines bring expertise, but often lacking effective strategies. This poses a new challenge to district and school administrators. With declining enrollment in education programs, the recruitment  pool is very shallow resulting in changes to the way staff is developed. Intentional interventions must be made in order to create the staff your organization needs.

Diversifying Professional Development

This sounds like a daunting task that is almost impossible, but technology creates several opportunities for effective training to take place with supporting documentation. Flipped Learning is best defined by providing content prior to a lesson taking place, then performing tasks during class time. It’s time to flip professional development. Apps such as Edpuzzle and PlayPosit create a number of opportunities for educators to get a visual of various strategies. Videos allow educators to see what a strategy looks like in action while hearing the steps to fulfill that strategy. These apps allow administrators to embed questions for documentation and can be used for discussion during meeting times. Flipping PD frees up time for teachers to actually plan how to implement a strategy rather than just hearing about a new strategy.

Search for the hashtag

Twitter is used for a number of things, but Twitter for PD? Education professionals share a plethora of resources online. Simply search for a hashtag such as, #flippedlearning, and articles, blog posts, videos, etc. populate the screen. Education companies, technology coaches, authors and principals are just a few of the types of professionals that are available to follow on Twitter. This social media site can provide awesome resources for professional development, it’s for more than ruffling feathers.

Take a Blended Approach

Professional Learning Communities (PLC’s) can be found within every school throughout the United States. Blended learning combines face to face interaction with online content, let’s apply this to professional development.  

• Highlight Star Teachers
• Create pre-recorded videos that focus on what good strategies look like.
• Allow these teachers to explain how they implement the strategy.
• Curate Content with YouTube
• Create playlists on various topics and allow teachers to choose the ones they want to focus on.
• Choose a strategy of the month for teachers to focus on.

Late Arrivals

Every year due to a number of different circumstances teachers start after school starts. They’ve missed the typical beginning of the year meetings and simply tossed into a new environment without any orientation. In order to properly train all staff, district’s should be developing their own teacher academies. Utilizing tools such as Google Drive is a quick way to share information with all staff members, new and returning. Planning is imperative for these types of strategies to be effective.  Better use of in-service time is a must and each district must clearly communicate organizational norms for new hires. It’s imperative that districts and schools shift the way orientation takes place, modeling business best practices.

Ditch the Favorites

An unfortunate reality with supervisors is that sometimes personal preferences cloud judgement. It’s very difficult to recruit talent, it’s time to separate job performance and personality. In the ideal situation, supervisors can like every employee and every employee like them however that’s not always the case. Be willing to recognize the positives that individuals bring to your organization even if their not the individuals that you would invite to dinner.

Staffing is becoming more of a problem for the field of education. Technology creates opportunities to personalize professional development as teachers are personalizing lessons for students. When recruiting becomes a challenge, roll up your sleeves and get to work on training.

Getting to know Symba....who? Symbaloo

As I was looking over a conference workshop list, I came across Symbaloo. I knew this website was used to  book mark websites and I just couldn't see how it could be used as anything more. I didn't attend the workshop and time went on. Recently, my team mate shared the lesson plan link and as I scrolled through the ideas I was amazed.

Symbaloo can be used to build resources for a lesson, to manage workflow, or as a way to keep students focused on one set of websites. The education account is free and webmixes (collections of sites or RSS feeds about a topic) can be shared among colleagues or students. Currently, I'm working through the Symbaloo educator training, even their web mix is in a sequential order. The lessons flow and all lead to a quiz. This would be awesome to provide support when teaching a unit, especially in the 1:1 environment where all students have devices. 

If you haven't tried Symbaloo, take a look...it's free.

Check out this link to view a webmix:http://www.symbaloo.com/mix/1stgrade11

Recharge, Refuel, Reignite...

This time of year is usually filled with more to-do lists than opportunities for relaxation. As schools come to a close for winter break, make sure to jot down a few important reminders right before you LEAVE. Yes, LEAVE.

Give yourself permission to walk out of the building without a bag, papers, or any other items that will interfere with enjoying the time off. Let's take a cell phone for example, have you ever tried to answer texts, calls, etc. while your phone was charging? It's take longer for it to charge.

Have you ever noticed how much longer your phone stays charged when you turn off some of the app alerts? Even your phone needs a break to recharge fully.

Breaks should be a time to recharge, refuel, and reignite the flame within us. So many people lost time with loved ones and families due to busy schedules and increased demands. Time Magazine notes some interesting facts about Americans and breaks from work:

• "Four weeks vacation is the minimum in European countries. The lone United States doesn't have any federal requirement for vacation."
• "33% increase in the risk for stroke for those who work 55 or more hours in a week."
• "47 hours is the average work week for most Americans."

These numbers continue to increase. Although work is a necessity for most, consider if you're working to live or living to work. The year 2016 has been a lesson for many, time waits for no one, use your time this holiday to be with the ones you love. Take a few moments to work on a hobby or craft. Have a safe and rest filled break. Merry Christmas! Happy New Year! 

Tuttle, B. (2015, September 4). 18 Numbers That Show Why American Workers Really Need a Break This Weekend. Retrieved December 13, 2016, from http://time.com/money/4008821/labor-day-statistics/

Track Progress with Digital Lesson Planning

Districts around the country are adopting 1:1 programs and tapping into the collaborative tools that Google offers for education, but is that collaboration among staff members? Teachers often reference how easy it is to have the students work collaboratively, yet rarely emphasize how joint efforts have increased among staff and administrators. Administrators can use online tools to monitor curriculum progress as well as view lesson plans. Some of those tools include:

Google Drive

Administrators can create folders for departments to add weekly lesson plans. Instead of referencing a notebook or a folder outside the door, administrators can create folders for each staff member to add content to. Folders can also be shared among department heads and team members. In addition to lesson plans and curriculum resources, this is also a great way to share important documents that everyone references often.

Chalk.com

Chalk.com has several tools including lesson plan sharing. There are fields for pacing guides and standards. Teachers can also upload support documents and activities that support the lesson. There's even a field for attendance and notes. The finished plan is just as detailed as traditional lesson plan. The app is available on iOS and Android.

Don't just get your kids collaborating, model what that looks like by connecting your staff also.

Tech Tools for Centers in the Secondary Classroom

           Teachers are tasked with accomplishing so much in so little time. Elementary teachers have mastered the art of using stations and centers to complete a number of tasks in a restricted amount of time. Station activities can range from review and reteaching to practicing a new skill. Technology further extends these options by proving a means for direct instruction to take place while the teacher is working with a struggling group. Try these resources out to assist with planning station activities:

Seesaw

Seesaw is a free app that is web based and has an app available on Chromebooks and iPads. Seesaw can be used for students to demonstrate, reflect, draw, or record themselves at an assigned station.

Recap

Recap is created by Swivl. Teachers can add specific questions for students to verbally respond to. Students record their responses and those responses are available for teacher review. It's free, easy to set up, and easy to use.

Youtube's Video Editor 

Often times teachers look for videos that are created by other teachers instead of making their own. Creating your own lecture snippet will not only force you hone in on the  most important parts of your lesson, but it allows students to have a reference outside of class. Take 5 minutes to highlight the most important points in a lesson, upload the video to YouTube, and use the editor to add titles or annotations. Take the link and share it in Google classroom or simply pull it up at a station for students to use.

EDPuzzle

Free resource that has a number of video platforms built in. Teachers can add questions, annotations, and their voice to any video that is available. This is a great ways to introduce or review a topic.

Adobe Spark

Infuse a spark of creativity into your stations and allow students to create a short video summarizing what they've learned. Teachers can extend this activity to allow students to view and reflect on each other's videos.

Each resource is free and is easily adaptable to different grade levels. When planning stations consider what task aligns to your desired outcome.