T-minus... (cross post)

Forgive me - I felt this should appear on my personal education blog as well as my Discovery Education Blog, http://denblogs.com/neene.

The ISTE 2014 conference is about to be underway. The Discovery Educator Network Summer Institute (DENSI) is nearly underway. What a busy exhilarating time for teachers. In younger years I use to so look forward to Summer Vacation. The last day of school for a year meant freedom. It meant relaxation. It meant beach time. It meant reading time. Now, in my recent years, I look upon the last days of school differently. They are now a blur of preparation to go begin MY learning processing. For the last 9 months I have focused on the learning of our students and my fellow teachers and staff. Of course I kept learning in small bits during this time. For example, I “attend” #DENchat, Thursday night Twitter Chats to continue learning from my PLN. But the summer is time to focus on what I am interested in learning. Our school wraps things up for students on Friday. Yes, Friday… please give me patience to wait that long. But then I board the plane and I head off for adventures. Not rest and relaxation at the beach. Oh, no, not me. I head off for more hustle and bustle and chaos and overwhelming technology learning options. Yes I attend ISTE2014. I would not have it any other way. There is so much available: informal moments in between sessions, formal sessions, poster sessions, live face-to-face events, workshops, blogging areas, playgrounds, vendor booths, spotlight showcases and more.

If you are attending also, here are a few tips I have learned after attending a few ISTE conferences:

• *Bring business cards – You will meet many many folks that you may want to followup with. (Consider creating a QR Code – the digital version of a business card)
• 
  
• *Create personal labels – There will be many many vendors requesting your information. How many times can you write your name, address, and email address over and over again. Quite a few will let you afix your preprinted label to their lists and/or cards.
• 
  
• *Wear appropriate shoes – I love heels. They look amazing. But for long days at the ISTE conference center – opt for comfort. You will be glad you did.
• 
  
• *Water bottles can be a fashion statement. Does yours have bling? Pretty colors? Your school logo? Your favorite vendor’s logo? Does yours clip onto your bag? And the best part they serve a purpose. It is important to stay hydrated. Remember this year is being hosted by lovely Atlanta, Georgia. It’s not called “Hot-lanta” for nothing.
• 
  
• *Google Calendar – Please do not over book yourself. Leave yourself some time to digest and absorb what you have been exposed to during the conference. You can plan out your events to make sure the items you truly want to attend do not overlap. Also save (and saver) some time for blogging, twitter chatting, sharing, and reflecting.

Speaking of taking a breather – I saved myself a few days and then after #ISTE2014 wraps, I head to Tennessee for DENSI2014. As if ISTE wasn’t a fabulous few days of high-impact learning – bring on #DENSI2014! A week long of the best, most indepth learning I experience as a teacher all year. I look forward to this even with such glee. The conversations leading up to this event are so much fun. They help long time DEN leadership council members to reconnect. And I think it helps those that have never attended a DENSI to pick up some of our enthusiasm. New members are welcomed with open arms. The world of DENSI is a world of acceptance and love. It’s like an automatic golden ticket to the greatest family of educators around. I can’t wait to meet all our new friends and reconnect with longtime DEN friends. Would time just get here already?!!

This year I will be assisting with leading one of the DENSI2014 teams. I look forward to us all getting to know each other better. I feel like I’ll be a Teacher Summer Camp counselor this year. I hope my team will have an amazing time together.

The  ISTE and DENSI count down is on. The count down is nearing it’s final stages. Synchronize watches, and twitter feeds, and edmodo groups, and all that other great technology stuff. So excited to see what we will learn this year…

Overstimulation

I know that I am older now. The music I enjoyed is quickly (sadly) becoming elevator music. This is a detail that I despise. But none-the-less it is happening. So I know that I am slowly entering that decent into the mindset of "My Generation..." However, here is my tale from this weekend.

I enjoy sitting out in the backyard of our apartment, relaxing and reading. It is something that last year between time management, bad weather, illness (I got hit with a bunch of summer colds), lethargy, and bugs I just did not get to do too enough of during my months "off". I had all of these plans of creating a backyard oasis. None of the details were implemented. So this year, I decided to start sooner (we teach until June 27 so Summer break is still quite a ways off for me). I purchased a large planter container at my local dollar store. I have these ideas to build a fairy garden in the container for some interest in the backyard. I tried our dollar store, Target, Kmart, CVS, Riteaid, and more. Somehow there is a considerable lack of dollhouse furniture. What? Isn't this a standard for young children? Apparently not anymore. As I walked the aisles of Target today, this blog post circulated and formulated in my head.

I know so many parents these days feel the need to raise their own little genius. But this desire to be Einstein comes at what cost? And even Einstein had his moments of play. Wasn't he quoted as having said, "Play is the highest form of research." Dollhouses taught mechanics - this opens this way, this pulls there. Dollhouses taught math and spacial relationships - will my furniture fit? If I create a rug how long and wide should it be? If I put the couch here where will the table fit. Dollhouses taught color and aesthetics - Will these colors clash? Will that be seen? Oh this might match!

Instead, what is readily available? Toy versions of electronics (Believe me I am pro these devices but as in all things - with moderation). Legos now have blinking lights. Regular and pastel Legos aren't engaging enough anymore? They have to light up?!

Dolls dressed more like tarts and ladies of the night then Strawberry Shortcake and Lemon Meringue Pie (for those that don't know these were dolls when I was young). Which don't even get me started on that franchise. Strawberry Shortcake was a doll that I could relate to with her plump cheeks and little dresses. Now she's in pants and with a much thinner physique. Urgh! (But that is another post for another day!)

Back to my original theme. Must we overstimulate children? Rows of flashcards. Rows of flashing toys. Rows of dolls with too much makeup. Rows of vampire dolls.  Can we please return to the days where children (boys or girls) were allowed to use their imagination to explore and play? My friend recently relayed a tale about her children and a playdate. She sent them out to play in the backyard. They didn't know what to do with themselves. They looked at her like they were being punished. They were being kept from their computers, video games, e-book readers, etc. They waited by the backdoor until they were permitted to return to the land of plugged in devices. Go play!!!!

My suggestion? Please invest in jump ropes, jax, balls, chalk and teach your children to think outside the box. This is just as valuable a skill as filling in the right bubble to answer the Common Core questions. But when students are at home please oh please just let them be kids. And I will try to find ways to help students play while covering the concepts required by the Common Core to share with my teachers.

Poem in Your Pocket Day

One of the fabulous teachers at our school brought an idea for celebrating Poetry Month to our administration. Thankfully the school principal agreed. Through the month of April students have been exploring poems. What a great way to look at language. Tomorrow, April 24th is Poem in Your Pocket Day. I hear the idea is to stop people and see if they have a poem in their pocket. If they do encourage them to share what they have. Being an Instructional Technology Facilitator, I figured I would Google for a computer poem. There are many. There weren't any that won me over. Certainly not something I am ready to carry in my pocket all day. But if a student stopped me and asked if I had a poem what would I say. I'd hate to see their face fall. That isn't what I want. No, not at all. So what was I to do...
Draft something myself...

"My Digital Day" by Mrs. Shields

My day begins each morning with an alarm clock to stop.

Then reach for my phone on the kitchen counter-top.

If there is time, the blue coffee light begins to blink.

Soon too my brain begins to think.

Out the door I dash, still a bit blurry.

Car alarm I push in a hurry.

Gratitude for traffic lights that keep me in one piece.

I start my day at work very early to enjoy a little peace.

Scan my security door clicker.

Convenient to let me in quicker.

Boot up my computer.

There's email to read.

“Please, no major problems today,” I plead.

Help teachers find new resources on the net.

Oh, here is one your students will love - I bet!

Research, explore, through so much to scroll.

Use the right words and I'm on quite a roll.

Chosen words of the right kind

to just right websites I will find.

Pick a few gems to share

with teachers that care.

It's a joy showing them what I have found.

From teacher to teacher it will pass around.

Time to show students so we have a common ground.

Hopefully I have found the pick of the crop.

Oh the magic that is found within my laptop!

I'd still love to find a better poem about technology for students. Maybe something about Google or the Internet. I put out a call to my personal learning network on Twitter. If you know of one, I'd love to see what you have to share. Hope you have a very happy Poem in Your Pocket Day!

Timely Lesson

Still not sure if this was a timely lesson or a lesson in timing. For the last few weeks, students in 5th grade have been reading a passage from ReadWorks.org about a planned solar-powered solo flight. The passage was brief but perfect for our short class periods. This allowed time to read and time to reflect in Google Docs. I used this to assist students with gaining the skills they need to create Google Presentations.
My lesson today was a little different with a particular fifth grade class. Class time quickly dwindled. So I modified what we have been doing in the other classes (working with text clues) for this class. Today, I had them figure out which person the article is really about (there are three names listed). Many accurately chose Bertrand Piccard. Those that didn't were shown how easy it is to correct our work in Google presentations. Then I asked the students to create a new slide where they would very briefly express their prediction. Would he and his team be successful? Would they find failure? While waiting for their class to arrive I had noticed the date mentioned in the article. Here is the line that caught my eye, "Piccard wants to make the first test flight by the end of 2007. He hopes to fly around the world in 2010." (ReadWorks.org).  I must have had my coffee today because I realized this is 2014. I hadn't heard anything about a plane crossing the globe that was solar-powered. But that did not mean that it hadn't happened.

So I asked the students to make their predictions. I promised to followup with research with them. Together we would find out if he and his team were successful or not. This evening for fun (yes I'm that kind of educator - fun involves Googling to benefit my students) I took to the Internet to see if there were any recent mentions of this flight. Of course I filtered using the Google Tool of search by time. I am still floored by what I found! April 15th CNN posted an article stating that Bertrand Piccard and Andre Borschberg recently unveiled their prototype of the solar-powered airplane. It seems in 2010 they were successful in flying non-stop for 26 hours. Wow! Now they are poised to try for 72 hours.

The nerd in me is cheering. The environmentalist in me is squealing with glee. The educator in me is so excited to share my new knowledge with our students. Could this have been any more perfect - recent news update, Earth Day activity, Google Docs integration lesson? A very powerful moment in time for our students and myself.

Returning from Spring Break and Easter

Tomorrow we return to school after a week's Spring Break. Prior to the Spring Recess I had posted a blog spot holder to remind me of the ideas circulating in my head. Now that I have rested (a little - lots of family commitments during a break) I am ready to blog.

The idea floating loosely in my brain as we approached Spring Break was how we need to be willing to try new things. In Edtech we need some individualized, personalized review process of tools that spring up. One size does not fit all. One size SHOULD not fit all in education as well. The tool that is perfect for one student may be overly stimulating for another. One that is engaging for one child may be too banal for another. Finding the right fit for EACH student is essential. [Now please don't get me started on the one size fits all assessments. Are they really an adequate determinate if learning and growth have taken place? Oh let's solder that synapse closed for this afternoon.]

As educators in 2014 we are blessed if not overwhelmed. There is a multitude of tools available to help us accentuate our classrooms. Some are wonderful. Some are not so wonderful. As educators we need to view these tools with a discerning eye. Will this help my students? Will this assist Susy with this one skill? Would this better suit Tommy's need to _____?

Tools come and go. Should we be teaching students how to use tools? Or how to think and use a variety of tools to accomplish a task? Things that are free today may become "freemium" tomorrow. Or even high end "premium" and beyond our wallets. I am reminded of the phrase my mother use to remind me of in growing up: "Don't put all your eggs in one basket!" Sage advice. Count on nothing. Explore new tools. Compare. Enjoy while you can today with an eye on tomorrow's future.

But how lucky we are to sort through all these wonderful options. Evaluate. Examine. Trial. Dabble. Explore. Evaluate again (Let's not overlook the review and re-evaluation phase). Seeing what school district filters will permit and block. Seeing what is too fancy and not fancy enough. What sites and programs have annoying characters or background music? Seek out tools that are just right. There are just too many tools available in today's modern world. One educator cannot possibly open every egg that is hatched. But a great educator will open a few and see if they are twins (lead to another comparable tool), fertilized (ready to take on life in your classroom), broken or veiny (not ready for use in your particular class). But you won't know until you crack a few open. So pick a few from the basket and play.

And some will hopefully be a perfect fit. I know several teachers that are thrilled when I show them how their SMARTBoard can be interactive tools for learning. They are so much more than presentation screens. I read recently (sorry I don't remember where I wish I could quote them) that if only the teacher is touching the SMARTBoard you are using it wrong! Powerful but true. Let the kids create, drag, collaborate, unveil, cover, guess, estimate, predict, draw, explain, draft a diagram, chart, etc. All those wonderful real world skills that they will need in the field (whatever field they choose).

Remember to project things of value. Look for programs and websites that enhance not just fill time. Seek tools that accentuate what you are doing not create new curriculum. Technology should be a tool to enhance student learning and performance. Not just one more subject area to cover. What tools will you personally select to sit in your egg carton of digital tools? Would you prefer the Microsoft Word egg in your carton or the Google Documents egg in your carton? And how nice that it is really easy to swap eggs in and out of your carton as time goes on. If you just leave eggs untouched in a carton they will eventually go bad. We don't want classrooms that stink. We want classrooms full of color by the use of many rich resources that are available and appropriate for the children in our rooms.

Thank you for your patience while this professional development idea boiled over in my brain during Spring Break. Hope you find the analogy useful. What will you make with all the tools available? Will you create an omelette with spice and color? Or will you create scrambled eggs with no appeal? Start slow. Crack an egg open and scramble them... Maybe add some thyme (time)... and see where that leads you. Experiment further. Add some roasted peppers (marinated thoughts of others found on Twitter). Experiment again. Taste and see if it has made a difference.

Blog Post to Come

In discussions the last few days, a technology professional development idea is coming to mind. Today begins the first day of our Spring Break. Today was spent attending #lhrictechexpo. The perfect way to spend a Friday before a vacation. But for once I am not going to work. I am not going to expand on the idea that is swirling in my head.  I am not going to organize and share my notes from today's conference. I am however, placing this image here to remind me to come back and blog:

But for this evening, I am going to go enjoy the fact that our school calendar includes a week off. I'm sure this desire for downtime won't last long. So feel free to check back in a few days. Excuse me while I go grab my nook, a pillow, a blankie, and a comfy spot on the couch.

First Tweets

A member of my DEN-ln, Nancy Sharoff just shared a resource - http://first-tweets.com. Twitter is a wonderful tool for professional development. When I first joined Twitter, I was following several friends that I had met through Discovery Education, (@DiscoveryEd). I mostly watched. I mostly read. Back then it was called lurking. But slowly I began to communicate. There are a few moments in time stand out in my mind. I had posted about being sick. Someone asked me at a conference if I was now feeling better. Wait, how did she know I was under the weather?! Oh they actually read MY twitter status. Wow what a feeling! Then at a different conference I had someone come up and introduce themselves to me. They recognized me from my Twitter account. What a laugh that was for me. I seem to focus on what I learn, read, enjoy from others on Twitter and don't really consider the butterfly effect of my own words. It always surprises me when someone retweets something that I "said".

So Nancy posted this cute tool that goes back in time and finds your very first tweet that you sent out into cyberspace. Can't believe my first tweet was in 2007.  Where has the time gone!? Not exactly pearls of wisdom dripping from my keys, "I'm creating my own twitter account after reading about it on the DEN blog." Lmfao. My DEN loyalty and pride ever shinning through my earliest communications.

Are you ready to step into the virtual Tardis, leap through time to your first Twitter post?