tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-63134693917783608522024-03-20T04:05:22.100-05:00gabbing with GerdesThoughts, ideas and reflections on my adventures in learning.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07752568122305791643noreply@blogger.comBlogger61125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6313469391778360852.post-35894269029798416792018-02-17T10:24:00.001-06:002018-02-17T10:24:24.108-06:00#TCEA18Well, hello Austin! Great to see you again - I love coming to conferences to learn new things and connect with others. The more you attend the more you start to know people from around the country who are passionate about education and the energy is abundant!<br />
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This week is TCEA and I am thrilled to attend again. Last Spring, my co-worker Suzanne Barker and I submitted some proposals to present as Instructional Technology Coaches. Well, over the summer we were both fortunate to move to new roles; however, we still have a deep love for all things technology and purposeful use of such tools for learning. We were happy to learn our session for Professional ePortfolios was accepted and we get to share about something we love.<br />
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One of the things I love about blogging is jotting my thoughts and reflecting on experiences to solidify my learning. Even if no one else reads this, I've retraced my steps, reviewed my notes, and intentionally selected some of my takeaways from TCEA.<br />
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Anytime we attend a conference, we (those I attend with) always share out notes (LOVE Google!) and bounce ideas off of each other. I learn just as much from others as from what I hear myself. It is great to connect and expand your opportunities for learning while attending a conference (or from home if you cannot attend).<br />
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Often at a conference, I hear things I already know but needed as a reminder. Our school is fortunate to be recieving new furniture for next school year. This furniture is not traditional and designed to promote flexible seating. I attended several sessions on flexible learning environments as a refresher. A few things I thought about were repurposing spaces on campus, providing recording booths, incorporating vertical writing spaces for students, adding makerspaces (Lego Wall), space for movement, and providing Student Voice in designing learning spaces on our campus.<br />
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In a new role, it took me a while to find direction at this conference. I wanted to focus on what I could learn to enhance my learning and opportunities to promote learning as a leader. This was definitely different than attending as a teacher or as an Instructional Coach with a focus on technology. Fortunately there were some sessions with this focus. I was able to gain ideas on how to use technology with purpose to flip PD or staff meetings, as well as communicate with parents and students. For example, using Screencastify to share a new procedure with parents and EdPuzzle to share content with staff while gaining feedback on completion and understanding of the content, plus it could be completed at a time that works best for them. This also reminded me that while it is great to model these ideas for staff, to go slow and model only a few things often (instead of something new all the time) to solidify comfort and learning of the technology tool. Plus, keep it relevant, interactive, and to content that can be sustained over time.<br />
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Not all learning takes place in a presentation at conferences. Often I learn or connect while waiting for a coffee or between sessions from others. A good friend and I met for lunch and she shared a site whe heard about at one of her sessions: <a href="https://www.understood.org/en/tools/through-your-childs-eyes?utm_source=twitshare&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=share">understood.org</a> This site is helpful to gain insight and empathy for all types of learners. I was specifically interested in the 'Attention Issues' simulation. My eldest son and my husband have ADHD and struggle with daily life skills (organization, completion of tasks, etc) as well as communicating their learning and I wanted to better understand. After a session, I went back to my hotel room and participated in the simulation. It was short and quick but eye-opening. I almost cried and wished I could hug my son right away. Gosh, I thought I was distractable but if this is his reality I am amazed he can get through most things. No wonder he needs to decompress at the end of the day! I tweeted it and shared it with others in my PLN right away.<br />
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In addition, I gained a few tricks (triple click highlights a paragraph - what?!) and tips (Screencastify - adjusting the microphone volume) and reminders (using the Read and Write extension) and something new (Suggestion Mode in Docs - LOVE!). Woohoo!<br />
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Leaving work to attend a conference is hard. Especially in Testing Season. (sigh) However, it is so beneficial for me to step away and refocus. It is so important for me to connect with others and enhance my learning, continuing to grow and build my PLN (back on Voxer connected with another leader to bounce ideas). For me, I missed my family. I missed my campus. Yet, I reconnected with other educators that make me who I am as a learner and a leader. Those connections are necessary for me to keep learning forward!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07752568122305791643noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6313469391778360852.post-43968529259815777442018-02-17T10:00:00.001-06:002018-02-17T10:00:17.663-06:00Let Them Be LittleI noticed a post by a friend and coworker yesterday on Twitter:<br />
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I retweeted it right away but it made me think.<br />
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I have the awesome opportunity to observe students working daily in the classroom. My door is always open (unless I'm on a phone call or in a meeting) and I'm able to listen to the buzz on campus. <i>I hear so many things.</i> It is when you are able to watch and listen that you realize so many things that may not occur to you when you are busy leading the learning.<br />
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Several years ago there was a shift in expectations for kindergardeners. I was not a kindergarden teacher so I did not directly experience it, but it made an impact on my students as they grew to my grade level. The shift led to the removal of play in the classroom, which was devestating to so many of us as educators. We KNOW that play is needed. Play is when children learn life skills - how to communicate, how to share, how to empathize with others, how to take turns, how to experience winning and losing - all are necessary in life.<br />
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A few years ago our librarian began a Game Club after school. To an outsider, it may have looked like they are 'just' playing games but it was a discovery we made that often children do not play board games at home and do not have the experiences of taking turns, strategy of a game, or winning and losing as a good sport. I thought it was genius! In this club, each game had an adult moderating to reinforce important skils. Again, learning these important life skills as they continue to grow and develop are such a foundation of social and emotional learning which are needed.<br />
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When I was still in the classroom, the removal of homework movement had begun. At first I questioned it then I began to really consider it. As a teacher, what purpose did homework hold as a learning tool for my students? Did it reinforce skills we practiced in class? Maybe for some. But... for ALL kids? No. Did homework promote good work habits at home? Maybe for some. But definitely not for all kids. When the homework returned to school, did I do anything with it? Sometimes. Then WHY were we doing homework?! Hattie's <a href="https://visible-learning.org/hattie-ranking-influences-effect-sizes-learning-achievement/">research</a> shows there is not enough of a benefit to homework. Then I thought... (after seeing ideas on Twitter and Pinterest) why not provide ideas of meaningful activities as suggestions for students to complete at home as homework. I did a choice board with things like follow a recipe (reinforcing following directions, measurement, reading) or play a game outside (exercise, following directions, communication) or write a letter to a friend (writing, spelling, grammar, communication) or read to someone in your family (or a pet - family is busy but pets are present) or create something at home and bring a video/picture to show the class. Sometimes we (the students and I) would come up with ideas to connect to our learning outside of the classroom. For example, a scavenger hunt of shapes in the real world - take a pic, draw a picture, cut out an image, make a list of all the shapes you see. This was much more fun but also didn't hold this heavy weight for my students who cannot complete work at home - we do not know every child's home situation. This is important to me! We may think we know but we do not know. Why assume every child has a parent who sits at the table with them every night to work? Some parents work nights, multiple shifts, do not speak/read English, or are busy driving children to extra-curricular activities. Remove the pressure, for everyone. Encourage play, rest, reading, conversations... not paperwork.<br />
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My son's principal spoke to parents at the beginning of the year when she first took the role at his school. Her speech made such an impact on me. Her sons are grown. She reminded us of what we already know, that time goes so fast. She said they will not have regular homework sent home. Instead, read, reinforce manners, play, <u>talk to</u>, and <b>make memories</b> with your children. They will not look back and say, I'm so glad my parents made me do all the homework. They will look back and remember moments that matter. WOW. Yes!!<br />
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As adults, we are always searching for balance. Why not help our children keep the balance they already have - work hard, play hard. Kids know when to play and have fun and smile. We need to be sensitive to their need for balance. I watched a bunch of kids on the way out to a field trip this week. They were SO excited - to ride the bus! Gosh, as adults I'm not so sure I feel the same way. They were filled with joy and smiles and laughter. I loved it!<br />
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Instead of focusing on if a child can read, write, spell, count at five in order to be successful in school, why can't we focus on reinforcing that balance and building those social and emotional skills to provide a foundation for further learning? To me it is NOT all about academics in life. It is about a well-rounded being and I want to let them be little for as long as they can.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07752568122305791643noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6313469391778360852.post-73934334784026529222018-02-06T13:02:00.000-06:002018-02-06T13:02:12.520-06:00#ShadowAStudent 2017Last year I learned about the <a href="http://shadowastudent.org/">Shadow a Student Challenge</a>. School staff members are challenged to experience a day in the life of a student by following them from the first to last bell, participating in the student's day. My administrator supported several of us to participate last year (blog post <a href="http://gabbingwithgerdes.blogspot.com/2016/03/shadowastudent.html">HERE</a>). This year, as I am no longer a classroom teacher, I felt it even more necessary to participate. I want to stay connected to classroom cultures, teachers, and students and I feel this is a nice opportunity to do so. The opportunity to shadow a student at another elementary school was my goal. After working at the same school for 16 years, I am learning how much of a bubble I was in (even while participating in collaborative meetings, conferences, and having grown a strong PLN). A few weeks ago I learned I had the opportunity to shadow a first grader at an elementary school I am fortunate to work with often. I shared with the teachers and parents what the #ShadowAStudent Challenge is plus the campus leadership shared the project with the staff so they would have some understanding of the reason I was walking down the hall in line with 7-year-olds.<br />
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The day began in a teacher's room because I was shadowing a teacher's child. It was fun to be one of the first students in the classroom. The teachers smiled and welcomed me, showing me where to leave my lunchbox. The students in class were very confused and giggling when I brought in my backpack and asked where I could hang it up. My shadow student knows me and he quickly helped me out. The students asked me several questions but followed procedures and were prepared for the day to begin. <i>One of my favorite things was how the day began with pleasant music.</i> The morning announcements had not yet begun but there was <b><i>music</i></b> playing that made me feel happy and welcome. The students on the morning show announced that I was there and explained why, which made me feel special and happy (and hoping that I wouldn't be a distraction). After announcements, the teacher allowed me to introduce myself and explain my project, then each student introduced themselves as we had Circle Up. Circle Up is such a wonderful way to begin the day. Everyone gets their voice heard in the room and connects, which is warm and inviting and builds a positive classroom culture.<br />
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First, we had Math. We did so many fun things!! We sang, danced, read a story, did a formative assessment activity, had a quick assessment, then played partner games. It was busy but with a nice balance - sit & listen, dance, sit & listen, move, sit & listen, work, sit & listen, play. Before I knew it, it was time for Writing! We took a bathroom break as a class and it felt good to leave the room for a different space to fill for a few minutes. We went to another teacher's class for writing, which was research about dolphins. Our group worked together to search books and a site for facts the teacher referred to as 'treasures', which made me smile and miss teaching first grade. <i>Plus, it made research feel like an adventure since we were searching for <b>TREASURES</b>!</i> A <u>single word made a difference</u> that <u>transformed our activity to an experience</u>.<br />
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Next, we returned to our classroom for read aloud and an optional bathroom break. Our teachers were great partners and the two classes moved seamlessly through the day as a group. We worked on some activities while students worked with the teacher on Student Led Conferences prep work (Student Led Conferences were the next day). I had a conversation with the students at my table about the conferences. They enjoy sharing their growth and learning with their parents, which falls in line with our district Portrait of a Graduate. The students and their words made me smile.<br />
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Before I knew it, it was time for lunch and recess. I was so glad because all this movement and fun made me hungry! If you have never joined first graders for lunch, you must! The conversations are informative and entertaining and I had a great time. I knew what to do all the time because I could understand the expectations from students' actions or their words to help me. Procedures are clearly defined and executed in this school, which made my stress and anxiety for doing 'the right thing' at ease. Recess was great - it was a beautiful, sunny day! I mostly walked around to stretch my legs and arms, but also snagged a swing for a little bit. : ) It made me aware that even though we moved and had flexible options for seating,<i> I needed to have big movement (gross motor movement) time</i>. This had never occurred to me before as a teacher. Providing movement is important but this time to really move, stretch, run, and feel the sunshine is super important, too.<br />
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The afternoon was a buzy blur of Personalized Learning Time and science, which was a combination of books, paper, games, songs, and more. The day wrapped up with Specials. I went to Music then PE (yes, I wore my tennis shoes). In Music, I had so much fun but was really comforted by the clear expectations in place. With such a short period of time in which to experience this art, the teacher was prepared and ready for each step seamlessly. We sang, danced, and use an app called Quiver to practice music knowledge and skills to secure. Next, we went to PE. Y'all. I'm a spectator. Despite my boys and their gifts in athletics, I am NOT an athlete and quite clumsy. I was nervous. However, the PE teacher quickly led us to a fun game and I had a great time (pretty sure I got my steps in!) The children were encouraging and we smiled, laughed, and had fun moving and playing (reinforcing important skills of sharing, taking turns, postive teamwork, etc).<br />
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The end of the day was there before I knew it. I had a Student Council Meeting on campus afterwards so I had no time to process or rest until later (thus this post sitting in DRAFT for almost a year...) however, it was a most amazing experience. Some of my take-aways were how much fun our students are. Just sitting and listening and getting on their level was so uplifting and eye-opening. Another was how music was such a happy way to start my day. It promoted an even more postive and uplifting atmosphere in the classroom. Procedures and calm, caring teachers helped me feel so comfortable, safe, and confident throughout the day. Lastly, movement - moving in the classroom felt different than moving outside in the sunshine and fresh air as well as different than playing a structured game in PE. Movement, music, and many smiling faces helped me get through my day. Had the supportive teachers and encouraging students not been there to build me up, I'm certain my confidence would have dipped... which led me to believe had I needed to secure any knowledge or skills, I would have struggled had it not been for the pieces put in place by these dedicated educators.<br />
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What a fun day! I'm so thankful to the teachers that opened their doors to me, for the teacher friend who allowed me to shadow her child all day, for the energetic, sweet first graders who were my new best friends for eight hours, and most of all that I am surrounded by these forward-thinking educators and allowed to have this opportunity to push on and continue to learn and grow.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07752568122305791643noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6313469391778360852.post-79341547763625716042018-01-20T23:13:00.002-06:002018-01-20T23:14:11.192-06:00All The LearningCurrently, I'm reading <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Mess-Moxie-Wrangling-Delight-Glorious/dp/0718031849/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1516511288&sr=1-1&keywords=of+mess+and+moxie+by+jen+hatmaker">Of Mess and Moxie</a> by Jen Hatmaker. I'm a huge fan and follow her on social media. I also read <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Love-Fighting-Grace-Impossible-Standards/dp/0718031822">For the Love</a> - and after following her and reading her books and listening to her podcast, I feel like she is a friend. She speaks some serious truths and makes me laugh, cry, and think.<br />
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As she was sharing in her book about her journey as an author, she mentioned how she is always learning and working on her craft. It really struck a connection with me. Years ago, I had a great leader on campus that would fill us with information and ask questions that challenged our thinking. When she moved on to another role, I was left at first very confused about who was going to feed me (information)? It was frustrating but I'm thankful for that growing pain, because it brought me to the realization that I am responsible for my own learning and I took it from there. I hope I was able to push my students to do the same and now, I was to be able to motivate our staff to want to know more as well.<br />
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I love this part of Jen's book. I even made a #BookSnap about it:<br />
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She said "The day I stop learning...I need to hang it up" and I thought YES! In this role, all roles, we are constantly learning - most often it is on the job and in the moment (especially as a parent).<br />
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Several years ago I was made aware of conferences. Previously, I thought conferences were only for administrators or the people at the top. I had no idea there were conferences for teachers. An Instructional Coach shared a few opportunities with me and I selected a few. Those truly changed my life as an educator, and even my path!<br />
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For years when my children were young they took all.of.me. Every. Day. I couldn't even think about reading anything other than <u>Good Night, Moon</u> or <u>Love You Forever</u>. However, as my children grow and gain independence, I find I have time to do things like... read!<br />
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However, always as an educator I've learned from others. I value the thoughts and knowledge of those who surround me. ALWAYS I find greater development of ideas from a group than just myself. My students have always inspired me and taught me, as well. Be an inspiration to your students and model what you expect from them each day.<br />
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I'm thankful to be in a profession that constantly challenges me. Yet, I also hope those in other roles continue to learn, as well... I hope my doctor, dentist, pastor, etc continue to read and learn and grow. I owe that to myself and to those I get to work with and especially the children I am blessed to be surrounded by.<br />
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#PassionForLearningAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07752568122305791643noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6313469391778360852.post-66258890532273016192018-01-20T23:05:00.001-06:002018-01-20T23:05:26.672-06:00Wow!That is all I can say ~ WOW! The last few months have been an amazing rollercoaster of quick decisions, celebrations, prayers, mourning, and all. the. learning. Seven months ago I had NO idea everything was going to change with my career. I was finishing up grad school with a degree in Education Technology Leadership and passed my Principal Certification. My fresh, new notebook was already filled with ideas and lists of things to do for the upcoming school year and I was pumped to get started in my second year as Instructional Coach with the Technology Team. My focus was Digital Citizenship and I was hoping to start some Genius Bars or Student Tech Groups at the elementary level. Last year was an enormous, exciting learning curve after 17 years in the classroom. I was going to really have a clue this year and do things well. ... Then, I received some phone calls and within a short amount of time I had interviewed three times and was named the new (recommended) Assistant Principal of one of our amazing elementary school. Y'all. WOW!<br />
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I was not expecting this opportunity and it absolutely thrilled me. The school, staff, students, families - all are the best! And my team - I am SO thankful.<br />
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At a recent meeting, we were asked to share how we came into administration. Of course, I mentioned the amazing leaders before me - my father, my former principals and assistant principals; not to mention those who were my boss or leaders in prior jobs. I shared how I never imagined I would leave the classroom and I was certain I'd never return to school. The older I get the more I learn we eat our own words all too often. ; ) My teaching experiences brought me here. My love for learning that was reignited by amazing leaders brought me here. Those I surround myself with, who lift me up and encourage and motivate me - brought me here. My former students and my own children - brought me here. I truly feel that all the dots (learning experiences) I've been collecting for years and years are now connecting. And I continue to learn - every. single. day.<br />
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This role is so different from what I imagined, not good nor bad, just different. Each day is a new day that is challenging, unpredictable, and amazing - all at the same time. Today I did three observations, watched chicks hatching while first graders 'oh-ed' and 'ah-ed', got a kagillion hugs, coached a student on making choices, called parents, completed online training and a test, thanked some teachers with Sonic drinks, facilitated a make-up CogAT test, walked many steps, met with our amazing specialists in three separate meetings, debriefed on our day with my leader, chatted with some teachers, and ate a HOT lunch in under ten minutes. It was glorious. I love it! This role is hard. This role is rewarding. I'm so thankful for this experience.<br />
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Was it hard to leave a role I loved for another? Yes! Of course it was. I really enjoyed my role as Instructional Coach and I have a passion for purposeful technology integration. However, I felt led to go for it. In my belly and in my heart, I knew. It was sad. I cried. I love my team from last year. I miss them very much. Yet now I see what I needed to learn in that role also contributes to what I'm doing now. After all, one of my favorite quotes from George Couros (@gcouros) is "change is the opportunity to do something amazing" and I remind myself of this every time it gets tough, and when it is awesome.<br />
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My hope is I can empower others the way others empower me. I hope I can still accomplish some of those tasks I had as a goal for this year, but they may look differently in my new role (social media interns, lunch and learn, book clubs, etc). I'm excited - I'm overwhelmed (and have struggled to blog on a timely basis) but it is all good.<br />
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Every day I see it: Teachers are working hard. Students are growing and learning and they make me smile! Families long to be connected and want what is best for their children. Communities want to encourage children to grow into outstanding citizens. It is happening.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07752568122305791643noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6313469391778360852.post-41960483728562435912018-01-20T22:54:00.002-06:002018-01-20T22:54:21.789-06:00#OneWord for 2018<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Well, hello 2018! Finding my #OneWord for this year has had me pondering for several weeks. I decided to begin with my words from prior years:</div>
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balance - always a struggle to strive for equity in all areas: family, faith, friends, career, me</div>
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purpose - reminding myself daily of my WHY<br />
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<a href="http://gabbingwithgerdes.blogspot.com/2016/01/oneword-for-2016.html">2016</a>: choose - make decisions that I feel confident about<br />
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<a href="http://gabbingwithgerdes.blogspot.com/2017/01/oneword-2017.html">2017</a>: be - to be present (work at work, focus on family at home)<br />
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One lesson I've learned from using #OneWord (and also perhaps from being over 40...) is:<br />
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This year I struggled to find THE word to focus my year. I am such a thinker and over-analyzer that I'm quite certain I have been over thinking THE word for ME. After all, it is not the only thing I will concentrate on, but I like having a word that encompasses all of MY current needs and goals.<br />
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After years of practicing one word to focus my year, this year I decided to read the book <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Word-That-Will-Change-Expanded/dp/1118809424/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_14_t_0?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=MSZ83DSRFH8MPKZTQNEZ">One Word That Will Change Your Life</a> (plus I actually had the time over the holiday break - celebrate!) The book was helpful and reinforced that I've been selecting my words correctly, but reading it didn't bring my word to me. The book suggests reflecting, spending quiet time thinking, praying, being aware and open to insight into what word will best drive my year. I tried it all. I have a list: worthy, forward, joy, enjoy, peace, courage, hope - but nothing fit like a puzzle piece to me.<br />
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I kept reflecting ... recent years have been super busy and so much has happened! The last five years just of my <i>career</i> have each been different:<br />
2013 - taught my tenth year in first grade, my second year in dual language<br />
2014 - taught second grade<br />
2015 - looped to third grade (looping is the BEST experience ever!!) and began grad school<br />
2016 - left the classroom after 17 years and spent an amazing year as an Instructional Coach with Technology<br />
2017 - graduated with my degree in Educational Technology Leadership plus earned my Principals Certification AND accepted an amazing opportunity to be Assistant Principal<br />
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I mean... <b><i>WOW</i></b>. And that does not include personal, family, house, and other gains and challenges. My boys are growing and parenting changes as your children grow (News Flash: it does NOT get easier, just different... costs, interests, activities, celebrations, and challenges) and marriage continues to evolve (celebrating 15 years). We have also been in the process of remodeling our home very slowly, focusing on one area at a time.<br />
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So, all of that to be said... finding a <b>word</b> to push me forward, to remind me that I am worthy of these things, to stay focused on continual growth, while also being present enough to enjoy the blessings I have... has been a challenge.<br />
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For a while I almost selected MOXIE. Partially because I finished Jen Hatmaker's book <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Mess-Moxie-Wrangling-Delight-Glorious/dp/0718031849/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1516049852&sr=1-1&keywords=of+mess+and+moxie+by+jen+hatmaker">Of Mess and Moxie</a> over the holiday break and I thought 'moxie' might fit. After all, it means "a force of character, determination, or nerve" and I really like the determination part. It made me realize that the things I've been working on and striving for are here. Right on my plate. So, now what do I do with them??<br />
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So, after much thought (and viewing 100s of other people's #OneWords) I decided I need to take <b>ACTION</b>. An action is "the fact or process of doing something, typically to achieve an aim". You may think: 'well, duh. Of course, you need to act on all you are working toward'. However, sometimes when time starts rolling quickly and you get caught in the whirlwind of marriage, parenting, children's athletic schedules, house care, laundry (All. The. Laundry.), work, and trying to have a social life and not lose all your friends ... AND ... eat well and exercise, while also finding time for yourself, you forget to stay focused on what you have worked so hard to achieve. So, for me, <b>ACTION</b> makes sense:<br />
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*<b>ACTION</b> in my marriage means always working toward building a positive, loving relationship that will continue thrive after our children become adults<br />
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*<b>ACTION</b> as a parent means being present for my children - really listen when they want to talk, drive them all.over.the.metroplex for sports and fishing and movies and friends because one day they will drive themselves, and <i>soak up these moments</i> and continue to create memories<br />
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*<b>ACTION</b> as a sister and daughter, not to neglect my parents and my sister, especially as our family really needs each other now<br />
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*<b>ACTION</b> as a learner, to not let the exhaustion of completing a degree turn me off of additional learning, but instead fuel me further<br />
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*<b>ACTION</b> as a leader, to instill a passion for learning and leading in others (students and staff) while continuing to prioritize build trusting relationships<br />
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*<b>ACTION</b> as a friend means to send a quick text to let someone know I'm thinking of them or call a friend for dinner or coffee (look, we are past the age of caring what our house looks like and if we are in a messy bun and jeans for dinner, THANK GOODNESS) and <i>lean</i> <i>in</i> to each other<br />
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*<b>ACTION</b> for myself to eat better, move more, and revisit some of those hobbies I enjoyed BC (before children) now that my boys are becoming more independent, plus focus on fueling my body with better foods and having fun when I exercise<br />
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This year for me <b>ACTION</b> is my word. It reminds me to implement the things I've learned and DO SOMETHING with it all.<br />
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So... I hope my reflection on 2018 will bring me great happiness by putting in to practice the things I'm learning while keeping my priorities in place!</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07752568122305791643noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6313469391778360852.post-63598121431448769252017-08-20T19:03:00.002-05:002017-08-20T19:03:32.754-05:00The Whole ChildThis morning as I work on my final assignment for grad school (WOOHOO) my mind is spilling with thoughts, emotions, ideas, and questions. Our assignment is to first watch Sir Ken Robinson's TEDTalk "<a href="https://www.ted.com/talks/ken_robinson_says_schools_kill_creativity">Do schools kill creativity?</a>" then respond to a variety of questions and prompts. I find myself overflowing with what I want to say and hope that by blogging first, I can streamline these thoughts.<br />
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Several years ago our school read Sir Ken Robinson's book <u>Creative Schools</u> and I remember it being one of the first educational books that made me think - made me REALLY think and reflect and consider. It so happened at the same time my first child was beginning school. Listening to his words made all of these memories come flowing back and all the feels! *I must say before sharing more that in no way at all do I blame any educator for my children's experiences. As an educator, I have grown and evolved and understand how things work and I do not place blame. However, I do want to see and be part of the change that continues to push the boundaries of traditional education. I am thankful I belong to an innovative district that is constantly moving to provide new ways of learning while asking questions and encouraging learning forward.*<br />
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It is stated in the TEDTalk that 'all kids have talents and the education system squanders them' and I completely agree this is true when we only focus on academics. Sir Ken Robinson shares the story of a girl - her parents were told she may have a learning disability when in fact she was a gifted dancer! Once given the best learning environment for her needs, she was able to grow and learn and eventually create CATS! Wow!<br />
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What are we doing to ensure our children are provided all they need to be well-rounded members of society? Not later - not when they graduate, but now? Please know there are children around the world making a difference at very young ages - thanks to technology and social media, people of ALL ages make an impact. We do not need to prepare them for tomorrow as much as preparing them for today. For now.<br />
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Traditional education systems were formed to educate the masses, often preparing students for factory work or war - hence the lines of silent students walking from one place to another, or completing a set of tasks to show mastery of a concept. If you look around, few work environments function this way anymore. People collaborate, must have strong communication skills, must be able to work independently and self-motivate to complete a wide variety of tasks in multiple environments. Where are all the people walking in a line silently? I struggle to understand the reasons for some of the expectations we still hold in high regard without understanding how it is best for children.<br />
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One child I know has such a strong athletic ability. He shows exceptional control on a pitching mound, where he is still and focused and holds the entire game on his shoulders with confidence. Yet if you ask this child to read a book or write a story, he faces multiple challenges. He can appear to be impulsive and hyper, but if you really know him, he is the most caring and loving person and wants to be accepted. Another child I know is overflowing with curiosity. He wants to take things apart - not just physical items, but also ideas. He begs to gather information and question the norm. He finds no value in knowing facts, he knows he can 'ask Alexa' or Google it; so memorization holds no weight to him. He wants to program things and feel challenged. At three years old, he carried a tiny notebook around drawing ideas and writing questions; but at school, he had to put it away. These stories I have seen first hand, as these are my children.<br />
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Please, know your students. Please, ask them questions and value their answers. Know who they are and what their strengths are. Some people need to move. They feel like they can't breathe when they have to sit still and conform. Some people need to talk. They thrive on learning from others. Some people need to be alone. All of the noise, movement, action just exhausts them. Don't you know adults like this? Children are no different.<br />
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Continue to ask questions. Continue to learn forward and provide options that are in the best interests of your students. Let's continue to promote educating the whole child.<br />
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In what ways can we challenge the traditional system and evolve to value all unique strengths of students?Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07752568122305791643noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6313469391778360852.post-28594226352460524332017-07-18T16:15:00.005-05:002017-07-18T16:15:30.147-05:00TCEA #Tots & Technology 2017<b>TCEA</b> (<a href="https://www.tcea.org/">Texas Computer Education Association</a>) is a great organization that promotes and supports the use of technology in education. TCEA provides a wide variety of learning opportunities, such as a statewide conference and local area conferences. TCEA also provides online learning options, including their Lunch and Learn series.<br />
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In 2015, I attended TCEA in Austin and reflected on it <a href="http://gabbingwithgerdes.blogspot.com/2015/02/tcea15.html">here</a>. Plus, I attended TCEA Tots & Tech in Galveston and reflected on it <a href="http://gabbingwithgerdes.blogspot.com/2015/06/tcea-tots-technology-2015.html">here</a>. This year I am thrilled <b>TCEA Tots & Tech</b> is in Arlington, which is very close by! Many teachers and librarians from our district are attending, which makes for great collaboration and deeper learning opportunities. Plus, it is a great time to continue to <b>build relationships</b>.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg22DoQ5hjkVdjiT0ZxJke5U4tTXDeGrSUzdOrklOJdkw0dRHMyGVt8blGISnIrxxtMYwe8b8rztAUK3TS-XgO7lWKAyfXGlCwJlEVokoJmr54ZUqHy3pIgU00DHIFm1HjdPI_DMcmOuzKR/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-07-18+at+1.06.42+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="434" data-original-width="644" height="215" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg22DoQ5hjkVdjiT0ZxJke5U4tTXDeGrSUzdOrklOJdkw0dRHMyGVt8blGISnIrxxtMYwe8b8rztAUK3TS-XgO7lWKAyfXGlCwJlEVokoJmr54ZUqHy3pIgU00DHIFm1HjdPI_DMcmOuzKR/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-07-18+at+1.06.42+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some of the GCISD Educators at Tots</td></tr>
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One of my favorite things about attending a conference is <b>making connections </b>with others. I've been in touch with another educator in the area for a while as she is looking to find the best next steps in her journey as an educator. We had the opportunity to meet face to face and chat today. It was great to meet the person I've been talking to on the phone and via text and email. One of the sessions today was called 'Birds of a Feather' which provided a room for same area educators to gather, connect, and collaborate. So, all first-grade teachers met in a room, etc. My group consisted of five instructional coaches. We were given questions to discuss then tweet, like a Twitter Chat. It was so nice to have time to meet others in a structured, yet flexible environment. We shared ideas, got connected on Twitter, and discussed challenges and celebrations from our year.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our Birds of a Feather Group</td></tr>
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There are so many opportunities for learning, and some sneak up and surprise you! While attending Miguel Guhlin's session on Blogging and Podcasting, he used me and a few others that were 'voluntold' to share our experiences with blogging in our classrooms. You know I LOVE to blog and had great experiences with my students blogging, but impromptu speaking is a HUGE fear of mine. However, I think once I got going, I shared our blogging story well. He recorded the conversation to share on Voxer, which I think elevated my anxiety; but afterward, I was pretty pumped to share more. I looked up the microphone he used on his phone and want to purchase one for recording students and teachers when I'm on campuses. It was a fun time and I will remember that presentation, for sure!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUSqABb5sna2buJhOxRjHj2lEfeSSkaYmxUFOors8kuSj-GZFRg8twXDmEJd504hGTySqepCbUfYg2NMO6dG1wOWwXtf26jiSfnDQBCtXTn_HQdieaUzR9Lw-suPPgLQKXgQ0xVe1zLMt6/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-07-17+at+3.34.59+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="371" data-original-width="349" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUSqABb5sna2buJhOxRjHj2lEfeSSkaYmxUFOors8kuSj-GZFRg8twXDmEJd504hGTySqepCbUfYg2NMO6dG1wOWwXtf26jiSfnDQBCtXTn_HQdieaUzR9Lw-suPPgLQKXgQ0xVe1zLMt6/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-07-17+at+3.34.59+PM.png" width="301" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me getting interviewed</td></tr>
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Other topics included using QR & AR for Early Literacy (<span style="font-family: "Life Savers"; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">@techwnancy) with TONS of ideas and resources plus Lawsome Elementary's (</span><span style="font-family: "Life Savers"; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">@SusieTowber1 & </span><span style="font-family: "Life Savers"; font-size: 12pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">@SeaLionLibrary</span><span style="font-family: "Life Savers"; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">) journey to "</span>Playker"<span style="font-family: "Life Savers"; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Spaces. The resources shared by other educators (blogs, books, robotics) are on my Amazon Wish List and I will share those ideas forward with others I work with. CISD Coaches shared the idea of having a 'Play Date' with teachers and admin to provide time to explore coding and robotics with support nearby as needed, making connections on how to integrate with the curriculum. Our team has InTech Coaching, which made me realize I need to be more intentional about using that time to expose others to the tools we use and learn about on a daily basis.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Life Savers"; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">As silly as it sounds, another fun feature I enjoyed was TCEA provided good food and time to enjoy it with peers. By having food available, we didn't have to leave and waste time going somewhere else, plus we got to visit and enjoy time with people - building relationships and sharing ideas. In my role, I work with staff district-wide so it is wonderful to have time with others to get to know them and share ideas. Plus, it is nice to gain new ideas while hearing new ways to use tools we already love. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Life Savers"; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Be sure to check out #TCEA to see what kind of professional learning opportunities meet your needs and goals. In what ways do you enjoy learning and connecting as an educator?</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07752568122305791643noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6313469391778360852.post-86886622082136028262017-07-16T14:56:00.001-05:002017-07-16T14:56:44.934-05:00#ISTE17WOW! Attending ISTE this year was awesome! ISTE is the International Society for Technology in Education. This year it was held in San Antonio, which made it easy for me to travel to and attend. However, nothing - even the wonderful blog posts and emails prior to - helped me prepare for all that was in store.<br />
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Before I begin, I want to encourage you to attend a conference. ANY conference! In Texas, there are so many offered, it is a matter of connecting with someone to find one or more that fit your learning styles and goals. An instructional coach in our district led me to several which in turn began a new platform for learning and sharing for me.<br />
A few of my favorite are:<br />
*<a href="https://conference.iste.org/2018/">ISTE</a> - annual conference bringing people together from around the world<br />
*<a href="https://convention.tcea.org/">TCEA</a> - annual conference located in Texas<br />
*<a href="https://tots.tcea.org/">TCEA Tots & Technology</a> - primarily focused on elementary (Pk-5) educators<br />
*<a href="https://www.edcamp.org/">EdCamp</a> - an unconference where educators come together and create the agenda on site based on needs of attendees<br />
*<a href="http://ipadpalooza.com/">iPadpalooza</a> - a learning event unlike the others focused but not limited to iPads and integrating technology<br />
*<a href="https://www.edtechteam.com/summits/">EdTech Team GAFE Summits</a> - conference learning how to use Google (GSuite) in education in more depth<br />
There are many others, such as SXSWEdu and local area conferences that I enjoy. Search and find some that work for you and GO!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKjn0MBDaCUHDrum-3Fw6QEcoMlVgu_NRiFdkk4Bq0P46y3Su6j-RyioU3HsEU_0y4Zbs9-4oR0yKkzc89svs7sFzdpZtSdbivvNV4x0irMzAspxWo9vXCaDlaw-I_5mdKX8ax_A25q1W-/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-07-16+at+2.26.31+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="445" data-original-width="747" height="190" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKjn0MBDaCUHDrum-3Fw6QEcoMlVgu_NRiFdkk4Bq0P46y3Su6j-RyioU3HsEU_0y4Zbs9-4oR0yKkzc89svs7sFzdpZtSdbivvNV4x0irMzAspxWo9vXCaDlaw-I_5mdKX8ax_A25q1W-/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-07-16+at+2.26.31+PM.png" width="320" /></a></div>
A helpful hint I picked up before attending ISTE was to pick a few topics of focus and stick to them. There are hundreds of options each day and over 15,000 attendees - so many choices made it hard to even know what to do, let alone where to go. So, I picked a few based on what I thought would be beneficial learning to meet my goals. Another hint I read but did not take seriously was wear comfortable shoes. I was dressed more professionally and most people were comfortable (it was super hot and humid and completely appropriate for shorts and tennis shoes). My feet had many blisters and were hurting terribly.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Students sharing how AR amplifies <br />their language acquisition.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Poster Sessions on all sorts of topics.<br />This topic is 50 PE Tech Tools!</td></tr>
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First, I selected several sessions on <b>Makerspaces</b>. In my classroom I enjoyed exploring the idea of a makerspace and it was always evolving. In my new role, I get to work alongside teachers and librarians who are introducing or evolving their makerspaces in their learning spacees. It was so beneficial to see and hear so many ideas! Pamela Howell shared the idea of Makerspace Ambassadors to create task cards, train teachers, and assist students. One of my favorite new manipulatives I spotted are <span style="font-family: "Life Savers"; font-size: 12pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="http://www.plus-plus.us/" style="color: #1155cc; text-decoration-line: none;">www.plus-plus.us</a><span style="color: black;"> What a fun tool to use for creating and imaginative exploration! Plus, they were invented by a dad at one of the schools and I love supporting small businesses. Most of the information I gained on makerspaces was at Poster Sessions - these were set up similar to what I would think of as like a Science Fair. Educators would set up with resources and share their ideas. Some included students, which was also a huge favorite of mine! I was able to hear Colleen Graves, who is an amazing educator that I've followed for years, speak on her experiences with makerspaces. All the information - so excited to share! </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Life Savers"; white-space: pre-wrap;">My second focus was on </span><b style="font-family: "Life Savers"; white-space: pre-wrap;">Tech Teams</b><span style="font-family: "Life Savers"; white-space: pre-wrap;">. As a classroom teacher, I (along with many others) had a Tech Team in the classroom that consisted of students rotating in roles to help support others with their technology. This may include a tech issue or how to use an app for learning purposes. It also often included charging devices and setting them up before we were 1:1 in the classroom. A hope I have in my current role is to begin a few Tech Teams at the elementary level. I was able to visit with many students at Poster Sessions about their roles on a Tech Team. I loved the ideas from Jennifer Casa-Todd @JCasaTodd on having roles that include social media and public relations on the Tech Team. I gained so many tidbits of ideas, like being sure to have a team that is inspiring students to solve problems and promote healthy digital use.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Life Savers;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">With all the information coming in (there is SO much I'm not including in this post) I felt most moved by the learning I gained regarding <b>Digital Citizenship</b>. At the time, the grad school class I was in was Digital Citizenship, so I already had it on my mind. Plus, our district is working to become Common Sense Media Certified for Digital Citizenship and our team is providing resources and support to students, staff, schools, and community. It is a big goal of mine, but even more so now. I had also just ordered Jennifer Casa-Todd's book <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Social-LEADia-Students-Citizenship-Leadership/dp/1946444111">Social LEADia</a> the week prior to ISTE after learning about it on Twitter. When I figured out she was presenting, I HAD to go - and meet her! (I did.) Her presentation was <i>amazing</i>. It really made me <u>think</u>. I need to write an entire post on Digital Citizenship soon, but this topic was fueled for me at ISTE. One piece in particular that made an impact on me was at the IGNITE Smackdown by </span></span><span style="font-family: "Life Savers"; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Keegan Korf @OPSMrsKorf She discussed how often we shame students/children into FEAR from their mistakes made on social media, that they do not understand that they can recover from mistakes and trust adults to help them. Instead they often feel alone and ashamed, that they have no future if they do make a mistake or if something hurtful is posted about them. This five minute speech really got to me. How do we support students to see the positive? How do we support students to recover from mistakes? </span><span style="font-family: "Life Savers"; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">@jdayedu suggested we ensure students know that we are there for them and 'when in doubt, talk it out' but we have to <u>listen and act</u>. As Jennifer Casa-Todd mentioned, it takes more than hanging some 'THINK' posters around campus. As I stated before, more to come on this topic. Another post, another day.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Life Savers"; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">WOW! That barely scratches the surface on my #ISTE17 experience. Y'all, there was so much more!! I was fortunate to meet so many people I connect with on Twitter and Instagram IRL (in real life) A few I met were @TaraMartinEDU @MrsGadtke @jess_malloy @JCasaTodd and SO many others. I got to work as a Seesaw Ambassador in the @Seesaw booth in the EXPO for an hour and loved sharing Seesaw with others. The EXPO!! Oh my - this is where I connected with so many vendors and tools that I use and share with others. It was great to chat and give feedback on how we use these tools in classrooms to amplify learning. I was able to learn from @AliceKeeler @jmattmiller @KleinErin @lhighfill - right there in the EXPO! I met a few educators, too - yes, this shy, introverted person felt brave and met some new people to learn with. I also met a few of my LAMAR professors and one of my online peers IRL. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQHiunjnsA7ED1OK36fAsK4IGjzRXwWRJsaoWvqn9ATKVLwKeDT-T2GtdWTS_sG7j8Wz-RoCz41IWbokpDr-9OMY1kDax72vPJk8p5uoDl72ZpwKS9MmksIY5q-5dpIghJIlk1QXfk2TN7/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-07-16+at+2.28.08+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="388" data-original-width="736" height="168" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQHiunjnsA7ED1OK36fAsK4IGjzRXwWRJsaoWvqn9ATKVLwKeDT-T2GtdWTS_sG7j8Wz-RoCz41IWbokpDr-9OMY1kDax72vPJk8p5uoDl72ZpwKS9MmksIY5q-5dpIghJIlk1QXfk2TN7/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-07-16+at+2.28.08+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Meeting @TaraMartinEDU and @MrsGadtke <br />at the @Seesaw Booth</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">@lhighfill</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">@jmattmiller PLUS got a book!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS8DlpR7Z4Nogwj_sRxCrMMcinzrMvhIfeC4vThu-FiFAu39NwPHzwlobsPyCZmklF6LtpGHyNVirqLfq-J3-eldLK3J3NMGrDsg9jARIUdTsLa3FA7ubNRhTcbdf5XpY8Pu5V2F6jcL1e/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-07-16+at+2.30.05+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="311" data-original-width="386" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS8DlpR7Z4Nogwj_sRxCrMMcinzrMvhIfeC4vThu-FiFAu39NwPHzwlobsPyCZmklF6LtpGHyNVirqLfq-J3-eldLK3J3NMGrDsg9jARIUdTsLa3FA7ubNRhTcbdf5XpY8Pu5V2F6jcL1e/s200/Screen+Shot+2017-07-16+at+2.30.05+PM.png" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">@AliceKeeler</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My LAMAR professor and peer.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Life Savers"; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Remember to take time to digest all the information and reflect. Getting away for a conference is also a great time to build community with your team and peers. Meet for lunch, chat about your learning, CONNECT THE DOTS. It's ok to have fun!</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">See the sites! <br />Remember the Alamo!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Take time to reflect and <br />digest ALL the learning.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Life Savers"; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">ISTE was amazing and overwhelming, but I left overflowing with ideas to share and implement. Have you attended a beneficial learning opportunity lately? What is one of your new tidbits of learning to share?</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07752568122305791643noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6313469391778360852.post-31408246327383895032017-05-08T18:25:00.001-05:002017-05-08T18:25:33.645-05:00Blogging BuddiesOne of my favorite things to do is reflect. Ideally, it is by the pool soaking up sun or watching the waves in the lake, but realistically I do not have those opportunities often. I do like to think about what I've done and consider what the celebrations are plus how I will face similar challenges next time. I was probably the kid took it literally when my mom or sitter said 'Now go think about what you've done!' after I got in trouble. Recently I completed an assessment on my leadership skills and one area that stuck with me was that I tend to over analyze my failures and it recommended I should also celebrate my successes. As someone who is more on the introverted side as a communicator, I enjoy blogging as an outlet to share my learning.<br />
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I began my blog a few years ago to model for my students the benefits of reflecting. If I was going to expect my students to do it, I would do it myself, as well. I really love to blog, however over the last 15 months I have not dedicated much time to it. My #OneWord this year is 'Be' since I am juggling (as many people are) many things at once - new schools for my boys, new job, grad school, kids in sports, friends, family, ME - that I need to refocus and BE present which means, for now, my blog may be quiet, but only for a few more weeks because I graduate in August! Woohoo!! ALL of that to say (in a super long sentence), I recently read about Blogging Buddies in my ISTE Ed Tech Coaches communication and thought THIS will get me back into blogging with intention, plus it will grow my PLN and continue to connect me with others to learn along with!<br />
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What are Blogging Buddies? Blogging Buddies is an opportunity for ed tech coaches to connect, network, and learn together through blogging. We have this platform to provide feedback among each other to promote growth and reflection. We will blog at a minimum of once a month and provide feedback on each other's blog posts while practicing good digital citizenship. Interested? Sign up at <a href="http://bit.ly/joinetbloggingbuddies">bit.ly/joinetbloggingbuddies</a> and join us!<br />
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Joining this group has reignited my passion for blogging. I may start off slowly but I am looking forward to making new connections and learning together with my group! Check out my buddies and follow them, too:<br />
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Penny Christensen @Pen63<br />
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Michele Bond @MrsBond<br />
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JP Prezzavento @JPPrezz<br />
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Tara Waudby @TaraWaudby<br />
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Plus check out #ETCoaches to grow your PLN, too!<br />
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How do you reflect and share your learning?<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07752568122305791643noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6313469391778360852.post-5261583590443666582017-04-12T14:38:00.000-05:002017-04-12T14:38:08.706-05:00#BookSnapsWhile searching for engaging ways to integrate technology with her students, Tara Martin (@TaraMartinEDU) created #BookSnaps. Tara's idea was to use a platform her students were already familiar with to share about stories they were reading. Now, #BookSnaps have developed into so much more!<br />
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BookSnaps are fun for learners of all ages and can be used with a variety of apps.<br />
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*iPad app suggestions: Draw and Tell HD, PicCollageKids, Doceri, Shadow Puppet, ChatterPixKids, <a href="https://help.seesaw.me/hc/en-us/articles/115001098243--BookSnaps-with-Seesaw">Seesaw</a><br />
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*Chromebooks/Laptops suggestions: Google Docs, Google Slides, Google Draw<br />
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For more information on How To create a #BookSnap, view Tara's blog post <a href="http://www.tarammartin.com/resources/booksnaps-how-to-videos/">here</a>.<br />
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Students can use #BookSnaps to identify words, make connections, describe vocabulary terms, locate topics in Grammar, identify and describe story elements, share their thinking with connections from the text, and more!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirqc0BYP30EVKtxISnijQfMoy0682NB_U1OeblGYS3LJjCgzc2GQtUJD7nx66xJPM9iVlz3Q3MQQIeGU8SLqwFgokp98NvEZ3tYPoc9zogI9inwaLg9rSIj5tGmwyNMLjtKd2unSz0r20/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-04-10+at+10.50.30+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirqc0BYP30EVKtxISnijQfMoy0682NB_U1OeblGYS3LJjCgzc2GQtUJD7nx66xJPM9iVlz3Q3MQQIeGU8SLqwFgokp98NvEZ3tYPoc9zogI9inwaLg9rSIj5tGmwyNMLjtKd2unSz0r20/s200/Screen+Shot+2017-04-10+at+10.50.30+AM.png" width="196" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px; text-align: center;">Students use #BookSnaps to<br /> identify vocabulary words.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJLS_3yqDh_qpMI_ApuUEVYK2k_tLoM9gwEFEhu9UaK2abhp7eIohyphenhyphenD9tqXBcQBZe88mQmsvAuIsk7i_9RWRpWootITcPM9X3Qj2VYKpQ7n-LwAZEzEF60-jfvYmpAMZzv1C9cV_cu93Q/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-04-10+at+10.51.43+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJLS_3yqDh_qpMI_ApuUEVYK2k_tLoM9gwEFEhu9UaK2abhp7eIohyphenhyphenD9tqXBcQBZe88mQmsvAuIsk7i_9RWRpWootITcPM9X3Qj2VYKpQ7n-LwAZEzEF60-jfvYmpAMZzv1C9cV_cu93Q/s200/Screen+Shot+2017-04-10+at+10.51.43+AM.png" width="145" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px; text-align: center;">Students use #BookSnaps<br /> identify topics in Grammar.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgunNbkdADsWVto28SW21MxaG4xVjoH-ZXC_PEuNSH2YtKwAST_QFI05eIOOJreWqYRn17O3z86Msn6dcVHasDi3sp6s_kGdD_xhfXgonfZDmQPhUFsL5Mz6B7bi3fL9aqvM81jGvGonAk/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-04-10+at+10.58.59+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgunNbkdADsWVto28SW21MxaG4xVjoH-ZXC_PEuNSH2YtKwAST_QFI05eIOOJreWqYRn17O3z86Msn6dcVHasDi3sp6s_kGdD_xhfXgonfZDmQPhUFsL5Mz6B7bi3fL9aqvM81jGvGonAk/s200/Screen+Shot+2017-04-10+at+10.58.59+AM.png" width="133" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Students use #BookSnaps to<br />identify and explain story elements.<br /><br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX30DuWJogHsf22ofwyl5d4cXrc9L660RnCH7V4kzrdBHAN8fcByZvlc676DE9B9afmd05Wr6HQW3-eeVpE2MHwsDaUAgQ_Nxkvr75rmJFcNccgZOqSKqqq_aA7kKMDycUz92ZYP-5qwM/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-04-10+at+11.02.36+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="151" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX30DuWJogHsf22ofwyl5d4cXrc9L660RnCH7V4kzrdBHAN8fcByZvlc676DE9B9afmd05Wr6HQW3-eeVpE2MHwsDaUAgQ_Nxkvr75rmJFcNccgZOqSKqqq_aA7kKMDycUz92ZYP-5qwM/s200/Screen+Shot+2017-04-10+at+11.02.36+AM.png" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Students use #BookSnaps to tell the main idea<br />plus connect to other content area skills.<br /></td></tr>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSfqtorah-3njA9IMwiEAws7-EWldoSJkY9Zq4m8h0U_-4DgiISjiSHRVxKgidIYXw7NzgMlFH1OrP7X52pKlYY4M35yP7aGBM0xLVwnXVzLYqeU-WOhC079_SnwZk-zCiXdzY_C7oPdA/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-04-10+at+11.23.26+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="170" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSfqtorah-3njA9IMwiEAws7-EWldoSJkY9Zq4m8h0U_-4DgiISjiSHRVxKgidIYXw7NzgMlFH1OrP7X52pKlYY4M35yP7aGBM0xLVwnXVzLYqeU-WOhC079_SnwZk-zCiXdzY_C7oPdA/s200/Screen+Shot+2017-04-10+at+11.23.26+AM.png" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Students use #BookSnaps to<br /> identify connections to the story.<br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOQKXcVBD2BS_0g_-hStPkGWrVdjuaDzz7s8fYbw2iuZLrt_OyobeNZ9oAXKN4ilh_oZ5EnnEW3hMKXvrf482VaKJhIY618n22KRllg2Vlb0MPaTuWG5iv78hBZmQVdpV_UviOf4Um2wc/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-04-10+at+11.34.49+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOQKXcVBD2BS_0g_-hStPkGWrVdjuaDzz7s8fYbw2iuZLrt_OyobeNZ9oAXKN4ilh_oZ5EnnEW3hMKXvrf482VaKJhIY618n22KRllg2Vlb0MPaTuWG5iv78hBZmQVdpV_UviOf4Um2wc/s200/Screen+Shot+2017-04-10+at+11.34.49+AM.png" width="197" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Students use #BookSnaps<br /> to define vocabulary.<br /></td></tr>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfnzEOdekeLdAMiBizVVjubTyDYUq37jhLc29M_NkfYuIWucfHECw6uWef31L0kdbPTtxlwHx1rP9zT1sqAO5Xiv8sJX31wFECecZGFbnmyBF0TJ1nKkhajvOqxlqUfQlwQTA7eW29SnE/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-04-10+at+11.34.34+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfnzEOdekeLdAMiBizVVjubTyDYUq37jhLc29M_NkfYuIWucfHECw6uWef31L0kdbPTtxlwHx1rP9zT1sqAO5Xiv8sJX31wFECecZGFbnmyBF0TJ1nKkhajvOqxlqUfQlwQTA7eW29SnE/s200/Screen+Shot+2017-04-10+at+11.34.34+AM.png" width="151" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Students use #BookSnaps<br />to define vocabulary.<br /></td></tr>
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Students can share important information or describe their work using #BookSnaps. These can provide a snapshot into the minds and hearts of our students. #BookSnaps can be used for Student Voice.<br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmILsOZ23RmOXWoZacSERm7HAjJSGyqVcJdi7DP2Vw-x0VRb_8cm17IAHnZqldgWUKvNig0_Jx7HyuZTpk6JSSFxsyaXC2YwkOO4GknVvtSAMVYxnzhKfyQAU_DU8YRA6QoBShPk_zdt4/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-04-10+at+10.58.35+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmILsOZ23RmOXWoZacSERm7HAjJSGyqVcJdi7DP2Vw-x0VRb_8cm17IAHnZqldgWUKvNig0_Jx7HyuZTpk6JSSFxsyaXC2YwkOO4GknVvtSAMVYxnzhKfyQAU_DU8YRA6QoBShPk_zdt4/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-04-10+at+10.58.35+AM.png" width="237" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Students use #BookSnaps for Student Voice.</td></tr>
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Provide clear expectations for #BookSnaps in your classroom. Invite students to create guidelines and rubrics for effective use of #BookSnaps in the classroom.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghALztJiizAGruKYjL6XaEEatNyLRbnbWuqDpUxQO1ZNRu8mSkw5xiZCu5UcZvPcBo6aeHm-RPJiswaRXSvQxTmXN8cZZxCTyRM_PHDpdBEn0mLP4-9C3bZ3OCkxL0aTdjebilMyfoHLA/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-04-10+at+11.23.42+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghALztJiizAGruKYjL6XaEEatNyLRbnbWuqDpUxQO1ZNRu8mSkw5xiZCu5UcZvPcBo6aeHm-RPJiswaRXSvQxTmXN8cZZxCTyRM_PHDpdBEn0mLP4-9C3bZ3OCkxL0aTdjebilMyfoHLA/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-04-10+at+11.23.42+AM.png" width="246" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Provide clear expectations for #BookSnaps.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixoZG7gWlVGnLtSRk82KJrXXPxC4QFdtjvxhlAkNiO6qy9qi8_-JnYyy5otTNYefwE949mczodPGaNj0e_4YM7fasaGlxLBwXfAYkXC8i4iP85UadwplfU7QOY-aPSi8agDcnuBU4_q3A/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-04-10+at+11.24.02+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="297" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixoZG7gWlVGnLtSRk82KJrXXPxC4QFdtjvxhlAkNiO6qy9qi8_-JnYyy5otTNYefwE949mczodPGaNj0e_4YM7fasaGlxLBwXfAYkXC8i4iP85UadwplfU7QOY-aPSi8agDcnuBU4_q3A/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-04-10+at+11.24.02+AM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Provide opportunities for students use<br />their creativity when making #BookSnaps.<br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
#BookSnaps have cousins, such as #SpanishSnaps, #MathSnaps, #LabSnaps, and such.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOOA2azvD7Zwx-iu0Y1bDnJUqgaTz3W2BovZA9StGIvh3E9JeD5qrTCOlxOrlWzq7ahThwcKQc6dDWkR3FGJDQLbN2YDxZnXLJnIgMGsYnaJBkciJAIKaXMsN-rrCDLM9k04ALFKcx5XA/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-04-10+at+11.05.17+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOOA2azvD7Zwx-iu0Y1bDnJUqgaTz3W2BovZA9StGIvh3E9JeD5qrTCOlxOrlWzq7ahThwcKQc6dDWkR3FGJDQLbN2YDxZnXLJnIgMGsYnaJBkciJAIKaXMsN-rrCDLM9k04ALFKcx5XA/s200/Screen+Shot+2017-04-10+at+11.05.17+AM.png" width="124" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;"><div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Students can practice language</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.8px;">acquisition with #SpanishSnaps.</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAfPVCcs60OP-Wbs1svIn4qNXkW6EBLjCO7HcAEhOyttnmCnAi6jbhfDHxGzX5cF87M0uki6tXEGYxXkP-9_492tQWit64iEd4a_-aATQKsR_fdgZLDAfPHWt6Zm_MiB9Z8Q85fZM_AxE/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-04-10+at+11.32.14+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAfPVCcs60OP-Wbs1svIn4qNXkW6EBLjCO7HcAEhOyttnmCnAi6jbhfDHxGzX5cF87M0uki6tXEGYxXkP-9_492tQWit64iEd4a_-aATQKsR_fdgZLDAfPHWt6Zm_MiB9Z8Q85fZM_AxE/s200/Screen+Shot+2017-04-10+at+11.32.14+AM.png" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px; text-align: center;">Students can identify vocabulary<br />or explain their learning with #MathSnaps.</td></tr>
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Teachers can collect #BookSnaps on a class <a href="http://www.padlet.com/">Padlet</a> for students to view and comment:<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiItn8PKI8sKw2nUeNMyl6W9K11-Q7YZIgAmRbztV2ZTNG-fBWVrRe6jad6I92Q9qPkF5GG0hMw76KDhr6vQCT3jrUqiLc24TEmRbMrOcmTNDjdH1WF7XGQftROES9AwUNrUriGKzVV-rk/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-04-10+at+10.44.32+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="237" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiItn8PKI8sKw2nUeNMyl6W9K11-Q7YZIgAmRbztV2ZTNG-fBWVrRe6jad6I92Q9qPkF5GG0hMw76KDhr6vQCT3jrUqiLc24TEmRbMrOcmTNDjdH1WF7XGQftROES9AwUNrUriGKzVV-rk/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-04-10+at+10.44.32+AM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Create a Padlet or table in Google Docs<br /> to hold a collection of #BookSnaps for students.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Teachers can collect #BookSnaps on a class Google Slides and students can compare and discover a variety of thoughts and opinions from their peers:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk9tdt9ac9uJF2v6ABuzf0OhDumkfOUIHDrsrlwMbpJumgA4RUW3e_mu7mvhBy_Uvv6eLMgF04TyyJenXMQhMk9UA-laN3ancjAYZbCJEqQ1d1nmLXQoLXEhULi4mR9CC4Ak8BgbPbuhs/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-04-12+at+2.32.31+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="181" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk9tdt9ac9uJF2v6ABuzf0OhDumkfOUIHDrsrlwMbpJumgA4RUW3e_mu7mvhBy_Uvv6eLMgF04TyyJenXMQhMk9UA-laN3ancjAYZbCJEqQ1d1nmLXQoLXEhULi4mR9CC4Ak8BgbPbuhs/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-04-12+at+2.32.31+PM.png" width="320" /></a></div>
To use Google Slides for each student to insert their #BookSnaps, make a copy of this: https://goo.gl/cehld5<br />
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To use Google Slides for the class to add a Book Snap on each slide, make a copy of this: https://goo.gl/J6M1nQ<br />
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To use Google Slides for the class to add a Math Snaps on each slide, make a copy of this: https://goo.gl/JrIiAR<br />
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How can your students use #BookSnaps or other snaps to share their learning?Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07752568122305791643noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6313469391778360852.post-57714703061589686482017-01-28T10:20:00.003-06:002017-02-01T20:01:24.677-06:00Mindset<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "calibri"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin; mso-themecolor: text1;">As an instructional coach on the technology team, I spend my time supporting teachers with professional development, PLCs (professional learning community), and as a thinking partner either one on one or small group. Twitter, blogs, and Instagram are other formats I use to connect with, learn from, and support educators. As a coach, mindset is incredibly important to consider with each person I encounter. Just as a teacher with students, the educators I get to work with all have various experiences, schema, and mindsets. When I am questioned or challenged with educators, I have to redirect them to feel safe, build trust, and take a risk with a growth mindset using ‘yet’. I have to carefully consider all of this as I work with others. This is a challenge for me as I am building relationships with teachers at eleven elementary campuses in our district. Not only do I have to consider their individual mindsets, but I also have to constantly check my own mindset. Being new to this role after 18 years in the classroom, there are days I am filled with doubt. I have to intentionally rethink and choose to redirect my thoughts. I know they chose me for this job for a reason. I know I am capable of this job and it is my passion. So when I get off track, it is up to me to get back on track. Therefore, mindset is extremely important in several aspects of my job as an instructional coach.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "calibri"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin; mso-themecolor: text1;">To promote learning about mindset, I created a HyperDoc. A HyperDoc is a Google Doc used to provide resources for learners to seek information at their own pace while documenting their learning. I use these with teachers by forcing a copy so they have the resources and their notes in their Google Folder at all times. In this case, their notes are not for me but for themselves. Our team uses HyperDocs to model for teachers how they can be used in their classrooms. Within my HyperDoc, I have included videos, reading, and areas for note taking or directions to take notes, as well as images, opportunities to reflect, and ways to connect. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "calibri"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin; mso-themecolor: text1;"><a href="https://goo.gl/hKG66T">Mindset HyperDoc</a> or https://goo.gl/hKG66T</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "calibri"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin; mso-themecolor: text1;">In addition to using the mindset HyperDoc, I can continue to support teachers by promoting the power of ‘yet’. I can encourage growth mindset for teachers by encouraging them to set goals, provide opportunities for teachers to track their growth, and reflect. In PLCs, I can promote growth mindset for students with teachers as well. We can work together to think of ways to promote growth mindset with students and in the learning environment. One of my passions is coding and computer science. Coding is a great opportunity for students to practice ‘yet’ by debugging codes and persevering to find a solution through collaboration. Another of my passions is Student Voice. After PLCs, I ask teachers to complete a Teacher Voice survey so they have an opportunity to share their voice plus I can gain input to provide better support. I hope this models for teachers how they can use Student Voice to hear their students, build trust, and understand obstacles students encounter in order to promote a growth mindset in the classroom.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";">A growth mindset is necessary for me these days, especially. </span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 12pt;">Working full time in a new position with two children that are active in sports while my husband travels is a lot to juggle, but I am also completing Action Research, a Principal Practicum, and graduate school classes. I am fortunate to have a supportive family but parts of my life have had to take less priority during this time. There are days I feel discouraged for not being able to do what I feel I need to do, so I have to remember this is temporary and find the motivation to persevere. I read the mindset book a few years ago but this refresher is coming at a very good time for me. I find the four steps to be very helpful as I am over the halfway mark with grad school and need a little confidence boost. By reminding myself of the four steps, I can redirect my thoughts to work toward successful growth and learning.</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07752568122305791643noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6313469391778360852.post-74992411642483617722017-01-23T10:55:00.000-06:002017-01-23T10:55:25.099-06:00Seesaw Ambassador<div style="text-align: center;">
I am a Seesaw Ambassador!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAInpQkgHvuDO-pH6mJ1Q1f0pHJzW5JAPP_WIif0SBNg7Ecvj6qw02U1NheowQsZyNJG8Zow4PonONrHduxRcRnoyyDL9duRIf3LTAp7OqfxwxyRsUhey8wYFi0henYvtwTzjTGsZSX035/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-01-23+at+8.14.42+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAInpQkgHvuDO-pH6mJ1Q1f0pHJzW5JAPP_WIif0SBNg7Ecvj6qw02U1NheowQsZyNJG8Zow4PonONrHduxRcRnoyyDL9duRIf3LTAp7OqfxwxyRsUhey8wYFi0henYvtwTzjTGsZSX035/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-01-23+at+8.14.42+AM.png" /></a></div>
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I learned about <a href="http://web.seesaw.me/">Seesaw</a> late last spring and was excited to test it out in my classroom. I began following <a href="https://twitter.com/Seesaw?lang=en">@Seesaw</a> on Twitter, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/seesawlearning/?fref=ts">Facebook</a>, and joined a <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/474063256126732/">Facebook Group</a> to learn more. Now as an Instructional Technology Coach, I have the opportunity to see Seesaw in action in multiple classrooms at a variety of grade levels as well as provide Seesaw as a tool for teachers to offer in the classroom. My goals as an Ambassador for Seesaw are to learn more about integrating Seesaw to amplify student learning, provide support for educators to purposefully use Seesaw to connect their students and families, promote ideas for using Seesaw, and connect classes to share their learning beyond the four walls of their classroom. I'm looking forward to learning more, connecting with others through this opportunity, and sharing ideas I gain from this experience.</div>
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Seesaw empowers students and engages families by providing a platform for students to share their learning by uploading a picture or video, then adding text, labels, and voice. Teachers can connect classrooms to promote collaboration and communication beyond the classroom. Students can post questions and comment on each other's work. Parents can view their children's work to promote discussion at home of skills and learning.<br />
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If you would like to know more about Seesaw, go to <a href="http://ambassadors.seesaw.me/user/erin.gerdes/">my Ambassador page</a> or just ask. If you are not local, search for a <a href="http://ambassadors.seesaw.me/">Seesaw Ambassador</a> near you. I enjoy attending Seesaw's 'PD in Your PJs' - I can view these webinars live or they send a recording to watch at a time that works best for me. Webinars last from 10 minutes to an hour, depending on the topic.<br />
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Already using Seesaw? Check out a trial of Seesaw Plus by scanning here:<br />
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How do you connect your students with each other, their families, and other students?</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07752568122305791643noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6313469391778360852.post-20249286736383480932017-01-17T11:50:00.001-06:002017-01-17T11:50:17.793-06:00#OneWord 2017A new year is a new opportunity. Right? - I always think of something I read somewhere that asks why we wait until Monday or the first of the month to start again on a diet or exercise or another goal. Funny how it feels like a new slate at the beginning of something, whether it is the day, week, month, or year. However, we have the opportunity to make that choice at any time. That is what I learned last year with my #OneWord for 2016: <a href="http://gabbingwithgerdes.blogspot.com/2016/01/oneword-for-2016.html">CHOOSE</a>.<br />
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A new year provides a new opportunity for direction, as well. A new school year is one of my favorites - a blank spiral notebook, sharp pencils, full sets of markers and crayons in each box that haven't been dumped yet, pens filled with ink. Fresh, new, untouched... yet. However, it all has a purpose and is led by that sense of direction. All it takes is focus and perspective to drive you toward your next level. If that is learning, action, behavior, decisions, whatever - that is what I felt drove my #OneWord for 2015: PURPOSE.<br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLkzE8REx9GY5U1GRj-34_K9qrbf0KpKJ1BHRftF__4jaiMQYitew4vyloaLKKqJ71Moq1sHSxzrRbY5NukPFjc90TyVPsGjb6Ao8uHXzGa8tC49gGLi3Iot8tuf-4qoUv6KWXVZnH4wdi/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-01-14+at+11.15.53+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLkzE8REx9GY5U1GRj-34_K9qrbf0KpKJ1BHRftF__4jaiMQYitew4vyloaLKKqJ71Moq1sHSxzrRbY5NukPFjc90TyVPsGjb6Ao8uHXzGa8tC49gGLi3Iot8tuf-4qoUv6KWXVZnH4wdi/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-01-14+at+11.15.53+AM.png" width="230" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">My FAVORITE!</td></tr>
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So here I am... digging deep to find the #OneWord for 2017 that speaks to me. With two years of purpose and choices driving my every move - I feel I need to really enjoy the results of the decisions I've made intentionally and be present. With busy boys in sports, grad school, a new position at work, a husband that travels for his job - I am stretched and spinning most days. I find I do not have time to shop, watch a movie, exercise, chat with friends, or read a book (that isn't related to grad school or work). I depend on my house cleaning ladies. I am the person that brings plates and napkins to the potluck. My kids are buying their lunches or making their own. I celebrate online grocery orders and hot Starbucks skinny vanilla lattes. I'm the mom at practice that appears uninterested and unengaged but is working on a grad school project using my mobil hotspot while keeping on eye on my child from the car or the bleachers. Please don't judge me. I'm doing my best. I'm thankful I get to chat with my kids in the car during the drive. Pinterest projects? Not right now. As everything just presses on, I get caught up and lost in all the demands and need to remember to just be.<br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdOK68XnknqNF0QY7wgPW5WqeL6n84qaPThXqF1AzW0cqxnsbqS5TKNUrQ5mxBZ9jtLco43eOtW1qrzB60TirxYIKZ4HIu0IqQ0gNvPNJhFmHXWWY2LdCNpU33Guny9TaIPUOEeXkmGPvs/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-01-14+at+11.16.10+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="206" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdOK68XnknqNF0QY7wgPW5WqeL6n84qaPThXqF1AzW0cqxnsbqS5TKNUrQ5mxBZ9jtLco43eOtW1qrzB60TirxYIKZ4HIu0IqQ0gNvPNJhFmHXWWY2LdCNpU33Guny9TaIPUOEeXkmGPvs/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-01-14+at+11.16.10+AM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">So true. It is my choice to be happy. Nobody else can make that choice for me.<br />
I have the power to allow or deny how someone else will make me feel.</td></tr>
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As an educator, I completely agree there is not enough time to teach ALL THE THINGS so we attempt to fit in learning at every moment of every day. Yet I am one that felt in class, sometimes we just need to be. When we stand in the hallway, waiting - no need to drill facts, just be. Take a breath, think for a moment, relax and reset.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">(This was completely validated in my <a href="http://gabbingwithgerdes.blogspot.com/2016/03/shadowastudent.html">Shadow a Student Challenge</a> - being a student is exhausting!)</span></div>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZK2m6a_z4ppq9uBjegd1cBZfSAzecbINHDGKTFwuG3uaob4JFjkgIk2MwF9YVYBAn7GIdLnz733ZPaoiB4SLXtl07sFn5SChoiJPJHgLnKWrI-Oec2eUUdrLR7DYPE5sHai92EpED0vEy/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-01-14+at+11.16.24+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZK2m6a_z4ppq9uBjegd1cBZfSAzecbINHDGKTFwuG3uaob4JFjkgIk2MwF9YVYBAn7GIdLnz733ZPaoiB4SLXtl07sFn5SChoiJPJHgLnKWrI-Oec2eUUdrLR7DYPE5sHai92EpED0vEy/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-01-14+at+11.16.24+AM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Presume positive intent. Always.<br />
You don't know someone's story. And everyone has a story.<br />
Even children. They are people, too.</td></tr>
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As a mom, my boys are often wanting to be entertained - on a device, talking, singing, watching TV, or throwing a ball. For example, standing in line at the store -<br />
BOYS: Can we have candy? Can we go look at toys? What are we doing next? Can I have your phone? etc.<br />
ME: Um, no. Practice patience. Just. Be.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">What a relief. Sometimes I need permission.<br />
Be me.</td></tr>
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While learning more about coaching in my role as Instructional Coach, we identify skills, learn the reason for those skills, then practice. One such skill is listening to someone in a conversation. Sure, I thought, I am a great listener! However, as I began the exercise, the facilitator stopped us and asked what we were thinking about and I realized I was trying to solve the problem or remember key ideas or I was trying to decide what I would say next. I WASN'T listening! Ohmygosh. I was so mad at myself. I realized then I have a lot to learn and began to really reconsider how my even my strengths have room for growth.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI1mt2CScngyc0yOzkFsa1NfJ5Aaw7YiZKmM-anq67K-OgY4nBNkRRCIfRYdthEok4pw8BPQdUzwcRsrbQ0S9lNxRmhIn7dhf5pIqaWvbXRWUi1tAe5BEneThcahj1PVNtGH_pYy5BlIY6/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-01-14+at+11.14.36+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="font-size: medium; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="195" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI1mt2CScngyc0yOzkFsa1NfJ5Aaw7YiZKmM-anq67K-OgY4nBNkRRCIfRYdthEok4pw8BPQdUzwcRsrbQ0S9lNxRmhIn7dhf5pIqaWvbXRWUi1tAe5BEneThcahj1PVNtGH_pYy5BlIY6/s200/Screen+Shot+2017-01-14+at+11.14.36+AM.png" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I heard the song 'The One and Only' <br />
the other day on my 90's station.<br />
New perspective on that song.</td></tr>
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In my new role, I am emerging from the place of 'I don't know what I don't know' to finding my groove and better understanding my role. After spending months of trying to be like others or filling someone else's shoes, I realize they hired me. I am enough. I am not someone else. I need to be me.<br />
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Then it occurred to me. When Christmas Break arrived, grad school was on a FOUR week break (YES!!!!) and work was on a two week break. I was thrilled to be home with my boys, catch up with some friends, watch weeks of DVRed shows, see movies, read a book, enjoy the sunny Texas 'winter' weather, do chores around the house that have piled up since summer. Yet, there I was almost filled with anxiety because I had NOTHING TO DO yet time to do everything. And I hear myself saying 'Just be.'<br />
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Do you see it coming? Surely by now you must know what my word is. BE.<br />
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Be lazy.<br />
Be a Mom. (even if it is the Most Okayest Mom)<br />
Be a good wife.<br />
Be a daughter.<br />
Be joyful.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI1mt2CScngyc0yOzkFsa1NfJ5Aaw7YiZKmM-anq67K-OgY4nBNkRRCIfRYdthEok4pw8BPQdUzwcRsrbQ0S9lNxRmhIn7dhf5pIqaWvbXRWUi1tAe5BEneThcahj1PVNtGH_pYy5BlIY6/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-01-14+at+11.14.36+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><br /></a>Be thankful.<br />
Be sad.<br />
Be optimistic.<br />
Be a mentor.<br />
Be an inspiration.<br />
Be a leader.<br />
Be a learner.<br />
Be passionate.<br />
Be irritated.<br />
Be content - grab the book, get another cup of coffee, snuggle up, escape.<br />
Be a friend - reach out to those I love that I miss and haven't seen due to buzy-ness.<br />
Be present - unplug, enjoy, soak it all up<br />
Be real.<br />
Be me.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px; text-align: center;">LOVE.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw3tvJSAQBCIo0ifOJJaE_hLiStigvFDVgsdC_kydh2AP6C8GFRflRuDLWyUUGuWGtxkhVtwmrldITuNq8UtJxL71q0Krxh9kd5JyATJnorzdzI11BAgf4gkVFuCN1fHSZbv77q03wjm4Z/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-01-14+at+11.13.57+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="318" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw3tvJSAQBCIo0ifOJJaE_hLiStigvFDVgsdC_kydh2AP6C8GFRflRuDLWyUUGuWGtxkhVtwmrldITuNq8UtJxL71q0Krxh9kd5JyATJnorzdzI11BAgf4gkVFuCN1fHSZbv77q03wjm4Z/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-01-14+at+11.13.57+AM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And a little funny...<br />
This. THIS is how I should enjoy a holiday!</td></tr>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07752568122305791643noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6313469391778360852.post-86102956165023993092017-01-14T12:46:00.000-06:002017-01-14T12:46:11.036-06:00Dot Day<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">On September 15, over 5 million participants will celebrate the 7th annual Dot Day from all over the world. Dot Day is an opportunity to connect your students, promote creativity, and build a positive classroom environment.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIFEfZDdUIlIHRcFMbaR9532zYd2l0SXQV9sNXowhNE4ecdYj5p10XTTaWBd6B14p1lVOKriZvMh5QCCXGbNL9ciGut2lghARHSUZmCAvYEwOa0Y8lPVc6FeaLnsffPYSIf0e2sa9VV1c/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-08-30+at+12.08.18+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIFEfZDdUIlIHRcFMbaR9532zYd2l0SXQV9sNXowhNE4ecdYj5p10XTTaWBd6B14p1lVOKriZvMh5QCCXGbNL9ciGut2lghARHSUZmCAvYEwOa0Y8lPVc6FeaLnsffPYSIf0e2sa9VV1c/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-08-30+at+12.08.18+PM.png" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Based on the story by Peter H. Reynolds, <i>The Dot</i>, students find the author's hope is to inspire others to express themselves creatively and "make your mark" on the world around you. Dot Day began in 2009 on September 15th when a teacher by the name of Terry Shay shared<i> <u><a href="https://g.co/kgs/B6ug4A">The Dot</a></u></i> with students. What started as a small, creative idea has grown to be a worldwide, collaborative event - the exact idea <i>The Dot</i> celebrates. FableVision and Peter H. Reynolds continue this tradition by inviting others to join in. The mission of FableVision is to support educators to inspire creativity, collaboration, communication, critical thinking and compassion in students. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">After you <a href="http://www.thedotclub.org/dotday/">register</a> to participate, you will receive a free planning guide to assist you. The level at which you participate is flexible to meet the needs of your classroom. You could choose to read the book, have a conversation about the characters and the story, and create your own dot. Or, you could further enrich the experience by Skyping with other classrooms, connection with others on social media such as Twitter or Facebook, or view the <a href="http://www.thedotclub.org/dotday/get-connected/events">LiveStream to celebrate with Discovery Education</a> on September 13. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Participating in Skype, viewing LiveStream, connecting with #DotDay on Twitter, and viewing augmented reality are options for integrating technology to enhance your students' learning experience. By selecting these options, educators are providing engaging opportunities for learning that are not possible without technology.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDllUd1evJfjXlVcfxgJca8EioUgRYKVx4Ck0u7vRyxOJ_nM_j1TgRujCX0szO2m6MeW7GWP8ROPOmG-E53sB0yOeQPuv2XV8uFu4vu2hsURx5ppmfp228ytfBaNcWoDvC-Fj8slfZWgo/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-08-30+at+11.39.16+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDllUd1evJfjXlVcfxgJca8EioUgRYKVx4Ck0u7vRyxOJ_nM_j1TgRujCX0szO2m6MeW7GWP8ROPOmG-E53sB0yOeQPuv2XV8uFu4vu2hsURx5ppmfp228ytfBaNcWoDvC-Fj8slfZWgo/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-08-30+at+11.39.16+AM.png" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Quiver app - AR</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Students can design a dot and watch it come to life using <a href="http://www.fablevisionlearning.com/blog/2013/08/dot-day-fun-watch-your-dot-come-to-life-in-amazing-3d-in-the-colar-app">augmented reality</a>. Students will create their own dot design using the downloadable page, then use the Quiver app to make their 2D dot appear 3D.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Other Ideas:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">*Wear Dots (and provide dot stickers so all students can participate)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">*'Dot Up' (Circle Up) - use a sentence stem "I will make my mark by __ ."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">*Dot Search - take a Dot Walk and search for dots/circles inside and outside; </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">document with photos and create a PicCollage to save in a class Google Slide so all can view</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">*Connect with another class using Padlet to share Dot Day creations</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">*Create a Dot Plot after forming a question and collecting data. Share your results with your peers.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">*Reflect on how you will make your mark on your blog</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">*Read The Dot to reading buddies and partner up to make a Buddy Dot to display</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX8-LMJhCEQEMZUKudw3YkE6gl99Jm_lAU3QCzIdFi2inxi3PFER0C9QSV9SirRD1k39WZRw0QCzL6OxXsVgyxLNh_NW6xhFWRp3Ef74dKrXVt1SGuWG6lfxEkJvEzZJLWkgQwp0SnpZg/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-08-30+at+12.38.30+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX8-LMJhCEQEMZUKudw3YkE6gl99Jm_lAU3QCzIdFi2inxi3PFER0C9QSV9SirRD1k39WZRw0QCzL6OxXsVgyxLNh_NW6xhFWRp3Ef74dKrXVt1SGuWG6lfxEkJvEzZJLWkgQwp0SnpZg/s320/Screen+Shot+2016-08-30+at+12.38.30+PM.png" width="293" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Additional Ideas:</span><br />
<a href="http://www.peterhreynolds.com/dot/dot_activities.html"><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Dot Activities</span></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.peterhreynolds.com/dot/Dot_QandA.html">The Dot Q&A from Peter H. Reynolds</a> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Search Pinterest for Dot Day ideas</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/InternationalDotDay/?fref=ts">Facebook International Dot Day</a> for teacher connections, ideas, and resources</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC2zWUIBg09_4IdvQUnPaoq0D16vHfvtp_PaS3b8udBBFrSXtXS6VnNsoWIMNmBPrX_nmeHF00hWYJ6vBV2efWvWm4wy8mCRLrJBGkjgpTnBZzg9y260jPjNxX4o3-MHOtAp-E7K4BVbo/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-08-30+at+12.09.10+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC2zWUIBg09_4IdvQUnPaoq0D16vHfvtp_PaS3b8udBBFrSXtXS6VnNsoWIMNmBPrX_nmeHF00hWYJ6vBV2efWvWm4wy8mCRLrJBGkjgpTnBZzg9y260jPjNxX4o3-MHOtAp-E7K4BVbo/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-08-30+at+12.09.10+PM.png" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Another book to discover from Peter H. Reynolds is <a href="https://g.co/kgs/KZLAKy"><i>Ish</i></a>. This is a great story about focusing on the process, not the product, and embracing a growth mindset. If your class is unable to participate in Dot Day on September 15th, consider having 'Dot Day-ish' on a day that is more suitable. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"><a href="http://www.thedotclub.org/dotday/">Sign Up HERE</a></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgddEmhPs-9_9Dj15SGw6cd1M46eghXJ3KkNouMJtj_KChK76btr-99isz7FvWpq9LDoUAkAGLhyphenhyphen2L3yoAeKP5bcKGlEfUbBojVRjs9QGZ9B0_WJDzLaz73kOqQiUM4fA3OXt-HAr_WAw0/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-08-30+at+12.40.26+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="306" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgddEmhPs-9_9Dj15SGw6cd1M46eghXJ3KkNouMJtj_KChK76btr-99isz7FvWpq9LDoUAkAGLhyphenhyphen2L3yoAeKP5bcKGlEfUbBojVRjs9QGZ9B0_WJDzLaz73kOqQiUM4fA3OXt-HAr_WAw0/s320/Screen+Shot+2016-08-30+at+12.40.26+PM.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Connect:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">@FableLearn</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">@peterhreynolds</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">@DotClubConnect</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">#DotDay</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">#MakeYourMark</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">#CelebratewithDE</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Resources:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://thedotclub.org/">thedotclub.org</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://peterhreynolds.com/">peterhreynolds.com</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://fablevisionlearning.com/">fablevisionlearning.com</a></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07752568122305791643noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6313469391778360852.post-27518696828546573742017-01-14T09:32:00.001-06:002017-01-14T12:39:26.833-06:00#OneWord 2016 Reflection<span style="font-family: inherit;">Wow! Time flies and I had not realized it has been SO long since I wrote a blog post. So many things happening that I had to prioritize and this outlet lost the battle. That is totally unfortunate, however, since I find that expressing my thoughts and reflecting are extremely powerful.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">This school year I am incredibly thankful for my new position. I accepted a role as Instructional Technology Coach in our district! I cannot put into words how exciting this change is for me. Not only am I able to continue to learn about purposeful technology integration, I have a greater platform to work with educators, develop ideas, and build capacity. It feels like a perfect fit for me and I am really enjoying it. Of course, the transition has brought many challenges and feelings out that I didn't expect - having been on one campus with basically the same core people for sixteen years was harder to leave than I ever imagined. Those people are my second family and we grew up together during our early adult years. Several of us are close friends - attended weddings, welcomed new babies, mourned lives lost, raised our babies together, and had each other. We were our own village and I miss them all very much! This barely scratches the surface of how this change has impacted my boys - new school, new friends, new sports teams. Yet I knew it was time to choose something new. I absolutely LOVE teaching and miss students so much; however, I was ready to share my passion beyond the classroom, campus, my PLN... and it was a hard choice!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Over the course of last school year, I felt led to do more. I enjoyed my campus, loved my students and parents, enjoyed my coworkers... but I was hungry to learn and grow. My district provides opportunities for growth and leadership, and I was fortunate to learn from those and gain experience. My campus empowered us to seek leadership opportunities and I did what I could to explore different roles and push forward. The area I live in provides multiple learning opportunities and I attended what I could to grow, connect, and learn. However, I still wanted more. After lots and lots... and lots of discussion with my family plus many lists of pros and cons I decided to return to grad school and get my master's degree. This may seem like a small decision to some but I never would have guessed I would want to pursue higher learning as a teacher all these years. I felt fed from my campus, district, and region - yet recently, I needed more. Plus, even harder was the decision to make the time commitment. I knew it would take time from my family, my friends, and especially my boys - working mom guilt is hard enough, but could I handle the pressure when adding in work plus school? We decided it was beneficial for my career, my desire for new learning, and a good example for my boys to see both their parents seek continuous learning as adults.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Last year my #OneWord was CHOOSE, which I wrote about <a href="http://gabbingwithgerdes.blogspot.com/2016/01/oneword-for-2016.html">here</a>. That was no joke and the perfect word for my year. Mid-way through the year, I did a self-assessment and wrote <a href="http://gabbingwithgerdes.blogspot.com/2016/07/oneword-mid-year-reflection.html">here</a> about my #OneWord at that point. As a part of a school assignment and also part of identifying who I am in my new role, I created a vision statement for myself:</span><br />
<i style="font-weight: bold; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" />I strive to be a change agent* by empowering others, building relationships, connecting, collaborating, and inspiring others to grow from where they are.</span></i><br />
<i style="font-weight: bold; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></i>
<span style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">As I reflect on my year in 2016 - so many choice and such a year of change for me and my family. Some areas I chose to move in a new direction: new job, new schools for the boys, grad school, new baseball teams for the boys, new car. Some areas I chose to lose priority: time for exercise, time for friends, time for me. This has had an impact on my well-being as I need friends, exercise, time for myself; but all in all I feel I balanced it all to the best of my abilities. As I work to select my #OneWord for 2017, I think of how I can learn from my #OneWord focus the last few years and select a great word to empower myself to truly enjoy the decisions I make with no regrets, looking forward and being present in each moment.</span></span><br />
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<span style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">What. A. Year!</span></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07752568122305791643noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6313469391778360852.post-74301168397919734612016-07-28T16:43:00.002-05:002017-01-17T11:50:46.139-06:00#iplza16<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgahYRYSN_lEBgPNwowTGesO0dMH8V62f5Ucyd-jAUTA7LSFPHM6kwfg5AxW3xtwGsY7a0kEc8bOCygrU3F1E5xsvm9C6RYhoULTP99ppRNpXLjyjCwJ2V0c9cbo5zo9X9M22pi4CUZa7dm/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-07-28+at+3.34.59+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgahYRYSN_lEBgPNwowTGesO0dMH8V62f5Ucyd-jAUTA7LSFPHM6kwfg5AxW3xtwGsY7a0kEc8bOCygrU3F1E5xsvm9C6RYhoULTP99ppRNpXLjyjCwJ2V0c9cbo5zo9X9M22pi4CUZa7dm/s200/Screen+Shot+2016-07-28+at+3.34.59+PM.png" width="133" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ready with coffee in hand!</td></tr>
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Earlier this summer I attended <a href="http://ipadpalooza.com/">iPadpalooza</a> in Austin, TX. This was my second time to join this learning festival and it did not disappoint. I wrote my reflection after I completed day 1 (<a href="http://gabbingwithgerdes.blogspot.com/2016/06/iplza16-day-1.html">here</a>) but the remaining time I was there my spare time was spent working on grad school - so I've had some time to process all that I learned.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7T8vo48SO8CAeZ5BPi5iyLxc8FRAlSSIYjihoRDGtCIAcmUM1JTv58PwzLvrJeXg_pgzzYRvJvkZpyDCBy249xY8q1rOnhuXJ21_MreHkk7IVfqCAcfi-UP4pI_KhzFzrc7Q2FkFoCvwV/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-07-28+at+3.36.45+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7T8vo48SO8CAeZ5BPi5iyLxc8FRAlSSIYjihoRDGtCIAcmUM1JTv58PwzLvrJeXg_pgzzYRvJvkZpyDCBy249xY8q1rOnhuXJ21_MreHkk7IVfqCAcfi-UP4pI_KhzFzrc7Q2FkFoCvwV/s200/Screen+Shot+2016-07-28+at+3.36.45+PM.png" width="145" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Even better to learn with a friend!</td></tr>
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Looking back, I gained a lot from the sessions but it is even more about the experience. If you have not yet attended any sort of education conference, I highly recommend it. Yes, I know it takes you away from your family for a few days or may take spending some money (however you can write a grant, ask PTA or your administrators) or hotel points... but the energy that radiates from being surrounded by eager educators ready to learn, share, and connect makes it such a wonderful experience. Yet, iPadpalooza is different. Yes, it is about technology but also about mindset.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_bM3fn9LIj5eVwJDks9-MZwAca5jc1sapycjUsEMjHkDk1-vUhTxDg_dIFozBmpngMxw9PKtSDlu_A7fa7UhyphenhyphenNDz6i8obuNn6Sf9DYGIKRRfeXEBy7aYSYQVWyR4SIfHSd199m1c-4fu6/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-07-28+at+3.35.11+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="129" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_bM3fn9LIj5eVwJDks9-MZwAca5jc1sapycjUsEMjHkDk1-vUhTxDg_dIFozBmpngMxw9PKtSDlu_A7fa7UhyphenhyphenNDz6i8obuNn6Sf9DYGIKRRfeXEBy7aYSYQVWyR4SIfHSd199m1c-4fu6/s200/Screen+Shot+2016-07-28+at+3.35.11+PM.png" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">So entertaining... I had an 'eye-phone' as a kid, too!!</td></tr>
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To get things started they gather everyone together and have students do this incredible light and sound show. Y'all - these students are so talented!! Then the godfather of iPadpalooza (Carl Hooker @mrhooker ) gets things started. It is like a Pep Rally!! This year there were mini-Key Notes and I loved it! They were entertaining, funny, emotional, cute, and also made me ugly cry... right there on the 2nd row, big tears and crying.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKg0LHoCEkMU4z2N-sJwnaIEUXYd9mxSQ9luPgi_1af9YLXmBljjEcIDp1zbHsyReowwviclGTrHGvDWp0H5kx2qd5BB_4EWiG9sa86vjDYDT_qejldNtV49cUy-_-iFpdHpm7QyKRp75G/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-07-28+at+3.34.46+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="125" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKg0LHoCEkMU4z2N-sJwnaIEUXYd9mxSQ9luPgi_1af9YLXmBljjEcIDp1zbHsyReowwviclGTrHGvDWp0H5kx2qd5BB_4EWiG9sa86vjDYDT_qejldNtV49cUy-_-iFpdHpm7QyKRp75G/s200/Screen+Shot+2016-07-28+at+3.34.46+PM.png" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Before it was a hashtag, it was the 'octothorpe'!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqbJVIlKzmJdh6GL-gdfOV0yXX6_j-mdjsxvl1WTh2mKAuDaR2hivDg2GWH71Zcts-4ZLShKY5H1SC-FQ1BC4zDjC3PaGcKTbof-DCsKPS7HUz6Te0rNpwPTo05HwdZZ31ahyphenhyphenqoLtScq6h/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-07-28+at+3.34.35+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqbJVIlKzmJdh6GL-gdfOV0yXX6_j-mdjsxvl1WTh2mKAuDaR2hivDg2GWH71Zcts-4ZLShKY5H1SC-FQ1BC4zDjC3PaGcKTbof-DCsKPS7HUz6Te0rNpwPTo05HwdZZ31ahyphenhyphenqoLtScq6h/s320/Screen+Shot+2016-07-28+at+3.34.35+PM.png" width="235" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Band playing in the background</td></tr>
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I have to mention one of my favorite things is the Food Trucks! Every day there are several Food Trucks in the parking lot for lunch. I know, it's not educational but everyone has to eat and Food Trucks are FUN! Plus there is always a band playing or karaoke. They have massage chairs, cookies, and free breakfast! Some of my favorite time is coming into the cafeteria and just sitting to soak it all in.<br />
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One of the most rewarding things about attending a conference with learning buddies and coworkers is you can divide and conquer. A few of us used a Google Doc to share what we learned in each session. There are so many sessions I wanted to attend but this allows us to view what others experienced and learn from those as well. Plus when you get home a few weeks later and attempt to remember everything you learned, it is all in one location.<br />
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The sessions are incredible and there are so many to choose from, plus the times are staggered. So, I would stay in one for a while, move to another, find some quiet to reflect and process, then move to another session. The schedule is relaxed and people are constantly moving from one place to another. As I walked in to one session (<a href="https://community.education.lego.com/">Connect with LEGO Education</a>) I found a seat at a table with two Smurfs. Yes, you read that right - SMURFS! So, that's another thing that makes iPadpalooza fun - I mean, HELLO, it is in Austin! There are themes and people dress up and contests - I don't participate much but it makes for a fun time!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqyO7CggPQn13rea2k0KhioWrt_TnW1D9ez_yawqtgfOWTE9ZNA7aGl2jv28ek02VojOa1MfayntHF7IQ-nqTCHr1p5sf5W5CjB7voJwOMy2Thdfg-YWYxid3PrEUyEFP3j4pM_X3785HH/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-07-28+at+3.33.46+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="170" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqyO7CggPQn13rea2k0KhioWrt_TnW1D9ez_yawqtgfOWTE9ZNA7aGl2jv28ek02VojOa1MfayntHF7IQ-nqTCHr1p5sf5W5CjB7voJwOMy2Thdfg-YWYxid3PrEUyEFP3j4pM_X3785HH/s320/Screen+Shot+2016-07-28+at+3.33.46+PM.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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We worked together with LEGO StoryStarter sets to recreate an ending to a popular movie. We had to sketch the ending together, then create the movie set with LEGOs (plus we used a notecard to draw). The new ending had to be 1 minute, but no longer than 2 minutes. We could record the ending with any video app we chose, then had to upload it to Youtube and tweet it with the hashtag/octothorpe #iplaz16 We recreated the ending to Pretty Women. It was so much fun! The possibilities of using LEGOs for engaging work are endless. Plus, it was super cool to experience it for ourselves.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZPpXn_z7kZCaHnEIZDwg4Q7SEWp0t2oe5roGOFlL6QK6ah2P3f8yUG-17rT6EcPfcrNKdF4TK4ABPfO0CBkWaTJCvPzZJ6reJ7V3jn7HIc5m3duBecXsC2tgtJjnhFtGesE1EmepTmXPZ/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-07-28+at+3.33.33+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZPpXn_z7kZCaHnEIZDwg4Q7SEWp0t2oe5roGOFlL6QK6ah2P3f8yUG-17rT6EcPfcrNKdF4TK4ABPfO0CBkWaTJCvPzZJ6reJ7V3jn7HIc5m3duBecXsC2tgtJjnhFtGesE1EmepTmXPZ/s320/Screen+Shot+2016-07-28+at+3.33.33+PM.png" width="212" /></a></div>
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There is so much to share but really you need to experience it! Some of the topics we attended include Google use, Maker Spaces, GIFs, Digital Footprint, Genius Hour, Google Classroom, Twitter Chats, Fresh Grade, literacy apps, youtube, the selfie center, and more! One of the sessions that made a great impact on me was with April Requard @AprilRequard as she shared about her SWAT team. SWAT = students working to advance technology. THIS! It was amazing. You can read all about it on her blog (<a href="https://appsolutelyapril.com/2016/06/01/technology-in-the-hands-of-the-powerful/">here</a>). To sum it up, she facilitates a group of elementary students who are passionate about leading others to integrate technology, not just in the classroom but also in the community. I would love to do this. Amazing.<br />
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Part of attending any learning opportunity is connecting with others. Whether this is at a campus faculty meeting, district-wide professional development, or conference - this is a great time to connect! The introvert in me has to get super brave to speak with others but everyone is so friendly, it is easy! Plus, finding people from your PLN (Professional Learning Network) from Twitter is awesome. I was able to speak with a Twitter learning friend from Louisiana face-to-face! Another PLN friend came up to visit with me - it is so fun forming friendships with people from all over then connecting face-to-face at conferences. The best part was meeting up with a friend who I have known since I was five. We went to the same schools and I always knew her because we were the only people we knew named 'Erin' (not a common name at all in the 80's here). Here we are:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdPmgYq4XYrvRxN4zvaeISFN7jnPBzzI14-B_CEUK3W2KXUymDw2O-Pt7ueYDFrMwrq3G9Dg56nfsLGZsTmRUkRQX5cz_vTU_LxiSzwvyZZXykGPxxRDzWDxNflv1KhyphenhyphenAkioAPs4_l28cs/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-07-28+at+3.33.14+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdPmgYq4XYrvRxN4zvaeISFN7jnPBzzI14-B_CEUK3W2KXUymDw2O-Pt7ueYDFrMwrq3G9Dg56nfsLGZsTmRUkRQX5cz_vTU_LxiSzwvyZZXykGPxxRDzWDxNflv1KhyphenhyphenAkioAPs4_l28cs/s320/Screen+Shot+2016-07-28+at+3.33.14+PM.png" width="167" /></a></div>
And you can see this is the extent of my 'dressing up' for Retro Day! HAHA!<br />
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A nice thing about getting away to learn is your time away from sessions. It is perfect for continuing to connect, reflect, site see, relax, or in my case... complete some homework. They were so nice at the hotel, since my learning buddy and I sat in the lobby late every night working and drinking Starbucks!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE0VwDAQGMvoVH2T7FK9BAcy1iGhrnEYHVRbVa9l5kTHZoOe1NnY3cBk0jgZD-ToQlTNgkIdY4LP_h_U2s05XY5VLYfU2MsHp82xhQfnVnEVYYBzWU2LIsV3-mVyaPCKYPNodiibJ40aiz/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-07-28+at+3.34.17+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="121" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE0VwDAQGMvoVH2T7FK9BAcy1iGhrnEYHVRbVa9l5kTHZoOe1NnY3cBk0jgZD-ToQlTNgkIdY4LP_h_U2s05XY5VLYfU2MsHp82xhQfnVnEVYYBzWU2LIsV3-mVyaPCKYPNodiibJ40aiz/s200/Screen+Shot+2016-07-28+at+3.34.17+PM.png" width="200" /></a></div>
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One of my most rewarding times this visit was presenting. I was able to share how my students and I integrated robotics into our learning. It was fun to share plus make some connections with others that attended.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFiyVG4uzpUx9cgpZfzCQ8hTTYWh9cuk52Ar2IOlOpwdk54SFrnEfSaOpceRe0Rt4O9LRw1HslczAEvRLBdTWaKkWzNg6eQCZAyblSgASNR40qhHNrAkML6O3Y4sa4zyI99Hg5-v88JVS6/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-07-28+at+3.33.59+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFiyVG4uzpUx9cgpZfzCQ8hTTYWh9cuk52Ar2IOlOpwdk54SFrnEfSaOpceRe0Rt4O9LRw1HslczAEvRLBdTWaKkWzNg6eQCZAyblSgASNR40qhHNrAkML6O3Y4sa4zyI99Hg5-v88JVS6/s320/Screen+Shot+2016-07-28+at+3.33.59+PM.png" width="188" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My room spinning around from the performance hall.</td></tr>
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As educators, we are constantly learning. The world around us is changing by the second. In order to best meet our students' needs, we must be learners ourselves. Expand outside of your comfort zone and explore to find what is out there. There are incredible people with super cool ideas just waiting to share with you! Try a conference. Some of my favorite conferences are EdCamps, TCEA, iPadpalooza, and anything Google. What are your favs? </div>
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Dig in. Get connected. Find an awesome learning event. Give it a try!<br />
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iPadpalooza 2017 info <a href="http://ipadpalooza.com/">HERE</a></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07752568122305791643noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6313469391778360852.post-16159624814429778992016-07-26T11:42:00.000-05:002016-08-11T15:54:03.996-05:00Mentimeter<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">While participating in a district professional development opportunity, I was introduced to <a href="http://www.mentimeter.com/">Mentimeter</a>. At the time Mr. Zahn (@aszahn66) was gathering data on his audience to gain insight to our understanding regarding the topic presented. Right away, I knew this was a tool my students and I would love! Over the next several months, we used Mentimeter often in our classroom as a tool. We found it to be quick, easy to use, easy to read, and would lead to additional discussions beyond the topic at hand (comparing the graph, etc).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">While we were studying context clues, students watched a silly, entertaining video of a pig trying to get to some chocolate chip cookies (we had fun with this because I, too, love chocolate chip cookies and they know it). We watched just a bit of the video then made a prediction based on context clues. It was so fun and engaging! Using Mentimeter was easy and quick in the classroom. I would display the results on the board and students would answer using their iPads (answers can be submitted from any device with web access). Students loved watching the bar graphs grow as more votes were submitted, plus it is anonymous so it protected the learners and built confidence in our classroom.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBK_btCXzxBvtFomf9ES-ssRF81CPHmbEL_OvnyLjoueF7nh1JRsEeShurwkYmjyeSOBC23YZMhN-kJf3DllAMZS7Qn0XnMad3lIy9fiLs1M3LrLBqMXpHONyk2DuNL3zF0SQTyeQGcAUO/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-07-25+at+3.32.01+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBK_btCXzxBvtFomf9ES-ssRF81CPHmbEL_OvnyLjoueF7nh1JRsEeShurwkYmjyeSOBC23YZMhN-kJf3DllAMZS7Qn0XnMad3lIy9fiLs1M3LrLBqMXpHONyk2DuNL3zF0SQTyeQGcAUO/s320/Screen+Shot+2016-07-25+at+3.32.01+PM.png" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKyXjXuXAq-mnDqMc97mGf9N1qE41h0J76EluMyIA8FKXRdssK-HGliJlx_0fLXJjwzDwh1Tld11vPZUX1jKEYJJut7rQuhloGrF6XsM_XcGk3YNCmu8ESWYtfh5XjTNw0624semheizuf/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-07-25+at+3.29.20+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKyXjXuXAq-mnDqMc97mGf9N1qE41h0J76EluMyIA8FKXRdssK-HGliJlx_0fLXJjwzDwh1Tld11vPZUX1jKEYJJut7rQuhloGrF6XsM_XcGk3YNCmu8ESWYtfh5XjTNw0624semheizuf/s320/Screen+Shot+2016-07-25+at+3.29.20+PM.png" width="197" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">When preparing to present to others, I do not always know my audience. As a classroom teacher, I know how important that is. With professional development, I use Mentimeter as a tool to assess my audience. Before getting started, participants go to the link on my slide and anonymously cast their votes. I keep the link to the results on the slide, as well, and model how to use Mentimeter before we begin. Plus, it gives me insight on how I need to adjust the information I share. There are many options for using Mentimeter. You can ask an open-ended question, gather data on a scale, create a matrix, or (as seen below) make a word cloud or bar graph:</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9In9hQRDHxH3R4ZL7-PBcig3lARb4sipic-jckBXI73VvM7WoZZb035TcT-k0K2SdVE1vZ0ZI3XYxj0Jt-qFZzvdozB5UNo2-f0ys6UrAiqikV8uOPA_OPtKzxDlpZ4a7I639xIxiT06h/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-07-25+at+4.47.39+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="190" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9In9hQRDHxH3R4ZL7-PBcig3lARb4sipic-jckBXI73VvM7WoZZb035TcT-k0K2SdVE1vZ0ZI3XYxj0Jt-qFZzvdozB5UNo2-f0ys6UrAiqikV8uOPA_OPtKzxDlpZ4a7I639xIxiT06h/s320/Screen+Shot+2016-07-25+at+4.47.39+PM.png" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcSZ0GPSKYUJ1Zy2ijIi9HG7fbLZat-sgqPMQ6IWoHwJdVlaUFTVyLAGQDD9vKToHkS7uosdgHUgjNrip2O8G_rryCVSnQMGyI2NnDJd1vLAevlD0coSjY3RPZp2-uX5NBfTXjv74B3mdG/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-07-25+at+4.48.55+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="146" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcSZ0GPSKYUJ1Zy2ijIi9HG7fbLZat-sgqPMQ6IWoHwJdVlaUFTVyLAGQDD9vKToHkS7uosdgHUgjNrip2O8G_rryCVSnQMGyI2NnDJd1vLAevlD0coSjY3RPZp2-uX5NBfTXjv74B3mdG/s320/Screen+Shot+2016-07-25+at+4.48.55+PM.png" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This is a beneficial tool to use for educators and learners, as well. How can you use Mentimeter?</span><br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07752568122305791643noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6313469391778360852.post-69137396638298260462016-07-25T16:31:00.002-05:002016-08-11T15:53:02.134-05:00EDpuzzle<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Leading a classroom of unique, diverse learners is an exciting opportunity. Educators are constantly searching for and learning new ideas and techniques for meeting the needs of their students. Last spring, I heard about <a href="http://www.edpuzzle.com/">EDpuzzle</a> <complete id="goog_585311368">@</complete>EDpuzzle and was eager to try it in our classroom. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">EDpuzzle is a web site that provides opportunities for learners to view a video as a learning tool. </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The educator in me loves EDpuzzle because I can use a video I found on YouTube or another website (our school uses BrainPopJr and that works well). </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Once you select the video your learners need, you can edit the video's length if needed plus there are no ads! The user can edit the video by length, stop the video to ask multiple choice or short answer questions, and can add audio notes. The user</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I can also copy a video another user has created and either </span>use<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> their questions or edit the copy to work best for students. The user can share the EDpuzzle video with colleagues - they can use the video or duplicate it to edit for their students. You can share the video via URL or make a QR code (I use goo.gl URL Shortener extension on my MacBook which provides a shortened URL that I can write on the board or a QR code I can print and pass out to younger students). A huge plus for our district is we are a GAFE district (Google Apps for Education) and use Google Classroom. EDpuzzle can share directly to Google Classroom, which makes sharing to students easy and seamless.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Anytime I learn of a new activity, book, app, global connection, or site to share with my students, we discuss before and after if it has a purpose for learning in our classroom. Student Voice is important to me and I value input from each child. After we use any new learning tool (digital or not), we discuss if it is a tool we should continue to use in our classroom or if it does not offer growth in our learning. Often we use Kahoot! or Quizizz (see <a href="http://gabbingwithgerdes.blogspot.com/2016/01/quizizz.html">here</a>) in our classroom for formative assessment, but we found EDpuzzle had a place in our classroom, as well. Here are a few of our favorite features:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">*EDpuzzle moves at the <i>learner's pace</i>. Several of my students prefer the feature that they can pause or rewind the video. I observed this was especially helpful for my English Language Learner students, students with dyslexia, and students who work hard to focus, however, many students used this feature. My goal is for my students to learn and if that means they know the information was missed and can go back to find it to be successful, super! On my screen, I can see who attempted which questions multiple times. So my students can be successful and I still have the data I need to reteach or revisit a topic or skill.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZvv9TqJJPpcjQcVKIps5P-xjeC95_REqcX_jNf6jyuhSlR_ZCFmRmpRkeicQlZShji_4VWnrFvbv_4TuWOROtcK5ULp0kT3w6TOZb78VbvqUWq4LuTCRYK6RgEDZUo_YV4fkvsfxU2h2a/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-07-25+at+3.29.06+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="340" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZvv9TqJJPpcjQcVKIps5P-xjeC95_REqcX_jNf6jyuhSlR_ZCFmRmpRkeicQlZShji_4VWnrFvbv_4TuWOROtcK5ULp0kT3w6TOZb78VbvqUWq4LuTCRYK6RgEDZUo_YV4fkvsfxU2h2a/s640/Screen+Shot+2016-07-25+at+3.29.06+PM.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">*EDpuzzle is <i>versatile</i>. It can be used as a whole group activity, in collaborative groups, with a buddy, or individually. We like how there are times for each of those types of learning options and it can work for each.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">*EDpuzzle is <i>easy</i> to use. Students could access the videos and work using their notes. In our classroom, we took notes during any video since it was an opportunity to document new ideas and learning. Students could choose to write on the table or in their notebooks (they would take a picture of the table and save it in their Google Drive for later use) and they would choose how to represent the information they were learning or add to previous notes.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">*EDPuzzle provides <i>immediate results</i>. I could look on my screen and watch how students were working and make notes or provide support at that moment. Students would have feedback right away upon completing their activity.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We found EDpuzzle to be a beneficial tool in our learning environment and enjoyed using it very much. While presenting earlier this summer, I shared a video clip of George Couros' TEDTalk so educators could experience EDpuzzle for themselves.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">How can you use EDpuzzle?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07752568122305791643noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6313469391778360852.post-31669097242563426882016-07-24T14:37:00.001-05:002017-01-14T12:40:33.486-06:00#OneWord Mid-Year Reflection<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">This year my #OneWord for 2016 is 'choose'. In January, when the year had just begun and is like a clean, blank slate, I wrote about my word (<a href="http://gabbingwithgerdes.blogspot.com/2016/01/oneword-for-2016.html">here</a>). Now that the year is halfway over, I want to do a little self-assessment and see how I'm doing with my choices. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Over the past few years, I've felt led to do something different. I sought out advice and direction from anyone who would meet with me to listen, but I quickly discovered that no one had the answer I needed. Only I have the answers I need. After much thought, discussion with my husband, and prayer I made some choices. It was SO scary! I'm such a stickler for routine and consistency but BOY it's exciting! Looking back to January, I challenged myself:</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "century gothic" , "georgia" , "times" , serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; text-align: justify;"></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; text-align: justify;">This year I need to CHOOSE in all areas of my life: </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; text-align: justify;">*Choose to have a good day</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; text-align: justify;">*Choose to stop at the gym</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; text-align: justify;">*Choose to listen to a friend</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; text-align: justify;">*Choose to play with my kids</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; text-align: justify;">*Choose to empower myself and others</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; text-align: justify;">*Choose joy</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; text-align: justify;">*Choose to continue to grow professionally</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; text-align: justify;">*Choose to go on a date with my husband</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; text-align: justify;">*Choose what is right for my students</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; text-align: justify;">*Choose to be present at home</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; text-align: justify;">*Choose to move forward</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I think so far this year I'm doing a pretty good job!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">One reason for the neglect of my blog over the past six months is due to me spending my time working towards my master's degree. What a big decision that has been! I never, ever, ever, ever, ever thought I'd return to school. In fact, I used to say I would never... funny how life teaches you to watch what you say. : ) After much thought, I chose to return to school. It has impacted many of the other things listed above, such as going to the gym, date nights, spending time with my kids... but it has taught me to be present when I <i>am</i> doing those things. When I actually get to the gym, I focus on being there. I've decided that taking a walk with my kids does two things at once - exercise and time talking with them. My husband and I make certain we take time for each other without devices or distractions (other than a quick pic!). Plus, I want my boys to see that you spend your whole life learning. My parents modeled that for me, just as their father and I have returned to school and hope to inspire them as well.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I've tried hard to choose carefully those who I surround myself with. I want to be surrounded by people that I can laugh with, be ME, push me to grow and not be stuck, and who remind me to be HAPPY and thankful. I decided to change how I dressed, what I read, how much TV I watched. I try hard to watch what I eat, but I also love food - so... still working on that. : ) I'm trying to be intentional about how I spend my time for my family, my friends, but also for me. I spent all spring semester soaking up my students and how we could learn together... and then I did it. I applied and interviewed for new positions. Y'all. I never thought I would do anything other than teach in a classroom! Yet, over the past few years, I knew there was something more. Recently I began to feel almost trapped by a classroom - DO NOT get me wrong, I love teaching and love my students so much - but I want to share what I learn from others to everyone! I want to work with them and provide support for them to try and grow and learn. I'm thrilled to begin my new position as an instructional coach in a week. I have so much to learn and I'm ready for the opportunity.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">As I was sitting in church today, I noticed they handed out stickers that represent the vision of the church. At Compass, the vision is 'navigating people to God' and I thought - what a fantastic goal, for many reasons. It also made me think of my upcoming position as an instructional coach. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTVm2iYf1uCmtnNGbyMwdypCzvBc-gEeoB9TwzqPBddmFiRsgvjxUj7dr1mcHmN8eYzSEBoU9scOL6T9HQovkVhIEbI9T2gHgncWeBG7dbRqUnPTnDmJ_QYAopHpn2jUkkVQ0O0sITm_yc/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-07-24+at+2.06.40+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="317" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTVm2iYf1uCmtnNGbyMwdypCzvBc-gEeoB9TwzqPBddmFiRsgvjxUj7dr1mcHmN8eYzSEBoU9scOL6T9HQovkVhIEbI9T2gHgncWeBG7dbRqUnPTnDmJ_QYAopHpn2jUkkVQ0O0sITm_yc/s320/Screen+Shot+2016-07-24+at+2.06.40+PM.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I decided to place this sticker somewhere to be a visual reminder for myself. While the sticker has a meaning to me shared by my church, it also is a reminder of my vision:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><i>I strive to be a change agent* by empowering others, building relationships, connecting, collaborating, and inspiring others to grow from where they are.</i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">As I continue on this year, I'm excited about the choices I'm making. These choices have an impact on my entire family. Time to study has resulted in my husband and the boys spending LOTS of quality time together fishing, going to movies, and hanging out. (Some of my best memories of my dad is when we went for pizza while my mom was in school working on her master's degree) Since my position location will be new, we moved our boys to attend their home campuses, and they are both really excited about the new adventures ahead. There is a lot of anticipation building in our home! My focus on choosing to move forward, continuing to grow, and remembering to soak it all up in the process is making me more aware. Which reminds me, I better finish my homework while the boys are out fishing. Then I am going to choose to enjoy my last week of summer to be as refreshed as possible for my new adventure! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">How is your #OneWord making an impact on your year?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">*I first heard about a 'change agent' from George Couros @gcouros and I immediately related to that term. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>THIS</b> is what I want to do. If you have ever read <a href="http://www.studiojjk.com/chapterbooks.html">Platypus Police Squad</a> (or your kids have) by Jarrett J. Krosoczka @StudioJJK that's the image I always get. HA. I love it! If you have not yet read <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Innovators-Mindset-Empower-Learning-Creativity-ebook/dp/B016YTBZKO#navbar">Innovator's Mindset</a>, please do! I highly recommend it (see <a href="http://gabbingwithgerdes.blogspot.com/2016/01/innovatorsmindset.html">here</a>).</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07752568122305791643noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6313469391778360852.post-46579444741136403132016-06-22T22:30:00.002-05:002016-08-11T16:05:06.840-05:00#iplza16 Day 1<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Today was a wonderful day packed with music, food, and amazing educator energy at <a href="http://ipadpalooza.com/">iPadpalooza</a>! iPadpalooza is a learning festival in Austin that began five years ago by Carl Hooker @mrhooker in Eanes ISD. I attended two summers ago and have been looking forward to returning to this unique learning experience ever since.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">A task was issued from George Couros @gcouros to reflect on the day after one of his sessions today. In an effort to reflect after a few hours of inner-put, I am going to use an idea I gained from Jon Gordon @JonGordon11 on Twitter. This exercise is a great tool to use after a workshop or meeting that he shared from Dr. Christie Whitbeck (Fort Bend ISD). </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">It is the LEAD exercise: </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">L - What LEFT an impression on you?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">E - What ENERGIZED you?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">A - What do you want to ASK more about?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">D - What will you DO DIFFERENTLY as a result of what you heard?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">As I think back to the day and review my notes, these are a few things I took (but not limited to):</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">L - I had the privilege to hear George Couros speak again today (I heard him last week at our LEADing Digital Innovation at GCISD conference and it was fantastic!) and his focus was creating and maintaining a digital footprint. During the presentation, George googled audience members (with their permission) as well as viewed their Twitter profiles for all to see on the big screen. It made such an impact on everyone! Some people joined Twitter for the first time once they saw how in less than an hour there were resources provided for a question that was posed. Some people changed their Twitter profiles or Twitter handles to promote the growth of their PLN (Professional Learning Network) - make sure it defines you as an educator and/or learner! Others made adjustments as clarity was provided for just how interesting it is to Google yourself. Try it! Would you hire yourself? Now... what are you doing to instill these skills for promoting a healthy digital footprint for your students? For your own children? This is something that is constantly on my mind, to model for my students and children how to communicate and represent myself on social media. Are you modeling, or protecting? This LEFT an impression on me, for sure.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">E - The energy that radiates from being surrounded by amazing educators with a passion for learning is something everyone has to experience. The connections made standing in line for lunch, gathering while listening to the band, and following the hashtag via Twitter are incredible! I was able to meet several people from my PLN today Face To Face! That is such a fun experience. It is always nice to bump into educators that I've connected with and learn from, even though they live miles and miles away. It ENERGIZED me to feel the passion for learning bouncing off the walls.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">A - Two of the sessions I attended focused on Makerspaces. As I lead forward, I plan to inspire and support others to provide Makerspaces for students in their classrooms. I desire to know more about how others implemented their Makerspace and hope to observe some new ideas over the next few days. (I'm also thrilled that Amazon delivered <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Launch-Design-Thinking-Creativity-Student/dp/0996989544/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1466651629&sr=8-1&keywords=launch+book">Launch</a> yesterday, so I am excited to start reading it soon!) I have many questions to ASK regarding Makerspaces.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">D - While attending a very entertaining session by two presenters from Australia @janellemmaurer and @TerryJacka - they shared how they used a spin on Carl Hooker's APPmazing Race for professional development in their district. This sparked my attention and I'm very interested in sharing this idea with other leaders! They did a play on STAR WARS and called it STAFF WARS. They had groups of mixed leveled members - someone from elementary, someone from middle school, someone from high school, admin, etc. I love the idea of connecting others! Tasks were shared via email to those that chose to participate. The tasks were combined in a ThingLink with directions provided. One of my favorite tasks included a support staff selfie - to promote morale and bridge communication. Another task was for the team to create a team hashtag to promote the use of Twitter to connect and share your story. The ladies shared they have a book, <u>AppMazing Prescription</u>, in the iBooks store. </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Check it out! </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">This sounds like an engaging opportunity for professional learning while promoting connections, collaboration, communication, and experiencing technology as a learner. I plan to share this idea for an option to DO professional learning DIFFERENTLY.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">THIS is all from just ONE day. I didn't even talk about the mini-keynotes and how they made me laugh and also ugly cry right there on the second row! So inspiring!! I'm looking forward to another two days of this amazing learning experience! Stay tuned...</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07752568122305791643noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6313469391778360852.post-46666034343985207532016-03-17T19:28:00.002-05:002016-08-11T16:07:07.664-05:00#SDIM16 Experience<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The connections made on Twitter are amazing. My PLN pushes me and empowers me to do things out of my comfort zone in many ways. One way is providing opportunities to be a part of something bigger than I could have imagined on my own. Enter @SameDayInMarch which I heard about from my Twitter friend @BevLadd (She does AMAZING things. Connect with her!) My students and I participated in her 24 hour Skype-a-thon (follow #PVSkype16 for this April) last year and we loved it. They were pumped to connect with Mrs. Ladd and class again.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">One the first day in March, we listened to the book provided by the project. We discussed why this book was the book to read (it highlights the weather and climates in locations all over the world on one same day in March) We wondered about the weather in other areas and made predictions.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">We opened the Google Sheet that has numerous tabs for each classroom that is participating. We found our class and completed the information for the day. Students used the Weather Channel app to give me the data. We wrote a quick description of the day's weather we observed at recess. We added a spot on the board for someone to collect and share the data each day. Students made the expectation that once you find the data for a day, you let others do it next. Most days we look together and compare to another location around the world. Some days I have to add it quick due to time limitations. We LOVE finding the spots on the map and understanding who has similar weather patterns and who has much different weather than us, then discussing why.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">As we got closer to Spring Break, students were very concerned that our project would be on hold for an entire week. Two students volunteered to create a form for students to record the weather each day over Spring Break, then bring back to school. Another student realized several people would be in different locations so we can do our own classroom comparison if others complete the form from their destinations over Spring Break. We discussed how to find this data when you aren't at home. One student going on a cruise was very worried she would not be able to find the information but students were certain she could find out. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I'm excited to see who completed their forms. We decided to do an incentive: 10 Star Bucks for completing your form entirely or 2 Star Bucks per day completed. We also stressed you do not have to leave town to complete the form. Several people may stay home over Spring Break so we will see if they agree on the information.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">If you have not yet connected with others, use opportunities on Twitter or other social media to find ways to provide these experiences for your students. There are amazing people out there, just waiting to share and learn with you!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07752568122305791643noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6313469391778360852.post-83915101713635864782016-03-17T18:50:00.002-05:002016-08-11T16:07:55.063-05:00#ShadowAStudent<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Several months ago, my co-worker <a class="g-profile" href="https://plus.google.com/105492133170426485278" target="_blank">+Tovah Rasoi</a> @TovahRasoiSLE sent me an article she found interesting. It was about educators walking a day or two in the shoes of students to really view things from the students' perspectives. I loved the idea! What better way to empathize and understand my students than to spend a day as one of them? Our Stargazers group decided to set a goal to shadow in each other's classrooms for a day, reflect, then get together to discuss our observations. Tovah submitted our proposal to our administrators to gain approval for participation and created a form to complete as we observed. A few days later, I was participating in one of my favorite Saturday morning chats: #leadupchat and came across the Shadow a Student Challenge from <a href="http://shadowastudent.org/">shadowastudent.org</a> and I was pumped! This is EXACTLY what we were about to do and it would provide us with tools and a sharing platform to use, as well. How cool! The four of us signed up right away. We were all set!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The days leading up to my day as a 4th grader, I was so nervous! What would they say to me? I had not taught these students in the past so we didn't have a teacher/student relationship. Would they accept me? Would anyone help me? I found it interesting how nervous I was leading up to the big day. I shared the idea with my students for two reasons: I always tell when I will be out so my students know what I expect with a sub and I love sharing ways I continue to grow and learn to model that expectation for them. My students were so excited and supportive! I'm not surprised, they are amazing children! They laughed when I told them I would go to specials, recess and lunch with the students and, of course, they hoped I wouldn't have to go to PE. ; ) My own children were excited for me. They helped me pack my backpack and lunch so I could go back to school! I had my healthy snack, water bottle, charged iPad, pencils, and jacket all ready. I slept like a baby.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">From the moment I walked into school, I took the role of a student. I went to the gym and sat in the 4th-grade line silently, waiting for the bell to ring. I was terrified! Everyone was so quiet but I saw my students and they smiled and gave me a micro-wave and I felt a little better. Why was I so nervous?! Once the bell rang, I followed the cues and got up at the right time for dismissal down the hallway. I must say what happened next was THE BEST part of my day. As I walked down the hallway, totally anxious, I felt so much better because I was being greeted by smiling teachers and staff in the hallway on my way to class. People, THIS made my day. I felt welcome. I felt safe. I felt happy! This was the ONE BIG THING I took away from how important ALL staff members are in a student's day. I thought how it must make others feel when they get dropped off, away from their parents each morning. Greetings make a difference! : )</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">When I got to my classroom, the teacher greeted me right away and my student buddy was there to help me as well. I felt all the anxiety melt away. My buddy helped me prepare for the day - she didn't do anything for me, just helped me know what to do. This helped me feel supported yet able to take care of myself. As the day began, I felt better. We had Circle Up right after announcements. I hoped the teacher wouldn't have me go first because I didn't know their routine but I did go first - and it was fine. The students were so sweet to me. I really was surprised and relieved how they treated me all day long. Not that I doubted our amazing students, but I think old memories of being rejected as a child came back - that would be another post - ha! After Circle Up, we did Math Workshop. Obviously, my coffee hadn't kicked in yet (plus I had to dump it when I got to school.... oh, my caffeine...) so I needed some help on some math facts. My buddy helped me solve some multiplication problems using a method I was not familiar with. WOW! I learned something new. : ) We did some math facts and played some math spiral review games. I enjoyed the environment and how everyone knew the expectations and helped me know what I should do, as well. Next in Science, students had to opportunity to reflect on their Science Fair Projects (I was able to walk around and make observations) and share learning with each other. There were so many fantastic ideas! I kept thinking to myself, my teacher is so kind and calm. She never raises her voice or makes me feel bad. She is constantly looking for the good in all students. This was such a nice feeling. Next, we lined up for specials.... and went to Art!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I loved being in Art. The teacher was in the middle of a project with students but filled me in quickly and got me started. I cannot explain how calming it was to paint and listen to music for those 50 minutes. We all just chatted at the table and painted. I enjoyed it so much. The Art teacher had such a soothing environment and everyone knew exactly what to do. She had a Blendspace on Classroom for us to work on after our paintings were finished. I loved the extra activities! I didn't want to leave the art room. It was a stress-free zone for me.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I went to Humanities next. Students were in the middle of working on completing a project so I helped a few students make things for their projects. I enjoyed working together to help someone. I even made a llama with fringe for a student's project. Coloring, cutting, working with paper... working together - that was fun and relaxing.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">While students worked on writing stories, I fell into Teacher Mode and read their stories (um, peer editing??) because I want to know how to better teach writing to my third graders. I tried not to distract them but I may have been a pest. Soon it was time for recess and lunch. I was starving!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Recess was hard. The girls wanted to race me. Ok, look... I can be a 4th grader for a little while but my 40+ back says NO WAY to running so I declined and they had nothing to do with me after that. I turned the jump rope for a few kids to jump and talked to some former students while they braided hair. I realized recess in fourth grade is very social and less active than I expected. I finally went to the swing for a little alone time. I was feeling like I had not stopped for even a second all day and was suddenly feeling a bit overstimulated. Some time on the swing helped. Plus, it was a beautiful day!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Lunchtime was fantastic. Someone saved me a seat and I was so glad. I was worried about being excluded (how interesting ancient memories and fears can come back so quickly) We ate and talked and I wanted a nap more like a Thanksgiving afternoon. I was pooped!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">After lunch we did some research. I joined right in because this is learning that I am used to - fill in these spots with this type of information - and I can do this. I sat down and did the entire assignment then another student said 'Erin is done.' (yes, I let them call me Erin all day and they LOVED it - I said they could only do it on that day - a few have let it slip with a smile since then and I don't mind) Others were shocked I was done. I said I just sat down and did it and explained how. They were in awe that I was done. Many were working in groups at that point but I think I had just needed to work by myself.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">At the end of the day, we went to the Computer Lab for monthly assessments on iStation. My computer wasn't working right so I sat there and watched others do their assessments. I was so glad I wasn't having to think at that point. I was fried. How could they complete this assessment after working so hard all day? Do my students feel this tired every day? Do I ever give them a minute to catch their breath or read in quiet? Do they feel this overstimulated too? So much to think about. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">As school winded down that day, I had little time to think or reflect right away because I had a guest speaker for Code Club and had to kick into Teacher Mode as soon as the bell rang. It has taken some time for me to reflect since I just began my graduate work and I'm swamped with finding a balance between mom, wife, teacher, friend and student. Today, I felt my blog calling and these are the moments I recall without looking back at my notes. The next day I sent a Thank You card to the students I shadowed. They did so much to open my eyes as an educator. When I returned to my classroom the next day, my students were eager to hear all about it. I shared the highlights with my students. They nodded and smiled as I shared my key points: I loved getting greeted in the morning, I was worried others would not approve of me (even though I've been here for 16 years), I loved ART!, I enjoyed the variety of learning formats and I was exhausted by noon. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">We did not do this project to provide feedback for our peers but instead to learn how our students feel and gain perspective. However, I would be lying if I said I didn't steal some ideas to use in my classroom. ; ) Do teachers EVER not take an opportunity to learn from others? I think not. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I highly suggest you #shadowastudent some time. Whether you are a classroom teacher, staff, administrator or stakeholder - you will gain insight to our students' lives and also gain respect for their kindness, responsibility and stamina. Try it out and let me know what you think. Remember to connect using #shadowastudent and check out <a href="http://shadowastudent.org/">shadowastudent.org</a> Then you too can say:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07752568122305791643noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6313469391778360852.post-60238248998821371232016-01-31T20:57:00.002-06:002016-08-11T16:08:24.410-05:00Quizizz<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Finding new, exciting ways to check students for understanding is an ongoing need for all educators. We want to keep students engaged while respecting each individual learner's needs and pace. A while back I learned of <a href="http://quizizz.com/">Quizizz</a> and tested it with my PLN. We enjoyed how easy it is to use and how the feedback is organized for the teacher. Most often, before I try something with my students, I test it with my peers. Sometimes I have my students test apps and sites and such and report back to me if they find a purpose in the new activity. However, sometimes I need to try it out so I can execute it efficiently. My PLN approved of Quizizz. I was so excited to try it with my students!</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Each month we meet to collaborate. We tested Quizizz with Starbucks in hand.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Getting started was easy. I went to www.quizizz.com and created a new account. Once I logged in, I searched topics we were currently studying. I was able to find a ready-made Quiz and use it in my class. (I have not yet created my own Quiz.) </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">My third graders were able to type in quizziz.com easily in their browser and find the game. If your students cannot type in the browser to find the site, make a quick QR Code for them to scan that leads them directly to the site. Once they are there, have students 'add to home screen' for easy access in the future. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Quizizz is similar to <a href="https://getkahoot.com/">Kahoot</a>! My students and I enjoy using Kahoot! however over time it has lost it's affectiveness. Students have begun pressing any answer to try to make the leaderboard instead of trying to think about the correct answer. Kahoot! is fun but my students can get very competitive and lose sight of the purpose of the activity. If the results are not accurate, there is no reason for us to complete the Kahoot! I cannot use the results if they aren't completing the activity with purpose. Quizizz is individually paced, where Kahoot! gives students the same predetermined amount of time to answer the question. Quizizz does have a way for students to see how quickly others are completing the quiz, but it doesn't celebrate the leader after each question. Kahoot! asks all students the same question at the same time. Quizizz asks the questions randomly among the classroom. I've noticed my students watching how others answer to make their choice (again, trying to hit that leaderboard) Quizizz has an option to show silly memes after they submit their answers. My students love this student feedback feature! They found it fun and motivating.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Another feature I like about Quizizz is the teacher feedback. As students work through the quiz, I am able to view the progress per student. I choose not to show the leaderboard but I can see it on my computer. I can see overall class progress, overall student progress and even have each question broken down to see who needs what or if everyone is needed reteaching on a skill. My students took a fraction quiz. We had just started fractions and had completed a pretest, but I wanted to see what they had remembered that week plus there were a few questions covering skills we had coming. It provided information that allowed me to specifically plan what we needed to focus on as a group, and what I could reteach in small groups.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I know both Kahoot! and Quizizz have ways to adjust their features. I find both have a place in our learning and I'm thankful they each have different options. Educators also use Quizizz for homework, to preassess students or flip their classroom. I'm excited to learn more about Quizizz. How do you use Quizizz? Follow @quizizz on Twitter and share ideas.</span><br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07752568122305791643noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6313469391778360852.post-60199135065178256282016-01-25T21:34:00.005-06:002016-08-11T16:09:13.916-05:00#InnovatorsMindset<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A dear friend and colleague of mine @OCTVisser shared her enthusiasm for <a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Innovators-Mindset-Learning-Creativity-ebook/dp/B016YTBZKO">Innovator's Mindset</a> with me after hearing a speaker last summer. She was at <a href="http://ipadpalooza.com/">iPadpalooza</a> in Austin and <a href="http://georgecouros.ca/blog/">George Couros</a> was the keynote. I took her advice and started following @gcouros on Twitter since that is what I do... stalk people to learn from them. I discovered quickly I have similar thoughts and opinions as George. My friend encouraged me to read his book. Now, I love to read but realistically - my family spends 4 weeknights and most weekends at the baseball fields. When we aren't at baseball, it's flag football. Our seasons are Baseball, Summer, Baseball, Football. Seriously. Reading tends to take a backseat during the school months. So, I took some time over the Christmas break and decided to catch up on some reading. I read <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Student-Voice-The-Instrument-Change/dp/1483358135">Student Voice</a> (reflection <a href="http://gabbingwithgerdes.blogspot.com/2015/12/student-voice.html">here</a>) and I'm still reading <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Mindset-The-New-Psychology-Success/dp/0345472322">Mindset</a>. Over the holidays, I became very familiar with Amazon Prime so I decided to order books for my birthday and included <u>Innovator's Mindset</u> in the pack. People, overnight shipping from Amazon Prime is no joke! I was SO happy when it arrived the next day. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I opened the book and right away I knew this book was going to be just what I needed. "Change is the opportunity to do something amazing." This is the quote from page 2. Page two! Already I am smiling, writing on the book, highlighting all over, posting pics to Twitter and hollering 'Amen!'... and I was just getting started.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Once I pushed out of my classroom's four walls, teaching took on a whole new viewpoint for me. The only way I could push out was to take baby steps. Have you ever watched a chick hatch? In first grade, we did. Each year those little eggs would wobble then a tiny hole was made, the beak would stick out, some tiny chirps called out... then after some rest, that chick broke out! But it wasn't right away. It had to peck away at the hard shell and little pieces soon added up to a new world for that chick. That is how learning works for me. I try a few small things, mess up... (a lot!) then I try again and continue til I find something that works. When I lead others, I try to encourage them to make small steps until they feel confident enough to press on and then themselves encourage others. One line said 'lead by meeting people where they are' (p.47) and that was a great reminder to me. Each of us are learners in our own spots. Embrace where each learner is and encourage them from there.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Chapter 4 is my absolute favorite chapter. It is titled 'Relationships, Relationships, Relationships' and that is my passion. Without solid relationships, without those connections - students are not sure to trust I'm showing up each day to inspire them to learn, parents are not certain I am investing in their children to instill a love of learning for a lifetime, peers may not believe I'm open to collaborating. On page 149 I read "Innovative environments should be built on trust, not the lack of it" which I firmly believe in. That we should provide learning experiences with our students but we must know them and what they are interested in in order to provide this platform.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Technology is another passion of mine. Wow, technology can make an amazing impact on our learning. I've watched multiple students come alive with the power to communicate their understanding with their devices. Students are empowered to learn and share their learning with the world. So when I read "Technology invites us to move from engaged to empowered" (p.140) I'm quite certain I hollered 'Yes! AMEN!' because I have seen it, time and time again.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A few years ago I taught a Dual Language classroom. In order to better communicate with my students and parents, I attended a nighttime class to relearn how to speak basic Spanish. Each week I had homework and once I asked my students to help me (I was stuck!) They LOVED teaching ME. It was eye-opening for me. They were motivated and we connected since they were able to help me learn (relearn) something (kinda) new. I discovered first hand how it is important to model that we, too, are learners. So, on p.183 I argued a little with the speech because the answer is not 'nearly zero' - educators are out there modeling learning for their students. We are ALL learning together.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">One reason I began blogging more often is because I asked my students to reflect on their learning. Well, how can I ask that of them if I'm not doing the same? "I reflect, therefore I learn." (p.188) Many great ideas were listed for reflecting on our learning, which I immediately implemented in my classroom. Don't you love a book that you can use right away? Boy, I do! One new idea I gained was "DEAR ~ Drop Everything and REFLECT". I love this idea! Sometimes we reflect on <a href="http://www.easyblog.org/">EasyBlog</a>, sometimes on paper, sometimes with video - any which way students have the opportunity make connections, ask questions and solidify their learning.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I could go on and on sharing my thoughts about this incredible book but you should read it. I plan to reread it soon since I'm sure I will notice things I didn't pick up on last time - I read it so fast! How do you promote an innovator's mindset in your learning environment? What qualities do you find essential in order to inspire and empower others in their learning?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">*Notes and quotes from <u>The Innovator's Mindset</u> by George Couros</span><br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07752568122305791643noreply@blogger.com2