CUE 2016

I loved CUE for so many reasons, I can't wait to write about it!

1.  I loved being at CUE with 4 of my fellows.  It was so much fun to see their brains working and their minds wondering about what this might look like and how we might implement this in their own classroom.  One of my fellows fell in love with Hyperdocs and can't wait to buy Lisa's book and to begin to implement the use of Hyperdocs.  This same fellow also joined Twitter to begin building her PLN #TsGiveTs.

  

2.  I loved focusing on and learning about how to be a better coach and provide better Professional Development.  I am already ready to implement some Speed Geeking.  I also love the idea that Professional Development needs to be personalized and it is not always a straight path.

The path from A to B for a teacher is not easy and simple but that is what a COACH is for! Let's determine what your B is and I will support you on your path to get you there.  

3.  Lastly, I loved learning about new tools.  I can't wait to start using SeeSaw, I re-learned and saw some updates to EdPuzzle, and lastly I saw the power of Writing SAS add-on in Google.  

CUE, I will miss you until next year!

GoFormative

So here I am on a Tuesday night, exhausted.  My children are sick but I feel motivated to Blog.  So this year I am a Digital Learning Coach, supporting 11 teachers to integrate technology in order to improve instruction.

Of all my fellows, my math fellow is my most challenging in many ways:

1. She teachers math (I am a CORE teacher)
2. She is AMAZING and already "techie"
3. She always asks "why", "is this really going to support the students", "will this really improve my instruction"
4. She has the right pedagogy 

Isn't she amazing, what does she need me for is what I ask myself all of the time...  But that is why I like supporting her because it is a challenge for me.  It takes me out of my comfort zone and gives me perspective.  

One tool that I have introduced to her that she has been using is GoFormative.

GoFormative is one way for teachers to collect data on the spot and use it to inform their instruction.  Some of its highlights:

• You can give students a show your work problem and you can see them as they are doing their work

• You can give them immediate feedback
• You can take one student's response and show it on the board for error analysis
• You can collect multiple choice responses or short answers

So I have challenged my fellow to use this tool to flip her classroom.  I really hope that she takes me up on the offer and that we try it at least once.  The idea is to record herself presenting part of the notes.  She can then embed her own video into formative and include 2-3 practices.  This will allow her to look at students' answers to be able to do error analysis and determine what she needs to review/teach and it will save class time.

Flipping is not easy, but I think it would be worth a try for her and me!  Challenge yourself, it helps you grow.

Twitter Chat -- Expanding my PLN

Okay so I officially participated in my first Twitter chat on Sunday night and tonight I participated in my second Twitter chat.

I learned how to use TweetDeck which was super easy to be able to manage the conversation and participate.

Tonight's chat was focused on coaching and I loved reading people's thoughts.  The questions were so thought provoking.  I kind of wish I had them before hand so that I could have time to process.

This was my favorite question:

As a coach, it is imperative to empower our teachers to move forward and to overcome obstacles.  This was my job as a teacher for my students and now it is my job as a coach for my teachers.  I believe that out of this conversation, this was my favorite quote.    

If you never ask what if…always be left with what is.

Oh how important it is take risks, be creative, step out of our comfort zone, feel freedom to fail, motivated to get back up again, and do all of this with a smile.  I love that I get to walk with my teachers through this journey and I can't wait to take what I have learned so far in just the past 3 months back into the classroom in the future.  I love what I do!