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!

Good Instruction Always Wins

With my new job this year as a DLC (Digital Learning Coach), I am re-learning the truth that "Good Instruction Always Wins".  No matter what tech might be brought to the table, the most important question to ask is not whether it is "cool" or "good" but does it improve instruction, does it produce good instruction, does it add to instruction?  

I have observed so many classes this year and I keep coming back to the fact that we as teachers should constantly be analyzing our instruction.  Here are a few questions I have been asking

• Do you make it clear to the students what they will be learning and how they will be showing that learning?
• Are your activities truly showing that learning?
• Are you questions challenging enough, focused enough?
• Does your lesson make students practice "grit"?
• If technology is used, what is the purpose?  Is it causing kids to collaborate when they couldn't have before, communicate in a more efficient way, create something original to share, or show their critical thinking?

Teaching is a challenge and supporting teachers is a challenge because having "good instruction" every day takes a lot of effort and thought, which requires time.  

New Adventures

Wow!  It has been way too long!  Today I participated in our Summer Institute and learned so much.  I am so extremely excited for what this school year will bring.  I am embarking on a new adventure as a full-time Digital Learning Coach, but I guess an even greater adventure will be child #3 who is due in two days.

As much as I am genuinely excited about Baby Cruz coming soon, being at the training today reminded me of my deep passion for teaching.

I LOVE curriculum!  I LOVE strategies!  I LOVE developing new ways to help students think critically, be challenged, and grow.  Can't wait to see what this year brings.

My takeaway for today:

• Advocacy Quizzes (@DarinHallstrom) -- A way for students to advocate for what they believe is the correct answer on a quiz.  It opens up the door for debate, discussion, questioning, and critical thinking.  I can't wait to implement this in my classroom!  

Doctopus and Goobric

Okay so it has been a while and that has discouraged me from posting.  I have had a lot going on in my personal life (I'm pregnant with Baby #3) and have been so tired, but I know this is important.  So here I am!

A lot has happened in the last three months in my classroom, but I am just going to share with you the two items that I feel have most shapped the basics of my teaching.  I LOVE Doctopus and Goobric.  Now, I am telling you right now Doctopus and Goobric are not for the faint of heart.  There is a huge learning curve, but once implemented and understood, they build accountability, collaboration, and amazing teacher-student feedback!

So, what is Doctopus

A Google Forms add-on that

• Pushes documents out to students (make a copy for each student that now becomes their own).
• Will put students in groups and distribute one document to each group and automatically share it with you and each person in the group
• Creates a Class-View folder where you can place documents, slides, pdfs, etc and all students can access to view it (not edit it)
• Gives a spreadsheet with all student names and links to each of their documents for quick access

That in and of itself is amazing but when you add Goobric in, it gets even better!

Goobric is a Chrome Extension that

• Attaches a rubric to a Google Doc that you have distributed to students
• Gives teachers an easy and quick way to assess students
• Sends instant feedback to the student, including rubric score and comments
• Places the completed rubric on the doc itself and sends an email with the rubric to inform students
• Allows teachers to record their feedback and send that back to students
• Easily puts rubric scores into a spreadsheet that allows for quick grading

Now, I understand when discussing SAMR, that these two resources don't move you too far up the SAMR scale, but what I have realized is that they have built into my classroom a sense of accountability, understanding, communication, and collaboration.  From this foundation, I have found that I can easily build in the creativity and truly modify my curriculum.

Actively Learn

My students read and interact with text on a daily basis.  It is so important and valuable for them to collaborate, think critically, and communicate through and about the text that they read.  I have currently been using a web-based application called Actively Learn and I LOVE it!

Teacher:

• creates assignments that can include short answer or multiple choice questions to check for understanding
• add images, links, or videos to the assignment
• can upload articles or stories from PDFs, Google Docs, or a website link
• can use the many assignments that are already in Actively Learn
• easily grade and comment on responses 

Students:

• read in chunks
• define words within the program itself
• highlight and annotate 
• respond to other student's annotations

I have used it in class along with groups discussion.

I have assigned it for HW and have been amazed with their thoughts and discussions with each other.

I have place student writing (not named) in as an assignment and asked students to analyze the writing and improve it looking at different writing techniques.

If you haven't used it, I believe it would be worth your time to explore.  It is very user friendly and one more tool to help students interact with text and others!