My Reflection from ISTE 2018

My first ISTE Conference & Expo was a whirlwind of learning, sharing, and connecting with educators.  I enjoyed sessions, volunteering, presenting, meeting new friends and walking some serious miles!

Here are my top four takeaways from ISTE 2018 in Chicago:

Personalized learning is important! 

We know that each child is unique, and educators see ALL of the unique faces looking back at them.  The conversation about meeting students where they are to prepare them for THEIR future was loud at ISTE.  Students are standardized and we need to stop teaching and testing them as if they are. Throughout the conference, I saw great sessions on student passions, positive digital citizenship, supporting student creation, and so much more.  I more than ever am passionate about relevant educational experiences for each learner, not delivering content and covering what is on the pacing guide.  "We all have complex identities that should be valued and incorporated into education.”  (Credit: Luis Perez)

We are all learners!

When walking around an ISTE conference, the energy is palpable. Everyone is excited to be there, enthusiastic about learning, and driven by pure passion to do all they can for learners.  I needed a full week to process all the learning from my time at ISTE and will need even more time to comb through resources and ideas to “sharpen my tool” (Credit: Nadia Lopez) for the new school year.  I am also excited to share what I learned with you, my colleagues.  Please let me know how I can support you and your students this year and share my learning.

Always have a plan!

This conference is enormous!  I used the ISTE app and had several sessions listed for each day.  Lines are long and seating is limited.  You may not get into your first choice, so have a second or third.  Also, be aware of time!  There is so much to experience and do, so know when you need to get on the shuttle so you arrive to your session, make it to socials, get a good spot in line, and arrive to important events on time.  Also, don’t be afraid to leave a session that isn’t meeting your needs so you can find one that does.

Finally, present and volunteer!

You meet some awesome people, have some laughs, and stretch yourself as a learner when you take a risk to present to a room of colleagues or work at ISTE Central or a booth.  I absolutely enjoyed my time presenting to a full room on BrainPop Mash-ups in the Run With It session.  I also had a blast with the Flipgrid crew while volunteering in their booth sharing Flipgrid ideas.  And, being an ISTE volunteer offered me the opportunity to interact with hundreds of educators from all over the world.

I am only scratching the surface of my experience in this post.  It was a fantastic learning event and I hope to repeat it again next year at ISTE 2019 in Philadelphia.

End of the Year Activities for Any Class

End of the Year Activities for Any Class

Testing is wrapping up, students have been anxious to be outside as the weather gets warmer, and we are looking to the final days of school… How about some fun activities that engage students in reflection on their year, and help them prepare for summer?

Let the kids teach the class.

Split the class into groups and assign each a specific topic you studied this year. Give them time to go over their topic and invent a good review activity or game, which they lead the class in playing.

Have students write a children’s book.

Have students create a story or create a nonfiction book about what they learned.  Students write the book and then draw the illustrations. 

Host a talk show or “expert” symposium.

Students have expertise they can share with each other:  Hobbies, sports, cultural traditions, etc.  Brainstorm categories with the students, then have them sign up for their expert group.  Then, host days for the panels to share their knowledge or teach a skill to the rest of the class.

Create a class scrapbook.

Let each student make a page. Offer some prompts (My favorite book we read…/The best experiment we did in Science…/One thing I learned about myself this year…) and encourage students to include favorite class memories. Supplement with photos of students, the classroom, or class activities.

Have students write letters to themselves.

Ask your students to write themselves a letter, reviewing the year and making “resolutions” for the next school year. Give them some prompts to write about: one thing they are proud of from this year, one thing they would like to do differently next year, one thing they want to remember, and so on. You can either mail these letters to your students in the middle of the summer so they have a reminder of their goals before the fall.

Ask students to write letters to your future students.

Have your current students write letters of advice for the new students you will teach next year. What advice would they give on how to “survive” or do well in your classroom? What are the hardest parts of the course? Note – if you have any special traditions or “surprise” activities you don’t want students to spoil, make sure to tell them ahead of time.

Invite students to evaluate the course.

For older students, evaluating the course can be valuable on many levels. They may surprise you with their assessments of their own contributions and may have some good suggestions for ways to revise the course. Even better, you’re providing a good model for them, showing everyone can benefit from constructive feedback and all of us have things to learn.

Go outside. 

As the weather warms up, find a way to teach outside. Students can explore nature using math or science skills or write a poem about the weather. Got an activity that is messy or noisy? Doing it on the field is a great way to enjoy spring.

Do some good for the world.

Take this time to get involved with a cause that is meaningful to you or your students:  Students can pick up trash, help clean up the hallways, lockers, and locker rooms, take posters off the walls around the building, assist with cleaning under tables and desks, collect recyclable, volunteer in other classrooms, write letters to government leaders, organize fundraisers, or create pamphlets or flyers addressing a particular issue.  Possibilities are endless.

Have a great end to the school year!  Enjoy those last days with your students and well deserved summer!

The Most Vital Thing at School

This morning, like any other Tuesday this school year, I drove to the Grand Forks Air Force Base to spend my day with the teachers and students of Nathan Twining School.  I have had the privilege of working with this staff this year.  Sure, it’s a bit of a drive from my south Grand Forks home, but I find the drive to and on base enjoyable.  Today, I was greeted at the main gate by a young officer and reflected on my experiences every Tuesday morning.

Every Tuesday, whether it is 40 degrees and sunny or 40 below and windy, an officer comes to my car window and greets me as I enter the Base.  Every Tuesday, I am called Ms. Erickson and told to have a wonderful day.  Every Tuesday, I am wished a “Good Morning”.  Every Tuesday, I am given a heart-warming smile and feel valued.  Every Tuesday, I proceed to school with a smile on my face as well.

This is no accident!  I am given personalized treatment each and every Tuesday.  Everyone who enters the Grand Forks Air Force Base is given the same personalized greeting and time.  It is expected, it is protocol, it is a sign of respect, a polished practice for safety and security.

Consequently, I feel welcome and safe as I drive onto base, for which I am grateful.  Today, I thought about this feeling.  I couldn’t help but think of our students.  Do they feel grateful, safe, greeted by name, valued, or welcome?  Is there a personalized treatment for them and their learning?

All relationships are defined by how we communicate with people, consciously and subconsciously, verbally and non-verbally.  We win or lose relationships with students and colleagues by the way we treat them, intentionally or unintentionally.  I personally feel that the most vital things at school are:  “Relationships.”  My guess is any corporate CEO would echo that same sentiment.

Over the past four months, I have had the privilege to visit some schools that have focused on making the school experience personalized for learners.  The one common thread in all three of these locations has been relationships.  I have been most impressed by teachers that have put personal agendas and doubts aside to create amazing teams focused on student needs.  I am moved by the way they articulate trust and respect for their colleagues and how they treat their students.  It was moving to see how students treat each other and the staff.  The buildings had a tone of mindfulness, respect for others and welcoming.  Much like the tone set at the main gate every Tuesday.

As we explore ways to personalize learning for our students, recognize individuality and uniqueness, encourage young people to follow their hearts and passions and to choose a course of study that empowers and excites them, and move toward thinking innovatively in the way we provide education, let’s not forget at the center of it all are the soft skills and people skills – the relationships.

As we enter our last month of school, let’s set the groundwork for personalized learning and building positive and trusting working relationships for next year.  Take time to make the investment to see what other people do, celebrate their gifts, empathize with their struggles, take a different lens and set your own aside, embrace the big picture and WIN relationships.

What's New in Google Apps

I am always getting brilliant ideas and up to date information from Eric Curts and his blog:  Control Alt Achieve.

In a blog post earlier this month he shared a long list of updates, changes, and new things in G Suite for Education.  I have selected a few to share in my blog post this week that I think directly impact teachers and students I work with.  To see Eric’s complete list, check out his blog.

What's New in Google Apps: 

• Google search on mobile adds "Word Coach" game - Resource Link

• Google launches Song Maker tool in the Chrome Music Lab - Resource Link

• Google Drive's "Shared with Me" section to get update showing common people who have shared with you - Resource Link

• Docs, Sheets, and Slides getting Activity Dashboard to see when files have been viewed - Resource Link

• Google launches "Art Palette" AI tool to find works of art based on colors you choose - Resource Link

• Google launches "LIFE Tags" AI tool to search through 4 million historic photos from LIFE magazine - Resource Link

• Menu and toolbar updates in Google Docs editors - Resource Link

• Google launches "OK Go Sandbox" with educational activities - Resource Link, Resource Link

• Google acquires Tenor to improve searching for GIFs - Resource Link

• Google shutting down goo.gl URL shortening service - Resource Link

My favorites from the above list, all spark a creativity idea for students.  I encourage you to take a look at Song Maker, Art Palette, Life Tags and OK Go Sandbox.  I can imagine endless creation opportunities for students with these.  If you want to collaborate and try these together, please let me know!

Flipping for Flipgrid!

Flipgrid is a fantastic video response platform where educators can have online video discussions with students or other educators. Teachers can provide feedback to students and students can provide feedback to one another.  All responses are collected and displayed in a grid format.

Flipgrid One (free) provides you with one Grid to create and engage a social learning community in your classroom. Add unlimited discussion Topics and receive unlimited student videos.

Flipgrid Classroom ($65/year) supercharges discussions across all of your classrooms and communities with unlimited Grids and advanced features like student Reply-to-Response videos, individualized video feedback, custom assessment rubrics, Grid CoPilots, and much more!

My first few experiences with Flipgrid were with professional learning in the fall.  During teacher training in the fall, we had new teachers and experienced teachers reflect on learning and share idea digitally.  I also have assisted classroom teachers in the implementation of Flipgrid, and continue to discover new and creative ways to integrate it.  I continue to learn more about Flipgrid and have become a Flipgrid Certified Educator.

It really IS as easy as 1-2-3!  I’d happy to help you discover this interactive tool!

Create a Grid, then create your topic, and then share the link with your class.

Students record their video (Flipgrid can be used on ANY device)

You and your students reply to one another and take the discussions further.

How can you use the Flipgrid with your class?

Here are 15 ideas for using this video platform in your classroom.

1.  Reading response:  After your class reads an article, chapter or book have them respond to a question about their reading. Take the conversation further by using a student response to “Spark” another conversation.

2. End of the course reflections:  What better way to say goodbye than to have your students record a video reflecting on their learning over the course of your class?

3. Advice to next year’s class.  How cool is it to have a Flipgrid of advice videos from your current students to show next year’s class?

4. Debate a topic!

5. Show what you know! Choice and voice are so important for getting students to share their knowledge with us. Let them share knowledge on Flipgrid.

6. Reflect on a lesson or unit. Seems simple but having your students reflect on a lesson is great feedback for us as teachers. How did it go? What changes would you make? What was your favorite part? Take a look at their responses for planning next year.

7. Book talk challenge. Have your students share about their favorite book in 30 seconds or less.

8. Exit tickets:  Post the question “What did you learn today?” or “What did you create today?”  You can also drill down to a specific skill or piece of understanding.

9. Have students explain their thinking and critique the reasoning of others as they work through a math problem.

10. Brainstorming for their Genius Hour, Passion Project, or 20% time work.

11. Complements for classmates.  Have students create a video that complements or praises a classmate.

12. Reboot your standard biography report and have students dress up as the person they are researching and record short presentation video.

13. Welcome back to school Flipgrid style. Have all staff record a welcome back message for your students at the beginning of the year.

14. Video thank you or appreciation messages.  These can be sent to anyone for a unique recognition.

15. Finally, Appsmash!  Partner Flipgrid with other amazing Apps!  Check out this Webinar Video:  Appsmashing 

If you haven't tried Flipgrid yet, I encourage you to do so soon!

Resources:

https://resources.flipgrid.com/

https://info.flipgrid.com/

 https://static1.squarespace.com/static/59887cb1ebbd1aa4144128da/t/59cc075c80bd5ed9e272ed92/1506543456407/Flipgrid+eBook.pdf

Google Expeditions and Discovery Education Mash-up

You look outside the classroom window and see yet another in a long string of snowy and windy days.  Inside the classroom, students are learning about the landforms of the United States.  The classroom next door is discussing the World War II.  Just down the hall, students are reading the novel “The Book Thief” in literature class.  In the science room the students are exploring the objects of our solar system and in math, they are learning about Geometry and three-dimensional shapes.  What background knowledge do students have about these things, how do our New American’s get a mental image of what is being discussed and how can we bring a highly engaging experience about these curriculum and content areas to the students?

We know that students will retain 90% of what they experience and see…. So, it must be time for a field trip!  No money for buses, planes, or admission fees?  How will we get our students in Grand Forks to the International Space Station, Germany, Egypt, or Pearl Harbor?  Even if money were no option we wouldn’t have time for this travel?

I have a solution!  Open the Windows to the World!  Every day is a beautiful day to take a virtual field trip.  With Google Expeditions I engage students in a virtual reality without having to leave the classroom.  I have seen first hand the impact a Google Expedition Trip can have on learners.  These are amazing tools that can be easily integrated into all content areas, at all grade levels.

Virtual reality in education is so beneficial because it engages students in a completely new way that emerges them in the learning experience.  Because students are so engaged in what they are seeing; are interacting and critically thinking about what they are learning; they retain the information and content.  These devices act a bridge for students that have fewer life experiences, have language barriers, and academic challenges, by building background knowledge needed or new learning.

Because of the Grand Forks Foundation for Education, I have been lucky enough to have access to these devices for several weeks during the school year.  They are making a positive impact in the classrooms across our district.

By partnering with classroom teachers, I can bring students to the bottom of the ocean or the depths of the solar system.  The level of the content provided by these devices is high quality because Google Expeditions partners with amazing organizations, a few are: Royal Collection Trust, Wildlife Conservation Society, World Wildlife Federation, and American Museum of Natural History.

Recently, I had the opportunity to plan a wonderful comprehensive lesson for eighth grade English.  We are taking a tour of the 9/11 memorial using the Google Expeditions.  As part of this tour, students will visit other memorials via video clips found on Discovery Education Streaming, read an article about the 9/11 memorial, use the AEIOU strategy to reflect and record during the tour and finally create their own memorial for a historic place or person.  

I love that I can pull resources from multiple sources to make a well-rounded meaningful learning event and project for all students while supporting the content area standards and incorporating 21st Century Skills as well and student voice and choice.

Here is a link to the lesson and supporting materials:  Persuasive Writing Project

Your One Word

Your One Word

What’s with the buzz you see on social media regarding the “one word for the year”?  Well, it stems from book published in 2012 by Jon Gordon and Jimmy Page.  The book is title:  One Word that Will Change Your Life.  I read this book four years ago and it has helped me focus or prioritize.  For me, this hasn’t eliminated goals, but has given me a focus that brings all my goals and roles together with one common idea.

The authors decided that a better way to become their best and live a life of impact was to find one word that would be their driving force for the year instead of creating goals.

A Word that creates clarity, power, passion and life-change.  The authors believe that there is a word meant for you and when you find it, live it, and share it, your life will become more rewarding and exciting than ever.

If you are a person that would like to have a word as your focus for the year, you can start the process at any time. Grab the book, read it and get started!  There are many resources out there to support you.

So, you’ve read the book!  Now what? 

If you’re like me, maybe a word has already risen to the surface for 2018. Or perhaps, you have a list of possibilities but aren’t sure which to choose. Maybe you’re struggling with where to begin or you might not have even thought about it at all yet. 

Wherever you are in the process of finding your One Word, here a few things to consider when finding your word:

Focus on a state of being, not what you are doing.
Your One Word isn’t a reminder of what you “should be doing”. It should inspire how you want to live. Choose a word that will help you become what you want to become.

Be authentic.
Don’t pick a word that sounds good. The word should be a reflection of you personally and resonates with you on a deep level.

Don’t over think it.
It’s simply about identifying the word that keeps coming back to nag at your heart. It should be a word that you see, hear, and recognize the most in your daily life.Make a list of words that come to your mind or appeal to your goals and vision. It can include nouns like peace or joy), adjectives (brave or creative), or verbs (like pause or prepare.

Take some time to look the words up in the dictionary, thesaurus, inspirational quotes, or google them. Look into the meanings and start to remove words that no longer speak to you. Give yourself time to mull over your short list.

Then, take a deep breath and commit.  There’s no right or wrong answers – just follow your heart.

This brings me to my word…. Commitment.  As 2018 dawns, I see that I have dedicated myself to causes and people that I feel passionate about.  I have always been committed to my family, faith and job. But, 2018 brings bigger commitments to causes close to my heart, new committee, professional organizations, appointments, and supporting friends taking on new and exciting adventures.  I am passionate about al the new things that 2018 will bring, and have made a commitment to help others and myself accomplish some goals and amazing things!