Musings of a Frustrated Educator

This picture pretty sums up my world the last few months. I have been pretty frustrated with my career. 

Not my students, mind you. I have amazing students! They work hard, they make me laugh, it is a joy to come to school and teach them.

It IS NOT my students. 

It's crazy....this edtech world. I started connecting with other passionate educators around 2008 or 2009. That exploded in 2011 with earning my SMART Exemplary Educator, my Google Certified Teacher (now Certified Innovator), Twitter, presenting at conferences etc. Through these endeavors, I have connected and made friends with some AMAZING educators. Many I talk daily with! I am truly fortunate to know these individuals and call them friends. The push me and help me become better.

And I am better. I am a MUCH better teacher and educator than I was last year. I am leaps and bounds better than I was before edtech became a "thing."

I feel stagnate. Stuck. 

I am teaching a new class this year. Project Lead the Way's Automation and Robotics and that is SUPER fun. But my issues aren't with the lack excitement of doing something new in teaching. I feel as if I am doing something new daily as I have new curriculum, new students, new time frame, and a desire to do something special with it all.

I feel like at this point, I should be beyond teaching. Most of my close educator friends I have known since the beginning of my PLN have moved upward or beyond the classroom. Now, I am not trying to compare myself to them-they are AMAZING and AWESOME in their own right. I just know I am capable of awesome outside the classroom.

And it isn't without me trying to branch out. I have. 

I applied for two separate edtech positions- one in my own district and one at the county level. 

One, maybe I was suited, but like many other positions, there is someone better. I know the individual and couldn't be happier for him or her! The other, however, I received one letter/email saying "Thank you for reaching beyond your expertise." Ummmm what?? I had been giving teacher professional development integrating technology for years for my district and around California at this point. 

Since then, I still give professional development, but more and more around California and closer to home. Plus, the addition of two little ones at home keep me home more often-gladly, of course!

But now what? I have thought about moving districts, perhaps finding a TOSA position, or perhaps earning my Administration Credential so that I can go into curriculum. 

Again, it absolutely isn't who I teach or necessarily what I teach (although, that is another blog post), but where I am professionally.  I think with all the changes with my position, new curriculum and a shorter amount of time to do what I know in my heart my students need....has pushed me over the edge and looking outward and beyond my walls and site. I am drained more and more each day and I am trying to find a way to release the stress and pressure.

Perhaps all I need is to recharge. Reconnect with my fellow educators and find the light. I always feel more inspired and ready to try something new when I get a true pedagogy conversation going. 

I honestly don't know. 

I have been chatting with my husband about it all and he has been nothing but supportive. I am so thankful. 

I am thankful for my hubby, my kids, and my students I teach day in and day out. They truly do make me smile and my students are the ones who push me to pull the best out of them.

And for now, that's enough.

Fitting it all in....

The new school year is upon us and off and running! I can hardly believe that we are already in the new year!

This year, thankfully, I am able to ease up on the new curriculum and do what I know is best for students. This is and was AMAZING news! Last year my department was given new curriculum and told to follow pretty closely....I am thankful we have been given some leeway. More about that struggle here. 

Although I get to bring back some #eduawesome stuff, I still am lacking the amount of time I have had just two years ago. So I feel as though I am back to the drawing board, AGAIN. How do I teach all I need to in just fifty-five minutes when I used to have eighty-eight?

Our new curriculum is missing grammar and writing. I tried to supplement last year as much as I can. It's difficult as English is one subject, and then literature is another; that is how I used to break down my block periods. Now I have to find a way to bring in the grammar and writing throughout the readings. That shouldn't be difficult, and yet it very much is.

I feel that my seventh graders (and looking at the dismal scores I just received) need a healthy dose of grammar and sentence structure. Doing grammar here and there when needed last year didn't work. Students, although they have had grammar throughout elementary school, don't always remember the rules or even what the parts of speech are. I use and LOVE 8 p*ARTS from Jon Corripo and Cheryl Morris, but once a week isn't cutting it. Plus, if a lesson runs over or the class needs more time on something, the first thing that is moved is grammar.


So how do I do it?

I had to reach out to my AMAZING PLN on Voxer.

I seriously love the ELA peeps on our Flipped Learning Voxer group. They are always inspiring, passionate, wonderful listeners, and full of perfect suggestions and advice. Without them and all of my PLN, I would be lost. They told me what I already knew.


As I am still struggling with fitting it all in. I had to ask my Voxer group "How do I fit grammar, writing, reading, research, listening and speaking all in one period?!"

They said:

You don't.

They are right. I don't. I put things together. Cover topics in multitudes. And perhaps the most important, I do what is BEST for my students.

But as we have entered 2018, I am STILL feeling stuck.

I am still struggling. 

It feels as if I am a brand new teacher all over again. I second guess myself, my lessons, and what I should do next. I keep thinking back to my incredibly low scores from this past year. I NEVER stress about scores! They are a moment in a student's life! But this year, they have crept into my brain, returning over and over stressing me out. They are a part of me know.

Ugh.

In moments like these, I am thankful that I can reach out. That I can talk to other educators that lift me up. Those that remind me that I can do this. That I have before and I will again. 

It's moments like these, that I know I will make it. Sure, it's difficult and I have been down on myself, but colleagues near and far are here helping me along. I have students that make me smile daily. And it is all my students, who remind me why I am here. For them.

Mission: Mars

Mission: Mars. 

This idea all began with the curriculum I am not fond of. However, there was a speech by John F. Kennedy. His speech "Remarks at the Dedication of the Aerospace Medical Health Center". A wonderful speech to introduce the Space Race.

Blank Space

Student Work

To spark students interest and curiosity, I created (last minute, sadly) a SMART amp workspace. I love SMART amp as it is an easy and fun way for students to collaborate in real time on any device. I typically give a mission, assign groups, and students explore, research, and share what they discover. They can use the chat feature (if you want a quiet room) or work together side-by-side. SMART amp is also amazing for collaborating with classes from across the state, country, and world! 

After students understood what the Space Race was all about, we then proceeded to read JFK's speech. We read it a couple of times. The first to truly hear his words. The second to disect his speech and the third to break down JFK's argument. As any educator knows, one can't simply read JFK's speech. One must experience his passion by listening to it. So the next day, that's what we did. We listened to his last speech given. Students picked up upon his passion and how important his mission to the moon truly was. They perfered JFK's reading to mine. First time for everything! 

After listening to JFK and researching, discussing, and sharing the Space Race and what it's done for the United States and where NASA has done today, I took the students of the Duck Pond to Mars. Using Google Expeditions of course! Students were in awe of Mars and what it really looks like. We looked at the rover, Curiosity, and the images it captured. And since students had done their research, they knew what they saw was back in 1997.

Then, crazily enough, President Trump signed "the NASA Transition Authorization Act of 2017, which sets a $19.5 billion budget for the agency for fiscal year 2017" (Space.com) with the mission to get Americans to Mars by 2030. This was amazing news and fit perfectly with our next task:  argumentative writing. 

Students read and researched the pros and cons of people being allowed to own property in space. We discussed as a class, held a debate, looked at resources I gave, as well as ones students discovered. It was so cool to hear the passion behind their arguments!

To finish our space unit, I found a Sphero Mars Rover lesson on Sphero's Lightening Lab. After all the talk about getting to Mars, well NASA, of course, needs a new rover! I set up the parameters using Prezi and discussed the Engineering Design Process, shared a Google Slides template for students, and let them go! 

It was amazing to see student's creative process. Most students started driving the Spheros to get the hang of the robots. Then each group tested Sphero in the Mars Simulation Area. Because Sphero is a, well, sphere, it does not travel well in sand. So what would they do? 

Most went straight into the building process. I can't blame them. Building and creating is the best part! Students came up with some pretty interesting ideas. From paper, rubber bands, rolls to wrap the Sphero in, and so much more to aid our Spheros in Mars. At the end of the project, I assigned a reflection where most students mentioned that they should have done more research about the best ways to move across the sand and rocky areas. 

Overall, Sphero Rovers were a HUGE success! Students would have liked more time, but liked the process and use of the robots. 

I can't wait to improve upon this unit and expand our use of Spheros in the classroom. 

Student project 

Student project 2

Student project 3

Five: A Survey

I love being a connected educator. I love to read, connect, share, question and grow as a learner.

As I was learning, I came across a blog post from Mari Venturino. She wrote about reflection and simply looking at our goals and dreams. Her challenge to the masses was a Five: A Blog Survey.

Below are my "Five" and the categories came from Mari.

Five Places I’m Dying To Visit 

- ISTE! One day, one day I will get there and share and learn so much!

- England-I had a pen pal growing up from England and I have always wanted to go

-Japan- I am seriously dying to see their Cherry Blossom Festival. In my ELA class, we read a book set in Japan and it brings in the history, culture, and mystic of Japan. I want to see it myself. 

- Peru- My husband and I had a trip to Peru all lined up....then we discovered we were pregnant. We will try to get there soon!

-Elvis Prestly's house- yes, this may be a strange one in the mists of all the others; however, I have a bucket list my mom had and this was on it. I would LOVE to fulfull this for her.

Five Tasks I Do Every Day

- Teach! Whether it's my students or kids, I am always teaching something. 

- Show that I care, through words, hugs, texts, and other affections. 

- Text, tweet, or vox with my best teacher friends. This technology has pushed me to be a better educator and I am lucky to have such a wonderful PLN. 

- Play and laugh with my family. Time is every fleeting and I try to take the time to BE with my kids and hubby. 

- Relax. I have to take a little time for me. This may include reading, having tea, hanging with my husband, or heading to bed early! 

Five Talents I Wish I Had

- Cleaning: We have two littles, two and nine months. There is NO time for cleaning. NONE. Nope. No. No way. No how. (my hubby spoils me with a cleaning service!)

- Patience: I have a TON of patience for my students and classes. I wish I could transfer more of that to my kids and husband. It's almost like my classes suck all my patience I have.

-Cooking: My husband is an AMAZING cook. Even when it seems we have little to nothing in the fridge or freezer, he can create the most delicious dishes. Sadly, I do most of the cooking and not as creative or good as he.

-Photography: I LOVE taking pictures. LOVE it. I sometimes secretly wish I had a side job as a photographer. I have taken a handful of photography classes and wish to take more. If only there was time!

-Writer: I teach English. I write a journal and a blog. I wish I was simply better at it. I wish I had ideas to write a novel or educational handbook or something. I love to write and reflect, I just wish I could fill the pages that would help, inspire, and/or entertain. 

Five Leaders I Wish I Could Work With

- Jon Corippo: This man does it all! I remember the first time I met him (Fall CUE, 2012) and I was wowed! WOWED! He pushes me to be better for my students and for me! 

- Rafranz Davis: Rafranz is the epitome of learning, teaching and mentoring. I learn so much from her every single day! Her blog is a plethora of knowledge that I always let sink in and move/change me. I am lucky to call her friend!

- Dave Burgess: I love Teach Like a Pirate and all the other books from Dave Burgess Consulting. His book saved me at a time I truly thought about leaving education. I recently had the opportunity to hear him speak and then meet him! IT. WAS. AWESOME! He even remembered me from Twitter (WOW!). If I could work along side him....I would definitely pay for a ticket for that!

- Cheryl Morris: Cheryl is AH-MAZING! She does puppets, flipped learning, she does it all! And with such style! I am so grateful for her and teaching me so much about flipped learning and teaching in general.

- Doug Robertson: He is the weird teacher. I am too! If I had the opportunity to work with him....oh the damage, I mean fun we could have! OH! And the learning that would take place! Me and the students!

There are SO many others!! SO many out there that truly inspire me!

Five Twitter Hashtags I Love

- #CaEdChat: Educators across California that come together to share, discuss, and uplift one another. Sunday nights

-#Flipclass: Home of the flipped classroom. Join our weekly chat about techniques, trials, successes, and more!

-#Tlap: I love Teach Like a Pirate. It saved me and my career at my lowest. When I need a fast paced, super inspiring chat, I head to #Tlap

-#GeniusHour: Genius Hour changed my classroom, so when I discovered there was Genius Hour chat....SOLD!!

- #edtechteam (formerly #gafesummit): Like most teachers, I LOVE Google and GAFE! This chat brings it all home.

Five Blogs 

- My Paperless Classroom- Sam Patterson

- Edutopia

- CUE Blog 

- The Tech Savvy Educator

- Rafranz Davis

Five Phrases I Have On Repeat

- FAIL= First. Attempt. In. Learning

- When you love, you take your chances of being hated by speaking the truth.

- "Some pursue happiness, others create it." Unknown

- If you don't like something, change it. If you can't change it, change your attitude." Maya Angelou

- "You can't go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending...

Five Things I Always Have in the Fridge/Freezer

- Creamer- I need it.  Coffee. Enough said.

- Milk

- Steak-we are a meat eating family

- Fruit

- Tortillas-TACO TUESDAYS!

Five Books On My To-Be-Read List

-Play Like a Pirate- Quinn Rollins

-The Innovator's Mindset- George Couros

-Creative Schools: The Grassroots Revolution that's Transforming Education- Ken Robinson

-Kids Deserve it!-Todd Nesloney, Adam Welcome

-Launch Using Design Thinking to Boost Creativity and bring out the Maker in every Student-  John Spencer


Writing this "Five" was pretty fun and insightful. Reminds me that I need to take the time for me to do the things I love and spend more time with those I love and inspire me. 

I encourage you to write your five!

The EduAwesomeness of Teachers

I came into the world of #Edtech in 2011. Of course, I had been using technology with my students for a few years before that, but 2011 was when I discover Twitter for educators. As many of you know, this opened a whole new world of awesome! 

I discovered that there were passionate people out there who felt as I felt about education, technology, and bring students to the center of learning. Seeing, connecting, and sharing with those like-minded moved me to my core. In fact, I became slightly obsessed with Twitter. So much so, my husband had to remind me that he was sitting next to me! 

Twitter was only the beginning. Being connected opened my eyes to exciting conferences, new opportunities, and pushed me to continually be updated on education and its trends. Now I write, share, connect, try things, fail often, seek the passions of my students, bring students to the center of their learning, and model my love of learning.

So what brought me to connect with other passionate educators? 

Simple. We all hold similar traits. These traits bring us together, cause us to advocate for our students, and push us to continue learning, growing, and take risks in our classrooms.

Collaborative

Being collaborative is what brings us, educators, together. We want to discuss, share, debate, learn, and connect. We have a need to share, gather, and discover new ideas. We want input on our lessons, classrooms, and overall design. We have a need to present those ideas at conferences, workshops, platforms big and small. We collaborate to help; to help our colleagues and our students. We are connected!!

Student Centered

Gone are the days of direct instruction. I am not saying there isn't a time and place for such, but when you have learning student-centered, students learn so much more! We know that learning takes place better when students lead. Technology has made it so that the teacher is no longer the keeper of knowledge. Students can now lead the path, research and share in discussions, and able to find solutions to issues that arise.

Risk Takers

Teachers aren't always viewed as risk takers, but there are many of us who push the limits and ask forgiveness later. We do what we need to reach our students; to do what's best for our students. We buck the system, not because we are disrupting maveriks. We buck the system because we know better is out there. We know we need to bring xyz to our students. We need to bring the curriculum to life. We need to enhance the curriculum. We need to expose students to the world and bring learning true to life. We attempt things that may or may not work. We celebrate those failures and learn from them. And when learning is successful, we rejoice in its triumph. 

Adaptive

All teachers are adaptive But what makes Edtech teachers truly adaptive is that we will not be pigeon held. We are pirates, mavericks, and as mentioned, risk takers. We take the curriculum we are given and add, subtract, teach and reteach in ways that our students need. No one class is the same. No one lesson is ever taught the same. We add videos, projects, links, act out scenes, sing, laugh, play games, etc as needed to reach our students. Every day, every period is a new adventure. And you know what? We RELISH and LOVE it. 

Life-Long Learner

This seems obvious, but I know many teachers that do not continue to learn and grow their craft. They are given curriculum and carry on. The teachers that are life-long learners are the ones leading EdTech. We want to continue to learn and bring those ideas to the masses, students included! We take pride in learning about our content area; new technologies; in how other schools, states, and countries learn. We dive into learning about improving teaching strategies, integration, technologies, even what is "cool" in the world of our students to draw them in. We LOVE learning. We LOVE discovering new ideas and diving further into new ideas. Learning. Never. Stops.

If you do each of these things, GREAT! I am sure a great many of you are! 

If you're not, there is great news! YOU CAN BE! There is plenty of time to learn, share, and grow in this profession of ours! Education is not stagnant nor should educators be. Let's join together, learn together, grow together. After all, we are in this together. 

Making the World Smaller with SMART amp

Teaching is my passion. I love it! I love changing things up, trying new techniques out, seeing my students faces light up when they ENJOY learning or get a new concept. I love teaching!

So lost with out my students!

As of this moment, I am off on family leave and missing my students terribly! So when I can (and I do often!) I check in with my students through technology. 

One of my favorite ways is with SMART amp. SMART amp is SMART Technologies internet based, interactive program for people to work and learn together. Think of it as a BIG room where we can play. SMART gives so many tools within amp that students (children or adults) don't have to leave the space. It's all within the space, including a chat feature, YouTube, links, assessment, graphics, and so much more.

But I think the best part is the collaboration amp automatically lends itself to. Within amp you have to collaborate. There is no way around it. Students must work together to complete their task. Plus, with the sharing feature, amp spaces are even easier to share between students in your class and beyond.   

With SMART amp I am able to check in and chat with students from home, as are my students, which they do and LOVE! Plus, the first time I check in with my students, it freaks them out! Even though I tell them I can see everything, they forget I can and am a part of their amp team and can collaborate with them. Which also reminds them to stay on task. Double win!

Anne Frank and Diversity SMART amp space

In addition to "checking in" with my students, the use of SMART amp makes the world smaller and more accessible. Students in small town Oakdale are not always able to travel to far off lands. Sure, we have the internet and Google to check things out. But those cannot replace conversations and interactions with the people who live in those far off places. This year teaching eighth grade, I was finally able to teach Anne Frank. I have always loved WWII history, and Anne Frank is no exception. And through the magic that is the SMART Exemplary Educator Program and the SEE Summit, I just happened to have a friend who lives in the Netherlands, Boris Berlijn! With his and his students help, our students were able to collaborate through SMART amp and learn about each other's culture, the diversity within each culture, and how diversity in 1943 affects life now. 

Boris's Culture SMART amp space

And now, my students are helping Boris's students with culture in Oakdale and the US! Truly, learning at its finest when collaboration happens! Even better when worlds collide and we feel connected. Learning at its most powerful!

In the end, being connected to other people truly brings us together. Brings us closer to each other, and to our learning. My students learned so much more because there are tools out there to bridge the gap and connect people. We are better together and SMART amp has done just that. Brought us together to be better learners, more understanding, more compassionate, and excited about connecting.

Teach Small = BIG Rewards

Next week, like many educators, I begin the journey to a new year. I am prepping new lessons for a new class I have never taught and revamping curriculum for my regular classes. Doing this, for me, always brings a grand reflection of the past year. And this past year was incredibly special.It was my first year going 1:1 with Chromebooks, using GAFE through our school domain, and revamping myself and my teaching.

Plus, I became a mom. Becoming a mom through adoption has been quite the journey, and it was one I shared with my students. 

Each of these BIG things that was happening in the classroom included many small teachable moments. It is these small moments that make the biggest impact on learning and, more importantly, my students.

When you hear "teaching small," you may think of small lessons, or less impactful ones. I did, too. However, think about how the small moments truly make up your classroom. The small moments are the ones that last and create memories that are not soon forgotten.

Each year, I have my students create a sort of yearbook for me. Each student gets to create pages on themselves and their year in the Duck Pond. They don’t write about lessons in grammar or even using Chromebooks each day. They write about those moments that mattered to them. The moments that made them laugh or say "Awwww" or "Did that just happen?" 

One of my favorite #teachsmall moments happened when we were reviewing conjunctions and I mentioned the "big ol' but," which always gets a laugh. Then, when students were practicing identifying and using conjunctions, one student, Maddie, stood up and yelled “BUT” when she saw the word on the screen! Everyone passed that review and giggled or yelled "but" all year whenever they stumbled upon the word.

Another moment was the first time I did a picture walk for Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry. This novel is already powerful enough, but in a small town in California, many of my students didn't realize that prejudice and racism still existed, so we took the time to study prejudice in history and the present day. Before we even mentioned the novel, students took out sticky notes and checked out five different posters about the culture of 1934. The posters had quotes and pictures depicting the nation, the world, the cost of living, and how people lived. Because most of my students had never encountered such hate, their minds ran with thoughts and questions that they jotted down and posted. Discussions like these are so valuable and memorable, and they open students' minds to how they treat one other.

Finally, each year I get to teach one of my own favorite subjects, the Titanic. We dive into the personal stories of those who were on the ship, and each student takes on a persona of an actual Titanic passenger. Students love to hear "their" names come up in texts, videos, and research. This year, I added a little "STEAM" to the unit. We took a Titanic walk to get a true feel of the length and size of the great ship by counting the steps we took. Then, in the process of each student's research and discovery of their person, they had the opportunity to design and build their own "unsinkable ship." We weighed each ship to see if it would float and tested which could hold the most marbles. We even checked out the MythBusters episode on Jack and Rose from the movie. 

Which leads us, of course, to the movie. What is a Titanic unit without the Titanic movie?! Watching the movie is great because many students haven't seen it, but more importantly, they could point out the movie's flaws and shortcomings. All this is fun, but what makes it memorable to me is how students go beyond the learning in class and discover cool tidbits about the Titanic and her people.

In each of these moments, it wasn't the lesson or the text or even the technology that mattered. What mattered were the connections I made with students and the connections students made to the content. I could have the best lesson, material, or most awesome technology, and none of that would matter if my students or I didn't care.

Students need to know that you care: about them, about learning, about what is going on in the classroom. And I do care about my students, about their sports games, videos, pets, siblings, friends, and hobbies. And they care about me. This past year, each time my phone would ring, my students held their breaths hoping it was the call for our baby. The moment the call did come in...I don't think there was a dry eye in the room!

When we connect, we can learn. It is these #teachsmall moments that matter the most. Learning doesn't come from a textbook; learning happens in the the small moments.

For even more #teachsmall moments, check out Remind HQ's site here.

Starting Off on the Right Foot: Success in the Classroom

Back-to-School
All around the country, school is beginning for students and educators. We are buying supplies, prepping classrooms, and gearing up for a great year. 

Teachers plan and plan for the first day. Over the years, my first day activities have evolved to less talking, more student action.

The Early Years
When I first began teaching, the first day of school was my day of talk. A day the focused solely on me, who I am, my class expectations, and more. It wasn't until day two that I would ask about my students. 

This, of course, was boring. It told my students that this class was boring. That I was boring. I am anything, but boring! Beginning the first couple days on paperwork and procedures was not setting up my students or my class for success. It didn't show how much I care about them. And it certainly didn't showcase what our learning environment was about: THEM. 

Now
Since connecting to other teachers through Twitter, I have changed my stance on the first days of school. The first days of school need to be about welcoming students. Teachers need to make students feel safe and cared for. We need to be creating a community of students and staff. 

How did I begin?

I first read Teach Like a Pirate (TLAP). This was a needed read for me at the time of test scores, an implementation of Common Core, and feeling lost and redundant at my site. This book reminded me of the kind of teacher I wanted to be and what my students needed. So, I changed how I started school. I began with a QR code scavenger hunt for my seventh graders to get to know the campus and to learn how to work in teams. Secondly, I did the TLAP Island Activity. This, of course, intrigued my students, but elicited conversations and dynamics between students that helped me learn who they were. I still do these activities today. Read more about it here.

OJHS found in nature!

This year, I have a class of eighth graders. I can't do the same things! Thus, I created an Instagram Challenge. I don't think I've seen students so excited! Doing this challenge inspired me to continue using technology that students are already using and to make it interesting to students. I got to learn so much about who they are through the pictures they took and the comments they shared. Feedback from my students were so positive that I will have to create more.

In addition to these activities, I am pushing back starting curriculum an entire week so that I can do what Jon Corippo calls "Smart Start". For students to achieve academically, they need a place that is truly caring and welcoming. This is where Smart Start begins. In both my seventh and eighth grade classes, we (yes, including me!) are doing a series of activities to A. Get to know each other, and B. Use and get to know the technologies, including SMART amp, that we will be using throughout the year. Win win! Students have the opportunity to be creative through different technologies and to get to know one another through different topics given. It's fun, fast paced, and builds a caring community.

What I have learned
I have learned so much through my many years of teaching and being a connected educator. One of the best is tossing the traditional talk and paperwork start of the school year. Students need connections. They need it and crave it. 

By cultivating those connections and a safe environment, students will not be afraid to fail, make mistakes, and thus learn even more. Students will give you all they can and succeed because YOU believe they can. It's those little things that make a HUGE difference.

Just remember: 

Be that teacher.

A SEE of Collaboration:A SMART Summit Reflection

The SMART Exemplary Educator (SEE) Summit 2014- what a whirlwind of awesome! 

The SEE Summit is one of the BEST professional development events I have ever had the privilege of being selected to participate in. You are surrounded by like-minded individuals who are passionate about teaching, technology, collaboration, and growing as professionals. 

It all started with the trip to the airport with the lovely Amanda Hensley. Amanda is a fellow teacher in my district. She has been at the forefront of SMART use and was an unbelievable candidate for the SEE Summit. Amanda's video application helped propel her to a week in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. WHOOO!

Luckily for Amanda and me, we got to travel together. From Sacramento, with a short layover in Seattle, we made it to Calgary about 630PM. Our first scheduled event was at 7PM. As we arrived in Calgary, we were greeted by some of my favorite SMARTees, Renee Fruge, Diane Reid, and Jennifer Uhl. The fun was about to begin! We talked non-stop to Hotel Alma, checked in, and headed to the welcome reception. 

My chatting with old & new friends was described like this!

The lovely Deena had already given her "welcome" speech, and fellow SEEs and SMARTians were getting dinner. It was like a reunion when I went into the main dinning hall. There were SO many friends from Summit's past and friends online I finally got to meet face-to-face. I had to go table to table to see everyone. The room was truly filled with love, excitement, and awe. Not to mention seventy-eight educators from seventeen countries! This vibe in the room truly set the tone for the week of learning and collaboration ahead. 

The week's worth of learning and collaboration theme was "It takes a teacher...." As noble as this theme is, I really think the true theme of the week was "Collaboration=Better". 

Monday: It takes a teacher to start an education revolution

Monday welcomed us with an introduction to the newest SMART software - SMART Amp, explore a fully digital “classroom of the future” that included several different models of SMART Boards and the SMART table, and we were given advanced training on SMART Notebook. Software developers (called SMARTians) met with us to discuss what we liked/didn’t like about their programs.  They were fully vested in hearing what we had to say and were so appreciative and grateful to us for our feedback!  It was refreshing and is a perfect example of why we love SMART so much - they truly care about educators and students. How many companies truly listen and take to heart the voices of those who use their products?

Tuesday: It takes a teacher to inspire amazing

Thirteen of the “SMARTees” met in small focus groups with one-on-one with SMART software developers to create new feature requests in SMART Notebook and SMART Amp. They are now forever known as "The Hackathon". The amazing thing is that the software developers listened and created within forty-eight hours! Together, they created over twenty different ideas that may come into fruition in the next software updates. Fingers crossed for my favorites!!

The rest of us participated in Amp Camp - in depth training and time to actually use amp to create projects that could be used in our classroom. Truth be told, I didn't apply to be in the Hackathon because I didn't like Amp as I had understood it's use in my own classroom. I don't like not liking a SMART product, so I definitely wanted to see and learn more. You can hear more of my thoughts here. Amanda and I were lucky enough to work with fellow English language arts teachers to create a full on collaborative lesson within SMART Amp to implement and try next year! Collaboration at its best as we are “Better together”.

Wednesday: It takes a teacher to grow global understanding

The entire SMART software development team met with all seventy-eight of us to ask AND answer questions - two way dialogue to help us ALL become better, together!

The changing world is moving toward global collaboration, and we as teachers have a responsibility to prepare our students for their place in it.  Several teachers shared how they collaborated with classrooms around the world last year and had their students use SMART software to communicate and collaborate in real time - sharing learning and experiences across the globe! We were all given the tools and encouraged to set up a plan with international teachers for global collaboration for the upcoming school year.  We are excited about our plan to partner with classes in Scotland, Texas, and Canada later this year.

Thursday: It takes a teacher to share wisdom

We met in small focus groups with various SMART product development teams to provide feedback on our experiences as teachers with their products.  Again, SMART truly listened to our feedback to truly influence what they do and the future of their work and products. Again, how many other companies do you know, actually take the time to do that?

In the afternoon, the entire staff of SMART surprised us with a reception to thank and honor us for being there and working with their company. We were surrounded by “SMARTians” giving a standing ovation to us, the educators.  It was incredibly overwhelming and honoring to be appreciated like that.  I cried like I baby. I truly couldn't believe that this company, then the entirety of SMART Technologies came out to give us teachers a standing ovation. We were given gifts from SMART as well as the  traditional white cowboy hat, making us “Honorary Calgarians” and a year’s trial of SMART Amp. A truly humbling and unforgettable experience.

What better way to celebrate?! A Thursday night SEE Appreciation Dinner - an 80’s themed murder-mystery dinner held at the historic Fort Calgary.  It was a fun time to relax and enjoy our new friendships, and run around historic Fort Calgary.....all decked out in our best 80’s garb, of course!

Friday: It takes a teacher to move mountains for students

As a final hurrah, we spent the day sight-seeing  as a group in the beautiful mountains outside of Calgary!  First, we went to the gorgeous glacier-fed Lake Louise, had lunch at the historic Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel, then wrapped up the day sightseeing and shopping in the quaint mountain town of Banff. It was a perfect and  beautiful end to the week - friendships were cemented and lifelong- memories were made.

My Final Take aways:

The joy of a conference is not simply the material learned, it is the connections made. Connections with other like minded and passionate educators who challenge themselves, continue learning and growing, and doing all they can to improve their teaching to inspire a classroom of eager students within their four walls or globally.

SEE Sumiit 2014