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.

Engaging Students in Digital Learning-TeacherCast

When you get the call to chat with Jeff Bradbury, you take the call. 

I was fortunate enough to be contacted by Sarah Richards of SMART Technologies, Shane Jordan from Spark, and Jeff Bradbury of TeacherCast to talk about the digital learning my students are doing in the Duckpond. 

Needless to say, I was honored. Like many educators, I am a subscriber and listen faithfully to TeacherCast. This was going to be...

As a SMART Exemplary Educator, I had the opportunity to see and use SMART amp before the masses. To tell you the truth, I didn't get it. I DIDN'T GET IT! I saw SMARTamp for the math classroom, the science classroom as they are more "hands-on" with problems, experiments, and solutions; these subjects simply lent themselves to easy collaboration. English is more conversation, more written word etc. 

Additionally, there are FREE products and webtools that students could use to collaborate on (ahem, Google), so I didn't quite get jus how SMARTamp would be better. 

While at a SMART Summit, I had the chance to work with fellow English teachers to create a SMARTamp workspace. Being ELA teachers, the only thing we could come up with was a collaborative writing piece. Once the ideas began to flow, we could see the power in SMARTamp. 

SMARTamp was MADE for education. It was made for the ease of use for students. This wasn't about the teacher, this product is for the students. In an infinite space, students (and the teacher creating the space) are not locked into a "type" of assignment. It is not just a presentation, a digital worksheet, a collaboration tool. It can be any and all of those things and SO much more. SMARTamp has the power to give students the power to take charge of their learning. To direct it. It also brings the world much closer to our students. 

Needless to say, I have used SMARTamp ever since. I LOVE it. My students LOVE it. It has endless possibilities. 

Does that mean I have given up all other tech tools and products? 

NO! I will use whatever tool that will benefit my students and their learning. 

But going back to the interview/vodcast. It was great to share the awesomeness that my students do in the classroom. Students need to collaborate, to share, to take on learning in meaningful ways. Students need to think outside the box and take challenges head on. For years now, it seems students only know how to see tasks as black and white, right or wrong. It's time to bring back free thinking and creativity!

Jeff was super easy to talk to and share with. He even welcomed my son, Hunter, to the show. We discussed collaboration, tools, student engagement, and, of course, SMARTamp. TeacherCast rests solely on educators reaching out and sharing with Jeff, so contact him! Share your knowledge! #BetterTogether. I hope to share again with Jeff and the TeacherCast crew real soon.

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!

A Thankful November

It is November and all around we see the change of scenery and the "Thankful Challenges" on social media. It is certainly a time to reflect and be thankful.

This year I am thankful for falling into situations.

As I was going to college to get my credential, my dream had always been to teach elementary school. More specifically, second grade. I was even lucky enough to student teach in two lower grades: second and kindergarten! Once my credential was completed, I got a job teaching kindergarten in my dream district. It was a temporary position as it was an overflow class, but I was living the dream! 

Then the year ended. 

And I was jobless. 

Like everyone else at the time, new teachers were looking and applying for jobs. I was hoping to continue my elementary career! I thought I gained amazing experience. I knew how to run a kindergarten class. I was feeling pretty confident. So much so, that I applied only for elementary positions. Why wouldn't I? That is where all my experience came from. 

June came and went. As did July. August was beginning to creep in and I was beginning to panic. So much so that I went back to being a server at a restaurant. 

Needless to say, I was devastated. I was depressed and felt hopeless. I had to open my search to English language arts (ELA) through ninth grade. Thinking, of course, that no one would want a teacher with ZERO upper grade experience. 

Little did I know my whole outlook on teaching and upper grades would change with a simple phone call.

I got a call in August for an interview for a seventh grade ELA position in Oakdale. I thought Sure! I will interview. They won't want me. 

I went to the interview. I was first on their list. Other prospective teachers were there in the waiting room and I looked at them knowing they were better qualified than I was. I literally went into the interview without a care as I knew they wouldn't find what they needed in an ELA teacher.

2:25 came around and my phone rang. It was the principal of Oakdale Junior High (OJHS). The moment I said "Hello" the principal said I was hired and how excited she was that I was joining the OJHS team. She talked about a new hire workshop, when my first day would be, and again, how excited she was I was joining the team. 

I don't remember saying yes to the job.

Without her confidence in me and her excitement, I think I would have collapsed that first year. I actually cried the first two weeks teaching that first year. I truly hated my job. I was miserable. But I didn't quit. I didn't leave after the first year. I felt I had something to prove within myself.

My second year as a seventh grade ELA teacher brought challenges, but day by day I truly fell in love with English and the age group! I understood the curriculum better. I had colleagues I could collaborate and share with. But most of all, I truly adored my students. They were fun, creative, silly, and bright! 

Since that year, I have been driven to get better and mix it up each year. I have broadened my education and knowledge and shown what I had learned with students and colleagues alike. I became a SMART Exemplary Educator and a Google Certified Teacher (now Google Certified Innovator) and Teacher of the Year in my county. I don't know if that would have happened had I stayed elementary. I would like to think so, but who knows!

Falling into situations continue to benefit me. I fell into teaching eighth grade. I fell into the educational side of Twitter. And I hope that more "falling" continues. 

As they say: 

2015-New year, new Experiences

This school year has been a whirlwind! I am a new mom, starting a new class, and haven't blogged in what seems like forever!

Time to get back to it!

This year is nuts! I have been teaching for fifteen years now, but this year feels brand new. I was given a new section of eighth grade English students. I have never wanted to teach eighth graders. Never. As much as I have always liked my former students to visit as eighth graders, I have known how "high and mighty" they feel on top of the junior high totem pole. However, the numbers needed it.

In my new class, I only have five students that were in my class as seventh graders. Keeping this in mind, I wanted to keep some of the same aspects that I have in seventh: rules, flexibility, choice, technology integration, etc. But I also wanted to make my eighth grade class like no other. How would I do that without truly knowing the curriculum?

As we all know, teachers set the tone the very first day of school. So I wanted to do something special, something different with my eighth graders. I have been successful with a first day scavenger hunt with my seventh graders, but since the eighth graders knew the campus well, I needed to up my game.

Enter the "Instagram Scavenger Hunt".

Because my students knew the school and knew who I was (even though I didn't know them!) they were comfortable and ready to explore. As students entered, I played Weird Al's "Word Crimes" and welcomed them to the Duck Pond. 

Once the bell rang, I introduced myself and told them we were now going to go on a scavenger hunt. They were floored! They were ready for the challenge.

Even the staff on campus were excited and involved! Here is our principal, Mr. Webb with students taking a "groupie".

A student example of one of the challenges of making "OJHS" in nature.

Students had a great time and loved using their phones and Instagram accounts or the classrooms. Definitely worth doing again!

Now my challenge is creating a photo challenge that is content oriented OR have my students create one!

What could you create as a photo scavenger hunt? I would love to hear!

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.

Flipclass Flash blog-Finding Community

Tonight's Flipclass Twitter chat is on the importance of an educational community. 

Community can be found in many places. Before I found Twitter, my educational community were those I have worked with or friends that became teachers. 

This is fine and dandy, but once I discovered Twitter....the educational community excited me. It light a fire within me that I hadn't felt in some time. There were new ideas, books, thought, and pedagogy out there!

Educators need community. We need to have our ideas valued and heard. But more than that, we need to grow as educators. If you are standing still as a teacher or administrator, I honestly feel like there is something wrong there. We, as educators, need to continue the learning. We need to model life long learning to our students. The best way I have found is through community, or Personal Learning Networks and/or Communities (PLN/PLC) . 

For me, community comes in many forms: real life on campus, Twitter, Voxer, and Google +. Each have their own merits and I use each of them differently. 




My real life PLCs on campus know me in and out of the classroom and my current situations. They are with me day to day with the struggles of the curriculum, students, crazy schedule days, etc. They are the ones I can be open about the ins and outs of the day.

Twitter is my professional development I can get anywhere at anytime. I love my Twitter peeps! I can ask questions, share stories, get ideas, and discover the new and up in coming in education. Twitter has pushed me to be a better educator in ways I didn't know existed! Twitter opened my mind to the world! There are so many that I admire, and I hope I inspire a couple like I have been! Without Twitter, I wouldn't have applied to be a Google Certified Teacher (and got in!!) in 2009. I wouldn't have discovered the WEALTH of knowledge through Edcamps and conferences, which I was encouraged to apply to present. I wouldn't have discovered Teach Like a Pirate, flipping the classroom, EduMatch, EduPuppets, and so so much more!! I have made a wealth of edu-friends that are as near and dear to me as my day to day friends. 


Voxer is the way to actually talk and chat with mini communities. Granted some of those communities are large, but it feels small. Here is were conversations with educators spark new ideas, create projects, and even chats on the spot! It has reinvigorated me to take those Twitter conversations and make them deeper and even more meaningful-which I didn't think is was possible! 


So long story short....get out there and connect! ANY community is better than zero community! A connected educator is a better educator! We are better together! Teachers do NOT need to be an island any longer! We are a community of passionate educators who care about our students and staff and what we bring to our profession! 

SemiColon EDU

I had heard about the Semicolon Project about a year ago. It moved me then and still does. 

This year, educators have joined in the discussion and awareness. Many educators joined the conversation on social media through #SemicolonEDU. Many shared their own stories. Many even got tattoos. 

I have always been passionate about awareness of depression and suicide prevention. 

Because, I too, have been there.

I have had some ups and downs in my life: my birth mom died when I was eight months with no father to account for and I lost my mom (my adoptive grandma) at twenty-three. Both completely devastating and earth shattering. But neither prepared me for the devastation that would envelop me.

My husband, my partner of almost eight years had an affair. 

His mistress was pregnant.

We were, at the time, trying to have a baby. Or so I thought...

Being a cutter in the past had seemingly helped me through previous bouts of depression, but it wasn't enough this time. Here I thought loosing my mom so early in my life was tough, but this was worse. Much worse. His affair made me question everything. Who I was. The way I saw the world, myself, and others. I thought we were happy. I thought all was right in the world. 

And yet I felt this was my fault. I had done something. Said something. Not done something. 

And because it was my fault, perhaps I was broken. Something within me that couldn't be fixed or loved. I felt worthless. Loveless. Useless. I didn't have a family; he took that away with his infidelity. I was alone. My world was inside out and upside-down. So why stick around?

I begged. I cried. I wrote. I prayed to be taken from this world. To make the hurt and pain stop. No one would miss me. I didn't have anyone that would notice I was gone. I was in a hole and I only saw one way out.

But my story was not over.

What got me out of that hole wasn't some big moment or realization. It was a few little things. The one thing I remember was my friend, Lori, who had left a twelve pack of Cherry Pepsi on my doorstep. She was the only one in my world who knew a minuscule inkling of what was going on. The only one who knew when to call or when to leave Cherry Pepsi. 

This little gesture of kindness gave me hope. 

Climbing out of the hole wasn't instant or immediate. It took months before I gained the courage to call a therapist. A year later to build the confidence and love within myself to actually leave the relationship. Even longer to tell my friends and my dad. But I am here. And I am happy. And healthy. 

Like others, I have moments of doubt and darkness creep in, but they are moments. Fewer and farther in-between. Now I have an amazing family full of incredible friends, a loving husband, and this tiny bundle of joy I can't get enough of! Each day is a gift. It may not always be perfect, and sure, there is sadness, but there is always blessings if I look for it. Blessings that remind me of who I am and where I have been. Lessons that made me who I am today. Stronger, smarter, and my story continues.

;

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