ISTE 2015 Highlights

Some Highlights from the 2015 ISTE Conference 

ISTE:  Saturday, June 27, 2015

Hack Education - This free "unconference" is worth going to the conference a day early! The rich conversations are engaging and stimulating. You may participate as much or as little as you like. You won't find formal presentations here... just people connecting and sharing.

• Main Page: http://www.isteunplugged.com/sat-627-hack-education.html
• 2015 Hack Education Schedule: http://wiki.isteunplugged.com/2015_HackEd_Schedule 
• Check out the Smackdown Resources shared: https://goo.gl/MWl19D 

Fun day at HackED!

____________________________________________________________________

ISTE:  Sunday, June 28, 2015

ISTE Ignite Sessions - Round 1
During an Ignite Session, each presenter has only five minutes and twenty slides to share their passion.

• Brittany Banister - She is a kindergarten teacher who uses GoNoodle. (http://2techieteachers.blogspot.com/)

• Bill Bass  - Kids want a culture of creation. "What digital invitations do we give our students?"

• Marilyn Carr - She wants a class filled with dreamers. "Anything is possible. If you believe... it can happen."

• Rafranz Davis  - She spoke about diversity in EdTech. "Real change is intentional." 

• Robert Dillon - He believes that all lives matter. Teachers can help kids heal and break the cycle.

• Christy Fennewald - She challenged high school hackers to apply to her school's tech club Warrior Tech where students will be encourage to hack the school's system. Strict rules were enforced. Students became leaders and assisted with teacher professional development. We should embrace the genius. 

• Ben Gallagher - Give students a voice... LEGO Trek Case Study (http://innovateed.com.au)

• Karen Lirenman - 1st graders blogging to share their learning (@MsLsClass) 

• Michael Luetjen - He spoke about the need for a digital footprint. 

• Pernille Ripp - She encourages teachers to "create classrooms that children want to be a part of." Teachers need to listen to kids and be willing to take risks. We can encourage passionate learners by changing the public school system from within. (www.pernillesripp.com) 

• Jonathan Spike - He used quite the attention grabber. He will do whatever he can to get kids to share their knowledge. 

• Doug Timm - Students show him what they did in class. He made weekly videos to share with community. 

• Chris Turnbull - Chris is a personalized learning specialist. She used SAMR model by starting at the substitution and augmentation levels first. Remember the 4 R's ~ Rigor, Relevance, Realness, and Relationships! (http://playlearnteach.blogspot.com/)

• Hannah Weitzer - Connect kids globally 

Let's Get Moving... Brain Breaks Using GoNoodle!

Research has proven that it is important for students to be moving during the school day. One way that I integrate movement into my classroom is through the use of brain breaks. My favorite resource is GoNoodle. Click on the link to sign up for your free account!

Students love GoNoodle because the activities are fun. There is yoga, running, hurdles, indoor recess dance mixes, mindfulness, and so much more. The GoNoodle characters look cool and they transform after completing 10 activities.

Teachers love GoNoodle too! It is easy to use and it provides students have a way to channel their emotional and physical needs thus resulting in a class that is more focused.

My students beg me for GoNoodle time. Why not try it and maybe your class will beg you for more GoNoodle time too!



Research:
Fiore, Nina. The Benefits of Movement in Schools http://www.creativitypost.com/education/the_benefits_of_movement_in_schools

Jensen, Eric. Teaching with the Brain in Mind: Movement and Learning http://www.ascd.org/publications/books/104013/chapters/Movement-and-Learning.aspx

Online/Blended Learning Reflection

I am currently taking a Facilitating Online Learning Communities course offered by PLS. This blog post is for the module 3-1 assignment. 

Learning Activity 3-1: Blogging about online and blended learning reflections

How have your past experiences with online/blended learning impacted your goals for your future students?

My experience with online/blended learning has mainly come from completing the requirements for the Wilkes Online Teaching Master’s degree program. The courses I have taken modeled best practices for online/blended learning environments. The course work I completed allowed me to create online/blended learning opportunities in my fifth grade brick and mortar classroom. As a result, I have learned how to better engage students in this type of environment. I want my students to be successful!  

My experiences have shaped my goals for future students. For example, the most successful online/blended learning environments do not give students busy work! I am determined to provide high quality instruction that engages students in authentic learning experiences. I have also developed a deeper appreciation of the importance of communication within this type of learning environment. Just like my brick and mortar classroom, I want my students to know that they matter!

How do you hope to engage yours students effectively in online learning?

I hope to engage my students by utilizing many strategies that I would consider best practices in online/blended learning environments. For instance, I would design authentic learning experiences for my students. The real-life activities would have a purpose and an authentic audience. Students would move beyond just consuming technology to become creators using technology. I would also like students to assume ownership of their learning. Yes, I would have a presence in the classroom, but it would be the facilitator who is the guide on the side. I would be there coach, encourage, support, and challenge my students.

What has been (or do you anticipate being) the most challenging aspect of online/blended teaching for you? What solutions have you considered to this challenge?

I currently teach in a brick and mortar classroom. The most challenging aspect of incorporating online/blended learning opportunities into my classroom has been student access to the online/blended learning environments. My school has a BYOD policy which helps, but only half of my class consistently brought their own device to school last year. To overcome this challenge, learning opportunities could be provided in the form of rotating stations. This would provide everyone the chance access the online/blended learning environments via the classroom computers. Another solution would be to partner students so that each pair of students has at least one device to use.

ISTE 2015 Mobile Apps Session Reflection

I attended the 40 Free Mobile Apps Educators Can't Live Without! session presented by SimpleK12 at ISTE 2015. All of the apps presented are for both iTunes and Google Play. 

Remember... when using mobile apps it's ALWAYS about the LEARNING, not the tool! Determine how you can meaningfully integrate these tools into your lessons. 

Animoto - video editing

• create one school video of weekly learning to share with the community
• demonstrate understanding by creating a video in lieu of traditional assessments 

EducationDrive - news and jobs 

• teachers read and learn about education news
• share education news with PLN... engage in discussions about topics in the news  

Fooducate - health and wellness food app

• plan a healthy meal with a budget... incorporate the use of store ads and store sales to make it real

History Here - an interactive history location guide 

• book clubs - setting information 
• use the Surprise Me! feature to plan a trip as part of a research project
• mystery place sessions - give clues and partner must solve (like Mystery Skype sessions)

i-nigma - QR Code Reader

• take students directly to a game, an assessment, or learning website
• part of professional development intro/ice breaker scavenger hunt activity
• place video tutorial links on classwork and/or homework 
• conduct vocabulary scavenger hunt
• back-to-school intro activity... kids post clues about self and students need to match clues with a person's name... QR Code provides the answer 
• display rules posters around the school and classroom with a QR Code that links to a video review or an audio message  

INKredible - note-taking app 

• use as an authentic learning assessment tool in lieu of traditional assessments

Lensoo Create - virtual whiteboard 

• teachers and/or students create presentations 
• students create tutorials that are shared with others 

lino - online sticky note app 

• get to know you activity 
• use as a survey tool 
• work collaboratively to share notes, resources, files, etc.
• students use board to show what they know 

Remind - text messaging service

• help parents to get involved in the community by sharing links for community events
• get students talking about their day by providing clues about learning and parents must talk with child to find answers 
• share pictures of the regular day, field trips, special events, etc.
• send out helpful links related to learning content, homework, etc.
• attach field trip forms and other important documents 

SimpleK12 - free and paid teaching resources 

• get a group of teachers and/or administrators together to watch free professional development sessions

SimpleMind - concept mapping

• vocabulary development 
• explore Genius Hour topic ideas
• problem-solving math equations 

Smithsonian Mobile Tours

• hold family nights for virtual field trips

Tellagami - talking avatars 

• as part of a school-wide or classroom behavior plan, create a collection of avatars that describe how various character traits could look and sound 
• each classroom submits one Tellagami (weekly/biweekly/monthly) to create school-wide display of learning to share with the community  

VoiceThread - audio recording 

• share reflections about growth and embed in e-portfolio (provide opportunities for rich conversations) 
• work collaboratively on an assignment 
• students publish work and globally connect with others by allowing comments 

Please visit SimpleK12 for a list of free summer events. Scroll down the page to find the ISTE resources. Thank you SimpleK12!