Google Slides link to reflections

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1Aylch-xsx3RMRAUU7m3G7jp1TmIKh1Xahl3up1NQhDU/edit#slide=id.g37e18eba20_0_5

I've been using Google Slides for my weekly reflection.

I must admit, I miss using Blogger. 

I'm hoping to begin a professional blog next year. 

April 30, 2018

So I've been blogging/reflecting on Google Slides for the past few weeks.
Here is a link to those slides


https://goo.gl/wH3KPW


I also just recently learned the the Google URL shortener is going away!!!  NOOO!


I know I can use bit.ly  but I got comfortable with the Google one.


I am thrilled to announce that I am returning as a DLP coach again next year.  My school generously agreed to let me experience this wonderful program for another year!  The staff in my school is very excited about having me back again!


REALLY GETTING EXCITED ABOUT CALIFORNIA!!!!!

April 4, 2018

I was thinking about things that have been working very well for our teachers, things that have not been useful/working, and things that we'd like to try.

Three Things Working

1.  Quizalize.  It's very similar to Kahoot, and the kids really like it.  The teachers like the ability to check the data for each quiz. 

2.  Study Ladder.  This is an oldie but goodie.  The lessons are very elementary, but the content is good.  Teachers are using it for PSSA state assessment practice and review.

3.  Brain Pop.  Although a premium subscription for Brain Pop is expensive, the teachers still see advantages in using it.  We have a school 30 day free trial right now, and we've used the mind mapping tool, the data is great to monitor progress, the quizzes are useful and provide good summative feedback.


Two Things Not Working

1.  Study Island:  It is too expensive and too difficult to import student names.  Teachers are over it! 

2.  Go Formative:  The premium upgrade is expensive.  Teachers like it, but they don't love it.  Again, too much effort sometimes.


One Thing To Try

1.  http://kandoolu.com/    I won two one year subscriptions for Kandoolu.  It's associated with Ed Insight and offers test prep, practice, and review for Math and ELA.  It is tied to standards nationally and locally.  I'd like one of our teachers to take advantage of the program.  Ed Insight is something we are phasing out of our school, though, so I'm not sure how receptive teachers will be to this new  program.

March 23, 2018

Can you say Edcamp???

I did it again....another Edcamp.

This time,  it was Edcamp Pittsburgh.  This time, I invited one of the innovation advocates to go with me.

She was thrilled to join in a chance to expand her PLN and meet others excited to learn and share on a Saturday morning!



I don't think she realized what she was getting herself into, however.

You see, two other DLP coaches joined us as well!!!!



What that meant was actually quite unbelievable and exciting at the same time!

I did not realize what a buzz we're creating!!!  We, of course, wore our team jerseys!
And carried our DLP book bags with us all over the place!
  Yes, we were obnoxious!  LOL  But, they asked us to do a special coaches session, share our ideas about coaching, and speak to those who are just getting started with coaching in their districts.  So.....we did!

People approached us all day.....who are you?  what is that symbol?   what does that mean?  Tell Us More!!!!!

I am so proud, as always, to be a DLP Coaching Fellow.

But, I must say, I am sometimes, I mean, just sometimes, in it for the prizes!  LOL

March 16, 2018

This has been a whirlwind week.

Google Expeditions AR visited....that was a huge success.
The students, teachers and admin loved it.

My school district accepted the contract that our union voted to accept so no strike for us.

More swag came our way!  Flocabulary hooked us up with a cute T-shirt, and Flipquiz sent us adorable stickers and a T-shirt.  Our staff loves swag, so "HINT" DEE....get some #smashboardEDU stickers printed fast!!!!


I think our district is leaning towards letting me coach again next year.

I also think they are bringing more coaches on board.

I just wish they would consider taking our innovation advocates as coaches.  Mine have worked so hard on becoming tech savvy and working closely with our staff to help make using tech tools fun and innovative.   They are ready to coach!!!!

March 8, 2018

Posting early due to visiting my son in Columbus, GA this weekend!


Just a typical week in public education:

Drug Task Force Dogs visited our school.  An "infraction" occurred, prompting the district to do a sweep of the MS/HS buildings with the Drug Task Force Dogs.  They are simply remarkable animals.

No drugs found on premises.

However, a lock down for this type of procedure took place.  I'm happy to say our students and staff knew exactly what to do.   The parents, however, did not.

We had parents show up at our door during the lock down. 
No entry was permitted.
No one was sitting at the desk to let them in.
Everyone was on lock down.

An all-call went out to parents letting them know what was happening.  Still, some parents .......


Knock, knock, knock.

Door bell, door bell, door bell.

"Hey, I want my child.  We have an appointment!"


We could hear this from our lock down position.

Knock, knock, knock.

Door bell, door bell, door bell.

"What's going on in there?" 

Knock, knock, knock.

Door bell, door bell, door bell.

"Hey!  What's going on???"  I need my child!!!"


When it was all said and done, the parents were understanding for the most part, but some......not so much! 

Really?????

After everything that just happened in Florida??????

Enough said.


In other news:

Our assistant superintendent quit.  She was hired in November of 2017.  Yes, less than 5 months ago.

We settled our contract....no strike for us.

A teacher was asked to resign. (No, not me!)

I obtained more swag.....GoFormative stickers, T-shrits, pencils, stickers from Woot Math, More Pear Deck subscriptions 

We tried #appsmashing in a few classes.....very successful!

My most reluctant teacher (in the beginning) taught the Social Studies department how to use Tour Builder.


And, it's only Thursday!


But....tomorrow is a jean day!  Yay!  Casual Friday!  I am off 1/2 personal day!

And,
I'm leaving on a jet plane......don't know when I'll be back again! 

JK

March 4, 2018

Oh, these ladies! How they inspire me!
The one thing I love about coaching is learning from the other coaches! The collaboration is priceless! I was lucky enough to have the three of these ladies visit me on Friday, March 2nd. They visited my school, walked in classrooms, talked to students, talked to teachers, and talked to administrators. We shared ideas, we listened to one another's stories, we we lifted one another up as high as we could, we celebrated wins, and we talked about defeats. We made plans for the future. We reflected on how fortunate we are to have met one another and to have been a part of this program.

I learn so much from them!

We are all so different! We look at coaching from different angles but through the same glasses.  I listened to them as they interacted with the teachers and students in my building. We all talk the same talk, but then so many ideas begin to flow!

I'm convinced that collaboration is the key to coaching. Collaborating with other coaches. Collaborating with other teachers. Collaborating with students. Collaborating with the community. Without color variation coaching really loses some of its integrity.

I feel very grateful that the coaches in our region are so close and collaborate together so very often.

I look forward to visiting the other coaches in our region very soon!

February 26, 2018

I've been very busy trying to move my son into his new apartment in Columbus Georgia. He will be starting his new law career by being a clerk for two judges in the Superior Court. Visiting Columbus Georgia made me realize how different we all are in parts of the country in terms of Education. I was sitting outside of a cafe for lunch with my husband and my son and a news team pulled up in the parking area beside us. They got their cameras out of the car and their recording equipment and started interviewing parents on the street. Apparently redistricting recently occurred. Some parents were thrilled While others were not. I listened to the conversations and found out the parents who were upset we're the ones whose students were taken out of the so-called good schools and put into the less desirable schools. I started thinking how I might have felt if my son had been taken out of his school and put into another when he was growing up. I'm sure I would not have liked it. I would like to say that I would I would like to be supportive and say it would all be fine but truly it is not fair to students who have formed friendships and bonds with their teachers and have grown familiar with their surroundings.
I wonder if he would still have gone to Penn State for chemical engineering and I wonder if he would still have gone to UGA law school if he would have had a disrupted education. We will never know that answer. I would like to think that he would have persevered in spite of the change. That's how I raised him after all.
I talked to the reporter when she was finished interviewing the parents and I asked her what she thought about the results of her impromptu survey. She said it was about 50/50. Some parents didn't really mind but some did. I guess that's how it is with everything. We all have our own opinions and we all have our own reasons for those opinions. We need to respect those opinions stay firm in ours and make the best of it.
I feel this is appropriate for coaching because we need to respect the opinions of the teachers we are coaching. Some teachers are not tech-savvy and don't want to be. We shouldn't force it down their throats. We should respect their opinions. I try to do this every time I walk into a classroom. I actually take baby steps and figure out what people are willing to try. And I let them figure out the rest.

February 16, 2018

I think I was a game show host in a former life.
Or, maybe I am a cruise director  at heart....no lie....true story......my former principal officially 'badged' me with a name tag that said " Julie...Cruise Director (The Love Boat) of the Middle School."

I love giving away prizes....I love it!   It brings me great joy to give things away.  I get this from my mother.  She was obnoxious at holidays, like Christmas.  So much giving.  I'm absolutely positive that I got my 'giving' love from her.

The minute I won these professional books at a recent EdCamp (South Carolina), I knew I would bring them back to my school and give them as prizes. 

How to give them away was the challenge:

I offered online training for the teachers in the middle school via Google Slides.  My teachers/colleagues/friends are overwhelmed with duties, classes, initiatives, etc.....I cannot bear to add to their plates by asking them to give up lunch/prep/or after school time by attending a formal training.  So, I am creating many different Google Slide presentations that serve as mini-training's for the staff.  I borrowed one inspiration from Dee....a Twitter slide show he shared at Winter institute.  I made a copy of the show and I completely redid it to serve the needs of my staff.  I sent it via email along with a very brief Google Forms evaluation. 

I gave the 5 books away to the first 5 teachers to complete the evaluation.  They did not know ahead of time about the prize.  I  kept it a secret! 

The winners were so surprised and happy, and honestly, they were so appreciative of receiving a PD book.  They told me they simply do not have time to read through and select a PD text.  The 5 of them are so excited about reading a new PD book and already decided to read and share and switch the books out so they can all become experts in these topics.  They are each sharing a brief synopsis of the books they received with our staff via email and via a faculty meeting.  I love that by giving this prize I stirred up a desire to "learn and share" with our staff!

February 11, 2018

In honor of Valentine's day this week I would like to reflect on how much I love my job.

I have been participating in the online challenge #14daysoflovinglearning.
Each day I have been writing down reasons why I love different things about my job. For instance some of the topics were why do you love your students, how do you show your staff that you care, what does your principal do to show he is supportive, Etc. I have enjoyed this because it makes you think and it makes you realize all of the positives in your profession.

Believe it or not it is actually quite hard to come up with all of the positive answers. It's so much easier to complain than it is to praise. Why is that so true?

I was eating at a restaurant Friday night, and we had such a pleasant waitress. The manager visited our table and asked how everything was going. I made it a point to tell her that our waitress was exceptional and we were happy to have her waiting on us. The manager said, ^ Thank you so much, because most people find it very easy to complain, but most people rarely praise our staff. Thank you so much." I was so happy that I took the time to praise the waitress.

I don't think we take time to praise ourselves or the people around us at work very often. Isn't that a shame? 

I found that participating in the online chat was a very reflective exercise . It made me think, and it made me realize how grateful I am.  I am a glass-half-full type of person that sometimes  we need to reflect positively. Take time to look around and see what's good. Start with the little things. Help a colleague, smile, ask questions, learn from someone else, borrow a good idea, try something new. At the end of the day try to reflect. Write something good down on a Post-It note and leave it on your laptop so when you get to your class the next morning you see a positive.

There is never one day that goes by that I don't realize how absolutely fortunate and blessed I am to be a technology coach in my building for the DLP program this year. Although I know it is ending, I am counting every single day as a blessing, and I am building upon the positives as much as I possibly can.  #behappy #mindfulness

February 6, 2018

I took this picture on my way in to the Winter Institute on Wednesday, January 31.  This was right at the exit....yes, I pulled over to take the picture.  I am a rules follower!

I thought it was so beautiful.  I was so energized and ready to take on the activities waiting for us at Institute.

The drive was far for me....2 hours....but during that time, I reflected on how lucky I am to be a part of this amazing journey!  

Once I got in the building, I felt the tide turn.

I could tell something was wrong.

So much disappointment about not being able to move forward with the research project.

I cannot lie.

I, too, am disappointed.  But......we move forward......

On a happy note, I left winter institute, got in my car, and drove to South Carolina where I met up with my dear friends, Kelli Coons and Christin Edge.  What fabulous women, and such an amazing EdCamp!!!!

Here are some pictures!

 

I left feeling so refreshed and so energized!

I spoke about Jennie's book to a group who never heard of it.....I was proud to represent!!

I also learned about Heather's book from Christin, I purchased one on Amazon, and I'm giving it as a prize at my school!

Keeping it all in the family!

Yes, Dee, I also printed copies of your #smashboardEDU and shared with my colleagues!!!  

The very best part of Winter Institute???????

THE CANDY, OF COURSE!!!!

positives

Today, I list the positives:

The weather is improving in PA.  Most of the 8 inches of snow that fell last week have melted.

The cycle 3 teachers are excited to get started.

An old professor of mine recommended me to a student as a "person of interest" in technology.

One of my innovation advocates passed her level 1 Google Certification.

I spoke in front of our school board last week about the DLP program and all of its current successes.

A representative from Future Goals/Everfi asked me to speak at a round table presentation tomorrow.

I participated in a round table discussion with Amanda De Balso about the homework gap.

Three of our buses in our school district will receive WIFI and devices for students through a grant.

The new Chromebook carts rolled out to classrooms last week.

I visited Google Pittsburgh last week for the very first time. 

I spent time with the other DLP coaches at the Applied Digital Skills training at Google.

All of my paper work for DLP is now caught up and completed.

I found 30 IPADS in a closet in the office and claimed them for the DLP.  Shhh, don't tell!

I visited Jen Tusik and Rachel McVeigh at their lovely schools. 

Angelique invited me to visit her school.

Winter Institute is next week!!!!!!

I am working with Jornea on Flipgrid training.

One of the innovation advocates and I participated in a Kahoot training session together.

I am now Google Level 2 certified.

I began the training for the trainer portion of the Google for Education certifications.

My most reluctant teacher is now in cycle 3 and loving it!

I love my DLP 412 family!!

And, finally, I have the best mentor around!!!  :)

Getting ready for cycle 3

Holiday break was much needed!  I feel so relaxed and rejuvenated, and I feel as though our staff is as well.

The DLP buzz is alive and well!  I'm at 99% of my staff completely on board!  One of the toughest challenges jumped on the DLP train right before break.  She made it very clear that she did not want any part of the program, but at the last minute, she sent me a text asking me to help her with Kahoot.  I jumped on the opportunity and brought a set of IPads to her class.  We only have 18, and she needed 26, but we paired up the students and got started.  The students absolutely loved the interaction and the level of engagement was off the charts.  She was amazed at how happy the kids were and how eager they were to keep going with harder lessons.  I showed her how she could save results in Drive and use it as a quick assessment.  She liked that.  She is not fully interested in using too many new things, but she did agree to use Kahoot again in January, and she recently showed interest in Pear Deck flashcard factory.  WINNING!

I've become quite the party planner/event coordinator!  I am now expert at asking companies for swag for prizes!  I recently got pear deck to give me two 1 year upgrades and some stickers swag for teachers, and Flipgrid is also upgrading 2 teachers and sent me stickers, lanyards, mugs, and a t-shirt!  I purchased a mug and t-shirt from Kahoot ( I didn't mind) to give away as a January incentive.  The holiday incentive was so incredibly successful, I want to keep that momentum going.

A few concerns have popped into my view of this program:

My district is starting to budget for next year.  I wasn't sure if I should budget for the classroom next year or not.  It is an extremely awkward feeling  Not sure how to handle this.

I started to realize this was a job that was for one year.  We all knew that going into the program.  I do, however, see how extremely successful this is, and I really think it needs to keep going.  Not with my district, however,   One thing that is perfectly clear is that once the program is given over to district control, the ease, the impact, and the growth of the teachers in the classroom will cease.  Immediately.  The role of coach is looked upon much more favorably because of it's association with Google.  The teachers do not feel threatened.  The teachers trust me.  They look to me for advice without fear of judgement.  I am their helper, their facilitator, their guide.....I am not the administrator coming in to tell them what they are doing wrong.  I fear for the program's longevity if Google/Digital promise/Ed tech are taken out of the picture. 

A few comments from administration make me realize that this coaching job has to be maintained by an outside resource.....it will die once the administration gains control.