Spring Tech Visits

In about a week I get to start something this spring that I did in the fall.  I get to go out and visit the wonderful teachers of ESU7.  I enjoy going out on these “Technology Visits”.  If I can help one or two teachers in a building, I consider it a success. 

On these “Tech Visits” I sit in a common place, go to the teachers room, or wander for three hours.  Being new to the unit, eight months now, I am still getting to know the schools and some of the teachers in the districts.  Plus, I get to see what is going on with technology in the building I see. 

Teachers of ESU7 are doing amazing activities with their students and technology.  I enjoy seeing what they are doing and being able to share with others how they are using it.  This helps give them ideas of what they can do in their classrooms as well, and maybe take it to the next level or make it fit for them. 

It will be a nice change to be “out of the office” for two or three days a week.  It has been some time since the fall visits ended.  We are now on the backside of our accreditation visit, so look out schools of ESU7, we are coming for a visit.

Google+ Redo

There have been some changes to Google+ since the last time that I talked blogged about it.  Google+ is now available for education domains.  With this change, you are also allowed to have up to fifteen people in the hangout compared to ten on the personal side.  This could allow for bigger group tutoring sessions, on-line class offerings, and collaboration between many groups in the school.

On the education side there are some restrictions.  Students under thirteen (13) years old cannot have Google+ profiles.  Schools are still responsible for the safety and digital citizenship education of students.  Students can still hangout with those outside the domain, but they are the ones that have to initiate the hangout.  There are other restrictions that those managing the domain can restrict.

Another addition to Google+ is Communities.  These Communities are groups of people with something in common.   Communities can be public or private.  On the education side for classes, keeping the community private would allow only those in the class to participate in those discussions.  A teacher could create communities for each subject or class that they taught.  It would be similar to a “Fan Page” in Facebook.

I know of schools that have opened up Google+ for their teachers on their domain to see how it goes.  I think that this is a good way to get it going.  I can see uses for students, but there are conversations that will need to happen with administration and policies set before deployment to students.  Educating students on what to do and what not to do will be the key when opening up Google+ to the entire domain. 

Nebraska Ed Chat

It has been some time since I last blogged.  I need to get back in the habit of writing on Monday, revising through the week, and posting on Friday.  So for my first blog back in a while I am going to talk about something fun and educational that goes on Wednesday nights from 8-9 PM CST.  If you are in the “Twitterverse” you already know what I am talking about, if not I will fill you in. I am talking about Nebraska Ed Chat (#nebedchat) on Twitter.

Nebedchat, is a wonderful place to converse with educators from all across Nebraska.  There are even participants from other states who join us for our chats.  A moderator, who is different every week, chooses a topic to ask questions about.  Those participating in the chat, answer the questions, reply to answers that they like, re-tweet answers you like, or just lurk.  You don’t even have to have a Twitter account to follow along, but you will have to have one to comment.

If you don’t have an account, just go to twitter.com and search #nebedchat and follow along for the night.

This is a fast paced hour of wonderful professional development and PLN building.  You will be amazed by how quick the hour goes.  Please join us every Wednesday at 8 PM CST, I know you will be hooked! When you post to the chat, be sure to use the hashtag, #nebedchat.  See you on Wednesday nights.

Joplin Reflection Part 1

I must say that the trip to Joplin, MO was very informational and inspirational.  There was so much I wanted to learn.  I learned so much more than I expected to and had a wonderful time with the group from the NNNC.  I am very thankful to the staff, administration, and students of Joplin Public Schools for spending time with those of us from Nebraska.

A major question that I wanted answered was about the Professional Development for teachers.  I cannot tell you how my question got answered and more.  I really like the idea of their eTEC program.  This program is arranged so that teachers get 100 hours of PD over two years.  The best of all, the PD is individualized for the teacher.  Joplin’s technology training is more about the integration and pedagogy of the technology rather than how the technology works.  I also like the fact that their 21^st Century Coaches and Instructional Coaches cover all subjects and aren’t just set to one content area, they work with the teaching rather than the content.  This program isn’t just for specific teachers or a few, but ALL teachers must do this.  I really think that this aspect of the program can be very beneficial to any district.

Another question or point of inquiry that I had been wondering about was the school in a mall.  I must say this was probably the most interesting part of the trip for me.  The walls didn’t go to the ceiling, there were racks along the ceiling to carry cables and held security cameras, some walls doubled as whiteboards and were able to open to the hall way, students could sit at tables with TVs and mirror their computers to it, and the “think tanks” that were in place.  I think that this “free form” type of school would be an interesting place to study and learn.  One comment that students made that has really stuck with me was: “Coming to school feels more like coming into a business setting rather than coming into school, but I miss the old building.”  They are getting so used to the technology that seniors are even looking into what colleges have in the form of technology in choosing what school they may go to.  They are also viewing this part of their learning as “the middle school of college.”  I feel that Joplin Public Schools are preparing ALL of their students for the college and beyond.  They have truly put the education of their student first.  It is the kids before anything else.

I consider myself the 21^st Century Coach, to borrow the title from Joplin, of ESU7.  Even though my title with ESU7 is different, that is basically my job, helping teachers with integrating technology into their classrooms and schools.  I am there for the pedagogy of technology, sometimes the workings of the technology, but mostly how to use the technology with students in the classroom.  As I stated before, I am really impressed by the eTEC program that Joplin has for their teachers.  I may try to figure out how I can do something like this within ESU7.

Joplin Reflection Part 2

While touring the path of the tornado, you just can’t believe what destruction it caused.  Total buildings wiped out.  Some trees left standing by themselves in the middle of an empty field, twisted and gnarled.  The rebuilding is happening, but it is happening slowly.  When you pass some of the new houses, in the back yards you see the storm shelters buried in the ground.  It really makes you think how grateful you are for the things you have, and how it must have felt to lose everything and have to start from scratch.  You have to admire the strength of not only the school, but also the entire community and how they have all come together as one.

Seeing what the district has done makes you think, how would I react?  How would the districts within ESU7 react?  Do the districts of ESU7 have a basic plan of what they would do?  It doesn’t have to be a tornado that makes you in a rush to find school space for students.  It could be a fire, a collapsed roof, or something else.  Joplin had not planned for a natural disaster.  They didn’t know how much work it would take to find learning spaces for a majority of their students in just 55 days.  They did this in a community of 50,000.  What about some districts in not only ESU7 but also the state that have only 1000 people in the town?  Where will they find the space for a school if the school is completely wiped out?  What type of plan will that district have?  In a way it is time to be proactive rather than reactive.  Planning for what ifs is not just an administrator’s responsibility, but teachers, school board, community, and states.

This whole trip really made me think about what I am doing to inspire change.  It shouldn’t take a natural storm or disaster to bring change in our schools.  What kind of metaphorical “storm” can we create in our communities and state?  I know we put kids first, but how far in first do we put our kids?  Are they first by a little, or by a long way?  In Joplin, their students are first by a LONG way.  I know that what I am teaching and showing teachers in workshops can go a long way to helping kids.  However, I am also thinking about what kind of “storm” can I create to help with change at and in ESU7 and the state.

I can’t wait to hopefully have the chance to return to Joplin in about three years to see just how far they have come and their new buildings.  I am also interesting in seeing how the technology has transformed the learning of the students 4-5 years down the road.  Is there improvement in student learning?  That is the real question, and one that may take 4-5 years or more to answer.  With so much change for students, what effect does that have on student achievement?