Changing up the way we do PD

I've had this conversation before, but it is always at the back of my mind - especially as we gear up for the end of the year and approach upon the infamous "staff development days."

Last night, we did our fourth virtual PD event of the school year (having only started in February) and, thus far, we have over 102 logged PD hours from staff. We keep them between 30 minutes to an hour in length. And, the response has been steadily growing. Teachers seem to enjoy  being able to re-watch the PD and watch it when they have a chance (and, would you rather watch a rerun or learn something new?!). Surprisingly, though, this idea is still foreign to many. And, my district is not alone.

We are doing an EdCamp style PD event for my high school in just over a month. Though we have had teachers start supplying topics and start putting their name next to ones they could facilitate, there have been many fearful teachers - teachers afraid to put their name to something. The concept of collaborative learning or of not knowing all of the answers is a source of fear for educators. How do we help guide them to this more personalized style of learning? At my high school, we are doing it by doing a modified EdCamp (sourcing ideas ahead of time). But, even with that, the concept is still so new. We need to incorporate this model into all things so it is reiterated and not a new concept - or a source of fear.

Because, once teachers are brought into the world of personalized learning, they don't stop. When I attend conferences now, my goal is different - it's to network and not walk away with a ton of new ideas. Why? Well, because I'm able to learn all the time now. I can learn in my PJs or learn over lunch. This is the shift that others need to grab onto.

EdSurge had a great diagram on this learning shift in their article:

To help facilitate this more diverse approach to PD, I want to try out the "recipe" toolkit on EdSurge. Check it out and share approaches you have found to work!

A tech balance

Today, I read an NPR article about "When Parents are Too Distracted by Devices." The premise of which, is that children vie for the attention of their parents away from technology. Children have to fight to gain their parent's attention away from the latest Facebook post, email, Tweet, or whatever is on their Smart Phone.  As I read it, I was reminded of a co-worker of mine who initiated Tech-free Tuesdays at her house. This particular teacher is one of the best on staying ahead of the curve, seeking out learning opportunities, and pushing her students to new levels all while effectively integrating technology. Yet, she deliberately has days in her family to stop technology.

As I thought about it, I questioned, "what does technology mean?" Is it the technology that distracts parents or that my co-worker bans or is it the behavior associated with the technology? Is it that we just have not learned a balance?

I'm also reminded of a current project our district is working on to innovate classrooms. Sadly, though, as teachers come to me, they come out of a desire to get more technology in their classrooms - to replace the laptops with the newest device. So, I ask again - what do they consider technology?

When I look at the news or read articles, there is inevitably a technology section that features the latest trends and devices. This only encourages the mindset that technology is about the latest trend or some type of fashion that goes out of style. This encourages the parents mentioned in the NPR article to become obsessed, to become confined to their device.

If we look back to other great "technologies" throughout the past century, have any yielded the same outcome as the most recent devices (assuming technology means devices)? I'd argue to say "no" but for different reasons. When the car was invented and first made its way into American homes, it did not overtake households. It certainly changed households, but it did not overtake them - because it was still a luxury. There is a system of checks and balances in place. It was not accessible to all.

However, despite costs and usage plans, the Smart Phone seems to make its way into most American homes. And, there is no limit to where you can take them. You couldn't squeeze a car into a classroom, but you can squeeze a Smart Phone. Is it that the technology has changed so much to now bypass previous limitations?

How do we achieve that balance? How do we move past viewing technology as devices, but as a behavior?

It is the behavior of the parents in the article and it is the behavior of her children that my co-worker wants to change or limit - not necessarily the device. So, what links these behaviors with the new and emerging media? Is it accessibility or a lack of limitations?

Food for thought.

Debating the necessity of keynotes

The EdCamp model of professional development has spread drastically this year. Each day, I am invited to a new EdCamp. In fact, this week alone, I have two EdCamps and I'm planning a small one for my high school. However, the EdCamp model is unique. It involves teachers planning the course of their own professional development. When you first arrive, there is no formal area. Instead, you're handed a Post-it note and told to write down ideas you want to learn or facilitate (not the word "facilitate" and not "teach"). Those notes are categorized into strands and, the notes that reoccur the most become sessions. Teachers look at those sessions and those who feel most confident, step up and facilitate.

It's that simple.

No keynote, no closing. Just learning. Just sharing.

So, in planning a conference - not an EdCamp, but one embodying modern professional development, do we need keynotes and closings? What is the benefit to them? Do educators get more value out of authentic sessions displayed at an EdCamp or an awing keynote/closing?

At the end of the day, what is going to get educators to go back and innovate? What is going to help them facilitate better and to help students learn? Keynote or teacher-driven sessions?

Or, is their a continuum we need to allow teachers? Do we need to, first, introduce teachers to the idea of modern professional development with innovative techniques and learning spaces? And, then, introduce the idea of EdCamps and authentic PD?

Are all teachers ready for the EdCamp model?

Last year, at our first Ninja Academy, we had teachers attend who had never gone to an educational conference designed to inspire and grow teachers. And, we did not lose any - in fact, they wanted more. So, I believe in exposing educators to new PD and getting them inspired and ready to learn. For those who are already at that point, it is important for them to branch out and facilitate.

What do you think? Do keynotes play a role in educator innovation in the classroom?

Privacy? What's that?

On April 22, our #gtachi Google Certified Teacher crew is hosting a Twitter chat on Google's revelation last month that they were "data mining."

Essentially, Google admitted to data mining on student edu accounts. However, the question is - how many other companies have done this without openly admitting it. Though, we can agree that data mining is not what we would want out of student accounts, how many companies do this? And, though these are on free educational accounts, how many other free educational companies harvest data? How many times are students subjected to privacy invasion? I think that is the larger question - not whether or not Google is doing it - but why is privacy a foreign concept?

In an era of sharing and collaboration, privacy comes with a cost. But, how can we better educate students, parents, teachers, and community members to understand modern privacy? How can we make them better digital citizens? That is the question I believe we should be focusing on as that is the larger issuer at hand?

As I enter the final months of this school year...

I think about what a whirlwind of change this year has been - starting with my decision to apply for the Google Teacher Academy-Chicago, nearly one year ago today. At the time, I was just starting to organize my first-ever conference, gather a cohort for one of our district's first online classes, and start plans for my school's first competition robotics program. But, it was my experience at the Google Teacher Academy that propelled all of those into action. It was the connections I made at the academy that fueled my dreams throughout the year. So, now, when I reflect, I am preparing for year two of the Ninja Academy and am starting a series of PD for teachers and students.

I feel I am a different educator. I no longer look at what I do as a separate field, but as one working to achieve best practices. I no longer wonder How I will do something, but When will I do something? I am no longer afraid to try something new. I now have a network of support uncomparable to other co-workers. It is that network that I wish my co-workers and fellow teachers had. It is that cohort that continuously pushes me to change.

On the other hand, I want that spark to reignite me for the next year. Conferences have not left me with the same excitement that I felt being surrounded by top educators. And, I think to all of the educators who never had this experience - how would they change or who would they change if they had this experience? How would their classroom's look and who would they inspire?

So, my question is this: How can we provide teachers with their own version of the Google Teacher Academy? I know how many and how many things I impacted as a result of it. Imagine an education landscape where everyone felt as inspired....

What would you do?

#warriorcode Day 5: Lessons Learned

We are on our last day of the first ever #warriorcode event at Westwood. Though our numbers were not exactly what we wanted, the act of still getting students to participate was beneficial.

Next year, I'd like to promote better and not shy away from terms. I'd also like for there to be at least two strands: a learners' strand and a coders' strand. One for basic introduction to code and another for projects and solutions. With both strands occurring, students could learn and code.

And, if the events were held twice a year - once in fall and once in spring, those who learned in the fall could code in the spring and so forth.

And, I'd like to start hosting nights throughout the year, alerting students and teachers to the following learning sites:

• Google Python Class
• Google Code School
• Chrome Dev Tools School
• Code Day
• Hour of Code
• Code Academy
• Code.org

Stay tuned as we prepare for more code events in the future. And...more ideas are welcome!
 

Day 3 of #warriorcode: Lessons Learned

We are now starting Day 3 of our #warriorcode event. During Day 1, we had a random assortment of students attend - most of whom did not register. Sadly, many of the select students who did register were "no-shows."

Thanks to MakerSquare, students have a specific program of challenges to follow, however. And, all who attended Day 1 returned for Day 2 and, hopefully, Day 3. So, even though the numbers are small, the retention rate is high. Therefore, the content and having a learning-based curriculum has been effective. Next year, we may run two programs - one for learning and one for challenges. We could do a learning program after school and a challenge-based one during lunches or before school. It has been very helpful to have MakerSquare and experienced programers on hand to guide the students and prompt the students to make the decisions we would not know.

So far, we would like to try the following next year:

• Better promote the idea of #warriorcode to students
• Don't shy away from the word "hack" as it has an appeal to students 
• Send through Remind 101 or other outlets students check
• Get groups like MakerSquare onboard early and advertise they are there
• Lay out a specific program 
• Set constraints on teacher-sourced problems so they can be solved in one week
• Add in a "wow-factor" to get students excited about it (goal is to get more kids interested in code and programming in addition to providing education and challenges to those already interested)

Stay tuned for more lessons learned as we wrap up our first event!