Going from better to different! #EVSCREV12 #edudreamer

Today we kicked off The EVSC eRevolution in Evansville, IN.  This is my school district's anual technology conference.  It started off the year our high schools went 1:1 and has grown over the last 3 years.  This is our 4th conference but for the first time we opened it up to others outside our district.

These are just some thoughts from day 1 as I unwind!

Registration:
I personally checked in over 200 people as they arrived at the conference.  I loved the instant energy that I felt as these teachers walked through the doors.  It's always exciting to see educators come ready to share and learn!

Being a connected educator:
The first session I presented today was about being a connected educator.  Tom Whitby and Kristin Daniels joined us through a Google+ hangout.  We had a great discussion with our attendees about what it means to be connected, why we should be connected, and how to become connected.  Tom has so much passion about connecting people.  I enjoyed watching people immediately sign into the Educators' PLN Ning and sign up while he was talking.  Kristen has a great story about how she first joined twitter, tweeted once, and didn't tweet for about two more years.  Then she started following a hashtag at a conference and discovered the power of becoming a connected educator.

Sessions like this always help me to see that more and more teachers are no longer the keeper of knowledge but the connector or knowledge.

Keynote with Will Richardson


There is so much I could say here that this probably deserves it's own post at some point and time.  First of all, Will is a great person and just a lot of fun to be around.  I had the pleasure a few months back of interviewing Will for a blog post and I got to spend some time with him the night before the conference.   He is passionate about not just making education better but making it different.

A few thoughts from Will's keynote:

There were technical issues (figures) and we never did get his slides up on the projector.  However, he handled it like a pro and gave his presentation flawlessly!

We have to look at what our endgame is for public education.  If all we are concerned about is passing test then we need to seriously rethink school.

How do we define learning? Ask 50 people that question and you'll get a wide variety of answers but most of what we define as learning isn't assessed on standardized test.

"If we don't assess what we value, then we'll end up valuing what we assess" - Will Richardson

Educators need to be able to Learn, Unlearn, and Relearn.

Learn: Teachers must be seen as learners.  Do our students know how we learn?

Unlearn 3 things: Curriculum delivery, assessments, and competition.

Relearn: Curriculum is everywhere, try an "open network" assessment, and cooperate!

"I want my children to be found by strangers online." - Will Richardson

Will was speaking to the fact that when you get connected you learn from people all over the world.

Screencasting 101

Brian Bobbitt and I did a session about screencasting.  It was fun to discuss with teachers about the many uses of screencasting.  It's not just for flipclass and has many application.

Digital Detox

I spent the rest of the day in our digital detox station.  This is an area of the media center that was inspired by a blog post from John Spencer.  It's pretty simple, plug in your devices into one of our charging stations, have a seat a table.  The tables had plato, board games, origami, puzzles, and legos.  I sat down with three other teachers, played with plato and just connected with these educators.  It was the most relaxing part of the day and one of the most enjoyable parts of the day.

Conclusion


This is an exciting time to be an educator!

We have to be more than better, we have to be different.

We must continue to engage people (educators, parents, politicians and the community) in conversations about learning and the value of school.

The change that we need in education is not easy but it's not impossible.

Dreaming about interviews...#edudreamer

I was looking at the open hire spots in my district today.  Not because I'm looking to apply at any of them but because I'm curious how many new folks I'll be working with in the schools I'll be in.  Also, I must say, the entire hiring process has always fascinated me. I've bounced back and forth on the idea of getting my administration license and thought long and hard about if I would want to be a principal some day.  One of the biggest reasons I have ever considered becoming a principal is the opportunity to hire new folks and shape the culture of a school.  However, I don't think I'd go about the interview process the way I was interviewed.  Here are some things I've been dreaming about if I could be a part of the interview process.

Kids would be active participants in the interviews.


Now I know that is nothing new.  I've seen and read about schools where kids are involved in the hiring process.  After all, they are the ones that are going to have to listen to that new teacher every day throughout the year.  However, I don't know if I'd have them in the room with me when I did the "interviewing".  I think I'd put them in the waiting room.  They could offer the prospective candidates soda or water, maybe some peanuts, while they waited.

I would just be curious to see how many of the prospective teachers would strike up conversations with the students in the room.  Would they ask them about the school?  Would they ask them about themselves? How quickly would the prospective teachers be able to make connections with the students in the room?

Yeah, I guess I could have put them all in a room and have the interviewee "teach" something.  I guess the flaw I see in that is that anyone can put together one dynamic lesson.  I remember I was working in this one school where we had this first year teacher who had no clue how to teach.  However, he blew my principal away with how he looked and his "mini-lesson" to the principal, assistant principal, and department head.  My principal described him as "being like a movie star".  Which, of course, was the problem.  He could act like a teacher but he couldn't connect with kids.

You can fake your way through a lesson but you can't fake your way through connecting with kids.  I'd want kids as part of the interview process because I can help people become better teachers but I can't teach people how to care about kids.

Parents would be there as well.


I've taught in a couple of schools and been to my share of interviews.  I think every teacher interview requires at least one question about how will you deal with an upset parent and/or how do you communicate with parents.  Wouldn't it be great if you actually had a real life parent there to ask that question!?  Maybe ask the PTA president to be a part of the interview or some other trusted parent.  I just think it would be fun to get their perspective.  I mean, they have their kid(s) with them ever day.  We only get them for about half of the year.  Plus, they probably have some other students who are friends with their kid(s) and crash on their floors multiple times a year.  I just know that if my kids' principal called me and asked me if I wanted to be a part of the interview I would say yes in a heartbeat.

Talk about giving your parents some buy-in when it comes to the school.  Give them some voice in who it is teaching their children and I think you've got a parent who will support your school.  Plus this gives the school leaders a chance to sit down with parents and discuss the future of the school and to find out what they want out of the school as well what your vision is for the future.

Questions I would be sure to ask in any interview.


How do you know when you have learned something new?

How do you know when a student has learned something new?

What does a successful school year look like?

What do you want your students to get out of your classroom?

If you had an empty classroom, and money wasn't an issue, what would you fill your room with?

Tell me about a previous student you have taught.  Either from student teaching or from a previous school.

Of course there would be more questions than those but I think those questions are a good place to start.      Again, this is just something that has been on my mind lately because of all of the shifting that goes on between May and August.

Chime in down below in the comments with your thoughts and questions.  Here are some questions you can feel free to answer in the comment section as well:  What's the best question you've been asked in an interview and why? Have you ever interviewed at a school that included students and/or parents?  What would you ask if you could be a part of the interview process? 

The Flipped Classroom: A Genre of Teaching

I am always surprised by the variety of reactions I hear when I tell people I'm a believe in the flipped classroom.

"I want to try that with my students."

"I've been doing something similar for years."

"I'm not a fan."

"I don't like lectures and homework. Isn't that what flipped classrooms are all about?"

It's this last one that tends to stick with me the most.  I'm ok with you not being a fan.  The flipped classroom isn't for everyone and everybody knows there are no silver bullets in education.  What bothers me is when people make assumptions about what the flipped classroom is and what it's not.  It also bothers me when people lump all flipped classrooms together.

I have been wondering lately if the way mainstream media has portrayed the flipped classroom incorrectly and the negative connotation that some associate with the flipped classroom should cause us to move away from the term all together.

However, let me explain why I don't think that is necessary.  The flipped classroom is simply a genre of teaching.  Think of your favorite genre of movies.  You can certainly think of good and bad movies that you've seen but that doesn't stop you from watching that genre of movies.  From a personal example, I love comic book movies.  Batman & Robin was terrible, but it's not going to stop me from watching The Dark Knight Rises or discredit comic book movies all together.

The same should be said for the flipped classroom, or any teaching style for that matter.  The flipped classroom is a genre of teaching, and just because there are bad examples out there, doesn't mean you should throw out the genre all together.

For every Brett Ratner (bad) there are J.J. Abrams, Zach Snyder, and Peter Jackson (great).  The thing is, if you look around the internet and follow #flipclass on twitter, you are going to find there are some amazing teachers doing amazing things with the flipped classroom.  Check out the flipped classroom section of this website for more and I certainly haven't captured them all.

This genre is constantly evolving.  Check out Brian Bennett's post about "Redesigning Learning in the Flipped Classroom" for more information about the evolution of the flipped classroom.  All I'm asking is please don't instantly discredit what we are doing simply based on perception.

The Road Ahead

It's hard to believe that this year is coming to a close.  As I'm writing the blog I have 9 days left in the year.  This has been an amazing school year with its usual highs and lows.  Although, the highs this year have been a lot higher and the lows have been few and far between.  After spending 9 years in the classroom, I took on the role of an elearning coach in my school district.

As I look forward to the summer, I am excited about the opportunities I have to share the work I do with others.  I will be speaking at The Flipped Classroom Conference in Chicago in June.  The conference is full but you can still attend virtually.  Then in July I will be speaking at The EVSC eRevolution.  This is a free elearning conference with a tremendous schedule.  Both conferences are going to be exciting and I can't wait to meet so many people I've only talked to through twitter!

Even though the two conferences and a family of five certainly gives me plenty to do this summer, I would love to add more to my schedule.  If you are looking for somebody to speak, in person or virtually, on technology integration, building a PLN, twitter, professional development, leadership in a 1:1 environment, or the flipped classroom, please feel free to contact me.

Summer Schedule
June 18-20 The Flipped Conference
July 11&12 EVSC eRevolution 


As the year to comes to a close don't forget to take time to reflect on this past year's greatest moments of success and it's greatest learning experiences.  For me, one of the greatest moments of success was delivering professional development on the flipped classroom and the student centered classroom.  It is fun to discuss the work we do and to help push each other to be better educators.  

The greatest learning experience I have had this year has been the struggle to make sure it is about the learning and not about the tools.  I think it is very easy to get caught up in the latest cool tool and to try to find a way to make it fit what we teach.  I am thankful I have some amazing people in my life who have helped me to learn to always look at the goal before looking at the tools.

The Road Ahead
There are many changes, as always, in store.  Next year the team I'm a part of has been reduced due to budget cuts.  Instead of helping one school I will be working with several.  Although I was deeply saddened to see our team reduced, I am looking forward to this challenge and the opportunity to work with more teachers.  Next year I hope to continue to encourage teachers to make sure every choice we make in our classrooms are centered around our students' needs.  I will continue to improve my ability to deliver professional development by flipping my PD. I want to make sure to tell as many people as I can #YouMatter.

Let's continue this conversation in the comments.  What was your greatest moment of success this year? What was your greatest learning moment this year? What are you looking forward to being a part of next year?