It’s About the Learning

I have been busy, but not why I have not kept up my blogging. It is about balance. I have been reflecting on what is burning time, and prioritizing what feeds me. It is the learning.

I am eclectic; I am all about the variety pack. When I read it bounces from mystery, to science, to science fiction, then go to something quirky that no one else is reading. Food is the same. I live in the LA area so it is all available Thai, Vietnamese, Korean, Fusion everything, BBQ, and farm to table creativity. And if I try one thing my first visit the next visit is about what else is new. My favorite visits are with someone who is willing to order something different so we can share, a friendly twofer.

So let’s talk learning.

Learning is really what all of my curiosity is about. A new person sits by me at a conference, I can hardly wait to introduce myself. They might have something new to teach me. They might share some new nugget that leads me to another personal discovery.

I am an explorer, because I want, nope NEED, to learn! Right now my professional learning is sparked by VR and data. Not necessarily together, but parallel learning that occasionally crosses streams (I am seeing the ghostbuster streams crossing, but it is not that dramatic, usually).

I am working to get an HTC VIVE in our classrooms. It is an immersive experience in a way I feel compelled to share with everyone. It is a learning experience. The experiences are the events that imprint in our learning. We don’t lose them, they are catalysts for what is next. What is next is the LEARNING. We need more life-long learners. And a lot fewer, I know all I need to know. Let’s learn together!!!!

The Future Workforce

I am becoming a bit obsessed with the question: Are we preparing our students to enter their workforce? The amount of change we are seeing in the workforce opposed to the change taking place in our schools is not exactly parallel in progress. Are we keeping our eye on their ball?  What will our kindergarteners need to be prepared to do in 2030? Our we doing our best to meet the students’ needs?

Automation of many jobs is resulting in a shift on what jobs are available now. Sometimes I ponder are most preparing students to return and teach in our system? Are we challenging them to fit into other systems? Are we giving them the adaptability to fit into systems beyond K-12? We have a shortage of teachers so maybe we are even failing to make that system look relevant. We have these students for 13 years, shouldn’t those 13 years simulate a system of progress and innovation? We have many things that are already fabulous about the school system: social, reading, math skills, social sciences, sciences. But could we do better with the HOW for students and our communities?

Educating tomorrow’s workforce Create Tomorrow 4/19/2016

Changing Workforce PwC 2/27/17

Preparing Students for Careers

One of the conversations that I had a couple of times at this past weeks LEAD 3.0 was around what should our students be learning. We talk a lot about how the jobs they will have may not yet even exist. I am sure that is true. Had I known Google would be a real thing in high school, I would have demanded more access to coding. Maybe looking at what innovative companies are looking for in an employee might be a way to help prepare students.  I started digging through recruitment videos. Below are some videos I found interesting.

Applying at Google
Tim Cook on hiring at Apple
Zappos hired people who are weird and lucky

LEAD 3.0 2017

Educational conferences are like summer camp for me. A chance to pull away from some of the mundane and complicated parts of life, and dig into something.  Whether it is brand new content or a deeper dive into something I have been doing awhile. Plus the campers!!! Love the new people to meet and learn from. Throw it into an inspiring location and you have the makings of world class edutainment! 

Big take away this year:

• We need work harder at giving students the tools to learn. I do not just mean technology. We need to provide authentic experiences where they get to dig and learn. How can school feel more like summer camp? 

CUE 2016 in Review

This year the CUE Conference in Palm Springs was on March 16th-19th and had a record attendance of 7,000 educators. Bonita Unified also had a record of attendees at the conference with eighty-five. Teachers, administrators, and support staff attended keynotes, hands-on sessions, and spent time brainstorming new ideas for Bonita classrooms. 
One of the highlights was a keynote by Hadi Partovi, the founder of Code.org initiative. The initiative advocates for children learning how computers and the Internet work, giving students an opportunity to learn how to code. In the last two years it has engaged one hundred million students and adults in the organization’s “Hour of Code” lessons. One statistic he shared is there are currently 87,073 open computer science jobs in California, and there were only 3,525 Computer Science graduates from college last year. The need for computer science software engineers is growing exponentially and we need to draw more students to this opportunity. 

A large Bonita USD group were also able to attend the finals for the Leroy Big Idea’s award. Bonita USD was honored by having two of the six finalists for the award. Ronalea Freeth, a first grade teacher at Ekstrand Elementary, did a presentation on connecting students to a digital world through 3D printing. Crystal Rivas, a fifth grade teacher at Oak Mesa Elementary, did a presentation on thematic units through a digital world, incorporating the creation of an electronic portfolio and 3D printing. 

Bonita USD’s Matthew Miller, 4th grade teacher at Grace Miller, was honored with the CUE Gold Disk Award. The Gold Disk is CUE’s oldest recognition program. Recipients receive this honor for their contributions to CUE and to technology in education. Matt has organized the CUE volunteers the last four years and has served on the CUE Conference Committee for 6 years. He will Chair the Conference Committee in 2017. He has recruited many Bonita educators to volunteer for free attendance to the conference during his tenure.

To curate the many items the 85 Bonita attendees learned during the conference, we are collaborating on a Google Slide with 1 or 2 of best take-aways. This slide deck will be shared with the those who were unable to attend the conference in a few weeks. It is still growing at this time. The slide deck can be reached at http://bit.ly/CUE2016busd.

Just as a bit of fun, to support a Roynon student’s Flat Stanley project. I had the opportunity to take a little girl’s “Flat Mia” with me to the conference. A link to our adventure is attached here: http://bit.ly/FlatMia2016. It is always a pleasure to connect with the students in Bonita. The cutout was made by the student to represent herself.

 

Collaboration to Innovation…this cannot be done alone

My district has adopted a motto this year of Collaboration to Innovation. The idea that real innovation is not done in isolation but is often more effective in a group. Egads, is this a call for the dreaded “group project”. Well, maybe it is.

When I reflect on my professional work, what does this mean? I am often teamed to take on a project, presentation, or to work through challenges with others.  In fact, most of the work I do involves at least one other department, but sometimes 2 or 3 others. It can be exhilarating when it works. The caliber of product excels and “the magic” happens.  It can lead to a symphony of excitement and success. When I work alone, I am quite competent, but the addition of others perspectives and extra points of views can elevate the process just like playing an instrument in an orchestra. This type of collaboration is what we need to capitalize on for our students. 

My daughter has newly started her college experience. She has always dreaded the group project. In high school, she was often left the lead position which often meant completing the process on her own. Other students would gravitate to her knowing she would carry the load. She is finding college a bit different. I heard her describe a recent group project as “fun.” Yep, that is what collaboration should be.  

Working together should draw energy out of all participants. It should create communication, healthy criticism, and an effort to boost the team as a hold. It never hurts if there is some laughter, and a little conflict can be brilliant to the end product. Norms are necessary. Clear expectations of the group goal is also key to the finished project.

 

CUE 2015

This year 65 of us Boniticians attended CUE in Palm Springs. It felt a lot like going away to summer camp. The commardarie as we learned together was unparalleled. 

  

Saw I never published this better hurry as I am packing now for CUE 16. And there will be 84 Bonitians this trip.

Forget 1:1, we need to be working on 2:2

I have been walking classrooms the last year and seeing some fantastic use of technology. The best work I have seen is when students are collaborating and communicating on their projects. The other observation I have made is student choice is a real winner for engagement and enthusiasm.

Considering collaboration, communication, and choice I am exploring the idea of 2:2 to help foster all of these factors. If we work on bringing a variety of tools for choice, students can pick the tool for the job. If each set of students had a Chromebook and an iPad between the two of them they could work alone at times or collaborate to work on projects and solutions. The idea of student created content is the end goal if we are working off the SAMR model. Redefinition is when student choice and collaboration takes the experience from, “do this,” to, “here are all the different ways we could do this.” Let’s equip students with the tools and structure to make choices and own their learning. Let’s teach students to collaborate to innovate.

I want to hire folks who know how to choose the right tool and work with others to solve problems. I also want these same skills in my President and my doctor. Let’s find ways to build this into our classrooms now.

The Gap in Ed Tech

We spend a lot of time working on the achievement gap of our students. It is an important component of equity in public education. I have suddenly become aware of a glaring new gap in educational technology. This gap is in staff. 

If you flash back 5 years ago the gap was pretty small, but there was a lot less technology. As we have expanded those who are curious have dug in and found ways to wrap technology into their class instruction. 

In the fall of 2014 our district held our first all Ed Tech day to kick off school. It was full of apps and websites to explore- I remember Remind was the “life changing” application. It really was a powerful communication tool, but was it a strategic pedagogy that would change instruction?

Fast forward to fall of 2015. We ran a second Ed Tech day, we renamed the day BETA15 (Bonita Educational Technology Adventure 2015) Wow, the sessions changed. Collaboration with Google and flipping your classroom were what teachers were ready to share. Here is where the gap showed up. Attendees were finding this too much of a stretch. “I am not ready.” “We are not using devices yet.” Were some of the complaints I was hearing. Oh and one teacher shared, “Technology will never be relevant to me, I teach History.” That one made me shudder, but it got me to reflect. What can we do to reduce the achievement gap in staff when it comes to educational technology? 

We must find ways to demonstrate how relevant technology is to our students world. That may be too narrow. How relevant it is to The World. Technology is rarely the target, it is how using these tools we can find the target: collaboration, communication, critical thinking and creativity in a global world. This is the question I will be exploring as we prepare for BETA16.

Opening Doors to New Learning -CTO WHAT?

I am always considered myself a bit of a learning addict. This weekend I began the CETPA CTO Mentor program (that is a lot of letters). California Educational Technology Professionals Association Chief Technology Officer Mentor program is the more descriptive answer. This opportunity is a stretch for learning, and after a couple of days I would describe it as an immersion program into the educational and technical technology world for those leading schools and districts through this magically changing world.

When I describe myself as an addict to learning, formal settings of learning are not my favorite. In the world of everything at our finger tips, I am a learner ON DEMAND: Twitter, LinkedIn, Zite, digital magazines. I can wake up at 2:00am pickup my iPad and chat with Australian teachers about new classroom tools, talk about feeding an addition. This weekend was different something a bit more formal and resembling college coursework. I am in classrooms daily, but it has been awhile since I was the student. Seat time is an adjustment.

Highlights are a plenty from this weekend. Some huge learning from the wrestling other a manager vs. a leader to considering how are personalities affect the way we lead. Big deep questions they allowed us to grapple with our plans and our perceptions of the future of technology in education. My biggest take away, it is always bigger than it looks. Whether we are moving infrastructure or curriculum it will take people. I need to stand back far enough to see the whole picture, ask questions, listen to others and choose the path that is most important– do what is best for Bonita students.

Now for the Uncommon Cohort, these are fantastic people. We all come with very diverse backgrounds, but our common goal brings a synergy. I have 19 amazing resources that come with a wealth of experiences and perspectives. I felt supported, the extra napkins when I cried during Bob Blackney’s presentation, all be it 3 times, it was those touch the heart moments that get me every time. I was engaged to learn whether in class activities or sitting at lunch. This was class number one and I am sure I have encountered a group I will call my colleagues quickly and more surprisingly my friends what an unexpected and delightful surprise.

Now back to it there is much work to be done!