A First Timer's Guide to ISTE

Molly, Chrissie, and Libby at
ISTE 2013 in San Antonio

Summer is here and you know what that means, ISTE!   For those who do not know ISTE is the International Society for Technology in Education.   It's definitely the mecca for all things educational Molly Miller, and Libby Kirkland.  It was our first time attending and boy was it overwhelming!  As the date approaches for us to board a plane and head to ISTE 14 I find myself reflecting on last year's conference and thinking of how I will do things differently.  So in this blog post Molly, Libby and I will share are must do's to get the most out of ISTE 14!
technology.  Last year's conference had over 18,000 attendees, 3 of those attendees were myself,

Chrissie Edwards

Chrissie's Advice:  Schedule in time for breaks
There is so much to do and see at ISTE, in order to not get overwhelmed be sure not to load your schedule with sessions.  Last year I worked on earning some credit for my +32 so I had to go to a certain amount of sessions, poster sessions, and booths.  I found myself exhausted and overwhelmed by the end of the 5 days.   This year I elected not to earn credit, but to go and learn at a pace that I saw fit for me.  I'm definitely going to schedule time to sit and reflect, or meet up at the more informal collaboration/conservation areas.  So be sure to attend some sessions, but also be sure to take time for yourself to decompress and reflect!

Molly Miller

Molly's Advice:  Plan ahead, find sessions that fit your learning needs and use the app. Don't try to wing it
When looking at the program booklet there is so much to see and do!  Last year we spent the first evening plotting our moves for the next few days.   There are literally HUNDREDS of learning opportunities through the conference and when you find something that interests you, you want to be sure to attend.  We also coordinated with our group.  Some we all wanted to attend, but sometimes there was more than one session we wanted to attend so we divided and conquered.  Planning out your time also helps you to plan your time and you can figure out when you want your breaks to occur, when are good conversation times and collaboration times.  Definitely plan your time!

Libby Kirkland

Libby Kirkland:  If you go to a session you don't like leave and find another
As Molly and Chrissie have reminded us, there are SO many sessions to choose from.  Sometimes, you attend a session and it isn't what you thought it would be!  Last year Molly and I attended a session we thought was on teaching ESL classes, when actually it was about finding resources for classrooms that were spanish speaking and we were the only 2 who didn't speak spanish!!  Molly and I sat trying to be polite, but looking back it would have been much better to leave and choose another session.  This is your learning so if a session doesn't fit you go find another!

Hopefully you find our words of wisdom helpful.  As you go on to ISTE don't forget to stop by our booth on Sunday from 11-1 on Instructional Technology Coaching.   See you there!

Light vs. Heavy Coaching

What makes someone better at something?   Is it staying complacent, comfortable and repeating the same things over and over?    No.   When you question what you do, reflect, and feel uncomfortable you will move forward.   I was reading a blog about moving forward every day, (see that blog here) and it made me reflect on my coaching practice.
Our district is very lucky to have the support of coaches from the Learning Forward group.   This group creates the standards for coaching and reflective practices.   One thing that we learn about is heavy vs. light coaching.
There are many roles that you can have as a coach.   Everything from finding new tools, to providing reflective feedback with teachers.   You can watch a video on the hats that I wear as a coach in Decatur Public Schools.  If you are a light coach, you will do tasks like looking for resources, and modeling lessons.  These things can help to support teachers but there is typically not a lot of deep conversation and reflection.   If you are coaching heavy you are more likely to be co-teaching and observing lessons, followed by some deeper questions.   This type of coaching really pushes teachers to reflect on their practice and make some deep changes that can really change the way a classroom looks.

Heavy coaching can be hard but rewarding.

As I sit and reflect on MY coaching practice, I want to move toward being more of a heavy coach.   When I look at myself I know that I typically shy away from conflict and really do want to make the people around me happy.   This is something I am working on both personally and professionally.   In my professional life, this trait pushes me more toward light coaching.  That is not going to help my schools reflect and move forward.   It makes me uncomfortable to make this push and this change, but I know that being uncomfortable is the first step in making change.   As a change agent, this is my responsibility.
So I ask you, do you coach heavy or light?   if you are a teacher do you reflect on your practice?  If you are an administrator are you happy with the status quo or do you push for excellence?  Join me in my push for change, and excellence!

Hang onto your conference Buzz

Learning together can continue
beyond the conference!

I am starting to wrap up my last session at EdCamp Saint Louis.   If you haven't been to an EdCamp before I would highly recommend it!   This conference is free for educators and highly interactive.   Sessions are decided upon that day, and they are more about the conversation than the presenting giving information.   Because of that, the best part of this type of conference is the connection that you can make with other like minded teachers!
With this conference, as many others, it is easy to go to a conference get excited and then completely leave everything behind.   To make conferences worthwhile it is important that you can hang onto that 'conference buzz'  Here are some ideas on how to hang onto that.

Connect with others on twitter and check in.
There are so many amazing people to meet and chat with.   Keep the conversation going!   Twitter is awesome for keeping connections with others going.   Be sure not to just take their twitter handle, but also make the commitment to going BACK onto twitter and read, share and comment!

Choose one thing to try/continue to learn about
There is a lot to learn and a lot of new ideas.   Don't get overwhelmed!! Choose one thing to commit to and try out, research more, commit to using.  Don't try to do it all, you will get overwhelmed.   Dig deep on one thing well!!

Thanks for tuning in and keep learning!!

Hidden Key To Successful 1:1

Our Brand New Eisenhower High School

The past month and a half I have been working on getting started on my new position in my school district.   One of our high schools, Eisenhower High School, has just opened a brand new building as of January 22.    The students are excited, the staff is rejuvenated, and the entire community is excited.   If that isn't enough, we are also going 1:1 with MacBook Airs this coming August.   Because of all of these changes the district decided that they needed an Instructional Technology Coach full time at this new high school.   How could I not apply for this position??  New beautiful building, a secondary environment, AND 1:1 with Airs!  The past year, however, the amazing team of Instructional Technology Coaches (see their blogs here here and here)  (see their Twitter accounts here here here here here here , District Leaders, and the IT department have been working together to figure how to roll this 1:1 out the best we can.  I have been reflecting a lot these past few weeks on what makes a 1:1 program successful.   I have blogged a lot about professional development, and the role of leadership.   This week I have been thinking and seeing how important the IT department is in this roll out.   Without IT support and the appropriate infrastructure 1:1 will not work.

Students working in Google Drive in a Classroom

We are INCREDIBLY luck in Decatur Public Schools.   Our IT department is on board with the 1:1 vision and works ridiculously hard to support the instruction.   The journey to where we are right now has been long.   To get here we have researched, visited district where 1:1 is working, and had many meetings to discuss what we have learned and see.   The IT department has participated in every moment.   From Visiting Minnetonka in Minnesota, to South Berwyn just outside of Chicago, the IT department has seen why 1:1 is important for instruction, and what the districts need to support this instruction.  When we meet to talk about how we will roll out IT understand what good instruction should look like and they work really hard to make the technology allow what we need.  We purchased more bandwidth, installed more routers, and changed the way our wireless filter works so that students as staff are both safe and can access the tools we need.   They are amazing!
If your district is looking to go 1:1 be sure you both have at IT department to support the amount of devices, and include them in every step along the way.   Imagine buying 500 ipads, but none can connect to wifi.   Or you have enough wifi, but your filter will not allow YouTube, and websites students need for research.  Or worse yet, a filter that will allow students to go anywhere, even sites that are not safe or in line with CIPA.
So to sum up, there is a lot to think of before going 1:1.  All stakeholders need to be involved in the decision from Teachers, Leaders, Professional Development, and IT.   If your district is considering this, be sure to speak to your IT department and make them a priority moving forward.