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!

Why I Love Feedly

Want to learn more but don't have time to hunt?   Find a great blog but lost the site?   Well then my friends, Feedly is for you!
At this year's IETC conference I spent some time in a session all about RSS feeds.   RSS feeds make your life easier.   What they do is keep a website link the RSS feed constantly updates and bring you the newest articles or blogs at that site kind of like a newspaper.   There are many RSS Feed Sites, but I love Feedly.   Feedly links with your Google account which is great.   One less username and password for you to remember.   My Feedly is organized also by categories.   Makes it easier for me to find my Techie blogs, recipes, and everything inbetween.
If you would like to learn more about how to use Feedly read my blog HERE and HERE .
Go out there, set up a feedly and start reading!

My first time Presenting at IETC

Yesterday I had my first experience presenting at a conference.  The past three days have been the Illinois Educational Technology Conference, IETC 13. I have presented at district wide conferences but this was my first session where I was not familiar with my audience.  It was a. Fantastic experience!

I, along with a teacher from a school that I work at presented on using Twitter in the classroom.  Basically a says to harness Twitter and inspire your students.   You can find the presentation here. 

As I reflect on my session, I feel as thought he experience was equally beneficial to those that attended and for me!   I stretched myself a little that day.  Of course it was great to collaborate with a fellow educator to create the session, butt he end of our session was an opportunity to share ways that the participants thought they could apply Twitter in their rooms.   We also created a google form to gather everyone's contact info so we could stay continued beyond the conference and hopefully follow each others' classes on Twitter.  

So my challenge to all you readers.  Especially the teachers out there.  Figure out what you are passionate about and find a conference to present at!   Many of you have something worth sharing so do it!  I guarantee you will find it rewarding!

**shameless plug you can find me at ICE 2014 METC 2014 and cross your fingers for ISTE 2014

My Favorite Part of Edcamp

Connecting at edcamp is half the fun!

This past weekend I was able to go to my first edcamp with an instructional coach from my district. (Find her on blogger here, and follower here on twitter here.)  The goal was to learn more about the format, meet some awesome people, and learn.  We were able to accomplish all of our goals.  It was an awesome experience and I loved every moment.  I wanted to blog about the experience but I needed some time to reflect on the experience.  What I came up with was this, connecting with other educators was awesome!
The best part of edcamp was the opportunity to connect, reflect and share with others who were passionate about education.  Heck, we were all there for a full day of learning on a Saturday!  The instructional coach and I reached out and shared in conversation with others and edcamp is a great platform to do this.  We were sure to provide a google form for our session so that we could all stay connected after the day was over.
Half of the learning of professional development is the learning that will continue after the conference is over and that's what I got out of edcamp.   When you attend a session of professional development do you extend your learning?  Set up a follow up session with your district's professional development providers, connect with teachers at your grade level to carry on what you've learned, be sure to meet new people at each session you attend.  When you connect and continue that's when real learning happens.
And if you get the oppurtunity to go to an edcamp, GO!

iTunes U for Professional Development

Durfee iTunes U Courses

One of the personal goals that I have made for myself as a coach this year was to differentiate my professional development.  There is one of me and about 70 teachers that I am responsible for developing technology integration with.  Within those 70 teachers there is a variety of skill level with integrating technology into instruction.  The only way that I can think to support all levels of skill is to flip my professional development.  This involves me making a lot of videos and handouts but its paying off.  At my 1:1 building Durfee Technology Magnet School (Like us on Facebook) I am using iTunes U.
This year we have a few courses on iTunes U at Durfee.  Each course is for a specific purpose.

General Building Professional Development
This iTunes U course holds all of the directions and materials for the typical  faculty professional development.  Links, documents, and resources are all held here.  When we have a faculty meeting teachers know that they should bring their iPads and look at the course to be prepared.
Tips and Tricks
There is a lot to share and know in order to have a successful 1:1 classroom with iPads.  It is impossible to provide a professional development session for everything.  We use this course to share tips for classroom management or routines and rituals.  Teachers can share things that have worked, or ask for ideas for something
App Club
There are 1000s of apps to sort through, why not bring our brains together!  Each month we have an app that we focus on.  Week one the course holds 'how tos' and support for using the app.  Week 2 the teachers share ideas on how they could possibly use the app.  Week 3 we try out the app, week 4 we share how it went.
MacBook Pilot
This year teachers applied to be a part of a pilot where they would take home a MacBook pro to create resources for iBooks and iTunes U for THEIR students.  Support docs and resources are housed here.

iTunes U is allowing teachers to have resources accessible and leveled.  Teachers no longer have to sit through development they are not ready for, or are ready to move beyond.
If you are at a school where teachers have their own iPads I would definitely recommend using iTunes U to administer professional development!

Learn more about our program here!

Expect the Dip

Keep using the technology even when it's hard.

A new year is starting and many teachers are creating goals around incorporating technology into the classroom.  Enthusiasm is high as are expectations, and then the kids arrive!  I see many teachers loosing that enthusiasm, and even backing off of their endeavors with technology.  Don't give up!
There are many things that happen at school that make teachers feel tempted to stop using technology.  Unexpected hiccups occur; the wifi crashes, apps don't sync.  All of these things are definitely events that could make one stop and put away the tech.  Don't let that be the reason you stop your technology mission!  The wifi will go back up, you will figure out how to sync your apps have no fear!
Any time you try something new there is a natural dip in skill.  Think about when you get a new car.  It takes a few times to remember that the cruise control is in a different spot, or the gas is on the other side.  After a few times you get the hang of it and remember.  The same is true for integrating something new in your teaching practice.  Tech or not there is a learning curve with a new strategies.  Give yourself time to breathe, and reflect.  Have your coach or another teacher sit in to observe.  Chances are you are being harder on yourself than you need to be.
I was in a class with a teacher integrating iPads.  This was the third time I was there and the students have been using these iPads frequently.  I saw the lesson going well with students working together to navigate and learn how to use this new app in instruction.  The teacher saw a classroom loosing control.  When students take more control of their learning it is not strange for teachers to feel out of control and that can be scary!  This is normal, take a deep breath, and press on.
Anything worth doing is hard.  Change is super hard but good things come from
change.  Find the people around you to support you and stay the course!

BYOSS: Cool way to Facilitate PD

Not only do we get ideas, we get free snacks!

A few months ago I went to a conference in Chicago put on by SDE.  This conference's focus was differentiation.   There were a lot of cool things that I picked up on but one thing that i brought back was an idea for professional development from a session hosted by Rick Wormlei.  He spoke on an interesting way to lead professional development called BYOSS.
BYOSS stands for Bring Your Own Skill and Snack.  The goal of this professional development session is to have teachers bring ideas on how to use a tool, or implement a strategy, the skill.  And of course teachers love a yummy treat after school so that's why the snack.
If you are leading a BYOSS first you need to select a idea.  Its a good idea to think of something that people could share a variety of ways to use or implement this idea.   I chose to have my session on Promethean Responders as all K-8 classrooms in my district has a set.  Teachers that choose to attend are to bring a copy of a way they use the idea, responders, in their classroom for every attendee.  So 15 participants, 15 copies.  I chose to have teachers bring 10 copies as a standard.  Then of course, they must also bring a small snack to share.  Entry into the session is both the copies and the snack.
Once everyone is there, collect their 'skills' and everyone has there snack its time to get started!
Distribute the ideas to all of the participants.  I like to pass them out one at time so that the teachers can focus on them one at a time.  The teacher who brought the idea shares it with the group.  Then, as a group we brainstorm at least one way to modify or adapt the activity.  We do this for each idea.  The great thing about this session is 1.) you get to eat yummy snacks and 2.) you get to leave with a TON of ways to use an idea or incoporate a strategy.

# of teachers x 2 = tons of great ideas! 

When I tried this out at my schools is was super successful.  In addition to getting a lot of ideas, it allows teachers to reach out to each other and find experts in their own building.   Its definitely a style of professional development that I plan to try again.  I challenge you to try this at your school.  

A Fun Way to Reflect!

A letter to yourself to inspire and reflect!

It's summer and there are two days left until I head back to work.  I'm trying to take care of the things that once the whirlwind of the school year begins I'll forget about, like cleaning the kitchen cabinets, I know super awesome, when my husband came home with the mail.  There it is, staring at me from the top of the pile, the letter I wrote to myself back in January!
This past January my district asked to attend a conference in Chicago put on by SDE.   Of course, it was awesome!  The closing keynote was lead by Rick Wormlei.  He chose to use this time not speak to us, but provide us with time to reflect on what we had learned.  He gave each of us paper and an envelope.  The challenge was to write a letter to ourselves that we would receive in the summer, remind ourselves of all that we had learned in the past 3 days and keep ourselves accountable.  I LOVED this idea.  I ended up writing 3 pages.  Through the rest of the school year it did help to remind me to do things that I wanted to do.  I wanted to blog, kept my promise, and start ups a BYOSS session, which I did and will blog about later.  The letter reminded me to go back and look at my notes on rigor and relevance, making differentiation happen, and PBL.  The letter said to either look through them right now, or set an alarm for later in the week, I chose the later.   It also said to blog about this letter right now so I am!
I would definitely recommend us all to write a letter to our future selves that we should open when we're tired or at the end of the year.  Make goals, keep yourself accountable, but provide support in case your forget or leave things behind. I think I will try to include this in my first training sessions this Monday. If Rick should happen to read this post, THANK YOU!  You made my day, reminded me to think back, and got me excited for the beginning of the year.

Summer Learning: Blogs

Learning together at Apple Academy

I have been blogging a lot more this summer than I have during the school year.  I think this has been happening for a few different reasons.  First, I have more time than I typically have had during the school year. I know I will get busy again, but I plan to post with more frequency now that I have been getting in the swing of things.  Secondly, I have had time for learning this summer.  I have been lucky to attend two awesome experiences, Apple Academy and ISTE, as well as hosted many summer learning options for my district.  I have found that the best way for me to learn, is to reflect.  Blogging is the platform that is the easiest for me to reflect on my learning.  When I think back to the school year there were many times I was able to learn, but I spent little time reflecting.  I plan to keep up with the blogging when the school year begins, not only to keep up, but to help me reflect on my experiences as I go.
One of the themes that I wanted to blog about this summer was ways for teachers to take control of their summer learning.  Reading blogs and writing blogs is another way to do this.  If you have an experience that effects you, you blog about it!  Use your blog as a platform to reflect.  Not only does that support your learning, but then others can learn from your experiences as well!
Even if you choose not to blog, you should read blogs.   Twitter and Google + are great places to find blogs to read.  Find the blogs that interest you and save them for future posts.   I encourage you not to only read the posts, but leave comments as well.  See an awesome comment strand on this post by MattBGomez here.  Commenting and replying to comments challenges you to reflect even further.
I have recently been encouraging teachers in my district to blog.  You can find some here, here, and here.  I'm glad they are taking the digital leap into blogging and hope that they get the same benefits as I have.
So challenge! Read more blogs, comment on those blogs, and start your own.  Further you own learning and you never know you could even contribute to someone else's.  Happy Learning!

Its Not the Technology Its Us!

I have been sitting on this blog post for a while now.  Been looking for the best way to talk about how technology isn't amazing because its an awesome tool, it's because there are awesome teachers.  At today's professional development session I facilitated the teachers helped give me the words that I was looking for.

Teachers working to keep tech integration fresh!

Today I facilitated another two sessions on the SAMR model.  If you are interested in more info on what SAMR is you can watch this super awesome video or read my blog post on the SAMR model.  Each session had awesome conversation around which level of SAMR is related to different tech and tasks.  What we finally drilled it down to is that the technology tool isn't at a certain level, its the expectation of the teacher.  It's not the tech its us!  Many different tech options, from Promethean Boards to apps, can be integrated into the classroom.  The expectations and tasks that the teachers support and set out are what makes the difference between a classroom simply substituting technology with minimal gains, and a classroom blowing it out of the water and being innovative.  Technology is awesome, but its the teacher that makes the real difference for the students.
Later in the afternoon after the professional development sessions were done I met with a science teacher in my district who is trying to integrate iPads into her classroom, check out her blog here.  Writing grants, meeting with me on a regular basis, and research has inspired our district to repurpose Generation 1 iPads to her class.   To many these iPads are junk and belong on a shelf.  To her, its an opportunity to utilize Edmodo to support tasks via Google Drive, Educreations, and research capabilities.  It's not the technology it's us!
No matter what you have in your classroom for technology you, the teacher, are the real tool that is you the teacher!  Be sure to keep yourself fully updated!  Keep reading, learning, trying, testing, and asking.  Reach out to your peers, coaches, PLN, and social networking circles.   Join Twitter and build your circle!  It's not the technology it's us!

Managing Your Learning on Twitter

This past Thursday my school district hosted a day long learning event for all school staff called Summer Splash.  From my perspective it was a very successful event.  Teachers were able to register and sign up for sessions hosted by coaches in our district.  Sessions included everything from how to differentiate your classroom, how to be a reflective teacher, to integrating technology.  I lead three sessions, Twitter for the Classroom, The SAMR Model, and Small Groups with the iPad.
I received a lot of great feedback especially in my Twitter session.  One question I was asked was how do you manage and "file" everything that you learn on Twitter.  There is a lot to learn on Twitter and it can be overwhelming.  So I began to think, how do I organize and store my learning from Twitter. Here is what I came up with.

Create bundles to organize saved links

Bitly
When I find a link to a blog post I like, I will retweet it or share it out.  Twitter saves all of your tweets but it's in a timeline and can be to remember where that great blog was.  I use bitly to shorten all of my links.  Bitly will store your links and save them.  You can also bundle together links that are similar.  If you create bundles its easier to find those links again.

Save Blogs in Feedly

Feedly
Another way I save and organize my Twitter Learning is with Feedly.  When I find a blog that I like I add it to my Feedly account.  You can also organize by groups here.  It makes it easier to sift through the blogs you like to read.  Kinda like a digital magazine of all my favorite reads.

Lists
One last way to organize your Twitter Learning would be through creating lists in Twitter.  I have not played with this a lot yet but it's something that has been added to my to do list.  When you gain more people to follow your timeline can become overwhelming.  If you have a lot of time to sit and sift through that's fine, but what about when school comes and free time gets more and more scarce?  Creating lists can sift through your feed and highlight people's Tweets that are in that list.  Timesaver for sure!  You can also follow other people's lists and they can follow yours as well.  Great way to organize and build your PLN.

So there we are, my two cents on organizing Twitter.   Happy learning!

Click to follow me on Twitter!

What Should PD Look Like?

Teachers working together on a SAMR educreation

A few #edchats ago the discussion revolved around what good professional development or PD should look like.  An hour later, a lot of awesome conversation, a lot of lightbulbs, and a lot of ways PD can be more productive.  Teachers' time is SUPER valuable.  They have so many things that they are responsible for that it is important that when they do choose to spend an hour or 3 or a full day of their time in a session that we make the most of it.  There have been many ideas rolled around as to how to make the most of this valuable time, everything from flipping PD, tiering PD, and embedding it in their jobs.  Today I think I was able to create professional development that teachers found valuable and got a lot of.  I'll share what I did that I think made it valuable, I took a step back and let the teachers do the talking!
Today I led a training on the SAMR model.  This was a model that many teachers didn't have very much experience with, so this was really their first exposure.  I stepped them through the four levels, but as often as I could I had the teachers think/pair/share.  They were able to reflect and talk out what they thought each level was and apply it to experiences that they have provided to their students or things that they could do.  I was incredibly lucky to have groups of teachers who were so willing to speak and share!  That being said it is super important that the presenter have the tools to draw out conversation.  After they were able to talk it out they were able to share out how they understood the here, here, here, and here.  They were able to reflect on what they learned but also feel what the different levels of SAMR felt like.

Result of teacher collaboration

SAMR in their own way.  You can see examples
In addition to the teachers learning from themselves, when you let the teachers talk you can learn too!  I have a few new resources that I excited to play with and learn about (goanimate) , and a few new whys to reach out to teachers in my distrtict(app clubs).
I challenge all of you PD providers to incorporate as much teacher discussion into your professional development.  A great way to engage teachers, and use their time to the full extent.

Summer Learning: Pinterest

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I promised that this summer my blog would look into taking summer learning into your own hands.  This post will focus on everyone's favorite quickie PD Pinterest!
Many of us have come to know and love Pinterest, but for those of us who have not discovered Pinterest, it is a free website and app that allows you to collect ideas, inspiration, dreams, things that make you laugh, and anything you may be interested in.  You are able to collect and categorize websites, blogs, images better known as 'pins' onto different boards.  You can categorize these pins in whichever manner  you would like to make all of you favorite mus saves in a manner that makes it easy for you to find.  People use Pinterest to store recipes  home decor ideas, funny pictures and of course ideas for education.  Not only can you store things that you find interesting  but you can see the items that others have pinned.  This makes Pinterest a great place to connect with other educators and share ideas.  You can choose to follow other peoples' entire collections or specific boards.
This past week I had the exciting experience of attending ISTE 2013.  ISTE is a conference for educational technology, International Society for Technology in Education.  This conference had amazing sessions and I learned a lot, but one of the biggest takeaways is the connections made with fellow educators.  One person who who I connected with was a kindergarden teacher from Texas, Matt Gomez.  Matt has an incredibly extensive collection of educational pins on Pinterest.  If you are looking for a good place to spot and inspiration for what your Pinterest page could look like, start here.   Happy Pinning!

Apple Academy Reflections

So I just returned home from Apple Academy and I have a thousand thoughts swirling around my head.  I learned a lot of new skills, applications, and met some truly amazing people.   I feel as though I could write a million blog posts on the experience.   For now I will start with my biggest takeaway, I do we do you do.  

I am familiar with this model of instruction.   For those who are not familiar with "I do, you do, we do" it's a way to organize your instruction.  The teacher, or coach,or PD facilitator, will demonstrate a topic. Then you allow the participants to work on or discuss the skill in a small group or with a partner. Finally, the learners will engage in the task or concept on their own.  

Learning together at Apple Academy

I have tried to incorporate this into my teaching practices when I was in the classroom, and now as a coach I try to always use this model in the professional development I provide.  When I was at apple academy we experienced this method all week long.  Sometimes the we do was in discussion, sometimes it was in a small group.  Sometimes the I do was homework at night, sometimes in front of the whole group.  Whichever way we were asked to do it, the I do we do you do model really helped me to understand the skills and concepts in a deeper way.  

Looking forward to the variety of trainings I will be providing for my district this summer--shameless plug!   DPS employees check www.mylearningplan.com to find trainings and register!--I will be sure to not only consider what I will be including but how I will be presenting the content.  So, if you plan on attending a training of mine, be ready to work!  But also know, you will leave with a deep knowledge or what you have learned and hopefully also a deeper passion for educational technology.  See you this summer!

Summer Learning: Twitter

If you're like me, you have just begun your summer vacation.  To my friends still with a month to go, have no fear your time will come!  This means time to relax, refresh, and spend time on things you do not have time for during the school year.  Why not make a goal to develop yourself professionally a little bit each week. There are many easy, user friendly, accessible, FREE resources to develop yourself as an educator.  My next few blog posts will give you a variety of resources for professional development, and the best way to use them. 

Twitter

Twitter is an excellent place to connect with educators from around the world.   "Tweets" can be anything from a thought, to a website, a photo, really anything under 140 characters.  One of the best ways to connect is to follow people.  When you follow someone, you can see what they post, who follows them, and who they follow.  You can choose to follow their people and so on.  "Following" someone allows you to see what they tweet.  

If you follow people who are interested in education, like me (WARNING here's the shameless plug, follow me @chrissie62573), you have access to anything they have learned or found to be interesting.  I find my time on twitter reading blogs and websites, just skimming through things other people have found to be interesting.  The great thing about Twitter is that each tweet can only be 140 characters so its easy to get the gist of an article quickly.  You don't spend a lot of time reading through half an article to find out that its not what you were looking for.  

Another way to find interesting information onTwitter is to search by hashtag. A "hashtag" (this symbol #) followed by a word, phrase or acronym that groups together similar themed tweets.  For example, #edchat is a hashtag devoted to a conversation surrounding a selected topic for the week.  If you wanted to find the conversation, and participate you would search for #edchat and follow the conversation.  

When you are ready to share you can link blogs that you find, or mark your tweets with hashtags. 

I hope that you find that twitter is an engaging, exciting, influential tool that kick starts your summer PD.  Check back soon to find the next tool to continue your summers's professional development.