If you want to see corporate marketing at its best and worst, look no further than edtech created "educator honors". These technology based programs that label and badge teachers as "ambassador", "innovative", "distinguished" or "certified" are considered "honors" within the education field as entry into these "elite" programs often represents a teacher who is not only doing brilliant work for kids and communities but also contributing to education both nationally and even globally through the sharing of that work. (As expressed in documentation created to promote the program) In addition, with professional development opportunities often incredibly lacking in districts, these programs often provide extensive PD and even financial support for conferences in exchange for teachers presenting, when districts can’t or won’t provide it. There is no denying that what these programs provide for teachers has some great impact and quite a few of them get it right and remain focused on the growth of the teacher…as defined by the teacher or program goals. Discovery Education does this like no other with the DEN Stars program! However, just as there exists a group of corporate designations that are honestly great, there also exists a group of programs that are not. Hiding behind the badge or a "branded educator" t-shirt, is often a marketing machine where teachers are literally used as social sharing pawns with the sole purpose of evangelizing the product and promoting its use both online and face to face. It’s the #1 edtech marketing attempt at spreading the message through community, while ironically proving that they have no idea what community truly means. Unfortunately, we as educators often don’t make the distinction. We congratulate and applaud the badge as if it has greater meaning than the pixels from which it was created. We view the "direct email to the company" as a sign of collaboration, never quite connecting the fact that they often need YOU much more than YOU need them…especially if it is a brand new product on the market. Hey teachers, your network of educators, conference voice and reach is like the edtech version of bitcoin…literally measurable in such a way that it can be connected to potential growth…for the company anyway. Remember, in this model, your growth doesn’t really count. That’s a reality for programs connected to sales or usage impact. If you’re lucky enough to be on a "feedback pathway", you’re likely testing product and providing input on your own time. We, the same ones who are looked upon in "tech spaces" as JUST TEACHERS, are giving our time and ideas to help frame someone else’s "innovation" because that’s who we are especially when it just might have greater impact in our classrooms. (It’s also really fun to put in a twittter bio or on a conference slide) I am not knocking these programs, badges or people’s desire to fill their CV with every honor imaginable. Believe me, many of them provide ample opportunity for teachers to share all over the world. I too hold a few "corporate" distinctions but this is not done so blindly. This is done only after reading the fine print and understanding what each program will mean for my own growth, work and community. Sometimes, I miss the fine print or even the bold print…especially when the program carries a name that means a great deal to me personally and it’s disappointing when you realize that something that you care about might be nothing more than a ploy to build a platform on the backs of teachers…through the lens of the fundamental work that we do. Hidden behind the words…ambassador, innovator, certified, distinguished… For the record, being an educator is just as thought provoking, creative and important as being a neurologist, engineer or any career path of esteemed importance where creative ideas are validated. We do not need to be "fixed". The system itself does. We do not need to have our roles defined through the creation of more programs that capitalize on our work. If you want to empower and applaud teachers…do it. Don’t hide agendas behind specialized buzz words. Instead, treat us as such. None of us would define an innovator as someone who follows a pre-conceived plan or rules so don’t use that word when the expectations underneath are anything but that. With that said, as teachers…we should always read the fine print before signing up for programs that may not be in the best interest of the profession. At the end of the day, we hold the cards and respect won’t happen until we demand it. Seeing all sides of the equation is a start…even if the endgame is the impact on students. At some point, we also have to care about the impact on ourselves…our ideas and voices in our schools, communities and global networks. By the way…a single branded program isn’t what makes the greatest difference for kids. YOU do. And that matters. Much more than being labeled…ambassador, innovator, certified, distinguished    

Way back in 2000, I purchased a very cool computer case that was perfect for traveling. It was called "The Lapdog", and it held my laptop, computer cables, chargers, and PalmPilot. The neatest thing about it was you could unfold it and use it on your lap while in an airport. It was well-made and sturdy, and all the business people in the airport asked me about it! It was made by Shaun Jackson Designs.The Lapdog, Shaun Jackson DesignsFast forward a few years, and Shaun Jackson designs launches Higher Ground to bring cases to the education market. I have been a fan of Higher Ground technology cases since they first launched. They were one of the first companies that understood how important it was to offer cases that would protect student laptops as one-to-one programs were rolled out in schools.I purchased a few Higher Ground cases over the years, as they expanded their line of products to include tablet cases and sleeves. However, from day one to today, the common component throughout their product lines has been a hard-sided protection model that is both light-weight and functional.I remember, at ISTE 2011, everyone received either a Higher Ground iPad 2 sleeve or a 15" Higher Ground laptop sleeve in their registration bag. There was all kind of trading going on! I still have my laptop case and it now houses my Dell XPS15 laptop.15" laptop sleeve from ISTE 2011Last week, Higher Ground sent me several cases that fit my current technology gadgets to review. It has been so much fun to explore their capabilities!Higher Ground currently has cases that fit in computer and tablet carts, cases that students can put in their backpack or carry separately, cases that allow students to use their devices while they are in the case, and traditional protective sleeves for devices.I will showcase what device(s) I will be using with the cases I received and provide a quick overview of the Higher Ground cases. IPAD PRO, MACBOOK, AND CHROMEBOOK I am always on the look-out for cases for my iPad Pro 12.9" tablet. The tablet is an odd size, but several cases from Higher Ground work perfectly for protecting it!The Flak Jacket Slim is both a sleeve and a carry case that works with the iPad Pro 12.9" and also the 11" Chromebooks. (Dimensions of laptop compartment: 12.25" x 8.75" x 1.25")This slim case will hold the device and, on the back, it has a handgrip at the bottom that students can use when carrying the case sideways. I also has a small pocket that can hold a small power supply or a cell phone.Front view of the Flak Jacket SlimBack view of Flak Jacket Slim with handgrip and pocketAnother case Higher Ground sent me that works with the iPad Pro, my Macbook 12", and a Chromebook (it comes in 12" and 13" sizes), is the Flak Jacket Plus. This carry case has a sizable front pocket for carrying the adapters and accessories.Flak Jacket Plus 12"A third item that will protect the iPad Pro 12", a Macbook, or a Chromebook is the new Higher Ground DropIn. The DropIn protects the mobile device when it is traveling in a backpack. It has a open top with a velcro strap, and allows easy access to the device. In addition, if students are carrying their books by hand, it simply feels like another book! The 11" DropIn fits a device up to 12" x 8.5" x 1.25".Higher Ground DropIn protective sleeveHigher Ground DropIn: top viewCHROMEBOOK, MACBOOK, AND HP STREAMThe DataKeeper is a case that allows the student to keep the 12" x 8.75" x 1.25" laptop in the case while they are using it. The laptop is held in place by slide-in front corners and elastic on the edges which help keep the case open and the laptop in the case while using the device. The outside has a pocket for pens, pencils, styli, and a cellphone. Higher Ground Datakeeper with computer insideFront of DataKeeper with pocket for phone and pens and ID slotLAPTOP AND CHROMEBOOK The Shuttle has been a staple in the Higher Ground line of products for a long time. This version, the Shuttle 2.1, comes in 11", 13" 14" and 15" sizes. The case allows students to keep their laptop or Chromebook in the case while using it. It "floats" on sticky feet in the case, which also allows for air flow, and is held nicely in place with straps while traveling with the laptop.The back of the Shuttle 2.1 has a large slip pocket and the front has a zippered accessory pocket that can hold power adapters, flash drives, dongles, and more. The shoulder stray attaches so the case is in portrait orientation when being carried which makes it easier for students to keep from bumping others and their device.Shuttle 2.1 front viewInside view of Shuttle 2.1A laptop being used inside the Shuttle 2.1CHROMEBOOKI own the 2014 version of the Dell 11" Chromebook. The Guardian is a new product that is a hard-sided shell with protective corners. It stays on the Chromebook, and can both fit in a cart of Chromebooks as well as protect the Chromebook if it is in a student backpack. To find out which Chromebooks this is available for, take a look the Guardian page on the Higher Ground site.Top view of Guardian for ChromebookBottom view of Guardian for ChromebookClosed view of Guardian for ChromebookOpen view of Guardian for ChromebookHigher Ground also has a tech backpack, cases for iPads, the Nexus 7, and additional cases and sleeves to provide protection for teacher and student mobile devices and laptops. So, if you are planning a roll-out of a 1:1 program, want to protect the devices you have in rolling carts, or simply want a great case for your own device, take a look at the Higher Ground products!    Visit Kathy's Web pages: Kathy Schrock's Home Page Kathy Schrock's Guide to Everything

Google Expeditions allows teachers to use Virtual Reality in the classroom to take students to locations around the world (and in some cases out of this world). Essentially the teacher selects the location and controls the view, but the students are free to explore it, moving their head around, up and down to see different aspects of the location. Google Expeditions is currently in beta - you can sign up to test the app here. Once approved you are sent a link to the Play Store to download the App. To do this you must be logged into the same Google Account you requested the access from. Currently there is a single download which puts both "Guide" (the teacher app) and "Explorer" (the student app) on the device. While in beta all the devices have to remain logged into the same account (which is a bit of a pain if you want to run with a whole class), but I imagine this will be dropped when the product goes live. Expeditions App on Google Play   The Explorer App - essentially the student viewer app - when you download this tends to get put on the phone/device desktop and has a green icon. The device must be on the same Wi-fi network as the teacher using the guide app.  You then put this device in a Cardboard Viewer to take part in the expedition. Google Expedition - Explorer App - Waiting for something to happen..   The Guide App - this is for the teacher to use to control the expedition. I located this app in the apps area on my phone and tablet, once I had downloaded expeditions, so it seems the expedition can be run off any android device. Once running you can select which Expeditions to download and then use in class. Google Expeditions - The Guide App - which shows available expeditions. Once you have selected an Expedition, you can select which image to show the class and then press start - all devices running the Explorer App on the same WiFi network then load up the Panorama for the students to view. The teacher is given additional notes and can guide the students to look at certain features, using the sight indicator, a round circle on the screen. The Guide App - with the information side panel and sight indicator - which in this case encourages the students to look at the rotating time rotor inside the Tardis.. The guide app also shows what the students are currently looking at, using little face icons that move around the screen as they change their views. The list of expeditions is growing - so to make it easier to search (especially for me as a Geography Teacher) I have sorted them by country on a map here.      

Much of the Google Expeditions content is focused around students experiencing in Virtual Reality places you are not able to take students. However the Cardboard Camera App opens up a new possibility for Geography Fieldwork (or to be honest any school trip). The aim of our recent visit to Carding Mill Valley was to collect data for our GCSE Geography Course. Back in the classroom students analyse the data and try to explain the reasons for the changes in the river seen as you move downstream.  However more often than not - when you get back to class - students struggle with the reasons, as they cannot remember the different sites in enough detail to work out the reasons for the changes. Students often get photograph images - but these are not always helpful.. You can see its a river, but you cannot get a lot more detail from this image.. So on our recent visit we also collected some images with Google Cardboard Camera - these 360 Panorama Images with sound provide a lot more information about the sites, and when viewed in a Google Cardboard Unit - helps the student to remember the key features of each site. The full panorama image from Google Cardboard

Content from the nowcomms.com: the B2B marketing company for tech busineses in education, sports, security & ID. See the full story here Scrumdiddlyumptious - Post Easter Scrum Retrospective That’s what you get when you combine ScrumMaster certification with Easter. I am now a Certified ScrumMaster. This achievement involved attending the two day course, absorbing a massive amount of well delivered theory, actively demonstrating Scrum method within teams, and passing a multiple choice exam when I got home (although I did have 60 days to do the last part). I was surprised I passed the first time as the questions are designed to trip you up (much like the driving theory test), but I assumed my knowledge would only atrophy and that it was best to strike while the iron was hot. Hurrah! What was new? The most interesting thing I learned about Scrum was all the things that aren’t actually Scrum. There are many Agile methodologies that have fallen into a melting pot of Agile tools. In particular, Extreme Programming gave us User Stories. In Scrum, we would refer to a User Story as a Product Backlog Item. What’s a User Story? User Stories are short, simple descriptions of a feature told from the perspective of the person who desires the new capability, usually a user or customer of the system. They typically follow a simple template: As a <type of user>, I want <some goal> so that <some reason>. Essentially they are just bits of work that need to be done within a Sprint, broken down into its simplest and most transparent form.  This is necessary in order to estimate the time involved to complete this piece of work. If a User Story is a particularly large piece of work, it rather compellingly called an ‘epic’. Although User Stories are not traditionally a part of Scrum, they are widely adopted. After all, ‘traditionally’ has no place in an Agile process. Here are some Scrum FAQs for those craving more on the differences. What went down? My personal acronym library has expanded. My favourite is PSPI: Potentially Shippable Product Increment. Which basically means you have a piece of work that is potentially ready to be shared with the client. And that should happen at the end of a Sprint. We had a brief to build a house for a Lego family, and as a team we broke down the work into User Stories, estimating the time/effort involved. This included a secure home with 2 bedrooms, a garden, a power supply, food, water and sanitation. This was all without having a good idea of what Lego we’d been provided with, to bring home the point expect the unexpected - plans change! It worked well - we had doors and windows, a roof, a septic tank, a mailbox and a sky dish. This was the moment that every professional in the room became 5 years old again. Happily, we completed our Lego house before the 10 minute deadline and I was able to add a white picket fence around the property which was immensely satisfying. In fact, the hardest part of the day was putting the Lego down. We swapped our work with another team (playing Stakeholder). We agreed we’d hit our targets. Though I felt they were unreasonably critical of my mailbox. Lessons learned Which brings me to the part I enjoy most - the retrospective.  What went well during the sprint cycle? What went wrong during the sprint cycle? What could we do differently to improve? Everyone writes down something they think could have been done better. Then we make sure there are no duplicate suggestions. From that, we look at how many things ‘to fix’ there are. You don’t want too many things to take on board for your next Sprint. So the team votes on the three most important suggestions for productivity, team formation and bonding. The retrospective helps build the team’s sense of ownership and its self-management. The importance of this feedback loop in our commitment to evolve and improve cannot be overstated. What’s next? I’m back on the job, facilitating the morning Scrum, helping to outline what we offer as a company, and ensuring the team is self-organising pleasantly. This Thursday I will run my first Sprint Retrospective. Tips are welcome.                         See the full story Scrumdiddlyumptious - Post Easter Scrum Retrospective

Depeche Mode doesn't account for the sense of humor displayed in life....----------------------You have the plan. You are starting to execute the plan. You are on time. On budget. Things are awesome.And then they are not.Because training tends to be on the back end of projects, it also tends to feel the most pressure when other parts of the project go haywire.----------------------------If you have been involved in ANY IT implementation project as a training specialist, you have likely experienced Fast Tracking. Fast Tracking is a schedule compression technique project managers use where activities that are normally done in sequence (say...system development and training development) are done in parallel.  As you might have experienced, this often results in rework, more than a few late nights, and surprises during training.------------------------------Another technique is called Crashing - throwing resources at a task to get it done on time.I don't see this nearly as often. Partially because there often isn't the money to do this. Partially because the amount of time and effort it takes to get the resources on-boarded often tends to negate the benefit of having the resources thrown at the task in the first place. Especially when this technique is being used as a panic response (vs planned).-----------------------A third technique that is often forgotten in the heat of the moment is scope reduction.But people expect X!!!!Sometime, you have to reduce people's expectations.This is where going back to the OBJECTIVE - of the project and the training -  is really important.What do we need to accomplish?What, with the constraints we are currently experiencing, can we do that will still accomplish the objective?Create a video is NOT the objective. What that video was supposed to accomplish is the objective.You may need to (repeatedly) remind your stakeholders of this.And you may find a solution that is more elegant and more effective.--------------------Oh yeah....and stick the reason for the panic schedule compression in the project documentation for lessons learned and future projects.  Good to keep track of this stuff.