Guest Blogger Rolland ChidiacEdTechTeam Ontario SummitCross-Posted from Newfluencies BlogRecently I attended the Google for Education Ontario Summit here in Kitchener. I can describe it using one word: AWESOME. My time was spent 1) meeting people who are part of my professional learning on Social Media (Twitter and Google +), 2) catching up with people I already know, 3) learning new ways of using GAFE to benefit my practice and the achievement of my students, and 4) sharing the learning journey that my students and I have been on. It is so great to connect with people who have impacted me personally and professionally in one way or another. If it weren't for my learning networks on Twitter and Google + I would have missed out on connecting with such passionate and innovative educators who are on the same path as myself - to grow in knowledge and skill to impact the staff and students that surround them. Surrounded by +Ferdinand Krauss, +Jonathan So, +Scott Monahan, +Helder Tavares, +Tanya Avrith, +Julie Millan, +Sylvia Duckworth, +Michelle Booth, +Joe Sisco, +Molly Schroeder, +Michael Wacker, +Michelle Cordy, and many others, I was in excellent company and took advantage of the experience. Here is a great example of one of the many tweets that demonstrates the care and collegiality of the people that I have met and that I hope my colleagues will meet: Sylvia Duckworth, Google Certified Teacher from Toronto. The learning was great - but the sharing was fun and worthwhile as well. It felt so good to give back to the community that has given so much to me. +Ferdinand Krauss and I co-presented "Key Strategies for the Successful Implementation of Chromebooks & Google Apps for Education in Your School Board." Ferdinand did a wonderful job of taking people through the work that goes into making sure things are in place and set up for teachers and students to be able to use the technology and digital resources seamlessly. I shared the work my grade 2 students and I have been able to do because of ALL the work that happens outside of the schools and classrooms. Here is the link to the presentation: goo.gl/r95qY2  Photo of Ferdinand starting the presentation.After a couple of sessions it was my turn but this time I wasn't with Ferdinand, I had one of my students join me to present "Getting Going with Student use of Google Apps for Education: Chromebooks in the Hands of Grade 2 Students." We took people through our blended learning journey. We demonstrated how the technology and the apps have provided the grade 2's with opportunities to blend their learning and become more creative and collaborative. We talked about how we eased into the Google suite of apps in order to benefit my professional practice and student achievement. We provided examples of how students have used Documents, Draw, Form, Spreadsheet, and Presentation to demonstrate the innovation and excitement that Google apps can bring to any class. It was such an honour to be able to speak about our experience and I am grateful that my student and her parents joined us and were so open to the idea. Here is the link to my presentation: http://goo.gl/wC0RSG About to start! Photo taken by +Jonathan SoOne of my students and I presenting. Photo taken by +Jonathan SoPeople attending the presentation. Photo taken by +Julie Millan I had many people talk to me before (anticipation) and after (eyes wide open to what can be accomplished) about my presentation. There was a lot of curiosity about how GAFE and the technology could be used with such young children. These people were definitely curios and interested, but were unsure and a little scared about how to start it up and what it might look like. I too was scared when I started - and still to this day I am frightened by the unknown but I know that on the other side of my fear is success.Whether the outcome is or isn't what I expect, there is learning to be had and the learning and iteration is what builds us up and allows us to continue to try new things and share our experiences. I was honoured to have +Julie Millan (Google Certified Teacher - Toronto District School Board) attend my session. I was happy to have her join us because she was included in my presentation and I wanted her to hear about the influence her work had on me and my practice. It was her presentation in October 2013 at the ECOO conference that really motivated me to get going with GAFE. She would be presenting "Examine the Power of Google Apps throughout the Inquiry Process" on Day 2 of the Summit and I was looking forward to learning more from her. On Day 2 of the Summit I learned that I wasn't going to be able to physically make it to Julie's session. I had to settle for the tweets and G+ posts that would be made public for people to attend in a 'virtual' format. As time was drawing near to her presentation I learned that it would be streamed via Google Hangout and I would get to attend without actually being in the classroom with her and the other participants! Talk about icing on the cake. I was still going to see and be part of the presentation because of people like +Julie Millan and +Scott Monahan (who I believe had something to do with the technical aspects of the Hangout).Part of Julie's presentation Julie had told me that she would be referencing me in her presentation but I was unsure of the details. It was great to see that she was sharing my reaction and subsequent experiences because of her presentation in the Fall. She spoke about the importance of sharing our learning and experiences so that others can benefit and do the same in turn. If we make this part of our practice than others can benefit and then they can benefit others. The sharing grows and ultimately we all build capacity around our interests - ultimately benefiting the students in our classrooms that will lead our world. It was a great message to provide her audience before she talked about Inquiry and GAFE. My excitement got the better of me.Thank you Heather for tweeting me back and to Scott for letting Julie know that I was watching. Julie during her presentation. When I wasn't presenting and connecting with other motivated educators I was learning about Google Forms, Google Draw, Flipping a Classroom via GAFE, Chrome tips/tricks, and the power of Technology and GAFE to enable students to create, collaborate, communicate, innovate, and lead. There is something for everyone - beginner to advanced level presentations on many topics. More often than not, the major problem at these conferences is that you can't physically be at more than one session at a time!! As my School Board continues to implement the deployment of Chromebooks and GAFE across our system, there is no doubt in my mind that my colleagues and their students will soon experience the increase in capacity, engagement, and achievement for all involved. I look forward to having many more of my colleagues join me at future Google for Education Summits to connect with others, share our learning, as well as acquire new learning that we will bring back to our system. If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to tweet me, connect via Google +, send me an email, and/or comment below.Obviously Canada has some pretty rockstar educators! Join us at the next event, the Calgary Summit Aug. 18th and 19th and the Bilingual Ottawa Summit, Oct. 4th and 5th!

Guest Blogger Linda LindsayAttendee of 1st and 2nd AnnualEdTechTeam Hawaii SummitCross-Posted from Maui Librarian BlogYes, +EdTechTeam's Second Google for Education Hawaii Summit was FUN! Google selfie with +Molly Schroeder and +Wendy Gorton (IC)Seven delightfully surprising things happened:1. I learned about how education can and should be "uncomfortably exciting."This is a new phrase I learned from Googler (and former Hawaii resident) +Evan Rapoport, via +Larry Page. I think I'm going to use it. Wouldn't it be fantastic if we could get our students uncomfortably excited about learning? Evan Rapoport2. The majority of the attendees were public school teachers. I was thrilled to find out that the majority of the 500+ people who attended the summit were public school teachers. Shout-out to all of these educators wanting to make a difference in their schools! Attendance almost doubled from last year's summit. +Brendan Brennan commented that he would like to see 1000+ next year. Now wouldn't that be something? Hale Kula Elementary School represents!IC: +Wendy Gorton3. Internet was unthrottled. The wi-fi was smooooooooooth and blazing fast at 'Iolani School! A big mahalo to Jim Crum and his crew for an outstanding job. Here's a great article about Jim in the 'Iolani student newspaper: The IT man: Jim Crum hopes to boost information technology at 'Iolani. I hope next year's summit will be at 'Iolani again. 4. Some of my #pln friends were different.It was so much fun to meet members of my #pln in person! +Brendan Brennan and +Lisa Nagamine are much taller than I imagined, and based on +Rachel Armstrong's wonderfully strong voice on hangouts, I expected her to be less petite than she is.5. Jim Sill was FUNNY! --- in a good way :D Humor is so important for engaging students I think, and Jim, also known as Mr. Sill, made us laugh often. I love how Mr. Sill weaves his filmmaking skills into his presentations, too.And his Sillfie Fun! page is pretty awesome. #sillfie / #selfie, get it?6. Three Hawaii Google Certified Teachers gathered together in one room to learn from each other.GCT +Liz Castillo from the Google Teacher Academy 2012 Mountain View cohort and +Michelle Carlson Colte from the 2013 Sydney cohort attended my Curate and Organize Like a Ninja, in Chrome session. I was so thankful for their support.7. I went away to meet up with someone from home. Well, this isn't surprising, is it? It was great to catch up with technology coordinator +Larry McCarty and I'ao Intermediate technology teacher +Pete Hansen (in the back). Lots of good discussion going on here. :)IC +Peter HenrieWhat did I learn that our faculty and students can use? My Hawaii colleagues and I discussed what we learned at the Summit on our weekly Google Rocks! Hawaii Hangout-on-Air:And, I wrote a blog post:5 Tech Tools, Innumerable Possibilities -- from the Hawaii #GafeSummit What does the future look like after the Hawaii #GafeSummit? Stay tuned-- the 3rd Annual 2015 Hawaii Summit is slated for I'olani in March 2015!

2014 Space Odysseyby Guest Blogger Jennie Magiera, Chicago Public SchoolsI’ve been to my fair share of "professional learning experiences." Normally they are chock full of "team building exercises" and someone reading bullets from clip-art-clad PowerPoints. In short, PD Purgatory. This was not the case with the EdTechTeam Space Camp. Instead this leadership workshop felt more like a long lunch date with close friends. To summarize this, I’m borrowing 3 of the EdTechTeam values our fearless leader, Dr. Mark Wagner, shared with us during this experience.Passion: This was the big one for the day. Everyone in the room was bursting with passion for so many of the same ideals. In fact we were all so excited that we were falling over ourselves to share our love for these philosophies or tools.  I call this being "geeked" about something. Not quite as eloquent as "passionate," true. But as I looked around the room, I saw my friends - new and old - absolutely geeking out about everything from a Gmail Labels trick to Future Ready Schools. This wasn’t just work for us - these were projects and concepts that mattered to us deeply. As such we were all engaged throughout what could have felt like a very long day.Flexibility: There was an agenda. There were slides (albeit clip-art free thanks to the artful efforts of Monica Martinez). However, the day didn’t feel scripted or structured. Instead it felt like an organic flow of conversation and idea sharing because the facilitators (Mark Wagner and Molly Schroeder) kept us focused and intrigued throughout the day. When the energy of the room dropped, they initiated "fun breaks." When we needed a change of pace, we moved to another room. When a fellow Space Camper took ill at the last minute, we initiated an 8-hour Google Hangout to bring him into the conversations - even the games - all day long.Synchronicity: Throughout this experience I continually had my affinity with the other people in the room re-affirmed. As professionals we often work in different teams and with different types of people. However, when we find a group of people whose ideals and passions so closely align with ours it’s like seeing a double rainbow. This happened for me yesterday. At the end of the day, we got up from that table not knowing exactly where we were going and not knowing exactly how we were going to get there. Yet we looked from one to another and we all said, "together we will change the world." And with this team of double rainbows, I truly think we can.

EdTechTeam's Top Picks for ISTE 2014 EdTechTeam is excited to have many of our awesome teammates join us this year in Atlanta at our favorite annual get-together this weekend. Many of the fabulous keynote speakers, presenters, and Google Certified Teachers and Education Trainers that you know and love will be there, so be ready! Here's just a few highlights.Google for Education Playground[Explore and Create : Playground]Monday, June 30, 2:00 pm-5:30 pmGWCC Building A, Level 3 (near Room A313) Jennifer Magiera Visit our interactive playground to get hands-on experience with Google for Education through exploration stations, presentations and demoslams led by Google Certified Teachers and Trainers.Photoshop: Unleashing creative magic for kids of all Ages[Explore and Create : Workshop]Tuesday, July 1, 8:30 am-11:30 amGWCC A301 Nicole Dalesio  Ken Shelton Be a more effective teacher with Photoshop by integrating art, creativity, and technology into the curriculum. Fun for kids of all ages.Google Apps: Stories of Technical Deployment[Participate and Share : Poster]Sunday, June 29, 2:00 pm-4:00 pmGWCC Murphy Ballroom Galleria, Table 30 Christopher Craft Thinking of deploying Google Apps? Come hear stories of successful technical deployments from around the world and get ideas for your own implementation.Using Google Tools to Target 21st Century Learning Skills[Listen and Learn : Lecture]Monday, June 30, 12:30 pm-1:30 pmGWCC Murphy Ballroom 1/2 Monica Martinez Come explore Google tools that you can use to build student-centered learning environments that help students exercise each of ISTE's NETS for students.Google Booth at the Exhibition HallCome see EdTechTeamers Tim Lee and Molly Schroeder share some awesomeness at the Google Booth! Molly will be presenting "Chrome Extensions for Teachers and Students" on Sunday, June 29th at 9:40am and Tim will be sharing about the Admin Toolbelt- The Google Apps Admin Console and other 3rd Party Tools" on Tuesday, Jul 1st at 11:30am. Tim,  Peter Henrie, and Mitch Dowhower will also be sharing at the Hapara Teaching Theatre as well. And that's just a small sampling- give us a shout at the Blogger's Cafe, find James Sanders to learn all about Future Ready Schools, or just let us know if you'll be there in the comments below!

Guest Blogger Jason Markey, East Leyden High SchoolKeynote Speaker: Redondo Beach Unified School District FestivalI have had the good fortune to be able to join the EdtechTeam for a few events over the past several months but after the past few days in Redondo Beach working with a district moving 1:1 I had a realization.  The team of individuals that put on these events are some of the most inspiring and amazing educators I have been around.   Jason shares Chrome tips and tricks to Redondo Beach Unified School District Teachers.Often, when education conferences or professional development is put on it is so structured and rigid that it only serves the attendees that happen to fit perfectly into the mold...  Does that sound familiar?This reminds me too much of what our students face all too often, our expectation that our students all need the same thing and so we package it in a standard form hoping they fit into that mold.  Often we hear teachers and students both complain about these situations but let’s face it, it’s hard to do better.  It’s not the easy approach to be agile and responsive based on individual needs.What I see at every event with this group is a relentless approach to making sure everyone is served where they are and with what they need.  It might mean changing the schedule, working with individuals more, or just throwing out the plan all together and sitting and talking about what the learners need.When the approach is focused on the learner and not just a preconceived notion that impact can be dramatic.  Working for two straight days with a few hundred teachers from Redondo Beach it was truly remarkable to see faces and attitudes shift from anxiety and even panic around 1:1 to truly understanding the potential that leveraging technology can have for their students.  What I’m always most excited about in situations like this is that these teachers will start to see beyond the tools and through to the possibilities of thinking bigger than just doing things with technology; making the shift to thinking about those moon shot ideas that can take their students’ learning to a whole new place. At the end of the event a group of about 40 Redondo Beach teachers stayed around almost an hour after a long two days of learning to share their reflections and thoughts, I have no doubt that I will be learning from this group next year!

Guest Blogger Tracy ArnerRiverside Unified School DistrictAll too often in Professional Development we encounter an "expert" clad in professional attire, diligently explaining (or coercing) the attendees to be more like them, follow their path, and subscribe to their philosophy.  The strengths and passions of the audience are not taken into consideration or even acknowledged during the rhetoric detailing the one right way.  SpaceCamp, powered by EdTechTeam was anything and everything, but that. Spacecamp started with recognition and appreciation of the strengths of ALL team members and discovery of how we complement each other and progressed through a fun-filled, inspiring day.  The day was loosely structured with a flexible agenda for the content of the day.  We quickly discovered many similarities amongst our friends, both new and old.  The most striking of which was passion!  Despite our geographic differences, with one team member joining via Hangout, the dedication to improving education and hope for the future was abundantly clear.  The guidance of Mark Wagner and Molly Schroeder inspired a free flow of ideas, building on each other’s comments to reach for the stars and transform the way we think about education and the future. The most inspiring discussion took place while exploring the idea of Future Ready Schools. What does it take to be a Future Ready School?  Courageous Leadership, Empowered Teachers, Student Agency, Inspiring Spaces, and Infrastructure mixed with passion, optimism, and a little daring will take students far beyond standardized education to being significant contributors to a global society. As the day wound down, I gazed out the window (from the 51st floor) to the world beyond and thought to myself, this group of gifted educators will change the world and I am proud to know them all.   "Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world." ~ Harriet Tubman

Have you ever taken your iPad to a workshop or conference and felt left out because "things on iOS don’t work the same way?" Much of the edtech professional development for educators has been focused on laptops and using web-based applications like Google Apps for Education. Over the years, those of us who work with iPads have often had to learn in isolation and cobble together workflows to make iPads fit with established systems in schools. I get your frustration! This is why we’re excited to announce that the EdTechTeam will now be offering world class iOS professional development experiences for educators.The iOS Summits are engaging events, rich with hands-on learning. Over one or two days, they focus on using iOS devices for Education and maintain the same high-energy, fast-paced, and fun style of other EdTechTeam events. Each summit features inspiring keynotes, highlights world-class featured speakers, and incorporates engaging breakout sessions focused on authentic integration of the tools with pedagogy. Sessions cover all levels of iOS adoption ranging from small classroom sets to 1:1 rollouts in both elementary and secondary classrooms. The iOS Summit also includes a hands-on technical strand for those supporting iPad initiatives, as well as sessions covering leadership and school administrative components.iPads are all-in-one creation tools and we look forward to giving educators an outstanding experience focused on using the iPad to leverage learning in the classroom. Check out the EdTechTeam Summits featuring iOS for more dates and open registrations as we roll out these events globally. www.iossummits.comIf you are an Apple Distinguished Educator or iPad Teacher and would like to be involved, please reach out and introduce yourself.  ben@edtechteam.com

Guest Blogger Andrew MoriatesCalifornia Desert Sands SummitI quickly removed my sunglasses and put on my best look of remorse in hopes of building empathy in my prosecutor. I roll down my window to the sounds of black boots methodically working their way through gravel."Where ya headed today, Sir?"For a quick moment, I think about faking a life-threatening emergency, but I buckle under my reflection peering back at me from off of his aviator sunglasses, and I tell him the truth. I am hoping for the truth to tug on his heart strings of mercy and  for him to find leniency due to my honest grace under pressure. "I’m going to Shadow Hills High School for an EdTechTeam Summit."Blank stare. An eyebrow raise."I’m a teacher, and I am tired of feeling like my students are disengaged because of my outdated methods. I’m sick of feeling like I’m doing the same thing over and over again. I need something to change so that I can escape my current professional rut.  I’m going for a unique opportunity where educators have autonomy over their professional development while learning with other like-minded, brilliant, and passionate educators from around the world."Another blank stare. I had divulged too much, but I see him begin to soften."Y’er a teacher, huh?""Yessir." Hope."Shadow Hills is a beautiful facility.""Yessir." My word, is this going to work? "Unfortunately, I clocked you at 90 MPH."Oh boy."You seem like you’re in quite the rush to get to ‘work’ on a Saturday.""Well, Sir, if I don’t get there on time, I will miss Michael Wacker’s dance party.""Excuse me? Dance party? I’m sorry, didn’t you say this was ‘professional development?’""Sure, officer, but you must understand that this is not a traditional professional development that treats teachers like corpses.  They respect the teacher as a valued professional.  They know the importance of engaging their audience, and we have a good time. We learn, we dance to Pharrell, we build our professional learning network, and we party.""I love that ‘Happy’ song!""Of course you do, Sir."A smirk.He grabs my license and registration and asks me to hold on for a minute.  I may have done it. I may have beaten the system.  I hope he doesn’t take forever to let me get back on my way.  I have amazing sessions to attend: Rushton Hurley’s brilliance on project’s my students will never forget, Molly Schroeder teaching me how to become a Google Ninja with amazing Scripts and Add-ons, Alice Barr disclosing the secrets of properly searching in Google, Kyle Pace’s clear and imaginative uses for YouTube in the classroom.  I have to get there soon.  I have to take my picture in the photo booth and cover myself in stickers!  "OK, Sir. You have a clear record." I do?  Did he overlook something? "Yes, I most certainly do, officer." Proudly."I went ahead and wrote you a ticket for going 79 MPH, so that should help you a bit."False smile turns to truthful scowl. "Enjoy your training.  I like that you are trying to become a more effective teacher. Drive safe and be careful merging back into traffic."Blank, death stare. Sunglasses quickly back on. "Yep."I am not pleased by this setback, but it is worth a small inconvenience and fee to be a part of the Ed TechTeam Desert Sands Summit.  The individuals who run the event are excited educators who enjoy reigniting a passion for learning in educators from around the globe.  They know how to run a fluid event, and they inspire innovation by modeling outside the box thinking in, what is usually, very bland and ineffective professional development.My weekend in Indio at the EdTechTeam Summit was memorable because I learned so much, became excited about trying the new skills and ideas presented to me, and because I met so many new friends to share information with.  My weekend in the desert was unforgettable. I loved my time in Indio so much that I am going back there on August 8th…for court. You can relive Andrew's experience (hopefully sans ticket!) at some of our upcoming California events, including the OC on Aug. 2nd and 3rd, San Diego Oct. 4th and 5th, and Los Angeles April 9th and 10th, 2015. Drive safe, folks! :) 

Recently, at the EdTech Team Wyoming Summit featuring Google for Education, we had the privilege of meeting a number of fantastic Educators. One of which happened to be Fletcher Turcato, the Carbon County School District 1 Superintendent. Upon first meeting Fletcher, I immediately could see his strength, passion, and intensity for his work. In short, he embodied everything I would identify as a Visionary Educator. He shared with the me his background, which included, serving time in the military as well as growing up at the "I-80 Corridor." Both of these key items, are the basis for his style of leadership in his District. Amongst the many things we talked about, the most fascinating was his leadership style which includes: 1. Doing whatever it takes to provide the kids with the best and most relevant Education possible. 2. Always staying connecting with the folks working on the "front lines." 3. Having both compassion and passion for what "we" do so that everybody is properly supported.  4. Showing such an outward level of enthusiasm that it is highly contagious.One of the things that really stood out to me was his strong desire to serve his community. Fletcher clearly has strong beliefs in this given his military service and in returning to his community to work as a Principal, and then Superintendent. If you ever have the opportunity to meet him you will notice right away his strong sense of purpose and his enthusiasm for his work. He truly is a community hero and we are very lucky to have spent some time with him at the Summit, as well as have him amongst the ranks of visionary educators.I look forward to meeting and posting about many other Visionary Educators we meet at our upcoming Summits.

The First EdTechTeam Summit in Chile and its Domino EffectMonica Isabel Martinez, M.Ed.Director of Professional Development for Latin America and Southern US, EdTechTeammonica@edtechteam.com www.twitter.com/mimg1225It’s always exhilarating to witness and partake in the gathering of educators at conferences. This is where collaborative ideas and enthusiasm most often collide in one space and with great intensity. This past May, I was in the midst of precisely that synergy at the first EdTechTeam Summit in Chile Featuring Google in Education. I am delighted to report that, months later, the momentum is still growing. Nestled in the heart of Chile’s political and economic capital, this two-day event was held in the beautiful campus of Santiago College. From inspiring keynotes like Dr. Chris Craft’s "Four Chairs" to insightful presentations, EdTechTeam provided a bilingual format that allowed both English and Spanish speakers the opportunity to enrich their professional development. cDrawing participants from private, local, and international schools, every session was brimming with excitement and eagerness to learn. The diversity of the participants provided a platform for engaging conversations around technology integration and student success. Furthermore, attendees learned from expert presenters that shared resources, best practices, and classroom implementation strategies.The goal of these conferences is not only to share ideas and resources, but to inspire. The upcoming endeavors launching throughout the country are a testament to the commitment made by these educators to innovate their practices. Next month (Aug. 29 - 30), EdTechTeam will host the first Google Apps for Education Trainer Bootcamp, designed to prepare educators for becoming "Authorized Google Education Trainers". Once certified, these facilitators will work with teachers on effectively implementing the use of technology into their classrooms via Google tools. In October, I will be presenting at the annual ExpoEnlaces 2014 further spearheading these efforts with our partners at the Ministry of Education of Chile (MINEDUC). Future events will include EdTechTeam’s iOS Summit, and the second EdTechTeam Summit in Chile Featuring Google in Education. My goal is to help build capacity for training all teachers in Chile on how to elevate their teaching practice so that it is focused on student empowerment, engagement, self-discovery, and for creating future-ready learning spaces. During these visits, I will be collaborating with schools and their partners with the goal of further expanding these efforts. These events would not be possible without the support from our partners and hosts in Chile. A special thank you to Jessica Allen from Santiago College and all of her staff that helped us in the process of setting up the conference. Likewise, I would like to thank all of the presenters for taking the time to prepare and share their ideas and resources. We would also like to thank Naomi Arnold from Google who provided sponsorships to many educators in order to attend the conference, and who continues to push forth these efforts in Latin America. It has been a pleasure to work with this group of educators, and I’m looking forward to a continued collaboration to not only advance education in Chile, but to impact the world. Hasta Pronto!