Guest Post by Rushton HurleyNext Vista for Learning Keynoter for all EdTechTeam SummitsAt the Solano Summit (California) in February, I presented a session called, "Making Your School Something Special." A new buddy from that gathering, Dan Shane of the Hanna Boys Center (http://www.hannacenter.org/), challenged me to take the ideas I was presenting about memorable learning and success, and with them provide a checklist that allows a teacher to think through how a lesson rates on the scale I provided.Here's the scale we discussed:* powerfully memorable* generally effective* weak, but easy* waste of timeAs I see it, we should aim for pushing all of what we do into the top two categories, with the distinction between the middle two being the operative piece. I wasn't working to come up with STHAA (Something That Has An Acronym), but rather to put something together that allows one to tie one's lessons to the success of the school as a whole.Below are five ideas. I was tempted to include two negatives, but instead I'll separate them out and start with them as the points of departure:* The activity/lesson isn't simply a reward for good behavior.* The activity/lesson doesn't simply require people to listen and take notes.That established, here's my shot at a checklist:* The activity/lesson prompts students to grapple with related ideas and find connections to other learning.* The activity/lesson is more about students figuring something out, and less about applying a formula.* The activity/lesson allows students to use individual talents and creativity to describe and build on their insights with what is taught.* The activity/lesson involves a level of learning that both teacher and student would agree has meaningfully advanced the student's understanding.* The activity/lesson has an outcome that would make for a compelling case as to why parents would choose the school for their children.What do you think? I'm sure I've left off important thoughts, and would welcome your input on what needs to be added to the list or the points of departure.To learn more about an upcoming summit, register for an EdTechTeam Summit featuring Google for Education in your region, or contact EdTechTeam about custom professional development and organizational change coaching.EdTechTeam is a California Benefit Corporation and global network of educational technologists dedicated to improving the world’s education systems using the best technology and learning principles available. EdTechTeam produces Future Ready Schools summits and custom professional development for teachers and school leaders around the globe.

It was a historic week for the Tech Sherpas. Thanks to EdTechTeam, four students from central Maine joined me for educational opportunities across Alberta, Canada. The students presented to over 1,000 educators from around Edmonton. (and won the Demo Slam :)The week in Alberta, Canada was capped off with an energetic Student Summit at Black Gold Regional School District in LeDuc. One hundred and fifty students coded, animated, modded, taught, learned and and engaged in a learning experience like none other.The event culminated with a group of little wizards creating a district wide student tech team website. Collaboratively, students researched domain names, designed logos, and built a custom website for their school board with links, resources, and lots of selfies! The whole thing can be found at www.studentmagic.orgI was amazed at how quickly that one idea, forty-five minutes and thirty amazing students could take the building blocks of a transformational project that will help teachers, give back to the community and ultimately provide a platform for all the students to learn.So, what are you waiting for - go get started!! Ask the EdTechTeam how you can bring an extraordinary student learning experience like this to your district.edtechteam.com/requestTo learn more about an upcoming summit, register for an EdTechTeam Summit featuring Google for Education in your region, or contact EdTechTeam about custom professional development and organizational change coaching.EdTechTeam is a California Benefit Corporation and global network of educational technologists dedicated to improving the world’s education systems using the best technology and learning principles available. EdTechTeam produces Future Ready Schools summits and custom professional development for teachers and school leaders around the globe.

What is a backchannel you ask?A backchannel is a conversation that takes place alongside an activity or event. In most cases, this happens using a digital or mobile device. There are many different ways you can backchannel. You could use Twitter, Today’s Meet, or Google Moderator just to name a few. Having a backchannel is a great way to open up a conversation to all students in class and expand on any discussion.Benefits of a BackchannelIt can provide quieter students with a place to ask questions without having to raise their hand in class.Teachers can share resources such as videos, photos, helpful links, and answers to questions about the subject without having to stop the flow of learning.It can supplement and enhance classroom discussions.Allows students who rarely raise a hand to express themselves via a medium they find completely engaging.Allows students to use their mobile devices in an information, oriented way.Twitter As A BackchannelAfter attending conferences, and experiencing the power of a backchannel on Twitter, I liked the idea so much that I set out to do it in my classroom. What happened next was beyond my wildest imagination. Adding Twitter to our reading of The Outsiders turned into an impactful experience. What evolved were some of the richest conversations that I had ever experienced while reading this  book. Here is how it unfolded:Picking the HashtagBefore I could begin, I had to decide on a hashtag. With social media - Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, etc - hashtags (the # symbol) mark keywords or topics as a way to categorize messages. In order to do this activity, I had to choose a hashtag that no one else was using so that we could categorize our conversation and separate out our backchannel tweets from the rest of the world’s conversation.Since #Outsiders150 was an open hashtag, and made sense as a categorization of our book, it was time to begin. First, I gave a simple lesson on Twitter and hashtags to my students. The lesson was quick because 85% of my students were already on Twitter. However, to ensure that I reached all learners, I put together a supplemental YouTube playlist that I had curated on the basics of twitter for those who needed additional help. Along with explaining hashtags, my Twitter lesson included a look at the anatomy of a tweet to help fill in the gaps that students inevitably had about effective tweeting.Lessons in Digital CitizenshipBefore jumping into the Twittersphere, we needed to do some digital citizenship front loading. Together we came up with ten criteria for effective tweeting and "norms" that we thought would keep the conversation on task and focused. This lesson in acceptable use, had to be done collaboratively to get student buy-in on friendly tweeting, which it did. Due to this part of the lesson, there were not really any problems in this activity associated with inappropriate tweets.Reading and TweetingAfter the lessons in Twitter and digital citizenship, it was time to read The Outsiders. As we began reading the book, students were allowed to use their phones to tweet about the reading. Students without phones, used a computer. Here is a sample of one of the tweets that fueled a complete redesign of our understanding of the book’s theme and our sharing of ideas.The Outsiders, it is about social interactions and bridging the gap between people - based on differences. So when one student tweeted #don’tjudge, It was a powerful indication that they were getting the theme of the book.The Retweet EffectThe student, Dillion, tweeted something pretty personal and that was retweeted over 250 times, which is social media’s way of showing that everyone involved agreed with his message and were most likely empathetic and understood the story. His tweet helped all of us in the class to get to know him better - and the theme of the book - in an entirely different way than a simple class discussion would have allowed us in the past. Since that student rarely spoke up in class, this was an eye opening experience for all of us. Tweeting gave him a voice he had not used in class before. The experience fueled a rich discussion on twitter and intangibly gave the other students permission to go deeper and to say things they might not have - without that sacrificial-like tweet. From that point on, I watched as kids commented on ideas they might otherwise not have, and got chills watching students being completely immersed in the message of the book, so they could tweet more effectively and creatively about it. It was almost magical.Next time you wonder if Twitter might be right for the classroom, remember this unexpected story. Think of the voices you might get to hear when you give all students the tool to have a voice - and backchanneling might be the perfect tool to let that happen in your classroom.The Connected Student Series: This post first appeared on Edudemic on April 15, 2014To learn more about an upcoming summit, register for an EdTechTeam Summit featuring Google for Education in your region, or contact EdTechTeam about custom professional development and organizational change coaching.EdTechTeam is a California Benefit Corporation and global network of educational technologists dedicated to improving the world’s education systems using the best technology and learning principles available. EdTechTeam produces Future Ready Schools summits and custom professional development for teachers and school leaders around the globe.

Twitter’s new Periscope app has quickly become one of the most buzzed about new apps out there.The new app allows people to live stream what ever they want, from news stories to unexciting events like two dogs playing...which was just being streamed and had 184 viewers. Where did this idea come from? Twitter states..."What if you could see through the eyes of a protester in Ukraine? Or watch the sunrise from a hot air balloon in Cappadocia? It may sound crazy, but we wanted to build the closest thing to teleportation. While there are many ways to discover events and places, we realized there is no better way to experience a place right now than through live video. A picture may be worth a thousand words, but live video can take you someplace and show you around."Because of its fledgling status - most of the streams being posted right now are a bit mundane as people begin to experiment with what could be. Right now on periscope there are haircuts, walking dogs, getting ice cream and some crazy experiments.But how might Periscope be useful in the classroom?One has to remember that this goes live to the public so be very careful about getting permission and showing actual student faces.Here are five ideas that might allow students to use this effectively in the classroom:1. Broadcast lessons for those students who might not be able to attend because they are sick or away from school.2. Broadcast plays and performances happening at school for parents who can not attend due to other obligations.3. Broadcast students doing work/projects in class for parents to see - this could help spark conversations at dinner and allow parents to see the culture of the classroom.4. Allow students to broadcast their speeches or steam questions to help them find people who might be able to offer a better answer.5. Give students a soap box to broadcast their speeches, learning or ideas.Today, I watched one teacher live stream a call for comments on blogs her students were doing - and she walked around showing her students writing the blogs. Kudos to her for being an early adopter.Since oral language is a really important skill to develop - periscope just might be the global audience some students needs to articulately broadcast their ideas and questions.It will be interesting to see what happens with Periscope...it could be an interesting journey!To learn more about an upcoming summit, register for an EdTechTeam Summit featuring Google for Education in your region, or contact EdTechTeam about custom professional development and organizational change coaching.EdTechTeam is a California Benefit Corporation and global network of educational technologists dedicated to improving the world’s education systems using the best technology and learning principles available. EdTechTeam produces Future Ready Schools summits and custom professional development for teachers and school leaders around the globe.

Reblogged from Kasey BellShake Up Learning BlogShut the Front Door!Yes, You Can Differentiate With Google Forms!This post was inspired by a comment I received during my "Digital Differentiation with Google Apps," session at the Texas Google Summit in Brenham, Texas. Michael Ogg, aka @PrincipalOgg, shouted, "Shut the front door," when I showed how to use branching in Google forms. Thanks, Michael for one of the best comments I’ve ever had during a presentation!How to Use Branching in Google Forms:By "branching," I am referring to the option in Google forms to, "go to page based on answer." You may or may not have noticed this little check box when creating a Google form. This little box can make a big difference, and can offer ways to use Google forms to differentiate for students.By utilizing the, "go to page based on answer," feature, respondents can be given different questions based on how they answer. For instance, if a student answers incorrectly, they can be taken to a review video and be given the chance to answer the question again. Here is a short example of a Google Drive quiz to demonstrate this idea. (Click here to see the Google Drive Quiz example, below are just images.)Google Drive Quiz Example QuestionI designed this quiz as a review example for Google Drive. If respondents answer incorrectly, as indicated in this image, they will then be taken to a review page with a tutorial. Then they will be asked to answer the question again, as seen in the image below.Google Drive Quiz Example QuestionHow To Insert Page Breaks in a Google Form:The key to making this work is to create a page break after each question. You can only choose another page once other pages have been created. But once you get this pattern down, it is very easy to do. Google Forms is probably the easiest of all the Google Apps.The possibilities of this feature for formative assessment are endless. Questions could progress and get more advanced for students who need more of a challenge. This is a great idea for review before an exam.You could also use Google Forms as a "choose your own adventure," type of activity. I hope to have an example of this soon. The gears are turning! Be sure to check out my other Google resources for educators.How could you use this feature in your classroom?Shake Up Learning by Kasey Bell is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.Based on a work at www.shakeuplearning.com- See more at: http://www.shakeuplearning.com/blog/shut-the-front-door-digital-differentiation-with-google-forms#sthash.vyisCXk3.dpufTo learn more about an upcoming summit, register for an EdTechTeam Summit featuring Google for Education in your region, or contact EdTechTeam about custom professional development and organizational change coaching.EdTechTeam is a California Benefit Corporation and global network of educational technologists dedicated to improving the world’s education systems using the best technology and learning principles available. EdTechTeam produces Future Ready Schools summits and custom professional development for teachers and school leaders around the globe.

By Kyle PaceReblogged from Learning is LeadingKyle Pace is a valued member of the extended EdTechTeam and an Instructional Technology Specialist from Lees Summit, MOIf you think about the staggering amount of edtech services out there, coupled with the numerous types of devices, it can feel pretty overwhelming to most people. We go to edcamps, conferences, webinars, etc. and get filled up with so many new ideas and resources but we don’t know where to start. Have you ever had either of these feelings?Looking at it through the workshop facilitator/presenter lens, I’m just not into trying to cover 60 tools in 60 minutes or whatever other catchy title there is for it. That’s just not my style. I think we (leaders, presenters, etc.) need to keep this in mind when sharing with the intent of moving teachers forward with technology integration. The last thing I ever want to do is see someone get overwhelmed with too many choices. I will tell people this that I’m meeting with or presenting to on whatever the topic may be; especially if our time together is pretty limited. I’ve seen the look on teachers’ faces that shows their brain has been flooded and they don’t know what to do next. Like I said, there’s so many options out there for us and our students. I’d rather only share 3 ideas with you to dive into and pick from, and you try 1 of them and get really good at it. The old adage of ‘less is more’ most definitely rings true with technology integration.Even so, when trying to get teachers to focus their learning with incorporating technology, there is often an unnecessary urgency. Here are some of the commonalities I’ve heard teachers say:"I want to try this, this, and this and have my students using all of them within the next week." (too much at once)"Yeah but Mr. ‘teacher down the hall’ is having his students using Hangouts, coding, and robotics." (feeling the need to compete)"I’m only doing ____ right now in my class, which I know isn’t much." (feeling that what they’re doing is inadequate)Here’s how I always respond to these type of statements: the point is not to see how fast you can move forward, or how many new ideas you can move forward with at once, the point is to just move forward! Forward movement matters! If you’re embracing new ideas by trying them, refining them, and trying them again then don’t discredit yourself. You’re in a learner first mindset and that is huge!I decided to explore my creative side again by using Canva (my newest learning adventure) to recreate a quote that I love to share with teachers I’m speaking to. I tried to find the original source of the quote but all I could turn up was that the author is ‘unknown’.To learn more about an upcoming summit, register for an EdTechTeam Summit featuring Google for Education in your region, or contact EdTechTeam about custom professional development and organizational change coaching.EdTechTeam is a California Benefit Corporation and global network of educational technologists dedicated to improving the world’s education systems using the best technology and learning principles available. EdTechTeam produces Future Ready Schools summits and custom professional development for teachers and school leaders around the globe.

 CC María 'tatica' Leandro from FlickrHave you ever heard about or decided to try something new online only to find yourself still learning it two hours (or longer) later? Do you end up getting a bit frustrated after a bit of time?I moved to the district level last year and have been coaching teachers on how to use and integrate technology into their learning spaces. All too often, I find teachers who are too afraid to click buttons or just get overwhelmed at the amount of information there is "out there." Admittedly, there are some programs that are just, well- confusing. However, most of the programs online share many common elements that will help you feel comfortable- you just need to know what they are.Getting to know one platform really well will help prepare you for many others. For instance, I am typing this draft in Google Docs. I know that in Google Docs I can: share documents with others, comment on work, add images and diagrams, etc. When I am learning other programs I assume they have the same features- I just need to know where to find them. For example, if I need to collaborate on what I am doing in something like LucidPress, I’ll click around to find something that looks like it will let me share the LucidPress document with someone else. Not all programs have these features but it is truly surprising how many do.When I am first looking at a new technology I ALWAYS look for a video that provides me with an overview of their best features and where to find them. Most companies will have this video on their homepage or somewhere easy to find. If I cannot find a video on the company’s website, I’ll search YouTube for a quick tutorial that someone else has made. These videos almost always let you know the coolest features of a program and what it can do for you rather than spending a ton of time searching around for them.Another step I take is to look at the pricing tab on the website. Most companies will have a tiered pricing that show what you can get at each price level. Many companies offer education discounts or complementary accounts for educators for their full versions although sometimes you do have to email and ask for it.Once I decide to create an account with something new, I always go into the account settings (usually found in the upper right-hand corner of the site) and explore what I can do to customize my account. Will they let me add my photo? Do they allow me to connect to Twitter or integrate my Google Drive with it? Many times account settings will let you do things you never knew existed!Finally, once you decide to create, don’t spend HOURS on your first creation, especially if you are screencasting for the first time. The more times you use it and the more comfortable you are with your new-found treasure, the better you will get at your creations. Tip: The first time you screencast something, you will HATE it. Inevitably you will probably redo your screencasts 2-4 times. Even then you will want to spend hours making it perfect. Don’t spend hours making it perfect. It will never be perfect. Done is better than perfect.Overall, don’t fret. Use the video to help you know what a site will let you do and then explore for a bit. Pretty soon you will be a pro at vetting software and have much more time on your hands! Kate Petty is an EdTech TOSA at Saddleback Valley Unified School District in Mission Viejo, CA. Kate is a Google Certified Teacher and Google Education Trainer. Her passion is Project-Based Learning and she is having a lot of fun traveling around teaching others about it. Kate likes spending time with her family, chocolate, and wine- although not necessarily in that order.To learn more about an upcoming summit, register for an EdTechTeam Summit featuring Google for Education in your region, or contact EdTechTeam about custom professional development and organizational change coaching.EdTechTeam is a California Benefit Corporation and global network of educational technologists dedicated to improving the world’s education systems using the best technology and learning principles available. EdTechTeam produces Future Ready Schools summits and custom professional development for teachers and school leaders around the globe.

Wow - it’s been less one year since Google Classroom came out and already it has taken classrooms everywhere by storm. With the addition of some great updates - Classroom is becoming not only wildly popular but a really easy way both get started with Google Drive and organize your classes for the power users.Now Google is making updates to the mobile app - and teachers everywhere will be able to keep up with their classes no matter where they are located. So, if Hawaii is calling you for Memorial Day…don’t worry you can check student work from your phone  - while getting your dose of mood boosting - Vitamin D and listening to the waves crash in the background.Three things you can do from your mobile device:You can now grade assignments which includes the ability to add private feedback. I know when I am grading homework from the beach - I am always much nicer and a little more lenient. So if you really do make it to Hawaii this would be a good thing to try from your lounge chair.Create and edit assignments on the go, including the ability to make a copy for every student.Create a post or assignment by taking a photo. This will be great for taking a photo and having students write a creative writing response…or asking what scientific theory made a certain photo possible.Make sure to follow the Google Classroom Blog for more updatesTo learn more about an upcoming summit, register for an EdTechTeam Summit featuring Google for Education in your region, or contact EdTechTeam about custom professional development and organizational change coaching.EdTechTeam is a California Benefit Corporation and global network of educational technologists dedicated to improving the world’s education systems using the best technology and learning principles available. EdTechTeam produces Future Ready Schools summits and custom professional development for teachers and school leaders around the globe.

Reflection on the Indiana GAFE Summit 2015Chantell ManahanOriginal Post: Laughing, Learning, Leading BlogI’m not quite caught up for this busy week because I spent last weekend working and learning at the GAFE Summit in Franklin, Indiana. I love all things Google, and my first summit didn’t disappoint!The event organizers did a wonderful job, and Franklin Community High School was an amazing place with friendly hosts. Even though more than 500 educators attended the conference, most with 2+ devices, our wireless connections were wonderfully fast and reliable. The building is equipped with amazing furniture which allowed for easy movement and plenty of comfort; the school even has charging areas with student-designed furniture! In addition to the expected adults in charge, Franklin had a team of students who gave up the weekend to serve as guides and resources for the event. Students even attended sessions to learn more about Google, and having a student join in a session about the new Hoosier Student Digital Leaders program sponsored by the Indiana Department of Education was an amazing opportunity. The young man was a perfect ambassador for the program, interested, attentive, eager to learn, and ready to add his voice to the conversation.  I can’t wait to get a student technology team in place at our school to offer our own students such opportunities for leadership!The keynote speakers were dynamic and inspiring, as expected! Google Evangelist Jaime Casap stressed the importance of creating and collaborating--not "group work," but true collaboration where students contribute equally to solve a problem. To stay relevant, Google is always trying to improve and building on its success, and we need to ask the same of our students. If they have mastered something yet, its our job as educators to offer them more opportunities to improve, show growth, and reach mastery.  If mastery is achieved, we need to push our students beyond that boundary and get them innovating. In that same vein, Jaime, touched on digital citizenship by explaining that digital citizenship is the minimum requirement in today’s world and the future. To keep improving, we need to teach our students to be digital leaders! Finally, he reminded us that we’re educating students for a future that doesn’t yet exist. By recalling his own journey with technology in education, he showed that the tech we are so fanatical about today will be our own children’s or student’s Commodore 64. They are using the worst technology right now that they will encounter. I learned some new tips and tricks for GAFE, and I even had time to create two new class activities for this week during the training. Michelle Green’s presentation on Amazing Race and Iron Chef inspired activities led me to create one of each for my students, and Adam Seipel’s Google Drawings session helped me create a beautiful, digital graphic organizer to help my students prepare for Socratic seminars at the end of our reading. Thanks to the Google Drawings session, I’ve also decided which GAFE feature I will spotlight in my Google Trainer application! Some of my favorite ideas came from collaborating with the other attendees about the presentations; the presentations simply inspired the conversations we shared! In Matt Miller’s awesome presentation on Google Hangouts, one teacher shared the brilliant idea of using Google Hangouts on Air to broadcast and record morning announcements in the school. I love this idea; a leaky roof several years ago ruined our broadcast room, so a secretary has been reading announcements in the morning. This solution will offer a cost-effective solution to engaging students in creating announcements, and an easy way to distribute and archive them for our school! Most of all, I was impressed by the number of Indiana educators willing and able to give up an entire weekend to develop their Google skills and integrate technology into their classrooms! We are modeling the digital leadership for our profession and our students! I can't wait to try even more tricks I learned, and share them to make learning more relevant and engaging for my students! How will you inspire digital leadership today?

What does your classroom say about the learning that takes place within the four walls of your room? Is learning dull? Bright? Cluttered? Organized? Exciting? Full of compliance? Are students seen as only individuals or is teamwork a priority in your room? Has your "teacher desk" turned into a "teacher corner"? Yikes. Over the past year and a half, I’ve spent a considerable amount of time working with staff members to create intentional inspiring spaces on campus. Why? We see them every day: deserving faces. Our students deserve to learn in places that are fun to be in, that make them excited about learning, and that foster creativity. Spaces that that inspire, not require. Think about your favorite coffee shop, wine bar, or another neat space where you find yourself wanting to spend time simply because of the environment and space. For me, comfy seating is a must, and great music, laughter and cheerful decor go a long way too. Last year, one of the 3rd grade teachers at Penngrove came to me and shared that she wanted new desks because hers were too big. Being the supportive principal that I strive to be, I invited our Chief Business Officer (CBO) to campus to take a look at the classroom and see if we could purchase some different desks.When that attempt went nowhere, I pretty much told Ms. O’Neil, "Sorry, just do the best you can." About a week later Ms. O’Neil came to me and said, "Amy I HAVE to get rid of these desks, they are getting in the way of learning for my students." That was all I needed to hear. I was all in.Within a week, Ms. O’Neil transformed her classroom. A fun trip to IKEA, a little bribery with her fiance and my husband, a couple of Winter Break "vacation days" and we were in business! Desks were replaced with tables. White board paint filled the room. A variety of seating options scattered for student choice. A table for Chromebooks. Fun carpets. Less "stuff." Less teacher. More students.  After the transformation in Room 7, little spaces all over campus began to change. A teacher "storage room" was turned into the "5th grade lounge." An old book room suddenly had a couch, bean bag chairs, twinkling lights, and became the hip hangout for 6th graders. Special reading corners and nooks popped up overnight. And all because our staff was reflecting on inspiring spaces and deserving faces.For anyone ready to wrestle with this exciting adventure, these guiding questions may be helpful:What vibe/feeling do you want to create for the students in your classroom? What does your classroom say about you? What do you value? If students were given the choice, would they come to your class each day? Would they want to be with you? In your room? Far too often, we fill our walls with too much stuff, just because it is what we have always done. Consider simplifying. Fewer distractions. Less clutter. Not as many bulletin boards. Allow yourself to create a blank slate. A clean canvas. Re-think your space and make a few simple changes that create a happier learning and working environment for all. After all, everyone is worthy of inspiring spaces. Especially deserving faces. You can learn more about inspiring faces at an upcoming Future Ready Summit near you! We'll be in Orange County on June 20th and in the Tri-State area Nov. 7th.Amy Fadeji is the principal of Penngrove Elementary in Petaluma, California. In her third year as principal, she has found herself reaching out to educators across the country to build a growing network of innovative and inspiring colleagues. After attending Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and later the University of Southern Mississippi, Amy taught second and third grades for seven years in Mobile, Alabama and San Anselmo, California before launching her career in administration. Amy is passionate about supporting teachers, modeling and encouraging risk-taking, and collaborating with other educators around the country. You can follow Amy on Twitter (@mrsfadeji) or read her latest blog post at mrsfadeji.blogspot.com.