A few weeks ago, amidst the "country music song" of my life, I traveled to hear my friend Kristy Vincent give her first keynote at a TCEA area conference. It would have been easy to succumb to the roadblocks and stay home but going to support my friend was something that I could not miss. I left that event feeling lifted, inspired and emotional for reasons that I can’t even explain other than the whispers in my ear reminding me that all will be okay. A roadblock is a barrier and barriers are meant to crumble… Last week, I was supposed to travel to Georgia to present at #GAetc. Unfortunately, I got sick and could not fly which is why I made sure that I attended Edcamp Austin. I was dealing with a different "roadblock" this time. Professionally, it’s been more difficult for me than I expected to make the transition from a school setting to a district setting as I thrive better in a school environment. I was beginning to feel like I wasn’t doing "enough" and I needed some ideas and inspiration. When I say that God speaks to me in whispers, I mean it. However, on that day it felt more like a continuous scream of…"Are you kidding me???" I ran into several teachers that I’ve been connected to on twitter and I was extremely excited to hear them speak about implementing ideas that I tweeted or blogged in their classrooms. Many asked about Braeden and his worksheets, often following that with…"I changed the way that I did things because of that". I’m not a person that needs nor thrives on self-validation but I will say that as I was in the middle of a "low" moment…those conversations were uplifting. The day continued with a few conversations with others in my job role and hearing that we are experiencing much of the same. I left Austin fulfilled …knowing that I was not alone and that what I was doing was okay. Roadblock…crumbled Today, I woke up to another "country music song" life moment…to say it mildly. After dealing, like I always do, I headed to work and sat in a meeting fighting back tears.  The roadblocks were back in full force and every creative thought that I normally had was silenced. My mind, heart and spirit had drawn a blank. Somehow, amidst all of the great things that have occurred, I managed to allow this "one big thing" to deter me in a major way. I know better…period. My mom would say that I gave negativity an "in" straight to my head by allowing myself to be shrouded in self-doubt which punched the ticket for misery to show. When I stopped tonight and just listened through silence, the errors of my ways turned into gratifying realizations of what is still yet to come. My mind is no longer blank. Echoes of whispers ring as plain as day… "Focus Rafranz Focus"  

This post is absolutely NOT about tweeting with students. That is an entirely different ballgame and one that works beautifully as modeled by @MsSandersTHS. If you haven’t followed her stream of classroom tweets, you should. Today, I woke up thinking about the teacher that taught next to me who made facebook connecting via gaming more of a priority than the students in her class. That was years ago and twitter wasn’t yet the "drink of choice" for educators connecting socially. We’ve heard many arguments about why tweeting in school is necessary with many of them being, "that’s how I learn and grow". Others say that they tweet between classes and that makes it okay. Right? Anyone that knows me personally knows that my phone was my escape from the social world for a long time. If I was bored, and I often was, I sat and sent messages, tweeted and searched the web. I did this because being on my phone kept me away from dealing with the insanely boring world around me. That was years ago and those habits helped to inform how I connect now. When I am learning, I tend to capture many thoughts via twitter backchannel. My focus during those moments is on the device and tweeting the ideas. What happens is that I miss the nuances of the environment. I miss the non verbal communications of the speakers because I’m typically too busy capturing thoughts. I caught myself being "out of the loop" while trying to capture images with my own kids in a maker space. Instead of communicating, I was taking pictures and posting. I missed a few critical moments because of that and as soon as I realized it, I put the phone away and dedicated my attention to the moment. Tweeting in Class Revisiting the "excuses to tweet" in class above, I have to wonder how many conversations are missed. How many moments are delayed because kids don’t want to disturb the person taking the pictures or tweeting the moments instead of being in them. How many "much needed" hellos were missed because the eyes were focused on the twitter app versus greeting the children and adults in school. Capturing learning moments is one thing but making the capture an overwhelming priority is another. When we are with kids, we should be with kids…period. As someone that works with teachers, this applies to us as well. There has to be a balance between being a socially connected learner and being a responsible communicator. Our kids deserve our undivided attention and no matter what, we should always make giving them that a priority.

Today I had the opportunity to support a group of 1st grade teachers in integrating technology during the planning process. I’ve never taught 1st grade so this experience was definitely a welcomed one. Each teacher had classroom access to two ipads at all times. In addition, their campus had an ipad cart that could be checked out weekly. As for ipad use, teachers had only used practice apps and games during centers. Creativity had not been heard of. Even after being told "I’m not a tech person", this group excited me because I knew that all of these issues were ones that were within our power to address. After discussing the intended outcomes for each lesson, I talked to teachers about creativity and how students could collaborate, even as first graders, to better enhance, explore and express their learning. When creativity is a new idea to teachers, it’s important to not overwhelm them further with tons of apps at the start. It was amazing to hear them reiterate this idea as they decided to learn one app really well and use cross curricular in lieu of allowing the apps to overtake the learning. In other words…Focus on a Few. During the course of 55 minutes, we were able to talk about 4 apps, how kids would use them and how I would be supporting them through this process. One of the apps that we discussed was 30 hands, which I learned about this past weekend at Edcamp Austin. 30 Hands is a digital storytelling app that allows users to add voice to an existing image or draw and then add voice. Once the presentation is complete, it becomes a video that can be saved to camera roll or uploaded to the 30 hands cloud service. For these 1st grade classes, I suggested that students collaboratively create so that each person has a slide which means that each student would share a part of the story. 30 Hands is super simple to use and is an amazing tool for student creativity. Important Note: Planning meetings must always begin with the end in mind. It’s not about the app or "tech-ing" up a lesson but about intentionally designing for students to learn and grow. It’s also important to not get caught up in what teachers do not know but to start where they are and focus on helping them to grow as well. There are plenty of "cool apps" out but teachers new to integrating tech need a baseline to start. Let the intended outcomes lead you to collaboratively determining that baseline. My goal is that these teachers are running this process for themselves and eventually they will. Right now, it’s about empowering them to start. Today…they did. To read about this meeting in greater detail and also how students may use Haiku Deck, Tellagami and Educreations, Click HERE. (Our Instructional Technology Department blog)

A few years ago a young man that I knew stole a set of Dr. Dre Beats from a teacher’s desk. No one would have even known had he not gone class to class bragging. What made matters worse was that he bragged about the principal "restating the offense" in a way that made it appear to be an "accidental theft". He admittedly took the headphones because he wanted them which is sad because he could’ve bought 100 pairs that day. Instead of suffering any consequences, he was given a free pass…one that would not have been given had he not been who he was…rich and white. Sadly, this is the norm of the environment in which many of our kids have grown accustomed to. As a mother, I teach my kids right from wrong but I also have to teach them how the rules of life sometimes apply differently depending on many factors with the majority being race and class. Growing up, we heard…"you know you can’t get away with that…you’re black!". As much as I hated to acknowledge it, it was true and to not acknowledge it would be not preparing my own children for the world in which they live. I’ve referenced Jose Vilson’s (@thejlv) work multiple times as someone who challenges my thinking. His most recent post, regarding privilege after a pretty hefty twitter conversation, was the subject of discussion in our home this morning. The premise of our conversation was mainly centered around the debate as to whether or not privilege was a discussion related to education and if it were of importance enough to discuss. My son, a freshman and eternal voice of reason, wrote the following… "Privilege is nothing more than a fancy way of acknowledging our biases and prejudices. The thing is that it exist everywhere. There’s a  "tall man" privilege in basketball. We’ll give a free pass to the tall guy until his actions on the court prove otherwise. There’s a "good looking" privilege at parties. If you’re looking fly, you get in and if not, you better be friends with someone looking fly. There’s a "black educated" privilege. If you speak a certain way, white people take you seriously and are not afraid to engage in conversation. If you speak or act like you’re "from the hood", the assumption is that you aren’t educated. There’s a "skinny" privilege too but that’s largely because looks are the first point of judgement. We pay a bit more attention to the "skinny person" in the room versus the one who is not. Look around and tell me that I’m wrong. Teachers have biases too and certain kids, mostly white, are given free passes over others. They get treated a certain way.  I’ve heard time and again, "certain kids don’t do well in that class" and year after year, it’s brushed under the rug. Year after year, non-white kids are removed from certain classes and no one ever deals with the real problem…the teacher. Yet, every year a white male excels and wins awards from that teacher’s help yet none of us ever stood a chance. We can call it privilege but let’s be real and call it what it is…excused racism. Even when you didn’t get a certain job, clearly because you’re black, you didn’t sit here, cry, complain and take it. You packed your bags and went somewhere that privilege didn’t matter. It exist because we let it. What if we didn’t let it?" This is the moment where I shall ponder over the words of my son. "Privilege exist because we let it. What if we didn’t?"  

There’s a long standing phrase between myself and one of my trusted colleagues…#WWDLD…which in essence keeps me from going off on numerous rants daily. #WWDLD = "What would Diana Laufenberg do?" I live and post by this piece of advice from Diana Laufenberg… "If it doesn’t add to or further enhance a conversation, don’t post it." This is NOT easy by any means. Social media can be annoying at times. Admit it…You KNOW that I’m right! For all of the amazing blog postings, tweeted links and insanely productive "app-tivities", there are plenty of moments of "Heeyyy Look at Meeee" that seem to be rewarded with even more "Heyyy Look at Himm" and I know that many are experiencing the same as evidenced by my DM timeline which seems to be the "go to" for many "Are you kidding me?" moments. Yeah, I’m not kidding. (Newsflash: You too can be propelled to "edutwitter greatness" if you share what you actually do as well as what you claim to do, tweet everyone that you did it and then nominate yourself for every opportunity that arises. Seriously….that’s pretty much it!) Or…You can walk your own walk…experience your own journey…and do it regardless of who is watching. Let them be them….You be You. Many have asked how I’ve been able to steer through those "mind numbing" moments without going on a mini rant yet remaining eternally optimistic on my own path. It’s simple… I have to remain true to who I am at all times and accept that not everyone sees the world from my point of view. I naturally accept it and I’m okay with that. I hope that I’ve taught my own children the same. I’ve found that if I focus on the negatives of connected life in lieu of the many positives, I am in essence falling prey to the minion-like thinking that has propelled many to place the "perceived achievements" of others over their own ideas. A Few Life Remedies for Social Annoyance Read a great book or blog post that stimulates your creativity. Spend time with your family. If you’re at work, focus on your job. Write your own blog about something that matters to you. Work on a project. Watch a TED talk. Walk the dog…or play with your cats. Go for a walk…work out! Help someone accomplish a goal. Work on your own life goals. Realize that your inner "Sheldon Cooper" is just too much for nonsense. Have great friends that will privately listen to your thoughts (rants) until you come to your senses. If all else fails… Ignore, Mute, Unfollow, Unfriend or Zip #WWDLD    

In the years that I’ve been an educator, I can only recall one instance when an administrator sat in the same technology training as teachers. It was last year and our principal was there on a Saturday learning with his staff. I remember feeling shocked because he was there on a day that many would have reserved for other activities…or excuses…depends on how you look at it. I’ve talked with several personal friends who are campus administrators and the consensus amongst them seemed to be that professional development was for teachers and that they "earned the right" to not have to attend by means of their title. Surprisingly, I get it. It’s the equivalent of a child wanting to grow up so that "mom’s rules" no longer apply. This entire thought process was ridiculous then and it is most certainly ridiculous now. Dear Admins, if you want to show your support, interest and commitment to your learners..attend staff development WITH your staff! If your campus is implementing new technology, you should be right there in the center of learning…WITH your staff. How can you evaluate the way that a tool is used in a classroom if you have no clue as to how it works? How can you determine PD needs for your campus if you have no idea how students may use it? I understand that things happen and there are moments that are certainly out of reach for admin attendance but to make no effort is to say that it’s not important. Guess what…if it’s not important enough to you, it won’t be to your staff…not by a long shot! If it’s not important to YOU, it won’t be for your students either. When you attend, don’t just stand on the wall as a clock watching observer. Sit down at the table of learning. Plan with teachers and discuss how students may be impacted. Doing this will teach you how you can best support your learners. You will need this information and it won’t happen from the comforts of your office. Somewhere along the way, take notes and consider how the tools and strategies that teachers are learning can be implemented within your own administrative roles. Change happens from the top and it starts with YOU. I’ll end with this quote by the principal who attended tech training with his staff… @RafranzDavis A learning leader is a growing leader is a better leader. — Demetrus Liggins (@DDLiggins) November 23, 2013 ; Greatness happens when we allow it. Regardless of your place in education, NEVER stop being a learner.

A few weeks ago, we started reading Wendell the World’s Worst Wizard. At the time, Braeden was dead set on building a robot so when he heard of Wendell’s interest in the same, he was stoked to know Wendell a bit better. Then, something happened that I did not expect. He connected with Wendell "the maker". Yes…an artistic robot making storybook character told my nephew that it was okay to be a maker. He hasn’t stopped "making" since. Every time we met a scenario that correlated to his own life, he’d stop and insist on it being read again. I had no idea that Braeden felt "odd" as a kid who creates things. I had no idea that he was even being teased about it. The book gave him the freedom to open up so much that we owe its writer, John Spencer, a huge pile of thanks! Wendell is a wizard, who is non-magical, but even Braeden said that magic is what happens when you can build things. The book solidified that thought. Wendell’s "shop" of choice was "THE DUMP", a collection of human objects that Braeden immediately related to because that’s what he does. He makes things from other things that he finds. He giggled with excitement as we read about Wendell’s desire to be a designer or maker. This was a character that WANTED to do what Braeden LOVED to do. That hasn’t happened in any other book that we’ve read. Finishing the book took a bit longer than expected because creativity crept its way in once Wendell’s plight inspired Braeden’s journey! The planning for a robot led Braeden to animatronics which led him to puppetry. For the last week, he has been designing and creating puppets with a level of zest that we haven’t seen in a long time. I think that we have Wendell to thank. For the 8 year old maker, Wendell made "being him" okay. We would both encourage you all to read Wendell the Word’s Worst Wizard. It is most certainly an amazingly inspiring book for all readers. In case you missed it…You can watch Braeden talk about one of the robots that he intended to build Here’s another video of him talking about the puppets that occupy his thoughts now! (facetime)

While most kids are scouring the internet and pages of "black friday" sales for the hottest toys of 2013, our Braeden doesn’t get into that. He doesn’t care for purchased toys at all and insists upon making them himself. We can walk through the toy aisle at any given moment and the kid won’t even flinch. He’s not amused. Last year, the only thing that he asked for was an ipad mini because it served as his immediate window to creativity. It captures the things that he wants to create. He creates with it and lately he’s been blogging his work. Now, life is entirely centered around puppetry which may change again, but for us…we live in "the now" and THIS is it! When you have a "maker", that’s important. Braeden doesn’t just start random projects. He throws himself all in through research and constant learning via youtube. This is where he finds his inspiration. Through research, he opened himself up to techniques that would not have been possible without his device. He also found a neat website that enabled him to design the muppet that he wanted and have it made. Of course, he wants that too…for the bargain price of $99.99. He says that he will continue to make his own puppets but he at least wants a professional one which, by the way, opened him up to the idea of "making" for a living. He had no idea that anyone could do this. Braeden located the website of a real puppeteer…James Kemp. (The baby monster is his favorite) I almost cried when he explained that I needed to go to the search bar, type in baby monster and click the article "Baby Monster Completion"! Being a researcher is AWESOME! I’ve learned so much through being a silent observer. We don’t ask him to "make" anything nor do we sit him in front of a collection of things that we buy expecting him to just "make". Everything that he does comes from his own imagination. We encourage it by trying to provide the tools necessary when needed AFTER he decides that he needs it. The space to do so is his own. His "makerspace" is his imagination. What has he learned from making? He sums it up in his favorite question and statement… "Auntie has your mistake happened today yet? We all make them. If you pressed backspace, you made a mistake. We all make them everyday. When you make mistakes, you just have to get it wrong and do it all over again. Just remember, that when you hit backspace….you get to go back and press the letter that you wanted." In case you’re wondering, below is Braeden’s Christmas list… Faux fur (orange, green, and red) Fleece (tan and any other color) Material (like felt) red, black and pink Foam Foam Rubber (???) Ping pong balls (white and yellow and any other color that they come in) Green screen Ostrich feathers (fake ones) Feather boas Long black craft sticks for rods Good Scissors Good glue Magic Markers Muppet Whatnot (pictured)

It was two years ago when we noticed that Braeden’s childhood drawings were a bit more than typical childhood drawings. The first smurf movie was scheduled to be released that year and we started seeing drawings of smurfs around the house. Of course, we thought that they were tracings. We had no idea that he was looking at pictures either physically or imagined, and drawing what he saw. That was the year that his school pumpkin transformed into a smurf. That’s when we knew that the kid had an eye for art. A few months later, while watching Phineas and Ferb, Braeden had another idea. He wanted to play with his favorite characters so he drew them, cut them out and attached them to craft sticks. He was so excited because he made his own puppets. That was the day that nothing interested him more than the things that he made. All that I kept thinking was…please God don’t let him lose this!   The Self-Assigned "Genius Hour" Project A few weeks ago, Braeden decided that he wanted to make a robot. That decision morphed into multiple forms with puppetry being his current focus. The cool part about watching the kid go was taking note of his process. He captures inspiration in his ipad via pictures. He researches through youtube and learns the necessary steps to create what he wants to create. Prioritizing isn’t a problem because during the school week, the homework load is so heavy that these projects normally happen over the weekend. Last week, he had no homework so every night was dedicated to puppets. For Braeden, "Genius Hour" happens at home and we’re okay with that as no one had to designate time for him to create. He’s doing it because he wants to and that’s important! His Way or No Way! When kids are creating, adults need to step away unless summoned by the kid or if there are safety concerns. There were moments when I looked at the patterns that Braeden was making and thought about how I would do it instead. I never shared my thoughts with him. Braeden’s creative process includes room for making mistakes and he prefers it that way. In his words, "that is how he learns", and we respect that. I’ve seen many projects be taken over by adults and the kid becomes an afterthought. For Braeden, it’s his way or no way. Any variation on that can potentially destroy a kid’s creative mojo. Don’t do that. Document the Process Braeden learned through youtube. We discuss this often and in our discussions have talked about him creating his own "how to" videos for other kids to view. Each step of the way, from idea to creation, Braeden asked that we snap pictures to document the process. We decided to share via social media and every share was initiated by him. Again, it’s important that the kid owns the process. It’s his project, after all. We are, however, very mindful of Braeden’s age and aside from his own blog…most shares are done via my social media account. That part is important as well. Check out How to Create a Puppet by Rafranz Davis on Snapguide. What to Do with Creations Braeden made it clear early on that he wanted to make puppets so that he could make his own puppet show. People have asked me if he had his own youtube channel. I stuck to my guns and insisted that when his channel came to life, it would be of his own doing. He designed every aspect, including the storyline. I’ll be honest in saying that this is where we were at odds. He wrote a great story but he ad-libs when he performs in order to be comedic. Again, this is where I had to suck it up and let him be him. Braeden said that he wanted to create a show that he would want to watch. It’s not perfect but it’s his and again…that is what matters most. Below is the story that Braeden made… What I Learned Just as dancers get a stage and athletes have a field…visual artistic kids need a platform too. My job in this process was to provide that. The rest was all him…as it should be.  

Know Your Audience: Research is the key to knowing and even understanding your audience. Have an interest in your students not only engaging in what you are teaching, but once they can see that you are interested in them, you’ve just built the best means to communicate your message. Find the Connection: Once you have an understanding of your audience and have built the bridge to communicating, every experience that involves them learning should focus in making that bridge stronger. The student learning experience starts before they come into the classroom and doesn’t end. Make it memorable: Branding is about giving. Making everything center around your intent to give your audience/students the best experience that relates to your core objective. If it’s teaching about math speak about math in such a way that they NEVER forget that experience. Much like the advertising industry has realized, consumers are inundated with information from the time they wake up, until the time they go to sleep. Your students are the exact same, they consume. They are presented with information and have come to your classrooms with information overload. Many time it includes what I like to call "UN-formation" or bad information. So it’s important to recognize that and do as much as possible to enhance the overall brand/learning experience to impact the desired results. Derrick Walker - Dallas,Tx Brand Strategist @iamdwalk

Yesterday, while going through instagram I came across a posting about this image that caught my attention. The posting was an observation about Franklin eating alone on his side of the table. As many times as I’ve seen this image, I’ve never noticed anything wrong until that moment. My dad, a historical aficionado, never noticed it either. This image was a hot topic during our family thanksgiving as it sparked a conversation about history that our kids needed to know. Their grandparents could not go to school with white kids. Playing together just did not happen. Our kids love going to restaurants and their grandparents were not allowed to enter the front door. This is something that we rarely talk about but it’s important because it’s our history and our kids need to know those stories. This image, as sweet as it is, was a gateway to that. Of course, I posted it to facebook with the caption " I have never noticed anything wrong with this picture until now…" There were several interactions from others who never noticed it either or who wanted to talk about everything else in the picture but the segregation of a children’s dinner. I found this interesting for many reasons with most of them being that we tend to avoid conversations when they are uncomfortable because as much as this image is history, it is still very much a reality for many of us in various forms. In an interview (below), Schultz spoke about the introduction of Franklin and how someone in the south wrote him and asked that he not show the kids in school together. Considering the time when the Charlie Brown Thanksgiving special aired, I can only imagine the uproar that would have happened had Franklin been animated to have dinner alongside his friends. I imagine that had Schultz done that…this classic may not have seen the light of day. It’s still interesting to me that in this day and age, we never even noticed it.

I have a teenage son who absolutely loves sports. He plays basketball and every videogame that he owns is related to some athletic activity. When he would get into light trouble in school, the phrase "boys will be boys" was thrown around as if it were normal. I can’t think of any other boys in our family who are not into sports except my nephew. He wants nothing of it. As a matter of fact, if you’ve ever seen the episode of Big Bang Theory when Leonard had to fake his love of football while hanging with Penny and her friends….THAT is my nephew. Don’t get me wrong, he likes recreational sports that involve him alone doing things like bouncing a ball or running…but team competitions are a NO. When we attend football games, he spends his time looking at the craftiness of the mascots. This is who he is at this moment in his life and it’s critical that he knows that he is wonderful in his own choices. Yesterday, we gave him a sewing machine. He asked for it because he believes that it will help him create puppets a bit faster. I posted it to facebook and immediately deleted the posting (as well as the idiot) because of these comments… Why would you give a boy a sewing machine? Is he gay? Is he making dresses too? That’s just doing too much. I’ve never been as angry at one person in my entire life. Many parents have sworn off "pink and princess" for girls yet we haven’t quite figured out where to draw the line with boys. Newsflash… Not all boys love sports Not all boys play with cars Not all boys enjoy wrestling in mud Not all boys crave train sets Not all boys live and die by Superman and Batman Not all boys live and die by society’s definition of what they should be Kids are kids and to them, life is about doing what makes them happy at the moment. Adults are the ones that create and impose the rules. What if we just let kids be kids? I can only imagine what life could be like if certain adults didn’t screw kids up! (Sorry, a bit fired up right now) If my nephew wants to make puppets in any gender using whatever tools that he believes are necessary…so be it! For crying out loud…He is 8!!!! Dear Craft store that only carried pink scissors…Really??? (KthnxBye is a total shoutout to the amazing Tim Childers)

Often times, as educators, people forget that we are human. We are superheroes, after-all. Our lives are not always the picture of perfection. For the first four years of my career, I walked into school wearing my "life is amazing" mask. The kids that I taught were such a source of strength that to this day, I feel that I owe them more for giving me more of a reason to smile. As strong as I am now, that was not always the case. Four years ago today, I owned my strength and my life. My Story… It’s been four years since my "independence day". I’ll never forget it because of the significance of the date…12-3. I woke up that morning and told myself to suck it up because taking my life back would be as simple as 1-2-3. It was not. As necessary as it was, it was the single most difficult day of my life. For 11 long years, work/school was my refuge. It was the one place that I could go without receiving calls and messages on the hour telling me to come home. It was the one place where no one reminded me daily of how much "my life meant nothing" or that "I would never be anything". It was the one place that the abuse couldn’t come. I was in control. I used to tell myself that it wasn’t abuse. He was just using words, right? Those thoughts worked until words became physical. The emotional scars of 11 long years were deep. I lived in it and saw no way out. I joke around that technology saved me because it was an extremely hard knock upside the head with a cell phone that said…"Get out NOW!" The irony of that moment is certainly not lost. I always felt guilty for selling kids on the idea of "never letting someone make you feel less than you are" when I could not find the strength to heed to my own advice. It wasn’t a lie but it wasn’t my truth. Four years ago today, that changed. I left the home that we built that morning without a dime in my pocket. I had my children, the clothes on our backs, a job and my car. That’s all that I needed. For 11 years, I relinquished control of my life to another and in doing so, I created a "living hell" that somehow became my normal. I had no friends and was banned from seeing my own family. I had no access to the money that I worked so hard to make. He controlled that. I’ve never "heard" tears of happiness like the ones that my mother shed that morning when I told her that I was ready to leave. She prayed for that moment and I’m glad that she did. To this day, I can’t remember the day that I got married nor the exact date of my divorce. I will never forget the day of my independence. This morning my heart smiles just a tad bit brighter.  

I get excited sometimes when I learn about new tech tools. I actually spend the time playing with them to figure them out a bit. Then the reality sets in… I ask questions of myself which determine if this tool is necessary for my own use. I think about it from the lens of a teacher and student. What’s the purpose? Why would I choose this tool over "my reliables"? Does using this tool make task completion any simpler or does it add necessary functionality that I do not have access to now? What are the sharing options and how? (Publishing is important!) If the "new tool" doesn’t make sense, I don’t use it. I’ll keep it in mind but if it doesn’t make the "purpose" cut, it’s doomed. My Reliables  I think that having reliable tools that aid various tasks are important. The normalcy helps with productivity because I don’t have to think about the medium of presenting content. I get to focus more on the content itself. 1. Haiku Deck (http://www.haikudeck.com/) If you have ever sat through 119 kids reading paragraphs of wikipedia during a presentation, you would appreciate Haiku Deck too! As a presenter, I love utilizing the library of images within Haiku Deck and adding short phrases to help steer the conversation. The "story telling" itself comes from me. For our Chromebook Kickoff, I used Haiku Deck on Chromebook to create my presentation. When I opened my ipad, the new updates allowed me to sync to my ipad. LOVE that. There are so many other things that I can do with Haiku Deck using its export feature. Another post will follow with more on this one! Check out the Haiku Deck that I created to steer the conversation for Chromebook Implementation Created with Haiku Deck, the free presentation app for iPad 2. Canva (https://www.canva.com/) Canva is a web based design tool that includes templates which allow users to create pretty much anything that involves design. I have adobe indesign but I love canva because when I need to make a quick thinglink resource for my campuses, I can do it using canva’s templates and graphics quickly. This most certainly enables me to focus on my content versus design. When I want to share and collaborate with a colleague, I can share the link and enable editing. Canva is still in beta but the sign up process happens pretty quick. 3. Thinglink (http://www.thinglink.com/) I think that I will probably use thinglink in some capacity for everything that I share with my campuses. I start in canva to create the image and then use thinglink to add hotspots with text, video, images and sometimes voice. For the thinglink below, I took screenshots using my Chromebook. I added a border and edited each chrome store icon using picmonkey (another reliable) Avoiding the Flood Go back to the questions that I posted above. Always have a purpose for use and if there is no purpose other than new…stick to your reliables. It helps with productivity and also allows you to focus on the content…which is wayyy cooler than adding a new confusing tool. New does not always mean better. Sometimes, it’s just NEW.  

The other day I was talking to a student that I tutor about measurement. He was having trouble visualizing a yard outside of the flat grassy area in front of his house…his words. I knew that the student was an athlete so I immediately started inquiring about yard lines on a football field. We then took out a ruler…a real one (not a formula chart with a printed one) and began talking about inches and feet. We drew one yard by moving the ruler 3 times. The student then started talking about the number of rulers that would fit between two yard lines on a football field…specifically the 30 and 35 yard line. He drew a picture. As he drew, he looked at the ruler several times. He looked at the lines that we measured. He came up with a way to think about the problem. Below is the problem that started this discussion. Below that is his picture. To be clear…I have several problems with this problem. Technically, this is from a 5th grade unit on algebraic reasoning. Should he have been able to reason through this problem? He was stuck on the variable, f. He was stuck on the word furlong. When he originally completed the problem, he seemed to be stuck on the entire problem. Our discussion and actions were about experience. What do you do when you don’t know what to do? Added to his arsenal…. Draw Pictures Connect it to something else Rethink about the problem Last night during our session, he excitedly told me how they worked on feet and yards in class. He understood it. That was win…    

Yesterday while playing around in the twitter developer area, I came across twitter cards. I’ve seen summary cards appear in postings from major news outlets but I never knew that I could also produce them through my own self-hosted blog. Look at the two postings on the left. The post on the left is utilizing a twitter summary card which gives readers a snippet into what the post is about. It’s a great way for potential readers to determine whether or not they want to read your blog. The Benefits Twitter cards turn links to your blog into media experiences. With a little coding, or in my case…a wordpress plugin, every tweet containing a link to your content will also come equipped with a twitter card that is visible to all followers of the person initiating the tweet. What this means is that YOU control how users view your content via twitter. In addition, the right content can draw more audience interaction and/or increase your network.   Types of Cards For a blog such as this, twitter recommends the summary card. However, there are others like player cards which enable you to embed videos or slideshows into your blog tweets. The summary card came with instant approval but the player card can take up to a few weeks before twitter will provide a green light. Wondering what a player card is? It’s the tweet below with the vine video attached. I imagine that this is what twitter took away from instagram. They literally had their "player card" revoked. Love that @oneilchsprincip used vine to tell his kids about "no school" https://t.co/qkSdnWBUCM — Rafranz Davis (@RafranzDavis) December 7, 2013   The Summary Card Setup (WordPress Self-hosted) If you are running a wordpress self-hosted blog, the summary card setup is as simple as installing a plugin. I’m using a plugin called "twitter cards meta" which automatically adds the meta tags to your blog header. The steps are as follows… 1. Go to the WordPress Dashboard "Add New Plugin" section. 2. Search For "Twitter Cards Meta". 3. Install, then Activate it. Once activated, click settings and then choose "Twitter Cards Meta". Check out the thinglink below for more!

Over the past few months, I’ve shared many of the creations that my nephew has made including his most recent venture into puppetry. Today, I wanted to take a moment to break down some specific examples of how his passions are fueling his learning. I will admit that I did not get the true meanings of "Genius Hour" or "Passion Projects" until they started happening under my own nose. The growth that I’ve witnessed in him has been remarkable. I have to wonder what could be possible for other kids if we allowed more of their passions to fuel their educational journeys. Research and Digital Citizenship Research happens often When we are driven by passion, learning happens out of desire. I’ve watched the kid conduct research using his ipad through every free moment that he could garner. He actually rushed through his school work to get to his "passion work". As amazing as it would be if they were one and the same, that is not the case. Research happens through google, youtube and even through product reviews. He looks at what others think and determines if the product or skill is worth his time. In the spirit of Austin Kleon’s, Steal Like an Artist, Braeden kept a database of learning through his ipad. He saved images, videos, and screen shots of websites which have inspired all of his creations. To be clear, he did this out of his own natural patterns. What we have to work on is creating a cloud based system of saving as these captures take a great deal of memory. We’re looking at the Educlipper App for that as capturing could happen while in the app versus outside.     Core Learning Beyond Standards Braeden’s puppet Uvula at the top Forgive me for sleeping in science, but I had never heard of the word "uvula" until Braeden’s puppet. Disney and youtube taught him this. His research taught him about its scientific function. In the past few weeks, I’ve heard him talk about proportion in ways that he won’t even see for a few grade levels. He’s dilating patterns in order to make his puppets four times as big as the patterns that he sees on youtube. Learning is applied because of a need. Who needs worksheets when you have moments such as this? Writing for him was a bit of a struggle. He created a show and wants to be sporadic. At the same time, the "perfectionist" in him demands to re-record take after take after take. The time that it has taken to capture the moment that he envisioned demanded that he learned to write. Becoming a Story Teller Google drive on chromebbok is the tool of choice for script writing Braeden’s puppets were created with the intention of creating a show. He developed characters and practiced several voices before settling on the few that he has. He learned how to "set a scene" and write incorporating a beginning, middle and end. There is no state test looming that required this. With google docs, he shares his script with me. The first time, I worked with him in order to teach him how to use it. The second time that he did it was a lone effort. An interesting thing happened as he watched his shows back to back. He noticed an inconsistency in the story and took notes to address it in the future. We call that reflection.   Failure is Instructional Behind the scenes creating the Lenny show Not every puppet turned into a masterpiece. Some of them ended up scrapped and eventually becoming parts of other puppets. For example, Lenny the Lizard was created with an arm sleeve. The arm sleeve was a failed puppet from before. Braeden says that mistakes are times for learning. He thinks that failure helps him because it shows us our mistakes. Learning from a place of passion can take us to places that we have yet to imagine. If you asked me months ago if these moments were possible, I would not have had an answer. Seeing is believing but experience is powerful. Current grade level: 3rd   Lenny the Lizard Episode 2

The other day, I read a post by Karl Lindgren-Streicher about his imperfect classroom. As I read his honest reflection, I connected to it on the basis of the inconsistent truths that teachers often get while scrolling through social ramblings of edu. If you live on twitter long enough, you might leave thinking that… 1. Great classrooms have access to 1:1 devices Not all classrooms have access to devices for every student. As a matter of fact, some of the biggest contributors to social media actually operate 1-3 ipad classrooms. Great classrooms are classrooms where kids feel connected, are engaged and learning. Sometimes technology is involved and sometimes it isn’t. You may not have access to very many devices and contrary to popular belief, not all kids have a cell phone (more on that later). Instead of beating yourself up for what your classroom lacks, create learning moments that matter using the resources that you have. 2. Smartboards are the death of edu Let me be clear. I’m not talking about new purchases of boards which I find laughable when people quote prices as much as $8,000 each. Who does that? (I paid well under $2000 each for a board, projector and installation.) Yes, you can record a lesson, share files and write on an ipad; but walking around with an ipad teaching is no different than standing at a smartboard if you are the one doing all of the work. With that said, the problem does not lie with with the device but with the lackluster training and support. That applies to the shiny ones in our hands as well as those on our walls. 3. Get on twitter and be reborn! This one drives me nuts and I used to preach it too! The fact is that building a network takes time. Change is not a guarantee of joining twitter but a result of owning the need to think differently and being exposed to the resources to do so. I didn’t "change" when I joined twitter. I changed when I started reading books, blogs, chatting and having real conversations with people who challenged my thinking. It’s not an overnight process. Change is NOT an instant sign-up away. However, if one sticks to the process of sharing and collaborating…great things can happen. 4. Technology engages EVERY learner! Technology doesn’t engage learners. Caring teachers, interesting content and tasks engage learners. You can have the most amazing technology on the planet and kids will see right through it if the purpose isn’t relevant. Students are the best "BS" catchers around and believe me they know when what they do is "busy work" compared to student driven tasks. I absolutely LOVE using technology for student learning but I do it with the end in mind and my students at the forefront. As the great Dr. Rita Pierson said, "Kids don’t learn from people that they don’t like." (That includes those that have things that plug in!) 5. Every new idea works for everyone else. Seasoned ideas work a lot better than unseasoned ideas. Guess what…every teacher has epic fails during instruction. It’s what you do as a result of that failure that matters. I’ve personally tried many things that did not work and at the end of the day, as long as I focused on the original intent…all worked according to plan. I admitted my mistakes, reflected and adjusted. Some people paint a picture of perfection. You need to know that there is no such thing as perfection for even the "best" of educators. These, like most of my postings, are my own random thoughts and beliefs. What I hope is that by reading this, some teacher somewhere will stop beating his/herself up for their "perceptions" of lackluster progression. Stop that! Use what you have. Work towards getting what you need and move your students with the greatest of intentions. Reflect…Reflect…Reflect  

Today, I’m in a bit of a struggle and it’s been brewing for quite some time. Typically, I do my mid-year reflection over the Christmas break but recent attitudes have proven that now is the time. Proceed with caution…brutal honesty awaits. 1. You’re not on a campus. Get over it and find your way. This is my first year NOT on a single campus and I’ve struggled with it. I feel like I’m most creative around students and not having a direct classroom is still odd. Yes, my job is to support teachers but at the same time I know that effectiveness comes from connectedness to the realities of the classroom. I never wanted to be so far removed from kids that what I teach becomes more theoretical than practical. There are quite a few moves that I can make to place myself closer to the classroom…starting with getting my rear end on more campuses regardless of the "red tape" in getting there. This…I can fix! 2. The only thing that is holding you back is your ego. #thatisall I train teachers for a living. There is no reason on earth that I should not be submitting proposals to share at conferences. I got caught up in the "beat down" of completing the proposal instead of focusing on the intended outcome…professional learning. Everyone has a "submission" of sorts to complete. It’s time to get on my "A" game and start a folder to contain them. I have expertise in certain areas and I need to share it. 3.  Where has all the math gone? Going straight "tech-head" sometimes feels like selling my math soul to the devil! I used to write real lessons and now I barely look at math materials. Thankfully, I started tutoring and all of a sudden, I feel alive again! I miss my math classroom. My challenge will be to find the balance between my area of expertise (math edu) and my chosen career path (edtech). As a classroom teacher, I had the best of both worlds. It’s time that I channeled that into what I do now. 4. Be more positive! Stop being annoyed by other people….You just might annoy them too! I am the first to admit that I can be too negative at times. I’m working on it but I struggle! I wasn’t this way when I was in the classroom however that is no excuse. The world does not have to agree with me and I’m wrong…a lot. It’s time that I started being more giving and less critical.  This one is one that I must PUSH with PURPOSE! 5. Stay more connected to conversations that matter to you…(race, gender, poverty) Sometimes I find myself holding back. I’ll write something and then not post because I didn’t want to be seen as the "angry black woman". I should’ve posted about the edcamp conversation with a peer about the lack of teachers of color at events. I should’ve continued the conversations with another black edtech about the lack of teachers of color in edtech conversations. Then again, maybe not "self-promoting" is more of a cultural issue and if so…why? What can we do to change it? How can we change it if no one is willing to speak up? Moving Forward I’ve done some "ok" things this year but I can do better and I will. The first step to change is acknowledging the necessity to do so. The second step is owning it.

Earlier tonight a simple text from a friend reminded me of one of the most important lessons that I learned as a classroom teacher. It’s such an important lesson that I embedded it within all that I did in and out of the classroom. "Never Lower Your Expectations" I hold myself to a high standard and I also hold those that are close to me to the same. Yet tonight, I found myself settling for less and thankfully, I’m surrounded by the right people who know me well enough to "shake some sense" back into my head when I need it. Life is full of highs and lows but the minute that we accept less than deserved, we start receiving even less. At the same token, the moment that we start giving less than we are capable is the moment that our own standards become questionable again and again. Having high expectations is more than a "teacher journey concerning students". It is, by far, one of the most important lessons that students can learn for themselves. I had high expectations for myself as a teacher and for my students. At the same token, they had high expectations for me as their teacher and during the course of the year, they learned to have high expectations of themselves. Having high expectations boils down to taking pride in all that you do and having enough pride in yourself to expect it in return. In my classroom, when students asked if their work was correct, I always responded with the question…"Does it meet your standards?" By asking this question, I was in essence asking if their work exceeded their own personal expectations.  We talked often about establishing their own standards of work. We came up with a few self-evaluative questions… Did I respond to the given question? Do I still have questions? Can I teach it to a friend? Is my finished product an accurate representation of my ideas? Am I proud enough to share it with the world? This was not an instantaneous process but one that gradually took form as relationships were built. My students knew that I cared deeply for who they were as growing young adults. No matter what, I NEVER lowered my expectations of them. Eventually, their actions were much of the same. I used to have a sign in my classroom that read, "Never settle for less than your best." It was the only signage in my room and we all knew that those were more than just fonts on a pretty page. For us, it was a way of life. Tonight, I needed that reminder.

Prior to my big "mid-school year" reflection, my days were pretty "blahh" in terms of growth and excitement. I’m not going to lie…I started my new job and I got complacent. I literally fell into the comfort of being the new kid and left a lot of "me" out of the equation. In other words, I can and should be doing much more. I acknowledge that wholeheartedly. Every morning when I wake up, I have a bit of a natural reflection over the previous day. I reflect on these questions… What did I do yesterday that was different than the day before? What did I do to help make a difference for someone else? What can I do today to be a better me than yesterday? What did I do that far exceeded my own comfort zone? The other day, I volunteered to teach one of our "district branded" Google part 1 trainings. I’ve never taught the course and I had no idea that it was as scripted to the letter of the law that it was. I was asked if I wanted to watch someone else do the course first. Of course I said…HECK NO! I wanted to do it because I’ve never done it!!! I started the course and in all honesty only checked the "teacher’s guide" to make sure that I covered all basics. I let the teacher in me take over and I taught that course according to the needs of the room and my own natural flow…art of teaching. Not only did I hit all bullet points and beyond, I did it in a way that I knew good and darn well was the best that I have ever done. (yes it’s google drive….but when I tell you that it’s scripted…IT’S SCRIPTED) It was at that moment that I realized how much working outside of my comfort zone makes me feel more alive. It is also when I am best at what I do. The adrenaline from not knowing whether I would be great or fail is a rush that is completely indescribable because I know that at the end of the day, the outcome of the moment is minor compared to the journey itself. We learn and grow through allowing ourselves to leave the circle of comfort and in all honesty…isn’t that the only way to do it? I watch my nephew live his young life through trying new things daily and it’s inspiring because if he can continue to relish a life of learning in this way, the sky is the limit for him. Before he ever molded a single clown, made a claymation movie, drew an amazing picture, designed and created a puppet, made a puppet show or created a crazily crafty minecraft world…he was a kid sitting in his comfort zone. One of my fellow Texas educators, Chris Kessler, posted this image on twitter. I think that it speaks volumes on its own. Where the magic happens. pic.twitter.com/5B5TmLJQjD — Chris Kesler (@iamkesler) December 18, 2013  

The following deck is a part of a series of sessions that I’m working on highlighting personal branding for students and teachers. I created it using the Haiku Deck web version which I love because of the internal photo search and simple structure. I added comments and details on each slide which can be seen by going directly to site HERE. Tips: I used internal images from Haiku Deck as well as my own instagram uploads. As you create your own haiku decks, play around with themes, title placement and turning the "text place holder" on or off. Generally, if the text can stand out alone, I leave the text place holder off. If my background is too light, I leave the gray strip on. You can even add interactivity by creating custom slides including QR codes and even turning AR slides into triggers containing video and or other information.

A common misconception that seems to repeat itself amongst the digital community is that teachers are hesitant to use technology. Several have even excused this misconception by validating it as truth in response to the multitudes of campus/district requirements. While I cannot speak to the experiences of teachers holistically, I can speak to the teachers that I have encountered throughout my career. What I’ve learned, especially in the last few months, is that maybe the "perceived hesitance" is not the case at all but a cry out for learning opportunities that are more conducive to the individual teacher. In other words, maybe we need to take a harder look at what we offer teachers in terms of professional development as well as how we intentionally provide sustainable support. The subject of the next six postings will be a combination of findings and actions concerning designing and planning with the intention of supporting teachers. 1. Why Aren’t Teachers Attending Training? 2. Planning with the Teacher in Mind (Teacher Differentiation) 3. Supporting Teachers During PLC 4. Co-Teaching, Modeling and Technology Integration 5.  Meeting to Re-Evaluate 6. Moving Forward I most certainly do welcome your thoughts and ideas.  

I hear a great deal of chatter amongst other "edtechs" about sessions that they offer. Typically, GAFE districts offer tons of google trainings. Districts that cater to specific devices offer trainings on those devices. I hear a great deal about "appy hour" and "tech challenges" that are really focused on the platforms themselves. In some districts, trainings are determined entirely by those giving the trainings according to what they enjoy teaching as opposed to what actual needs exist. Those sessions are typically attended by the same teachers every time…the early adopters. Other teachers are showing up for the purpose of earning the credit…period. In those cases, going from training to classroom practice is rare. Everyone wants to know how to engage the reluctant teachers who are not buying in to learning about the latest greatest app or who are not invested in utilizing the devices on their campuses. Has anyone gone to those teachers and inquired about what they need? While there are quite a few teachers who are certainly unwilling to put in the effort, there are plenty who want more than a great app or website. Below are some of the sample questions that I’ve captured over time. How does one evaluate placement of technology within required curriculum? How is instruction designed to maximize learning? How can that teacher make sure that the tech isn’t a "thing" but a necessity? How will the assignments be graded? What does one do with 25-100 student projects? How much time is allotted during class to complete assignments? How do I plan when I have access to a cart once a week or every other week? How will I know if students have met standards? How am I supposed to plan for testing? Tech "projects" happen after testing. How am I supposed to manage/control the device? Talking to seemingly reluctant teachers from a place of pedagogy and curriculum as opposed to a place of "plug in" will get you much farther than waiting on warm bodies to show up to a training or appy hour. To them, what they have been doing is working and the technology poses a problem in that it is most certainly disruptive. Address their questions and help them to come up with solutions that work for their learners. I’ve been known to show up or volunteer in classrooms as support if needed which is encouraging, especially at the secondary level. More than likely, the "edtech" in you is just fine with the "just try it" mentality but understanding that not everyone functions in that same way is certainly a step in the right direction towards supporting teachers in technological change. With that said…please recognize when "the shiny" tools do not apply as some lessons are better left physically hands-on.