I'm Happy it isn't 1977 : Friends & Connectivity

When I was a kid in the late 70's I used to go to Camp Tecumseh  for a week each summer, it was this great camp about 45 minutes from my house.  I would go for a week, stay in a cabin, sing songs, ride horses, do crafts and make dozens of new friends that I swore I would never forget.   We would bring our address books, trade letters for a bit, but after a time you typically stop writing….connectivity broken. I lived only an hour or so from most of the other campers but when you are 10 it might as well be 1,000 miles!

Fast forward to the connectivity we have today...

Last week I received good news/bad news.  I am always happy for a colleague when they have new opportunities and move on, but I MISS them.  This friend in particular I will miss.
Sarah Field and  I have worked on  several big project together and with others, Our Ignite Talks, The #MYParty12 project and currently our Global Happiness Project. You see Sarah lives in California and I live in Indiana, we can probably count the times we have seen each other face to face on two hands (and maybe some toes) .  All of these projects came to be FIRST through virtual collaboration, usually an IM with something like

Do you have a sec? I have this idea…

Then off we go!  We create google docs, video chats, phone calls and lots and lots of creativity, critical friends and learning.  The project gets bigger and bigger, then we edit it back, and keep crafting until we land where we want.  I wish for everyone to have someone in their PLN that is this kind of thought partner.

The thing is with digital tools, we can keep doing this, I am confident we will still be thought partners and friends and most likely will come up with a way to roll out more projects together!

I am so glad I met Sarah through New Tech Network and not at Camp Tecumseh!

BlurryLines : If I Can Find It, It's Okay to Use it & Other Copyright Myths

If I can download it, it's okay.
If they don't want me to use it, they should make it so I can't.
It's for "educational purposes".
If I can just right click and save, it isn't copyrighted.
It's not like I'm hurting anyone.
If I can find it, I can use it.

All of the above are things I've heard teachers and students say.  I'm certain I've said something like "It's for educational purposes" without even being sure what that meant.  I was someone who was okay with what I thought were the blurry lines of copyright. it was easy to  rationalize my behavior, I just told myself  that it was something a student needed and that made it okay.  Then I had an experience that led me to think more deeply about copyright.

Read the full post that includes resources on New Tech Network's blog where it was originally posted. 

There is more than ISTEP in Indiana!

Ever get frustrated by the education headlines about your state? 
I KNOW! Me too!!!!
I can make my laundry list of complaints too, letter grades for schools, funding, ISTEP fails....

BUT I like to count my blessings and I would encourage you to do the same! 
What do you like that is happening in education in your state?

If all you know about Indiana education is what you see in the headlines, I'd like to give you a little different lens.

Do you know about Dennis Stockdale? 
Showing us that rural schools can DO!

Profiled as a "Leader to Learn From" by Edweek.

The most New Tech Network schools in the nation?
23 NTN schools that have "Teaching that Engages, Culture that Empowers & Technology that Enables" with more coming in 2013. 
Proof that PUBLIC school innovation can, and does, work. 
Our  2013 Report of Student Outcomes http://ntnwk.org/fp  

Indiana's Summer of E-Learning?
Our DOE awarded grants all over the state so that educators could share with other educators around student centered learning. There are options, dates and locations to suit everyone! Check out the conference locations.
Each one of them have amazing keynotes that you are likely already following on Twitter because they are definitely PLN leaders! Many are still taking RFP's and most have registration open.

Our awesome #INeLearn Chat?
Each Thursday on Twitter at 8pm EST, we chat about what ever crowd-sourced topic is selected. This is a positive upbeat chat full of sharing, not unlike the many other fantastic education driven chats! It grows each week. I love connecting with educators from elementary, MS & HS environments for this open conversation.

HECC Conference 
Is one of my favorite all time conferences. Filled with a great mix of Tech leaders, administrators and educators. I learn so many new things and about so many new tools each time I attend.

Ivy Tech Community College
Growing by leaps and bounds and not afraid to build actual campus' in small towns, offering major opportunities to adults & HS students alike. They work so hard to give people a leg up, especially 1st generation students. So happy we have a campus in our little town of 8,000 where HS kids can walk over and take college level courses during their school day.


PBL Networks courtesy of CELL
CELL makes their home at the University of Indianapolis and has been a major contributor to innovation in education in Indiana since 2001.  

Our DOE encourages innovation with a variety of grants offered each year, not only do they give MANY grants, but they create groups and connections from these grant winners to build support and communication between these schools. 

Of course there is so much more happening here! 

We want more, we want more, like,  you really like it so you want more...

So Hoosiers (or really everyone)...jump in here and share MORE! 

What is happening in your district, your building, or your classroom! 

Want to be sure you are following IN peeps? Check out THIS list 

http://katts21.blogspot.com/2010/06/greetings-from-indiana.html

 

I Miss People & Sometimes Paper

Like most of you who are a part of a variety of social media networks,  I'm hyper-connected. My cell phone is WAY more than a phone. we have no home phone or alarm clocks, I text more than I talk, at night after I shut down my laptop, I check my phone before going to sleep. I can go days and only get texts, not actually speaking to our kids.

My home office is equipped with a laptop, dual monitors, an iPad and google chat is always open.
Today, I have had  a Vidyo meeting connecting Rochester IN with Napa and Oakland CA. , exchanged tweets with students in Michigan and Indiana.  I have chatted with teachers in Texas, Ohio, North Carolina and Oregon, none of whom I have ever met in person.  In about an hour I have another virtual meeting where three of us in 3 different states will be collaborating around a project.

I work from home and can go days without seeing anyone face to face except my husband and my dog, Brinkley.

Don't get me wrong, most of the the time I love working from home! My morning commute is about 15 steps and I don't have to wait in line for coffee! The dress code is pretty relaxed, too.
  
But I miss people!

A few weeks ago I was able to attend the CoSN conference, conferences, for me, have become a place where I get to meet f2f people I've already talked to via Twitter or blogs for months or sometimes years.  I had no idea how conferences would change in nature for me as I became a "virtual girl".  They are still places of inspiration, learning and conversation, but now, they are so much more.

I'm super excited about the upcoming New Tech Network summer conferences. I'll get to see educators who I've been working with online face to face, to laugh and think together in person.

Also for Indiana's Summer of E-Learning conferences, I'll be attending and/or presenting at many of them. Indiana is the home of my very first PLN by way of the HECC list and #INeLearn.

Ohh and I can't forget two more!

EdCamp Fort Wayne is coming up in May, this will be my very first edcamp and I cannot wait!
Then another brand spanking new conferences in Grand Rapids, MI called Nova Now.  


I also miss paper

Not all paper, just sometimes.  At NTN we use google docs for pretty much everything. I have more docs than I can count (or sometimes find) but for some tasks,  I do better with paper.  I like my to do list on a yellow legal pad.  I make a new one everyday at the end of the day, prioritizing a la Stephan Covey's quadrants.  I have yet to find an app that is more effective for me!

During those virtual meetings, someone is always keeping notes on a Google doc, but I am also taking messy, scribbly notes of my own on that same legal pad.

I wonder... 

As we move towards blended learning, online learning, and less face to face, if we don't need to keep in mind that our students might miss face to face (and paper) too! Let's make sure they get time with people and with paper as needed!

Market Your School With Social Media! Or as the Doobie Bros say " Taking it to the Streets"

Well,  it IS a different world we live in!
I lived at 709 E. South St. in Frankfor,t Indiana back in the 70's and 80's and we just went to the school we could walk to.  I knew,  based on my address,  I would first be a Riley Poet, then a Frankfort Junior High Falcon and finally a Frankfort Hotdog.
No letter grades for schools,  no choice, no charters, no vouchers, I had an address and I had a school.

Enter the age of  school choice!

Whether you call yourself public, private, charter, Catholic, Christian or a combination of any of these you have entered the age of Education Marketing!
The deal is though, most schools don't have a marketing or public relations person, so what is a school to do?
I say, as the Doobie Brothers did in 1976, Take it to the Streets!....errr Interwebs....  
People are talking about you and your school!
What are they saying?
Are they right?
How can you get your message and mission out there?
I was fortunate to get to talk about this at #CoSN13 this year.

Here is our slideshare:
Branding & Marketing Your School With Social Media

The slideshare includes some ideas as well as links to schools that I think are doing a great job of using Facebook, Twitter and other tools to get their message out!
No one can reduce a student OR a school to a letter grade!
Not when a picture or a tweet is worth a thousand words!

GO HOTDOGS!

Could a student do that? YES!

I've been asking myself this question a lot lately:

Could a student do that?

I find that the answer is often a resounding YES!

Some examples:

• We are hosting our national conference for New Tech Network in New Orleans, LA this summer. I am creating a Pinterest board and wanted to fill it with restaurants in walking distance, some 'can't miss" sites and more. Except, I live in Indiana and I've never been to New Orleans.

Could a student do that? Yes!
Kaylin, student and member of the HRT team at Satellite Center is now pinning for us!

• During #PBLChat we often discuss getting the community into the school for projects, entry docs,  as experts and more. Teachers are swamped busy, finding more time to make connections is tough

Could a student do that? Yes!
So many students chimed in during that chat and shared that THEY make the phone calls and coordinate the events bringing the community in to their schools.

From Anna, Kent Innovation High student

• We often hear that teachers are reluctant to use tech tools in class that they haven't yet mastered because they couldn't be a resource for the students.

Could a student do that? Yes!
Chris M. student at Rochester Zebra New Tech High often made videos and tutorials with Camtasia teaching students and teachers the ins and outs of Photoshop and other tools. 

• We talk about student voice a great deal these days. We need it during the interview process. Hmm? Have a professional voice and play a role in interviewing teachers for their school?

Could a student do that? Yes!
Students at Columbus Signature Academy play a role in the hiring process, asking questions and having reflective discussion post-interview with the facilitators and director of their school.

• So many tech departments,  as we move to 1:1 and add even more devices, are so short staffed and struggle to keep up with the work order demands in the buildings they serve.

Could a student do that? Yes!
All over the country students are a part of the tech team, in many cases earning credits while they solve network issues, replace laptop parts, image computers and more. We called our team STAT (Student Tech Assistance Team, they even had t-shirts)

I'm certain there are many more ways we can empower students to be an integral part of their own learning in more ways. How are you empowering students?
As you go through your day tomorrow, ask yourself, could a student do that?

Let's commit to not just talking about "student voice" but actually listening to it!

The phrase "student voice" is getting a lot of traction lately.  Whether it is a part of our #PBLChat conversations where you often here the phrase "voice & choice" or if you have been following the #stuvoice hashtag we know we should be listening to students, but I'm not sure how often it truly happens. 

One place I know students feel at home sharing their voice is on Twitter.  I am so proud of how the voices of students have grown organically as a part of #PBLChat.  Each week we have a number of students join us , they lend an authentic voice to our conversations, several of our topics have even been student suggested.

We have a number of students who jump right in to our chats each week and they would be happy to be a member of your PLN as well.  The tricky part for you might be knowing that they are students.  They confidently share their opinions, advice and philosophy about learning in such a profound way that I bet some of our chatters have no idea they are talking to HS students.    Due to the busy lives of work, school, FFA 4H, sports and more the group changes from week to week and I find it even more impressive that they choose to take the initiative to learn alongside all of us.

These students found this outlet for their voices mostly because they were already connecting professionally via Twitter with their teachers or as a part of different projects in their school. I love how I see the students now connecting with each other, across states and time zones to discuss and share.

Here are some sample tweets from a few of our "regular" chatters. 

 

 










I love this next one!




Doesn't it illustrate how we all feel after a great connection with our PLN? 

Some of these students share topic ideas in our #PBLChat google doc, in fact, it looks like this week's topic will be one from a student.  I love how it is an exact concern we often hear from teachers!

Ask any teacher who has left the classroom for other positions what they miss the most and they will say "the students".  I love that students joining in on our chats makes me miss that less.  Sometimes, I even get to meet this student PLN in person.

I always love going to learn with students and teachers but this last visit was special. I got to meet @MrMackAttack1 and @Emcredible3 in person, tour their school and even have time for some great face to face conversation.

Let's commit to not just talking about "student voice" but actually listening to it!