Just to be nominated...

Through ups and downs, highs and lows, I have always found solace and comfort in knowing that I was not alone in my journey in education. Whether it be my great colleagues at Green Brook Township Public Schools, my family, friends, or my ever growing PLN (personal learning network), I knew I could count on them for an ear, a hand, or a heart. 

After watching Frozen with my daughter for the first time on Sunday night (yes, I know, we are a little behind in our movie watching, jeez, just LET IT GO), I got an e-mail that I was nominated for a 2014 Bammy Award for School Technologist! My great friend and colleague, Jay Eitner, Superintendent of Lower Alloways Creek, had nominated me for this prestigious award. Even though the winning would be great, I am honored and appreciative just to be nominated!

Nuggling watching Frozen!

If you don't know what a Bammy Award is or what they are all about, take a look:

What the Bammy Award is, what it is not

"The Bammy Award is based on the notion that collaboration, making a contribution and making a difference is more significant than personal achievements. Consequently, a Bammy Award is not a statement or measure of the honoree’s superior professional performance, abilities, credentials, qualifications, certifications, professional accomplishments or personal achievements (though all of these may be relevant).  Ultimately, all individuals are being honored for their contributions. Consequently, making the short list or ultimately receiving a Bammy Award is a community-wide honor for being an exceptional contributor, not a statement of superiority or a badge of victory. The word "winner" is simply out of step with the spirit of the Bammy Awards.

Congruent with the spirit and intent of the program, all participants and honorees acknowledge that a Bammy Award  cannot be “won.” That the term “won” should not be used in referring to the Bammy Award, and that the use of the word “win”or "winner" when referencing the award or the recipient  is a breach of the spirit of the awards."

 
I urge YOU to nominate others who have contributed to education in a way that has helped change the game! 
You can certainty vote for me here, but take a look at all the other great nominees as well! Thank you so very much for your kind support! :)

http://www.bammyawards.com/

The Socratic Process

Here is a great web image on one of my favorite, and probably oldest, teaching techniques - The Socrative Questioning Method!

Wikipedia summarizes it as "The phrase Socratic questioning is used to describe a kind of questioning in which an original question is responded to as though it were an answer. This in turn forces the first questioner to reformulate a new question in light of the progress of the discourse."

Fearless Leaders - Pt. II

If we take what Mr. Mandela states about success and failure, it is not how much we succeed that matters. It is how many times we get up in spite of failure.

In education, I constantly tell our teachers and students that it is okay to FAIL, as long as you learn from it and get back up and try again.

To FAIL = First attempt in learning.

Someone stated to me a few weeks back that failure in learning IS learning. If our students get the answer right the first time and we never push them to try new things and fail, then we are not doing our jobs as educators correctly. We need to push our students to fail. We need to help them learn and understand what those failures mean and how they can then turn them into successes.

Snow Days and the incredibly shrinking school calendar

For most of the 2013-2014 winter season, it has been wet, snowy, and utterly miserable. There is no two ways around it - its been tough. Every week, it seems we are getting a little more snow, and thus, eating into our morale, our schedules, and most importantly, our school calendars. 

Our district has historically placed three snow days into our school calendar. I know of others that have five. If they are used, so be it. If not, the school districts amend the calendar and elect to get out early. For the last few years, that seems to have been the case in New Jersey but not so much this year. We have not only eaten up our three allotted snow days but have expended FOUR more. While each of the days were warranted for the safety and security of our students, staff, and transportation department, it still stings, especially when teachers and students are trying  to get on some sort of "normal" schedule. Oh, let's not forget about delayed openings and early dismissal. Those are just as disruptive.

Because of all of this, we have had to amend our calendar. First, to take back President's Day weekend, which would save two days. Unfortunately, we were just hit with another huge storm during these take back days. Now, it looks like we will give back two more days, including one PD day. If there is anymore snow or closings, there are only two options left - take away from Spring Break or EXTEND the school year. 

So, what is the answer? 

Some districts might go the route of eliminated spring break - I don't agree with this. I think that students need a cognitive break (and an actual break) during the testing season, 

Some districts might go the route of extending the school year - While it is an option, you can only go to June 30 by State Statute. What if you need days beyond that? With Governor Christie recently taking a stance on this, I think that this is still very up in the air. 

Some districts might go the route of having students come in on the weekends - How do you bus for this? What if they have plans? Do you offer food? There are too many variables here to account for to make me go with this one. 

Here is a quick video of Fort Lee on this call. 

Being a proponent of technology in education, I believe the answer lies here. Just recently, another New Jersey school tried a "virtual" school day during a school closing. The students were assigned homework and assignments. Basically, the district was using the Flipped Classroom model to continue instruction even though they were not in session. That is amazing. Yes, it takes time and yes, it is a grand experiment (even the State DOE thinks so, they are still determining whether this will truly count as a day or not), but, its a step in the right direction that needs to be emulated STAT.

We are all up against a wall here, with SGO's counting towards overall teacher evaluations and for some classroom teachers, Student Growth Percentiles are also attached based on growth of their students on standardized state tests. We can not afford for days and opportunities to continue the education of our students to pass us by. 

Here is the link to the Virtual Snow Day. 

E- Learning Eliminates Snow Days

If we truly want our students to become digital learners, take assessment on digital platforms, and kick it up a notch on the PARCC tests that are coming next year, we need to change our mind sets about where learning takes place and what constitutes a classroom, especially for situations like the one we are all in. 


How can you get started on this? Here is my top ways to get it going:

1. Keep your website up to date. 
2. Use a service, like Remind 101, to keep in touch with your parents/students.
3. Edmodo or Schoology can truly keep the students engaged with its interface and chat threads. These are great LMS systems!
4. Try video taping a sample 3-5 minute lesson and post it online. Video always trumps text in this digital age. 
5. Start small - flipping takes time and investment but the payoff it truly worth it. 

#edcampNJ: Why I love Education.

Education has a bright future.

If November 23rd, 2013 is any indication of the state of education, we are in excellent hands. It was a day I won't forget anytime soon. #edcampNJ rocked Central Jersey, with nearly 300 educators. I have been fortunate to attend a few edcamps before (#edcampSTEAM and #edcampLeadership being two of them) but yesterday was something special. Yesterday, I felt what I #Ehad known for quite some time, that there isn't something wrong with education and that there doesn't need to be major overhaul in what educators do. Yesterday, I felt PASSION. I felt it as soon as I walked in. 

Opening remarks of #edcampnj from Linwood MS in North Brunswick, New Jersey.

When I walked in, I was greeted by +Cassie Gorombey and a few others, who gave us some free swag and let us know how the day would go. Then it was over to the Big Board and the photobooth (yeah, they pulled out all the stops!) to see what sessions were coming and what I could look forward to. To be 100% honest, there could have been nothing put on that board and I would have been fine. Not to say the sessions were terrible but my primary goal yesterday was to meet and talk, face-to-face, with some people in my PLN who I had established these online relationships. It was a strange feeling, looking for people based on a 150x150 picture, but I was determined.

Learning about Standards Based Grading.

After the opening remarks, which were awesome and led by +Bill Krakower, +Scott Rocco, +Dana Sirotiak, +Jeffrey Bradbury and a few others, it was off to the first session. What is always great about the Edcamp model is that if the doesn't pertain to you or it wasn't what you thought, you can leave! (The rule of two feet, thank you very much!) I didn't find myself leaving because the sessions were not what I thought but I wanted to see SO MANY great educators that I found myself walking from session to session just to get a feel of what was going on.

The morning went by in a blur. By the time the second session had come to a close, my head was spinning (and that is a good thing.) Another great thing about #edcamp is that if you are sitting in on a session and the people in the room are on a device, that is a POSITIVE sign that they are engaged. Just like I was, there were many people who were tweeting, taking pictures, and writing down notes. Of course, I had my trusty analog tablet along for the ride (yellow legal pad, anyone?) but most participants had a digital device of choice. WiFi was free and abundant, as was the breakfast and coffee. As +Jay Eitner always says, if you feed them, they will come!

(Another thing I noticed? That some of the best conversations happened AFTER the sessions ended. After one session led by +Bruce Arcurio, a few of us stayed behind to talk about where education was going and the differences some states have. There was someone there all the way from Virginia. We continued the conversation right into the lunchroom!)

An emphatic Jay Eitner speaking passionately about education and new teachers.

After lunch, I have made sure to meet up with all of my fellow twitter tweeps that I had formed professional relationships with. Whether it was the #edtechchat crew of +Tom Murray, +Alex Podchaski, and +Sharon Plante, or it was finally talking to and meeting +Sandra Paul, I was happy to extend a hand, or outstretched arms, to these people I hold in such high regards.

I mean, I talk to these people a few times a week, lean on them for some advice and truly consider them colleagues. I think out of all of the things I will take from #edcampnj, it will be the impact that these people have on me and the continued relationships I will have with my #PLN. 

Overall, I can say, without a shadow of a doubt, that yesterday was about the best professional development I have ever attended. And do you know what made it even better? That it was FREE and I got to choose what I did. I would gladly give up another Saturday every month if there was something like this. It was unlike any conference I have ever attended. It was authentic, passionate and organic.

When you hear people talk or write about the negative state of education and how we are lagging behind and blah, blah, blah... do yourself a favor and ask them come out to one of these unconferences. I KNOW that their tune will change and that they will see and feel exactly how I do:


Education has a bright, bright future.

Some of my fellow edheroes - Tom Murray and Sharon Plante, along with Alex Podchaski, make up some of the #edtechchat team. Alex and Sharon met Tom for the first time yesterday as well!

When you need to get over the case of the Mondays...

I found this kid a year or so ago, and let me tell you, he has it! He is charismatic, energetic, and hilarious to boot! His videos are viral and have a great message. 

Here is one to start your week off right, all of you teachers and students - 

GBTPS 2013-2014 - The Trailer

If you haven't checked this out year, please do. Green Brook Township Public Schools are busy learning, teaching, and growing.

App-O-Da-Week #9

After nearly two months of posting this column, I have realized something very real and very important.


Educators LOVE free stuff. They love the f-word (no! not that one).

I have been posted about paid apps over the last few weeks and while they aren't the most expensive things in the world (think of them like a grande cup of Starbucks Hazelnut Frappe Mocha-chino) they are still $$$. And when it comes to $$$, people can get nutty. 

That's why I decided to focus on an app that promotes FREE APPS. This post is like picture inside of a picture inside.. well you get it. 

The app is called AppsGoneFree - which is pretty self explanitory. You can download it for free and it is a great tool. With over 700,000 apps in the iTunes store and over 50 Billion downloaded (lucky person who was the 50 billionth download got a $10,000 iTunes giftcard! They do not need this app) it can be hard to sort through apps that are worthwhile and that are free. 

This app does just that. It posts daily apps that are free. They pick between 5-10 apps that have been reduced to the sultry price of ZERO and let you know all about them. They also post their ratings as well. 

Don't believe me? Here is their description:

Find great apps without spending a dime! Get high quality paid apps for free each day. Unlike other apps, we offer no paid listings - these are expert-picked top-ranked apps, for FREE! 

** 2012 Best App Ever Award Winner

Every day hundreds of apps reduce their price to free for a limited time to try to stimulate excitement. AppsGoneFree finds ONLY the apps worth owning:

* Our AppAdvice.com app experts personally handpick ONLY the best apps. If it's on the list, it's worth owning. 

* These same experts write a quick summary to tell you about the app, and why you need it (or if you don't).  Not PR, honest personal advice.

* We filter out the junk. Don't waste your time looking at all the free apps generated by robots, scouring through them to find something worth downloading, let us do the work for you. 

* It's an honest to goodness human-curated list of the best free apps each day (about 5-10 each day). 

There are dozens of apps that provide long tedious lists of every single app that ever goes free or short lists of apps that paid a lot of money to be included.  But only AppsGoneFree gives you authored, handpicked recommendations from an AppAdvice.com app expert of apps that belong on your device.  

Unfortunately, free apps don't last forever and when they do go back up in price, the app will let you know that the deal has expired. Some of these apps are worth over $10 each. It is a great investment and a way to find new apps for you to use in your classroom and for personal use. 

App-O-Da-Week #8

I am a huge fan of motivation. While some students come into your class ready to rock and roll, others don't. That's the nature of the game. Every student is different and that's what makes this job great.

As teachers, we are armed with many different tools to reach our students. We don't necessarily need to be an expert in them all but we at least need to know that they are there; ready to be used to reach a student who needs a bit of extra motivation or re-focusing. I've seen teachers bend over backwards (literally, there was a science teacher in an district that would use this as a motivational tool) to get the attention of students. I've seen behavior charts, lines, colors, etc. also used to help students stay on task and become motivated positively to help others, go out of there way, and participate.

Behavior management is often on of the few tools that people say isn't really taught in college prep courses - it has to be learned on the job.

Well, for those who want some help... there's an APP-O-DA-WEEK for that! 


Actually, there is an app and a website - it's called Class Dojo. And if this is the first time you are hearing about it, well then you are in for a treat. 

Class Dojo is a behavior management system that allows you to set up your class, your behaviors (both positive and negative) and it gives the teacher the ability to award points in real time to students. They can see their points and actively work harder to achieve more positive points, which are attached to their avatars. Daily reports can be generated to send to parents and students can go in to personalize their avatar they way they want to!

The free service operates on the Web, allowing teachers to use a laptop, desktop computer, or any smartphone or tablet via Web browser. To date, over 3.5 million teachers and students have used the service and over 50 million feedback points have been awarded.

The platform has seen incredible viral growth with 20 thousand new teachers adopting the platform each month, as teachers spread ClassDojo by word-of-mouth and through social media channels.

Once you take the time to set up your class on the website, you can start to use the app, which is FREE. You can use either the pre-set behaviors or you can add your own. You can be as creative as you want. Once you set that all up, you are good to go. Teachers can have the screen loaded up before the students get to class and using an iPad and AirPlay, they can walk around the room, giving out points to students. It could be group work, individual work, or just creating a positive classroom, the app gives you the range and mobility to show students how they are doing in your class. 

If you want, you then can give students access to customize their avatar the way they want. That is up to you.  

They are constantly updating the site as well. They have now put in a timer and other stats for you to use. Check out some of their videos which is linked to their site or their YouTube page.

Jessica Pack, from packwomantech.com, also has some good advice - 

Teachers are able to print out reports and graphs of student behavior using the website.  This could be especially important to Special Education teachers or those who have students with behavior support plans.  

Students can log in and view their own behavior progress.  If you want to enter your kids one by one into the system, then you can issue each student a username and password.  This can do wonders to increase ownership over behavioral choices and also offers a cool home connection. 

All in all. you don't need to know all the tools - just know that they are out there. 

The Cruise Ship vs. Speedboat

 
Change. Shift. Gigantic movements. 

They all happen. Sometimes quickly, sometimes slowly. But change does happen. Some people embrace it, some people resist it. But change does happen. 

As the head of a technology department, we are living in some fantastic times. Technological change happens exponentially these days. The things we thought wouldn't be here 10 years ago are not only here, but they are better than we anticipated. 

For instance, take tablets and iPads. 10 years ago, these weren't around for consumers to try or buy. They were just a pipe dream for most. Today, we have iPads all over the globe in the hands of our very young and our very old. iPads have reached people because of fast and vast technologiical changes. 

Today, Google is promoting its Google Glass product. If you haven't Googled Google Glass yet, please do. Their videos on this product look like something out of a movie or this world but its not. It's real. It's here. 

If Google Glass is around today, what will the next 10 years bring us? For someone who is the head of a technology department, it's a great time to be in. 

While keeping that in mind, I also must realize that I am the head of a technology department within a school district. Now, there is nothing wrong with the district I am in. In fact, I believe that this district (to which I have been in for over 6 years), is one of the best in NJ and the USA. 

Of course, there is an inherent problem. Technology changes happen fast. Educational changes happen slow. 

I like to give the metaphor of the speed boat vs. the cruise ship. We in the technology departments, along with a few other key people, are hanging out in the speed boat. Everyone else, and that means the  teachers, students, parents, and staff, are all in the cruise ship, which is being pulled by the speed boat. When the speed boat makes a quick change, the cruise liner will also turn, but at a much slower and steadier pace. We in the speed boat at times love to make quick changes. We see something that we believe can be beneficial to the people on the cruise liner and we dart in that direction. The people on the cruise liner see the changes coming and some jump to the front of the ship to be the first to get there while others dart and linger around the back of the boat, still more engaged in the view of the ocean rather than the turns up ahead. 

Educational changes happen slowly. (Or, they tend to repeat themselves over the years). Technology changes happen quickly. (And will only get quicker).

Question:

How do we slow the speed boat down? How do we help the cruise liner turn quicker? 

I am figuring out the answers to these questions as we go along. I don't think anyone has a magic answer to this.  All I know is that if you are on the boat and haven't flung yourself overboard, that's a good thing; but even if you have, I'll be there to come around to get you out of the water and to safety. 

App-O-Da-Week #7

It's that time of the week again!

It's APP-O-DA-WEEK time! 

Thanks for coming back! We are going for nearly two months now. We have brought you both paid and free apps but this app is a bit different... it's both. 

The app that we will be highlighting this week is called "Puppet Pals."

Now, this app is free but to access all the content, you do have to pay for an upgraded version. These apps are generally refered to as "freemium apps" because they rope you in the the FREE word but then make you purchase more to access everything you want to. 

You might be saying to yourself that this is a waste of a FREE app - and most times, you would be correct. But, I would also argue that the paid version of Puppet Pals, which is $2.99, is well worth the investment. The full version is called "Puppet Pals Directors Pass" and you get a lot with it. 

This app allows you to create free puppet shows with user created or app created content. You can do voice overs  move characters around, and create some seriously wicked presentations! The app is easy to use and is one of those creation and collaboration apps that can be scaled for any age group from grades K-12.

Here is how the app makers describe their own app via http://tinyurl.com/a9deaat:

STAR IN YOUR OWN CARTOON in this creative, award-winning app!

Kids and adults alike love the simplicity of puppeteering and voicing characters while creating movies to share.

Simply pick out your actors and backdrops, drag them on to the stage, and tap record. Your movements and audio will be recorded in real time for playback later. 

This app is as fun as your own creativity. Act out a story of Pirates on the high seas, fight as scary monsters, or play the part of a Wild West bandit on the loose. You can even combine any characters however you want! 

Your creations are only limited by your imagination!

FEATURES 

- Create an actor from a photo

- Use a photo as a backdrop for your storytelling

- zoom and rotate your characters using two fingers

- flip them around with a double tap

- a wide variety of creative characters to download (including famous talk show hosts and politicians)

- limitless possibilities of story creations

All in all, its a pretty great app. Students can get engaged and tell stories using premade characters or they can take pictures and put themselves in the story! Other in app-purchases may set you back some but the basics should keep people coming back!

20th Century Classroom vs. the 21st Century Classroom

Recently, I have been researching and reading about the differences between this century and last century in terms of classrooms and what they look like. 

A great site summed it up perfectly - http://www.21stcenturyschools.com/What_is_21st_Century_Education.htm

Here is a snapshot of what is found!

20th Century Classroom vs. the 21st Century Classroom

USA 1960’s typical classroom – teacher-centered, fragmented curriculum, students working in isolation, memorizing facts.	A classroom at the School of Environmental Studies, aka the Zoo School, in Minneapolis.  A perfect example of real-life, relevant, project-based 21st century education.
Time-based	Outcome-based
Focus:  memorization of discrete facts	Focus:  what students Know, Can Do and Are Like after all the details are forgotten.
Lessons focus on the lower level of Bloom’s Taxonomy – knowledge, comprehension and application.	Learning is designed on upper levels of Blooms’ – synthesis, analysis and evaluation (and include lower levels as curriculum is designed down from the top.)
Textbook-driven	Research-driven
Passive learning	Active Learning
Learners work in isolation – classroom within 4 walls	Learners work collaboratively with classmates and others around the world – the Global Classroom
Teacher-centered:  teacher is center of attention and provider of information	Student-centered:  teacher is facilitator/coach
Little to no student freedom	Great deal of student freedom
“Discipline problems" – educators do not trust students and vice versa.  No student motivation.	No “discipline problems” – students and teachers have mutually respectful relationship as co-learners; students are highly motivated.
Fragmented curriculum	Integrated and Interdisciplinary curriculum
Grades averaged	Grades based on what was learned
Low expectations	High expectations – “If it isn’t good it isn’t done.”  We expect, and ensure, that all students succeed in learning at high levels.  Some may go higher – we get out of their way to let them do that.
Teacher is judge.  No one else sees student work.	Self, Peer and Other assessments.  Public audience, authentic assessments.
Curriculum/School is irrelevant and meaningless to the students.	Curriculum is connected to students’ interests, experiences, talents and the real world.
Print is the primary vehicle of learning and assessment.	Performances, projects and multiple forms of media are used for learning and assessment
Diversity in students is ignored.	Curriculum and instruction address student diversity
Literacy is the 3 R’s – reading, writing and math	Multiple literacies of the 21st century – aligned to living and working in a globalized new millennium.
Factory model, based upon the needs of employers for the Industrial Age of the 19th century.  Scientific management.	Global model, based upon the needs of a globalized, high-tech society.
Driven by the NCLB and standardized testing mania.	Standardized testing has its place.  Education is not driven by the NCLB and standardized testing mania.

 In this day in age, its all about our students. It's all about sharing the classroom space to make sure we aren't creating "teachtatorships" within them. We are more facilitators of learning then we are teachers. We want our students to go out and learn everywhere, not just in our classroom. 

One similarity I do believe holds true from both centuries though - we need teachers who care, are driven by passion, and can make differences daily in students lives.