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/

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. 

NJASA Techspo 2014 - A look back and forwards

I had the upmost pleasure of presenting with Jay Eitner (@isupereit) and with OnCourse at this years annual Techspo! The #edtech convention was fantastic and I think that it truly helped to reshape some thinking of major stakeholders in our schools. 

The conference had its ups and downs, as all do, but it was fantastic to meet up with fellow like-minded educators. These folks are true #agentsofchange in education. 

While I was happy to present, I was unhappy to note that the organizers doubled booked me and I wasn't able to present again with Jay and Sandi Paul (@SPaul6414) about Bring Your Own Learning and devices. I heard it was a great session with questions flying back and forth. That is exactly what this sort of conference should have, CONVERSATIONS. Not just a few people talking at the front and other listening but active participants who want to make a difference in the lives of our students and how our schools are run. 

This was my second year going to this conference. Since last year, I have been to about five "unconferences" and EdCamps and I have to say, it is a world of difference. Not that this type of conference isn't worth your time. It is. But there is a time and place for both. No matter what though, as long as you come out of these with some great connections and deeper thinking about what you are doing, then they had done their jobs. 


Here is the presentation that Jay and I gave:

Breaking Down Barriers 


Here is the one Jay and Sandi gave:

BYO Learning 


For more pictures and testimonials, check out my Twitter page and the hash tag #techspo14.
Also check out the session page! 

What a year! 2013 in Review

What a year it has been, huh? From going to my first #edcamps to wearing a pair of Glass, this year in edtech has been something of a whirlwind. It all started last January at the annual Techspo presentation, where I was able to present and meet some great folks, including +Jeffrey Bradbury. I will be presenting again this year and I can't wait to see how that helps me kick off 2014 with a bang. 

I want to thank all of those who made a difference in my life this year and helped me grow as a educator and a person. Even though I was on Twitter for a few years, this year took it to a whole other level. Never in my life did I think that I could make friends, colleagues, and compatriots on the twitter-verse, but I did and many of them I can truly call friends now. Heck, I even ran a 5K with some of my #njed friends, most of whom I had never met face-to-face before. 

To cap off the year, I was promoted to Supervisor of Instruction in my district! A honor and one that is certainly humbling. While my primary mission to serve our district with the best technology will not change, my aim and focus will become more precise. I will work even more with my teachers and students! That is something I can't wait for! I will be able to visit even MORE classrooms. 2014 is shaping up to be a pretty good year so far. 

As for resolutions, I resolve to follow my mantra:

Be attentive, vocal, and present. Be willing to be there for those who need you. Help in any way you can. 

Be an #agentofchange in anything that you do. 

BYOD and a tale of being connected...

Last night, I held my first summit meeting for the Bring Your Own Device initiative at my school district, Green Brook Township Public Schools. The summit was created to invite parents, students, staff, and community members in to learn more about what BYOD was, why we wanted to go to it, and what it could do for our students and teachers. It was also a chance for people to ask questions, give their thoughts, and express their hopes, fears, and joys. The summit was the first in a series of meetings that are dedicated to the BYOD push. 

I have been planning BYOD for over a year now and our pilot only encompasses the 8th grade to start with. I am going SLOW for a reason. I want people to truly understand what we are doing. I want them to be a part of it. I want to be able to plan, plan, and plan. I want this to succeed. 

When I created the event, I knew in my mind that I wanted some help from people who have blazed the trails already. From Twitter and other social media sites, I have connected with so many of those educators. These are people who I consider colleagues but there is a stronger bond that connects us. While I have never met some of these people in person, I trust them, respect them, and would do anything at the drop of the hat for them if they needed it. 

I let the public know about what our plans were and I then I turned it over to some great educators:

+Alex Podchaski 

+Sharon Plante 

+Elissa Malespina 

+JD Ferries-Rowe 

+Sandra Paul 

They gave their testimonials, answered questions, and debated why BYOD is the right push for their schools. They were awesome! +Alex Podchaski even showed up IN PERSON to help me out. I was floored. Shocked even. 

Driving home that night, telling my wife how the event went, I told her I couldn't have been happier. These people stepped up, some on short notice, the others with wrong Google Hangout invites (that one's on me!), and helped me out. 

One thing I learned from doing this - don't stop because of fear. Just because some people may have opposition to what you want to accomplish doesn't mean you shouldn't go out and try. I WANT to bring in those naysayers and have a conversation with them. I WANT them to engage in discussion. The only way to do that is to bring them in.

#Techspo 2013 Interview with @teachercast and @MrCsays

So while lurking on youtube...

Found this "gem" from Techspo last year. First time meeting +TeacherCast and +Jeffrey Bradbury. Great guy and site! Go visit the site at http://teachercast.net/.

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.

iPads for Starters Follow Up

As a follow up to my post yesterday, I say a great article on Edudemic about iPads, starters, and failures.

Here is a clip:

Allow for Failure

Your classroom should be a hot mess at first. Enjoy this, even relish it. Every time someone makes a mistake or something goes wrong, celebrate it like they did at the Apple Distinguished Educator Institute with an arm-raising “Woo Hoo!” Let kids know that failure is okay, and not everything will be perfect. Have fun with failure and messiness that might come from trying something new – it really is the fun part of the process. Another great article to read: Failure is Mandatory – Creating a culture of innovation

Here is the rest of the article that I highly recommend - http://www.edudemic.com/teachers-ipad-guide/

Why I Fail.

Have you ever had a day when everything went right and you just patted yourself on the back when it was over?

Yeah, those days are few and far between. Often, if you are like me, your days are filled with a roller coaster of emotion as you hit each peak and valley. Some hours are filled with elation and you reach a goal and hit your mark, while others are filled with dread and contempt. 

Yesterday, I experienced something that I had not felt in a long time. FAILURE. 

Here is the set up: 

I was trying to teach a group of fifth graders about two software programs on iPads. One was a cloud service that enables classrooms to go paperless. The other, well, is Google Apps. I have prepared and I know my stuff, or at least I thought I did. As a teacher for over five years, I knew how to interact with students and help them out but for some reason, the wheels came off.

The kids got the tech, knew how to use the iPads, but when I tried to open a document in one app from the other, it stalled and they couldn't edit it. The kids lost it. Rather, I lost the kids at this point. Well, that was the whole point of the process. I saw the teachers face and after a bunch of kids tried and it wouldn't work, she pulled the plug and decided to do it with pencil and paper. As a sullenly walked about to my office, I felt something that I hadn't felt in sometime - utter FAILURE.

This failure felt like a jab in the stomach. I saw the teacher later, apologized that it didn't go as planned and thanked her for letting me try. I know why she puled the plug, and I don't blame her one bit. This was the second time she tried it. It didn't go well both times.

Teachers today don't have time to experiment and fail. They have SGO's they need to hit. The have new standards that need to be taught and mastered. They have new tests to get their students prepared for. They have 1001 things they are working on that to deviate from the plan and try things is hard. There is just no time at times and many districts don't allow for that flexibility because there is so much pressure on testing.

My failure to make that tech work or to make that class period successful was painful but I am determined not to give up. Real learning happens when you buckle down, figure out what went wrong, and TRY AGAIN. If Edison had given up on making the light bulb, well then I guess we would be reading this blogs in candlelight.

I saw that teacher in the hallway today and let her know that while that tech and ideas maybe didn't work, that she shouldn't give up faith on Google Apps and Ebackpack individually yet. They are great products that can really save you time. I let her know that I will work hard to find something that works well in her class and for her students. And you know what? She came back to me at the end of the day and let me know that she wanted some iPads in her room to help with leaning.

Why do I fail?

I fail because I love to succeed.

I fail because I know that it is the FIRST ACTION IN LEARNING.

I fail because I am human.

The return of the blog! (2013 Edition)

After taking the summer off to relax and work on other projects (such as grad courses, raising baby, and you know, going to the beach), the blog is back and better than ever.

School started two weeks ago now (wow, where did the time go) and thinks have gotten off to a heinous pace. After a rocky start in which some things went down the night before the first day of school - because really, why wouldn't they - we rebounded and are making sure the students, teachers, and classrooms have what they need to succeed.

Another year under the belt means something else to me though - knowledge. Last year, we were working in new territory. We understood what needed to get done but not necessarily the best way to do it. Somethings we got it done quickly, other times it was a pain. But we learned. We failed. We grew.

I am happy to report that we have grown a lot. So much so, that we are rolling out a lot of new projects and products this year. Not only are we going to pilot a Bring your own Device initiative at our 5-8 Middle School, but we are also going to prepare for a PARCC test pilot, 1:1 pilot at the lower grades, and an expanded network to handle the load. It is going to be a crazy year.

That is why I came up with the GBTPS Technology Institute for the 2013-2014 school year.
I will be running, with hopefully many special guests from within and outside our district, a bunch of great workshops that are aimed at truly bridging the gap for EDTECH in our schools.

GBTPS Technology Institute 2013-2014

Take a look and let me know what you all think! If you want to be a part of a day, I would love to have you be a part of it and share what you do in your classrooms or schools. Please hit me up here or on twitter @MrCsays

Until next time, Carpe Diem folks.

The Unconference and how you can better yourself for FREE this year!

There are some great opportunities this summer for fantastic, FREE PD. This summer, join me for some EDcamps, Padcamp, and TeachMeet NJ.

If you have never heard of an ‘unconference’ it is something wild and great. It takes what you love about PD and removes what you hate about PD, which are things you don't care to learn about, expensive upfront charges, and speakers who have no authority to be talking about ed issues. 

Wikipedia describes them - “These are generally called Edcamps and they are designed to provide participant-driven professional development for K-12 educators. Edcamps are modeled as free participant-driven conferences with a primary focus on technology and computers. Educational technology is a common topic area for edcamps, as are pedagogy, practical examples in instructional use of modern tools, and solving the problems technology can introduce into the classroom environment.”

NJEA Review just had a great article about them as well in their latest magazine. I have copied the article for you to read.

Here is a list of them that will be in NJ in the next months:

Edcamp STEAM - Wednesday, July 31 at Linwood Middle School in North Brunswick, New Jersey!  S.T.E.A.M. stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts, and Math (a variant of "STEM") - http://edcampsteam.org/

PadCamp - PadCamp is a FREEunconference devoted to exploring the use of tablets, e-readers & other handheld mobile devices in K-12 education. It will be held at Galloway Township Middle Schoolin Galloway, NJ on August 8, 2013!. - http://www.padcamp.org/

EdCamp Leadership - Join us at Kean University's gorgeous STEM center on Monday, August 12, 2013! Its goal is to assemble forward-thinking school administrators, board of education members, classroom teacher leaders, parents/community members - http://www.edcampleadership.org/

     TeachMeet NJ - TeachMeetNJ is an "unconference" devoted to K-12 educators sharing different aspects of technology in education. Where: The Richard Stockton College of NJ When: August 22nd, 2013 – http://www.teachmeetnj.com

EdTechNJ 2013 - Coming to#Edison #NJ 10.12.13. Mark your calendars! http://www.edison.k12.nj.us/cms/lib2/NJ01001623/Centricity/Domain/58/save_the_date_edtechnj2013_official.pdf

EdcampNJ – November 22nd, 2013 - Linwood Middle School in North Brunswick, New Jersey - http://edcampnj.org

I will be at all of these this year. Thanks to my great friends at #njed for helping me understand just what these are all about. 

This include, but are not limited to: 
+TeacherCast +Brad Currie +Bill Krakower +Scott Rocco 

The Frustrations of Failure why you shouldn't give up

In education, failure is a nasty word. Like he who should not be named. 


Since the start of schools in history (I know, that's a long way back), we have had a system of passing and failing. This system of benchmarks has indicated to the teachers, students, and parents, what a certain individual has learned or has not learned. How that individual has done throughout a certain amount of time in school. 

We are moving towards a new era in accountability, nearly 30 years after the publication of "A Nation at Risk." Not only are our students beholden to this grading system, but our teachers, and likewise administrators, are behold to it as well. The new system for them is basically a wolf in sheep's  clothing - its a system of pass or fail to render it down to its lowest denominator. 

Teachers are graded via observations and test scores to render to reflect a passing or failing score on a body of work over a certain amount of time. 

Students are graded via test scores and performance based assessments to reflect a passing or failing score on a body of work over a certain amount of time. 

Its the basic foundation of our grading system that hasn't changed in nearly, well, forever. 

Until now. 


I want to take back the word FAILURE. 


All too often, I hear in hallways or publications or broadcast memos that Failure is not an option. That we need to be keeping up with schools from around the globe. That we need to enhance math and science. We need STEM. No, we need STEAM. No, we need STEAM plus reading, plus this.....

You get my point. 

But no one is really talking about failing at its root. Everyone talks about how to prevent students from failing or to bump those who are on the cusp from failing to passing to improve an overall body of work over a certain period of time.

But no one is talking about failing in its most true sense. At it's heart. 



I'm gonna say it... loud and clear.


Ready...


Are you sure?

IT'S OKAY TO FAIL. 

Wow. Now admit that to yourself and say it aloud. Feel better? Good. Now read this quote.

I can accept failure, everyone fails at something. But I can't accept not trying.
Michael Jordan 


If His Highness of Hangtime believed that, why can't we? Failing is okay. Its not trying again that I can't stand. We lump these two words together and demonize those students and teachers who do fail. It's okay to fail - show me the first person to never make a mistake and I will show you the biggest liar on the planet. 

Everyone fails. It's how we respond that counts the most. I'm not advocating mass failure, don't get me wrong. What I am saying is that let's reclaim failing. 

If a student fails, lets not make them feel like its just about the number or bottom line (or the Gentlemen's "D" - and I know we all know what that is). It's about the student. 

To Fail = First Attempt In Learning 

Stop preventing kids from failing - help prevent them from giving up. 

How can we help you learn? Forget the grade. 
How can I help you figure this out? Forget the number.
How can I help you succeed? Forget the statistics.
How can I help you get back up? Forget the negativity. 

How can I help you fail so that you learn from your mistakes? #letsfail

Tweet for Tweet - 140 Characters or Less

Some people may call it a bandwagon. Others, a passing fad. Even more may say "what a time waster."

I, on the other hand, believe that Twitter is here to stay. As for bright neon clothes, yeah, those are a fad.

So what makes Twitter that endearing to my heart? Well, for one, I used Twitter to start back in 2008 with my Social Studies classes. My students, in groups, would create fake accounts for Meso-American tribes, such as the Aztecs or Olmecs. They would tweet facts, photos, and stories from their group and they would ask each other questions or answer mine on that platform. Mind you, this was for 6th graders. They loved it and so did I. It was much better than the straight forward report. It was such a hit that I expanded it to my 7th and 8th graders in following years!

Teaching is 24/7 - so is Twitter.

I encouraged my students to follow me on Twitter as well. As a professional educator, I know where the line is when it comes to social media, others, clearly, do not. I modeled a professional social media account by tweeting about educational resources, news, and inspirational quotes. My students could ask me questions publicly about assignments and the like and I could respond to them real time! If they were always going to be learning, why should I be limited to when I had to stop and start teaching. 

Education is 24/7 - so is Twitter. 

Now, as I have moved out of the classroom and into the Technology Department, I find myself using Twitter for something completely different - Personal Learning Networks. 

I participate in chats - from #njed to #satchat (a weekly Saturday morning chat where educators from around the globe participation for the betterment of education and teaching), these chats have given me and others a platform to share and garner ideas.

Learning is 24/7 - so is Twitter. 

Now other social media networks have come and gone (sorry, Myspace and Livejournal) and there are some current ones that don't quite mesh with education (Facebook) - but Twitter has the hallmarks to be a good resource for teachers and an even better learning tool for students. 

Life is 24/7 - so is Twitter

Twitter for Educators

From Slim Fairview - 

Quill Pens and Powdered Wigs in Today’s Classrooms

Students learn to read, write, add, subtract, multiply, and divide in grammar school.

Twitter's 140 characters are not the end. They are the means.

Thomas writes a draft of the Constitution, he uploads the doc. file to Slideshare: He clicks the T and it uploads to Twitter.

George sees the Tweet, clicks the link and the file appears. He wants to Share this with his Facebook friends around the colonies. He copy-pastes the twitter link to his Facebook page for his friends. His colonial rebellion group page on Facebook. A thumbnail comes up. This thumbnail is a miniature of the doc. file.

John sees this on the group page and clicks the thumbnail. He reads the draft. Under the comments page he adds his views on the matter.

Those who have a problem incorporating technology into the classroom should go back to quill pens, powdered wigs, and candle light. They have no business in the classroom.

Did I hear someone say Visit Williamsburg? I believe there is a website for that.

Regards,

Mr. C 

@MrcSays