The Purple Parade

We were very fortunate to have received micro:bits from the Economic Development Council of St. Charles County for our 7th grade Project Lead the Way course (Design and Modeling).  Our students shined in their coding of the micro:bit and tried to create a game or device that would be good for a student with cerebral palsy (which is what they have been learning about in their PLTW course).  Students made light boxes, rock paper scissors bracelets, music devices, reaction time devices, and more! If you haven't heard of micro:bits, let me tell you a "bit" about them.  They are small programmable devices that have an LED screen with buttons on one side that can be programmed.  Other small devices can be attached via alligator clips and programmed as well.  For more information about micro:bits go to their website:   https://support.microbit.org/support/solutions/articles/19000013983-what-is-a-micro-bit- Using the programs already on the micro:bit website or...

Robotics is a great way to introduce engineering into all subject areas.  When creating robots to solve a particular problem, students must use researching skills, mathematics, design, and so much more to create robots that do specific tasks.  So why are robots only being designed in specified robotics courses or after-school clubs?  We should be integrating robots, coding, and design into all courses.  I would love to see our schools using robots in math, ELA, science, social studies, and elective courses to integrate the disciplines and show students how robotics and automation are so important for our future occupations.  A few weeks ago, our district had teams compete in the GM Robotics Challenge at a local community college.  It was amazing to see what the teams came up with to meet the challenge.   Most of the teams came from high school robotics courses, but our middle school teams were after school clubs.  Wouldn't it be amazing to s...

Are Your Students #Creating?  Or, are they just doing crafts with no purpose?  Try to encourage empathy in your students.  Students who create with a purpose and audience in mind are more likely to want to share their ideas with the world.  They are more likely to accept failures and try again until it works.  They are more likely to use critical thinking skills needed in today's society. Try using the Design Thinking Model in your classroom.  Try having students create in your classroom for a purpose.  All subject area teachers can use this model.  If you haven't used this model before or haven't heard of it, I have included a picture below that demonstrates the model. Image from springhillschool.org This past week, I attended the MOREnet conference.  I listened to the keynote speaker, John Spencer, discuss the need for empathy in our students.  Without empathy, there is no beginning to the Design Thinking Model.  Th...

Me, Hadi Partovi (creator of code.org) and R2D2 at ISTE 2016 It's been a couple weeks since I returned home from ISTE 2016 in Denver, CO.  I've been trying to keep my mind clear and focused on what the theme of the conference truly was.  To me, I believe that the Makerspace philosophy (creating solutions to problems through the design process) and STEM (adding science, technology, engineering, and mathematics to all subject areas) were the overarching themes of the conference. For example, I enjoyed seeing the robots created by students.  It really showed how students used all types of materials available to make their robots work. I also participated in breakout sessions about the Makerspace philosophy.  In one such session, a panel of speakers from South Fayette Township School District spoke about how they added "making" to the curriculum and have seen science scores soar.  Now of course, test scores aren't the only indicator to the success of the...

Google Slides Google Slides is an amazing presentation creator.  If you are still using PowerPoint, DON'T!  With Google Slides' opportunity of anywhere/anytime access and sharing capabilities, it is all you need to present your information in an engaging slide presentation. After facilitating Google Bootcamp with teachers in my district for 4 days, I'd like to share out my favorite 5 Google Slides tips that I shared with them.    1.  Crop an image to a shape... Insert your image onto a slide Click on the image so it is highlighted. Click on the little arrow next to the crop icon. Choose the shape, callout, etc. that you'd like your image to be cropped to. And you're done!    2.  Slides Carnival Can't find a template in Google Slides that excites you?  Then go to Slides Carnival to find more.  Just make a copy of any of the templates on the site.  Re-name them (put the word template in your name so yo...

Ever since I participated in the Google Teacher (now Innovator) Academy in 2014, I have been amazed by the power of Google My Maps.  It just keeps getting better, and the ways to use it are unlimited! If you've never tried Google My Maps, just try it!  Sign into your Google Account and go to your Google Drive.  Click on "NEW" and then "More", and then "Google My Maps".  You can also access it through Google Maps (click on the 3 lines on the left hand side of the screen and click on "Your places"). For fun, I decided to create a map of all the locations of the 250th anniversary cakes in St. Louis .  I did in the old Google My Maps, so it looks a little different since it was converted to the new maps.  I've also presented on Google My Maps at several conferences.  This is a tour of St. Louis from the M3 conference sponsored by MOREnet . You might think that Google My Maps is only for social studies, and it does lend itself to that s...

Are you ready to have an awesome unlearning experience in St. Charles, MO?  Then join us for our very first EDCAMP!   After attending EdcampSTL, I was stoked to help plan our school district's first EDCAMP!  It will be a fun morning (8am - noon) of collaboration and learning  So, join us in St. Charles, MO on Saturday, June 4th!! For more information or to register, just go to:   https://sites.google.com/a/stcharlessd.org/edcamp-scsd/ Hope to see you there!  

Formative assessments do not have to be just paper/pencil tests. Technology is a great way to quickly assess your students to see where their level of proficiency is on the various subject standards. Have you tried any of the following technology tools to help you in your formative assessments? Mentimeter - quick exit ticket assessments Kahoot - game based quizzes that allow you to download the results Quizziz - review and practice content in a game-like format Quizalize - students complete assessment questions at their own pace GoSoapBox - features include Classroom Q&A and a "Confusion Barometer" Zaption & EdPuzzle - create assessment questions built right into your video instruction lessons Google Forms - amazing add-ons allow for differentiation and data collection Go Formative - use standards-aligned questions for a quick and easy snapshot of learning Don't let Formative Assessments drag you down!  Try using some of the technology re...

The 4C's include:  Collaboration, Creativity, Communication, and Critical Thinking.  The 4 C's came about by a joint venture of the National Education Association and the Partnership for 21st Century Skills.  For more information on this, please view the following document: http://www.nea.org/assets/docs/A-Guide-to-Four-Cs.pdf Recently, I have looked for good resources online regarding the 4C's and technology, but haven't been able to find one that is current and applicable to today's classroom.  So today, I have decided to write my own blog post that demonstrates how to combine the 4C's with technology integration in the classroom. Many of the tools listed below can be used in conjunction with each other and overlap the 4C's to really increase the rigor and skill set. However, you must keep in mind that it is isn't just the technology, it is how the technology is used that's important.  Hopefully the following information will help you as you ...

Collaboration is the key to clear communication and cooperative learning.  Educators not only need to encourage collaboration in their students, but it is so great to learn from others through building professional learning networks and collaborating outside the classroom/school walls.  So, I'm sharing my favorite resources to encourage collaboration and communication. If you have a favorite, please feel free to share yours in the comments! Google Drive /Apps for EDU (obviously) - With all the products in Google Drive and the Apps for EDU suite (Docs, Slides, Forms, Sheets, Drawings, Sites, etc.) there is no reason not to collaborate on a daily basis. The easy to use Share button is the key to collaboration and communication! Smore - An easy to use newsletter/flyer creator. However, it isn't your usual newsletter, it's all virtual.  You don't print a Smore, you send it out via email.  You can embed links, images, and videos into your Smore. I love this...

I've been really investigating the SAMR model lately.  If you aren't familiar with the SAMR for integrating technology into the classroom, that's ok.  I first learned about it last year at a conference.  I went to a breakout session and came out more confused than when I went in.  So, I took it upon myself to learn about it through researching it online. The SAMR model is this:  Substitution, Augmentation, Modification, and Redefinition The more I investigated, the more I realized that our district needs to really look at where we are on this model.  Yes, we are a Google for Education district!  Yes, all students and teachers have access to Google Drive!  But, NO, we are not redefining education with technology. One day I was inspired by a fellow Google for Education trainer to really look at how we can use Google Drive to redefine our lessons.  So, I created the graphic below with ideas on how to use Google Drive and other Google pr...

In our district we use Standards-Based Grading in all grade levels K-12.  Our teachers have truly embraced Google Classroom as a way to assess students on the course standards.  All students are graded on a 4 point scale using Dr. Robert Marzano 's proficiency scales template.  To see our district's SBG proficiency scales, click here . In order to make Google Classroom work best, many teachers make the assignments "worth" 40 points.  Since Google Classroom is yet to give the option for 1/2 point grading, the 40 points gives the following grading options: 40 = 4 35 = 3.5 30 = 3 25 = 2.5 20 = 2 15 = 1.5 10 = 1 0 = Level not determined (there is not 0 or .5 on our proficiency scales) The great thing about Google Classroom is that you can download all your assignments into a spreadsheet file so you can track all your standards. Add some conditional formatting to your spreadsheet to color code your "green", "yellow", and "red...

Did you notice that the Google Forms icon is now PURPLE ????  In your Google Drive, Google Forms and Google Sheets have both been Green , but now you can easily easily distinguish between the two types of files.  This makes this organizational maniac very excited!!  And, my favorite color is PURPLE , so it makes me even more happy!  So, if you want to find a form to edit, just look for the PURPLE .  If you want to view the responses of a form or look at a different spreadsheet, just look for the GREEN .  Hope that helps you in organizing and finding files in your Google Drive! Forms Sheets     

I had the pleasure of sitting in on a training in our district today by two of my colleagues (Amy and Heather).  I love watching them speak about their experiences with flipping the classroom.  They are so passionate about making their lessons available for students 24/7 and holding students accountable for their learning.  However, only 10% of the flipping process means that you should be assigning the videos for homework.  During their workshop, they showed a video by Lodge McCammon that describes the "pitch" for videotaping your lessons for homework is just 10% of the reason of why you should do it.  View the video below to hear Lodge describe it himself. Flipping the classroom can be such a powerful tool in the classroom.  Think about reteaching...  Think about instruction for students who are absent...  Think about having yourself in the classroom as your own co-teacher!  These are the reasons that you should be flipping your less...