Instructional Goals: District and Teacher

For the last session with our teachers we decided to focus on lesson planning and making goals for the summer.

We used the web tool Edpuzzle to flip part of our meeting. Teachers were asked to watch a video on the flipped model and answer questions we embedded into the video through Edpuzzle. 

This is the video we used. 

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=G_p63W_2F_4

We started the meeting with a few questions about flipped classes such as pros, cons, and tools for flipping.

Next we looked at a few iPad lessons and determined which level the lesson was on the SAMR model and how the teacher could bump it up. This led us to creating our own lesson plan using the iPads. 

Then we looked at our district's instructional goals for the iPads and talked about how we can individually contribute to those goals and prepare over the summer.

We used the app Chirp to send out this picture so we could reflect (and share if you wanted) on which part of the pencil we are and which part we want to be. This was a nice conclusion because our teachers were able to see how much they have improved and learned.

I was very impressed with the lessons that the teachers created and it was rewarding to see them confidently use the apps that we have been working on. We still have a lot to learn and next year will be a period of trial and error for all of us, but I'm so proud of how far we have come together.

Creating a Core App List

The district wide iPad committee that I served on was tasked with creating a list of core apps for the iPads. There was significant thought and care put into making the list. We wanted to stick with free apps, developmentally appropriate, focused on creation yet considering space limitations on the device.

We liked this visual for sharing the apps so we tried to recreate our list in this style. http://www.teachthought.com/apps-2/47-core-teacher-apps-a-visual-library-of-apps-for-teachers/

This is the list as it stands today for elementary, both teacher and student versions.

This is the list for middle school.

 

This is the high school list.

What apps would be on your core list? Did we miss anything?

Teaching Tech to Principals

Most professional development is focused on teachers and rightfully so, but we can't forget that our administrators often need help with technology as well. Recently I was asked to share some tech tips with our principals. One teacher shared Evernote and a principal shared Twitter so I decided to share some iPad keyboard tricks, QR codes,  Padlet and Adobe Reader app. 

First I asked the principals to scan a QR code that took them to this article: 

http://www.districtadministration.com/article/want-increased-student-achievement-using-ipads.

After opening in Safari, I showed them how to take away the images and extras from the site, how to bookmark and add to a reading list. 

Then I had them scan a QR code that took them to this PDF:  http://www.eduleadership.org/wp-content/essential-ipad-guide-2.0.pdf

I showed them how to open in Adobe and how to use the highlight, comment, and other tools in that app. I asked them to contribute some of their thoughts on their role in a 1:1 initiative on a Padlet I created.

Finally I showed them some keyboard shortcuts like the hidden apostrophe, quotation mark, hidden URL endings, and how to type numbers without switching keyboards back and forth.

They seemed to enjoy the hands on time with the iPads and they loved the keyboard shortcuts. I promptly followed several of our new tweeters. 

Do you have special time dedicated to teaching your administrators? I would love to hear your ideas.

QR Code App Scavenger Hunt

If you are looking for a way to expose teachers to lots of apps, this is a fun activity. I took our districts list of core apps (and several extras) and printed a sign with the app icon, brief description and a QR code that links to examples of the app being used in the classroom. We did this activity in one of my feeder elementary schools and it was fun. 

After giving them time to explore I asked each teacher to choose a favorite app and create a screencast sharing how they would use this app in the classroom. We used Ask 3 because I encouraged them to view the other screencasts and comment. This app is shutting down in August so you could easily replace that with Educreations or something similar. 

Their homework assignment was to create a product in one of the apps and turn in to me using Showbie. 

I was so impressed with their ideas and the products that are starting to roll in to Showbie.

If you would like the signs I used, contact me and I will be happy to share.

The iPad PD Continues, But Now We Have Ninjas!

I described our first four iPad sessions in a previous post so I wanted to share the latest sessions.

5th Session: Evernote
For homework we asked our teachers to load Evernote Webclipper to their laptops and load the Evernote app onto their iPads.
We shared several great Evernote Youtube videos to introduce them to the many uses for this service. Together we went through the steps to creating a checklist and adding the Evernote email address to our contact list. We shared ideas for using Evernote in the classroom including sharing and turning in work, saving important parent emails, creating lesson plan notebooks, using Penultimate for notes, StudyBlue for flashcards that integrate with Evernote, and the cool Post It Note options.
Evernote is such a robust application that I think we went overboard and scared some of the teachers. At the end of the session we asked them to open Aurasma and follow our school channel to prepare for our next session and a few teachers had a freak out moment because they were overwhelmed with so much information.
Our original plan was to have the teachers participate in creating a bulletin board using Aurasma answering our yearbook theme of "What Makes You Soar?". Due to the panic we decided to fall back and punt. Instead I asked each teacher to send me a picture representing their answer to the question and I had my library helpers go around and video the teachers answering the question so that I could put the board together myself. We also sent out a quick survey requesting feedback on the sessions so far as well as asking them if they wanted to stay at the same speed or slow down.
We used this information to differentiate our next PD session on Nearpod.

6th session: Nearpod
For homework they had to turn in the picture for the Aurasma board, load the Nearpod app and bring a previously made Power Point to the session.
This time I took the ones that wanted to slow down into a separate room while my partner in crime, Kristen G., kept the others in the library.
We had 12 teachers that wanted to slow down so we took it one step at a time and went through a Nearpod session we created then I helped them load their own presentation and insert activities. The teachers' responses were very positive. They felt more comfortable in a small group and several of them mentioned that in the library as a whole group they felt like everyone was ahead of them, causing them to panic. One teacher said "Now I know how my students feel when I go fast in class."
On our way out we all stopped by the Aurasma board that I put together and let them watch the augmented reality videos. They thought it was really cool.

7th session: Digital Storytelling
For homework we asked teachers to watch this video, answer a short survey choosing one digital storytelling app and then load that app onto their iPad. Teachers had a choice of these apps: Toontastic, Pixntell, Animation Express, Haiku Deck, Fotobabble, Chatterpix, Voicethread, Puppet Pals HD, Book Creator, and Storehouse. I worked with 8 of our gifted and talented 6th grade students to prepare for this meeting. I assigned each of them an app or two to learn so that they would be on hand to help each group create a product during the meeting. We called the students Tech Ninjas and we ordered shirts for them. The students were a huge help! Several teachers asked if they could come to every meeting. After each teacher created a product in their app they had to pick their favorite from the group to share with everyone. This allowed them to only learn one app, but gain exposure to all of them. We shared the products at the end of the meeting and had a good laugh at some of them. The teacher that had their product shared won a bluetooth speaker and earbuds with built in microphone.

8th session: Pages, Keynote and iMovie
Homework for this session was assigned before our Spring Break. To prepare for this session teachers had to go through a Nearpod homework session describing iMovie's basic features and then create one of their own. When we return from the break we will share a few of these to get us started then we have cheat sheets created for Pages and Keynote. The Tech Ninjas will be on hand to assist as teachers spend 30 minutes on each app going through the cheat sheets and trying out the tools. As an exit ticket we will have a Padlet projected on the screen asking teachers to share ways that they plan to use the iPads in their lessons.

Our last two sessions will focus on lesson planning. We've spent a lot of time learning the basics and exposing the teachers to apps (50 total!), but now it is time to put it into action. I will share the details as we get closer.

News of our successful iPad training has spread across the district and I was asked to lead four sessions with one of my feeder elementary schools. This school has had a rough experience with iPad carts so I wanted to make this as fun and positive as possible.
We started with Nearpod. I created a short presentation of a few fun apps they could use right away such as Name Selector, Sand Timer, Kahoot, Groovy Grader, Too Noisy and Stage Whiteboard, but the real goal was to show the activities that can be built into a Nearpod presentation. Their App Task was to create a background for their lock screen using Pic Collage. This is an app task we did with our faculty and they loved it. Pic Collage is very easy to use and fun. When they finished that task (I knew we would have a wide variety of ability levels) I had another Nearpod session launched as a homework session so they could go through the slides at their own pace. This presentation had apps divided by subject category. Before this session I surveyed the staff and asked them what they would like to learn. I made sure to have slides devoted to the things they asked for like reading, notebooking, and the related arts. They also asked for places to find good apps so at the end of the session they were taken to a few sites like Best Apps for Kids and Appitic. Finally I had a handout with a QR code on it that led them to a Padlet where they shared their favorite takeaway from the day. We ended with a drawing for iPad prizes and they scanned a QR code that took them to a Google Form where they signed in to receive technology credit for the session. The teachers were very excited about what they learned and what they wanted to learn in our future sessions. I left with two iPads to fix and shared a Dropbox folder with them with all the instructions for the apps we used.
My next session is in two weeks and I have a QR Code App Safari planned. I know with only four sessions I need to cram in as much as possible without overwhelming them so I created slides for each of our district's core creation apps (plus a few more) with a QR code that takes them to product examples and instructions. We'll start the session with a Socrative question asking them to share one positive experience with the iPad that they have had in recent weeks. Then they will be able to walk around the room and scan QR codes to explore the different apps. As they move around I'm going to project a Today's Meet session on the board and ask them to share ideas as they explore. The exit ticket will be to create a short app explanation for one of their favorites using Ask3. I did recently read that Ask3 is closing in August, but I wanted to expose them to screencasting. I like the bulletin board feature in Ask3 and still feel it is a good one to use for this purpose. When it goes away they can still use Educreations, Show Me, ScreenChomp or another option. Their homework is to use one of the apps that they explored to create something that will be turned in to me using the app Showbie.

Many teachers say that they want to know how to use the apps, not just a list of apps so I'm trying my best to model app usage in my own sessions with Socrative, Padlet, Showbie, QR codes, etc and talk about how I modeled it at the end of each session.

If you'd like any more details or the presentations for any of these sessions don't hesitate to contact me. I'm happy to share and eager to hear your ideas for faculty professional development.

Don't Let Those Kindles Go to Waste

A few days ago I received this comment on an old post about using Kindles with my students. It was actually perfect timing because when we transition to 1:1 with iPads I will have to be creative in using the 12 Kindles that I have at my school.

I have 20 Kindles (old style, not Fire) in my library closet just sitting there :( They have only one or two books loaded onto them due to the high cost of loading ebooks to the entire set ($5.00 a book x 20 = way too much of my library budget). My principal wants me to use them somehow, but I am lost. She is on the fence about letting students check them out like regular books. I don't know any other way to use them. Can you please give me some ideas on how to use them affordably, or should I just try to get rid of them all together?

I love this question and it really got me thinking. Here are a few of my ideas. Please add your ideas and suggestions in comments.

1. If you're not comfortable checking out the Kindles you could encourage teachers to use them with students with reading accommodations, reading resource students or reluctant readers. Ereaders can entice those hard to motivate students sometimes.

2. Have the student and parent sign a form before checking out to put your principal at ease. Even if a device is damaged or lost it is better than letting it sit in a cabinet unused until it is completely out of date.

3. Search for free books to load onto the devices. Sometimes you can find older titles that are still used by teachers for class novels or literature circles.

4. Designate certain Kindles for different genres. If you don't have the funds to load every title on every device you could create a "Fantasy" Kindle, "Science Fiction" Kindle, and so on. 

5. Allow teachers to use them after setting up a Netgalley account. 

6. Create a student book review club and help them to create Netgalley accounts so that they can preview books, share book reviews on a school blog, and read Advanced Reader Copies from Netgalley.

7. If you have no use for them in school anymore you could use these for a raffle or prizes. Many students would be thrilled to have this device to use at home. 

What else can my readers think of to share? I'd love to hear your ideas.

iPad PD in Action

Every teacher in our district was given an iPad (if they did not already have a school purchased device) in preparation for a possible 1:1 iPad program next year. As I mentioned in my previous post, we've been putting together professional development sessions to help our teachers get ready.

Here is a run down of what we've done so far.

1st session
Teacher homework before the session was to sign up for a Dropbox account and make sure Dropbox and Popplet Lite apps were on their iPads. I recommend sending out a Dropbox invite so that you'll earn more space.
When they came in they were asked to sit by subject area groups and we served Pumpkin Latte. You can find tons of crockpot recipes on Pinterest for this drink.
We served this drink to go along with the video we started the session with.
The SAMR model explained using Coffee. We emphasized that we want our goal to be Redefinition when using technology, not just Substitution.
We showed the teachers how to use Dropbox. We used Squirrel Reflector so they could see that the document we saved on the laptop was now accessible on the iPad.
Then we used this awesome App Task Challenge from Craig Badura so that the teachers could learn and practice using Popplet Lite. His challenges were recently highlighted on the Learning in Hand blog. I contacted Craig on Twitter and he was happy to share his challenges. We're working on lots more of our own and plan to share with him as well.
Teachers had to create one Popplet use the instructions on the challenge and one as group listing ways they could use this app in their subject. Those products were emailed to me and I put them in a shared Dropbox folder for all the faculty to see.
Finally we used the app, Name Selector, to draw names for prizes.

2nd session
Teacher homework was to bring an app to share and download Pic Collage, Tellagami, Mastery Connect, Socrative Teacher and Socrative Student.
Again teachers sat as a subject group. We had the Socrative question up on the Smartboard asking them to share an app. It was our hope that we can model apps in our PD sessions to give them ideas for their own classroom.
We briefly talked about the Mastery Connect Common Core app and we had three teachers that currently use Class Dojo share their experiences with using that app to monitor behavior.
Again we used one of Craig's App Smash Challenges. This time it was Pic Collage and Tellagami. An App Smash is when you have to use one app's product in another app to create a final product.
Teachers were asked to email their completed Gamis to me for sharing in the Dropbox folder.
We only shared the instructions in the shared Dropbox folder to encourage the teachers to get accustomed to sharing documents through the app.
We wrapped it up with another prize give away.

3rd session (scheduled for this week)
Teacher homework was to download Kaywa, Animoto, Remind 101 and Apps Gone Free. They have to bring six images that relate to their next topic of study so that they will be ready to create a video and create an educator account on Animoto and Kaywa if they did not already have one.
Finally they were asked to use one of three backgrounds that my PD co-teacher, Kristen G., created to make a lock screen background. All of our iPads have the same cases so we wanted lock screens with the teacher and school name prominently displayed. Teachers were asked to chose a background from the shared Dropbox folder and then create an image in Pic Collage with their name added. This is their entrance ticket to the meeting.
We plan to share Remind 101 and Apps Gone Free and have them complete an App Task Challenge using Animoto. This challenge was created by Kristen Hearne, our instructional technologist.
When their Animoto video is complete, teachers must generate a QR code to the url and save it to images. Then they have to ask me, Kristen G, or one of our principals to scan the code to watch the video. This is their exit ticket.
We will end the meeting with more prizes.

Our 4th session will be a little different. We had to use iPad carts for some teachers during the first few meetings because all of our iPads were not here yet. Now that they are here we know that some of our teachers need some Apple basics. We created a presentation called "A is for Apple". This presentation covers things like taking a screen shot, redeeming an app code and other basic functions we want all teachers to know. We have teachers at all levels so we created an assessment. Those that can come to me or Kristen G. and show that they know these basics get to opt out of the training. Those that need more help will be asked to attend. However, our district recently purchased Blackboard so we are working on recording this training and having a "flipped" PD. Teachers will be asked to watch the recording then come in to show that they now know the basics. We're hoping this will be helpful to the other schools in our district that are also trying to prepare their teachers.

The response in our school has been fantastic. The sessions are fun and active. Other schools are using and adapting our sessions and we're having a great time learning together.

I'd love to hear about how you make PD fun at your school.