ISTE Reflections

If you are a follower of Twitter, you may have seen that several people from the Office of Personalized Learning were able to attend the ISTE (International Society of Technology in Education) conference in Atlanta.  Here are my reflections on the experience:

• It's all about the students.  If they're not the focus of what you're doing every day, then you should refocus.  When someone asks what you teach, the natural response is to answer "Math" or "First Grade" but the real answer is "Students" we teach students first and foremost.
• Technology is there to support students and teachers.  It's not about add a new tool for technology's sake.  Technology should make teachers' jobs easier by helping engage and connect students.Don't ask "What can I do with this iPad?"  Ask: "How can this iPad best help me teach X?"
• Empower your students.  Don't start by taking away all rights and choices because some students MIGHT do something they aren't supposed to.  Give your students the benefit of the doubt and they might do something amazing.  Deal with the rule breakers when the time comes.
• Share the successes.  Too often, teachers are the only ones that see amazing student work. Share it with other students, their parents, the school and even the community.  Find a place that works for you. Create a website, join Twitter, write in a blog... something. Show the world what your students are capable of.
• Be brae and let students teach you. There were a number of Poster sessions with students teaching the adults. How better to empower students to show you how they created something on their iPad?  Have them help their peers, too.

This was easily one of the most amazing (and overwhelming) experiences I've had as an educator.  It is so fun to spend four days with other educators that are committed to helping students succeed.  We're going to do our best to bring some small part of what we learned to SPPS at the Tech HOOPLA (Hands-on Office of Personalized Learning Academy) on August 14 and 18.  Sign up in PD Express. I hope to see you there; I would love to start a conversation with all of you.

Tech HOOPLA

I hope by now you've heard about SPPS's Technology HOOPLA.  The HOOPLA is an effort to showcase the great things that have been happening in Saint Paul schools with regards to technology.  All presenters are from Saint Paul, and includes teachers, principals, media specialists, technology integrationists, and our own Personalized Learning Specialists!

The focus of the Tech HOOPLA is integrating technology.  There will be a lot of focus on iPads, since the district is moving towards 1:1 iPads, but iPads will not be the only focus.  Come to learn about student response systems, SPPS Apps, communication tools, and more.  Every participant will leave with great ideas to use with students.

There are two HOOPLA events on the schedule: August 14 and August 18.  We hope you can some to one (or both)!  Sign up in PD Express today!

Let Jessica McMahon know if you have any questions (jessica.mcmahon@spps.org or @spps_mcmahon on Twitter).

Online Professional Development Courses Coming Soon

Are you looking for technology integration professional development but are unable to attend after school trainings due to other commitments?

The Office of Personalized Learning will be rolling out  online professional development courses soon.  These courses will be listed in PDExpress when available and can be accessed through our Moodle server at eLearn.spps.org.  Interested participants will register in PDExpress and use the enrollment key listed there to enroll in the Moodle course on eLearn.spps.org.

Online professional development can be worked on anytime, anywhere - whenever is convenient for the individual participants, whether that is at 4:00 p.m., 9:00 p.m., or 12:00 a.m. during the week or on the weekend. Whenever is most convenient for the participant.

After completing an assignment in the course, participants will receive clock hour credits in PDExpress just like they do for attending trainings after school or during the school day.

If online professional development sounds interesting to you, check in PDExpress under Personalized Learning for new courses coming soon!

Personalized Learning Institute

The Office of Personalized Learning held the first Personalized Learning Institute March 26 and 27.

The institute was attended by eighty-five Saint Paul staff and introduced them to personalized learning essentials, tailoring instruction, culturally responsive teaching, teaching in technology rich environments, student voice and choice, universal design for learning (UDL), and a hands-on introduction to some of the features of the new learning platform.

Staff also had time to collaboratively explore web 2.0 tools and resource websites that can be integrated into lessons to help students collaborate online, produce multimedia examples of their learning, and educate students on digital citizenship and online safety.  

Additional personalized learning institutes and training will be available later this spring.  Please check the Personalized Learning website for additional information about institutes and professional development.

Student response: Plickers

There's a new tool in student response: Plickers.  Plickers is great if you don't have access to student devices like an iPad or clickers.  The only requirement is the teacher needs to have an iPhone or Android phone to collect responses.  Each student gets a paper response card, and can turn the card based on their chosen answer (A,B, C or D).  The teacher scans the room with the phone, and the responses are collected!

The Plicker website allows teachers to print cards, create class lists and see students' responses.  Feedback I've already gotten recommends printing the cards on cardstock, or something more durable than regular paper.  You can set up your class list so that a student is associated with a specific card. Then, you can see that student's answers afterwards.

Have you tried Plickers? 

Tweet Chats

As you may have seen, the Office of Personalized Learning is starting to have regular Tweetchats on Monday nights starting at 7pm.  "What's a Tweetchat?" you may ask.  A Tweetchat is a chat that happens on Twitter.  Anyone wanting to participate gets on a connected device at the same time.  One person moderates the discussion, by asking questions.  THe nice thing about a Tweetchat is that is is fast-paced (due to the character limits) and allows you to participate from anywhere--you can even be in you pajamas!

Here is some advice if you are thinking about participating:

1.  It's a good idea to use a third party Twitter site, like Tweetdeck or Twubs.  Sites like these help you follow the chat much quicker than trying to search for the hashtag.

2.  Don't be afraid to lurk at first; just don't let it be too long.  We'd love to hear from many people in the district.  Lurk until you feel comfortable.

3.  Don't forget, Twitter is a public place.

4.  Join us, even if it's for a little while.  Tweetchats are a great way to connect with people outside your school.  We're all busy, but I will be moderating with the help of my 3 and 6 year old kids, so what's stopping you?
 
We hope to see you on Monday!  Contact Jessica McMahon via email (jessica.mcmahon@spps.org) or via Twitter (spps_mcmahon) with any questions.  This Monday's topic is "Student Voice and Choice."

School Choice Fair

Come join the Office of Personalized Learning staff at the School Choice Fair!

Image Source

We would love to strike up a conversation with you about how personalized learning can engage and empower Saint Paul students by allowing them more voice and choice in how they demonstrate their learning with technology-enhanced personalized instruction.

Come see some of the digital learning tools being used in SPPS schools, such as, iPads, laptops, Chromebooks, Nooks, and the new Learning Platform and hear more about how these tools can be used to support instruction.  We can also give you a demonstration of digital resources like Achieve3000, MackinVia, TumbleBooks, and Discovery Streaming that are currently being used with students in our schools.

Join us January 11 at the RiverCentre between 9:30 AM and 2:00 PM.