All Good Things Must Come to an End

Not to sound disappointed or anything but I have to admit that I was somewhat sad on our last day of our Technology Exploratory in which our 5th graders became entrepreneurs.  I had never modeled a class in this way before so I really was learning along with the students.  For lack of better words: it was so much fun!  It truly was.  What made it so much fun?

First, the students were into it.  (If they weren't, they are really good actors and actresses.)  I loved that they were so engaged.  Second, we all had no idea what we were doing and it showed.  This is what made it so exciting!  The possibilities proved to be endless as students' creativity knew no boundaries.  At the end of the quarter, we had an electronic fish feeder, an automatic dog leash, paper that prints out videos (yep, you read that correctly), and a remote control for the car (why hasn't this been invented yet?!).  Third, the students were learning and didn't even realize that they were learning.  Ultimately, they became proficient in writing a business plan, launching a social media campaign, advocating for their business on demand, developing a prototype, and creating a budget.  Each of which can translate into fairly useful life skills.  Oh yes, they learned a thing or two about tech tools along the way.  

I will miss this uninhibited creatively fervent class.  However, don't feel too sorry for me as I have a new group of rookies starting tomorrow.  The only difference is that I might actually know a little bit about what I am doing this time around...for better or worse.  Onward!

ProTech the Ones You Love: 5th Graders & Mechina

If you were to visit this blog, you would see a similar blog post title.  The reason for that is because two classes: 5th grade Technology Exploratory & Mechina (ages 4 & 5) joined forces to become better bloggers and understand a little bit more about digital citizenship.  When it became clear that both mechina and fifth grade were actively blogging this school year, we thought it would be ideal to help each other out.  So many learning opportunities arose that we did not even plan for:
1) Creative genius.  Fifth graders had to use their creative minds and teamwork to put together an engaging lesson for their younger counterparts.
2) Skills, skills and more skills.  After developing the lesson, the fifth graders had to put their writing and technical skills to the test and learn some new skills along the way as they wrote a digital citizenship script and made a movie.  Creating a movie involved filming and editing using a green screen, an iPad, and an iPad tripod.
3) Information.  Let's not forget the content.  The fifth graders had to brainstorm and work as a team to discover what were the most important points to share with the younger students.
4) Practice, practice, practice.  The 5th graders had to practice their presentation skills so that they would sound knowledgeable and serve as strong role models for the little ones.  This proved to be invaluable.  When they got up to speak, they looked goooood.
5) The relationships.  Fifth graders had the opportunity to be nurturing leaders and create a special bond by focusing on a common goal: becoming better bloggers and learning more about digital citizenship.
6)  Ownership.  Never underestimate the power of empowering our young learners.  By owning the lesson, the fifth graders were fully invested, engaged, and motivated.

I'm not going to lie.  It was definitely one of my prouder moments.  There is no question that the mechina students were riveted by their older role models and the knowledge that they shared.  When I returned to my computer later that morning, this was in my inbox from the mechina teacher: "It was awesome.  As soon as you guys left they were all asking when you could all come back again!!!"  Sure enough, we will be back sooner rather than later.  Here's to new partnerships!

#MakerMonday

You might be wondering whose feet these are and why they are there.  These are actually my feet resting after a glorious day of #MakerMonday with The Davis Academy students.  What a day it was!  I'm going to admit that I was a little nervous at first.  What if the students were bored or worse, what if no one came?  OR, what if they ran circles around me and I couldn't control our young makers.  Happily, none of these fears came to light.  In fact, it was so much fun that I can't wait to do it again!  

I was impressed with the students' creativity, independence, and enthusiasm.  Some of them came away with great new inventions: feather dusters, a computer built of Legos, and pipe cleaner necklaces.  Others may not have walked away with something tangible but they dabbled in a new skill: programming, animating, and/or coding.  I saw students having Sphero ball duels to see who could outrun the other.  I saw a student watch a tutorial on the ScratchJr. app and in minutes create a three slide animation filled with colorful sprites that could speak to each other.  At one point, I overheard a student say, "this is better than recess".  I couldn't believe it.  Better than recess?! It really was a magical day and luckily, we all walked away with new found knowledge.  Although I have such confidence in our students, today reminded me that we really are a community of learners bonded together by our shared passions and a thirst for the freedom to make. 

Rethinking "Technology Class"

As the 21st Century Learning Coordinator, I have the great privilege of teaching the classes in our school that are entitled "Technology".  Part of my role (and one of my favorite parts) involves working with teachers and students to integrate technology into the classroom.  Now if you think about this role, it really is a conundrum.  I call it a conundrum because by the very nature of having a "Technology Class" we isolate the subject of "technology".  At the same time, we are working toward a culture of technology integration.  In fact, we are already there in so many ways.  Yet, I found myself working against my own goal.  Until recently.

It came to me in a flash.  Well, that's not exactly true.  I attended the ISTE conference and then it hit me.  I can't even tell you exactly what it was.  Perhaps I started to think about what I find interesting about the subject of technology.  I realized that what makes technology so interesting to me is not necessarily the devices and all of the cool things that they can do but rather the people behind the great inventions.  I mean who isn't fascinated by the anti-social behavior of some of the greatest tech start-up innovators?  Or, what about the fact that Steve Jobs saw beyond the functionality of a tool and placed just as much emphasis on the design of the tool?   Who isn't curious about the angel investors behind these prize inventors that risk so much money to support an idea?  It was during this aha moment that I decided to shake things up a bit.

I now knew that I was committed to completely reinventing what it meant to come to "Technology Class". At that moment of insight, a class of entrepreneurs were born.  They just didn't know it yet.  I decided to create a curriculum that revolves around being an entrepreneur and tapping into one's creative side (we all have one, even if it is buried deep within and doesn't see the light of day much).  Although daunting when I think about it, it has also proven to be super exciting.  The idea is this: we study the great innovators and the not so great innovators.  What do they have in common?  What makes one succeed and another flounder?  What makes some of them risk their life savings on something intangible? What is it that makes Silicon Valley so attractive?  Let's not forget about the venture capitalists.  What makes them take a risk on someone (often times a complete stranger) that has an idea?  What is it about that person's idea that speaks to them?  Is it an immediate connection to that person or is it as simple as a whimsical feeling?  We discover what it means to build a business from scratch: the marketing, the budgeting, the sales pitching.  How does it all come together?  How does technology leverage one's business idea?  What technology tools do entrepreneurs use to have the greatest impact and reach the widest audience?  None of the answers to these questions are simple.  In fact, many can't even be answered.  But, that's not the point.  The point is that it all starts with asking questions, which leads me to my next discovery.

There are no limits to what a student can create.  In fact, just today, one of my fifth graders said, "It's going to work. You just have to believe in it. Believe in the creation that you make". I couldn't have said it better myself. So, I didn't. Instead, I took her words and shared them with the world. I shared them via Twitter, via our class website, and now here with you. We have only had nine classes and in those nine 50 minute class periods, I have seen students create an animated animal safari to entertain and delight, a memorial for a deceased loved one to comfort and to console, a Lego candy machine to tempt the taste buds, and a motion sensor radio to make you want to dance (and sing as we discovered). Creativity. Freedom to Explore. Encouragement. Those are beautiful things. In nine short days of "Technology Class", I have felt reinvigorated, ecstatic, and most of all passionate about each and every invention that my students have decided to welcome into this world. So, that conundrum that I mentioned above turned out to be a gift that proved to inspire a new beginning. Here's to a great year of entrepreneurship.

The First Five Days

I love to hear what other educators have planned for the #firstfivedays of school.  Last summer, the Building Learning Communities Conference introduced me to Alan November's First Five Days challenge, which encourages teachers to consider the grand possibilities that can take place the first five days of school.  Recognizing the amazing energy that can be generated from those first five days, I started curating  #firstfivedays resources to inspire my own creativity.  Last year, I modified the Toilet Paper Ice Breaker with my fourth and fifth graders in technology.  In addition to sharing about themselves, they also had to share what they knew about digital citizenship.  This set the stage for a great discussion and helped me know more about their perception of all things related to digital citizenship.  It was tons of fun! 

This year, however, I am going with an #appsmashing challenge.  Students will be rolling the creation app dice to determine what app they will use to create something that tells about themselves.  Next, they will roll the showcase app dice to determine what tool they will use to share their creation.  In addition to being a hands-on, creative project, students will add new tools to their tech tool box.  If you want to get in on the fun checkout the #appshmashing challenge from Craig Badura and #appdice originally created by Ryan Read.  I look forward to sharing my students' original creations!

We're baaack!

As the school year kicks off, there is a mix of nervousness, ruach, and optimism.  When I reflect back on this summer, I feel fortunate to have had the great fortune of participating in exceptional professional development opportunities.  I benefited from joining 18 of my colleagues in a chartered bus as we headed to Memphis, TN to attend The Martin Institute Learning Conference.  The conference was remarkable but I must say that I got just as much out of the bus ride as I did out of the conference itself.  Hearing from my peers about their big plans for the upcoming school year and their incredible ideas was contagious.  I also enjoyed five intense days of learning at ISTE with 8 of my colleagues, which also did not disappoint.  What struck me most about this conference was that it was a networking gold mine.  Suddenly, Twitter personas became real people that you could actually interact with live.  It was surreal.  Besides bringing back fresh ideas for my own classes, some of the highlights included giving the Padlet creator a piggy back ride in the Exhibit Halls, meeting Moby of BrainPop fame for the first time, learning from the EdTech Pirates about how they keep their classrooms exciting, and one of the biggest highlights of the conference was learning how to fight the Zombie Librarian Apocalypse from Jennifer LaGarde, a.k.a Library Girl. 

Besides all of the fabulous PD I was able to participate in this summer, one of my favorite things about summer involves one word: reading.  I was able to read, read, and read some more.  As the saying goes, "there are so many books and so little time".  For me, summer represents the time to make time for reading.  In the interest of nurturing this hobby of mine, I will continue to read voraciously during the school year so that when I need to recharge my batteries, I can turn to a good book.  SO, on the eve of an exciting first week of school, I pick up right where I left off.  Only better connected, well read, and extremely enthusiastic.  Here's to a great year ahead!