Skip to main content

iPadpalooza 2015

iPadPalooza 2015  Beyond Incredible

Spending this week in Austin was beyond incredible for me. The learning opportunities at this event were beyond my capacity.    I left Thursday late with such brain overload that I could barely form complete sentences. So, I am trying to put it all together because it went so fast, I am reading my notes and wishing I have voice recordings for all the amazing sessions, and people and just great information passed along. To anyone who knows me, they know I am a complete nerd and a workaholic. So these three days just fed my inner learner to gluttony status I am sure.  My A.D.H.D was just bouncing everywhere, as I was picking up new buzz words, and new apps, books to read, teachers to inspire and fun websites, and just the point of encouraging kids to want to think,  &  learn more,... was literally in every session.   So I am going to try to just post two tips a day, while I calm my thoughts and plan great ideas to use with our students.

So tip #1 - YOU MATTER!

Thank you Tech Ninja Todd - who is Todd Nelsonloney @TechNinjaTodd  - He was in the Mini Keynote on Wednesday.   He used this with his campus this year as a first year principal and it really made a difference.  They wrote letters to kids before school telling them how great the students are and that they can make a difference and that they are excited for the new school year!  He didn't get a lot of feed back at first.  But I love how this set a positive tone for the whole year. By the end of the year, when students gave Todd a letter, letting him know that even as an Autistic student who had always been judged as sped when first met, felt welcomed and encouraged before anyone even met him.  Plus the kids continued with the positive tone through out the year by putting post-it notes on doors to encourage teachers, on lockers, or notebooks for friends.  Just pick one person to say something kind to and see if it spreads.  How cool would that be.

I loved his enthusiasms for students, for learning and mostly I really want to steal (or curate) and use constantly his title of LEAD LEARNER on his campus.  What an awesome job he does daily.  Wow.
Plus he talks even faster than I do so, I know there is hope for my presentation skills! Get Ready!

Tip # 2  Stop Talking!  Go Forth and Create Yearning!

Richard Wells from New Zealand, is 20 years ahead of us.  I am pretty sure.  He made this incredible info graphic that has been copied in to several languages and shared so much he can't keep up because it is TRUE and teachers need to KNOW this.  Stop Talking!  even the Teacher needs to stop.
i4s-The-Lectured-Class-iPadWells

He also said, "If my students need me after they graduate, I have done something wrong."  Do your students need you?  Teach them to Think and be independent of you.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Break Out Your Reading Skills!

 Break Out Your Reading Skills Challenge This challenge will ask our readers to READ a piece of non-fiction.  Then answer 5 questions to get a code.  If they get all 5 answers correct their code should unlock the snack box to BREAK out a snack for you and a friend.  If you get the first 4 answers correct you should have the code to BREAK out one snack for yourself.   So I have three cards of five questions each.  These questions are STAAR formatted to keep it familiar to students, and are based on 7th & 8th Grade reading TEKS. Each question tells you page numbers, so you really don't have to read the whole book but you can read parts of the articles or stories in it to answer the questions.  Like a short article, or quick story, no more than two or three pages each. Students try a story, to see if their code unlocks the lock.  I am using the following non-fiction books: The Queen's Shadow - A Story about How Animals See by C...
1 comment
Read more

Thoughts on George Cuoros Presentation at TCEA 2016

Deeper thoughts after a session with George Couros! Innovative Mindsets  It is more than New & Better Not exactly Change all the time either, It is more of being better at what you do. You have to disrupt what you have BEEN doing, to be better. Disrupt your routine.YOU do it first. Have that meeting without paper if you want a paperless class to actually happen. He quoted: We need to find the best people & find job titles for them, not fit the people into the job titles. Think about this: 1. Show what you are doing in class each day. What if we tweeted one thing?  What would it do to the learning of everyone? 2. Connect with another educator of same grade and learn from each other.   It matters when you are sending it out to the world.   Suddenly you want to get it right.   The freedom is powerful to share. Same thing with kids. Rock Paper Scissors Game  - overcoming obstacles in a room when 500 educators play a...
Post a Comment
Read more

Toss the Testing Negativity

Toss the Testing Negativity This year let's make a challenge to our teacher friends and students.  We will toss any negative talk about the TEST.  Here is what I have learned recently about this issue.   Life has tests.  We are all worried if we are good enough or not. But there is no reason to let that pull us down. I believe confidence is what will help us more than anything.  Our students look up to us and if we believe in them, their confidence will grow. I heard a teacher speak last week at a Writing Conference about how she addressed this in her class. Think about this scenario, if you are on an airplane waiting to take off, and the stewardess comes by like 10 times to check that you have put on a seat belt, because, "OMG we might have to test it"  We might need that. Please put on your seatbelt, it is the hardest ever this year.  Holy Cow another seatbelt rule.  Just keep practicing because that Seatbelt is so important you ...
Post a Comment
Read more