To Give Credit Where Credit is Due... If You Can

This week as we were in the midst of preparing for our upcoming Indiana Middle Level Education Association conference, I remembered a few tips and tricks that people have shared with me that caused some, "Aha!" moments. The fact that I can convert a google doc to an active webpage that updates; utilizing Google Drawings for a variety of tasks, especially in Smore newsletters; color-coding things in Google Keep: all of these things I learned from somebody... but I can't remember who! Odds are, many of the tech things I use came via Eric Curts, Alice Keeler, Kasey Bell, Classroom 2.0 Live webinars, Voxer groups (especially EduMatch), ICE Conferences, ISTE, Indiana Summer of eLearning, AISLE, and others. I'm often one of those learners who needs to hear things several times to fully grasp them, so some things that I've learned probably came from combinations of people.

My point: the power of networks can be exponential. The fact that I've been exposed to such helpful advice through a variety of platforms, from people with different approaches has added so much to my "personal toolbox." I wish I could thank people and say, "Remember when you showed us how to ___. I used it today and it was the exact thing I needed." 

The same thing happens to me with books I read. I've tried many ways to track how I first heard of a book, whether it's a newspaper review, a blog post, Voxer friends (especially the #Read4Fun/Love to Read group), People Magazine, Parade Magazine, an email, a twitter chat, Facebook. I've tried Google Keep, Goodreads (but not easy to include before you read a book), a notebook, Google Docs and more. When I finish a book, often I'd like to thank the person who recommended it (or in some cases, say nothing and remember in the future that that person and I may not see eye-to-eye in books!)

Magazines, clippings, friend recommendations-how to track them?

So, if you've ever shared any idea or book suggestion with me... thank you! And, I hope in some way, I can return the favor.

GPS: Global Problem Solvers

As a geocacher, the term "GPS" usually reminds me of using a device to find a hidden treasure. Thus, I kept doing a double take when I encountered Cisco's GPS: Global Problem Solvers at ISTE 2018. This is part of Cisco's Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) program, but is unique in that it is aimed primarily at middle schoolers. 

As a career middle level teacher, first in science and then as a librarian, I can see many ways this series could be integrated. At this point, there are two seasons of short videos, detailing stories of a group of international students with different talents tackling social problems; the first deals with access to water in Malawi, the second the aftermath of a hurricane in Florida. Each comes with a complete guide, suggested questions, and a useful bibliography of background materials. As a librarian, I could see collaborating with teachers from different disciplines to use this series as a springboard for groups of students to tackle a situation of their choice. The videos could be used in a blended learning environment, a whole-class structure, or a station-rotation situation, gradually rolled out or used consecutively. It would be ideal for a middle school team of teachers to use as an interdisciplinary project, or even a pair of teachers.

My husband and I attended the launch party for GPS: The Series, compete with the mascot, Huti.

Interestingly enough, this series is debuting just as our state, Indiana, had a new law going into effect, Senate Bill 297:

"..each school within a school corporation shall include interdisciplinary employability skills standards established by the department of education..."

GPS the series could be used to address this: it incorporates such skills as critical thinking, problem solving, social entrepreneurship, and collaboration. In fact, this is one of the things I liked about introducing it to students; rather than asking, "What are your talents? Are you good at math? writing? science," it does not pigeonhole students by subject. Rather, it asks, "Are you creative? A team leader? Digitally talented?" It encourages students to see their talents in a different light. I plan to share this widely with my fellow librarians and middle school teachers.

When attending an event like ISTE, you often want to hear from those "in the trenches." GPS had this with teachers Edgar Ochoa and Christa Tropin. They were among Arizona teachers who piloted the series and were indefatigable in their explanations and answering questions in a variety of formats. Their students indeed used GPS as a model and completed projects and presented them in a culminating science-fair type environment with community members present. During ISTE, when confronted with tech failures, raucous crowds at a nearby booth, room and schedule changes, they responded in true master teacher fashion: they didn't miss a beat. 

You can gain some different perspectives about the program from the other educators who were spreading awareness: blogs from Valerie Lewis, Marialice Curran, & Shelly Terrell, this podcast from Shawn McGirr (episode 395), and this review from EdTech.

How #NOTATISTE Helps People at #ISTE (and Vice Versa)

I attended my first ISTE (then NECC) in 2009 in Washington, D.C.  I was hooked & attended the next four in a row. When I couldn't go in 2014, I experienced true FOMO; when 2015 in Atlanta rolled around, I found #NOTatISTE.

One of the best things about ISTE is that it's not a conference that is over when it's over. The connections you make DO continue, even expand. I know that I'm still learning from some of the presenters I saw nine years ago. I even remember going to a "how to use twitter" session then; I'd had an account for a year, but wasn't quite sure what to do.

The #NOTatISTE community has grown so much (in large part due to Jen Wagner and Peggy George) that it is now helpful to those who ARE at ISTE. It seems to be easier for people #NOTatISTE to be in two places at once (try that in a crowded convention hall; sometimes it's even hard to stay in one place, let alone move). Those #NOTatISTE are curating as many resources as possible, which is helpful to those in attendance too. Many people who ARE at #ISTE go out of their way to share with the people who are not. As I write this, I'm actually in my hotel room in Chicago checking the different twitter streams, including #passthescopeedu. Anyone, whether at ISTE or not, will be able to check out the #NOTatISTE18 livebinder 

The essence of these communities: educators willing to share, and these efforts can increase our learning exponentially!

What if the Classes at Our School were Like Great PD?

I've seen so many tweets and listened to many Voxes from people excited about their current and recent professional development. There have been numerous edcamps, school librarian conferences, technology events, meetups, and more. 

Fortunately, I've been at fantastic events myself recently, yet I've still experienced FOMO. There's nothing like being at a session and seeing tweets from the one you almost chose making you regret your decision. More and more, I'm seeing this as a scheduling conflict more than making a bad choice. There are many, many educators sharing fabulous ideas and experiences. 

This made me think: what if we were to go in the hallway during passing period and hear remarks like this, or see tweets these below? What if our students bragged about their classes like we share our enthusiasm for a great session? Has this ever happened to you? Feel free to share in the comments!

The #EduMatch Empire

I've been fairly active on Twitter for a few years, but two years ago, something happened that enhanced my professional learning exponentially. I joined Voxer. (I wrote about this previously.) At first I spent much of my time in the #BFC530 Voxer group (and I still belong), but now I spend the most time in #EduMatch. This is a community that is supportive, funny, thoughtful, and provocative. We mainly talk about education matters, but there are times.... Members truly are international, including "regular" contributors from Canada and Argentina, with occasional posts from countries such as Singapore, Greece, and more.

Why do I call EduMatch an empire? Because it can be just about anything for anyone. Check out the many ways you can be connected. (There is even a ThingLink by Rachel Pierson that will take you to the relevant sites.)

Not only Head #EduMatch Guru Sarah Thomas maintain these websites, she also manages a 6 pm ET "Tweet & Talk" almost every Sunday! Countless people have been involved, either as panelists, Google Hangout attendees, or tweeters.

#EduMatch has led me to smaller groups where I felt comfortable taking risks to learn about new tools; I'm in Voxer groups for Periscope, Snapchat, and several book clubs with people I "met" on #EduMatch. Many #EduMatch participants have been empowered to participate in several large scale events, such as #EdCampVoxer, #PasstheScope, #NotatISTE, and more. 

So, ultimately, the climate at #EduMatch is just like what we want for our students: a group that is varied in (tech) abilities and interests, yet can find common ground, be supportive, encourage risk-taking, not belittle anyone's questions (or criticize someone asking the same question that has already been asked numerous times before). There is pure joy when members meet each other F2F at various conferences. One feature of Voxer is that you can star an post to keep later. Here's a portion of one from Dan Kreiness 

  "EduMatch should have a banner, or something made: 'EduMatch, where you can have awesome conversations related to deep topics such as civil disobedience and social justice...and then switch to a conversation about printer ink, so seamlessly. I just think that's great.'"

If you have any questions about #EduMatch or any of the tools I've mentioned, don't hesitate to contact me!

Reflecting on 9-11 and Being Connected

Today it is natural to think back to that horrible day. I wrote this reflection on the school librarian listserv LMNet two years ago. Connections have changed since then, not always for the better, but they continue to serve an important role. ------------ I was a brand new media specialist on September 11, 2001. The events of the day were so shocking, and limited access to news during school and the many unanswered questions were so bewildering. I think back to one of my lines to the outside world that day, LMNet. There were so many questions: do you have your TV's on? Have you told the students anything? People reported that parents were showing up at school and taking their children home. Even at my own school, there were debates. Some teachers said, "Why do you have your TV on?", or "Why don't you have your TV on?" Some listserv members told of email as their only outlet to news. Some mentioned wanting to give students some background information before they would be going home alone. Some later told of students who were told what happened getting on the same bus with others who didn't know. And, we were all trying to make sense of what happened. To me, this illustrates the importance of LMNet as a community. LMNet helped me decide to become a library media specialist, and I will never forget the support and comfort I received on September 11, 2001. If you are interested, you can find the archives of that day beginning at http://lmnet-archive.iis.syr.edu/LM_NET-pre2003/2001/Sep_2001/mail5.html

#NOTatISTE? No problem? Not even #NOTatISTE??? It's Still not Over!

It is such a summer dilemma for library media specialists: attend ALA? ISTE?  Both? I considered all of these options this year (I am on the AASL Best Websites Committee), but decided to remain at home, take advantage of several of the wonderful options through Indiana DOE's Summer of eLearning, and follow as much virtually as possible.  Last year I participated in the #NOTatISTE community, and became thoroughly immersed.

Over 100 people made sample "#NOTatISTE" badges.

#NOTatISTE was even more spectacular this year. Over 1100 educators joined in the private Google+ Community. I was able to connect quite a bit from June 25-27 (even being able to watch Michio Kaku's keynote the evening of the 26th), 

I ended up accompanying my sister on a long road trip and went "off the grid" a bit, but am still learning from all of the resources shared. Why was this year even better? Things I noticed:

-People who have been past #NOTatISTE participants made special efforts to include us (Prime example: Craig Yen). Many, many people in Denver included our hashtag in their tweets. Even people who have never experienced #NOTatISTE got in the habit of sharing with us.

-Jen Wagner outdid herself (how can that be possible?). Much preliminary work was done, including plans with Tony Vincent to Periscope many of the poster sessions (with a well-publicized schedule)

-Peggy George, Barbara Tallent, and others created a Livebinder to outdo all Livebinders, overflowing with resources.

-Sue Waters provided many tips on how to maximize your remote ISTE experience. This blog post is a prime example. She also took a lot of time to answer questions and make suggestions in the #NOTatISTE voxer group.

-The eduMatch community was very involved in #NOTatISTE16. eduMatch is a multi-platform community, and I spend quite a bit of time in the Voxer group alone.

eduMatch is a VERY active community with numerous ways to connect.
Many members were also in the #NOTatISTE groups.

-There are so many platforms to use in the learning and sharing: the Google+, Twitter, Voxer, Google Hangouts, Google Docs, Periscope, Participate Learn, Instagram, Snapchat, and more.

I'm still catching up; you can still participate, Check out the livebinder. (Warning: this could take days!) Search with the #ISTE2016 hashtag (or #NOTatISTE16); add specific hashtags in your area of interest (For example, for librarians, #ISTELib has many great shares)

The principles and practices that so many used to connect with ISTE can be continued for just about any conference. The connections and the culture of sharing have been unleashed, and continues to grow exponentially!