#GAFESUMMIT reflection

I love google summit.  It is always so great to see my favorite presenters and to learn new things.  Coming of the the heals of #ISTE2014, I was worried about tech conference burn out.  I really was coming to socialize with my peeps and have a good time.  I also, of course, wanted to see my #googlecrush Jim Sill (@mistersill).

When you surround yourself with all these fabulous people, you have to learn a thing or two.  The first thing I learned was, I do know a lot.  I know I have a lot to learn, but I often doubt my knowledge.  I need to be more confident about this.

I need to put myself out more.  I have never presented at a conference, I am not nervous about it.  I present in my school, district and area all the time. Just never wanted to present at a conference, I am selfish and just want to learn.  After my ISTE and GAFE experiences, it is my turn to share.

Another take away I had was learning about Google Art Project, part of the google cultural institute.  This site is amazing! Over 70,000 pieces of art in the collection, virtual tours of museum, primary source documents, it goes on and on.  There is so many possibilities for use of this in the classroom.  You can take students on tours of museums and see art for the time period you are studying.  In science, you can look at the different materials art is made out of gold, bronze, metals, paint, and connect History to the metal.  Such as, why are most bronze pieces from a particular time period?  In Math, you can find art pieces that show fractions have students use this to demonstrate understanding. One of the most powerful things is you can create collections.  You can link videos to these collections or add text.  The possibilities are huge!! Here is a link to a math gallery or this example has a video in it.   Now, I have to figure out how to share with my staff.

The other big take away I had was about Google Maps Engine Lite.   This app allows you to create maps with data from lots of different sources.  You need to check this out. It can be used in any curricular area.
English: students collect locations, pictures and information from a story and plot it on the map
Science: students research earthquakes and volcanos and plot this on a map
History: Take a trip through the major battles in a war.
PE: Running logs with pictures
Math: DATA! (Need I say more).

I learned so much more.  But these take-aways are my "Top two".  Check them out.

My summer part 2

So, it is the first Friday of the summer I haven't work.  It is 10am, I am sitting on my sofa, with a cat in my lap, in my PJs, and what am I doing? Working!! I finally have some time to reflect on my #ISTE2014 experience.

One of the workshops I went to was the NASSP digital principals of the year.  They are Daisy Dyer Duerr (@DaisyDyerDuerr). Jason Markey (@JasonMMsrkey) and Derek McCoy (@mccoyderek).  I was so inspired by them.  They all have 1:1 or BYOD schools.  They are where I want to be in 2 years.

I heard this great idea from NASSP digital principal of the year, Jason Markey, called innovation time at #ISTE2014.  I loved it.  It was on the tails of a tweet one of my teachers sent me on June 9, three days after school was out.  She was at the #iesonoma event and tweeted "To admin: when teachers say they don't have time to collaborate, they don't."  This tweet really stuck with me.  At first, I was annoyed, because it was three days after students got out of school and I was in master schedule hell.  I was like "cut me a break".  But, hearing Jason talk about innovation time, brought me back to that tweet.  It showed me how I could support that teacher and all my teachers.

Basically, the nuts and bolts of innovation time is to create an innovation calendar, a Google Calendar that will have appointment slots displaying when either Bennett (my AP) or I are available to substitute for a teacher.  We plan on having 50+ periods available for teachers to choose from throughout the year when we will sub for their class to create a 20% release (1 of their 5 classes) from their teaching assignment for the day to work on an idea they have.  Teachers simply have to reserve the appointment slot on the calendar and then make an appointment to meet with us the day before to discuss their sub plans and share with us the idea they are working on.  

So, in my PJs, on the sofa, with the cat this Friday morning, I am making my presentation and working on the write up.  

My summer part 1

Every year I take at least 4 weeks off to vacation and recharge.  However, for the first time, I don't get this.  My summer is packed with work stuff and I am struggling with my feelings  about it.

I was asked to help my district plan a 1:1 pilot.  Part of this planning process was attending ISTE in Atlanta.  I went to ISTE in 2012 and was overwhelmed.  This time, I knew what to expect and how to navigate it.  I went with a focus, to attend all the 1:1 workshops I could.  It just scared me more.  It hit me like a ton of bricks that what we are doing is changing education.  I walked away with a lot to think about.  Some of the quotes from ISTE that inspired me were:

1. 1:1 does not meet the learners' needs, the learning it can provide does.

2. Technology is not the silver bullet.  It is a tool to enable and support great learning.

3. Collaboration is the new normal. Education is an individual sport in a team base world.

4. Iteration is the new failure.

5. Remember your end goal is to change instruction and develop thinkers!

Now, I have to work with my team to do this really big thing and act like we "got this".  The quotes above are driving my thoughts as we plan PD and the roll out of 1:1 in the 8th grade.  

After attending a bunch if 1:1 workshops, I went to a couple to inspire me (and I needed this!). I got up at 6am to make sure I had a seat for Jamie Casap (@jcasap).  I have heard him speak a few different times and he always motivates me.  I needed to connect 1:1 to my love for education.  He did this.  As I am now working with my colleagues to impliment 1:1, a quote from him runs through my head "disrespect for the impossible."  Because we are educators, it is our superpower, and nothing is impossible!