It's been awhile let's catch up.

It has been awhile since my last blog post/podcast. To say it has been a busy year is an understatement .

via GIPHY

I am sure you can relate to have to navigate COVID protocols, integrating students back into what it means to be a student as well as be around others. Then you have constantly shifting protocols, mandates, etc. Yet on top of all of that we had to teach as well not to mention the curve balls that were or still are being thrown at us. Well it is spring break in my district and I am taking time to not only rest but to catch up. I have missed doing my semi-regular blog/podcast posting so for this one I will catch you up on what is going on in my/with my classes.

When last we talked I shared a little at home project I did with my kids regarding their shoe decoration business & how I was looking forward to applying what I learned from my own kids to my classroom.

So it has been a semester and a half and I can say I have been having fun with doing more project based learning in my class. What I chose to do was have my classes work on some old school game design. By old school game design I mean board or card games. One thing we were encouraged to do was manage our kids screen time now that were were back in person. Well in an engineering/technology class that is hard to do since most of what we do is use computers to design. So I asked my resident experts (my own middle school aged kids) what they thought of my idea to have my classes create a board or card game using our classroom tech. They thought it could work with a few tweaks. So that is the path I took/am taking my classes down this year (and quite possibly into the future). 

The goal is to run my class sort of like a small business where I have "employees" whom I need to train to do the work that is needed to create our old school game. My rational for choosing old school game design was that I wanted to give kids the experience of playing games in a social way that helped them reconnect with friends and family. One thing I quickly learned when students came back in person was they had little to no practice being social amongst their peers and elders. They needed to know how to handle being around other kids who were not in their immediate family. I wanted to give an opportunity to engage with their peers in a way that was fun and organized; hence the design a game they could play. My design an old school game idea gave me the opportunity to not only get them off the screens but also empower them to interact with their friends/peers in a positive way. Since they designed the game they would have to explain it as well as problem solve around issues that came up during play. It also allows for conversation in a structured way on various topics such as how did you create this, where did you get the idea, how do you play, etc. I will say the journey has been interesting and I am still tweaking things as I go along.

To start I teach kids the basics of file management and the engineering/design process. Then I go into project manager mode and tell them as employees they need some training to do their jobs & that it is my job to make sure they are trained. We jump into learning how to make templates for posters using MS publisher. Then we go into 2d design both mono-color and multicolor designs for stickers and cartoon graphics using sketch.io. Finally we end off with a brief foray into 3d design  using tinkercad. Once they have a basic skills we go into doing some research by playing various board, card, and dice games. While playing they need to find collect information on:

1. The theme/genre of the game

2. What is the objective

3. Is it a turn or rounds based game

4. How many players are needed (minimum & maximum)

5. Rating of how hard the game is

6. Rating of how fun/engaging the game is

7. What type of game it is

8. What elements of gaming does it include

Once our research is done we do some simple data analysis to decided what type of game we can design that will appeal to a middle school (10 to 13 year old) audience. After selecting our game type & theme we split into production teams and we start working on making the various things needed for our game such as:

• cards
• board
• rules
• box
• pieces
• dice
• tokens
• etc.

After everything is created we go into play testing mode to work out the kinks and once that is done we go into production.

So far we have come close with 2 out of my 4 engineering classes making a complete game. Unfortunately the semester came to an end before they could get me all the production parts. However it was a good life lesson about the importance of deadlines and what happens if you miss them. Hopefully this semester with the few tweaks in training and play testing as well as group management we will make our production goals.

I welcome your questions, thoughts, & suggestions. 

As always "Go Forth & Do Great Things!"

Power of PBL part 2

 Almost a month since I posted about PBL (Project Based Learning) and my mini experiment at home with my kids. It has been a fun and interesting time and I have learned lots that I can't wait to apply in the classroom. I in the time since I last posted (which I will talk more about in the accompany podcast) I have had discussions with others regarding PBL and life outside of school that have fueled my excitement for PBL this year. So lets jump in  :).

So here are pictures of the final product from my at home PBL experiment. 

Some background for those that may be just joining us; back in July I gave my 2 daughters a project to work on. I wanted them to design a pair of showes for me like they did earlier in the year. For one I told her I would pay her as she did for people early on and the other I just asked her to do it as a fun project. I did this for several reasons after reading the book "What school could be" by Ted Dintersmith with talks about reforming schools and education. My goal was to see if doing a project with a clear outcome but little upfront instruction (other than what they received in school) would be successful & fun. Also I wanted to see what would happen when they ran into problems or things they didn't know. Boy was I surprised at the outcomes and what I found.

What surprised me the most was the reaction to my principal when he asked my youngest about the project (the top pair of shoes the Vans). When asked if she felt it was fun her response was "It was ok." This was a dramatically different response than what I observed throughout the project. What I saw throughout the project was engagement and enthusiasm that I haven't seen from her when asked to do other things at home. For example as soon as I gave her the task she was mixing paint and giving me advice on what shade of yellow to buy so it would work the best. Also she was very attentive to talking about design ideas and offering her opinion as well as asking clarifying questions. Once she was clear on the expectation she started to work checking in along the way to make sure I was happy with her work as well as accepting feedback for improvement. All this from a shy girl who doesn't like to be told what to do or asked to do work around the house. From start to finish she completed her project within 2 weeks of assignment. The interesting part was I didn't offer to pay her until she asked if she was getting paid once they were completed (I think this was because she found out her older sister was getting paid). 

My other surprise was how the "reward" affected the time and motivation of my older daughter. She is the lower set of shoes (the Converse) and it took her a lot longer, about 3+ weeks, to complete her pair of shoes but to be fair she did have a few more things going on in life. The only real difference other than design was that I offered to pay her upfront which I thought would be more motivating. Turns out it wasn't; what was motivating was the experiences throughout the project. The engagement level was close to the same with high engagement in helping me pick out shoes and asking about help with materials to get straight lines. She did do the same of asking clarifying questions and negotiating the final design. I think the biggest thing for me to witness was the confidence level in ability going up as evidence by both the lack of questions once started and correcting my errors on design without consultation.

My several take a ways from this are:

1. Intrinsic motivation does exist in kids; it is just finding out how to tap into it.

2. Formative feedback is not only important but also motivating

3. Summative assessment is important to some but not all

4. Projects were much more informative as to skills learned & needed than tests & quizzes

    a. I didn't know my kids knew how to mix paint to get different shades, check spelling of Nordic runes, ask clarifying questions with substance

5. Kids will rise to the level of expectation set for them

6. Kids don't need a "due" date to get things done

I can't wait to get this going in my classroom this year as well as blog/podcast about it as a from of reflection/assessment. How I will apply the above take a ways:

1. Focus less on points and grades and more on the journey and feedback along the way

2. Work with students on setting goals or identifying skills they want to achieve

3. Focus more on the formative assessment opportunities from projects than on the summative nature

4. Holding the same level of high expectations but making sure to scaffold more

5. Focus more on support and guidance rather than due dates

I welcome your comments, feedback, and suggestions on this and other topics.

As always "Go Forth, & Do Great Things!"

Podcast link

Power of PBL outside of school

 As I sit here on a Saturday morning I am starting to think about the upcoming school year and I am getting excited. Yes excited. I  know there will be some new wrinkles to deal with such as mask vs no mask, social distancing, etc. but I can see a little bit of normal coming back. That is not what is getting me excited. What is exciting me is a chance to re-engage kids with creating something from scratch, doing something using the skills they have as well as empowering them to learn new ones as well as honing my PBL skills.

I tested this out this summer after reading the book "What School Could Be" by Ted Dintersmith. I gave my two daughters a project to complete for me. After seeing them earlier in the year work on taking canvas shoes and painting designs on them I asked that they create something for me. One daughter I asked how much she would charge me to do a pair of Converse Chuck Taylor All Starts and the other I just asked to do it. The results were as I expected but really helped me see the power of doing PBL in the classroom. 

How I approached this project is similar to how I could in my classroom and/or how I would approach an artist to do a work for me. I asked if they were interested and what they needed to get started. I worked out a draft design of what I wanted and gave it to both "artists". I then gave them the parameters (specs for you in an engineering class) of my project. They asked a few questions and then got going on the project. I did not give a timeline for the project and stressed I wanted it be something that was fun and enjoyable. I also told them that if they needed something (tool, skill, etc) to let me know so I could help.

The one who I told I would pay her for is dragging her feet and I can only think she is seeing it as a chore more than a project. However she is also starting her sophomore year in high school and other stresses of being 15 years old coming out of a pandemic. This is a good opportunity to try out some intrinsic motivation strategies as well as see how I can work with her on this project. Some may count this as a failure or an example of why PBL is not a good idea in the classroom. I see it vastly differently; I see it as an example of how grades can demotivate students.  

The other one I didn't say I would pay her just that I wanted her to do a design on a pair of Van's Checkered Skate shoes. The main difference with her was I didn't tell her I would pay her for her services. What was interesting was as soon as I got the shoes in her hands she wanted to jump on creating them. She went through several mock-ups of designs as well as testing out paint colors for me. Once we agreed on the design and color she got to work. Watching her use painter's tape to block out the individual squares she was painting and marking end points etc. was fascinating to watch. All in all it took her less than a week to complete the project and the smile on her face when I first walked out the door with them on was all evidence I needed to know this was a success. And yes I did pay her for her services. For those interested here are photos of the completed shoes:

Yes these are University of Washington themed shoes. Go Dawgs!

What I have learned through this simple application of PBL at home are:

1. It is a great way to reinforce intrinsic motivation
2. You don't need to have every part of the project mapped out ahead
3. It is ok if you are not an expert on what kids are doing
4. Failure is not always a bad thing
5. Kids love to create things
6. Due dates to mean on time delivery

I can't wait to try this out in a larger scale in my classroom this year and apply the lessons learned. My goal is to give each of the 3 classes I teach a theme. One will be designing a physical game with a theme and has both a physical and graphic component. The kids will decide most of the components that make it up as well as the rules etc. Another will be based off of the FIRST FTC them of Freight Frenzy. Student's will need to identify a problem with distributing goods and/or access services and then come up with, test, and present a solution to their problem. My last class will be a little more scripted that true PBL as I need to teach them both how to build and program a robot using Java. They will have the ability to design their own robot and write their own code to complete the tasks for the class but there will be more teaching of concepts since most kids taking the class have only minor background knowledge.

I will check back on this blog and podcast as to how it is going in the classroom. I also welcome you thoughts and suggestions.

As always "Go Forth & Do Great Things!"

Link to podcast version

Leveraging Creativity

In my last post I talked about the importance of project based learning as a better way to:

1. Prepare kids for working outside of education
2. Assess kids understanding of standards and skills
3. Retaining knowledge and skills over time

Now I want to talk about how I am planning on putting this into practice in my classroom next school year. After listening to the latest Son's of Technology podcast I found my inspiration for next school year. In this podcast they presenters talked about kids needing to create and the easy of which the create in relation to gaming they also talked about how video games are a double edged sword when it comes to education and kids well being. I am going to focus more on the part of kids needing to create.

In this day an age it is easy for kids to jump on a game and share what they are doing with friends and strangers. You have platforms like discord, youtube, and various console sharing apps that allow kids to share their gaming experience. I will say I was/am a bit skeptical of this as a way of interacting with others as well as putting kids online too much. However as a parent I can manage the screen time but as for the social interaction portion my son is helping to open my eyes to the possibilities of this platforms.  As we all know social emotional learning is vital to a kids development. I think sometimes we think that video games serve as a negative influence but I am reading about and seeing where they have a positive influence, to a point. But I digress the topic I want to talk about is how I am going to leverage kids need to create and gaming in my classroom as it relates to project based learning.

For those of you who don't know I teach 2 to 3 different classes at a local middle school. I teach: Robotics and Programming (Based off of the FIRST Tech Challenge & using the REV robotics platform), Introduction to Engineering (Curriculum changes from year to year), and sometimes the PLTW course Flight & Space. Robotics and Flight & Space are your standard curriculum in a box type courses with me doing a few little tweaks here and there. My Intro to Engineering class is the one I have a lot of flexibility with. The primary focus is on teaching kids the Engineering/Design process so they are prepared for robotics or Flight & Space. I have had a set curriculum based such as code.org's CS Discoveries, to a choose your own project type course (similar to my old shop classes in middle school). to various others. However this year I am think I am going to try a variation on project type course that will allow me to focus more a a common goal and will let me both teach the engineering process as well as how to work cooperatively. The later is probably more important as we move from a manufacturing economy to a innovative economy. 

My plan is to have kids work on designing, creating, & marketing a game. However it will not necessarily be a video game. My goal is to have them make a board game that can have video components. In my classroom kids have access to a variety of tools ranging from 3d printers to vinyl cutters, programming language, 2d design apps, etc. In the past I have had kids work on these tools individually on projects of their choice which was good but there was little cooperative work other than just showing classmates how to do things they may not have known how to do I want to take it to the next level. Working together with others in class as well as with others outside of their class (in other periods.). I have tried this before and it didn't go so well but with new inspiration and kids better prepared with background knowledge of social tools I think this could go well. My ultimate goal is to have a game that kids could take home and play with friends and family. We will see how this goes as the year progresses.

I welcome your thoughts, ideas, suggestions, etc.

Go Forth & Do Great Things!

Podcast version

Teaching the creativity out of our students

 It has been over a year since my last blog post/podcast. My plan was to post more as way of helping other teachers through pandemic teaching as well as helping myself destress from the same. Unfortunately the demands of teaching online to start and then move to hybrid in person teaching as well as trying to maintain a balance between online and in-person took up a good portion of my time. That being said I am happy to report it is now summer where I am and I am looking forward to hopefully getting back on a somewhat regular schedule. 

I started reading a book entitled "What School Could Be" by Ted Dintersmith. It was a parting gift by our principal to staff along with a Rocky Road Candy bar. It was his way of saying thanks for all the hard work we have done over the Rocky Road of Pandemic Teaching and giving us something to look forward to for next year. I know that I jokingly said as he gave us the gift "Is it another book?" referring to the book we all got from our school district earlier. For some getting a book to read over the summer my seem like a backhanded compliment for a job well done in teaching. Isn't that what teachers do through out the year is read? We read emails, we read essays, we read tests, we read novels, and on and on. I know I look to summer as wanting to get away from reading or to focus on a good Steven King novel. (By the way I just finished Mr. Mercedes and I recommend it if you are looking for a thriller detective novel. Ok back to my post). Now don't get me wrong like most teachers I do use my summer to do trainings and continue to sharpen/hone my teaching skills but one must have balance. After finishing the aforementioned novel I decided to pick up the Dintersmith book. I had some conversation with one other staff member familiar with his work and he spoke highly of the Author. I will admit I was a bit skeptical but once I started I had a hard time putting it down until a passage that prompted me to write/record this post. 

The passage the got me to put the book down and get me back on my blog/podcast is where Dintersmith is in the second chapter where he is talking about a high school in Minot North Dakota. In the passage the teacher talks about applying the concept of Genius hour in his class. The teacher talks about what happened when he told his students about getting a class period to focus on their (student's) interests. "...[A]fter informing them they [would have] one hour a week to work on whatever they're interested in, half the students did a Google search for 'What should I be interested in?'..." This hit me hard as a teacher and I hope it hits you hard as well. For me it hits home because it describes what I see in my Engineering, robotics, and after school club almost daily, kids are loosing their ability to be and think creatively. Often times when I do a presentation I am asked "Is this going to be on the test?" or with a project/assignment kids will ask "What do I need to do to get an A?" Kids love my first response "I don't give tests". Often times as soon as they hear that they stop taking notes but then soon learn that they need to go back and get the info as I don't repeat my presentations (except in video form that they can watch on their own). My response to the second one is more complicated. In my projects/assignments I try to structure them like a contract for an engineering project. I give kids the big picture of why we are doing the project, I then given them the procedure that they can follow, I then given them the specs or must haves for the project, then I lay out the points each spec is worth. With all my projects I focus on specific skills or concepts (standards if you will) students need to have an understanding of in order to give them feedback. Often times I get the question "What do you want us to do?" or "Is this good enough?" or "Does this look good?". They hate it when I refer them back to the project description or just give them feedback on the skills I see them working on. Most of the kids work past their frustration but some don't. Some just want me to tell them what to do to get the grade. Some do give up and say "I didn't teach them anything." The later are the ones that I try to support but ultimately break my teaching heart and hopefully it breaks yours.

I am buoyed by this book so far in that the focus, so far, is on moving education reform in a way to sparks creativity. As kids we are naturally creative but in school we teach it out of them. How do we do this? By teaching to the test. All too often I hear teachers talk about how they have to prep kids for the state test. They can't do anything fun because of the state tests. They have no time for projects till after the state tests are done. When I tell them that the fun projects they do (like or math departments "Life Project" or our social studies "Culture & Washington State History Fairs" will help prep them for the test better than anything; I am told that kids have to learn the skills first or that the test doesn't assess application. These things go against tons of education research that says when kids are given the opportunity to apply knowledge and skill in real world applications they understand and retain those concepts better. Add on having them teach knowledge &/or skills to others you have hit the learning motherload. 

To wrap up this post I give those who read/listen a charge. I ask that you do one or more of the following over the summer to help engage your students next year:

1. Read the book "What School Could Be" by Ted Dintersmith

2. Redesign an assessment you give to be a real life project that assesses the same skills/knowledge

3. Have a conversation with colleagues about how you can create interdisciplinary projects that encourage/empower kids to be creative

4. Look at attending professional learning on project based learning 

5. Comment on this blog or podcast about what you are already doing to encourage your kids to be creative.

I can't wait to hear about how your work on the above task go. As always "Go Forth & Do Great Things!"

Podcast link: 

Ideas for prepping for fall

Last time I talked about my thoughts on what needs to happen for a successful start post COVID-19. Today I want to get more into the nitty gritty of the classroom. What things can teachers be doing over the summer to get their classrooms, curriculum, management systems, etc. ready for whatever the fall may bring us. As with most of you out there I am waiting with baited breath to see what guidance our state is going to give districts on opening up schools next fall. However being the planner that I am, it is hard for me to sit and wait so I have already started planning what things will look like in my classroom post COVID. A lot of the ideas I talk about below are based on years of teaching in a tech classroom as well as from what I have learned worked and didn't work this year. I hope you find some these ideas/thoughts useful and would love to hear your ideas on how you are preparing to a post COVID classroom.

To start off with I am going to rework my classroom procedures so that kids know how to do things digitally in my classroom. I am going to spend a lot of time showing students how to use email, Google classroom, and hangouts as a communications tool. This was a big hurdle in my online teaching this spring is that kids were not familiar with:

• How to communicate with me digitally and I with them
• My goals/plan
• Teach them how to use email
• Teach them to how use Google classroom comments
• Show them how and when to use hangouts
• I also plan on opening up a class Instagram
• Shorten instructional videos to 5 to 6 minute clips
• How to submit work digitally in classroom
• My goals/plan
• Teach how to read an assignment description
• Show how to attach various type of work to google classroom
• Use private comments as a feedback tool
• Put together a cheat sheet/webpage for families
• My goals/plan
• Put together instructions for families on communication
• Show them the connection between our google classroom and Skyward (IMS)
• Question to ask their child to check for work/understanding of assignment
• Key things to look for when students say they are finished with work
• Create a flowchart
• How assignments or done in my class from when I assign to turn in
• How communication works in my class with students

The hope/goal is for kids and families to be ready if/when we have switch to digital/distance learning next year. 

Along those lines I am going to have more digital options of assignments in my back pocket ready to go. This spring I went with one curriculum for my each of my classes. However I heard loud and clear that students were either really excited about the work or not very interested in the work I chose. I know that some of you may not be able or want to run multiple curriculums/projects in your class. So my suggestion to you is to have digital versions of your curriculum ready to go. This may be a bit of extra work but it is good to have them in your back pocket ready to go. Also you may find that digitizing your work may make it more engaging for students. Especially your presentations. I have found that recording my presentations (what some may call lectures) opens me up for working more with kids 1:1 or in small groups. Also by recording your presentations if we do go to more digital/distance learning you can throw a lifeline to parents and families. One thing I have heard consistently is that parents are frustrated with not knowing how to do some or all of the work kids were assigned. I know I can speak personally about that. However when I chatted with some folks in my neighborhood almost all agreed that it would a little easier to help their child watch a video and take notes. This makes sense as most people have experience watching video, tv, etc. and recalling the key or important concepts.  

As for classroom management a lot of that is going to be centered on the classroom procedures I mentioned earlier. Teaching and reinforcing the process getting and submitting work. However I also want to teach my students what it means to be present in a digital world. I know that I went into digital/distance learning thinking this is going to be simple for kids. They have their chromebooks and other digital devices and they already knew a lot about apps, websites, etc. No I wasn't naive in thinking there wouldn't be challenges like lack of connection, distractions at home (games, siblings, toys, etc.), lack of familiar support, social emotional challenges, and others. What I wasn't prepared for was how kids didn't know how to be present in an online world. Watching my kids doing digital learning gave me great insight. To them being present online means 2 different things on is social and one is academic. The two are very different from what I expected. Academically they would get online look at the work and try to figure it out then wait for someone to check on them it was one of passive engagement. They were expecting either the teacher or me to prompt them or check in with them before moving on. There was no active engagement unless we pushed them to engage with their teacher. However watching them engage online in a social context was more what I was expecting. They was active listening with questions about things they didn't understand, synthesizing information shared to accomplish a task and giving feedback and support to encourage others, and even calling out others when behavior is not appropriate. My goal is to help my students transfer their social online skills to a more academic setting.  To do this they need to know what office hours are and how to use them. They also need to know how to get into an online classroom whether that be a zoom or google hangouts, or other platform.

These are just some of the thoughts and ideas I have and hope you find them helpful. If you need help applying them your classroom and/or situation please reach out out to me in the comments or via email listed below. I would love to hear from you and help out if I can.

As always Go Forth and Do Great Things!

Email link

Podcast link

Fall will be here sooner than we think, Then what.

I hope you all are enjoying or making the best of whatever situation you may be in during these unprecedented times. I know I am enjoying some warm sunny weather as I give feedback on student work, plan out my next lessons, and meet with colleagues. I hope you all are getting out and enjoying the ever increasing summer like weather where you are at. I and my wife try to get out as much as we can to enjoy a walk or leisurely drive either with our kids or by ourselves. Often times when we are out we run into neighbors, friends, strangers, etc. During these encounters it comes up that I am a teacher which usually shifts the conversation towards my thoughts on distance/online learning and then to what I think school may look like in the fall. It might be a bit early to think about going back to school in the fall and what that might look like, but then again maybe not. I know that a lot of my colleagues are curious about what school might look like and I am seeing news story after news story contemplating what it will look like once we reopen in the fall. The CDC has issued guidelines/recommendations for schools. I also know that my state is starting to look at what the fall may look like with a 100 member task force looking at roughly 7 different models and hope to be able to give guidance. I have no clue as to what it might look like going forward I have my thoughts and preferences which I do share with the people we encounter. However that is not what I want to do here with this post. My goal with this post is to give some guidance on how we can prep kids and ourselves over the summer to better reach out and support kids for the next school year.

I don't have a crystal ball so I don't know what next fall will look like other than we will need to be teaching kids in somewhat shape or from. The suggestions I talk about today are my own based on my work reviewing online learning programs as well as experiences starting up schools and classrooms over the past 20+ years. The suggestions I mention here can be adapted no mater what opening up situation we encounter in the fall. With all that said I do welcome your comments and ideas as well as to call me out on why I suggest something that doesn't make sense. So lets get started. 

So as we move into the fall we need to look at things from 3 different aspects:

1. Teaching content
2. Platform
3. Communication
4. Fun

Starting with the first one content. One thing that goes without question and that is we are all masters of the content we teach. We can all agree that face to face learning is best but in absence of that there are some things we can do to make content delivery better. One suggestion is to work with the curriculum you have as in most cases it can be adapted to an online format. After all that is what we as teachers do we adapt and overcome as we encounter obstacles. Don't think that just because it is online that you need some crazy new fanged curriculum or delivery system. As an example I am using the same curriculum as I do in the classroom with some slight modifications. A second suggestion is to look at moving to a flipped model. Hopefully most of us are familiar with some sort of a flipped model classroom. With the flipped model you are having kids watch your instruction at home which is easier for not only students but also families. Most students can watch a video and take notes with some instruction to relate it to how you do with in class. Along with that most families can help their kids with watching a video and taking notes. The biggest complaint I have heard about is that families are struggling with helping their kids with things like math or science or other subjects. Which brings me to my third suggestion for content which is to assume nothing. This is something we as teachers have good experience with already but it is something to keep in mind. It is hard to deliver content without a platform.

To get the content out to students we need a platform. This is probably the one that may be out of our control but I hope to give some suggestions you can pass along to your districts and/or encourage you to look at the platform you have in a different way.  What ever platform is used it should be easy to access and navigate for both students and families. If the platform is not easy to access students will resist doing and turning in work. Also families will struggle to support you in your efforts of helping students get work in. As I mentioned in the last paragraph don't assume your platform is easy to use. One thing I have learned during this time is that a platform I use, Google classroom, is not as easy to use as I thought. Yes it is simple but there is a learning curve for all that use it. For example I had to learn what the parent side of google classroom looks like. It is simply an email (either a daily or weekly) summary of what is "going on" in the google classroom. I also learned that in that email are working links to sites you include in posts and/or assignments which is helpful. One thing to keep in mind is that summary can get overwhelming as it is one long email for each class that a student may have (if the families have linked to your class). Whatever platform you use it should be as close to one stop shopping as possible.  Students and Families should be able to get all the info they need from as few places (clicks/links) as possible. They should be able to get grades, assignment info, materials, and hand in all in the same place. The more links/places they have to go to complete an assignment the better the chance they will loose engagement in your class. To help with this we need to talk about the 3rd area which is communication.

This is probably the most important of the 3 areas that of communication. There are as many ways to communicate via distance as there are lessons we need to teach (if not more). There is no one tool that is better than others if anything we should be tailoring what tool we use to the audience we are trying to communicate with. For most students email probably is not the best. Students these days are used to a more instant form of communication such as Snap chat or Instagram. What I have found is communicating with them via comments on assignments or email (although they will do that reluctantly). If you are brave enough you can try google hangouts or say Instagram (make sure to have a personal and professional account). Teacher that have done this have had more success in communicating with students. However I know that may not be allowed in your district. Make sure to check with your district regarding communication policy with students. As for families email or phone may be a better way to communicate. Lastly as we all know whatever method you choose or are allowed to use make sure it is consistent. The more consistent you can make it the better results you will get. Along with being consistent within in your class if you can make it consistent school wide that is even better. Although then again as teachers we know that. Lastly with communication it is important that expectations are communicated once established. One thing that I learned over the last 3 months is that I need to do a better job of teaching my kids my expectations regarding:

• Communication
• email
• Google Classroom
• Hangouts
• Work habits
• Note taking
• Watching videos
• Assignments
• Structure
• Turning in
• Asking for help

The more we can teach students what the expectations are and how to meet them (just good teaching) the more successful any program (online and face to face) will be. 

Lastly whatever we do we have to remember the fun aspect of school. We may not think it but kids expect to have fun at school. They expect fun work to do and also expect to get some of their social needs met. When I say focus on fun I am not saying that all the work/assignments we give kids has to be fun (although that would be a bonus). What I do suggest is that you do things like my music teacher does and host class contests. He is currently hosting an idol like contest with his choir class. Kids are loving this and totally engaged. Also our ASB is hosting weekly activities like trivia night. Things that I have done is to host a typing contest using nitrotype. Also when I host a zoom meeting I make sure to let kids know they are welcome to ask questions, request a demo, or just check in. I find more often that not they want to simply check in which is ok. Along with the fun part is to check in with them and ask them how they are doing and what they are doing. Just as in our face to face classroom students want to get to know us and see us as a whole person and not just a teacher. 

There is a lot here to think about and I would love to hear your thoughts, ideas, and suggestions about best practices of starting up next year. 

As always: "Go Forth and Do Great Things!"

Podcast link

Video link mentioned in podcast: Quick video on how to make better instructional videos by Edutopia

Link to article on need for uniform LMS (Learning Management System).

Zoom Fatigue: What is it and how to combat it.

As we move into our 3rd to 4th month of online/distance teaching we are all feeling tired, stressed, and overwhelmed. We have had to make a 180 degree shift in teaching style; it is almost like we have all been required to do flipped learning with no training. Hang in there it will get better as we go along and figure this out and as we always do as teachers "Master this new form learning". One thing we need to wrap our brains around is the whole online meeting thing especially this new thing called Zoom Fatigue.

For some of us the stress of online meetings set in quickly. The stress of being on camera online figuring out how to reverse thoughts of not wanting to use the webcam. Not wanting to allow "Students" into our homes and/or the new boundaries that needed to be figure out. Then you throw in trying to figure out how to set up our remote classroom so we can get online and all the troubleshooting that goes along with that. All of that on top of trying to plan lessons, contact students and families, as well as maintain our own home front. Yet as we teachers do we did and continue to do it week in and week out. That is what makes us so unique is that we as Teachers are adaptable to most any situation. That being said we now have a new issue regarding online learning that we could use some help understanding what it is, why it is and how to prevent it, that of the fatigue that comes with meeting online aptly named: Zoom Fatigue. 

Simply put Zoom Fatigue is the feeling of tiredness we experience after being a part of an online meeting. Part of it is being stuck in an unnatural/uncomfortable position for long periods of time. Being forced to sit in furniture that wasn't meant to be sat in that long. We are as humans and teachers meant to be mobile. It is also looking at a digital screen no matter what size for extend periods of time with all that blue light coming back at us to which I recommend a pair of computer glasses with blue light blocking lens. However it is more than that even it is also a social fatigue that we as humans are not designed for mentally. As humans we are social creatures and are brains are structured in a way take advantage of that to be able to survive. We learn early on how to get the attention of care givers before language skills develop. We learn how to read non-verbal ques to be able to read a situation and react appropriately. We crave human interaction in some form (yes even those introverts like me). That being said our brains have adapted to surviving in a live up close, 3d social world but now we are thrust into an online world that is distant, 2d, limited to multiple  2"x 3" boxes, and throw in tons of distractions and our brains become overwhelmed and taxed to the point of our exhaustion. It can be similar to how we watch TV, YouTube, or other online videos. We watch but are often times doing other things because we are not fully invested in what is going on. Our brains look for other ways to stimulate because we are not getting the same stimuli as we would in a face to face conversation. Also with video we have distractions that are easier to buy into versus a face to face conversation. In an online conversation we can fidget with things on our desk, read email or other online activities. Now don't get me wrong I am not making a case for abandoning online learning or justifying why face to face instruction is better. What I am saying is that we need to be aware of this new type of fatigue in ourselves and our students and work to prevent it or at least counter it.

So what can we as teachers do for ourselves to help prevent or at least assuage zoom fatigue? To start with cut back on the number of meetings both in length and number of days we have meetings. Also try standing up when you have a meeting as opposed to sitting. To help with standing if you have the ability try calling in on the phone. This gives you the ability to walk and talk also we don't need to focus  

on a screen thus making it easier to take notes. Other suggestions are to avoid a grid view of participants. I suggest using a single person view or one that displays who is speaking; this will give you only one person to focus on which is easier on the brain. For online meeting with students those suggestions certainly apply but also give these a try:

• Use zoom for check ins only
• Question and answer
• How is it going
• Do simple demos 
• Try to avoid teaching a whole lesson or class session 
• Schedule them out so you only get small numbers of students at a time
• Be ok with kids not using video 

These are by no means the only things that one can do but hopefuly they are a start. One last thought is a positive aspect of zoom meetings for some of our Autistic students. Online meeting are being seen as helpful for those kids who have trouble processing social cues in conversation. The pauses of people not talking or trying to figure out who's turn it is are actually helpful to allow them to engage in a conversation. Something to think about going forward.

Below are a few resources I found to be helpful. I also encourage you to share your thoughts and ideas and suggestions around this or any other topic I talk about on this blog.

As always: Go Forth and Do Great Things!

Resources and podcast link

• https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/2020/04/coronavirus-zoom-fatigue-is-taxing-the-brain-here-is-why-that-happens/#close 
• https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/lifetime-connections/202004/zoom-fatigue-dont-let-video-meetings-zap-your-energy
• Podcast link

Starting back up

For many of us we have been immersed in online learning for the past couple of months. Hopefully you are handling the transition from face to face to online learning at least somewhat comfortable if not something that really isn't too hard. If you are struggling I recommend checking out the Virtual Ed Tech conference at https://learningrevolution.com/. I have attended a few of their sessions and found them to be helpful both for online teaching and for when we get back to face to face. Regardless of how you feel about online/distance learning it is time to start thinking about starting back up. If you are like me you may have been thinking about how do we deal with the issue the loss in learning that may (say I said may) be facing us if/when we get back into the classroom. I used the word "may" very purposefully which I want to talk about today.

It is not lost on me that students are missing out on some learning or that there will be skill gaps between peers as we move forward next school year. If you are like me you are embracing this as an opportunity to dig deeper into topics/skills that you would normally go an inch deep and move on so you can get through what you need in the curriculum before the end of the year. I know I have read and hear a lot of professionals approach panic about next year about how we are going to "Get kids caught up" or " Make up for what they lost" or some even saying they worry about the future due to the loss of learning. I thought that way for a few moments then as I was discussing this topic with my "How Do I Learn" (HDIL) group, that studies application of brain science in education, I was reminded learning is sequential and can't be compressed. It needs to happen over time and can't/shouldn't be forced. That has been tried in the past and currently and it just doesn't work. So I am going to postulate something wild; that we should start up next year as a new starting point and move forward.

I have learned over the years of working with HDIL that kids are resilient and will bounce back as we move towards normal. However that being said it is not lost on me that there will be inequities between peers due to trauma. We will have a wealth of kids who fit into several categories ranging from little traumatic affect to those who had severe trauma. Yet don't we have those issues in class normally and we adapt our teaching to meet their needs. What I am saying though is we should look at starting next year as if kids are coming to us fresh from last year, meet them where they are at and move forward form there and not try to forcibly try and catch them to where "standards" say they should be (dare we even think about adjusting the standards). Yes I know I can imagine the in rush of air and possibly panic attacks going on as you read this blog.

I can hear it now "But what about the standards?" "If we don't get them caught up then they won't be ready for the state tests" "They won't be prepared for (insert post school choice here) if we don't catch them up". Yes you might be right but what happens if we do try and forcibly try to catch them up? We risk kids hitting and going past frustration level where learning stops due to shut down, kids not being emotionally ready to learn, not enough time for kids to absorb all that needs to be in order to be "caught up". Most importantly we risk turning kids off to learning which will be more detrimental than not being caught up by the end of next year. Maybe it is time to look at the standards or state tests for what they are; simply mile markers and way posts along the journey of learning.

I am not saying we need to abandon standards in education. What I am proposing is that maybe it is time to reassess them in the post pandemic educational world to make them work for our kids rather than against them. I have always seen standards as way makers in the journey of learning. They help me guide what I should be teaching but I never look at them for where kids should be by a specific time. Yes it would be nice if by the end of say 7th grade all kids new how to type at 25 to 30+ words a minute and be able to consistently use unique file names on digital work they create. Yet I know that there are some kids who are not ready to meet that standard until later on for a variety of  reasons.

Bringing it back to starting up next school year we will have a lot more kids who will need us to be able to meet them where they are and help guide them along the journey of life long learning. Dare I say we continue to adopt what our State Superintendent of Public Instruction has tasked us with when this all started approach learning from the stand point of being Communicative, Compassionate, and Do No Harm. That challenge has resonated with me both as a struggle to fit into how I teach and engage kids but also as a guiding light. I truly believe that we should start next year from where the kids are at and move forward rather than trying to get them caught up.

I can't wait to hear your thoughts and ideas about this topic. I encourage you to subscribe and/or leave comments. As always "Go Forth & Do Great Things!"

 Podcast link

Silver lining

I chose the image above because it represents the ray of hope and silver lining I see in a hopeful pedagogical shift in education as we move forward with 'online-learning', 'distance education', or whatever your district is calling it. That shift is a move to providing instruction in more than just face to face venues. For years doing face to face has been the go to expectation for instruction and online/distance learning has been pushed to fringes of alternative learning for those that needed something other than traditional face to face. Now don't get me wrong I still think the traditional face to face model is the best for most kids when it comes to instruction. Nothing can replace having a student in your class and being able to see them working and to be able to give real time feedback. However that being said I believe there is an opportunity to address an issue with the face to face model that a lot of teacher struggle with, what to do when kids are absent.

It is ironic that it takes a pandemic and stay at home orders to get students and teachers to stay home both when they are not and they are feeling well. How many of us have uttered this phrase or something like it "I would rather go to work sick than write sub-plans". Yes the bane of most teachers existence the all mighty sub-plans. Yes I am guilty of it myself of going to work on days I should have stayed home rather than write sub-plans or because I know the kids won't do what is needed because there is a sub. On the flip side, as a parent, I have also committed the sin of sending my kids to school so I and my wife could go to work when they are sick. Another off shoot of this dilemma is those families who take their kids out of school at odd times to "take a trip of a lifetime" or to take advantage of off season travel deals. Even as a teacher who knows better I have done this at least once. That all being said I believe the pedagogical shift we are all having to face now is the answer to some of those problems.

Instead of seeing online teaching as a necessary evil in these rough times. I believe it is something we should embrace as a new normal. When planning lessons It is important to look at it form the face to face perspective and from the online perspective. How cool would it be to be able to stay home and teach your class remotely when you are feeling just be little under the weather or if your kids could stay home when sick and still do the activities/lessons for the day. Yes it might be a little more work but I have found through the flipped model of teaching, once you get into and used to the in's and out's it is quite easy. Yes it takes some more tools and possibly equipment but often times you can get what you need as a free or freeium extension on a chormebook or plugin. I am not foolish to think that there are not other challenges to this over planning. Yes I understand that the biggest one is that of access to the internet and/or equipment. However as most if not all of the county is being forced to do online learning they are also having to face those challenges as well. I have heard talk at least in Washington State the broadband access should be considered a utility like phone service, sewer & water, etc. Also more and more districts are starting to explore and adopt some form of 1:1 model to provide instructional technology access to students. The time is ripe for all of us to start to adapt our current lessons and instruction to one that can be done both online and face to face.

For those that are ready to start to explore this shift here is how I go about making my learning accessible both fact to face and online.  I start out by building a relationship with my students and letting them know a little bit about me and my story, just like any good teacher. I also talk about and model the importance of taking notes during a presentation (I try not to call it a lecture due to the negative connotation & because outside of school no one lectures). I then start shifting my presentations to both an in-person and online format by recording them and posting them on youtube. The format I use for taking notes while watching a video is broken into 3 parts:

1. Watch video/presentation all the way through to get the big picture. I like my students to know where they are going before they get there. They have to 2 guiding questions: What is the final product and What are the expectations (although I use the term specs). I also have them write down questions they may have.
2. Watch the video/presentation again taking notes on the procedure, details, instructions, hints, etc.
3. Watch the video a final time looking for answers to questions they wrote down in previous viewings and writing down questions that are not answered or that you may have regarding how to complete the activity.

During each viewing I encourage them to pause and play the presentation. I also encourage students to use CC (closed captioning) to be able to see what I am saying. This is also a helpful tool for our English Language Learners to be able have CC in their native language (if they can read it). I also encourage them to write down questions during each phase to encourage active listening. Once they are finished watching the presentation they are able to either start the activity/project/lesson and send me questions. Students are able to send me questions in several different ways. They can ask in person or via email or via google form I created (to mimic the use of trouble tickets). From there the work is in the students hands and I wait for them to turn it and/or ask questions or for feedback.

The tools one will need to do this do come at some cost to you and/or your district (a webcam & mic, and laptop or computer). Although that being said there are some free to low cost options out there depending on how detailed you want to go. Most computers/laptops come with a built in webcam and mic. I chose to go with an external webcam and mic so I can record on my desktop at home and have better quality but they are certainly not needed. You can also find screencasting extensions, plugins, apps for free that will do the trick some I have used and recomend are Screencastify and Nimbus both do a good job on the free version but also offer freeium options. I chose to go with a video editing suite Movavi as it allows me to both record and edit video a little more professionally with effects and the like. Another option is to use the record meeting feature on your video conferencing app. You can do this by setting up a meeting with yourself and record it then save it and post it with your lesson.

After I have a recording of my presentation I post it along with the lesson in my google classroom page for the class to view along with all the the other digital materials needed for the lesson. This does pose a challenge of what if there are physical materials needed and I have students who don't have access. I am certainly in this boat with my robotics class. I have looked for virtual options such as CoderZ to provide a virtual option. This is where I defer to my experience with online learning and am looking into ways to provide those materials to kids via traditional mail. I don't have an answer as of yet but hope to soon.

So to close out this post I hope you are able to see the silver lining as I have described it and hope you at least start to think about how you can modify your lessons so they can be done both online and in the classroom. For those of you that have already done this or are doing this I look forward to your thoughts and suggestions in the comments.

As always "Go Forth and Do Great Things!"

Link to podcast
https://www.buzzsprout.com/662542/3325930

Music license podcast:

Fearless First by Kevin MacLeod

Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3742-fearless-first

License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

The Gift of Time

I was inspired this Sunday by a quote from one of my favorite Educational Leaders, Jimmy Casas (@casas_jimmy on twitter). I first encountered him at an ed tech conference where he talked about what it means to be a leader in today's world. I was inspired by his book "Start Right. Now" where he talks about leadership and what it means to be a leader. He has gone on to write more books on culture and being your best self. The quote he posted on twitter was:
     One of the most precious gifts we can give to others is the gift of time. Our influence is even greater when we invest in our students & colleagues in a kind & caring way that supports their success. When they do better we will feel better.
I think this encapsulates how we should be thinking as we venture into teaching online for the first time. Instead of worrying about test scores and how far we can go into the curriculum we should think about giving students an opportunity to explore and use what they have learned to make the world around them a better place. So to hopefully live up to Mr. Casas's quote I want to lay out my journey and hopefully give you some suggestions to use as we give our students the gift of time.

To start I plan on keeping it simple by just checking in with my kids and asking some basic questions like:

• How are you doing?
• What have you been doing?
• What were you working on before we left?
• What would you like to work on? 

The hope is to give them an opportunity to record a message (however they choose video via flipgrid, email, google doc, voice recording, google hangout, etc.) to reconnect with them. I also will be sharing how I am doing and what I have been doing. That will take us into spring break where I plan on encouraging them to get outside and get some fresh air, play a game, run around, basically be a kid. For a lot of my kids I imagine some of them have been taking care of siblings or helping out around the home. I want to try and give them permission to be a kid and play. I say this because as I have learned play is one of the best ways young kids can learn social skills. 

After spring break we will be working on 2 things review of the engineering/design process and figuring out what we want to do next. For our review I plan on having them focus on telling me about the parts of the engineering process and then have them apply that to a simple problem in their lives. Things like making a schedule, food delivery, making a meal, connecting with another person online, helping a teacher connect with/use online tools like zoom, google hangout, etc. My goal is to show them that they do have some control over what is going on and they also have something to offer. 

Once we have reviewed to Engineering/design process we will go into talking about what they want to work on which is where the gift of time comes in. I am going to treat it sort of like my 20% time project where they get to focus on a problem that is of importance to them. For some it may be focusing on school work, for others it may be actually tackling the problem to talked about in their review, for some it may be something else. My goal is to help them work on something that allows them to apply what they have learned and us that to dig deeper into their understanding. I imagine the 2 big thing will be to work on finding a cure and figuring out a way for life to return to normal. The other big topic I expect to come up is that of not wanting to take advantage of the time given and just be. I know some of my colleagues this is a concern and if life was normal and this was normal online learning I would be too, however this isn't normal. For some having time to not do work or just be is more important. That in and of itself is solving a problem as well, taking care of themselves and their family. Anyways that is my plan which may change at some point as I see how thing go and get more direction for the state and my district as to what I need to be doing.   

Some thoughts on what you could do based on the subjects that are out there:

• PE
• Have kids develop an personalized exercise routine
• Explore ways to do team games with virtual fans
• Invent new backyard sports/activities (Thank you KING5 sports for the idea)
• Have them teach and/or organize outdoor games/sports/activities with family
• Math
• Look for how products are design using geometric shapes and explain why they are that shape
• Develop a daily schedule using date and time
• Measure out their home and figure out the square footage of the home and rooms
• Design and outfit their dream home (thank you to my Math department for that idea) with a budget
• ELA
• Write a letter to nursing homes describing things they see around them and questions they may have
• Write up shopping lists for groceries and help plan out meals
• Develop a comic strip to hare with others 
• Record children's stories to post online
• Social Studies
• Use maps and research to plan a post quarantine trip
• Keep a historical journal of their daily activities for future civilizations
• Create a Google Lit trip of places they have heard about or studied in class
• Create a map of their home as if it was an ancient ruin
• Science
• Have them explore how the world is changing with the lack of human travel
• Track chemical reactions when mixing common household items
• Do a sleep study to see how different sleep habits affect mood, productivity
• Track data of activities around the home and see what patterns they notice
• Foreign Language
• Learn a new language
• Practice writing letters to people/pen pals in other countries
• Offer to do translations of important documents/materials/news casts
• Art
• Design a paint scheme for their room
• Explore different artistic styles
• Delve deeper into the relationship between colors, color and mood, etc.
• Create original works 
• Explore what Creative commons and copyright are
• Music/band
• Explore music theory
• Explore what IP is and how it relates to music
• Perform an online concert
• Produce a digital concert
• Improve soloist skills

This list doesn't hit every subject and certainly is not exhaustive but hopefully it is a start or at least inspires some ideas of your own. I would love to hear about what you think and any ideas you come up with to give your students the gift of time.

As always "Go Forth and Do Great Things!"

Link to MP3 of podcast.

Unprecedented Times call for Unprecedented Teaching

I am sure I am in the same boat as most if not all of you. I am at home doing all the things I told myself I would do when I got time. I am doing Kyte learning classes, I am reading coding books to learn new languages, I am doing yardwark, reading for pleasure (yes that does exist), working on CTE (Career and Technical Education) class frameworks, & thinking about my students. This last one just got real for me as I saw a message from our state education agency (OSPI) & article saying that education must go on. I know for me I got butterflies in my stomach about this. At first (I will be honest) I was a little frustrated and hurt but then I got excited about the possibilities of teaching remotely.

Last year our building had some extenuating circumstances with a small fire and lots of snow that had the possibility of sending us into the summer. In a planning meeting I half seriously suggested online learning. We were a 1:1 chromebook district and being a reviewer of online providers for our state was very familiar with the tools and programs out there; I could see how easily this could be done. My comment was met with a lot of skepticism from many of my colleagues, yet our Assistant Superintendent and leader of our TLI (Teaching Learning & Innovation) department expressed it wasn't a bad thought. He shared that it was being done back east to help with snow days. It turned out that online learning was not a good fit a the time but fast forward about a year and here we are trying to figure out how to do online learning equitably. There are a lot of hurdles that need to overcome and I don't have all the answers but I do want to address some of the ones that came up that are easy to deal with.

My colleagues had a lot of issues with online learning and I agree with some of them but that doesn't mean it can't work. One of the biggest is not all families have access at home; Yes this is a big issue but not so hard to overcome. Some districts have been issuing out hotspots to families that need them, providers are offering low cost internet for low income families, I am seeing more and more free hotspots pop up like comcast asking people with their modems to provide a hotspot, free internet at starbucks, etc. Cell companies like Verizon are now enabling phones to be used as hotspots on unlimited plans. So yes not everyone is connected there are ways to overcome this issue with a little creativity and resourcefulness. The second issue is what do we do about kids not showing up to "class online". What do we do with kids who don't show up to class in person? We mark them absent and a phone call goes home (at least in my state). Yes kids will not show up or will skip out in middle of class, etc. there just has to be consequences for when it happens. Trust me kids will show up if for nothing else to be able to be online (more on this later). The third issue was my subject can't be taught online for I teach music, art, science, PE, etc. and kids won't have the supplies. Well yes that is tough but again resources and creativity are the name of the game. There are tools like smart music, and flipgrid that students can record themselves playing and/or singing. While not perfect I believe no I know they will get better over time. As for science and virtual labs yes it is not the same as the real thing but then again medicine is not the real thing. More and more surgeries are becoming robotic in nature and even remote. I bet a scan you have had done recently was not read at the hospital/clinic it was done. I may have even been done in another country. I have read where doctors are not performing surgeries remotely. As for PE well that is easy. Look at companies like Peloton and Mirrorfit. You have virtual workouts. How could would it be to be able to customize a workout plan for your students. I could go on but the point is that with any new educational endeavor there will be obstacles and challenges. We need to see them as just that obstacles and challenges that can be over come not barriers to success.

To help overcome these obstacles and meet these challenges I want to talk about some tools I have used as I stepped into the world of virtual/digital instruction. The biggest one that jumps out at me is the concept of flipped classroom. This is where students watch the "lecture" at home and do the "homework" in class. Biggest difference is they might be doing both at home. How I use this in my classroom is not so much in a flipped way but to differentiated instructional way. I record my presentations so kids can go back and watch them, watching them if they were gone, watch them with a different language in the close caption. What I like is that it frees up my time to help students and get work done around the classroom. There are any number of tools out there to do screencasting of lectures. The 2 that I am most familiar with are screencastify (an ap/extension for your browser) and Movavi (a video editing suite). I prefer Movavi as it is a little more robust and give me more tools to work with but it does come with a cost as does screencastify. If you want to meet live with students you have google hangouts or the various web meeting programs/apps (Zoom, microsft teams, webex, etc.) I have used any number of these and they work great. The hardest part is getting people to overcome being scene on a webcam. This one I don't get as you are seen daily live by your students as well as public in all your glory. But having to use a webcam makes one shy and self-conscious? Get over it people. The keys I have found is make sure you are dressed (as well as others in your house) at least from the waist up. Do your morning routine of shaving, makeup, hair etc. and then get online. Make sure to have a neutral backdrop that won't wash you out and have fun. Don't worry if someone jumps in while you are recording or presenting. Remember it happens all the time with announcements, people walking into your class, and background noise. Just do what you naturally do but asking others to quite down, not disturb you, etc. As for online tools to help with remote learning there are any number of them like Google apps for edu, Microsoft 365, Peardeck, padlet, etc. that I could go one about but won't as you need to work with what your district gives you. What I will say from my experience from a reviewer of online providers is the most helpful and important is to have a quality Learning Management System (LMS) that is user friendly for students, teachers, and parents. Without this your program will fail. I have seen and worked with many LMS's both as a teacher, students, and reviewer and have can say that they are the tent pole that holds the whole thing up. There are many out there ranging from the simple Google Classroom to more complex/robust ones like Schoology, Blackboard, Canvas, etc. to ones that are integrated into actual online schools whose names escape me at the moment.  I have my favorites among these but again I would encourage you to go with what your district offers or has in place for you to use.

Lastly are activities that can be done for online learning. This really excites me as a teacher not only because it is what I do as a CTE teacher but as a teacher who wants to help teachers be better teachers. This is where meeting your kids where they live (figuratively as well as literally), digitally, is both fun and important. I have written before about the power of projects and the many digital projects I do ranging from google lit trips/stories, coding, 3d and 2d design, 20% time, etc. (I actually find it harder to get physical projects up and running now) and I have found that the more I do digital project with kids the more they want to jump in and try it out. Not all work but that is the same with any project/assignment you do. This is a great opportunity for you to jump in and let your students be both learners and educators. You would be surprised at how resourceful they can be when they want to do something and need to figure out how to do it. Yes you will have those that sit and wait for you to help them but more often than not you will find students will find the help they need to get the work done. The key is to make projects engaging and something they want to do. Here is a list of suggestions of projects that can be done digitally in most any classroom:

• Do a digital version of getting to know you:
• I do one where I have students create a 1 slide presentation about
• Their likes, dislikes, motivation, heritage, etc. 
• Then I have them use a voki (voki.com)to read what is on their slide
• Code.org for computer science
• CS discoveries for Upper elementary & Middle School ages
• Detailed lesson plans with differentiation built in 
• CS principles for High school
• Detailed lesson plans with differentiation built in
• Free curriculum by those who create hour of code
• Creating online kids books with original art work and/or animations
• Doing a google lit trip instead of a report or essay
• Map out the journey of General Washington's battles
• Create a "field trip" of key land forms or historical places
• Map out how students get to school and back 
• map out the story they are reading highlighting key landmarks
• Lead students through the games of interland to discuss digital citizenship
• Using phones or other devices create a virtual art gallery of things around their home

The possibilities are virtually endless as long as you are open minded and willing to be patient. That is the key being patient. Things are not going to work out as you plan, there will be snags, kids will need help, on and on. Just like in a normal classroom. Some suggestions when you hit these snags:

1. Do things before hand 
1. But don't put too much effort into trying to know it all
2. Let the kids explore on their own (model what you would do given the same situation)
1. Show them how to use the help menu
2. Show them how to find help online
3. Encourage them to ask others
4. See what they come up with and fit it into what you planned
5. Don't be afraid to modify mid lesson

These are just some of what I do when working online/virtually/digitally with kids. Also don't be afraid to share with other colleagues lessons you learned and experiences you had so we can all grow. 

I know this was a long read but hopefully you found it helpful. I would love to hear your experiences and suggestions as we move forward with online learning en mass. As always:

Go Forth & Do Great Things!

Podcast pt1
Podcast pt2

Acquiring Vocab: The Vocabulary Acquisition System

One of the things I struggled with as a student and still struggle with today is Vocabulary. I find myself understanding how words work in a sentence but not necessarily their meaning. Words like Nonchalant, Serenity, Proforma, etc. I can use them in a sentence so it makes grammatical sense but and when asked to define them I stumble. I also see this in my classroom with my students. They can use the vocab we talk about but can't necessarily define it correctly. Thankfully I don't ask my kids straight up what words mean I stick to can they apply their understanding of them in context. For example we recently just wrapped up learning about the parts of the Engineering Process. In the version that I teach there are 5 to 6 parts as illustrated in the image tot her right with the 6th part being present your solution that I present as your way out of the circle.

Over the many years that I taught this I seen many a kid struggle with understanding each of these parts. I find that putting them into context and using illustrations helps with building their understanding and use of them in real life projects. That being said I have been shown a system that helped me and other students with learning and understanding vocab that works at helping people not only learn but how to use vocab correctly.

Over last summer I took a class on drone flight that helps students earn the commercial drone pilots license (FAA Part 107). This was a very rigorous class that was more than just how to fly a drone, if anything that was what we did the least. It covered topics such as the 7 levels of US Airspace, Weather and its affects on flight, communication, and most importantly all the vocabulary involved in drone flight. And true to the English language it is full of words with multiple meanings. This set me into a slight panic as I knew I wasn't good with vocab. However as part of the class we were introduced to a tool/system called the Vocabulary Acquisition System by the instructor from Advanced Aerial Education (AAE). By the way if you are looking for a drone flight curriculum I would check these guys out. They instruction and curriculum is top notch and will help you and your students prepare for the FAA Part 107 exam. But I digress I want to get into the tool/system for vocab.

The system they showed us has 3 parts that when followed help you learn vocabulary and how to use it in a way to helps it to stick in your brain. It is very easy to do and can be done in a low tech way with just 3x5 index cards and a writing implement. I will qualify that I may be over simplifying it a bit but you will get the general gist to be able to use in your classrooms. It utilizes the use of flash cards that is more rigorous than just the simple memorize the word and definition way. It can be done both individually and with a partner and I highly recommend that you have students practice both with partners and individually.

Step 1: Learning the words and definition 
In this step students simply make flash cards out of 3x5 index cards. On one side they write the word and the other side they write the definition, preferably in their own words. Cards are shuffled and randomly drawn out 1 at a time. Students say the word and then say the definition/meaning of the word. If they get the meaning correct words go in a pile on the right; If they get it wrong they go in a pile on the lift. Any wrong words the cards a shuffled again and the process is repeated until there are no cards on the left hand pile.

Step 2: Identify Relationships
After mastering step 1 with 100% accuracy students work on ID'ing relationships between words. In this step students shuffle the cards randomly and draw out 2 cards. They then say what the words have in common or how they differ. You go through the deck of cards same as before, putting correct matches on the right and wrong matches on the left. This process is repeated 2 times to 100% accuracy. However there is a catch, if you get any wrong you have to go back to step 1 and start over. ID'ing patterns may seem easy but gets hard both as more words are introduced and you have to find similarities.

Step 3: Sentence Formulation
This is the final step and where the rubber meets the road in my opinion. Once students have mastered how vocab relate to each other they move to application of the word. Students shuffle the cards into a random order. Then 3 cards are drawn and arranged in any order the students wants. They then must correctly use the 3 words in a sentence. With words correctly used placed on the right hand side and those not used correctly on the left hand side. This is repeated 3 times with any slip ups causing you to go back to step 1 and repeat the whole process.

It seems like a lot of work but I am here to tell you that it works. Yes you and your students will grumble and complain (I know I did). But after awhile when you see how well it works and how easy it is to do the grumbling will minimize. The trick is to have students hold themselves and their partners accountable. You can't just say oh yeah I messed up but I understand the word so I will just put it in the right hand pile. You have to be honest for it to work. The beauty is that it is pretty easy to catch students who are not using the system. If they say they have the words mastered then have them run through the system with you. If they have been practicing they should be able to run through the word stack at 100% accuracy, if not they haven't.

I have used this system with my middle school kids and have seen great results even with my non-graded after school program. I have kids who can correctly use terms like Pitch, sUAS, Roll, and yaw in the aviation context. What I really like is the simplicity of the activity. All you/students need is a set of index cards and time. It is something that can be done at home and at school and doesn't require a ton of background knowledge if you are doing it with family members (the definition is right there). It is also a good entry task activity to start out the class.

I can see so many applications for this beyond aviation. It is great for science classes where there is a ton of vocab. It can be used in a social studies class with all the vocab that comes up with government, civilizations, etc. It is a natural in foreign language classes and all the vocab they have. I also see it as being especially useful in Special Education and English Language classes, helping kids master everyday English words. The possibilities are endless.

I look forward to hearing not only how you use this system as well as other ways you help students acquire complex vocab.

As always "Go Forth & Do Great Things!"

Link to Podcast on this topic