MRVED Update - February 6, 2019

MRVED Business

Upcoming Meetings
February 13 - MRVED Board Meeting
February 21 - Teachers' Advisory Council
February 22 - Principals' Advisory Council
February 27 - Superintendents' Advisory Council

MRVED Did You Know: Why is the MELT Conference in January?

I was recently asked, "Why do you hold the MELT in January?"  The answer is simple, yet complicated.

There are 3 MRVED common days that fall within the school year.  One in the fall, winter, and spring.  The spring date is rather late to learn something new and implement it into your classroom, thus not a great time for an educational conference.  Plus, the SWWC Service Coop hosts their annual technology conference in the Spring and we would be competing for presenters.

The fall date, on paper, seems to be the best option.  Weather is better, it's early in the year, it coincides with MEA, etc...  However, taking a moment to think a little deeper about this date...it's so close to MEA (the day before), that many of the presenters from the cities are already presenting at MEA, on Thursday and Friday.  Also, the process of getting people to present takes about 3-4 months.  Presenters are sought after in September for the January conference.  If the conference was in October, it would mean June/July would be the time to solicit presenters...not really the best time to be contacting teachers :-)  With those two reasons alone, holding a conference in October, would present MANY obstacles to getting people to present.

In a nutshell, January seems to be the ideal time to hold the MELT.

8 Ways Teachers and Schools Can Communicate with Parents in 2019

I came across this great blog post by Kathleen Morris on 8 Ways Teachers and Schools Can Communicate with Parents in 2019.  Not only does the post provide ideas, but it gives actual examples as well.  So, if you are looking for different ways to communicate with your parents, this is the article for you.

Tech Tip - CollabraCam

CollabraCam is an iPad app that allows the user to see up to six other iOS cameras at one time.  It would be a great thing to incorporate into a class field trip or project.  You can then take the footage and edit it together for an awesome video montage.  The app costs $4.99 and is only available on Apple.  There are many uses for this from Kindergarten through 12th grade.

Ditch That Textbook - Ditch That Mindset (Part 2 - Chapter 14-18)

I've said it every week.  Ditch That Textbook is great playbook for your classroom.  Matt Miller provides so many GREAT ideas, not only for your students, but for you as a professional educator as well.  These next five chapters are about a variety of things, so once again, I will provide a short snippet of my learning from the book.

Chapter 14 talks about giving students control.  I love the analogy Miller provides about our students are just like tenants that rent a house.  Tenants simply live in the space and usually do nothing to improve that space, because there is no ownership.  Our students are the same way in the classroom.  They are tenants in our classrooms.  How do we get them to see ownership in the classroom and do something with their learning?  We have to make it real for them.  We have to get them invested into their learning.

Miller then goes on to talk about how we use our time.  He references Andy Stanley's sermon on "Choosing to Cheat".  If you have about 30 minutes, and don't mind a few religious pieces included, I highly recommend going to YouTube and finding the sermon.  In it he talks about how we choose to spend our 24 hours and often times find ourselves cheating the ones we love and care about out of time.  A teacher's' life is hard and busy.  Between teaching, correcting, lesson planning, coaching, supervising, meetings, etc... our hours can fill VERY quickly.  Pastor Stanley states in his sermon that "sometimes we need to give up on the good things we are doing to make way for great things".  Think about that quote for a minute.  It really hit home for me personally.

Miller also talks about being a connected educator and sharing the things that you do.  So often, especially in our small rural schools, we can become our own silos.  There are so many people that are willing to help and share, if you know where to look.  Find a platform for connectedness that works for you.  For many this might be Twitter or Facebook, but there are blogs, YouTube channels, Instagram, etc... for you to take advantage of as well.  If you don't think you have time for it, try it for 2 weeks and see if it works for you.  If you find value in it, you will make time for it.  Once you get comfortable becoming connected, learn how to share.  There is someone out there that can benefit from what you are doing or what you have to say.

Horizon's Report - Wearable Technology

Wearable Technology
Last week we looked at the Makerspace movement and how it can have an impact on education.  This week we will look at how wearable technology could have an impact on education in the next two to five years.

According to the Horizon's Report, wearable technology refers to devices that can be worn by users, taking the form of an accessory such as jewelry, sunglasses, a backpack, or even actual items such as shoes or jackets.  Wearable technology, once a figment of imagination, is now a reality with such items as Google Glass, the Apple Watch, or the GoPro Camera.  Much of the wearable technology today allows users to track sleep habits, location, and social media.  The technology can even augment reality to display a virtual world right in front of the user.

Imagine teaching a unit about WWII fighter pilots and students being able to immerse themselves in the actual environment the WWII pilots were in during a battle.  Students would be able to see and feel much of the same things these pilots felt.  Think of the possibilities in student products after such an experience.  Or, imagine a student having the ability to track their fitness levels throughout the day and actually track how active they are.  Another possibility is a student on a field trip wearing a GoPro camera to keep a record of what they learned and did.

Cost is an obvious hurdle to implementing this technology in the classroom, but as these technologies become more popular and there is more competition in the market, expect the cost to decrease.  Even if using these technologies is not possible in the near future, it is fun to think about the variety of things teachers could have the students learn and do.

Horizons Report - Rethinking Learning Spaces

Rethinking Learning Spaces
Last week we introduced the Horizons Report (see original post).  Our first post in this series will deal with rethinking learning spaces.

Learning spaces is a "hot topic" in the educational world today.  To get a full understanding of what a learning space is and should look like, peek into almost any early elementary classroom.  There are spaces for reading, art, small group, large group, collaboration, etc...  As students progress through school, these learning spaces gradually move into spaces of desks in rows or clusters.  Once in college, the space becomes a large lecture hall.  Why is this?  Is this best for kids?

Why can't all learning spaces look like the kindergarten classroom?  There are multiple places to learn and multiple ways for students to show what they know.  As teachers we choose what our learning spaces look like.  If all desks were taken out of a classroom, and a teacher could design their learning spaces without the desks, what would the space look like?  How would it change instruction?  Would learning look different?  The very first line about learning spaces in the Horizons Report says, "New ways of teaching and learning require new spaces for teaching and learning".

Looking at some of the most successful companies in the world (Google and Apple), their workers are not sitting in rows creating an assembly line product.  Their learning spaces are large open areas where people are encouraged to collaborate and learn.  Google even has napping pods!



Why are we confined by rows?  Does this replicate a real world work environment?  To me, rows represent assembly line learning.  If we want to get to a more personalized learning environment, we must first look at our learning spaces.  If our spaces aren't conducive to personalized learning, then we will never get to the point of personalized learning.

Think about all the different things you have in your classroom and different activities kids are doing.  Now think about your learning space.  Has it changed in the past 10 years?  Has it changed in the last 5 years?  What if you took all your desks and tables out, what could your space look like?  Can all classrooms replicate the kindergarten classroom?  I don't think you have to be as bold and totally redefine your learning space, but what can you do tomorrow to make your space more conducive to learning?

iOS 7 Beginners Guide

iOS 7 Beginners Guide
If you or your school has updated their Apple devices to iOS 7, you are probably wondering how to use the operating system to its full potential.  Start out by taking a look at "The Beginner's Guide to the iPad and iOS 7" by Edudemic.  There are also great tips at teachingwithipad.org.

Tech Tip of the Week

Augmented Reality Resources
The 2013 Horizon Project lists Augmented Reality as one of the new and upcoming technologies that will impact education in the next 3-5 years.  With the emergence of tablets and smartphones into the classroom, augmented reality can become a reality in your classroom.  If you have a tablet or smartphone, you have to check these out!  Most will work on both Android and iOS platforms.

• Aurasma
• AR Flashcards
• AR Player
• ColAR App