[EdTech Wanderlust]

The adventures of an Instructional Technologist in search of all things awesome. Thus - curator of #thisisawesome

[edtechdeleon]

Many teachers have been scared to check out the new look of Google Forms. There’s really nothing to be afraid of! Dive in! This video is a brief overview of the interface within the ‘new’ Google Forms.

[edtechdeleon]

It's only the beginning... towards success... #GoogleEI #MTV16 As everyone who has been selected starts the process of getting approval and making preparations for this very special opportunity; it's hard to not think about how our new cohort will work, struggle, and succeed together. Why? To help each other make our passions shine even brighter than they have before! To work together in making education that much more awesome for all.

This afternoon, I thought about us in this cohort, and of us individually within our local teams and PLCs across the nation. I thought about how we make impactful change for students on a daily basis. I was then brought back to thinking about how our group will do great things just like the ones that have gone before us have done... Okay, let's all take a deep breath and in unison say, "Mind BLOWN!" Yup, it's THAT exciting!

All this thought while sketch noting random shapes and objects (such as light bulbs) for inspiration and ideas for projects my team and I have been working on. Couple that with thoughts of needing a new car, I mashed the GoogleEI lightbulb with this quote from Henry Ford and thought, "How appropriate."

We begin, progress, and succeed -- together.

Tools/workflow used for image: Brain->Scratch Paper -> Mail App (For image in email)-> IMG -> Adobe Post -> Final touch with edit in Preview (or any image editor of your choice)

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[edtechdeleon]

When a teacher redefines their practice by being a creative educator, you do WAY more than 'just teach.' #edchat #think #creativeminds

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[edtechdeleon]

Reflecting on #GoogleEI - How it Started… Looking back on the last couple of months, I’ve been really glad that I was pushed to apply for Google Innovator. I’ve been evolving as an educator for over eleven years now and the process forced me to reflect on everything as a whole to try and focus on ‘what’s next.’ Really, this is something everyone should do every now and then. Not necessarily go through an application processes (but that’s fine too!), but rather to stop, sit, and reflect on your past, present and future self. Believe me, it gets DEEP when you do this. Especially if you rummage through past artifacts while in reflection mode!

With this most recent exercise, I spent countless hours thinking about my years as a high school Biology educator and the lives I have impacted. I thought about all the bonds that were formed between my colleagues and myself. Looking back on the time we spent thinking about how we could push ourselves further in order to make learning more attainable and meaningful, I also reflected on the past two years wanting to do more and impact a greater number of students but in a different way… (more on that later…) And, after all the reflecting, and nudging by coworkers, friends, and family, I decided to go all in. Why? Because throughout my reflection of where I was, and where am I today, my passions and my goals have always been the same. I realized that I already had most of the work done! And that was to tell my story about what I’m passionate about in education. I’ve come to realize that this isn’t something new at all. This is exactly what I have been doing ever since I first set foot into a classroom: discovering ways to provide the absolute best educational experience to as many learners as possible.

“You must be the change you wish to see in the world.” -Gandhi Cliche? To some, yes. To me… no. It was the saying that was etched into a stone paper weight that was given to me as a ‘Thank You’ when I first started teaching at Ascension Middle School in Oak Park, IL many years ago. It is a saying that drives me to this very day. To always be a better person, to help others be better people, and to be the one who encourages others to be amazing in their own rights! It is a saying that reflects my passion as an educator. I innovate so that I can always be that change. There are no resting on laurels in this house for sure!

Over the past weekend until this very moment, there are probably hundreds of applicants who have spent hours reflecting on their role in education and how they leave their marks. With that, I’d like to say ‘Thank you Google Edu.’ Thank you for giving educators everywhere an opportunity to do some deep reflection and sharpen their focus as it has done for me. I have a feeling the next generation of #GoogleEI will be truly ground-breaking!

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[edtechdeleon]

Welcome to Creativity Way @ Brooks Middle School!

[edtechdeleon]

Never forget who matters most…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2eCzUkVRiBA

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[edtechdeleon]

Final #thisisawesome wall art done... So what's next? 😉

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[edtechdeleon]

On a day like today, we need to be reminded of the GREAT ones that we're rewarded with...

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[edtechdeleon]

Things to come #officespace

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[edtechdeleon]

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[edtechdeleon]

Tumblr Use In Education

Tumblr has always been one of those platforms where when mentioned, people’s reactions typically indicate some sort of negative preconceived notion. Akin to how a pen can do as much damage as it can good, so can the ‘digital pen’ of blogging/microblogging. Here are some great examples of Tumblr Blogs specific to #edtech and education in general.

https://www.tumblr.com/spotlight/education

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[edtechdeleon]

'Ed-Tech': Not an Etymology Via Hack Education - 6/13/15, 11:47 PM This is not the history of the phrase "education technology." But someone should write that...

Ed-tech. Is it short for “education technology” or “educational technology”? And really, what’s the difference?

Does “ed-tech” mean “instructional technology,” or does it refer to “learning technologies”? (Look at that previous sentence. One phrase is singular; one is plural. Hmm.) Could you just as easily – a nod to another decade – call it “programmed instruction” instead? Or has all that been rebranded now to “personalized learning”? If you push for “personalized learning,” do you advocate for CAI or CMI (or neither)? If you don't know what those acronyms mean, what then?

CAI or ICT? Or something else?

And how is that different from e-learning? Distance learning? Online learning? Mobile learning? Blended learning? Virtual learning? Or hey, run through all those terms again but substitute “teaching” for “learning” – teaching machines or learning machines or hell, whatever, as long as the machines are schooling us. Right?

Do you hyphenate “ed-tech”? Or have you decided that the hyphen is no longer necessary: it’s “edtech” now, Edsurge insists in an article modestly titled “Edsurge: the New Lexicon of Edtech.” Or is it “EdTech”? Capital E, capital T because this is So Important.

What counts as “ed-tech”? Is it the technology used in a formal educational setting? If it’s used in an informal setting, when does it become more than “consumer tech”? How has "the consumer" shaped what "the learner" now expects from "ed-tech," even in school?

Is "ed-tech" the technology used in the central office? Or is it the technology used in the classroom? Ed-tech as teaching machine, ed-tech as testing machine, ed-tech as tutoring machine – wait, why machines?

Which machines? Which technologies? The textbook? Then mechanical pencil? The radio? The TV? The PA system? The blackboard? The whiteboard? The computer? The app? The very most latest technological "innovation"?

Or are you one of those folks who insists that it is not about the technology – despite that word “technology” being right there in “ed-tech”? If so, what makes the tech so darn fabulously transformatively educational - to the point you'd argue the tech should be invisible?

Like everything in ed-tech, these concerns are not new. I stumbled across an essay from 1973 tonight about what to call this "ed-tech" "thing" by Charles W. Slack: “How to Name Our Baby”. (Slack is interesting for so many other reasons too.) He argues that,

Educational movements of the last decade have been hampered by absolutely awful vocabularies: “teaching machines,” “intrinsic programming, ”programmed instruction,“ ”operant conditioning,“ ”behavioral objectives,“ ”contingency management,“ ”systems approach,“ ”linear programming,“ ”rul-eg,“ ”pro-mod,“ ”frame-up,“ ”schedules of reinforcement,“ ”mathetics,“ ”chaining,“ ”discrimination," and on and on.

I’m pretty sure the vocabulary is not the problem that "hampers" us, truth be told, although I do think that the incoherence tells us something – something that shouldn’t be erased or paved over with some enforced, "shared" terminology. That is: those of us who work in and around and near ed-tech do not agree at all about politics, purpose, function, future, funding, labor, learning. Different words and phrasing are okay, instructive even.

I’m keeping the hyphen in ed-tech, by the way. I like that little dash that separates education from technology. Because I don’t think we need to give ourselves over to a future of mechanized education, of teaching or learning machines (let alone one of uncritical and purposefully branded neologisms)...

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[edtechdeleon]

Running on fumes... Of espresso...

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[edtechdeleon]

A rejuvenated look at professional development. The next leap in my personal growth. #edchat Over the last few days, I have been more motivated than ever to enter that next growth stage of my professional career. I don’t know if it was the inspiration of IMSA students ( @IMSAelement ) at 1871 in Chicago or simply reconnecting and being in the same space with other passionate educators during the ICE Conference ( http://www.iceberg.org/ice_conference ).

When I was a high school biology teacher, I spearheaded my professional development by taking continuing education/graduate courses in my specific content area. I wanted to provide the best content / education for my students that I possibly could.

Now, as an Instructional Technology Specialist in an administrative role, I feel that I’ve been a bit slow to grow professionally. However, this is most likely due to me “learning the ropes” and getting used to my new role. And while I AM still new to being an EdTech administrator, it shouldn’t be an excuse. People who know me know that I’m a “GO GO GO!” type of person who has an insatiable appetite to learn more when given the opportunity. Which is why I myself, am surprised that it took me this long to get back on my feet and get moving!

So now it’s time to step up to the plate again and do what I can to grow professionally. I look forward to reconnecting with my NSTA/ISTA (science professional organizations) cohorts and see where it leads me. While I am an administrator now, make no mistake that I’m an administrator with a strong foothold and connection with educators. I’ll always do what’s best for the students and put them first. This is why I’ll never rest on my laurels.

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[edtechdeleon]

Promoting yourself and your school district is key! #nt2t What do teachers around the world like to see? Ads? Links to every article on education out there? Maybe. But what I like to see are schools putting out authentic tweets that have real ‘meat’ to them. Something that comes from the heart. That’s how I know there IS a real person on the other end of the computer and text/tweet! For example, a middle school in our district ( @JAMustangs ) just shared that the students had recently visited the Iwo Jima Memorial (see pic). I love this because it’s positive messages like this from schools and teachers using Twitter that make my timeline a pleasure to go through. Plus, it’s also a lot more fun to read and go peruse vs. your standard link to an article on (Insert any trending educational article here). If anything, think of it as a healthy ‘break’ from your ‘typical’ list of reading materials!

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[edtechdeleon]

Just got inspired to practically blog about anything and everything by @thenerdyteacher at #ice15 #iceilchat. No more 140 char limit or posts ONLY about business and work. In other words, look out!

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[edtechdeleon]

A gift from Mrs Pizzuto