Professional Development

INTERACT 2013 In the Books

Posted by Paul Wagner on June 19, 2013
Posted in: Professional Development, Technology.

Every year our district hosts a week-long academy called INTERACT.  It focuses on Marzano’s instructional strategies while also providing ways to integrate technology into the classroom and looking at 21st Century Learning Design.  This year we had a total of 131 teachers join us for the week.  The participants apply as teams of 2-4 from each campus in our district.  They must go through an application process where they complete an individual application as well as create a team video.  A winning team from each campus is chosen based on this application.

In the beginning of May we have an INTERACT Boot Camp.  Participants come after school for a couple hours.  Here they receive a laptop and an iPad.  We do this ahead of time to get the teachers familiar with the new equipment.  It also provides time for us to address any issues we may have with the equipment and lets the teachers load a list of apps and programs we provide to them that will be used during the week of INTERACT.

The first week after school lets out is when the actual week of INTERACT occurs.  We run 5 days from 8:00-4:00.  Lunch is provided each day so the participants are with us the entire time.  It is quick moving and intense.  By the end of the week everyone is exhausted, including the presenters, but we all walk away excited for the upcoming year and what it has in-store.  All teams completing the entire week of INTERACT are then rewarded with a $10,000 stipend to purchase equipment for their classroom.  They are also provided with an IWB if they do not already have one in their rooms.

This was year 6 of INTERACT.  You would think we would have settled on a format and sequence by now, but if you know the CITS team from LCISD you will not find it hard to believe that we change, or at least alter, pretty much everything each year.  We are never satisfied by what we have…we always look for improvements.

The biggest change we had this year was incorporating a Learning Activity Gallery Walk.  We have always spent some of our time every year teaming teachers together to create a “new” learning activity they can take back to their classroom to use the next year.  They decide what the activity is and what technology to include where appropriate.  We have never seen a commitment to this in past years.  Since this is right at the end of the school year it was difficult for teachers to be motivated to “write more lesson plans”.  I was hesitant to incorporate the gallery walk for fear it would fall flat on its face.

I have never been so proud to admit I was wrong!  I guess having the participants know that they will be presenting to many other teachers lit a fire under them.  The walk was a HUGE success!  There were so many great ideas being shared in that room I did not have enough time to visit even a fourth of them!  We then uploaded all the activities to a Skydrive folder so everyone can access them and use/tweak them for their classrooms.

Throughout the academy I was amazed at how committed our teachers were to taking a chance.  They “sold out” for the entire week.  We were gaming, hunting, and creating…yet nobody stayed on the sideline.  They all jumped in and ran with whatever we threw at them.

It is weeks like this that remind me yet again why I love my job.  I am re-energized to get next year going already!  Don’t worry though…I still plan on taking the summer off!

2012-2013 Year in Review

Posted by Paul Wagner on June 12, 2013
Posted in: Professional Development.

During the #txed Twitter chat last Wednesday night we were challenged to write about our highs and lows during this school year.  With all that happened throughout the year, what memories carry the most weight?  Here’s my list.

PLN Highs

  • #txed chats- I look forward to it every Wednesday.  It lifts my spirits and fills me with passion to go out and push for greatness each week.
  • TCEA- Getting the chance to meet many Tweeps face to face was amazing.  It makes the chats seem even more powerful.
  • EdCampWaller- My first edcamp experience was great…highlighted by leading a discussion with @RafranzDavis.

PLN Lows

  • Missing the Google Summit- It was in my backyard but just not possible to get to.
  • Missing #iste2013- Family comes first, but it would have been great to meet up with all my Tweeps again.

School Year

For the school year and the work done in my district and on my campuses, I experienced a lot of highs this year.  Watching teachers who fought to NOT have an IWB placed in their rooms now brag about what they are doing with it and can’t seem to function if it isn’t working properly.  I had a lot of teachers step out of their comfort zone to try new things, and most were very successful. They are starting to see a difference in their class culture and in student understanding.

I also experienced a few lows.  My biggest low came with training.  I had a plan coming into the year to give trainings on my campuses more often and tailor to the needs of specific teachers.  That failed miserably very early in the year.  We started with a schedule but the schedule quickly changed.   Obligations both for the teachers and myself caused many postponements and cancellations until I gave in to the fact that it just wouldn’t work the way it needs to.  It is back to the drawing board to figure out a new plan of attack.

My personal/professional high has been this blog.  I set out to with a plan to post one time a week and I have stuck to it.  I have seen my number of hits grow. I feel this is another way for me to reach more educators.   This in turn helps me reach more students, which is what it should always be about.

That wraps up my highs and lows.  Closing this chapter and getting ready to start another one for next year!

TCCA Update

Posted by Paul Wagner on May 31, 2013
Posted in: Professional Development, Technology.

TCCA Conference Header

An update to this conference. Over 750 people have registered!  Get your name in there before it is full!

Looking for more ways to incorporate technology into your classroom?  Are you looking to share some of the things you already do?  Come spend the day with my friends at Aldine ISD in northwest Houston!  They are looking for participants and presenters!  See their release below:

Aldine ISD, in partnership with Conroe ISD and TCEA Area IV, are happy to announce the date for the third annual Technology and Curriculum Conference of Aldine (TCCA) 2013.  This event is a grassroots effort to help teachers, administrators, and librarians get hands-on training on how to integrate technology into their classrooms and buildings.  This event is FREE for all educators.  Presentations by peers and academia will provide teachers with the knowledge they need to help them integrate technology into their classroom.  This workshop is on Saturday, October 19, 2013 at Davis High School.  We encourage teachers and administrators to sign up early as we are sure to have a huge response.  The particulars are below.

Because this event is on a Saturday it allows great opportunity for principals to send their staff and join them as well.  We will have a separate administrator-only track to help building-level administrators better understand and implement technology on their campuses.  Feel free to visit the sites below for more information and to sign up as an attendee.

We hope to see you there!

Conference Website

Conference Facebook Page

 

My First Edcamp Experience

Posted by Paul Wagner on May 1, 2013
Posted in: Professional Development.

I have heard about them for some time and was very intrigued, but had not been able to make it to one as of yet. I am referring to the elusive EdCamp…the “un-conference” for education.

What is an EdCamp you ask? It is a place for educators to get together to share ideas with each other. You automatically think it is a conference, and it appears to be that on the outside. Inside, however, it is much different. When I think of a conference I immediately picture myself sitting in a room while someone is lecturing to me. The interaction is minimal and I often start to drift off if my interest is not “grabbed” within the first few minutes. Even if I am engaged, it is mostly a “sit and get” scenario. The presenter is spitting out information and I am trying to take it all in. While conferences are valuable, they lack an interaction that I am needing when I am trying to learn.

An EdCamp works in a much different way. There are no sessions scheduled until the day of the camp and anyone in attendance is welcome to sign up to lead a session. Sessions can be shares or discussions. It is completely interactive! The person leading the session shares information with the group, but the rest of the group is also asked to share back. You feel as if you are part of the session, not a 3rd person looking on. It keeps me engaged and I feel welcome to share insight however I can.

I attended @EdCampWaller this past weekend and was VERY HAPPY with the results for multiple reasons. I was able to meet up with many key Twitter Peeps that I normally can’t talk to face to face. It was great to meet many of them in person for the first time. Others I may have met once or twice but was now able to get to know on a more personal level. We had great sidebar conversations. We shared thoughts and ideas. @RafranzDavis even went so far as to agree to lead a session with me…a highlight for me for sure!

Along with building stronger relationships with Tweeps I already had connected with I was able to make many new friends that I can now call part of my PLN. This means I will have even more ideas running through my Twitter feed. Plus there are more people to bounce my own ideas off of allowing me to come up with the most effective approach to learning.

The sessions were amazing. You were not learning from one person…you were learning from all of the 30-40 people in the room! Ideas were bouncing around like ping pong balls. One person fed off another and the ideas grew. Those who were experiencing problems were able to talk them through and had a panel to help address their issues. Granted, it was my first edcamp so I have no basis from which to draw comparisons. That being said, I felt the time spent together was very valuable. Many people felt at ease to share. It had a laid back feel, yet was intense in learning.

A special thanks to the #EdCampWaller crew for setting up the entire event. You all did a great job! I am hopeful to return again next year. In the meantime, I am hoping to get to another EdCamp or two to keep the momentum building. If you are interested, here are some EdCamps coming up in Texas.

EdCamp San Antonio (July 15)

EdCamp Fort Worth (July 27)

EdCamp Dallas (Oct 12)

The Future of Education

Posted by Paul Wagner on February 20, 2013
Posted in: Integration, Professional Development.

The last #txed chat focused on what our vision is for education in Texas schools for the future.  What will it look like?  How will it change? What role will technology play?  The chat last Wednesday was fast and furious.  It was  hard to keep up.  If you are interested in the conversation, you can visit the Storify recap on the #txed Chat Archive page.  The chat got me to thinking a lot about what I really would like to see in education for the future.  Here are some of my thoughts…

Question #1- What is your vision for Texas education?

My vision is for educators to be able to provide an individual learning experience for all students.  We need to be adding value to all of our students while preparing them for THEIR future outside of school.  Students and teachers need to be learning together.  We cannot be afraid of failure.  A risk-free environment needs to be created.  We often learn much more from our failures than we do from our successes.

Students also need to take ownership of their learning.  They need to be involved in all aspects of the learning process, even the lesson planning if possible.  The more say they have, the more involved they become.  This will lead to a much greater understanding of the curriculum.  It will allow teachers and students to discover things together.  The bond between teacher and student will grow even stronger.

Question #2- What creative things are you doing now to reach this vision?

This question is where it all needs to begin.  Times are changing faster than we can keep up.  Teachers need to adapt to the changes in order to reach their students.  They cannot do this alone.  It will take the support of everyone on campus.  Teachers need to be able to rely on each other, but more importantly administrators need to support them at every turn.  Professional development and staff meetings need to serve as models for what you expect to see in the classrooms.  If you are expecting to see a flipped classroom environment, you need to flip the staff meeting.  If you are expecting project-based assignments from your teachers, your staff development should entail a project-based theme.  Once again this will not come easy.  There will be failures along the way.  That is OK.  Learn from it, make adjustments, and move forward.  This is where trust will play a huge role.  Teachers must understand that not only is it OK for them to take risks in their classroom, it is expected and welcome!  Keep learning…keep moving forward!

Final Thoughts

One thing I found interesting…through most of the chat, technology itself was hardly ever mentioned.  Too often when people talk about education in the future, they think it is all about the technology.  I love technology just as much as the next guy, but it is and will always be nothing more than a tool to enhance learning.  We should NEVER be teaching to a tool.  We should be using the tool to enhance a concept.  Not every technology tool fits every need.  Don’t adjust your teaching just because a tool is cool.  Make sure the technology tool you are choosing (if one is chosen at all) is a good fit for what you are trying to teach.  If it isn’t, don’t include it.  Technology is great, but nothing can replace great teaching!