Ed-Tech Babble: education

Showing posts with label education. Show all posts

31 October 2020

Questions from #UTedChat on October 28th - #DigCit Doesn't Have to be Scary

I have long been a fan of Twitter chats and most especially #UTedChat which happens every Wednesday @ 9pm Mountain Time during the school year and occasionally during the summer as well. While I haven't been as active a participant with my #UTedChat crew, I was lucky enough to moderate on Wednesday, October 28th on the topic of #DigCit Doesn't Have to be Scary. Now, I chose this topic for many reasons, but a couple included the fact that the chat happened right in the middle of Media Literacy Week and the week before was Digital Citizenship Week, so it made perfect sense to play into those ideas. There is another large reason I chose this particular topic because I have always felt very strongly about its importance for students (and adults) to better understand and practice. And as this year has been so wild and crazy, I felt it was a great topic since so many schools around the state of Utah, the USA, and even the world over was relying so much more on technology it just made sense.

I am always amazed by the responses that come from the #UTedChat participants and this week's chat was even better. I walked away from the chat feeling that I had been through a multi-hour clinic on the importance of Digital Citizenship as well as gathering some excellent firsthand tips for better integrating it into my lessons and daily teaching life. You can read through the full Wakelet archive, thanks to Jared Covili (@Covili) for putting it together. But I wanted to include the full list of questions I used in the hope they can inspire you to take a few minutes to think about how you can more fully integrate Digital Citizenship ideas into your teaching life.

I also wanted to include the full list of questions here so I could link to it for Episode 167 of the House of #EdTech podcast. I have been the substitute host for the show since Episode 164 when the host, creator, and friend, Chris Nesi needed to step away in an effort to help find some balance in his life with all of the new constrains the COVID-19 pandemic has placed upon the world and his family in particular. You can learn more about that specifically by watching his scope from the #PassTheScopeEDU event on Thursday, October 15th. While I haven't posted anything about this incredible opportunity here on the site yet (let's be honest, I haven't posted ANYTHING for a LONG TIME) I do plan to write up a bit more shortly.

Enough of the backstory, on to the questions from the chat!

#UTedChat Book List from July 18th - The Power of Reading #Read4Fun

I love Twitter chats and most especially #UTedChat which happens every Wednesday @ 9pm Mountain Time during the school year and occasionally during the summer as well. I was lucky enough to moderate on Wednesday, July 18th on the topic of The Power of Reading, which I admit was a little selfish with my new job as the Library Media Coordinator and Digital Learning Coach at Tonaquint Intermediate School in Washington County School District, more on that change coming up. I have always been a reader and I discovered many of the regular #UTedChat participants are as well as we had an amazing discussion on reading, authors, and books in general. In fact, we had so many excellent books being shared out that I offered to compile them all into a single list to share out, again a bit selfishly since I wanted the list anyways, but it was well worth it. Well, after 3+ hours of combing through the Wakelet archive of the chat and another 5+ hours finding all the links to the books everyone mentioned, I finally finished it and will include it here in this post. I did want to point out a couple of things though:

This list is sorted based on the person who shared the resource.
There are repeats because different people mentioned the same authors and/or books, so I listed them each time they were mentioned by someone different.
All of the people and authors are linked to either their Twitter accounts or web pages.
Many of the books are linked directly to Amazon via an Amazon Affiliate Link which if you purchase directly from that link you will help support this website. If you don't like the idea of using an affiliate link, no worries, just don't purchase directly from the provided link.

Okay, enough chit-chat, let's get on to the list. I hope you enjoy this little labor of love I compiled from the amazing #UTedChat participants. Thanks so much for sharing your excellent book choices. I am not responsible for y'all spending WAY too much at Amazon purchasing books for the next little bit so consider yourself warned! 😜

Amy Wood:

Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom
Chicken Soup with Rice by Maurice Sendak
Helping Children Succeed by Paul Tough
Neil Gaiman
The Napping House by Audrey Wood
King Bidgood's in the Bathtub by Audrey Wood
Eric Carle
AA Milne
Junie B. Jones series by Barbara Park
A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness

Belinda Talonia:

The Dot by Peter H. Reynolds

Brandon Engles:

Agatha Christie
Harry Potter series by JK Rowling
Avengers Graphic Novels
My Father's Dragon by Ruth Stiles Gannett
The Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum
Bomb: The Race to Build--and Steal--the World's Most Dangerous Weapon by Steve Sheinkin
Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson

Brooke Anderson:

The Outsiders by SE Hinton
Zion in the Courts: A Legal History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1830-1900 by Edwin Brown Firmage
Beyond Test Scores by Jack Schneider
Nancy Drew series by Carolyn Keene
Babysitters Club series by Ann M. Martin
Diary of a Wimpy Kid series by Jeff Kinney
Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury
The Notorious Benedict Arnold: A True Story of Adventure, Heroism & Treachery by Steve Sheinkin
Winnie the Pooh by AA Milne
The Stranger by Greg Van Arsdale
No More Dead Dogs by Gordon Korman

Chris Haught:

Dave Horan:

Wonder by RJ Palacio
A Night Divided by Jennifer Nielsen
The Last of the Really Great Whangdoodles by Julie Andrews Edwards
The Dog Poop Initiative by Kirk A. Weisler
The Giver by Lois Lowry
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

David Smith:

The Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson
Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls
Dune by Frank Herbert
Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury
Green Shadows, White Whale by Ray Bradbury

Deborah Gatrell:

Derek Larson:

Ellen O'Malley McGee:

The Wild Robot by Peter Brown
We the Kids: The Preamble to the Constitution of the United States by David Catrow
The Story of Little Mole Who Went In Search of Whodunit by Werner Holzwarth
Diary of a Worm by Doreen Cronin
Diary of a Fly by Doreen Cronin
Wonder by RJ Palacio
We're All Wonders by RJ Palacio
Perimeter, Area, & Volume by David Adler
Diary of a Spider by Doreen Cronin
I Want a Monster by Elise Gravel
Olivia Saves the Circus by Ian Falconer
Wolf! by Becky Bloom
Our Tree Named Steve by Alan Zweibel
Flora and Ulysses by Kate DiCamillo
Olivia Goes to Venice by Ian Falconer
Punctuation Takes a Vacation by Robin Pulver
Snowmen at Night by Caralyn Buehner
Sit-In: How Four Friends Stood Up by Sitting Down by Andrea Pinkney
Who Was Martin Luther King, Jr.? by Bonnie Bader
Martin's Big Words: The Life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. by Doreen Rappaport
I Didn't Do My Homework Because. by Davide Cali
The Truth About My Unbelievable Summer by Davide Cali
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to School ... by Davide Cali
She Persisted: 13 American Women Who Changed the World by Chelsea Clinton
E Is for Ethiopia (World Alphabets) by Ashenafi Gudeta
The Potato Chip Champ: Discovering Why Kindness Counts by Maria Dismondy
Out of My Mind by Sharon Draper
The Invisible Boy by Trudy Ludwig
Wild Robot Escapes by Peter Brown
I Want My Hat Back by Jon Klassen
Lifetime: The Amazing Numbers in Animals Lives by Lola Schaefer
Free to Be...You and Me by Marlo Thomas and Friends
The BFG by Roald Dahl
Peter Brown

Havilah Jones:

JoAnn Jacobs:

Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo
Wishtree by Katherine Applegate

Kami Alvarez:

Kiera Beddes:

Krissi H:

Lynette Yorgason:

Marci Houseman:

Mike Anderson:

Rhet Rowley:

Sandy King:

Sarah Young:

Machine, Platform, Crowd: Harnessing Our Digital Future by Andrew McAfee and Erik Brynjolfsson
Illustrated Harry Potter by JK Rowling and Jim Kay (Illustrator)
Nancy Drew series by Carolyn Keene
Rosie Revere, Engineer by Andrea Beaty
Ada Twist, Scientist by Andrea Beaty
Choose Your Own Adventures
The Day the Crayons Quit by Drew Daywalt
The Day the Crayons Came Home by Drew Daywalt

Sean Bowman:

Todd Dawson:

Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
Ironman by Chris Crutcher
The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier
Downriver by Will Hobbs
Hatchet by Gary Paulsen
Anthem by Ayn Rand
Extreme Ownership: How U.S. Navy SEALs Lead and Win by Jocko Willink
The Outward Mindset: Seeing Beyond Ourselves by The Arbinger Institute
Mindset: The New Psychology of Success by Carol S. Dweck
Dick Francis
Louis L'Amour
The Belgariad series by David Eddings
Ayn Rand
Anne Perry
Zane Grey's westerns
Jack Weyland

27 April 2018

More Podcast Shout Outs - #PodcastPD #TryPod

Last week I started something I hope to continue as a regular post, some Podcast Shout Outs where I share some of the shows I listen to and specifically point out a few episodes I thought were pretty significant or just plain fun. I'm pulling this idea of having a regular post that's more fun that meaty from Mr. MacSparky himself who for a while was posting some of his favorite Jazz Musicians via YouTube videos on Fridays on his site MacSparky.com, which is a site I'd highly recommend! So here we go!

I'm going to start with one of my all-time favorite podcasts and it's one I've already written about here on ETB previously, The Pen Addict with hosts Myke Hurley, co-founder of the Relay FM podcast network, and the Pen Addict himself, Brad Dowdy. This is one of my favorite podcasts partly because it seems so strange to have a podcast about pens, paper, and other analog things, but also because of the chemistry, these two friends have as co-hosts. If you enjoy writing with specific pens or on specific paper, or if you really love geeking out about your office supplies, or just want to listen to an enjoyable podcast, this is a great place to start. Plus, let's be real, isn't their artwork some of the coolest you've ever seen for a podcast? I've been teased for being such an analog lover, but I stand by my previous post, still the MOST popular post on ETB to date, Analog Love where I mention the need for both the digital AND the analog in order to have balance in life. And really, what educator isn't just a little bit obsessed with a specific pen and/or paper product? I think that's part of what brought most of us to education in the first place. Give The Pen Addict a listen and then be sure to thank me later, because I'm almost positive you'll LOVE it!

For my next suggestion, I'm going to recommend a new favorite I've just recently come across called Switched On Pop, and excellent podcast that breaks down how popular music works and what makes it tick. As a member of the Panoply Podcast Network hosts Nate Sloan and Charlie Harding dig deep into analyzing Pop music to see why we should consider it a work of art and what is actually going on amidst all the rhythms and sounds. For example, on Episode 79 - 808s and Havana Heartbreak, the fellas walk through Camila Cabello’s “Havana” and share how a little drum machine from Japan (the Roland TR-808) came to become such a major part of this song as well as Hip Hop music all over. They also share how the simplistic sounding piano part actually has ties back to all of Cuban music's history. It was an incredible look at how one song can pack such musical historical content and teaches you all about it a fun and entertaining manner. Plus they put together Spotify playlists with all sorts of songs that will help you get into the grove of the tune(s) they talk about in the episodes. If you love music and really getting nerdy about how songs work then this is a must-listen show for you!

And for my final recommendation, I turn to PodcastPD, a great show on the Education Podcast Network that's all about making sure educators take advantage of effective and fun professional development, and using Podcasts for some of that PD. This great podcast is a fortnightly (every two weeks) show that has three excellent hosts, Chris Nesi of House of #EdTech fame, Stacey Lindes who is the founder of the #PodcastPD Twitter chat this show stems from, and AJ Bianco who loves promoting the #CoffeeEDU approach to PD. One of the reasons I LOVE PodcastPD is because I actually know Chris and Stacey in the 3D world and have had the privilege to hang out with them a time or two so whenever I listen I truly feel like I'm there with them. I love the insightful comments these three friends regularly share about different aspects of professional development and all the excellent tips they also pass on. One of my favorite parts of the show is when they share what they are currently listening to and you get a chance to learn about even more excellent podcasts. And if you're anything like Stacey, and me for that matter, your list of podcasts you listen to will just keep ballooning until you don't know how you'll ever catch up. But don't worry about catching up, just give some of their suggestions a try and you'll be amazed at how many great podcasts there really are out there.

I hope you take a chance on these excellent podcasts and have fun listening and learning from them as well. And remember, just because a podcast doesn't seem education on its face value, there's bound to be some learning going on while listening.

25 April 2018

Hackers are Humans Too

Source: Amazon.com

I just finished watching one of my favorite movies from the mid-90s that still has some very timely messages, even if the visual effects come across as extremely corny. The movie is Hackers and it came out it 1995. If you haven't seen it, or just can't remember watching it, it's available on Amazon Prime Video, so go watch it and then come back, I'll wait. If you don't want to wait, you check out this awesome summary of the main protagonists of the film, courtesy of Nicholas Slayton's Medium article about the 20th Anniversary of the film published back on September 16, 2015 (yes, that means the film is now 22.5 years old, but whatever, it still rocks!).

The film follows Dade Murphy (Jonny Lee Miller), a hacker known as “Zero Cool” who crashed more than a thousand computers and hurt the Stock Market as a kid. He’s banned from using a Internet-connected computer until he’s 18, which the film quickly gets to as Dade and his mom move to New York City. He rechristens himself “Crash Override” (possibly the only hacker name more awesome than Zero Cool) and soon finds himself entangled with other hackers — the loony Cereal Killer, cocky Phreak, wise Lord Nikon and Dade’s enemy and crush, Kate “Acid Burn” Libby. The heroes are a racially and gender-mixed group from different backgrounds but a shared belief in altruism.

Now, that doesn't give anything away that you don't find out about in the first 15 minutes or so, plus, the movie is 22+ years old, spoilers are to be expected on some level. But seriously, the film covers some very interesting themes and topics like youth activism, doing the right thing even in the face of corrupted authorities, and self-empowerment, to name a few. But what I find the most interesting is the theme the authorities in the film are trying to push that ALL hackers are bad and criminal. I find it very interesting that so often that is the message we have heard in the media regarding hackers and the hacking community and yet, how often are we alerted to major issues and online concerns from altruistic hackers trying to make the world a better and safer place?

Source: SideReel.com

I don't watch a lot of TV but one of my favorite shows fits right into this same topic, but handles the actual technology a bit better and more realistic, Mr. Robot from the USA Network. This one is also on Amazon Prime Video, at least the first two seasons are. Season Three is still not available as it's the newest season, but I am waiting very patiently for it to come on over. I am loving this show because as I have learned with my job, there is way more to online safety than some people realize and Data Privacy is a MUCH larger issue than many educators (and the general population) even care to realize. We all LOVE free apps and services but how many of us realize that if we aren't paying for the service or app that we then become the product being harvested and sold? The data we provide to the app or service becomes a digital currency of sorts that is traded and sold to others so the company behind our current favorite free app or service can continue to exist. And yet, when the companies behind the free services and apps suddenly tell us they need to start charging a fee to stay alive how often do we freak out and lose it because we now have to provide them with money to continue using what we've grown accustomed to using for free?

A great example of this is Padlet changing their pricing structure and what seemed like half the educational sector on Twitter had a fit! Jeff Bradbury of the TeacherCast Educational Network was able to discuss these changes with Nitesh Goel, the Padlet CEO directly and it was a great discussion. If you haven't already heard the interview I highly recommend it. But the gist of the discussion was that Padlet has grown to more than 10 Million monthly users and it's not feasible for them to keep supporting that level of use for free. There are a LOT of things that have to happen in the background for any service to work and Padlet has been covering their own bill fully, which can't be cheap. There has been a paid tier for the last 2-3 years, but most people never knew about it. It really is a great episode of the TeacherCast Podcast and I highly recommend you go listen to the full thing.

Back to the original subject. I love both the movie Hackers and the series Mr. Robot because they both showcase what hackers can do and yet, unlike most media where hackers are only ever presented in the negative light, both of these media examples showcase the wide range of hackers and what they can do along with some of the reasoning behind what they do. I'm not saying all hackers are any one thing because they aren't. There are some very malicious hackers out there causing all sorts of trouble and these hackers are known as Black Hats while the hackers using their skills more for good are known as White Hats. But the group I find the most interesting are the ones in the middle, the ones who don't necessarily have a single viewpoint and can be swayed back and forth between the two sides. These hackers are known as Gray Hats because they aren't on one single side of the fence but do a little of both good and bad, depending on their moods. I feel that more often than not, most hackers actually fall into this category than either side. This is why we need to help our students see the world as it is and not try to shut them out so much. We need to trust them more and allow them to make mistakes in an educational setting so we can help them establish a moral compass so they can make those hard decisions about what they should be doing online.

If nothing else comes from this rambling post, I hope you do take some time to watch these shows on hackers and the hacker community to see they are multi-dimensional people, just like you and me.

20 April 2018

Podcast Shout Outs - #TryPod #PodcastPD

While I may have missed the official #TryPod month of March, I feel like I need to write more about my love of podcasts and share some of what I've been listening to these days. I have a HUGE obsession with podcasts and know so many great podcast creators that I think I'd like to start a new regular thing here on EdTechBabble where I share out what I'm either listening to or some shows that are worth checking out. I'm not 100% sure if this segment will get a name of its own or if I'll just tag it with #TryPod to keep people seeing it and learning more. And since I have so many great podcasts in my Overcast app, my podcatcher of choice, I figure I should start sharing some of them out sooner than later! So without further ado, here are a couple of great shows and/or episodes of shows I think you should check out this weekend.

House of #EdTech, Episode 104 - UCET Recap - Hosting a Conference

I was recently back on the House of #EdTech podcast, hosted by my good friend Chris Nesi as we did a Recap of the UCET 2018 Conference back in March. The episode was awesome because we were able to record it LIVE at the University of Utah right after the #UCET18 conference had ended. My other good friend Lynn Smargis was also on the episode and it was great to have some time to talk with friends about a conference I help to plan and make happen each year. We discuss UCET and some of the great things that happened this year as well as some tips on planning and hosting a conference. It was awesome and I feel I need to thank Kyte Learning once again for helping to bring Chris out to Utah so he could present and attend #UCET18! You should check out this episode and also check out Kyte Learning to see how they can help you improve your teaching practice. And if you haven't already subscribed to the House of #EdTech podcast, what are you waiting for? It's one of the BEST education podcasts around and if you don't believe me, check out what ISTE had to say about it.

Educators 2 Educators podcast, Season 2 Episode 2 - Student-Led Conferences

Back in February, my good friend Heather Campbell was a guest on the Educators to Educators podcast, hosted by Carrie Conover. This was a new podcast for me, but I totally listened because my friend Heather was a guest and then the show was added to my podcatcher for good. Carrie is a great podcast host and I've since gone back and listened to most of the back catalog which is great! The episode was awesome because Heather was able to share some of the amazing things she is doing in her 4th-grade classroom. You should totally go listen because she talks a lot about the power of student-led conferences and why you should be doing them with your students. If you aren't already subscribed to this podcast, you better add it to your list.

Leader of Learning Podcast

The final shout out for this week's edition of #TryPod is the Leader of Learning podcast, hosted by my pal Dan Kreiness. Dan is an Instructional Coach in Connecticut and is doing some great work with his podcast and is coming up on eight months behind the mic. What is the show about? From the website:

Leader of Learning is a website, a podcast, and a blog that explores transformational leadership in education. It is where educators can come find inspiration to transform education through effective leadership. It is a community where educators can realize their leadership potential regardless of their position or title. What originally launched as just a blog and was improved with a podcast has now evolved into an educational movement and community of educational leaders who are poised to lead necessary changes in the field of education in the United States and beyond.

This is another must listen podcast as Dan talks with amazing guests every fortnight, every other week, about what it takes to be a leader in education and that it doesn't require a title to lead, just the will and desire to do it. I've learned a TON from listening to Dan and his guests and I know you will too. Plus Dan is a great guy. I've been working with him online for a while in the #PassTheScopeEDU community and was even able to meet him in 3D at ISTE 2017 in San Antonio, Texas. So do yourself a favor and subscribe to the Leader of Learning podcast and get learning with Dan!

16 April 2018

New Sesame Street Autism Book

I have a bit of an obsession with Kickstarter, a website that allows people to crowdfund their ideas to fruition. I love the whole idea of Kickstarter and may even create something that allows me to use the site to help bring something to life, but until then I'll continue to back projects that call out to me and demand to be backed when my own personal funds allow.

The most recent project I have found that looks intriguing is from none other than Sesame Street, you know, the amazing little show that teaches kids all sorts of great things they should know. Well, Sesame Street is more than just a show and this project is aiming to help people see it. The project is called "Help Prevent Bullying with Sesame Street’s New Autism Book" and its purpose is to crowdfund a new digital storybook to help raise more awareness of Autism and more importantly how to help kids with Autism deal with bullying, a sad situation that unfortunately needs addressing. Check out the video below.

Now that you have a better understanding of the project, go check out its Kickstarter page and back whatever level you feel comfortable backing. One thing to keep in mind, if they don't reach their goal of $75,000 by Friday, May 11th at 4 pm Eastern Time (1 pm Pacific Time) then they won't receive ANY of the funds, so be sure to back it before then.

How does this apply to schools and education? I think this is a PERFECT fit for schools and education. It seems like more and more children are being diagnosed with Autism and what better book to have available for teachers and students to learn more about Autism. While I haven't watched too many of the newer episodes of Sesame Street, I know that I LOVED watching it when I was a kid and was always impressed by how amazing each episode was. If there's a group or organization committed to helping kids learn and grow, I think Sesame Street fits that description.

So get out there and help support this great project by backing and sharing it today!

31 May 2017

#ISTE17 Here I Come! - #30DayProject - Day 08

The official #ISTE17 Conference logo!

I just finished my 9th year in education and it was another great one. It was very different from my previous eight years, but I've really enjoyed the change of pace and the challenge of working with more than my individual class, grade level, and school. One thing has been pretty consistent with most of those years of teaching, my desire to attend educational conferences to learn and grow in my profession and meet other amazing educators. I've had the absolute pleasure to attend many conferences in my time as an educator, but there is one conference that I have tried and tried to attend for many years that has always found a way to elude me, sometimes at the last minute. That conference is none other than one of the largest EdTech conferences around, the big kahuna, ISTE!

I'm so excited to be a speaker
at #ISTE17!

Well, the wait is coming to an end this summer because I am so excited to announce that I will FINALLY be attending #ISTE17 in San Antonio, Texas and I couldn't be more excited! But wait, there's more because not only am I attending #ISTE17 but I will also be speaking at #ISTE17 as an Ignite Speaker on Sunday, June 25th @ 1:30pm (CDT)! I am so excited for this opportunity to not only attend #ISTE17 but also get to share the stage with some amazing educators who I consider friends, even though we haven't even met in person yet! If you attend the session you will hear from amazing people like Jaime Donally (who I have been blessed to meet IRL and she's even more amazing than she is online folks!), Kerry Gallagher, Tara Linney, Holly Clark, and ten other amazing educators who I don't know yet but am excited to meet and learn with while there! I am over the moon excited, and also more than a little nervous, to be speaking at #ISTE17 but it's something that I LOVE to do, share my passion for education with anyone who will listen, or read.

The #PassTheScopeEDU crew will be at #ISTE17!

So how is this all possible that I'll be able to attend ISTE this year where I haven't been able to do so in the past? Part of the answer is I was selected to be an Emerging Edublogger, which grants me access to the conference for $FREE as a credentialed member of the media. I will be writing blog posts before, during and after my ISTE experience as well as working with my #PassTheScopeEDU crew to make sure the entire event is properly live streamed via Periscope. I plan to scope alongside my #PTSEDU crew of Stacy Lovdahl (also an Emerging Edublogger for #ISTE17), Brian Smith, Toutoule Ntoya, Dan Kreiness, and hopefully Valerie Lewis, the founder, and visionary of #PassTheScopeEDU along with many others who are still figuring out their ISTE schedules. And in order to get ourselves ready for #ISTE17, Brian and I will be scoping the 2017 Badge Summit happening on Saturday, June 24th also in San Antonio, TX. So if you don't already have plans for the Saturday before #ISTE17, you should consider checking out Badge Summit and come say Hi! while you're at it.

I understand there are TONS of amazing things to do at ISTE more than the awesome learning from sessions and I hope to enjoy as many of them as possible. And as such, I've already RSVP'd to many great events so I can try to get a full view of just why all my friends keep talking about the great that is ISTE! So if you have any suggestions for a newbie, please feel free to reach out to me and let me know what I should be attending and be doing to make my ISTE experience the best. The best place to find me online is Twitter at @lars3eb or you can leave a comment here on this post or via the contact form on the Contact Page. I promise to respond to your comment and look forward to seeing what y'all think I should do at #ISTE17.

Be sure to keep an eye out for more #ISTE17 posts that will be appearing here before, during, and after the conference. They will all be tagged with the #ISTE17 tag so they should be nice and easy to find.

Thanks!

30 May 2017

Get Back Up - #30DayProject - Day 07

Source: Pixabay.com

I've had a really challenging weekend and don't know what to say. I start this #30DayProject because I want to spend more time writing and reflecting on my educational practice and I drop the ball after 6 days! In my defense, I've had some family issues that have moved the focus of my time to things that are more pressing. But, even though I missed 3 days I won't miss my numbering and I'll continue on in the process. I will get back up on the horse and return to regular posts.

I can't help but think about a great book I bought but haven't had the time to read yet called The Gift of Failure: How the Best Parents Learn to Let Go So Their Children Can Succeed * by Jessica Lahey. Side note, I tweeted about my desire to read The Gift of Failure in a recent #UTedChat and Jessica Lahey not only thanked me in the chat, she also sent me a handwritten thank you card! I couldn't believe it! A handwritten thank you card from a New York Time's Best Selling author! I was shocked! It was so nice of her to do that.

Image Source

Anyway, back to the book. I bought the book in order to participate in a Twitter Book Chat but life hit me so hard I wasn't able to read it with the group. I've always been a big proponent for looking at failure in a positive light because I believe that is where we learn the most, from our shortcomings and when we mess up. In fact, I always told First Attempt In Learning or Frequent Attempts In Learning. Regardless of how you look at it, I believe the only way you truly "fail" at something is when you quit trying and stop. For this reason, I will continue forward with my #30DayProject even though I "failed" by missing 3 days. I will continue working and hopefully learning as I go.
my students that Fail was nothing more than an acronym for

Thanks for sticking around!
__________

* Yes this is an affiliate link to Amazon and if you purchase the book from this link I will receive a very small kickback for referring you. If you don't like referral links, here is a non-referral link to the same book.

27 May 2017

Riding A Bike - #30DayProject - Day 06

Source: Pixaby.com

I did something today that I haven't done in a long time, rode a bike. Now I didn't go on a long ride but I still got on a bike, two different bikes in fact, and rode them down the street and back to my house. I couldn't tell you the last time I rode a bike and yet I was able to hop on the bikes today and got riding without any issues at all.

Why is this important and why should it appear on an educational site? It's important for the same reason I can recite my multiplication facts up to 12 without much issues. It's important for the same reason I can recite some of the memorized poems and scriptures of my youth. It's important because when something is truly learned and, dare I say "mastered," it stays with you for life. I'm not a huge proponent of making/asking kids to memorize things unless they are needed on a regular basis because we now live in a world where it's so easy to pull a computer out of your pocket and search on Google for the answer. And yet, there are some things I believe are that necessary to memorize in order to make life easier for kids. Those things, like multiplication facts, scriptures, helpful songs/poems that help you learn, are worthwhile enough that kids still need to use some of their biological hard drive space to house it permanently and not just in the short-term cache. And even more than asking students to memorize things, if we can help them learn something so deeply that it is able to be stored on their permanent hard drive then we are actually making a difference in their lives.

Source: Pixabay.com

A couple days ago I had something amazing happen, my first-year students graduated high school. I never thought I'd see that day and yet, I didn't actually see it. My students graduated and I didn't even try to attend the event. Why not? I don't know, I just didn't realize it was happening that night because I wasn't invited to attend. I didn't attend because I was spending time with my family and visiting different doctors for medical check-ups. I didn't attend because life happened. And it was okay because I know those students learned things in my class and in their subsequent classes that will stick with them and allow them to be better people. They learned things to allow them to one day, sitting in a meeting at work, sitting in a class at University, sitting at home with their own kids, get back on their proverbial bike and get riding because they have that information permanently stored in their minds. And on that day, they'll think back to when they first learned the thing they're thinking about and realize it wasn't so bad to have worked hard in school. And they may even remember their 4th grade teacher and his crazy ways.

Congrats Class of 2017! You did it, you graduated High School and get to move on to the rest of your life. Best of luck!

p.s. It's technically still Saturday here in Utah so I haven't missed a day yet! But I'm just barely making it.

25 May 2017

Talks and Panels on Video - #30DayProject - Day 04

DigCitSummit @ Twitter HQ

I have had some pretty amazing things happen in the last couple of years and I just realized I haven't posted about a couple of them here. Back in October 2016 I was invited to attend the DigCitSummit @ Twitter Headquarters and speak on a panel of amazing educators on the topic of How Can We Think Outside The Box Regarding Teaching and Spreading Digital Citizenship and Media Literacy? It was a lot of fun and I learned a ton from my fellow panelists as well as the rest of the presenters and other panels that day. Below is the video from that panel discussion for your viewing pleasure, so please enjoy.

And yes, that was in fact my lovely wife calling me to check in and see how the conference was going. Ad yes, I forgot to turn my computer on Do Not Disturb mode so everyone was able to hear the ringing. But at least we were able to laugh it off and show that it's not the end of the world when something like that happens during your presentation. The other member of the panel included the following:

Panel Moderator: Alan Katzman (@SocialAssurity)

Panelists: Jaime Donally (@jaimedonally)

Derek Larson (@lars3eb)

Casper Pieters (@DCSOOCed)

Chris Priebe (@chrispriebe)

Erin Reilly (@ebreilly)

Kristin Ziemke (@Kristinziemke)

UCET 2017

The other cool thing I wanted to share with you is the video footage of my first ever Ignite Talk that I gave at the UCET 2017 Conference at the University of Utah on March 17, 2017. The topic was Connecting Globally and Locally as Educators and it was the most challenging talk I've ever given. If you're not familiar with the Ignite Talk format it is 20 slides that automatically change every 15 seconds for a total of a 5-minute presentation! It was exhilarating and challenging and I can't wait for my chance to do another one. The filming started a little late so you actually miss my first two slides, but I think you still end up with a pretty good idea of how the talk turned out.

Have you had a presentation, talk, or panel recorded before? How did you feel when you finally found out it was available to watch online? I know I was both nervous and excited to watch. I hope you enjoy the above videos. Let me know your thoughts and how you think I could improve my method.

Thanks for reading and watching!

24 May 2017

Remembering #Picademy - #30DayProject - Day 03

Image Source: Raspberry Pi

Its been over a year since I took part in #Picademy training at the Computer History Museum in Mountain
View, CA but I haven't forgotten the amazing opportunity it was and the fact that it pushed me to a different level of computer skills. It was at those two days of training that I really got into computer programing and coding and that I learned I wanted to do more with it. While I haven't been able to do as much programming as I wanted to do, I have taken lots of time to help get students interested in looking at computer programming and coding more. In fact, I recently ran into a parent of a student who told me her daughter has decided she wants to study computers and has gotten involved with some coding and programming at her school this last year and was on the school's First LEGO League team. Talk about a great present for a nerdy teacher, it was better than Christmas!

Sadly, I didn't document my experience as well as I wanted to do, but my pal Peter Strawn wrote up an awesome blogpost reflecting on the weekend. He also included some excellent pics and videos of the Show & Tell as well as another video created by the awesome Brian Briggs. You should totally go read Peter's great reflection on the weekend and get excited for #Picademy.

The amazing team at the Raspberry Pi foundation have decided to continue the push for more #Picademy training opportunities and there's still time to apply for the last two groups of classes being offered here in the good 'ol US of A. The final two locations (hopefully just for now) are Ann Arbor, MI and Boise, ID. Now, there will be two different sessions at each of the two locations, so below is a table I borrowed from the official #Picademy website, which you should probably be sure to check out ASAP so you can apply for these events.

2017 EVENTS

CITY	VENUE	DATES	APPLY BY
Providence, RI	Johnson & Wales University	June 5 – 6	April 13
Providence, RI	Johnson & Wales University	June 8 – 9	April 13
Irvine, CA	University of California, Irvine	June 19 – 20	April 27
Irvine, CA	University of California, Irvine	June 22 – 23	April 27
Ann Arbor, MI	Ann Arbor District Library	July 24 – 25	June 2
Ann Arbor, MI	Ann Arbor District Library	July 27 – 28	June 2
Boise, ID	JUMP	August 7 – 8	June 16
Boise, ID	JUMP	August 10 – 11	June 16

After you complete the 2-day
training you become a
Raspberry Pi Certified Educator!

Again, if you notice, there are two dates you need to keep in mind if you are interested in applying for either of the last two locations, June 2nd and June 16th. These are the deadlines for applying, which you should all be considering doing RIGHT NOW! In fact, why are you even still here reading this amazing site? Get over to the #Picademy website and click on the Apply Here link to get started! Be sure to tell them @lars3eb sent you so they know I'm still doing my part to help the #Picademy program grow! You actually have a place to list it at the end of the application.

Again, you can't ask for a better 2-days of professional development by a better group of trainers. I really enjoyed my time working with the Raspberry Pi crew at the Computer History Museum and would LOVE to have the chance to join them again sometime in the future. Although it'd be fun to be on the teaching side of the training this time around. All they need to do is get in touch and I'd make it happen because it was that awesome!

If you end up applying for one of the MI or ID sessions, be sure to let me know. Oh, and best of luck to y'all in your applications!