GaETC - Three Take Aways

Another amazing GaETC has come and gone. This year's theme was "Super Heroes". As always, the volunteer staff and presenters were the true Super Heroes. Every volunteer I met was over the top helpful, and friendly. Even to those of us that forgot our badges for the 12th year in a row. There were so many high-quality concurrent sessions. I felt bad for not being able to attend everyone. A week later, I'm finally able to settle down and process the experience. Here's a few thoughts:

Chris Craft is a great resource, excellent presenter, and a really nice guy. Of his many presentations, I took the most out of Chris's Google Q&A, and his session on  Google Drive Add-Ons. PearDeck was a fan favorite. 

GaETC concurrent sessions were rich with ideas related to professional learning. Professional learning programs and professional learning networks (PLN) were hot topics. The model from Clark County School District (CCSD) is an exceptional model. Clint and Carrie, instructional technologist from CCSD, led a live session taking the audience through their program called Club Tech. I'm glad to have them in my PLN, and excited to borrow some ideas for our new professional learning program.

The conference was active and full of learning. Some districts have many resources and employees, and some have few. Several districts were Windows, many were Mac, and even more across the state were embracing the wonderful resources of Google Apps for Education (GAFE). There wasn't any technology snobbery, or rumbles in the streets between Windows and Mac users (AKA: Socs and the Greasers). Just thousands upon thousands of educators trying to better their career and the lives of their students. At the end of the day everyone was there to share, teach, and encourage. Now that's enough to keep you going till next year.

Posting this clip does not endorse greasy hair, collared shirts, smoking, violence, or open fires.

Google Chromebook: The Mark Twain of Laptops

In 1897 Mark Twain said, " The report of my death was an exaggeration". Just like Mark Twain in 1897, the media wrote Google Chromebook off for dead this week. According to several sources, Chromebook production would stop after 2016. Should I blog about the misrepresentation of modern media? No. How about a lesson on proper evaluation methods of online stories? Maybe. Better yet,  I will link a blog post from Hiroshi Lockheimer, Senior VP of Chrome OS. Enjoy and Bonjour.

Hiroshi Post: Chrome is alive

Write for Understanding - Billionaires Love It

Write for clarity. Earnest Hemingway was an expert in the area of precise prose. Arthur C. Clarke credits Hemingway with writing the world's shortest story. "For Sale: baby shoes, never worn." Did he, who knows. Clear writing has many fans, including Paul Tudor Jones. Mr. Jones is a billionaire hedge fund manger. He forces employees to take online classes in journalism to improve their writing skills. Paul demands clarity, precision, and order from all memos. If not, they are destroyed. Here is Paul's interview.

Strunk and White's Rule #17 clarifies the need for concise writing. Rule #17: Omit Needless Words. This rule and concept is not easy. Trust me. If you are looking for an online page for help. Look no further. Check out the Hemingway App to help improve your prose. 

Hemingway App approved: Grade 5

Doodle 4 Google Is Open - Let's Doodle

Google posted the details for their Doodle 4 Google contest. According to Google, "Students in grades K-12 are invited to take part in the 2015 Doodle 4 Google contest". Teachers can find all the details under the "How it Works" tab. Make sure and check the site out before introducing the contest to your students. The contest is open from October 19th till December 7th. 

 Along with the rules and entry form,  Doodle 4 Google also list the wonderful prizes up for grabs. Click here for a list of prizes (hint: $30,000 scholarship). Google has assembled an all-star group of judges to select the winner. Some of the judges are Julie Bowen (Modern Family), Dr Cagle ( Astronaut), and Stephen Curry (NBA Player). Make sure you check out the "Classroom Activities" tab when you visit. In this tab, teachers will find inspirational videos and grade band specific lesson plans  to use with their students. Here's video one of the three part series of inspirational videos geared towards students:

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2015 Google Science Fair

Greetings Everyone! 

I wanted to let you all know the 2015 Google Science Fair is now up and running. All submissions need to be turned in by May 18, 2015. If you think you may be interested please go to www.googlesciencefair.com for tips about what to do and what not to do. 

Here are the instructions on how to enter.

If you are looking for a bit of inspiration on the possibilities within the Google Science Fair, please check out the video below from the 2012 Google Science Fair winner. She was able to develop a new way to help in the detection of breast cancer. Amazing story... 

I look forward to seeing what all you can do!

EdCamp Rome: A Reflection

Saturday morning my alarm went off at 5:30. I got up, did my morning routine, and I was on the road to Rome High School at 6:30 to begin a day of learning with close to 150 of my closest friends. If you were at EdCamp Rome, you know how amazing it was. If you weren't I hope this post will take you further to understand how amazing this day of learning and sharing was.

Let's back it up a little and tell you where this day came from. I've heard of the EdCamp model for a couple of years now. In short, the EdCamp model is one of empowering teachers to learn what is important to them. For an EdCamp to happen there will be a facility in place with an outline of session times and no scheduled presenters. Attendees are presenters and the sessions are put up on a board the morning of the event. Attendees are encouraged to go to sessions that apply to them and if the session doesn't, then they are asked to "vote with their feet" and move on to sessions as needed.

This EdCamp movement is a movement that has grown rapidly over the past few years. Atlanta will be having their fourth this coming year and communities around the state are in the process of holding them. If you go to the EdCamp Wiki, you can find a record of thousands of these types of events around the world. Last week there was one in Cobb County and next week there will be another in Roswell. I'm personally excited about EdCamp GigCity coming to Chattanooga on May 9th.

The idea for EdCamp Rome was born at this past years GAETC, Georgia's premier EdTech Conference. My friend, Kate Matthews, was doing a session on how several Fayette County Schools were utilizing the EdCamp model for their professional development. I was blown away by how empowered Fayette County teachers and administrators were through the process. The Fayette County presentation made it seem as though EdCamps were a feat anyone could pull off. I was immediately on board with launching our own EdCamp here in Rome, but I knew I would need a lot of help. Luckily, when I turned around in the Fayette County session at GAETC, I saw Terrie Ponder behind me. Terrie is the Rome City Schools Instructional Technology Specialist. Terrie and I immediately started talking about holding our own for Rome City and Floyd County Schools. Our thought was things are always better when you are working together, so bringing the two systems in would be beneficial for all involved.

Terrie and I were on board, so what's next? We needed a place to host the event. Terrie shared that Rome High School was in the process of a wireless upgrade. She was able to work with Dr. Evans at Rome High and found us a date. Putting that date down on the calendar made the event real and we knew we had some more work to do. It was too much for the two of us to handle. This is where the event really took off. First, my boss, mentor, friend, and office neighbor, Craig Ellison said he'd love to assist in any way he could, so Terrie and I now had a third partner in the mix.  Then, EdCamp Rome scored a coup de gras by gaining the support of Cat Flippen from Georgia Gwinnett College.

Cat is the engine that kept things going for EdCamp Rome. She has been in the planning and implementation of multiple EdCamps in Georgia and her expertise was invaluable. She has a strategy for every facet of the EdCamp process. Due to her persistence and planning, everything about EdCamp Rome ran on a dime. If you are planning an EdCamp and can have Cat on board, do it. She lives to serve and would love to help.

Lee, Cat, Terrie, and Craig; EdCamp Rome Organizers Extraordinaire

The process of getting to Saturday the 21st was awe inspiring. Craig made calls to RRW Multimedia Services and boom, we have Bojangles for breakfast. Craig made a call to EDCO Education and boom, we have t-shirts. Craig made a call to Logical Systems and boom, we have Chick-Fil-A lunch for all attendees. It was amazing how many people stepped up to provide door prizes for the event as well. Through all of us reaching out to our various resources we had swag from Techsmith, University of West Georgia, Yapp, Flocabulary, Voicethread, Little Bits, Chick-Fil-A Rome, Blue Sky, Bird Brain Science, Makey Makey, Kahoot, Edutopia, Brain Pop, Mellow Mushroom, Edupuzzle, and Padlet. So many sponsors! Thank you all for making this day so great.

Yep. These people are sitting on the floor in a classroom to learn on a Saturday morning.

We had sponsors, we had food, we had t-shirts, we had swag, and the final step was getting people. From Cat's advice, we created an Eventbrite page and opened up to 150 attendees. A couple of weeks after launching the Eventbrite page, we hit our target. People dropped out and people were added, but when it was all said and done we had roughly 120 people in attendance at Rome High School. On a Saturday. To learn. For free.

Carrie Siegmund and Clint Winter from Clarke County Schools gearing up for an amazing day of learning.

The organizers and the sponsors are great and all, but EdCamp Rome would be nothing without the attendees. At an EdCamp, no attendees means no presenters! We were not at a shortage for presentations at EdCamp Rome. Our local staff stepped up, but we were also graced by amazing people from Alabama, Chattanooga, Athens, Fayette County, and Atlanta. PK Graff, a veritable superstar in robotics and coding, shared with teachers throughout the day. Craig, Cat, Clarke County Schools crew, and I did a session on Pop Culture in the Classroom with the phrase that pays being, "I Kanye do technology." Kate Matthews from Fayette County was able to share about Transformational Leadership in Technology.

The EdCamp Rome Session Board, Before and After. Look at all the learning taking place! 

The beautiful thing about this day is that I think it will continue and grow. We have shown two systems what can happen when we work together to advance learning and I think there are more opportunities in the future to learn and grow together. In fact, Terrie, Cat, and Craig may not know it yet, but we are already planning EdCamp Rome II. Stay tuned for more details!

I'd be remiss if I didn't offer a few thank you's for the day. Aside from the coordinating crew, I have to thank Chris Carey of Logical Systems, Jeff Bunch of RRW, Amie Briggs of EDCO, and all of the other sponsors. You all made the day a huge success. I also want to thank Rome High Principal Dr. Tygar Evans and Rome City Schools Superintendent Dr. Mike Buck for their hospitality and letting EdCamp Rome use Rome High School. Another huge thanks goes to the support of Floyd County Schools Superintendent Dr. Jeff McDaniel, Chief of Academics Tony Bethune, and Director of Professional Learning Terri Snelling. It was great of you all to take the time to come out and support EdCamp Rome. 

The final thank you goes to the most important people of the day. The attendees. You all gave your time in service of your schools, students, and community. I hope the learning continues and you all are able to extend what happened at EdCamp Rome into your daily life. Vote with your feet, find things that work for you, and keep on learning.

Classroom is Coming!

Classroom is coming, Classroom is coming, Classroom is coming!
I am getting set to ride around my district like Paul Revere announcing the arrival of Google Classroom

If you aren't too familiar with Google Classroom, it is Google's venture into a Learning Management System/Content Management System, an LMS or CMS for short. I got an early preview over the summer and I have been showing it off to anyone who will listen, and even some who didn't want to hear about it. For some reason the awesomeness of Google Classroom was lost on my six year old, but eventually she will come around. 

For those teachers I have shown it too, the constant question is when does Classroom come to me? I finally have an answer. It will be here this week! Let's all throw our hands in the air and celebrate like Kermit the Frog! 

Yay!!!!

I am not 100% sure when it will be out for everyone... I have a feeling that Google will be releasing it like a thief in the night... You won't know when it will appear. That being said, there are a few things I wanted to share with you before you get your access. 

Classroom Important Things to Know

1. You can easily manage a contact list of students. 
2. Administrators can easily deploy documentation to teachers. 
3. Student's can easily turn in assignments within their Google Drive. 
4. It will clean up your Google Drive. 
5. You can leverage the power of Google Forms easily to grade and deliver quizzes. 

Managing a Contact List of Students

When your Classroom access is enabled you can navigate to classroom.google.com and create your class. There is a "+" button at the top of the screen that will allow you to create your class. You can make as many as you want and enable students to join. When you click on the "+" sign at the top of the page you will get an option to create or join a class. When students join, it is an easy process to select their names and send them an email. Also, within the Classroom you have an easy to access list of all of your students! Once students get enrolled, click on the students tab and all your hopes and dreams can come true! 

Administrators Can Deploy Documentation to Teachers

Teachers can do this for students as well, but I thought it would be good to throw the administrators of a school a little tech bone... This is by far my favorite feature of Classroom. Let's pretend I am a school level admin and I have a specific format I want my lesson plans done in. I can now go into my Google Drive, create a template, and using Google Classroom I can deploy that document out to everyone. All I have to do is create a class, have teachers enroll as students, create the assignment for them, and then they will have a copy within their Google Drive. There is also a handy Turn In button in the top of the Google Doc you assign to them. This will enable you to make sure things get done on time! 

The Turn In Button

I mentioned this in the previous section, but the upper right hand corner just got cooler. We've had the big, beautiful, share button for some time now, but Google is cranking up the heat with the Turn In button. When a teacher sets an assignment in Classroom it automagically(yes, I spelled that correctly) creates a file in the Drive account of each student. The student can access the assignment there, follow instructions, and then click Turn In when finished. Boom goes the dynamite! 

The Turn In Button live, in nature. 

Google Drive Cleanup
When a student is placed into a Google Classroom they are automagically(I will make this a word) given a file corresponding with Classroom that is placed inside of their Google Drive. When a teacher creates an assignment it goes in that file. There will also be a corresponding file in the Drive of each teacher. No more wondering where shared files went. 

Forms and Flubaroo

Now, this has been around for a while, but I really think Google Classroom will make this process easier. Teachers are presently able to go into Google Forms and create self-grading quizzes using the Flubaroo add-on. It really is a great tool. I think the key thing here for teachers is the ability to easily create class based groups and share forms with an entire class with one click. Instead of attaching from Google Drive when creating an assignment, insert a link to the Google Form. 

I have spoken to a Googler recently and one thing I asked for was easier integration with Google Forms and Classroom. I think that is the one thing missing from Classroom at this early stage. 

With a little bit of work on the front end, you can save a great amount of time on the back end! 

So all in all, I am very excited about Google Classroom! I think it simplifies many processes with working with students in Google Drive. That said, I do see a few weaknesses in the early stages. Like I said, I will be happy when they bring over the ability to embed forms into Google Classroom. Also, I would like the ability to assign things to groups instead of just single students. I think that would be great. 

So those are some initial thoughts on Google Classroom. Let me know what you think about it all. I'd love to have some dialogue!