Social Branding in #DigCit

My #DigCit students have been studying their digital footprint/tattoo and are now working on educating others as to what social branding is and how they can help build a positive social brand for themselves in the process.  They could choose any platform off this list: https://goo.gl/VgH9eL or propose a different one to me.  Here are some of their projects.  If you would leave some comments that I could pass on to the students, it would be greatly appreciated.  Thank you and enjoy!

https://explee.com/video/ljbqr

https://explee.com/video/gqk4o#

https://explee.com/video/g7byz#

https://www.emaze.com/@AFTZWZCI/presentation-name

https://www.emaze.com/@AFTIWWLW/social-branding

http://prezi.com/lpjnl0hy__km/?utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=copy

http://prezi.com/gcderpllfew7/?utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=copy&rc=ex0share

https://www.emaze.com/@AFTIWWLW/social-branding

https://flipagram.com/f/ktgD3QOvdZ

https://flipagram.com/f/kwd6JbxX2K

https://flipagram.com/ashleysav

https://explee.com/video/6em83

https://explee.com/video/mmx03

Apps and Extensions I Use Daily

I have a little bit of a Chrome extension problem (ok, it's a pretty big problem) but there are so many that save me time or enable my students or I to do something we couldn't previously do that they are a necessity in my digital life.

Time Savers

Tab Cloud enables you to store a series of tabs and once you are signed into Chrome, you click on it and choose your series of saved tabs and boom! They are open.  I use this every single day.  In the morning, I use the same 14 tabs and opening each one every morning took me about 15 minutes between typing in the web address and waiting for each to load that finding this extension was huge for me.  My students use it and it saves so much time at the beginning of each class period!

Goo.gl URL Shortener
This seems self explanatory, but it's uses go beyond saving time for students or teachers typing in a URL to join what you are doing.  It also automatically creates a QR code with analytics attached to it.  This means that you do not have to go to a separate website to create the QR code.  You can see how many people have used it to access whatever it is connected to and what type of device they are using.

One Tab is one of my favorite extensions (which is saying a lot) because I seem to find a new use for it at least once a week.  I use it most often at conferences to share out my learning and enable anyone looking at it (and me) to review all of the resources I discovered at the conference.  Here is an example: http://goo.gl/bK3sFU from #EdCampCNJ this past weekend.  As you can see, I had a lot of tabs open, but this way I always have an archive of them to review at later times.  I also use it a lot when curating resources for my students.  Here is an example: http://goo.gl/SP4RKf. I don't always give them the resources because there is merit in encouraging them to find and evaluate resources, but sometimes I need to save time in the search process.  Another reason I use it is to send people resources.  For example, we were searching for a new sound system for my classroom and instead of sending 15 links to my principal I One Tabbed those links and then sent him the one link.  That way, it saved him time and I knew he was on the right page for each website. 

Mighty Text not only saves me time because I can type a text message faster, but it also allows me to get my notifications where there isn't any cell service.  I typically have to go to our BOCES for meetings and inside the building there is no cell service.  I leave my phone in the car, where there is service, and I am able to get and respond to my notifications in real time.  Both a time saver and it allows me to deal with any problems that occur with no delay.

Save to Google Drive allows me to curate resources during Twitter chats or if I am surfing the web with only a few clicks instead of copying and pasting, which doesn't always work.  I can then search my Drive later to find the resource, where if I had simply saved the link as a bookmark, I might not remember what it was on the page that I needed.

EdPuzzle allows you to take a YouTube video and crop it and then add in open ended questions, multiple choice questions, comments or voice overs and then gives you both a link to share out to anyone or an embed code to put in your LMS.  This not only saves me time, but it also allows me to create a video of the material I would have covered had I been there on a day when I am out.  This ensures that the learning continues even in my absence.  It also gives me data on the back end so I can use it as a formative assessment. 

Extensity saves me time when looking for extensions when I need them because it organizes them alphabetically.  It also allows me to turn them on and off as I need them.  This means that I can have as many as I want, and still have a URL window to use!

There are many more apps and extensions I use and they can be found here: https://goo.gl/vjBOfz.

Enjoy!

#Stuvoice: Hoover: Top 10 Worst President?

I don't know about you, but I don't often hear two 17 year olds arguing about President Hoover in terms of both his place in history and the parallels with the Obama Administration.   This is exactly what happened in my class today.  Let me frame it for you.

I hadn't been enthralled with the way that I was teaching US History.  Yes, the kids were compliant.  Yes, they would discuss in class. Yes, they were doing well on the formative and summative assessments.  Yes, they said they liked the class.  But my heart just wasn't in it.  I don't think I let it show in class, but I wasn't sure for how long I could keep up the charade.

I recently went to an Inquiry Based Design session with @MrsOlbrys at Windsor High School.  It was like a weight had been lifted off my shoulder and the sun was once again shining.  I knew that this is what I had been seeking as an alternative to what I had been doing in US History.

For those of you that know me, you know that I jump into things with both feet when I see something that will not only transform the way that my students learn but will afford them student voice opportunities.  This is the task that I gave the kids:  https://goo.gl/4zgPp5 and to put it in a nutshell, they had to evaluate information regarding President Hoover and formulate an historically based argument to support or refute Hoover's inclusion in the Top 10 Worst President's List.

The first thing they did (and I did this on purpose) was watch a very short video about the Bonus Army and decide if they were Hoover's adviser, should they pay the veteran's at that point or wait until the predetermined date.  Going in, because of the Bonus Army video, most of the kids believed he belonged on the top 10 worst president list, but then these were the conversations I heard over the past two days:

1. "I have so much more evidence to get him off the list than keep him on.  Crazy! I would never have guessed that two days ago."

2. "There is no way you should be blaming Hoover for the Stock Market Crash.  All of the things that led up to the Stock Market Crash happened before he took office.  Wait... is that the same as how a lot of people blame Obama for the Great Recession?  You can't blame him for the crash, but he clearly didn't make the situation better.  Obama made the situation better.  Look at the difference in the unemployment numbers for the 4 years of Hoover and the one I found for Obama." (Notice that he took the initiative to look up unemployment numbers for the first four years of the Obama Administration).

3. "I don't really know much about several of these Presidents.  Does he really deserve to be on a list with those Presidents?"

4. "I think that what is really swaying me right now is that he sent food to the troops in Europe.  I can't believe that they wouldn't feed the soldiers enough, that is just common sense! But I guess, that was really thinking outside the box back then.  Imagine how different the war would have been if he hadn't done that?"

This is only a very small snippet of what they were talking about and it is only day two.  I can tell you 100% that these were not discussions or questions or thoughts that were happening in my class when I was driving the learning up in front of the class.

In keeping with the end in mind, here is what we are doing next.  https://goo.gl/LNEUT6 The work that they are doing this week and next will become the documents from which they write their DBQ on the last page of the above link.  I would love to hear your thoughts on both Inquiry Based Design and the two tasks I have included.

Thank you.

Student's First Blogs!

The new semester started last week and with it brought a new group of #DigCit students.  One of the first things we do is learn about digital footprint/tattoo (check out Commonsensemedia.org) and then Google ourselves.  Before we do that, I ask the students to predict in their blog what they think they will find and how other people would view them based on their online profile.  After they spend time Googling themselves, their usernames, their social media accounts and Google Images, some of them had an eye opening experience.  Below are a few of the Blogposts.  We are learning how our Blogs can be a vehicle through which student voice is heard.  If you have a minute, please read a couple and comment.  Thank you!

http://yuning1516.blogspot.com/

http://jilianne1516.blogspot.com/

http://brandigaylord.blogspot.com/

http://hannah1516.blogspot.com/

http://cherish1516.blogspot.com/

http://kylie1516.blogspot.com/

http://brianna1516.blogspot.com/

http://valpalmeri1516.blogspot.com/

http://meaghan1516.blogspot.com/

http://ashley1516.blogspot.com/

http://alexiswanchisen.blogspot.com/

Examples of #stuvoice: Feel free to comment!

One of my goals this year was to increase #stuvoice opportunities.  I have always honored it when I asked for it, but upon reflection, I did not ask for it, nor create an environment for it to flourish as often as I had hoped.  Below are some examples of recent #stuvoice in my classes.

This @smorepages was created by one of my AP students following our visit to the State of the State Address in Albany last week.  Additionally, the weekly @smorepages that we use as our class newsletter are archived at the top of that Smore.

https://www.smore.com/n9y12

This @smorepages was also created by a student in my Entrepreneurship course to chronicle what we have been doing in our class as we prepare for our regional competition.

https://www.smore.com/fymwq

Both of the above newsletters are emailed home when I email parents.  I email 5 parents each day to send home positive news.  This has been such a fulfilling experience this year, that I can't imagine not doing it going forward.

Below are blogposts from my US History students.  I simply asked them to blog about something that they were interested in connected to the subject of war.  We just finished WWI, and although I imagined they would all connect their blogposts to that, some did not, and I am glad!  Feel free to comment on their blogs.  This is only their second blogposts and some are still  finding their voice.  I can't wait to see how their voice develops over the remainder of the year.

http://matt1516.blogspot.com/2016/01/during-world-war-one-united-states-were.html

http://kacee1516.blogspot.com/2016/01/trench-warfare-positive-or-negative.html

http://alaina1516.blogspot.com/2016/01/why-us-made-right-decision-in-entering.html

http://bpowell2016.blogspot.com/2016/01/the-us-entered-war-there-are-many.html

http://alicia1516.blogspot.com/2016/01/title-why-did-not-have-choice-but-to.html

http://jie1516.blogspot.com/2016/01/superpower-of-america.html

http://hunter1516.blogspot.com/2016/01/ww1-trenches.html

http://makayla1516.blogspot.com/2016/01/war-on-legalizing-medical-marijuana.html

http://bree1516.blogspot.com/2016/01/the-war-to-end-all-wars-or-at-least-we.html

Student Blogging! Please Comment.

After I finished blogging the other day, I got to thinking that I really needed to get my students blogging.  Almost as if on cue, the light bulb went off and I realized I was in the perfect spot (curriculum wise) in US History to start blogging.  We just finished learning and discussing the Progressive Era and specifically the efforts/actions/outcomes of the muckrakers.  I decided to ask the students to become current day muckrakers.  (As an aside, I really expected whining, but they were actually excited about it!!)  Below are the students' blogs.  If you have a minute to comment on a couple of them, they would greatly appreciate it.  I have students of all abilities and levels of English Language Learners, yet they all constructed coherent, socially important blogs that hopefully inspire others to get involved.


http://bree1516.blogspot.com/2016/01/dont-waste-what-others-dont-have.html

http://makayla1516.blogspot.com/2016/01/abortion-shouldnt-lie-in-hands-of.html

http://alaina1516.blogspot.com/2016/01/the-real-issue-childhood-hunger.html

http://brookep2016.blogspot.com/2016/01/too-much-social-media.html

http://matt1516.blogspot.com/2016/01/is-very-unsanitary-act-that-can-cause.html

http://kyle1516.blogspot.com/2016/01/makeup-and-its-standards-makeup-today.html

http://yuning1516.blogspot.com/2016/01/minorities-are-forced-to-face.html

http://hunter1516.blogspot.com/2016/01/from-discrimination-everyday-there-is.html

http://alyssa1516.blogspot.com/2016/01/the-abuse-or-lack-of-acknowledment-of.html

http://jie1516.blogspot.com/2016/01/should-governor-go-to-jail.html

http://kacee1516.blogspot.com/2016/01/students-struggle-to-learn-after-common.html

http://alicia1516.blogspot.com/2016/01/widespread-acceptance-is-lacking-within.html



After the blogs, I asked them to comment on at least four of their classmate's blogs and then asked them to reflect on the process by answering the following three questions..

1. I liked/disliked the blogging exercise because...
2. I feel we should/should not do it again because...
3. This helped/did not help me remember muckraking because...

Here are some of their responses to the reflections...

"I liked the blogging exercise because it helped everyone express what they feel what is personal to that person and how they feel about a specific subject. This also helped show what the other people in the class are interested in, also what they feel about specific subjects. "

"1. I liked the blogging exercise because, it helps get major factors in life out to people.
2. I feel like we should do it again because it helps our world and it also helps with writing skills.
3. This helped me remember muckraking because this is what they did, they addressed problems that needed to be solved to the world. "

"I liked the blogging exercise because it enabled me to compose information for a project in a new way with peer review as well. I feel we should definitely do this again because i think it was a great way to convey information o more than just our class. This was helpful to me to remember muck racking because it allowed me to compare to current society, "

"I really liked the blogging exercise not only because I got to put my feelings out on something I feel that needs a change, but I got to look at some of the things that my classmates felt that was real to needing a change. I feel like we should do it again because it gives us an opportunity to show each other things that need a change, and maybe sometime we could change them. This does help me with muckraking because it helped us ways to try and figure out how we could change something we don't feel comfortable with, or something that we have always wanted to make a change in. "

The 20th Version of Me

When I interviewed for this job, I was asked if I planned to teach for 30 years or once, 30 times.  I responded that I planned to teach for 30 years, but had no idea what exactly that would entail.  It dawned on me yesterday that I am a totally different teacher than I was 20 years ago when I started.

I was recently at a PBL training session and one of the instructors said look at the first version of your PBL and then make the second version better.  That really stuck with me because I feel that the 20th version of myself is so much better than even the 17th version of myself.

We all change and adjust through the years, but I would say that the last three years have been the most transformative for me. The twentieth version of myself has seen the following things happen this school year:

1. I started sending home 5 positive emails every day.  This has not only caused me to make a conscious effort at seeking out positive things the students were doing, but also to reflect on a daily basis.  I hit 300 positive emails home this morning and I don't plan to stop anytime soon!

2. I have more student choice in my classroom than ever.  I am adjusting on a daily basis and sometimes by the class period to the needs of the students.  From day one of their time with me, I have told them their voice is important to me and I honor that vow.

3. I have personalized my class more than ever.  Yesterday, there were three paths the Economics students could take based on their level of understanding and achievement on our last summative assessment.

4. I am now meeting with students just about every free moment I have.  Not only does this pay off with an increased level of understanding on their part, but it also helps further the relationship that we have.

5. I am now the Tech Integrator for the high school and this is something I have been really looking forward to.  I love to share my love of meaningful edtech and have been doing weekly trainings with the staff who have chosen to engage and further their learning.

6. I am using so many formative assessments that I am able to pinpoint very accurately where students are lacking in knowledge.  One of my students recently said "when you gave me my remediation slip, it's like you were inside my head and knew exactly what I didn't know". I knew I was on the right track when I started this new process this year.

7. I have re-evaluated my flipped activities and have radically changed my belief of what should be in the flipped part.  The 17th version of myself (when I first started flipping) thought an 18 minute video was fine for seniors.  Now I won't go over 6 minutes.  The engagement has gone way up and the complaining is almost non-existent.

8. I start every day asking myself what the experience of what I am planning will be like from a student's perspective.  Before two years ago, it never occurred to me to think about it from their view.

9. I have students who now help me plan out lessons for my #digcit course.  Not only does that go along with the #8, it also gives me a better sense of what they need and what they will think is corny vs realistic.

10. I am able to walk away from a conversation with a colleague that would have ruined my day just a couple years ago and now look at it as a learning opportunity.  Their perspective of something reinforced for me that not everyone has the same perspective of what I considered very positive changes in our school.

I could keep going with about 20 more things, but you get the point.

The 20th version of me is by far the best version of me and I cannot wait for the future versions!

Please Help My Entrepreneurship Students!

As I write this blog post, I am excited for the opportunities my students have in our Entrepreneurship course.  We are participating in a regional competition called the Greater Binghamton Scholastic Challenge sponsored by Modern Marketing Concepts.  At this competition over 50 student groups bring product/service ideas to fruition through much hard work.  The past couple of years, the winners have received funding to actually start a business.  Every aspect of it is real-world and we need YOUR help!  Below are the surveys each group put together.  IF you have time to complete a couple, they could really use your feedback.  None of them will take you more than 90 seconds to fill out.  Remember, this is a learning experience for all of them, so if you have any feedback for them, please feel free to comment on this blog or tweet me at @MrsMurat.  Thank you in advance for your assistance!

Digital Shower Control

Focus Time App

Date Rape/Domestic Violence App

Hair Dryer/Hairspray Combo

Wallet Charger

Bluetooth Alarm with Lights and Rug

Mobile Learning App

Biodegradeable Frost Blankets

Attached Gloves

Cereal Holder

Comparable Shopping App

Breeze Bag

Spike Solutions

Anti Fog Swim Goggles

EquaHeat

Ever Changing Shoe

Thank you!!!

One Goal This Year

This year I am redoubling my efforts to communicate with parents.  In the past, I have always emailed or called home if there was a problem or if something spectacular happened, but it was not even close to a regular routine for me.  I tweeted out some of the happenings in our classes, had the students tweet out examples of their learning and wrote the occasional blog post.

I want this year to be different!

I started the first day of school with a goal of at least 5 positive emails home that were student specific and included at least a couple details that were specific to their son or daughter so it wasn't a form email being sent home.  At first it was a task that I wanted to include in my routine.  Now it is so much more.  On several occasions this year, I have been having a down moment or a moment of frustration with my colleagues and I've consciously chosen right then to write the emails.  It completely changed my day around!  I now crave celebrating my students every day!  I am constantly on the lookout for positive examples of how their son or daughter is being a leader or how they have improved in class or a light bulb that finally went off as they "got it" after a brief or long struggle.

As of this blog post, I've sent out 127 emails.  Some days I get on a roll and send out more than 5, but 5 is the minimum.  I've only received about 20 responses, but those 20 have always made me smile as the parents get a look into the successes of their son or daughter in school.

I have also included a @smorepages for each class so the parents can get a peek into what we are doing and the projects that they have completed.  The projects that are linked into the smores right now are not my typical project because in essence they are a recipe since it was only on a Google Slides where they had to show evidence of how the terms/concepts relate to their lives.  I like to start off with this type of project so that the students can get used to using the Chromebooks and utilizing GAFE before we dive into more diverse projects.

Here are the links to the Smores:

https://www.smore.com/68rmh
https://www.smore.com/999p3
https://www.smore.com/35thc
https://www.smore.com/2ezqn

It is my goal to keep emailing parents with positive feedback and to keep these Smores up to date.

Will you help hold me accountable?

What if?

After a day in which the lessons I planned didn't quite go as planned and several discussions with a colleague while out walking,  I went to a PBL training and have been doing nothing but thinking about "what if?"

What if we didn't beat out the natural desire to figure things out on their own our students are born with?

What if we could re-ignite the inner learner all teachers had at one point?

What if we restructured our day around inquiry based learning and not test prep?

What if we allowed MOOC courses for students interested in taking classes outside the expertise of the brick and mortar staff, that would count for graduation credit?

What if we had an EdCamp style where if a student doesn't feel they are learning, they could get up and go somewhere they could learn more?

What if our students were so used to being given choice and voice in their learning that if we didn't include that in our lesson, they would speak up?

What if we were creating environments for our students that they learned to trust their gut as to whether it was "right" or "good enough" instead of relying on us to determine that?

What if our students directed their own learning and relished the opportunity to do so?

What if we used PBL to help solve  more problems in our local neighborhoods instead of relying on fictitious scenarios that we made up solely for the lesson?

What if everything our students created was shared publicly so authentic eyes were on it and not just ours?

What if we were able to re-engage the disaffected parents in our district?

What if our students developed a way for us to meet the needs of our hungry community members in a way that is sustainable?

What if we had programs that allowed students interested in any topic to gain an advanced or two year degree by the time they graduated if they are working at an accelerated rate?

What if we had internships for any student who wanted to pursue one?

What if we connected with experts in the field to help us in the classroom on a regular basis?

What if we didn't have study halls and instead had time for passion projects or genius hour?

What if we weren't cutting art and music time and money to focus more on "what's on the test'?

What if all teachers sought out PD on their own?

What if teachers understood that using tech to simply give an eWorksheet were missing out on the true power that tech could (if harnessed correctly) provide?

What if every student came to school having had a good night's sleep and food in their stomach?

What if every student felt they could make a difference in our local community as well as the global community?

What if students realized that the path they are on can be changed if they want it to and they are not predestined to that path?

What if we offered alternative break plans like going to South Carolina to help rebuild after their devastating flood?

What if we made our schools more energy efficient through the efforts/ideas of our students.

What if our schools became energy producers instead of consumers because our students devised a way for that to happen?

These are just some of the things I've been thinking about in the last day.  I have work to do to help make these a reality.

What are your what ifs?