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Global MindEd Conference Thoughts...

The Global MindEd conference this past June was an inspiring event. What made it inspiring is that there were very few K-12  educators in attendance compared to business, entrepreneurs and higher education folks.  This reminded me that there are many people out there that care about education and the world, and that they want to make a difference for pre-K to college students!  

I had the wonderful opportunity to present in the IDEA cafe with Jessica Hatz of the Global Ozone Project.  We presented on how we employed GO3’s black carbon and ozone detectors in the classroom. Students planned treks, collected data and posted the data over-layed on Google Earth.  From there they could analyze their data on a social network.  The students went even further by creating a website to teach others about sustainability and climate issues. This project inspired others attending the conference, and it fostered classroom connections that will be in place for the coming year.

Most importantly, the conference reminded me that providing a quality education for all students is our most pressing global issue!  With all of the reform measures of the past few years, it is time for the U.S. to reflect on what we know is best practice and on what has made us an innovative country!  Educators, entrepreneurs, and businesses can work together to re-invigorate the spirit of creativity and innovation to provide relevance and rigor to our nation’s schools.  It is through partnerships such as the global ozone project that Monarch High participated in that fosters this spirit of creativity and innovation, and extends the love of inquiry, design thinking and entrepreneurship to the participating students.

Global MindEd reminded me of this spirit.  It reminded me that I am not alone in fighting for this spirit to be in the curriculum for all students, and it re-energized me to continue to do what is best for my students!  

If you are interested in the Global Ozone Project, go to their website and apply to be a Global Treks school. Partnerships such as these are what your students will remember for years to come, so don’t be afraid to take a risk and try something new!

In closing, I would like to share the following is a quote from the Global Ozone Project newsletter:

“Jess, the GO3 Project's Outreach Coordinator, was given the opportunity to attend two innovative conferences this June focusing on education: GlobalMindED and the Colorado Education Initiative's 2015 Showcase. GlobalMindED took place in downtown Denver and connected like-minded people from the fields of education, industry, non-profits, entrepreneurship, and government to envision a future for education rooted in equity, access, and innovation. GO3 hosted an Idea table with science teacher Kristin Donley from Monarch High School and featured the GO3 Treks program and an awesome website on climate change and sustainability made by Mrs. Donley's students. Some of the conference highlights included keynote speaker Michele Weslander Quaid from Google and a panel led by entrepreneur Teju Ravilochan, CEO of the Unreasonable Institute.”

Jess & Kristin Hosting an Idea Table at GlobalMindED

3D Comes to School

classroom and 3D technology    An article showcasing the 3D fundraiser and what we were able to purchase to help students understand abstract material in science and math better!  Thanks to all of our wonderful parents and communitiy members for making this possible!

MoHi BYOD Website

I would like to share the link to Monarch High School's Bring Your Own Device website that I have been adding resources and information to over the past couple of years. Everything from our vision to helpful integration ideas can be found on this site! Feel free to join our forum and join the discussion about computer use!
  MoHI BYOD

Using Technology to Collect and Analyze Data

; There are many ways teachers can use technology in creative ways to promote inquiry.  I recently joined the Global Ozone Project  to  measure local ozone and black carbon levels.  We were loaned the equipment and sensors to take walking treks to measure data and then it was uploaded to the GO3 website. Students joined the site so they could blog about the data.

Here is a link to our first trek-- MHS Parking Lot Trek

This project brings relevance to the classroom by involving students in an actual ongoing experiment. They get the chance to collect data, analyze it using Google Earth 3D mapping software and blog about their hypotheses/preliminary conclusions. My students can see treks from all over the world and make global connections!

How are you using technology in a novel way to promote critical thinking skills?

Transforming the School

http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2010/12/12/stress-and-the-high-school-student/change-the-pace-of-the-school-day

BVSD schools have done all of the things mentioned in the above article, but I do not think it is enough.  I feel that taking 7-8 classes is too many for students, especially since most of them are involved in sports or other after school activities.  Students seem to mindlessly go from one class to another--always feeling behind and just "jumping through the hoops."  There is no real incentive for learning!  I call for a drastic change in the scheduling-- a transformation.  I envision a school where students have large blocks of time to work on and understand the curriculum.  Blocks that are integrated where students are applying mathematics, science, history and language and integrated arts together.  For example, Colorado College (http://www.coloradocollege.edu/) is an example where students take one or two classes at a time, thereby focusing on one area.  I envision a learning environment where students aren't busily running from one class to another, sitting listening to lecture after lecture-- I envision a place where bells are not necessary, students work together in larger multi-faceted areas with access to the latest technology and tools, where they can critically think and apply their knowledge in innovative and imaginative ways.  I envision a place where service learning is an integral part of the curriculum and where educators connect students to opportunities.

I know this vision is not a panacea, but it is time we critically examine why we use the school schedules that we do?  Life has changed drastically over the past 100+ years since public schooling has become the norm---why have we not (for the most part) changed our school schedules?  Is there a better way? What is holding us back?

What are your thoughts?

Check out http://www.mister-nick.com 

Gamifying the classroon

I am in the process of Gamifying my classroom and found these resources helpful!

1. http://techsanityedu.blogspot.com/   Thank you Mr. Downing--- your advice is invaluable and you are an inspiration to great teaching and learning!

2. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rN0qRKjfX3s  from Pennyarcade TV
http://www.penny-arcade.com/patv/episode/gamifying-education

3. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O2N-5maKZ9Q TEDEX talk- Gabe Zichermann

4. http://www.gamifyingeducation.org/  Gamifying education website

5. http://gamification.org/wiki/Gamification_of_Education  Gamifying Wiki

6. http://www.esparklearning.com/gamification-of-education/  Espark-- why gamify?


So I am embarking on a pilot to gamify my classroom.  I decided to do this because it seems that as the years go by in my teaching career, students are losing their incentive to turn work in on time.  A student in my AP Biology class introduced me to the concept and wanted to do a pilot to see if it would help student engagement and motivation. I currently use a lot of technology in my classroom including Schoology, a learning management platform. The technology I have can easily be integrated into creating a classroom "Game" environment.  I am starting small by creating "houses" for competition like in the Harry Potter movies.  I will have a sorting hat to place students into groups ("Houses")-- which is part my decision and part the student's decision. Each house will come up with a name, colors and symbol.  Students will compete for "badges" created in Schoology which represent their mastery of the content (i.e., standards).  Points will be tallied along the way--through a leader board.  This takes care of competition and collaboration.

Many of my assignments have a storyline-- I will just make sure to wrap them together and link to the earning of the badges.  Hopefully this will encourage more PRIDE in their learning!

I will update you on my journey--- please feel free to make comments on this post if you have tried anything along these lines before or have ideas to share!