Summarizer Idea: Memes

Come visit me over at my blog to check out how memes can be used for summarizers!

Monthly Tech Integration Idea: Paperless Assessments

Come visit me over at my blog to check out some resources that can be used for paperless assessments!

Rebel U 2013: Guest Post

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This a post in a series about Rebel U 2013.

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As part of the Rebel U 2013 evaluation, we asked participants if they were willing to be a guest blogger on our Godfrey-Lee Technology & Media blog.  We were not only interested in hearing (and sharing) first hand accounts from attendees and presenters, but also introducing some teachers to collaborating in an online environment and being a part of an online professional learning community.

Today's guest post is written by Godfrey Elementary Special Education teacher, Doug Boone.  You can find Doug online here.

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Rebel U is an opportunity to see what my peers are doing with technology to promote education. It is a day long event with a wide variety of sectionals. I am always amazed at the capabilities and enthusiasm these people have to show how technology can add more tools for educators to work with. It is always fun and makes me think you can teach an old dog new tricks.

Rebel U 2013: Guest Post

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This a post in a series about Rebel U 2013.

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As part of the Rebel U 2013 evaluation, we asked participants if they were willing to be a guest blogger on our Godfrey-Lee Technology & Media blog.  We were not only interested in hearing (and sharing) first hand accounts from attendees and presenters, but also introducing some teachers to collaborating in an online environment and being a part of an online professional learning community.

Today's guest post is written by High School ELL teacher, Brenda Caballero.  You can find Brenda online here.

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I am very grateful that our district provides us with quality technology PD opportunities and resources.  I learn so much from my colleagues that have experience in technology topics that are relevant to our district.  I also had a great experience presenting iPad tricks to fellow staff.  They were very enthusiastic about helpful hints that we talked about which was very rewarding to me.  We also had an opportunity to explore and learn new things together based on their questions.

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Brenda was also a presenter at Rebel U this year, presenting on iPad Tricks for the Low Intermediate   If you would like more information about the session she led, please check out her presenter page here.

Rebel U 2013: Teacher Learning & Experiences

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This a post in a series about Rebel U 2013.

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As part of the Rebel U 2013 evaluation, participants were asked to complete the following sentence, "If you were at Rebel U 2012, you would have learned, witnessed, or experienced..." (similar to the question Scott McLeod posed on his blog, Dangerously Irrelevant). We received many responses that really spoke to the learning experience that teachers encountered during the day.  We had also asked our teachers this question in previous years (2011 and 2012) and it evoked such great responses that we had to ask again this year!

So... if you had attended Godfrey-Lee Public Schools' Rebel U 2013, you would have learned, witnessed, or experienced... 

1. A dynamic staff sharing knowledge.
2. Multiple ways of improving classroom instruction.
3. Current resources relevant to the teaching profession and important for 21st century learning.
4. I learned that I have a pretty basic understanding of technology but there is so much more that it can be used for to increase instruction and learning.
5. All the resources available to bring real life lessons into the classroom and be able to share with colleagues at the "click of a button."
6. Amazing teachers teaching teachers about the tools they use daily in their classrooms to ensure that students are LEARNING.
7. Educators working together from many buildings and grade levels towards a common goal: learning and becoming the best we can be for the benefit for our students.
8. Teachers learning how to become better teachers from each other.
9. How to implement technology into your classroom in a meaningful and purposeful way.
10. How to think of a variety of tech tools to enhance what I already do. More options/tools for the toolbox.
11. Teachers sharing ideas and learning new ways to be more effective.
12. Real, practical ways to use technology to improve student learning.
13. Laughter, learning, how to use the iPad.
14. A lot of great tools to make our job easier.
15. Ways to use technology to enhance services to teachers, students and families.
16. Teachers teaching teachers!
17. Staff members using devices to gain a deeper understanding of technology.
18. I learned how to allow technology to make my life as a teacher more enjoyable.
19. Renewed friendship and collaboration for student success.
20. Excellent technology strategies to incorporate in daily lessons.
21. Amazing access to tools found and used by our amazing staff!
22. A host of different ideas and resources available to teachers and student support services that can be implemented in very practical, efficient, and creative ways!
23. How to use technology to better engage students.
24. Multiple ways teachers can use technology to enhance their lessons and engage their students.
25. Teachers finding and sharing websites and others being excited about it.
26. Awesome MEME's, Tech talk galore, Townsend "acting" and Lambert @ the grill.
27. Teachers learning (which is the true sign of great teachers!)
28. Some amazing ideas that we are implementing here!!!!
29. Some fabulous presenters!
30. Technology can be used in a multitude of ways.
31. I learned that opening yourself up to learning is fun!
32. Different strategies to incorparate cooperative learning in the classroom.
33. Collaboration between teachers of all grade levels
34. The power of collective knowledge in our district that far exceeds my own and invigorates me with the possibilities.
35. Great teachers and presenters sharing knowledge! Passion for education and student success!
36. New pathways to creating experiences with technology.
37. Creativity, professionalism, innovation, and talent.
38. Awesome sessions about creating movies and wonderful time to collaborate with others.
39. That technology needs to be embraced in the classroom and we all need to get on board!!!
40. Many new ways to integrate technology into your classroom for engagement, instruction, reflection and assessment.
41. Educators sharing amazing ideas and experiences with other educators.
42. Teachers leading the way toward new ways to meet student need and engage teacher and student interest in learning.

Rebel U 2013: Recap

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This a post in a series about Rebel U 2013.

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This year was our fourth year for Rebel U.  As our district continues to grow and add different technology devices and resources, it is vital that we provide our teachers with relevant professional development that supports the use of technology in their classroom.  Each year, we ask teachers to complete an evaluation at the end of Rebel U.  We use the information gathered from this evaluation to improve weaknesses, continue the areas that were deemed important or positive, and make each event entertaining and filled with relevant learning.

Our theme for this year was "A Day with the Stars".  There are many great things that are happening in our small district, and this year we wanted to celebrate the accomplishments, amazing teachers, and the learning and instruction that takes place everyday.  We understand that each classroom, grade level, subject area, and school look different in our district and as the supporting Technology & Media Department, we try to support the needs of teachers and students to the best of our abilities.  Each teacher (and student) brings a different knowledge base and comfort level when it comes to using and implementing technology and what may work for one classroom, may not be as successful in the classroom across the hall.  Regardless of how it is used, at some point, we had to learn how to use different kinds of technologies.  We wanted to focus on celebrating the successes of technology implementation and be able to share those ideas, resources, and methods with each other.  We heard many comments from teachers about things they learned throughout the day that they couldn't wait to start using in their classroom!

Some of the highlights from this year:

• Schedule: We had a great line up of teacher presenters, administrators, Kent ISD professionals, and GLPS Tech & Media Team members.  To view the agenda as well as session descriptions and presenter handouts, please click here.
• Photo Booth: Back by popular demand, we brought back the photo booth!  We had many teachers stop by during their lunch to have a little fun and a brain break before heading back to their afternoon sessions.  To see pictures from the photo booth, please click here.
• Data: This year we restructured our program a little as well as our evaluation so that it fit with our learning design model.  We were able to capture some great data about the sessions being presented, as well as data about the attendee's opinions of their sessions and the overall day.
• Collaborative Project: As a way for teachers to take what they have learned during the day, the GLPS Tech & Media Team designed a project where all teachers in the district could design a lesson around a central topic - bullying.  The purpose of this project was not only for teachers to have set work time on a professional development day, but to delve further into some of the tools and ideas they learned, collaborate with other teachers in the district, and create an idea or project that they could walk away with to use in their classroom.
  The project centered around a video that was designed and produced by the GLPS Tech & Media Team.  In the video, viewers were posed with the question of, "What are the colors of a bully?" in an attempt to find a cure or remedy for bullying.  With their classrooms, students, and curriculum in mind, teachers were challenged to propose a solution to bullying that also integrates with their curriculum.  To view the video that was made, please click here.  To view more about the project, please check out our project page here.
• Twitter: We had many of our teachers using Twitter throughout the day and sharing what they were learning.  To see what our teachers were tweeting about, please click here.
• Swag Bags: We had some great items donated that we were able give away throughout the day to engage our teachers in their learning experiences throughout the day.
• More Pictures:  We had a lot of great things going on throughout the day!  To see more pictures from our day, please click here.
• What did our teachers think of Rebel U?

If you wish to keep up with our on-going effort to provide relevant and meaningful professional development for our teachers, please "Like" our Facebook page!

Rebel U 2013: Session Overview

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This a post in a series about Rebel U 2013.

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As our team prepares for Rebel U 2013, sometimes we get caught up in organizing all of the details that make the day run smoothly that we often forget to share some of the data about our event.

This year, we had many teachers return as presenters, as well as many new teachers that stepped forward to share what they are doing in their classrooms in regards to teaching and student learning.  It is amazing to hear teachers talk about their experiences, share the realities of what worked well and what they would change for next time, as well as collaborate with their peers.  Each year, Rebel U grows stronger because our teachers are continually learning and implementing tools, resources, and strategies that meet the needs of their students.  Rebel U truly would not be a success without our stellar teachers!

When we open our call for presenters for Rebel U, we open up our event to anyone who would like to share with fellow educators about best practices, ideas, resources, and any other ways that technology serves as a learning tool in the classroom.  The majority of our presenters are teachers, administrators, and GLPS Tech & Media team members, but we are also very fortunate to have several people from the Kent ISD join us.  A breakdown of where are presenters join us from is listed below.

Our teacher presenters choose their topic in which they would like to present.  We have all of our presenters fill out a form, which we use to gather information and data about their sessions.  Below is a summary of the information gathered about our sessions.

If you are interested in finding out more about Rebel U 2013, information can be found on our website here. The agenda, complete with full session descriptions, can be found here.