GLPS Professional Learning {Digital Learning Badges}

Last year our GLPS Tech & Media Team started issuing digital learning badges for participation in professional development involvement.  We used Credly as our service for issuing (free!) digital learning badges.  It was great to share accomplishments with teachers and is a different way for our teachers to display their professional involvement.

So What Does This Mean to You?

Well, this year the TLA Department and the Tech & Media Team are working together to issue digital badges for professional learning participation.  You can look forward to receiving some digital badges in your inbox soon for your participation in professional learning that was provided by the TLA Department or the Tech & Media Team.


I Received a Badge, Now What?

Credly is a service that allows you to reward people with "credits" for participation.  It is a free service and users do not necessarily need to have a Credly account to receive a badge.  Once a badge has been issued to a person, an email is automatically sent to the individual notifying them of their badge, as well as a picture of the badge.  If a user signs up for a Credly account, they then have the options to organize their badges and even embed a collection of badges on a website.

If you are a teacher that has received a digital learning badge - now what are your next steps?

1. You will receive an email from GLPS Tech & Media notifying you of your badge.  If you choose to do nothing with your badges, you are done at this point.  We recommend saving the email though in case you would like to reference it in the future.
2. If you would like to keep track of your badges, we recommend creating an account with Credly (the service we are using for issuing digital badges - it is free to create an account).
3. Once you have created an account, it is helpful if you create a "Category."  This will help you organize your badges and allow you to embed them on your website if you choose to do so.
4. To create a Category, under the Earned section on the My Credit page, click on Categories.  Click on the +Add Category button.
5. Select your badges and place them in a category you created.  Once you create your category and place badges in that category, you will see a button that looks like "< / >" that will provide you with some HTML code.
6. If you would like to show off your badges on your website, simply copy this code and paste it onto your website.
7. After this initial set-up, when you receive a new badge, simply accept the badge from the email (or log in to Credly) and select a category for it to be placed in, and your website will then automatically be updated with your new badge!  If you would like to see an example of how they would be displayed on your website, take a look at Sarah Wood's website to see.

It's a Bird, It's a Plane, No, It's Rebel U 2014! {Session Information}

Our Tech & Media Team has been busy preparing for Rebel U 2014 and we are excited about the many things that are in store for the day already.

One thing we have been working on developing over the past couple of years is data collection.  We are working on building a sustainable program that accurately represents our technology professional development as well as celebrates the amazing things our teachers are doing in their classrooms and with their students.  When we open our call for presenters, we ask all presenters (and their co-presenters) to complete a form that lets us know a little bit about them, as well as provides information about their session (to view more information about our presenters, please click here).  The information we gather from presenters not only allows us to share with our teachers about the session offerings for the day, but it also allows our Tech & Media Team to see some of the great implementations that have transpired from teacher initiative and exploration, professional development, student learning needs, and collaboration among staff and students.  We are proud of how our program has developed over the past four years and can't wait to see what year five brings for our staff!

If you are interested in learning a little bit about the sessions offered during our day, please take a look at some of the charts below.  If you are unable to view the charts or would like to view more detailed information, please click here.

Rebel U 2014 {All About Our Presenters}

Our Tech & Media Team has been busy preparing for Rebel U 2014 and we are excited about the many things that are in store for the day already.  We have many great presenters who volunteer their time and talent that make our day possible.  Without our presenters, our day would not be a success!

As we continue to work on building a sustainable program that accurately represents our technology professional development offerings as well as celebrates the amazing things our teachers are doing in their classrooms and with their students, we ask all presenters (and their co-presenters) to complete a form that lets us know a little bit about them, as well as provides information about their session (to view more information about our presenters, please click here).  This information that we gather helps us identify information about our program, as well as be able to share with our teachers about the session offerings for the day.  Our presenters never cease to amaze us and we are proud of the teaching and learning going on in our district and how technology has become an integrated part of the instruction and learning.

If you are interested in learning a little bit about the presenters, please take a look at some of the charts below.  If you are unable to view the charts or would like to view more detailed information, please click here.

EdTech Cheer 2013: Day 12 #EdTechCheer

Come join the fun on Day 12!

To view what is in store on Day 12, please click here.

To see how I implemented the ideas presented on Day 12, please click here.

EdTech Cheer 2013: Day 11 #EdTechCheer

Come join the fun on Day 11!

To view what is in store on Day 11, please click here.

To see how I implemented the ideas presented on Day 11, please click here.

EdTech Cheer 2013: Day 10 #EdTechCheer

Come join the fun on Day 10!

To view what is in store on Day 10, please click here.

To see how I implemented the ideas presented on Day 10, please click here.

EdTech Cheer 2013: Day 9 #EdTechCheer

Come join the fun on Day 9!

To view what is in store on Day 9, please click here.

To see how I implemented the ideas presented on Day 9, please click here.

EdTech Cheer 2013: Day 8 #EdTechCheer

Come join the fun on Day 8!

To view what is in store on Day 8, please click here.

To see how I implemented the ideas presented on Day 8, please click here.

EdTech Cheer 2013: Day 7 #EdTechCheer

Come join the fun on Day 7!

To view what is in store on Day 7, please click here.

To see how I implemented the ideas presented on Day 7, please click here.

EdTech Cheer 2013: Day 6 #EdTechCheer

Come join the fun on Day 6!

To view what is in store on Day 6, please click here.

To see how I implemented the ideas presented on Day 6, please click here.

EdTech Cheer 2013: Day 5 #EdTechCheer

Come join the fun on Day 5!

To view what is in store on Day 5, please click here.

To see how I implemented the ideas presented on Day 5, please click here.

EdTech Cheer 2013: Day 4 #EdTechCheer

Come join the fun on Day 4!

To view what is in store on Day 4, please click here.

To see how I implemented the ideas presented on Day 4, please click here.

EdTech Cheer 2013: Day 3 #EdTechCheer

Come join the fun on Day 3!

To view what is in store on Day 3, please click here.

To see how I implemented the ideas presented on Day 3, please click here.

EdTech Cheer 2013: Day 2 #EdTechCheer

Come join the fun on Day 2!

To view what is in store on Day 2, please click here.

To see how I implemented the ideas presented on Day 2, please click here.

EdTech Cheer 2013: Day 1 #EdTechCheer

Come join the fun on Day 1!

To view what is in store on Day 1, please click here.

To see how I implemented the ideas presented on Day 1, please click here.

Time to Get Your EdTech Cheer On! #EdTechCheer

December 2 - 13, 2013

The season for my 12 Days of EdTech Cheer is upon us!
This year, I would really like to encourage any and all teachers, educators, and administrators to participate (not just GLPS teachers).  There is so much we can learn from one another about utilizing technology as a tool in learning and instruction that does not need to be confined within the walls of a classroom or district.

This year, the theme for my EdTech Cheer is professional development.  The goal of this year's online professional development is to provide you with 12 days of ideas that you can implement in just 15 minutes a day.  That means that if you complete the full 12 days, that equals 3 hours of professional development!  We are all busy during the day, and 15 minutes is much more manageable that 3 hours at one time!

Check out my promo video below to see what is in store for the 12 Days!

2nd Grade MacBook Basics {Tech PD Recap}

Yesterday I was able to meet with most of our second grade team to learn more about their new MacBook Pros.  They are a dedicated group of teachers!  We met early in the morning and despite the early hour, they were awake and ready to learn more about their devices.  As stated in a previous post, our Tech & Media Team is focusing on providing teacher-directed professional development, so based on the feedback we received, the meeting met their needs, as it was driven by their input and questions.  I introduced them to our new approach to PD that integrates the adopted learning design model as well as Kagan structures and they were very receptive and eager to learn new strategies that they could implement with their students.
In surveying the teachers, they identified many areas that they would like to learn more about in regards to their MacBook Pros.  All information was recorded in a presentation (found below - if you are unable to view the presentation below, please click here) and was used as a reference during the meeting.  Also included in the presentation is a link to our meeting agenda. This was our third meeting with teachers since we implemented our new professional development approach.  I feel with each meeting, we are becoming more comfortable and reassured with our approach to our professional development.  When reviewing the feedback from the post-PD survey, a teacher left the following quote regarding the PD session:

"I love the way you incorporated usable ideas for lessons and also features that I was unaware of but will find extremely useful. MORE of the same. I love the small groups and appreciate you taking the time to individualize this to our needs."

We couldn't be happier to read this, and know that teachers are taking more away from our professional development other than just technical knowledge. We are working towards a more integrated model of technology use, where the computer or other device is a tool that supports teaching and learning. This quote reaffirms that we are definitely moving forward and teachers value their own professional learning time.

3rd Grade Apple TV Basics {Tech PD Recap}

This past week, we met with part of the third grade team who wanted to learn more about how to effectively utilize their Apple TVs.  In keeping with our approach to professional development this year, we designed the professional development meeting where it was aligned with the adopted learning design model as well as integrated Kagan structures to increase teacher engagement and participation.

In surveying the teachers, they identified many areas that they would like to learn more about in regards to their Apple TV.  All information was recorded in a presentation (found below - if you are unable to view the presentation below, please click here) and was used as a reference during the meeting.  Also included in the presentation is a link to our meeting agenda.

Before our meeting, a few teachers already had Apple TVs installed in their rooms while others would be receiving theirs soon.  With this being said, some had already utilized their Apple TV a bit and had questions about the functionality, while others had questions as to what exactly the device was and how it fit in with the use of their new MacBook Pro.  As some were unfamiliar with the purpose of the device, the Kagan Pairs Compare activity was not beneficial to all members in the group, but did spark new questions and discussion points.  Based on the feedback collected from the post-PD form, each teacher was able to learn something new about their Apple TV and were happy to learn about how to be able to turn the connection code on and off as needed.  As the rest of them receive their Apple TVs become more comfortable with their new MacBook Pros and iPads, I know they will have great new teaching and learning opportunities to share!

To view a spreadsheet with cumulative data about the professional development that our third grade teachers have participated in, please click here (includes school improvement correlation).

5th Grade MacBook Basics {Tech PD Recap}

Our meeting with fifth grade kicked off our new professional development offerings for the 2013-2014 school year.  All of the fifth grade teachers had requested help in learning more about their new MacBook Pros.  As stated in a previous post, we are focusing on providing teacher-directed professional development.  A couple of our Tech & Media Team members have been working with coaches to provide effective, teacher-driven professional development.  We have been working to provide professional development that integrates with the adopted learning design model as well as integrating Kagan structures to increase teacher engagement and participation.

In surveying the teachers, they identified many areas that they would like to learn more about in regards to their MacBook Pros.  All information was recorded in a presentation (found below - if you are unable to view the presentation below, please click here) and was used as a reference during the meeting.  Also included in the presentation is a link to our meeting agenda.
 

As this was our first professional development meeting since starting our new approach this year, we couldn't be happier with how well it was received.  The teachers were very open and receptive to our new approach and their feedback (provided via the post-PD form) was encouraging.  They liked the teacher-driven approach and everyone was able to take something away from our meeting.  We had some good conversation and laughs as we went through our meeting activator.    The one thing that I felt as a facilitator that went really well was our Kagan activity (Pairs Compare).  The teachers were able to interact with one another, hear directly from their team members what each other already know about their MacBook, and share with one another.  Each teacher was able to create a list of all of the things they knew, as well as what other members on their team knew (as documented in the presentation above).  After their lists were compiled, as a group we went through and addressed the rest of their questions that were not already discussed through our activity.  I was happy to see the team interact with one another, teach each other, and openly ask questions so that they can more effectively utilize their devices.  I am excited to work with the fifth grade more and see how they translate their knowledge and use of their devices into instruction and student learning.

To view a spreadsheet with cumulative data about the professional development that our fifth grade teachers have participated in, please click here (includes school improvement correlation).

GLPS Tech PD {Digital Learning Badges}

As stated in a previous blog post, our Tech & Media Team is taking a different approach to the professional learning opportunities we are providing this year.  We are focusing on providing teacher-driven professional development and making learning meaningful and relevant.  Part of this process includes gathering data, but also includes some fun incentives - digital learning badges!

At Rebel U this year, some of our teachers were introduced to the concept of gamification in the classroom environment.  To model a concept of gamification, this year we will be incorporating digital learning badges into our professional development opportunities.  Once a teacher has completed a professional learning opportunity with us and completed the Post-PD Meeting Form, we will issue that teacher a badge marking their completion of a technology professional development offering.

So what does this mean to you as a GLPS Teacher?

• This provides you with a great way to show off your professional learning participation
• As you will have filled out the Post-PD Meeting Form, this will serve as documentation of your professional learning (if needed for certification)
• New badges will be added throughout the year based on teacher input and participation.  Don't be afraid to share what you are doing!

If you are a teacher that has received a digital learning badge - now what are your next steps?

1. You will receive an email from GLPS Tech & Media notifying you of your badge.  If you choose to do nothing with your badges, you are done at this point.  We recommend saving the email though in case you would like to reference it in the future.
2. If you would like to keep track of your badges, we recommend creating an account with Credly (the service we are using for issuing digital badges).
3. Once you have created an account, it is helpful if you create a "Category."  This will help you organize your badges and allow you to embed them on your website if you choose to do so.
4. Select your badges and place them in a category you created.  Once you create your category and place badges in that category, you will see a button that looks like "< >" that will provide you with some HTML code.
5. If you would like to show off your badges on your website, simply copy this code and paste it onto your website.
6. After this initial set-up, when you receive a new badge, simply accept the badge from the email and select a category for it to be placed in, and your website will then automatically be updated with your new badge!  If you would like to see an example of how they would be displayed on your website, take a look at my site to see.

We are always looking to celebrate the awesome things our teachers are doing with students, so don't be afraid to share!  It could earn you a shiny digital badge!