Rebel U 2012: Guest Post

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This a post in a series about Rebel U 2012.

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As part of the Rebel U 2012 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 publicly posting content online for the first time and building an online presence.

Today's guest post is written by 5th Grade teacher, Olivia Alkema.  You can find Olivia online here.

In the fall , I attended Craig Steenstra’s (from KISD) session about kidblog.org.  His bit.ly for this session is bit.ly/rebelkid. This site will give you some additional details regarding the “how-to” as well as the “why”.  I was new to blogging, and new to using a student blogging site for instruction and assessment.  However, after attending this session, I just knew that I needed to try this.  Craig showed several ways that blogging met our new CCSS standards, as well as effectively and authentically integrating technology into instruction. 

I have now used kidblog.org consistently throughout this school year.  With some of our technology limitations, I have used it about 3 times a month, and mostly in ELA instruction.  Kidblog allows students to respond to text in new ways.  I have created posts and had students comment on set questions or prompts.  I have had students create new prompts, which are more lengthy entries.  I have used student created prompts as a response to text, summary, response to theme, opinion piece, or informational writing based on web-based inquiry.  Additionally, students are able to comment on other students’ prompts. This allows students to give authentic feedback to their peers. 

PROS:  The teacher has full control of what is published.  Teacher must approve all comments and posts before they are viewable.  Also, you must be a member of the class in order to view all posts and comments.  That creates a safe environment for the students to publish their work without worry of who may see it in the public.  It is very easy to set up and use.  If you are more proficient in Edmodo or Moodle, this program may not be a great option for you.  However, for a more elementary option, younger students will be able to navigate and create their own blog quite easily.  Also, if you are new to a web based student instructional program, this is very easy to navigate and learn.   Students also do not need to finish a post in one sitting.  The post can be saved as a draft, or be revised if it is “unapproved”, and published at a later time.  Since this is web-based, students can have access to this at home.  I have a few students who have enjoyed this so much they have created their own posts at home.   And lastly, students LOVE this.  They love to read each other’s posts and reading what others comment about it.

CONS:  Since this is a “new” way to write for many young students, it takes a long time for them to type out their responses. Also, the formatting tools may be distracting, as students often focus on creating colorful text in ornate fonts of varying sizes. After some practice, and some mini-lesson instruction of creating a professional product, students do begin to create quality writing.  The teacher approval interface is not incredibly user friendly.  You can filter your view to limit the student responses that you see, but there is not a way to organize, or file responses in folders or categories.  Craig gives some strategies in his bit.ly regarding this topic.

If you have any questions, feel free to contact me and I can help you!

Rebel U 2012: Guest Post

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This a post in a series about Rebel U 2012.

------

As part of the Rebel U 2012 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 publicly posting content online for the first time and building an online presence.

Today's guest post is written by 7th Language Arts teacher, Alissa Huggins.  You can find Alissa online on Twitter.

This year, I presented in two Rebel U sessions. Last year, I filled in for someone, so this was my first year designing and presenting my own material. One of the best things about Rebel U is that the sessions are developed by teachers, for teachers. That makes the designing of a session very simple. My two main focuses were valuable discussion and TIME - particularly for my Google Sites session. I could have filled up two hours for that session, but it gave me a great springboard to help colleagues after Rebel U was over. The session based on Project Based Learning and the Common Core. It was awesome to discuss how teachers already use project-based learning in their classrooms; our colleagues are such a wealth of knowledge and I think it's such an amazing gift that we are able to share with each other at Rebel U. It's definitely the most beneficial professional development I have ever participated in.

Rebel U 2012: Teacher Learning & Experiences

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This a post in a series about Rebel U 2012.

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As part of the Rebel U 2012 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 last year 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 2012, you would have learned, witnessed, or experienced...

1. Teachers learning, instructing and engaged.
2. Some enthusiastic educators helping each other with awesome tools.
3. I always learn so much at Rebel U, even when I'm presenting. I think that this training is something that every district should have at the beginning of the year.
4. All the tools you need in order to be successful integrating technology into your everyday work at Godfrey-Lee.
5. Experienced how project based learning can be used to increase engagement.
6. Teachers collaborating to create an educational experience for the students that will allow them to be successful.
7. A rekindling of the collaborative nature and energy of the staff in the Godfrey-Lee district.
8. That we are a top class school with top shelf staff.
9. Major opportunities for students to learn guided by teachers.
10. You would have learned about the technology available to help you and your students have an amazing and productive year.
11. Collaboration, excitement, and a drive to learn how to be a better teacher.
12. Home made lottery tickets!
13. How to successfully incorporate technology into every aspect of your teaching and learning!
14. Some interesting tools to use for student engagement and streamlining what you do on the administrative side.
15. How to think out of the box when using apps in the classroom.
16. Many teachers who are passionate about their jobs and are willing to share their wealth of knowledge.
17. A day of rigorous learning.
18. How technology can help our students learn in a way that is exciting to them and how we, as teachers, can use technology to save time, money and stress.
19. Knowledgeable and enthusiastic presenters sharing ideas and resources while the staff enjoyed learning in the sessions they had chosen.
20. Hundreds of new ways to use the latest technology in your classroom!
21. A wonderful chance to share with colleagues from other buildings. It made you feel like a strong united district.
22. The epitome of educators sharing knowledge. Rebel U is an awesome way to kick off the school year to get teachers motivated to incorporate new technology ideas in their classrooms.
23. A plethora of useful strategies and tools that can be adapted to fit each teachers' and students' style and needs.
24. Godfrey-Lee teachers are passionate and dedicated to their profession and want to help each other to move up!!
25. New, quality techniques, resources, and ideas to help improve your teaching and your district's policies that would ultimately lead to better student learning.
26. An organized, informative, tech filled day that is NOT A WASTE of time! :)
27. With it being my first Rebel U, I felt like I was "properly" baptized as a Rebel now, thanks for such a great start of the year.
28. A teaching staff working together to learn and make themselves more prepared for the upcoming school year.
29. I enjoyed everything. Dan Townsend's presentation made me cry three times. So let me just say, "I believe."
30. Something new and exciting in professional development - innovative and fresh!
31. Teachers and other staff members sharing their ideas, experiences, and knowledge with other peers and colleagues to enhance the learning experience of our students.
32. Many fun and worth while sessions. It is OK to be a beginner at Rebel U. The instructors are there to teach and to help you make your classroom a more viable place of learning.

Doesn't it make you wish all technology professional development was like Godfrey-Lee's Rebel U?

Rebel U 2012: Recap

This year marked the third 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 "weLearn."  We know that there is not a one-size-fits-all model to using technology, and how we approach using technology (whether it be for professional/personal use, or with students) will look different for each person.  Different knowledge bases, comfort levels and intended uses all play a factor in implementation.  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 how we can use what we know to help others and inspire others to try new things.  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:

• Keynote:  This year we added a keynote address to the schedule.  Our keynote was presented by our District Media and Technology Supervisor, Daniel Townsend.
• Amazing Donations:  We had many businesses and organizations that donated items, supplies or food to support our professional development event.  To see a full list of all of our sponsors, please check out Sponsors page.
• Photo Booth: In efforts of trying to combat the "My brain is starting to fill because of all of the learning and awesome food I just ate" feeling, we set up a photo booth for teachers to stop in and take a picture after lunch before heading back to their afternoon sessions.  We had some very energetic teachers stop by and took some great pictures.  To see the full gallery of pictures, check our our Photo Booth album.
• "Lottery" Tickets: Our Tech & Media Team put together some custom scratch-off "lottery" tickets to give away incentive prizes.  We wanted a fun way to engage people in the learning taking place in their sessions so it wasn't a "sit-and-get" kind of professional development day.  Presenters gave these away in their sessions and our teachers were so excited when they had a winning ticket.
• What did our teachers think of Rebel U?

To see more pictures from our day, please check out our photo album.

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!