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Let Flexibility Lead To Alignment

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  In my previous school district, I was the only teacher teaching a physics course with set, district-wide learning outcomes. These same outcomes were also taught in physics classrooms at the other high school in our district. But at our school, I was one of the 2 physics teachers. The other teacher taught the AP-level physics courses. So, in many ways, I had opportunities to incorporate strategies I believed were best for learners and that I found worked best for them without being seen as out of alignment with anyone in our building. My amazing friend and one of my teaching philosophy goddesses, Katie Novak, stated the following misconception about alignment: All teachers must deliver instruction in the exact same way. True alignment, she says, is about shared goals, rigor, and outcomes. Thank you, Katie! Katie has taught me to truly believe that learner variability is the rule, not the exception. I encourage you to take 10 minutes to listen to Katie Novak explain it in the ...
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Best of InstructureCon: Episode II

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So, I finished watching the last of the 119 InstructureCon 2015 Sessions on YouTube today.  To be honest, I didn’t watch every single one beginning to end.  If I realized that the session had nothing to do with my current role as an instructor, I went to the next session.  What this meant was I didn’t watch many sessions about configuring Canvas to work with my SIS.  But, on many occasions, I was mesmerized by a the great presentations and realized by the end that I would never be doing any of this because I am not a tech integrator for my district.  It is very interesting to see how we all work together to make learning happen in the classroom. It's a side I don't get to see very often. In the end, it's wonderful to see passionate people talk about their passion for education. So, this will not be a trilogy of reports. In the end, these are the best videos from my perspective. I can't recommend highly enough that you go to YouTube and find the sessions that speak to your needs.
I can’t thank the Instructure team enough for making these sessions available online. I have learned so much over the last month watching these video.  More than that, they’ve inspired me to do more with the tools I have.  There are so many great ideas presented. I hope you are able to find one to use in your classroom.

Rock out with Groups
In this video, Shannon Hight gives a wonderful talk focused on groups in Canvas.  It has lots of great information for anyone from novice to expert.




 Developing Research Scholarship

Leslie Bofill provides excellent examples of how teachers can use Canvas to promote quality research from students.  As a teacher who is looking to improve digital and media literacy, this was a very useful talk.
1:1 BYOD Classroom Management
When schools discuss going 1:1, many times the focus is on the logistics of the roll-out.  Jason Thompson’s instructive session focuses on the change from a classroom teacher perspective through the lens of classroom management.  Great strategies and tips are presented.


Wicked Plan for Professional Development and Eat Your Own Dog Food

These two sessions provide some great ideas and models for rolling out Canvas to staff and how to support staff with quality  professional development for teachers at different levels of comfort with technology.







 Cool Lessons for Cool Kids
This is a fantastic session for teachers looking for inventive ways to use Canvas in their classrooms.  There is something for every level and discipline.





Tips and Tricks for Assignments, Assessments, and Student Feedback
Nathan Silvers presents his expert use of Canvas to create a paperless classroom. His innovative uses of the LMS and apps was truly inspiring for me.

 Flipping Woodshop

Jeremy Perkins provides a full view of how he has incorporated Canvas into his tech ed course. It’s a rich incorporation with videos and authentic assessment using outcomes with rubrics.  He also highlights his use of Magic Marker.




 Reduce, Re-Use, and Re-Commons: Content Sharing with Commons
Kate McGee provides a wonderful introduction to Canvas Commons in this session.



Humanizing online Instruction

Whitney Kilgore and Robin Bartoletti present an evidence and solution based view of how to keep students connected to each other in an online environment.  The session is full of great ideas and background knowledge.



Now, it's time to implement some of what I've learned. Looking forward to InstructureCon 2016.

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