Mo Physics Mo Problems

In the tradition of connecting educators in the area to innovative practices and creating a community of sharing, we are proud to announce that EdCamp Elmbrook will be held at Brookfield Central High School on March 25th, 2017. EdCamp Elmbrook will be a day for educators from around the area to gather, share, and learn. An EdCamp is an unconference where the attendees determine the day's session. So, come with an idea you would like to propose and discuss. A session might explore a technology tool, a discussion about best practices or a collaborative presentation with multiple facilitators. You will have the opportunity to attend up to four sessions. The rule of the unconference is to “vote with your feet” or "follow your passion". If a session doesn’t meet your needs, simply get up and move on to another room. If you don't have an idea, don't worry.  You'll be sure to find sessions that can provide an opportunity to inform your current practice wit...

I really love the idea of genius hour, 20% time, and passion projects.  Last year we had students complete one in physics.  While it was a very enjoyable experience, the one thing it lacked in the end was an audience outside of our classroom. So, this year I'm taking a bit of a risk along with my students. Rather have students present their findings to only their physics class, we're holding an open expo on January 18th from 6 - 7 PM. I'd like to consider this a formal invitation for you to attend. The expo is intended for all ages and is free.  We have a wide range of topics including sports (like baseball, basketball, and soccer), music (both vocal and instrumental), vehicles (cars, planes, and boats), photography, and even make-up. The goal is for students to communicate how physics connects to a personal interest.  It is not meant to be overwhelmingly technical.  It is meant to be personal. The structure of the expo will be pretty straight...

The second day of SLATE is only half a day.  We had a great closing session with Dr. James Rickabaugh. I feel like I’ve discussed his book in a few previous posts including a wonderful Video Q & A with him. This video quality isn't great but the quality of the information is. I attended a session by Rita Mortenson that blew me away.  Rita is the Educational Technology Coordinator for Verona Area High School. Her session was titled Google Tips and Tricks to Know Before Your Students Do.  It was filled with so much stuff I did not know that I am excited to bring to my classroom.  The presentation is below.  I’d love to run through some of my highlights. Savefrom.net :  This extension allows users to download videos from YouTube.  It is currently blocked by my district.  I hope we can change that soon. If you are interested, you can get the extension here: http://en.savefrom.net/user.php?vid=387#download Drive Template Galler...

Today, I attended the School Leaders Advancing Technology in Education Conference, aka SLATE. The conference as the title suggests is geared towards implementing technology k-12 education.  The sessions at the conference are focused on different levels of implementation from classroom level, to district level, all the way to state initiatives. The keynote today was by Jaime Casap. He is Chief Educational Evangelist at Google.  His sermon today focused on what we are asking students to do in our schools and if it is making them ready for the jobs that they will be applying for.  Jobs that have yet to be created or in some cases even imagined. The biggest takeaway for me was the roles we are creating for students in the classroom.  Jaime proselytized that we should be creating students who are problem solvers.  Students should be focused on solving problems that have meaning to them. Because ,it is the process of problem solving that will make them read...

Our union put out the results of a recent district survey.  The number of those who responded to the survey was low in comparison to the total number of certified staff. But the number and comments related to personalized learning struck me as troubling. Based on this data, over half of the district staff polled are not onboard with the district's vision for personalized learning.  I would argue that not knowing the district vision for personalized learning is synonymous with not understanding what personalized learning is.  The mission of the Elmbrook School District   to inspire every student to think,  to learn and to succeed.   By personalizing learning, we hope to achieve that mission. I begin to question have we put the phrase before the meaning?  Have we thrown out this word without intention?  Have we made it to much of another thing to do rather than a method to achieve our shared vision. These numbers shake me to ...

What's a Honeycomb kid? It's more than just this... Today, some of my students from last school year took the reigns and presented at the Institute for Personalized Learning's National Convening . The focus of this presentation was sharing the elements of the honeycomb that benefitted their learning the most. In addition, they explained what these elements looked in practice. A year ago, I never imagined that a group of my former students would be presenting.  So how did we get here? Well we ... The first step in this process was realizing how strong my students were in reflecting on their learning in our classroom.  Reading their end of unit reflections made me realize that the learners were thinking deeply about what was helping them learn, not helping them learn, and ideas they proposed for the next unit. I then decided to introduce them to the Teaching & Learning elements from the honeycomb and rate how instruction in our course met those ele...

Two years ago, I published my first blog post. To celebrate 2 years and 144 posts, I thought I'd share 10 insights linked to my blogging. Pirates Publish Great PD Over the last two years, I have had the privilege to read some great books published by Dave Burgess Consulting, Inc . These include Teach Like a Pirate , Ditch that Textbook , The Innovator’s Mindset , Explore Like a Pirate , LAUNCH , and I just started Pure Genius .  These books are great because they are accessible and practical.  The collection of books are like the Marvel Movie Universe in that they are all connected and have a unified vision.  But, they each have their own focus.  Let’s hope there is no Civil War in the Pirate Universe anytime soon. I’ve loved using my blog to reflect on the books I’ve read as I read them. PLN I have a significant level of social anxiety with my peers.  So, I’m not one who seeks out conversations with fellow staff members.  My blog has all...