Mo Physics Mo Problems

I am loving seeing the shift in educator professional development across the nation. While we still have traditional sit and get PD, educators have to opportunity for more anytime, anywhere PD. I was particularly excited when my school Principal Brett Gruetzmacher approved educational podcasts as an accepted form of Professional Learning hours. I was excited for myself personally, but also for the ability to promote podcasts as a legitimate form of professional development for educators! Podcasts have really changed my PD workflow. I discovered podcasts back in 2005 and have never looked back. Up until about 3 years ago, most of the podcasts I listened to were for entertainment. Now, the podcasts I do listen to have a balance between personal enjoyment (film, cooking, music, news) and educational ones. In the simplest terms, it is an audio program (or it could be video) that is available to download (or stream) to a portable audio player or computer to replay at your convenie

How to Listen to a Podcast Everyone has their favorite podcast listening software of choice. It may also vary based on the device you are using. For those of you using an Apple device, the Apple Podcast app may be the way you choose to listen, but it’s pretty crummy in terms of its functionality. I personally use the Overcast app . It’s free. But there is a premium option, you don’t need to upgrade to premium! As far as Android devices, Google Podcasts may be the way to go. Additional apps that work on both Apple and Android devices are Stitcher or Spotify . Within any of these apps, you’ll be able to browse, stream, and download shows. In my experience, there are 3 different formats for Educator Podcasts. There are shows which focus on a single topic per week and spend the time drilling deeper. This means that the topics can vary greatly from episode to episode. Another category would be interviews or conversations with educators. In this episode the educators are the sta

Every teacher has that activity that they look forward to. The activity they know will not simply get students engaged in what’s going on but take risks in their learning. Some teachers have more than one activity. But if you think of the one experience that is really out of the norm, you can usually pinpoint it. This activity for our physics class is marble coasters. It’s the type of activity that disrupts my whole classroom space. It causes students from other classes to peek in as they walk by and wonder what is going on. It causes my AP Physics students to be jealous of my Physics students. In marble coaster construction, students use pipe insulation and other materials to construct a rollercoaster for a marble that must have a minimum number of required obstacles. The 2 major requirements are the number of obstacles and that the marble travel the track successfully. What is interesting is that with minimal instruction, students are in groups and off and running. There are m

Tuesday marks the launch of a new podcast from Kasey Bell The Shake Up Learning Show! Kasey is already the host of an amazing EdTech Podcast with Matt Miller called the Google Teacher Tribe focusing on classroom applications for GSuite Apps. Kasey’s new show goes beyond GSuite to focus on EdTech application in the classroom. But is goes beyond simply looking at what tools to use in the classroom. The new podcast has a focus on transforming the way teacher think about lesson design. One of Kasey’s biggest tips for educators when thinking about EdTech is to “shift your mindset.” This means those who don’t think they are “great at technology” to look again. The focus should never be on what you don’t know but the room for growth. I am big on EdTech, but realize that I still have a way to grow in terms of the way I adopt and implement technology in my classroom. There are so many great EdTech Podcasts available. Many of them provide the newest tech tools along with a great way to apply

The EdCamp experience is special for many reasons. It may be your first step into sharing your experience as a professional. It may be a place to learn about something new. It may be a place for making connections with educators who share your passions. If you are and educator who is interested in solutions and taking an active role in your profession, EdCamp is the place for you. An EdCamp is an unconference in which the participants in attendance pitch the sessions for the day. Then participants choose the sessions they wish to attend. EdCamp is a place where your role could shift from session to session. EdCamp as a place to present A traditional educational conference requires presenters to submit proposals months in advance. So presenting at a conference is a pretty big commitment. It is super intimidating. It requires a bit of ego and willingness to be rejected in order to take the time to complete that proposal submission. An EdCamp provides perfect baby steps for someone

Yesterday we held EdCamp Elmbrook 2019. It was our 3rd time putting on this event in our district. While last year we had around 120 attendees, this year we broke 200 in attendance. If you are not sure what an EdCamp is, it is an UnConference model. Attendees come to the event and propose the topics for the sessions they want. While these sessions are being pitched, the schedule for the day is being built. For each session a communal notes document is created for sharing thoughts and ideas for those in the sessions but also for those who are in other sessions or those who can't be in attendance. Below, you will find our schedule for the day along with session notes documents linked The variety of the sessions was incredible. This is due to the fact that EdCamps aren't geared to one specific population. It is not a tech conference, it is not a literacy conference, it is not an administrator's conference. It is a conference that is shaped by the needs, i

Our 3rd EdCamp Elmbrook is coming up on March 2nd. From communication to organization, the planning of this event has required me to grow in many different ways. The biggest area of growth for me has been asking for help. Not simply asking for help from colleagues in the district. Part of hosting the event has been asking for help from potential sponsors. Seeking out sponsors used to mean going from business to business asking for donations face to face.  Or, getting a list of phone numbers and calling them one by one with a prepared script. Oh how times have changed. In the age of social media and email, it has become so much easier to reach out to and find potential sponsors. Sponsors of events no longer need to be local. The ability to connect with companies digitally has been a great boon for our EdCamp. It creates a wonderful two way street where they can help us with support for our event while we can share out their presence at our event and help build brand awareness