Mo Physics Mo Problems

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

I have been reading Tamara Letter's new book A Passion for Kindness . Although I am not finished with it yet, it has created a lot of space for personal reflection and action. When I finish the book, I hope to speak more on the actions. But for now I'd like to use this space for a bit of reflection. When Tamara outlines creating a culture of kindness, she describes the process as CULTIVATE Kindness. It is not a simple creation, it is an intentional process that is multi-faceted. The word cultivate brings to mind a gardening metaphor.  As an avid gardener, I understand the many variables that play into a successful harvest. Tamara outlines the variables that play into being able to cultivate kindness in her book. C–Compassion (desire to act to improve another's situation) U–Understand (understand rather than making assumptions) L–Listen (listen for meaning behind the words) T–Take Time (sacrifice your time for another's needs) I–Inspire (actions can lead

As a professional I take great pride in the freedoms I have in terms of implementing state standards and designing a curriculum with the goal of reaching all learners. But these things that are expected of my. The one professional accomplishment I have been most proud of the last two years is the EdCamp I helped found in my school. It has required the work and support of many other people to make it happen. But, I realize that without my first step of putting up the following post on my blog and sharing it through our district's Google+ Community , it never would have happened. As we gear up for our 3rd EdCamp Elmbrook on March 2nd, I wanted to share some reason's why YOU should come to Brookfield Central that day and be part of the EdCamp Experience. The reason I champion the experience is for all of the great learning that I get from other educators in my content area and beyond. More than learning from them, they become a part of my personal learning network. I know that