If you take a look at headlines today, you may very well come across something like this, Student Athlete Loses Scholarship Over Social Media Posts, or They Loved Your GPA Then They Saw Your Tweets. Lost scholarships aren’t the only consequence of a moment of bad judgement on social media. People can lose their jobs over what they share. Posting on social media has become second nature for many students across the world, and as adolescents often engage in risky behavior, they don’t often think about how what they post can affect their future prospects. This past Monday I attended an event called Connecting Careers and Classrooms: Focus on Public Service held by Congresswoman Susan Brooks. During this event we heard from people in the public service sector working in a variety of fields. The goal of this event was to help educators understand what skills students need in order to be successful attaining a job after high school or college. In addition to sharing specific skills needed for careers in the various professions, at least four of these public service professionals relayed that social media is hindering students’ opportunities. Many said that integrity, courage, and character are a must. According to new data by Kaplan Test Prep, 35% of admissions officers check applicants’ social media posts. Additionally, Russell Schaffer, Kaplan Test Prep's senior communications manager, states: Of the 35% of admissions officers who say they check social media sites like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to learn more about applicants, 47% say that what they found has had a positive impact on prospective students—up from 37% last year. On the flip side, 42% say that what they found had a negative impact, up from 37% last year. As much time as students spend engaging in digital content, it is a safe to say that every day they are contributing to their digital footprint. In fact, we all are. Our digital footprints consist of social media posts, photos, videos, comments others post about us, websites visited, search history, TV shows watched, video content we have streamed, and more. All this data is being stored. And these digital footprints don’t go away - at least not completely. Because content that is shared is now in the hands of those you shared it with and because many apps and services are storing information on servers indefinitely, our digital information may never go away. In fact, there is a trend now towards the use of the term “digital tattoo” instead of “digital footprint,” depicting the permanence of the phenomenon. With all this in mind, schools can and should play a role in helping students understand the impact their digital footprints can have on them. Conversations can be had in the proper context. Students can be encouraged to think critically about their digital footprint and how they can improve it. Information on how to control privacy should be shared with students. Students should learn that digital footprints can be cultivated to have a positive impact on students’ future prospects, as noted in the Kaplan study, and can be used to their advantage. As the public service professionals at the Connecting Careers and Classrooms event shared, integrity, courage, and character are key to develop in our students. But now we live in a different age. We are in a new digital era of character education, which means lessons in digital citizenship, whether through direct instruction or informal conversations, cannot go by the wayside. If we truly want to see our students succeed, schools need to infuse these lessons into all areas of the curriculum. Character education and digital citizenship are now more important than ever. Resources: Your Digital Footprint What is a Digital Tattoo The Importance of Digital Citizenship in Schools Tiffany Armstrong has worked in education technology for the last 8 years in varying capacities. After working in the Washington Township, she moved on to be the Technology Integrator for Pike Township’s 9 elementary school. Currently Tiffany is the Youth CareerConnect Technology Integrator at Pike High School.Tiffany balances her work life with being the mother of two teenagers. On the side, Tiffany is also a fitness instructor. She has taught a variety of class formats, but currently teaches Body Pump and a dance-base class called CIZE.
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Over spring break, I had a lot of things that I read and participated in a lot of twitter conversations. During that time, I wondered how school could be changed for the better for our students. One of those things is to allow student choice. This is where the problem for today comes in. I am in the middle of my BioMed class right now and my students are working on a project where they discuss cholesterol. The assignment lists the following:
The assignment can be done in a variety of formats. Suggestions are brochures, newsletter, PowerPoint, poster, webpage. I even gave an example of my 9-page spread project, movie/video, etc. It amazes me how students want to take the easy way out and do the PowerPoint as their choice. A couple of the students are branching out and doing the 9-page spread. In all, I am disappointed by the inability for students to be creative. I know that I have to teach them to be creative. I asked the students if this was hard for them. A couple of them said no. Others gave no response. I followed up with "Is the project hard or coming up with an idea for presenting it hard?". Many responded that coming up with their way to present it was the hard part. For all of their educational lives, students have been told when they can go to the bathroom, when to get out their workbook, how to do their worksheets, how to write their name at the top of the paper, and the importance of memorizing facts so they can be regurgitated on a standardized test at the end of the school year. There is zero option for students to be creative and do things on their own. Moving forward with educational reforms and incorporating the 4Cs in the classroom is going to be a challenge. I can see how teachers would want to give up and not do project based learning because of the lack of creativity that will take place with students. I also see how this is going to have to be modeled for students in order to be able to take their learning to the next level. I'm sitting here typing this and listening to students talk about SnapChat and other means for communication. I just had an idea of a presentation that could take place using pictures and SnapChat for creating this project. Do I give students that idea for doing this? Or do I let them continue down their path. If I give that idea, it is my idea; not their idea. George Couros (@gcouros) has really great ideas for being innovative. The frustration that I have today from my classroom is a mere blip in the challenges that our students will face if we do not improve the delivery of instruction and allow them to explore their interests. We need to create the interest in the students first and foremost. From there, educators must foster the drive to inspire creativity, collaboration, critical thinking, and communication skills. Without these skills, our students will fall behind their peers in other countries. I am not willing to let another year of students pass through my classroom without learning these important skills. I am thinking already about how I will do this for next year. When we are learning basic classroom procedures, this will be part of the discussion. I know that each semester is going to be a challenge with changing students and not having the same students. Is it worth taking the time? Absolutely!! I may differ from other colleagues when I say this, but, my content is not as important to me or my students as teaching them life skills that they will use for the rest of their lives. Today's reflections come to us from Mr. Kevin Self. Kevin is in his second year as a teacher at Pike High School. Prior to this, he served as a school administrator and teacher in 4 other schools in Indiana. He has taught multiple levels of science during his 20 year career. Technology and creativity are a major part of his classes. ...I’m not good with computers or any tech tools. There’s too much out there that it’s overwhelming. I’m too old to learn all of new age stuff. We’re not 1:1 with devices. I don’t have time. As educators, we are always stretched thin and often don’t feel like we can take on anything new. Technology is ever-changing and this can be both a burden and a blessing at the same time. My time spent with Pike’s DLC has opened my eyes to so much that I can do to make my classroom better. At the end of the day, we want our students to have meaningful learning that will carry them to the next stage in life (whatever that might be). This year and next I am diving in and trying out new tools and experiences for both the students and myself. I’ve already seen many successes and also a few not-so-awesome flops. Many colleagues have shared their excuses for staying within the comfort of their current classroom and teaching styles/methods. I want to encourage these people to focus on three main points that can help integrate technology into your teaching. #1 Twitter Sign up for an account if you don’t have one. I will admit that I have had a Twitter for years and have never used it outside of the required TEACH Butler summer workshops until about four months ago. I thought it was unnecessary because everything I wanted to see was on Facebook. I had no idea that Twitter is an entire professional community! Start by following some influential educators and then get involved in some Twitter Chats. Education community: @INeLearn, @CanvasLMS, @TED_ED. For math, @alicekeeler, @ddmeyer, and @desmos. If you are interested in more, attend the Mini Best Practice Session on Twitter or ask a Pike DLC member for help. #2 Adopt one (or maybe two) new tools/practices at a time. This one is very important. How many times have you been to PD where you were able to learn several new tech tricks, apps, or websites? If you’re like me, I think they all sound cool and write down a few names and URLs. But then I don’t end up doing any of them or even remember what purpose they serve. Until I fully grasp a new concept/tool, I am not going to start another one. I actually have a running list of stuff I want to look at in the future, which brings me to my next point. #3 Wunderlist Store any websites you want to access later in a Wunderlist. This free website can house everything in lists for you. There’s even a Chrome Extension, so all I have to do is click the Wunderlist icon on my browser and quickly add the webpage I am viewing to a list. Whenever I am on Twitter or around colleagues that share an interesting tool, I add it to my Wunderlist to access later. Hopefully those three tips can help make technology integration a little less stressful. Don’t forget to reach out to colleagues - we have a wealth of knowledge right under our own roof. For Pike educators that want to take the next plunge, consider joining the DLC for this fall. Today's tips come to us from Ms. Kaley Trump. Kaley is in her 6th year of teaching at PHS. She received her B.A. in Mathematics and Spanish at DePauw University. She then became a Woodrow Wilson Indiana Teaching Fellow where she completed her M.A.T. at the University of Indianapolis. Kaley loves learning new tech tools and strives to constantly make her classroom better. When she’s not collaborating with colleagues, you’ll find her with her husband and two daughters. Follow her on Twitter: @mrsketrump “Yes! We’re doing a lab today!” - said just about every student ever. As a science teacher I have never struggled with getting kids interested in performing labs. Students are always very eager to get their hands “dirty” and try out the equipment. The difficulties with doing labs comes when students are held accountable to recording in their notebooks, drawing up data tables, collecting and analyzing the data, and then making data based conclusions. Often labs are approached with a recess mentality and any real learning is strongly rejected. It’s a frustrating cycle for a teacher. Due to time constraints during the class period many hours are put in outside of the school day to prepare the labs. When the hard work that was invested in preparation is met with enthusiasm only for doing and ambivalence for accountability it can be discouraging. Over the years a once eager teacher can wane in enthusiasm after reaching the “it’s just not worth it” conclusion. Perhaps the students weren’t wrong to treat the lab like a disconnected part of the curriculum. The way many labs are done in the cookie-cutter style do seem random and irrelevant. One way to assuage this problem is by using inquiry based labs. What inquiry accomplishes with engagement it still often lacks in relevance. An exciting way to add relevance to content is by working citizen science research projects into your curriculum. Citizen science projects are active research projects sponsored by scientific or governmental organization that rely on non-scientists to assist with data collection. The data is then used in research and adds to a growing body of knowledge. Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) has a course that connects you to actual ecological research in Gorongosa National Park in Mozambique. Gorongosa is a national park that was once thriving but was all but destroyed from years of war. A long-term restoration park is currently underway that is working to restore the park’s ecosystem. To quantify the recovery, scientists have set up cameras on trails that take photos when an animal moves in front of them. The cameras have collected more data than the scientists can dig through themselves and so that is where the students help comes into play. By participating with this ongoing research project they will gain a deeper understanding of ecology, the process of science, and with global issues. Another citizen science project out there is the FoldIt project. This project enlists puzzle enthusiasts to help discover the structures of proteins. Scientists have a backlog of genomic data and need manpower to help solve these protein puzzles. Today's thoughts come from Ms. Leslie Sitzman. Leslie has taught at Pike High School for 8 years. She began her teaching career with the transition to teaching program Indianapolis Teaching Fellows and has taught Integrated Chemistry Physics, Pre-Ap Biology (Honors), AP Biology, and IB Biology. In her free time she loves to spend time trail running with her husband and children. Let me start by saying that my struggle is so real that I actually didn't even turn this blog post in on time. I think we all know that at this point in the school year we are all just trying to survive. The weather is turning nicer, standardized tests are around the corner, schedules get weird and wacky, and we all just want to be anywhere other than in our classrooms. When I look back at first semester I realize that I was working so hard at a lot of the wrong things. But now looking at 7 weeks left in the school year, I can say that this second semester has felt like the best and the least stressful that I've ever had. Listed below in no particular order are the things that I did differently to help me find peace; maybe they will help you too. 1. Talk to your students; it makes it easier to be patient with them. I believe the most simple yet effective thing I did this semester was take five to ten minutes out of my class period and just have a normal conversation with my students. It all started when I stopped giving a bell-ringer. Yes for the first 10 minutes of class one day we talked about Teen Titans Go; and that conversation led to other conversations that day about Bad Girls Club and other really really bad reality TV shows. But looking back on that day, that conversation we had was the beginning of one of my most challenging classes actually becoming a class I enjoyed walking into my room. 2. Stop trying so hard, just be you. I don’t mean stop caring about your kids or trying to do your job. I mean stop losing sleep over it (unless it’s on the line or something). Do what comes natural to you. While I realize teaching is about “performing” for your students, it’s also about being real with the kids. I can let my kids know if I’m feeling a little under the weather and apologize if I tanked a lesson so we have to try again. And because I’m being me and honest they cut me some slack. I have found that when my students offer me grace, it is much easier to offer them grace in return. 3. Find teacher friends who are helpful (and smarter than you) who will share with you. This is my 4th year teaching ICP, yet every learning activity I’ve done this semester are brand new to me. I taught an entire unit predominantly through hands-on projects and the kids (most of them) loved it! Because I was willing to reach out to another teacher who is immensely more creative than I am (I’m talking about you Mr. Self), I had no lesson plans to write for 8 weeks and my students and I spent our time laughing and working together. I suggest you do the same, there’s nothing wrong with having a little fun with your classes. *Spoiler: I wasn’t even clever enough to come up with the topic for this blog post, kudos to Mrs. Darnay* 4. Give the kids a chance and ask for their opinions. This is one I still struggle with, not because it’s hard to ask but because the kids are not used to the question so sometimes I hear *crickets.* It all started with a Canvas module re-model. It all made sense to me, but it wasn’t working for them. So I asked them how to make it work, and the kids who wanted to were not shy about sharing their thoughts with me. Now I sometimes don’t even have to ask; those few kids who know I’m listening to them are not afraid to tell me how they’d like to do or see certain things. And I’m better because of it. I can anticipate some of their needs and I feel much more comfortable giving them options about assignments, deadlines, and how we cover our content. Loosen your grip on the reins and give them a little more responsibility. Everyday isn’t perfect, but I can tell you that I’m at a place where even on the bad days I just roll with it and try to do better the next day. To all the teachers in the struggle right now, find your happy place and know that you are not alone. Gabi Ingram (now Bradley) is in her 4th year of teaching, but her first year at Pike High School. She currently teaches ICP and Biology. Outside of the classroom she coaches soccer and enjoys CrossFit. Being a part of Pike’s DLC has made me stretch myself as an educator. I have tried many things that were previously outside my comfort zone. I’d like to share one of those experiences. One of our assignments was to participate in a book study. I was a little dubious at first. None of the books really caught my attention initially. Lacking any real inspiration, I chose my book based on the people who had already signed up. I thought if I have to read a book I’m not interested in, at least I’ll be able to discuss it with people I like. When I received my book, Matt Miller’s Ditch that Textbook, I was still not sold. I was flipping through it before one of my classes. My students could tell that I was not excited and were also shocked to learn that teachers still have homework too. Based on the title, I thought I was going to open it up and be given unrealistic advice on throwing out textbooks—I mean it was literally called ditch that textbook. Before even approaching the subject of textbooks, the author spends several chapters on mindset. Changing our mindset must come before textbooks and curriculum. I think I am somewhere in the middle of the spectrum ranging from technology superstar teachers to would prefer not to turn their computer on teachers. I try to use different forms of technology in my instruction but it can still be very overwhelming. One of my key takeaways from the book was using technology is far and away from using technology effectively. I starred and underline the following quote I’d like to share. “The bottom line is that pedagogy must drive technology. The mindset that fuels digital learning is: Good teaching trumps good tools.” (p. 68) Prior to reading this book, the term “digital learning” would have been overwhelming. I would have assumed that it meant I had to change everything. I am a perfectionist—so if I was going to change my teaching then I wanted to do it all at once and do it correctly. One lesson I’ve drawn from this book is that digital learning and using technology is a journey. It’s not something to complete or even master. There’s always going to be a new tool or new program-something new to learn. I am not going to get to the point where I am “done”. As I reflect on the journey, I can see it represented in our DLC. There are teachers who started off the semester already integrating different digital tools into their curriculum. There are also teachers like me who are closer to the beginning of the journey. Technology isn’t supposed to replace the relationships we form with students. It shouldn’t replace engaging discussions. It shouldn’t replace the personal touches we add like using our students’ names in homework and quizzes. Technology is another tool for us to add to our repertoire. Today’s post comes from Ms. Mave Davis. Mave is in her third year of teaching at Pike High School. She teaches Spanish for the World Language Department. Mave has taught a variety of other subjects and grades from 4th grade to college Spanish to pre-K ESL. Whatever the age, she’s all about forming relationships with students. Follow her on twitter @SraMDavis. A lot of us that learned to teach in a face-to-face method have a fear when it comes to integrating technology into our teaching. Especially for those of us who consider our content one that must be “seen to experience”, putting our content out online for the students to learn at their own pace can be an intimidating fact. I teach theater and choir classes. A lot of times I have had excuses about integrating technology such as “I teach live theater so I must present my lessons to these kids live” or “If they are doing the work online that takes away from the collaborative experience of being together which is the point in an ensemble class such as this.” We can find every excuse in the book to not use technology in our classroom. But here is the harsh reality that I am on the road to discovering – Technology is not going away and it WILL effect these students in every aspect of their careers. So, I had to make a shift in my thinking. Instead of complaining that I was a live performance art I started asking myself the question “What areas of this profession use technology that didn’t 10 years ago when I began my method?” Let me give you an example: Each year our Theater 1 classes have the experience of performing monologues in front of their peers in the class. By taking this previously-devised lesson and asking “What about this experience finds itself using technology in the real world”, I became aware that the monologue is not only something that is used in live theater but also in TV, Movie, Radio, Commercials, and the like. I also realized that a high percentage of casting directors and agents are looking for self-taped auditions and monologues coming through online forums that didn’t exist 10 years ago. These two simple realizations led me to re-thinking the unit in light of technology. Instead of having them read an article about what a good audition is, I found 2 auditions on YouTube and asked them to compare and contrast them which led to a discussion about why we would cast one and not the other. What I didn’t expect was that they became interested in how the self-taped audition monologue worked and having used technology to show them real auditions allowed them to become curious and find things on their own When they became interested in something, they could continue to search for other celebrity auditions that were online that allowed them to see and mimic things in their own live performances. Then, after viewing other self-taped monologues they were required to film their own monologue and submit it through our online portal (Canvas). What I found was that by combining a little online curiosity with the same face-to-face teaching that I had been doing previously I had students who were more knowledgeable and willing to take an active role in the creation of their self-taped auditions (which also allowed them to be proud of a product and they knew how what they were turning in looked like). Trying to implement large changes all at once is a scary task. But for those of us who teach a “face-to-face” or “live” content, we still have to realize that our professions are turning to relying on technology also. So if we simply ask ourselves how we can create the most authentic use of technology to our professions we will see students who engage themselves and have better products in the end because it relates better to them! Today's thoughts come to us from Mr. Nathaniel Adams. Nathaniel is the assistant director of Theater and Choir at Pike High School. Prior to coming to Pike he taught at Calumet New Tech High School in Gary, IN. He received his BA in Performance and BS in Education from Huntington University. When he is not making dated pop-culture references in the classroom he likes to keep up with the theater industry by working on his playwriting, community acting, and bing watching Netflix.
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