#ISTE17 Presentation Resources

It was such an honor to present and share at #ISTE17! What an amazing experience learning amongst some of the most innovative educators and leaders in the country. This was also my first journey to Texas (they don't lie- the BBQ is amazing). By request, I am sharing the resources from my sessions so those #NotAtISTE can access the presentations!

Rockstar Blended Learning

This session focused on how to implement an effective blended learning model at the classroom level. Presented alongside my former colleague Amanda Haughs, Digital Innovation Coach for CUSD, we explored different blended learning models (flipped, rotation, flex) and the benefits and challenges of each. We then shared our favorite tools to integrate into blended instruction. My favorite part of this session involves teacher choice, where teachers were able to team up and dive deeper into the tool they saw meeting their instructional needs (with task cards to support learning).

See slide deck below for all of our resources:

Get Off the Stage: Google Apps and Ed Tech Make Instruction Student Centered

bit.ly/getoffthestage

This was my first time presenting with my new SFUSD colleagues, Tom Mullaney and Dr. Kristina Mattis! In all honesty, this wasn't my session. Tom has created the session based on the work he has been doing with Digital Breakouts and was unable to physically attend the conference. Like a true team, we pulled together and Kristina and I served as his live proxies while he joined virtually through Google Hangouts.

The QR code above will direct you to all of the resources shared in this session which included:

Tom Mullaney's Virtual Appearance

• A sample online lesson using Google Sites and culminating with a Digital Breakout.
• Resources that support the design of truly interactive online design such as Verso, Ted-Ed and Ed Puzzle
• Design tips for using Google Forms as digital "locks" and to provide students with instant feedback.

Questions on these fabulous resources? Just ask the expert @TomEMullaney!

Gamify Your Formative Assessment

The Gamification Crew: Lindsey Blass, Cate Tolani, Dr. Kristina Mattis

This is, quite possibly, one of my favorite sessions that I have ever done. In this session Cate Tolnai, Dr. Kristina Mattis and I pulled together our research and strategies for gamification. Presented in a casual Poster Session environment, we were able to connect with many educators from districts across the country and have awesome in depth conversations about their experiences and needs in in regards to gamification and formative assessment. We explore gamification vs. game-based learning, and how elements of gamification can be incorporated into formative assessment to help motivate and incentivize learning. In our slide deck below, you will not only find oodles of fun, you will find our suggestions for game-based tools that support a gamified learning experience.

Tips for becoming a #PresenterofISTE

Throughout the conference, I engaged with some amazing educators who submitted sessions for ISTE and didn't get selected to present. As any regular conference presenter can share, we have all experienced this feeling of "What was I missing? Why didn't I get selected?" While each conference has unique presentation attributes that they look for, my best advice on submitting for ISTE presentations is:

• They require research. As you are implementing fabulous instructional strategies, make a point of seeking research that backs it up and bookmarking this for when #ISTE18 applications open!
• Know how your content relates to the ISTE standards. Just like we plan standards-based instruction for our students, our ISTE presentations are standards-based as well. Explore the ISTE Standards for Educators (2017 version just released!) and ISTE Standards for Students.
• Try for a Poster Session. Acceptance rates are much higher than for concurrent sessions, and you get to connect with and influence just as many educators in a fun and casual environment.

Best of luck and see you at #ISTE18!

Ready...Set... #ISTE17!

As I gear up for #ISTE17 in San Antonio next week, I am loving all of the excitement and buzz across Twitter; #PresentersofISTE gearing up for creating inspirational learning experiences, PLNs connecting over the opportunity to meet IRL, veterans of ISTE blogging advice to newbies in order to maximize the conference going experience. This last one had me thinking: What advice would I give to other attendees of ISTE? My biggest piece of advice: KNOW YOUR GOAL.

Why are you attending the conference? What do you hope to get out of it? What do you hope to bring back to help further the passion projects and work that you do on a daily basis? Answering these questions before hitting the conference is so important! Just like working with our students, if we don't clearly define our objectives, how will we reach out target? And then I asked myself... have I answered these questions?! Time to reflect...

My #ISTE17 Goals

1. Gain insight and ideas on effective models for online and blended learning. 
One month ago I made a huge transition out of a coaching role in a district I had worked in for almost a decade to a new role as a Digital Learning Integration Designer for San Francisco Unified School District. In this role, I am able to build partnerships across the district in order to expand the implementation of blended and online learning in support of our district's work towards innovative educational equity (inspired by our Vision 2025).

Working with an amazing team of thought partners in the Department of Technology, we have started creating systems and supports for this type of innovative instruction. At #ISTE17, I hope to connect with other districts from across the nation who are working to create the same types of instructional shifts. I plan to attend sessions that share experiences in implementation  of blended and online learning. I also hope to gain deeper understanding of how others have effectively used badging and micro-credentialing to implement a competency-based approach for demonstrating mastery.


2. Explore the latest research and practice in design of physical environments that support personalized instruction.

I have the privilege of serving as the Director of the CUE BOLD Symposium, which focuses on the crucial relationship between lesson design and learning environment design. As I continue diving deeper effective implementation of personalized learning models, I look forward to learning more about the types of physical environments that have been proven to support student learning.

3. Connect with others that have a similar focus so we can support learning beyond the conference.
A saying that often gets tossed around my professional learning networks is, "The smartest person in the room is the room." As someone in a highly specialized position, building a network and community of others exploring the same passions for impacting education is so very important. These connections will allow the learning to continue beyond the conference through the ongoing sharing of resources and strategies. I hope to make some new Twitter connections, join/create some new specialized Voxer groups, and follow some new podcasts/blogs that will inform my practice. After all, we are #BetterTogether!


Call to Action: What are your goals for #ISTE17? Please post and share!

#Sketch50: Join the Movement!

Cowritten with Cate Tolnai for the Ed Tech Team Blog

Across the world, educators and students are uniting with one simple goal: to complete and share one drawing a day. The #Sketch50 movement, while amazingly simple in it’s foundational goal, strikes on something much deeper: sketching as a means of unleashing creativity, building artistic confidence, and tapping into growth mindset.

It all started with an email titled, “I have an idea :).” Cate Tolnai, an Academic Technology Specialist for Santa Clara County Office of Education, was still buzzing on the EDUhigh of the 2017 National CUE conference when she reached out to members of her sketchnoting network and asked them if they wanted to take part in a social experiment with her. Cate writes: “What if we set out to do a push for a sketch-a-day campaign to get anyone who has the sketching bug to just do it? We could start on the following Monday, and that would be 50 days of sketching culminating on May 16, which is National Drawing Day.” Lucky for Cate, the group she reached out to has a habit of saying yes to innovative ideas, and just like that, the movement was born. Within the next few days, the group had a domain, a website, a variety of social media accounts, and a spreadsheet to collaboratively generate prompts.

It didn’t take long for this movement to attract thousands of hungry educators and creators. The prompt on Day 1 was to sketch a lightbulb. Hundreds of posts emerged including themes of inspirational educational quotes, students and families drawing together, and perhaps most significantly, teachers and students who were hesitant in their artistic abilities jumping in. From digital doodles in apps like Procreate and Paper53 to sticky notes and notebook paper -- sketchers young and old are finding their #sketch50 entrypoint.

Another exciting and unexpected outcome of this viral movement has been the interest of select professional artists and authors to share and inspire #Sketch50 in their own way. Based off of emails and tweets from Pablo Diaz, Wanda Terral, and Cate Tolnai, the group has partnered with Mike Rohde, Mauro Toselli, the Sketchnote Army team, Wendi Pillars, Sunni Brown, Javier Perez, and others. Their generosity of time, daily sketches, and donations of books and webinars have made an incredible impact on the thousands of sketchers included in the #Sketch50 community.

The themes covered across the 50 days of sketching include: Communication, Personalized Learning, Design Thinking, Sketching Basics, Celebrating Success, Social Justice, Creativity, and Growth Mindset. All are invited to earn Sketch 50 Digital Badges hosted on the Badgelist platform that aim to celebrate the individual progress of each sketcher and help her capture and share her #sketch50 journey.

Since the movement focuses on active learning while having fun, it seemed appropriate to culminate on National Drawing Day with #PlayPD sessions hosted by moderators and passionate sketchers throughout California. PlayPD hosts pop-up, informal professional development sessions where educators gather to experience EDUtools/strategies and brainstorm their implications for instruction.

For more information on the #Sketch50 movement, please connect with us! It is never too late to join in the fun!

*Sketch50.org
*Twitter: @sketch50 and @Play_PD
*Facebook: sketch50 Instagram: sketch_50

You can also contact any of the #Sketch50 organizers (Cate Tolnai, Lindsey Blass, Wanda Terral, Pablo Diaz, Ann Kozma, Genevieve Pacada, Jo-Ann Fox, Misty Kluesner, Nicole Delasio, Matt Miller, and Sylvia Duckworth) on Twitter or via email at sketchfifty@gmail.com. Whether you joined the movement on Day 1 or plan to join on Day 50, we encourage you to lean into your growth mindset and throw some creativity into the universe!