What This Instructional Technologist Learned from the MOMO Challenge

Yesterday I spent hours researching a sinister mother bird known as MOMO. This is time I can never get back but the time I felt needed to be spent to best support the families of our school. Trying to discern whether the MOMO Suicide Challenge was real or not. Trying to discern how pervasive the issue really was. Trying to answer emails from concerned parents. Trying to decide how best to communicate with our stakeholders regarding it all. Wavering between "it isn't something to be concerned about" to "yes, it is something to be concerned about" over and over throughout the day.

The frustration over all this is high but it has also been a huge eye-opening learning experience for me. Today, our school sent out this email to families regarding this hot topic. As someone that has lived with suicidal thoughts during a time in my life, I don't take this lightly. That being said, I also believe that social media can cause this to be blown out of proportion and it becomes glamorized. That's my concern.

Here are some interesting thoughts I have had while researching this:

• This is a direct hit to adult responsibility because MOMO is now showing up randomly inside what would be considered kid-friendly videos on YouTube (Peppa the Pig and Fortnite, for instance). When I look around I see adults oftentimes unaware of what children are actually doing on devices. There is a false sense of security and complacency that some adults have accepted that is getting a huge slap in the face.
• I spent hours researching MOMO and I'm still not sure of its initial pervasiveness and impact on society and this worries me as an instructional technologist. 
• Adults seem to be propagating the issue and it's mainly on Facebook. I get it, parents are scared. The MOMO character and it's message should not be heard by anyone but when I ask students what they know about it, most know very little. Facebook is now an adult heavy platform and the fear we are seeing there is not translating into actual issues- at least at our school. The concern is a breeding frenzy. The more we repost and share, the more likely that bad people continue to create bad things. We feed their need to think what they are doing is worthwhile.  
• This is a digital citizenship issue at every level. Yes, there are videos on YouTube that have been created in what I feel is a copycat manner based on the original concept of what purportedly was happing in the WhatsApp messaging app. But if you are allowing your students/children to watch any video of Peppa Pig uploaded by any person, these are pirated videos and the chance of them containing inappropriate information is there. Adults should use this time to model and teach children about looking for ways to view things that take copyright laws into account. If you want to watch a video on YouTube, look for an official owner of that video to see if it exists. If it doesn't, YouTube isn't where you should be going to watch someone's version of a video recording of that streaming TV program. 
•  We are in an era where we cannot just repost and retweet what we see on social media without looking a little deeper. Snopes.com is a great place to check for validity. What we are seeing this week regarding MOMO is lightyears away from what was originally being suggested was happening. It is still horrifying that people are trying to trick small children to watch self-harm videos but we need to be vigilant in knowing we have a responsibility on the information that is actually being shared. 
• Fear causes people to shut down good things. With every good gift that God has given us, there will always be people that use it for sinister plans. YouTube and WhatsApp aren't inherently bad, they just need to be used in appropriate ways. Don't allow evil to win. This is a reminder of the "Blue Whale Challenge." We must be both discerning and vigilant in the way we both address and ignore these type of things within our community.
• This is a great opportunity to talk to children about self-harm and self-awareness. Creating a sense of open communication is important in all aspects of a child's life, not just technology.  
• Lastly, there will be something else. When I was young it was listening to Ozzy Osborn records backward. Recently it was the "Tide Pods Challenge" and the "Blue Whale." As adults, we need to look at the last few days and not immediately repost what we are seeing or assume it is real. This is why it took me days to figure out if this problem was actually immersive or not. Help the world by not feeding the frenzy. 

The Growing Cost of Edtech Integrity and Security

5 years ago our school rolled out a BYOD (bring your own device) plan for our middle school. We've muddled, learned and grown through all this and also watched and waited for a better idea to come along. Last year we did something different, our fifth grade students piloted touchscreen chrome books in the classroom that the parents still bought (but they bought through the school). As part of this rollout we placed all these Chromebooks under a monitoring and filtering system that follows them wherever they may go. This monitoring software was chump change compared to some of our budgets but it feels like the chump change costs to do what we want to do just keeps growing. And with it comes an added level of responsibility for our IT department by being the gatekeeper of usage both on and off campus.

In this next school year we are also investing in software that will make it impossible for students to take a quiz or test without doing so in a lockdown browser. We chose to do this for testing security and integrity. This is another little bit of chump change that works with the learning management system (LMS) we have adopted for this year - the LMS itself is a larger bit of chump change. We also spend additional money on a plagiarism/grammar checking software that plugs into the said LMS.

Many of these options are chosen for integrity purposes, some are for ease of use purposes and yet a few cannot even be seen as optional in today's world. One of the hardest parts of being an instructional technologist is that there never seems to be a program that does everything we want it to do for our teachers and students without investing more money in an outside plug in. Then you stand back and you realize your "per seat" cost of using technology continues to grow and you wonder what could stay, what could go? What is next? I do believe in time some of these plug ins will become standard in LMS specs but for now the budget continues to bulge with add-ons.

Add to that the needs of an elementary school which isn't quite ready for the robustness of an expensive LMS but teachers want to utilize technology in collective ways. All of a sudden you have $20-50 dollar expenses in various classes to meet various needs and everyone looking to the IT department to fill those needs.

I do appreciate edtech companies that have the free versions and the pay versions of software because more than once I've said "show me you'll use it and we will look for the money for the paid version." It is interesting to me that many of these companies charge just enough to entice teachers to use their own money for this classroom need. I can't decide if that's the companies being good to the teachers or actually exploitive of the teachers!

At the end of last year our wonderful elementary PTO gave out Amazon gift cards to our teachers to use in the classroom. I'm wondering, has the time come for teachers to receive gift cards so they can decide what tools to buy for their classroom or does that create a smorgasbord of confusion for students? I don't think it would in the elementary setting.

• How does one best encourage teachers to take risks and try new technology tools without creating undo cost and chaos with a need to support all those things? 
• Who decides what is necessary and what is not? 
• Should there be a protocol for edtech tool adoption? 
• How do you support innovators and first adopters in a school setting?
• How do you discern if the chump change and the big change your shelling out is truly cost effective in the learning process?
• How do you make the money spent on educational technology equitable between upper and lower schools? Do you need to?
• What standards or goals are you supporting through the use of technology in the school?
• What is it's ultimate purpose and do the pros outweigh the cons? 
• Where is the tipping point? If I knew .....(kids weren't always multitasking, students weren't cheating on tests, knew how to balance- or whatever you have heard to fill in that blank) THEN I would feel more comfortable with technology. How much money do we invest into the tipping point areas?
• How do you respond to the next cool and useful tool that hits the market midyear when your budget is flat? 
• How much cushion should there be in a tech budget?

Putting Yourself OUT THERE Professionally

As I reflect over my school year, I realize I had a lot of disappointments. In fact, a crazy amount of disappointments. As a rule, I don't deal with disappointments or rejection well so I have spent the last few days asking myself "why does this year feel like a success if you truly felt like you had tons of disappointments?"

I think it is because my disappointments weren't in what was happening at school that much and more about putting myself out there to become a better educator and to grow. I also think it was because I put myself out there enough that I also have some crazy awesome things to celebrate as well. As I started typing this blog post I decided to just create this chart to help me put my year in perspective:

A few years back I realized that in order for me to get the feedback I needed to both grow and feel fulfilled in my role I would need to reach outside of my own school system. Not that it isn't a wonderful school system- it is! But I tend to be a futurist and and "what's next" type of thinker about education. That being said, it is not my role to force my dreams on those I work with, so looking for ways to develop and feed that part of myself while incrementally creating opportunities at our school is important to me.

There are some years the professional rejection feels more overwhelming than the things to celebrate but because of my personality, I feel like it's important for me to keep putting myself out there. And let me say that has not always been my personality. There have been more years than not that I was quite happy siloing myself in my classroom with my students and focusing on teaching and the things that happened within the four walls of that classroom. AND I was a good teacher. But after spending time looking at what others were doing by attending conferences and using Twitter to grow professionally, I had a quest to do more and be more for myself, my school system, but ultimately the students and families I serve.

So now I spend time looking for opportunities to get outside my box and challenge my thought processes. I realize that as an instructional technologist I work in a role that opens a mixed bag of emotions from others. It is that fact that has pushed me to have a more global approach to my job so that I can get the support I need and can be a balanced educator in seeing the strengths and potential pitfalls in my realm of influence.

I say all this to challenge others to continue to put yourself out there. After not being chosen for part of the Google Innovator program this year I tweeted "Rejection makes me hungry." It's true. Don't let your rejection define you-dig deeper, apply again, seek other avenues, but never accept the status quo of complacency!  Fail forward and grow! Colonel Sanders, Abraham Lincoln, Thomas Edison and J.K. Rowling are just a few people that come to mind when I think of persevering through the struggle of failures. May I ever be someone with that type of growth mindset.

Full STEAM Ahead at CCS

In the spring of 2016 our school was approached by a parent that wanted more STEAM opportunities for his daughters to take place at our school. Oftentimes people think that funding comes easy for private schools but I submit that it does not for individualized curricular projects. The grants aren't available to us and that was where I was as the Technology Coordinator in our lower school. Until this parent shared not only his vision but created funding opportunities, I just dreamed about integrating coding, robotics, circuitry, etc into our curriculum- the funding just wasn't there.

The change happened with the 2016-2017 school year and we were able to create a STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Math) curriculum into our school that supported our integrated units. We were also able to hire a full time STEAM Project Assistant that would learn the nitty gritty of coding, robotics, circuitry, and the design thinking process. This STEAM Project Assistant meets with grade level teachers and works with them to create opportunities for integrated projected based learning as well as stand alone STEAM lesson plans that support weekly learning. The beauty of the way we have done this is that this STEAM Project Assistant creates embedded professional development opportunities for our teachers as well. They are able to learn about coding hand-in-hand with their students. Our goal with our STEAM program is to give our students a variety of experiences to broaden their understanding of potential STEAM jobs for their futures. We have adopted the concept of these lesson plans to not be associated with a "grade." This is our attempt to create a culture that makes students lead with curiosity and not fear failing. Our project based learning opportunities are graded by the teachers but any weekly STEAM lessons that do not impact the PBLs are considered scaffolding for learning.

This change opened the door for our students to have a variety of new experiences and for some of our students there was an immediate "click." We were already a tech-rich lower school with rolling carts of iPads and chrome books in grades preK-4th and a 1:1 environment for our fifth graders but the STEAM program created more opportunities to use the technology beyond the 4 C's of technology integration- curation, consumption, creation, and connection in ways we had not had the ability to do before.
We are programming robots and concepts, making green screen productions and showing our elementary students how to make websites. We were taking our possibilities to a new level like never before. For some of our students, we peaked an interest...we were empowering the "brains."

How Will Net Neutrality Impact Gig City Students?

I don't begin to understand all the political aspects of the repealing of net neutrality but I am concerned about how it will impact my students.  I'll be honest, students in Chattanooga are blessed to live in GIG CITY. Our high speed internet access makes me become a snob when I visit other cities! We have it going on when it comes to speed, and I have a need...a need for SPEED! But this isn't about me, it's about the students in the Chattanooga area. I'm here to discuss my concerns about the potential impact of repealing net neutrality and how it will impact education.

I work in a technology blessed school. We have rolling carts of iPads, Chromebooks and robots throughout our lower school and grades 5-12 are now in a 1:1 environment. Our school sees the benefit of both equipping students with digital skills and integrating technology for aspects of the next generation of education: personalization, participation, programmable, and predictive.

Here is what I have learned over the last 2 years, budgeting for educational technology isn't easy. Every year software is developed that creates an "aha" moment of "YES, this is what we need to support or learning initiatives!" Every year new devices with more bells, whistles, and capabilities hit the market. So we budget, rebudget, guess and reguess how to plan for the next year...but there is one thing we haven't had to budget on...

The cost of good streaming from individual websites. Is this going to cause a case of the haves and have nots? Will my choice to use free websites become less of an option because they cannot pay the regulators the funds needed for good streaming? OR perhaps I cannot pay for good streaming because of now needing to prioritize what we truly need access to versus what is just a want?  How will this impact my students? How will this impact the bottom line of our school's budget (which directly impacts my students)? How will this impact things student do at home? Will we have to change our expectations regarding homework?

As I said before, I do not begin to understand the pros and cons on each side of this discussion but as an education I worry about how the repeal will impact the use of technology in education. What are you thoughts on this?

Christmas Tech Toy List

 It is the time of year where children are targeted by every toy commercial that comes on. Children start adding toy after toy to their list only because they are being bombarded with messages against your will. But fear not, there are so many choices that parents and grandparents can make that are considered a TOY as well as EDUCATIONAL. Below is a list of potential gifts from my realm of education - STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and math). Toys can be fun and educational at the same time. 

Ozobots - Yes! Teach your child how to code a robot. Ozobots are a cost effective way to introduce coding to the physical world. While you don't have to have a device with BIT to make them work having an android or iOS device to download the app takes your opportunities with EVO to the next level. Check out Ozobots for children of any age! 



Dash and Dot - Wonder Workshop makes robotics durable and cost effective for even the youngest child. You will need a device to code with these cute little robots but the 3 app choices gives you opportunities for all age groups to have a little fun with robotics.  

Rocketbook - It's going to seem magical, you are going to say "no way!" but Rocketbooks are a way to digitally store your handwriting and artwork in a reusable notebook. Buy the Rocketbook Wave and when it is full, clear it by putting it in the microwave with a cup of water. Wipe down the Rocketbook Color. The options are endless and the front of your refrigerator will be free of clutter as you keep your keepsakes online!  

Legos - Yes Legos! Nothing new here but the opportunities are endless! Do you have a future architect or a budding engineer, buy that kid some Legos and let the creativity abound. Do you have girls, buy her LOTS of Legos- we need more women in STEAM jobs. Google "Lego Challenges", print off the cards and stand back!

Sign Up for Coding Accounts - There are so many options to teach your child more about coding. What's coding? You might know it as computer programming. The nice thing about this option is that you can use the computer you already have at your house and just create accounts for your child- many options are absolutely free! Check out Scratch, the coding website written by two MIT students. Let them work in code.org and see what they enjoy. Invest in what peeks their interest. There future is computer science. Prep your child now for their future!

Virtual Reality Headset What is virtual reality? VR allows personalized virtual reality opportunities from games to field trips as if you are there in what feels like a total immersive experience. The opportunities are growing every day. Let your child dissect a frog or look at a 3D heart model using something like the Merge Cube below. You can use a phone with the lower cost VR headsets like as Google Cardboard but there are also stand alone VR Headsets like Occulus Rift.
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i4Zt3JZejbg

Merge Cube - This is a virtual reality experience you can hold in your hand. It works with both android and iOS phones and gives you a very cost friendly virtual reality option. Play games or view 3D anatomy images. It is a soft spongey cube that won't break easily but gives insight into the future of learning. 

Kanu Computer Kit - Have a future IT person on your hands or an engineer? Let them put a computer together! Learn about the inner workings of a computer and create one by themselves. Is your child a tinker/builder? This is like Legos on steroids for that type of kid. Not only are they building but they are learning how computers work at the same time.

Snap Circuits Jr. - A wonderful cost effective way for children to learn about electricity and the basic properties of electronics. Snap Circuits Junior allows children to create while teaching them the concepts of circuits and how they are a part of things we use every day. 

Arduino Circuitry Kit - Take circuitry to the next level with older children and invest in Arduino kits. These kits include components they can manipulate to create models of all sorts of things. Your future electrical engineer will thank you for this gift!

As you consider the various gifts above, click on the names and it will take you to a link where they are available to be bought. I am not endorsing the companies I've linked to, just trying to give you an option to see costs and availability. What I love about each of these options is that it is more than just a toy. Some of them are training your child how to think logically, some of them will require a design thinking mindset, and some will just cause them to go "hmmm" and then question what they currently know and consider their futures.

As I have mentioned, some require the use of  computer or mobile device to make them work. Please hear me say that research shows that the best learning during computer gaming happens when parents participate with their children. Take 15-20 minutes out of your day a couple days a week and grow your students STEM skills for the future they are going to be living in. Learn with them! I certainly don't know how to do all the things listed here, and that is the beauty of these gift ideas...the possibilities are endless! 

Interpreting the "ISTE Standards for Educators" (Series 1 of 8)

As a member of ISTE (the International Society for Technology in Education), I appreciate the vetting process that the student, educator, and administrator standards go through to support best practice digital age educational environments. These standards focus on learning and not the tools to learn. While the standards have concrete ways to address technology integration, all of these standards are goals educators should and do have for themselves in general.

This is part one of an 8 part series that gives my views and suggestions on how educators can use these standards as a catalyst for becoming significant adopters of the digital landscape in regards to educational technology. Each of the 7 areas designated give educators agency in creating meaningful opportunities in their classroom that encourages digital skills for our students. I have quoted and requoted this statement: "65% of children entering primary school today will ultimately end up working in completely new job types that don’t yet exist, according to the World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs report." With that we need to prepare students with skill sets that will transfer to any job that they might have. The ISTE Standards for Students  create a framework to make that happen but in order for that to come to fruition, there has to be an understanding of the role of the educator in this digital age. 

The following outline explains the goals of the ISTE Standards for Educators (the dates by each section is when I will be blogging about that particular standard):

• Empowered Professional

• Learner (week of 10/9/17)
• Leader (week of 10/16/17)
• Citizen (week of 10/23/17)

• Learning Catalyst
• Collaborator (week of 10/30/17)
• Designer (week of 11/6/17)
• Facilitator (week of 11/13/17)
• Analyst (week of 11/20/17)

Often when people feel they are being held to a standard they immediately hesitate or push back. It feels like another box to check, lesson to learn or reason to feel challenged. As with any standard we are striving for competency in, excellence is not immediately expected but forward motion is the key. Unlike other standards, I feel these standards empower educators in the classroom to be recognized for their stepping out of the traditional framework of teaching and walking the plank of change but instead of an awaiting group of hungry crocodiles, freedom to work with students that desire to be self-motivated learners can await. To adopt the ISTE Standards for Educators means a willingness to see cultural changes from what has been the norm in education. I can tell you from firsthand knowledge, it won't come easy. Students aren't use to having agency in their learning in the way their ISTE student standards provide. Teachers aren't use to the lack of "control" that their ISTE educator standards suggest.

I do believe these standards will be accepted and widespread in 5-10 years as the norm. If you look at the "life expectancy" and re-writes of all the ISTE standards, they change based on the norm catching up with them...and like any good goal, the finish line moves again. Right now I look at some of the above subsections and think "we just aren't there yet" or "wow, is that who we want our teachers to be?" but I believe the gauntlet is there for competency to be had. I believe the empowerment teachers would feel if they were in this type of educational culture would make them feel both needed and successful.

Often teachers worry that they will be replaced by technology but the goals of the ISTE Standards for Educators is to create opportunities for teachers to truly touch every life in a personal way by leveraging the use of technology to give more time to the teacher's and student's day. These standards encourage teachers to model what lifelong learning looks like as they learn their students and lead them. 

Parenting in the Digital Age

As a parent and educator, I know that parenting in an ever connected world can be a constant battle with our children.  As an educator I speak on finding balance and I teach digital citizenship skills on a regular basis, starting as young as kindergarten. Honestly I start most lessons with elementary students this way: "Do you ever try to talk to your parent and they don't listen because they are busy doing something on their phone?" 94% will shake their head yes with about 89% adamantly wanting to add their two cents. Learning how to balance plugged and unplugged time is a beast, even for adults. As an educator, I read 3 books every year to kindergarten and first graders. These books are When Charlie McButton Lost Power by Suzanne Collins and Mike Lester, Doug Unplugged by Dan Yaccarino and Goodnight iPad by Ann Droyd. I think it's important to start talking to students about the why of unplugging from technology at a young age when they still think adults know some things!

For my older elementary students I actually have them participate in a little multitasking lesson that can be found here:

But the truth of the matter is, it's usually families that feel the brunt of too much technology usage because home time is less structured than school time and children want to use their free time to connect with friends on social media, play online games, or just mindlessly surf, shop, and chase rabbits for hours on end with their technology. So the question is "how do parents create boundaries at home for their children?" The first time I was asked about this as an educator I was a little shocked. It felt like someone was asking me how to parent their child. I see technology as just one of the things in life that I have had to place boundaries for my two girls. I also can tell you that no two children are the same, different genders often need to be monitored differently in families, and that the choices I make regarding technology in my family may not be what works best for your family. 

That all being said, I do believe there are options available to families to make the process a bit easier. Here is my list of things I share with parents as they try to navigate what is best for their own families:

• www.commonsensemedia.org  While this has great resources for students and teachers, it also gives some morally sound help to parents in regards to movies, apps, websites, etc. 
• www.meetcircle.com  "Manage all of your home’s connected devices. With Circle, parents can filter content, limit screen time and set a bedtime for every device in the home." (https://meetcircle.com/circle/).  While I haven't used Circle myself, I know families that have and the less confrontations about technology they are having makes them sing the praises of this device. While it only controls devices while on your wifi network, at a price tag of $99 it appears to be a family game changer for some people.
• Parental controls on devices or Google accounts. Whether it be a Chromebook or an iPad there are parental controls on the device that can be found in settings to tighten up your child's access to things you deem inappropriate. Google your device and parental controls and learn more about how to create a safer browsing experience for your children.
• The Tech Wise Family  by Andy Crouch. Every family is different but Andy Crouch shares the goals his family set for technology usage. While I read part of the book and thought some things wouldn't work for my own family, this book can be used as a catalyst to start discussions regarding your own family's philosophy on technology usage.
• Shared account information or following your child on social media. First, create a culture of following set rules regarding social media usage. Almost all social media platforms require the person signing up to verify that they are at least 13 years of age. There is a reason for this...maturity levels. If you have allowed your child to have social media accounts, ask yourself about their maturity level- 13 isn't always a magic number. If your child is begging but you have reservations, create an account with them that you have access to as well. At my house, the rule was that I knew what social media platforms my children were using. I would friend them or follow them for accountability. But my favorite accountability moment ever was when my then 16 year old daughter walked in the room and said, "you know what will make you use Instagram correctly? When your grandmother starts following you!" Go Mom! I hear many parents say they don't want to have social media accounts, my guess is you also don't want to drop your child off at 8 a.m. sports practices on Saturdays but it's part of parenting. Let them know you are parenting them in all aspects of their life.
• Check with your phone provider to see if there are parental controls. Because phones use cellular networking, all the wifi filtering in the world will not block things for your child. I know Verizon has these options for families. 
• Last but surely not least, create a culture of using technology in open areas of your home and put technology to bed at night. Most issues of inappropriate usage whether it be bullying, pornography, or just sleep deprivation happens often because children have their devices in their rooms at night where there is no accountability. Invest in an old fashion alarm clock for your children (because this will be their excuse why they should keep the device in their room) and plug in devices in a family area at night. If children start this at a young age, it will just be the expectation forward. It's harder to manage as children get older.

The bottom line is each family is different and each user of technology bring different views and struggles into the mix. What might be a addiction to one person will have no real pull to others. What might seem like a glorious "rule" and a no-brainer for you might change as situations change. For instance, at age 11 my youngest child was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes, from that point on her phone (which she didn't have before the diagnosis) stayed in her room at night in case of a medical emergency. As we all know, parenting is messy as it is, add technology to the mix and it might feel like a losing battle much of the time. Hear me say that I see a whole lot of good usage of technology by students daily. I see our digital citizens making wise choices and reaching the world in positive ways through the use of technology. 

I think the main thing I would leave you with is this...most of the time the technology in the hands of our children belong to the parents. Remember that. Oftentimes because students are the sole user of a device they get the "this is mine and you can't touch it" mentality. While technology is the main way students communicate with each other informally, you have the ability to adjust that usage as their parents. I believe in restorative practice. There is nothing wrong with forcing your child on a technology fasting for a while. It might lead them to better balance later. Just leave the communication lines open so they know what your concerns are and why. While schools are teaching digital citizenship and about digital footprints, parents have the bigger impact and ability to speak into non-educational use of technology. Don't let that opportunity slip by. 

How do I know what Contemporary tool will become a Classic?

1. 
   The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Coca-Cola, Rolls-Royce, Gone With The Wind, The Beatles, MonaLisa, Piaget, Socrates, hamburgers, and phonics- all considered "Classics" by some. Enduring products, ideas, legends even under the scrutiny, dislike, and judgment of others. 
   According to Merriam Webster the definition of classic means "serving as a standard of excellence: of recognized value, traditional, enduring, historically memorable, etc." but what makes a classic? That's the rub. How do we know what will be useful and worthy of keeping for the future?
   As an instructional technologist I am often asked what's the best tool for doing certain things which often leads to "why do we have to embrace so many different tools? Why isn't there something that can do everything we need it to do?" We are in a time where there are many different software options to perform different primary functions. As my coworker, Cathy Smith said, "there is always a degree of overlap which requires an understanding of strength and weaknesses of each product. How a teacher chooses to incorporate the tools into their instructional practice is of course a matter for each of us as professional educators to determine and would be impacted by our specific discipline." At FETC this year Tom Murray said "the technology our students are using today will be the worst technology they will ever use." Meaning that capabilities will become faster, more intuitive, more useful. I think the same can be said of the tools we use that work on a technology platform. 
   So the bottom line is, in a technology world that is exponentially changing faster than it ever has before, how do I know what will be a classic? Which companies and platforms will adapt to best meet needs? Which platforms will be replaced due to better companies coming on board? What needs that we currently have in education will actually become obsolete?And with these questions, is it possible for me to say "this is the best platform for our school's future?" and be able to feel confident that I mean that for 5 years or even 10 years? I submit I definitely can't say 10 years and that is so different to what the culture of education has been up until this point. What does the role of contemporary tools have on an educational culture that embraces classical? How do we embrace change and need for change without being able to make promises that you might have to rewrite and re-enter your lessons, ideas and curriculum in mass amounts a few years out. Is that a terrible expectation? 
   As I dig, ask questions, pilot, and evaluate technology platforms in a typical debits/credits t-account in my head, I struggle with being part of decisions that might fall flat. Being labeled as someone that made a bad suggestion for the masses based on current information that quickly becomes outdated concerns me. What if I suggest a choice that makes us a Blockbuster in a Netflix world? I find myself worrying about how to best support the scope and sequence of curriculum at our school with instructional technology. I worry about remaining relevant in a quickly changing environment. I know what it feels like to try to make something "fit" that just doesn't fit. I see the value of the tried and true. While I love to have opportunities to trial cutting edge technology, I know the risks it brings to the table. I pray that I can be balanced in my desires and that I will be useful to my school because I strive to stay well informed. What educational technology names will be considered "classics" one day? I do not know. And dare I say, I wonder if it is going to matter?
   

When A Technology Coordinator "Unplugs"

Cue the cold sweats, nervous tics, and wringing of hands...or not. Over Christmas break I decided to do a little self-evaluation of my technology usage. Below is the daily recap actually originally hand written.

December 17, 2016 9:30am
When  a techie unplugs:
I've been awake for approximately one hour and I have checked my emails, returned correspondence and left my phone on my bed stand. As I started to plan my day, I missed my phone immediately. What's the weather today? What time is the church musical tonight? I need recipes for cookies. 

I went upstairs to walk on the treadmill. As I walked I started reflecting on the decision to unplug for some amount of time- probably the whole break? (checking emails 3 times a day for correspondence and zero social media)- I decided I should start journaling the process. Where's my phone? Dang it! Normally I would just speak into it for these type of notes until I could blog. As I am exercising I feel overheated so I reach to touch the hand grips on my treadmill and it tells me my pulse. Dang it! Did I just cheat already? Now I'm in this internal struggle trying to decide what tech am I giving up and what tech am I not? I mean this was my idea (am I already lessening my goals?)! Meh.

I'm currently sitting down eating breakfast I nuked in the microwave (I've decided this is ok) and I am  WRITING in cursive in this journal that was given to me last year. My handwriting is atrocious and I can't spell atrocious! (I miss spell check). I don't remember the last time I wrote more than 3-4 sentences. My hand already hurts as I have filled two pages of lined notebook paper with this post.

Next up...I've been reading a book on my paperwhite Kindle. I would love to finish it. I'm trying to decide since it was already in process, is this ok with me? I think it's going to be a long day of adjusting. I've got a large TO DO LIST today, we shall see what actually gets done.

December 17, 2016 4:20pm
Cleaned out my closet better than I have in my life. Checked emails once since this morning- no social media but I did realize I am still getting notifications. Since the phone isn't on me, I haven't been tempted to open apps. I have glanced at the notifications when I checked emails. As long as I'm busy I don't even think about the internet. I did put a watch on because I realized I use my phone constantly to check the time. 

My youngest daughter face-timed me earlier and I answered. That's her preferred way to communicate when not home. I haven't told anyone at the house what my unplugged goals are. Not sure if that's fear of being judged if I don't follow thru or not wanting to discuss it. I finished the book Technology vs Humanity. It leaves me thinking deeply about the what's next of tech and education. I believe the changes will ramp up quickly- faster than ever. As a school we don't necessarily do proactive well- that scares me. How do we prep teachers and students for AI (artificial intelligence), V/R (virtual reality), A/R (augmented reality), or brain interfaces? Will I even be able to unplug 10 years from now and be relevant? It scares me more than it excites me.

The ethics of technology and the future can't be ignored. Lines in the sand need to be drawn, But not today...today I unplug, watch Friends, and write in a journal.

December 18, 2016
It's mid afternoon. Yesterday I broke my plan. I was getting ready to study my Sunday school lesson to teach to 4th graders and realized I didn't have the right book. So, I got online and looked up both lesson ideas and Pinterest nativity crafts to do. It made me try to think back to my past before Pinterest. Was I more or less creative back then? I'm not sure.

Also, at bedtime I checked my email and I immediately clicked on Facebook. I immediately swiped it closed before it even opened. It made me realize how much social media is just a habit for me.

This morning I taught Sunday School and went to the service. I sat in the balcony. I got the cutest photo op of the children down front as the pastor told them his story just for them. It's the first time I really wanted to post something on social media but it's just DAY 2. RIGHT?!

The really interesting thing about this day is that it wasn't util after lunch that I realized I used my phone to ready my bible all morning long. I mean, I've been using my phone as my bible for years now on Sunday morning...it didn't even cross my mind to take a REAL BIBLE this morning. Nor did I even hesitate to open my Bible Gateway app. Have I conditioned myself to seeing the app as the bible and always available to me that it never even crossed my mind as going against my goals? Is this how tech becomes who we are when we don't even realize we are using it?

I plan to turn my notifications off on my social media and email because when I am bored, I want to check them. I think that may be something I carry forward after these 2 weeks- no social media notifications.

December 20, 2016
Yesterday I cleaned out a cabinet that should have been cleaned out a billion times over the years. I also went out to do some Christmas shopping. This is where I enjoy tech the most. Almost all my Christmas shopping was done online. I hate crowds at Christmas so once I got home I hot out my computer and ordered my groceries from Walmart. I'll use their pick up service today around 10am. I love this service since I hate grocery shopping.

So have I failed? No. I'm still mindful of my tech usage. I haven't posted or scrolled social media. I'm not checking my phone often. I think I'm creating new habits and lining what makes sense and what doesn't. I've cleaned, done a lot of reading, went to sleep earlier, planned life goals each day better and completed the goals as well. Today is a new day. I plan to bake Christmas sweets and clean out refrigerators.

December 23, 2016
I fudged. I ordered groceries online so I could just go pick them up and I looked for recipes. As I internally tried to decide "is this ok?" I feel it was an absurdity not to use tech to make my life more efficient.

For the first time ever for Christmas I spend the day baking goodies. I then spent time delivering them. It did my heart good. I feel good about myself. It wasn't a wasted morning. Yesterday I allowed myself to check emails and answer more regularly. Life felt more fragmented. Today I'm cutting back again.

I did write a blog post today. This time has given me more time to think my own thoughts- so to speak. To examine who I am and who I want to be. This is a natural thing for me to do as the year comes to a close. I posted the blog post to Twitter and found myself wondering why I felt that was necessary. 

Interestingly, I realized I realized I needed to code my purchasing card for work before Christmas day. That means computer work sometime today- while on my break. Not blaming but the nature of my job once again beckons me to technology usage. I'll do that soon.

Laundry is caught up, I've spent time with my girls in conversations, I've read, exercised and baked. Is this because of internally releasing myself form the bind of constantly checking my phone out of boredom?

My handwriting has gotten no better. These posts seem fragmented as I can't add/take away from paragraphs. Hand writing posts is much more linear than blogging. I'm not a fan.

I also deposited a check using my banking app today. Again, efficiencies make sense to me and I value that more than following a strict THOUGH SHALT NOT TECH philosophy. What I am coming to realize (or reminded of) is the value of presence- truly being in the here and now of a moment. I'll be honest, I'm a day dreamer by nature- staying connected to the real world is a conscious effort for me but how nice to focus on valuing the present. Not PRESENTS under the tree but awareness- people, places, moments that will never happen exactly the same ever again.

I am a sentimental fool as my baby graduated from high school this year and I'm dealing with more "last times." Maybe that's why the value of presence seems so noticeable? I think I am finding a better balance as well as learning some things are priorities to me. It feels good and inefficient at the same time!

December 27, 2016
I posted photos on Facebook and Instagram regarding Christmas and since then I've done some posting. I still haven't spent much time on social media. I did decide to delete the apps (social media) off my phone to see how that affects me. I'm reading more and watched a few movies. I think I've been more intentional with my time...maybe.

I have an idea for a book to write in my head but I think I'm afraid to actually sit down and plan it because I know it will "call me" to be done. We shall see.

This break has been refreshing and yet a little disconcerting. I know that my use of Twitter is only as good as what I put into it. I don't want to go backwards or lose my momentum for learning.

January 6, 2017
Yesterday afternoon and this morning I have worked from home. Stomach bugs hit my diabetic child and that's a scary thing. Everyone in our household has had it but me but today I feel queasy. School is dismissing at noon today for potential snow threat. I just got the text. I'm thankful for a job where I can occasionally work from home and be productive still.

I ended my fasting from social media on New Years Eve. I posted, saw the Christmas posts from family and friends, occasionally commented and enjoyed it. It was nice to see.

As I look today at where I am technology wise and I reflect on my "unpluggness" some might say BUT YOU DIDN'T UNPLUG! And they would be right. I'm not really sure what my goals were in the beginning except for an awareness of who I am in regards to technology. I am certain that the efficiencies that technology affords me seems worth it to me. I am certain that the intentionalness of using Twitter and other social media to connect with educators is worth it to me. I am certain there are times in my life technology gets in the way of presence.

Do I have areas that I should be aware of and work on balancing better? Most definitely. And that was the purpose of this self awareness test. Finding my balance. Do I think I will do this again? Yes I do. Fasting is a good thing. Abstinence from things we enjoy teaches discipline. I can always use more discipline in my life. Are you up for trying my challenge? I do believe if nothing else it will cause you to really start wanting to look deeper in how we are to lead the next generation in modeling and thinking ethically about the future of technology. That's a win.

A Need for FEISTY

New years always lead to reflection of previous years for me. As I look at myself, I realize in 2017 I will have been graduated from high school for 30 years...30 years?! It made me really think back to who I was in high school compared to who I am now.

Most people don't believe this but I was a quiet, under the radar student who just couldn't wait to finish high school. Nothing about high school was really fun to me. It was just something I did. When I see people now that knew me then they are amazed at my personality change over the years. I was 5'11' and 120 pounds with the nickname "Stringbean" given to me. I was tall and skinny and when they wind blew, I went with it....and so did my sense of self-esteem-it was definitely lacking. I wasn't much better in college but I did begin to feel more confident in my own skin.

Today, I see myself as feist·y

ˈfīstē/

adjective

informal

1. (of a person, typically one who is relatively small or weak) lively, determined, and courageous.

   "a feisty heroine who's more than a pretty face"

   synonyms:

   spirited, spunky, plucky, gutsy, gutty, ballsy "the part of Annie called for a just-so balance of adorable and feisty"
2. touchy and aggressive.
   "he got a bit feisty and tried to hit me"
   
   
   I wonder how I got here. How did I go from wallflower to feisty and when did it happen? And am I glad it happened? I think edtech did it to me to some extent, at least it pushed me greatly beyond where I was. Being an instructional technologist has caused me to need to stand up for technology integration in ways I never saw coming. I'll be honest, it's sometimes hard for me to separate myself from what I do, therefore I often take it personal when others say negative things about the technology integration I am a part of. I try daily to find the balance I need to prevent this but it is definitely an ongoing struggle for me. Thus...feisty Julie appears.
   
   
   I tend to be passionate about the things I believe in and am a part of. As an accountant many years ago, I had my own clients at age 21 because I was good at what I did. As a creative arts director at my church for years I pushed our team to be really remarkable in their performances. As a related arts computer teacher, I strived to integrate technology with classroom subjects before that was cool. I also taught keyboarding differently than anyone I know. I raced the kids (literally running laps around the classroom) to get them to increase their speed in typing. But none of those things made me feisty.
   
   
   Feisty came in the last 4 years as I have pushed, led, and sang the praises of the beauty of technology integration done well. Opposition is there. Having a vision to prepare our students for jobs that might not even exist today pushes me to see technology more integrated in our curriculum. Feisty comes when trying to be heard. Feisty comes when I want to show others the efficiencies and benefits of technology in education. Feisty comes when I get push back. 
   
   
   As I look at who I have been I must say that the old Julie was easier. Doing my thing, staying low, and making a difference in a classroom...but Feisty Julie is needed (balanced with some of the traits from high school Julie). As I look forward I hope to find my balance, be supportive of my school's culture, and be a difference maker in challenging others to think in different ways while not becoming hardened, hurt, or ambivalent in the process. How will I do that? Keep my eye on the prize...and in this case I believe the "prize" is graduating students equipped to make a difference by teaching them under the umbrella of the following philosophy:
   
   
   With the advancement of technology in the world we live in, CCS sees both the need and responsibility to equip our students with skills that will prepare them to critically think about the virtues and pitfalls of this medium. It is our desire to lay the foundation for appropriate usage to mold our students into digital citizens with a biblical worldview. Due to our accessibility to technology it is to be used to enhance education, expand education outside the walls and timeframe of the classroom, and empower students with skills to enhance lifelong learners.
   
   Technology is rightly used in education inasmuch as it helps improve human flourishing, student learning, teacher effectiveness, and institutional coherence and communication. As educators, we must model and instruct wise and discerning use of technology.

The Ethics of Technology

 
According to Forbes, "Wearable Tech Market To Be Worth $34 Billion By 2020" (http://www.forbes.com/sites/paullamkin/2016/02/17/wearable-tech-market-to-be-worth-34-billion-by-2020/#c4ddfbc3fe38). Wrist-based devices can be found in schools everywhere. In fact, a friend of mine said she has twins in first grade at her school that have iWatches. 

Educational technology LMS platforms are spending much money and man hours on creating safeguards against plagiarism. Add-ons like Turnitin.com and question banks for testing that changes the variable numbers, order of answers and questions, and the actual questions themselves help teachers better monitor cheating.

Teachers are fearing websites like the free iOS app, PhotoMath that automatically solves equations and shows you the steps. Or how about the website https://www.writemypaper.net that for a small fee will write your paper for you? Where should technology start and students end? Where is the line between "technology is an aid to the learning process" and "technology did this by itself" for the ever needed good grade?

We are at a place where today's students have to learn that information is not knowledge. The easy access to information due to their smartphone in their back pocket does not make them truly knowledgable...just able to regurgitate facts....or fake it. I've done it, I've been asked questions regarding certain educational topics, I've quickly googled it and was able to sound knowledgable but in honesty, my level of comfortability wasn't there. As my mom would say, "I knew enough to be dangerous."

Recently being recognized as a Common Sense Media Certified Digital Citizenship Educator and dealing with some realities of access to Google images for elementary students has caused me to reflect on the ethics of technology usage. This is the fourth year I have been a certified digital citizenship educator because I find it incomprehensible to ask family's to allow their children to use technology in our school without also doing my part to prepare their hearts and minds for this fire hose tool of information and engagement.

Most parents received no training on the ethics of technology use and therefore they don't know how best to guide their children either. Parents often aren't making choices to be proactive in protecting their children on the internet. Often they are reactive after something they wish hadn't happened happens.

Educators, all of us that use technology in the classroom, have a responsibility to teach digital citizenship. If you want to reap the benefits of technology you must also teach responsible use. Including it based on current day events such as media literacy that is been in the news so much lately, and real world situations that occur at your school often, give you authentic learning experiences for both you and your students. You would be surprised how often students are surprised by being held accountable for things they do on social media at home. Anything that harms the school culture has to addressed. Technology changes the span of the classroom by breaking down walls and growing the timeframe of the classroom. We must be proactive about preparing our students to influence the world positively with their digital footprint.

The Beauty of Connections

The beauty of connection. I'm a techie by nature and if you haven't noticed, techie people tend to be introverts instead of extroverts. It doesn't bother me to connect with people via technology. To be honest, I could say I even prefer it at times. Often times. I mean I do extroverting well (I think I just made a word), but the conciseness of text and email fulfills my efficiency loving heart in big ways. And yet...

Over the past few weeks I find myself really realizing what face to face does for me that technology does not. I'm reading a book called "Technology vs Humanity" and it's really made me stop and question much of who I am and who I want to be. There are no challenges for the reader to change in the book but it has caused me to want to do an experiment on myself to see where I am regarding where I start and technology ends or vice versa. Do I even know?

I have had the honor of presenting at TETC this past week with my friend Greg Bagby. We've worked together to share things we've learned in our prospective roles in education with others. As the three days went along I grew connections that began online (some at the convention, some in previous years) to stronger face to face relationships. I have "go to people" that I can seek out when trying to make edtech decisions. I have voices that helps me think beyond the echo chamber in my head and my close friends.

I can say the same about coffeeEDU that happens once a month in Chattanooga (usually on the second Saturday of the month). I talk, I listen, I hear the worries, angst, and successes of other educators and I grow from that. It's always a well spent hour each month for me.

Face to face relationships connect us with those we enjoy being with and those we don't. But regardless, they grow us to think outside our own thoughts- beyond our comfort zone. Some days I feel like it's against my will-that I force myself to be social- but I always walk away with a fuller heart from connecting with others.

The transparency of allowing someone into your inner thoughts is quite beautiful. Twice this past week I was left with two face to face conversations that I keep rehashing and growing in my mind...

1. I always enjoy talking with Chris Tenbarge because he drops nuggets of wisdom on me in his quiet demeanor. He said something to the effect that we as educators protect and value "knowledge" much more than today's students because they see knowledge as being in their back pocket (their phone) available whenever they need it. After mulling around on this idea myself and during coffeeEDU I came away with the question "how do we get students to understand information isn't knowledge?" The magnitude of that question seems huge to me.

2. Leaving coffeeEDU at GPS in Chattanooga on Saturday I was walking to my car with Niki Ellis (director of upper school curriculum and instruction at CCS) and she said something to the effect that "technology is no longer a tool in the classroom but a medium." I had this AHA! moment as I drove away. I agree that it is definitely a means to educating in today's world but I also see it just being used as a tool as well. Is one way better than the other? Are both acceptable uses of technology in education? 

As I listened to the keynotes speaking at TETC I found myself jealous that they could "get away with" saying the things they said to the crowd- admonishing closed mindedness regarding tech usage. I did appreciate Steven Anderson's mention that he doesn't think flipped classrooms are a good thing but he continues to go to sessions regarding flipped learning so that he can keep learning and processing regarding it.

May I never find myself closed minded enough to not listen to the views and needs of others. May I always value and respect those with different views than my own in a positive and honoring way. May I be willing to have face to face conversations with others even when they are hard. May I continue to grow in who I am as an educator and a leader from those far and near. 

Requiring Edtech

I'm in an edtech conundrum. I've been looking at student and teacher standards posted by the leading educational technology society in the world (ISTE). While my edtechie heart says "Yes, finally!" my realistic teacher heart says "These are too technology centered to become widely accepted." It doesn't surprise me. The balance of what looks like edtech integration and what doesn't is a fine line I have been trying to interpret for years! Add to the fact that it is a fast moving target. Technology changes tend to be fast yet we are in a slow moving industry - education. Technology is always changing and the relevancy of what I should be can easily be outdated from year to year at our school.

Educational technology is a fluid thought- new hardware and software floods the market constantly. Once edtech rolls off the assembly line it is somewhat outdated. It's just the nature of the technology beast. So how does the edtech culture create standards for usage that should last at least 5 and no more than 10 years and it be both relevant and cutting edge at the same time? Better yet, how does my technology department come up with a philosophy of instructional technology integration and integration expectations in this ever changing culture? Should we create expectations that lead to growth or should we set minimum expectations? Should the technology department at my school be making these decisions in an edtech echo chamber or should the curriculum leaders also be a part of these ongoing discussions and decisions? Silo thinking rarely leads to meeting the needs of the vast, just the viewpoints of the few tend to be represented.

The next heavy weighing conundrum in the ever changing world of edtech is how do we decide on what's best for our school in a flood of so many choices? I get hung up on the idea of whatever I choose may be less desirable a month from now. How often is changing and reassessing necessary and needed? And how do you find the balance between status quo to prevent extra work on teachers and moving forward for the greater good? Because regardless, the front end of new technology adoption always leads to more work.

I want to support and lead our school to get the most out of technology but I also want our teachers and staff to know I support their need for consistency as well. The conundrum is ongoing in my head for my school but as I assess and reflect on the changing ISTE standards with others in my PLN, I realize I am not alone. There is both comfort and frustration in that.

Creating an Elementary Tech Team

For a couple of years I've been trying to figure out a way to have an elementary tech team...I wanted an opportunity to mentor a few "go to" kids that have a natural bent towards all things techie. This year my wish came true. Our elementary school is piloting the idea of elective Friday's for fourth and fifth grade students. For six weeks I will have the opportunity to lead 15 students that chose to be in this elective to become technology leaders in the lower school.

What does this look like? I've mapped out a plan of attack associated with each of the six weeks the students will earn badges in the form of stickers that they can place on anything they own to show others that they have earned the right to be considered lower school technology superstars. Today was the first day stickers were earned and immediately I saw fifth-graders put them on their iPad cases for everyone to see. That was exactly what I was hoping for, the pride in their accomplishments! 

The following is an overview of the plan.

Week one: 

Students were introduced to the idea of a tech team with excitement! I shared with them that this has been my dream for a long time and that I was so excited to be able to work with each of them. I had created a Google classroom for this TechTeam (I told them part one of being on the TechTeam was being my guinea pig to try new things out... they like that). Lesson one was all about digital citizenship. The students started working to earn their digital passport on the common sense media website. For the past four years I have been a common sense media digital citizenship educator.


We talk about the importance of each of them being good digital citizens in order to be on the team. I also told them that there was a possibility that they might help me decide what should happen when bad digital citizenship choices happened at school. They love the idea of being empowered to help make school decisions regarding technology. As students complete the assigned games on digital citizenship, they receive their "digital citizenship" sticker. 

Week two:

Today students were broken into two groups and one group worked with me to learn troubleshooting for devices. They learned how to do a hard turn off on an iPad, how to swipe open apps closed, how to close tabs that were open in a browser, how to use the airplay setting to turn on and off Wi-Fi if there seems to be connection issues. We then opened Chromebooks and made sure everyone knew how to log onto them, how to access Google Chrome, how to refresh a webpage, and how to look for help on a webpage such as being aware of ❔and ℹ️ icons, as well as help menus.
The other group was learning how to troubleshoot projectors in the classroom with our director of technology. He taught them about the different modes, how to use the remote, and how to clean the filters. He also taught the students how to add print drivers to a computer.

At the end of the class the students took a quick three question quiz in Google classroom to earn their "troubleshooter" sticker. 

Week three: 

Students will learn how to troubleshoot iPevo interactive whiteboards. These are new to our teachers and having a student that knows how to help in the midst of the classroom is an exciting option for me! In this week students will continue to work towards gaining their digital citizenship sticker and also they will receive their "helping hand" sticker after completing a short quiz in Google classroom regarding iPevos. 

Week four: 
Students will begin to map out what resource they want to create to help technology users at our school. I'm leaving the options fairly wide-open on purpose. Maybe they want to create a how-to video on logging into chromebooks? Maybe they want to write a song on digital citizenship? Maybe they want to create a Google slide on how to troubleshoot interactive whiteboards?

This is the day to allow them to creatively consider options for sharing and to use a graphic organizer to make sure they hit the main points for their resource to be most helpful. At the end of this session they will write in Google classroom what their plan is and share it with each other. They will also have earned their "seek me out" sticker. 

Week five:

This week we will start creating our resources! Students will be able to work on their resources of choice with me working the room and helping them if and when necessary. The goal will be for students to upload their resource into the Google classroom at the end of our session. They will receive their "resource creator" sticker when they are done. 

Week six:

This is our last week together. At this point all the resources should be mostly made and we will put them on a Google site and share the link out to all the Elementary teachers so that they have access to them when they might need them. As each student finishes up their resource they will get a quick tutorial on how to use Google sites and we will put all the resources on one page (Link to resources to come when done). When the students are happy with the way the site looks they will receive their last sticker "Super Stars," to proudly display the completion of our time together and the fact that they are now a CERTIFIED MEMBER OF THE TECH TEAM.