Global Collaborator: Unpacking ISTE Standard for Students #7

Global Collaborator: Students use digital tools to broaden their perspectives and enrich their learning by collaborating with others and working effectively in teams locally and globally. (ISTE Student Standard #7)

This standard is my hill to die on. If a student graduates from our school and doesn't know how to collaborate well with the world, then we have failed to equip that student for their future. The universe gets smaller every day. When I graduated from college (the first time), there was no internet access to the masses. I was pretty much competing with people within a 50-mile radius in the city I wanted to work in. There were some people willing to relocate but the bottom line was that 85% of the people that were after the same job I was would have been considered my geographical neighbor. Today, someone might need graphics work done and artists from all over the world can bid on that job. Due to video conferencing, smartphones, and wifi, the professional world has become more fluid in who we work with and also whom we compete with. The walls have fallen down and most jobs today require you to communicate with someone not in your community and maybe not even in your hemisphere on a regular basis. In the last year, I have worked strategically discussing the use of voice speakers in the classroom with people from California, North Carolina, Florida, Iowa, Israel, and the United Kingdom.

So how do we prepare students for that world if the walls are still up in our districts and we can't reach out globally because of a lack of technology?

• Penpals. Remember snail mail? That's what I am talking about! Culturally connect your students to another school through snail mail. Depending on the age of your students, you can have them write individual letters or write a letter as a class. Ask each other questions relevant to learning. Challenge each other with quizzes or questions. It could be something that happens all year long. 
• If you are a teacher that has a computer with a webcam or you are willing to use your own phone, participate in a mystery skype opportunity. Do your legwork first. Communicate with the other educator and decide what your learning goals would be for your mystery Skype. Is it purely geographical or do you want your students to glean certain information from your connection? 
• Seek a local that isn't a local. We live in a transient world. Your school and students could benefit from the connections you have to other cultures. Sometimes those not like yourself seem intimidating or scary. Knock down the biased boundaries that exist and ask someone to come in and collaborate with your students about their culture.
• Get involved. My edufriend Jennifer Williams serves on the board of Global Goals Educator Task force. This task force works together with the UN to teach Sustainable Development Goals that would affect every teacher, student, and the world. Look for opportunities to talk about global needs and perspectives. TEACH SDGs is one option but there are plenty of other ways to help students to see outside the silos of their lives.

Check out the previous blog posts from the "Unpacking ISTE Standards for Students Techknowledge Gee" here:

• Standard #1 Empowered Learner
• Standard #2 Digital Citizen
• Standard #3 Knowledge Constructor
• Standard #4 Innovative Designer
• Standard #5 Computational Thinker
• Standard #6 Creative Communicator

What kind of PD makes teachers smile? And on Saturday? EDCAMP

Year five of Edcamp GigCity is in the books. It was in a fabulous location- Red Bank Middle School in Chattanooga, TN- and it had fabulous attendees. According to the feedback form most left as very happy campers! (pun intended).

Things I learned:

• Oops on the schedule. We accidentally used the schedule from 2 years ago instead of last year so the sign up said 9-2 but the day was laid out as 9-3. We also had adjusted times down to 45 minutes last year but the old schedule had the sessions at an hour. Our bad! We apologize for that oversight and promise it won't happen again.
• Many hands make the burden light. WOW! What an amazing organizing committee we had this year. Being the lead for the last 3 years, I am finally learning how to delegate and trust the team. I was not disappointed. Sure am thankful for a wonderful group of fellow educators. What many people probably don't know is that this is all volunteer led and run, and Edcamp Gigcity is unique in that the organizers represent higher ed, lower ed, public, and private school sectors. I love that about our edcamp! This uniqueness opens the door for collaborative thinking way beyond the walls of the school house, the district, and even the city! I can't even begin to say how much I appreciate the following organizers that planned along with me this year:
• Dr. Karen Adsit, Education Professor at The University of Tennessee of Chattanooga
• Greg Bagby, Principal at Barger Academy
• Jim David, STEM School administrator 
• Kimberly Elbakidze, Computer Science Instructor at Red Bank Middle School
• Evonne Hackett, Technology Teacher at Lakeview Middle School
• Julie King, Middle School Librarian at The Baylor School
• Arthur Williams, K-5 Instructional Technologist at Lakeside Academy
• We need to make sure we explain how edcamps work a little better for new attendees. Often people are a bit overwhelmed by the "no presenters" and "rule of 2 feet" if it is their first edcamp. We need to make sure we provide more insight on how edcamps got started and why it is so organic in nature.  
• The EdCamp philosophy makes people smile. All day long I watched as people moved around from room to room at EdCamp Gigcity with smiles on their faces. I couldn't help but ask myself, "Is this what you see when you lead PD at school?" And I answered myself (because I'm weird like that) "Not usually." So why do educators like edcamps? I have 3 theories:
• Choice- Educators are at least college graduates and sometimes/often even have advanced degrees...they love Edcamps because they get to choose what they learn about instead of being forced into a PD that may or may not interest, help, or pertain to them. 
• Voice- Educators get to ask questions and share their concerns and fears in a safe non-threatening environment. The beauty of our edcamp is that it isn't "district led" so the voices they are in a room with aren't necessarily the ones they usually hear from so it adds a freedom to learn from others. The value of being heard is important to everyone, the nature of edcamps is active participation no matter what your level of understanding. 
• Free- The event is free, the food is free, and the door prizes are both awesome and free. How does that make an educator feel? VALUED. For some educators, they rarely have the opportunity to learn outside of their school building because of cost or time. Edcamps show teachers that they are appreciated and important by creating platforms for them to learn without other things hanging over them- like lesson plans for subs and money.
• Being an #EdcampGigCity organizer make me a more connected educator. This is year five of our edcamp and every year I walk away with new edufriendships, knowledge, and ideas that I know I have a safety net for if I have more questions. Like all conferences, you get what you put into it. Allowing yourself to connect with others and hear what other schools and districts are doing brings value back to yourself and your school/district. I'm thankful for the opportunity to connect in such a big way to the Chattanooga are. #CHAedu

Comparison of Teachers vs. Students

         

Oftentimes I hear teachers complain that they don't have time to learn a new software platform, research new techniques, create lesson plans to meet the needs of a wider variety of students. I hear it and I respect it but I started thinking about the differences between a teacher's school year and a student's. Are we as educators respecting our students concerns? Bear with me.

Every year a student starts the school year not knowing what their teachers will be like, not knowing their learning styles will match the way the teacher teaches, not knowing what technology abilities the teacher will expect, not knowing how the dynamics of their classmates will affect their learning.

Every year teachers wonder what this group of kids will be like, how much time they will have to spend on classroom procedures before the students understand their expectations, how to freshen up certain lesson plans, wondering if students will test well and progress well in the curriculum.

Teachers and students each have stressful expectations placed on them. It's no wonder the night before school starts each year teachers and students alike often have a sleepless night due to excitement and worries. I look at the list for teachers and I think of how technology can aid some of the burden through efficiencies (because that's what I do). But I'll be honest, as an educator, when I look at the following bullets I see the conformity needed for students to varied teacher whims being much harder than the teacher's expectations. I also look at this list and see more and more reason why personalization of education, voice and choice, and freedom to critically think are so valued by today's students. Take a look and see what you think:

MIDDLE AND HIGH  SCHOOL TEACHERS

           

• Spend the day teaching in the subject area that they chose as something that is interesting to them
• Teach 1-3 different preps in a day usually within the same overarching curriculum
• Are confident about the things they teach because they are “degreed” in the subject matter
• Set the tone and expectations of their classroom based on their likes and dislikes
• Decide how they will teach the curriculum (for the most part)
• Usually have 1-2 periods off in a day
• Have family and/or coaching expectations after a full days work
• Have grading of the work of many to accomplish in a timely manner
• Are reviewed by their administration 1-8 times a school year.

• Have various meetings that pull them out of the classroom teaching time or take away from their planning periods

• Have a responsibility to students, administrators, parents, and constituency

MIDDLE AND HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS

• Spend the day in 30 min to 1 hour 20 min segments of time (depending on bell schedule)  in varied topics of interest to them
• Have 4-7 preps in a day within varied subject matter curriculums and homework coming at them daily from any of those subjects
• In a constant state of learning and acquiring skills in those subject matters with varied levels of confidence
• Restricted to rules and regulations from each instructor they visit each day that may vary tremendously based on the instructor and/or subject matter.
• Must learn in each subject area based on the way the instructor teaches them.
• May or may not have a study hall or break throughout the day
• Have sports/arts/job/family expectations after a full day of school
• Have homework to accomplish in a timely manner (often with one day’s notice of being due)
• Are reviewed through formative and summative assessments on a regular basis throughout the school year
• Have consistent expectations of a day except for a few special days/activities throughout the school year
• Have a responsibility to students, administrators, parents, and constituency

Finding Magnitude for Your Tiny Voice

There are times when, as educators, we are called to be the champion of others. Sometimes it is for a student, sometimes it is for a fellow educator, occasionally it is even for a parent. When the word "champion" is used we think of someone sweeping in to be the superhero. According to Merriam-Webster a champion is "someone who fights or speaks publicly in support of a person, belief, cause, etc." The majority of the time we think of being a champion as a positive experience. It is why I serve on the East Tennessee board of JDRF- to raise money to find a cure for type 1 diabetes. It is why I am looking forward to speaking at educational technology conferences for the next few months- to give helpful encouragement and insights to the idea of technology as a supportive role in the classroom. 

BUT, being a champion isn't always easy. For every champion's cause, there is another side. Ghandi, Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King, Rosa Parks, St. Paul, Malala Yousafzai, even the three middle school fictional characters in the book/movie "Hoot" (a film about saving owls) had to give magnitude to their tiny voice.

I believe at some time or another we have all experienced the moment when everything inside us was waring about saying something OUT LOUD. For me, when I actually hear that tiny voice hesitantly escape my lips it often even sounds somewhat like the 7-year-old Julie of my past. It usually comes out with a little quivering sound in my throat as I am anxious about the affects of speaking the words. And then it gains magnitude.

This year, as a technology coach/coordinator, I find myself feeling the need to stand up for teachers' desires and what's best for the students quite often. While some people might say "yeah right," it really isn't my nature to rock the boat. I've lived status quo at my school for many happy years. As both my role and the role of technology in the classroom have evolved, I find myself riding the seesaw of pushback and acceptance; weighing the options and listening- ever listening.

In this year I've found myself more than ever before digging deeper to encourage that tiny voice to speak up. I also know the things I say aren't always popular. Now, I'm no Rosa Parks but in my own little education world I realize innovation means taking chances. Going against the norm or pushing back has to be balanced with being seen as a "team player" in my world as well. The seesaw, again, goes up and down- aggressively at times.

Not all educators feel comfortable allowing their tiny voice to escape. For whatever reason- financially, professionally, or personally- they can't find the magnitude to say what they feel. I get that. I'm not going to lie, this weekend when J.C. Bowman, executive director of Professional Educators of Tennessee, labeled me among some amazing Tennessee educators with this statement, "I am very optimistic about public education in my state. On the horizon there are some great young educators within Tennessee that will positively influence the dialogue about public education. They are incredible advocates for children and collaborate with their colleagues by sharing ideas, thoughts, and providing support." I felt encouraged and acknowledged. We won't digress on the fact he also called me "young" and hinted I was a public school educator even though I am not now. ;) http://www.proedtn.org/news/255492/Long-Stretch-of-Reform.htm

I share all this to say, there is value in educators finding their tiny voice. While we must always shrewdly pick our battles, we are in the battlefields and we see the injustices (both big and small) going on around us. We should let that little quivering voice escape sometimes, even when it's not easy, in order to get to the greater good. I'm not going to lie, there are days I wonder "will this statement get me in trouble" as it passes through my lips but I don't willy-nilly push back and I know that if I am valued as an employee, EdTech leader, and educator then those that sign my paycheck also know I want what is best for our students overall. 

I challenge you to find your tiny voice and give it magnitude- even if it's just in the form of a blog that helps you think things through.