Students Teaching Teachers-Mystery Skype Edition!

Back in September, I was asked to work with a group of middle school social studies teachers about Mystery Skype.  Instead of just presenting them with the information, I decided to find a class to participate in a Mystery Skype with them.  In my mind, I knew that it would be more impactful, and boy was it! The teachers were engaged, and the questions were powerful!

What is Mystery Skype? Mystery Skype is critical thinking challenge that your class takes part in while Skyping with another class somewhere in the world. Check out this wonderful website to learn more about it!  I refer to Mr. Solarz's site every time I participate in a Mystery Skype!

I shared this experience within a Voxer chat that I was a part of for George Couros' book titled The Innovator's Mindset.  It is because of this Voxer chat (as well as iPadpalooza Austin) that I met Tara Martin!  We began working on a plan for classes in my area to join a group of teachers in her area who were learning about Mystery Skype in Mandy Sikes' first ever PD session for her district!  I could not wait!  I reached out to 2 of my teaching buddies, and they were totally on board!  Instead of Mandy just presenting the information to them, she was creating a "hands-on" experience for her teachers by connecting these classes with her teachers.  The students were becoming the teachers! How beautiful is that!?

Fast forward to today!  I am still on cloud nine when I think about it! My 2 buddies, Nikki Taylor and Lorra Lynch (both teachers at Montgomery Elementary School in Montgomery, TX), did an awesome job in preparing their kids for their very first Mystery Skype of the year!! 

We had a few hiccups when we started, and never really figured out why, but when the connection was made, you could feel the excitement in the room go way up!!

One of the things that I loved most about today, was how engaged the students were!  Each student had a job and a responsibility through it all, and their jobs meant something to them.  There were greeters, and a questioner, researchers, photographers, a think tank...total awesomeness!  They owned their learning! I know that they will always remember where Kansas is located because of this experience, and not a single worksheet or quiz was involved!  Check out some of the quotes below!

"It was really amazing."

"It was cool that we defeated some teachers."

"I learned how to narrow things down."

"I liked that we got to use maps.  I learned a lot about where places are."

"I was really nervous at first, but it was fun."

"We had a great experience with Skype!  The students were engaged the entire time and were super excited to guess the mystery location.  The depth of conversation in the room was amazing." Nikki Taylor

"I loved how fast we had to work as a team."

"It made my heart beat fast, and I can't wait to do it again."

"My pulse was throbbing when they asked if the Alamo was in our state."

Me too, friend!!!  It was a close one!

This is an experience that I know the students and teachers will never forget! One of the teachers that we Skyped with today is already looking for a connection!

T

Tara, Mandy, Nikki, and Lorra...THANK YOU!  Thank you for getting in the trenches today with your students and teachers! Proud to stand beside you all in the joy that is education!!

#SsTeachingTs  

  

Today I Sat In A Class And Read A Book...

Today, I sat in a class and read a book, The Innovator's Mindset by George Couros.  I sat in complete silence while other students sat with their novel groups and read with intent and powerful interest.  One group was on the floor, casually laying on comfortable pillows.  Another group was lounging on a couch in the corner.  There was even a student reading in a bathtub filled with pillows. That's right...a bathtub!  Their teacher was also fully immersed in her book of choice as well!  Every now and then, I would look up from my book, and so many thoughts would fill my head.  One being, that this environment was truly fostering a love of reading.  

That became even more evident when I was invited to have a "book talk" with a group of students.  Another thought I had was that I couldn't wait to come back to read with kids again.  I couldn't wait to walk in a room, find a spot to read, and dive into a good book.  I loved being a part of it today! As I was getting up to leave (I didn't want to!), Ms. Taylor Horn asked if I wanted to participate in a book talk with a group of her students.  I kneeled down on the floor, and just listened.  By the end of our conversation, my mind was made up.  I was checking that book out at the library!  

Out of My Mind by Sharon M. Draper

One part of George's book that I read today was about "8 Things to Look for in Today's Classroom".  One of those 8 is "Time for Reflection".  As a educator, I find that I need time to reflect to grow and evolve into the type of educator that my kids deserve.  I reflect on social media outlets like Twitter and Voxer and as a blogger (I am trying to get better at this!).  The students today were given time to reflect on their reading, and the conversation was so good!  You could hear their passion and dedication to the story line, and how they couldn't wait to read some more. 

One of my favorite human beings to follow on social media is Jen Jones of Hello Literacy.  This is one of my favorite quotes from her.

Just Read.

George says in his book, "DEAR Time should be an opportunity not only for reading but to also "Drop Everything and Reflect".  It is important to give our students a space for enjoyable reading and reflection.  One should not be separate from the other.  Now time to get back to my book!

#WhatIf I Can't Wait to Blog About What If!

This past summer, I read a book that quickly became one of my favorite books that I have ever read, The Book of What If by Matt Murrie and Andrew McHugh. This book is full of activities and questions for curious readers of ANY age!  A group of us decided to start a What If Book Study in Voxer over the summer after being inspired by the wonderful Marialice Curran, and it was awesome!  We were able to share and converse about all things "What If"!  Matt Murrie even joined in on the conversation! I especially loved reading the book when I was with my niece, Nancy.  One of the first questions that I asked her from the book was "What If Dinosaurs Never Went Extinct?". She thought about it for a little bit, and then the curiosity conversation began! We decided to share her thoughts on that topic by including her in the Voxer chat!  We added her thoughts first, and then the author, Matt Murrie, asked her another question as well as my friend, Jennifer Griffin, about what they should eat to keep the dinosaurs away!.  Check out the dialogue below! 

She loved being involved, and couldn't wait for the next What If question! Another question I gave her was "What If There Were No Books?"  This question bothered her a bit!  I used her response as inspiration to create the Buncee below! I love using Buncee for creation, and used it throughout the book study to design and illustrate my curiosity!!

The point of sharing all of this with you is to paint a picture of pure curiosity! George Couros recently posted about the topic of What If, and included this question:

What if schools always focused on the notion that we should all be “learners” as opposed to “students”?

This question made me think about a part in his book, The Innovator's Mindset, that said, "Kids walk into schools full of wonder and questions, yet we often ask them to save their questions for later, so we can "get through" the curriculum." What a powerful statement! Why are we not embracing a kid's wonder and curiosity each and every day! These are the types of conversations that I want to be a part of with my kids! Please don't let them leave school less curious than when they started! 

This past week, all of the elementary schools in Montgomery ISD started a "What If of the Week" based on and with the support of Matt's book. At the beginning of each week, the What If is announced on the morning announcements and also shared on social media.  We are encouraging students and teachers to share their thoughts in any way that they choose throughout the week on social media!  Check out some of the #MISDWhatIf Week 1 posts below! 

We all make a choice as educators on how we choose to impact the life of a child.  This child is someone's entire world, and our job is an important one. In the words of my buddy, Kayla Delzer, "If it's right for kids, it's right." Words to teach and learn by! 

TCEA-Totally Awesome Technology Conference!

I recently attended TCEA, in Austin, Texas.  Each time that I attend this conference, I leave rejuvenated and inspired.  This year did not disappoint!  I wanted to share some of the highlights of this trip, and to also shine a light on educators and innovators who inspire me daily!

We arrived in Austin on a Tuesday, and started our day at Le Cafe Crepe.  It was the perfect place to start our day!

I attended a few sessions on that day, but one session stood out for me!  The session was titled "The New, The Old, the NOT-so-Obselete", and it was led by Lauren Kallail and Brandon Hunter.  In this session, they introduced a tool called Touchcast.  With Touchcast, teachers are able to use broadcasting tools to present information.  It also fosters creativity and collaboration amongst the students.  Check out this video about Touchcast!  Can't wait to use it with my kids!

Wednesday brought an abundance of information and inspiration!  The first session that I attended was about project-based learning.  It was led by Wendy Dickerson.  I am in my second year as PBL facilitator, and this session gave me so many great ideas on organizing and supporting these lessons!  Here is the presentation link.  My biggest take-aways from this session, were the additions of workshops into the PBL topics/units and the "hook"!  We are starting a new PBL project tomorrow, and it is all about soil.  I will post the hook soon!  Kevin Honeycutt was a huge help in developing an idea for this topic!

@kevinhoneycutt

Another session I attended, was lead by Janet Corder and Joan Gore, J2!  I never miss a session led by these two wonderfully hilarious educators!  This session was titled "BYOD Activities That Work".  One tool that was shared was Quizizz.  As soon as they introduced it, I emailed my staff, and shared it!  It is that good!  Quizizz is pretty similar to Kahoot, with a couple of exceptions. Students can work at their own pace, and the questions appear on their devices. It is awesome! Another cool one was Bingo Baker!  Check it out here!

Tammy Worcester Tang is another leader that I never miss!  She always shares the coolest tips and tricks!  She shared how you can use your lightening cable and Quicktime to share your iPad or iPhone screen!  Crazy how I never knew that you could do that!  Here is a quick tutorial on it!

Thursday was a day at TCEA that I was totally looking forward to!  I was finally going to get to meet and listen to George Couros.  I have been following him on Twitter since I met and connected with Kayla Delzer.  He truly is an inspiring and innovative educator with a heart for students and authentic learning experiences!

Every word...every single word inspired me!  Here are some of the quotes from that session that have stuck with me since.

"If students leave school less curious than when they started, we have failed them." @gcouros

"What would you want to spend the whole day learning in your own classroom?" @gcouros

"Are kids doing this because of school or in spite of school?" @gcouros

"Innovation often begins and ends with empathy." @gcouros

"We need to make the positives so loud that the negatives are almost impossible to hear." WOW, right!? @gcouros

And my absolute favorite-"Kids often defy expectations when you give them the opportunity." @gcouros

Doesn't all of that just make you want to change the world!?  Check out his book, The Innovator's Mindset.  I can't wait to read it!!

Another person that I could not wait to meet on this day was Jaime Donally.  I recently participated in #digcitathon and Edcamp Global, and she was a huge part in both!

Her session was about virtual reality!  VR is something that I have been excited about since Google Cardboard came out!  I have a class set, and the students love to take virtual field trips!

I had no idea that Nearpod had virtual experiences that you can add into the lessons!  So exciting!  She also talked about Augthat and Google Spotlight Stories.  I have plans to GH (Google Hangout) with the creator of Augthat this upcoming week!  So many great things shared in this session, and I was so excited to finally meet her!  Can't wait to reconnect soon!

TCEA is a conference that I look forward to each and every school year!  I hope to one day be able to present at it!!!  You should make plans to be there on February 6-10 next year!!