Consider the Heart!

 

Educational Technology Specialists play the critical role of ensuring that teachers are armed with the resources, tools, and confidence to effectively integrate technology and best practices into their classrooms in an impactful way.  This process provides a seamless integration that creates a culture of technology integration with the curriculum that feels natural and is not viewed as "something else to do."  The role of a tech specialist is different each and every day, from school to school, and from classroom to classroom.  This could look like modeling lessons, co-teaching lessons, helping teachers lesson plan, engaging teachers during their professional learning communities, modeling lessons for teachers, taking teachers through coaching cycles, providing innovative ideas to personalize learning for individual students, and so much more.  

In my role as the Director of Instructional Technology and in conversations with my edtech circle of colleagues and friends, I have engaged in conversations around specialists that may find it difficult to "get into classrooms" to work with teachers and students for various reasons.  Some people find it hard to establish relationships with teachers and administrators.  Others don't have an understanding of what the principal desires and needs for their schools.  Time is also a huge factor when they are responsible for supporting multiple schools. 

Having served as in Professional Learning, an Educational Technology Specialist, Digital Learning Specialist, and now a Director for Instructional Technology, I believe there to be success in considering the heart.  This is nothing ground breaking, however I believe that keeping each of these components at the forefront of the work each day, could cause the pendulum to swing in a positive way, paving the way for an ed tech specialist to be valued, in demand, and to become a part of the fabric in the schools they support.

Have fun!

An educational technology specialist is there to enhance the content and the curriculum.  In this role, you are the knowledgable expert that has a toolbox filled with amazing tips, tricks, and resources that your teachers may or may not know about.  Teachers are experts in their content areas.  Bring the two together to bring learning to life for the students you engage with every day.  Don't walk into your schools with the "I'm here from the central office" attitude.  You are there to help teachers make learning fun!  Be excited about what you can bring to teachers and students!  Your energy, good, bad, or indifferent is contagious.  I will never forget the time I served as an Educational Technology Specialist at one elementary school in particular.  I entered the building and had to walk through the cafeteria to get to my destination in the school that day.  The kids in the cafeteria all started screaming, "Heeeeey Ms. Rachell!!!  Ms. Rachell!!!  Hi Ms. Rachell!!!!"  I felt like Beyonce in that moment!  But what it made me realize, is that my work, my positivity, my attitude, and my knowledge were truly valued and appreciated by those students!  I was the fun!

Employ others!

Let's be real...if you serve more than one school, you can't be everywhere at once.  My team of tech specialists each support between 4-7 schools each.  As an ed tech specialist, you will want to employ, encourage, engage, expand enable others to become mini edtech experts in their schools.  How valuable would it be to have knowledgable teachers in your schools that can serve their peers while you are serving other schools?  It's okay to build others up and share the knowledge!  If you are introducing a new tool, for example, to your school, why not plan the delivery with a teacher at that school and co-present to the staff?  That teacher now becomes your right hand for this particular tool and their peers can lean on them while you're at other schools.  Everyone wins!  What if you had to go out on leave?  Who would step in during your absence?  School and learning doesn't stop!  Building up others to serve and be knowledgeable is a great thing!

Acclimate yourself!

Just like people, each school that you enter will be different.  Leadership and administration will be different.  The way that you will communicate with school leadership and the teachers there will be different.  It is critical that you take the time to get to know the school culture, understand the vision of the principal, truly know their needs, read through and live their school improvement plans.  Dissect these plans and see where your work as an edtech specialist fits.  Come up with ideas that match their plan and share them with school leadership.  Do not wait for the principal to tell you what they need you to do because they may not know what you are able to offer.  Acclimate yourself with each school and ensure that your work and ideas align with that school.  This will definitely look different for each school.  And that's okay!

Relationships Matter!

This goes without saying and has become a little cliche, but it's true!  Relationships truly do matter.   Take the time to get to know your school's leadership, the teachers there, and the students.  Become a part of the culture.  This may require you to do attend evening events that the schools holds (ie, awards ceremonies, competitions, etc.). When the school staff sees you, you become a part of their family.  Model lessons and coteach lessons with your teachers.  When they see you invested and jumping in, they'll become more likely to include you in their classes.  Think about how you will form relationships with the school staff.  How will you communicate with them?  How will you engage them in what you are able to do for them?  You can't sit around and wait for them to ask you for your help.  They have to know what you can do for them and this comes through building relationships.  One suggestion, as you're getting started is to take their unit pacing guide and create an amazing lesson using engaging technology tools and resources.  Find a teacher that is willing to try something new and present it to them or push into their planning, PLC's etc.  Then offer to do it for them!  We are better together!

Tell your story!

If you don't tell your story, someone else will.  And 9 times out of 10, it won't be the story you want to be told.  Tell your story!  Find ways to highlight what you're doing so your impact swells throughout your schools.  Use Twitter (X), blogs, short videos, TikTok, etc to tell your story.  Of course you'll want to be cognizant of following the rules of the district on including students in your posts.   Find a way to share with your prinicpals what you're doing at their schools so they are aware of your impact.  This could be a quick video with highlights of you in the classrooms working with their teachers and students, it could be a quick email every Friday with bullets of what you've done.  It could be a newsletter, etc.  Be creative in the way that you share this information with your principals, keeping in mind that they may all communicate differently.  They don't have a lot of team to read a super long email so keep it quick, impactful and to the point!  Be sure to align what you're sharing to their vision.  Another way to tell your story is to share it with the school community.  Do you share a newsletter with the school staff?  Do you highlight a tech tip each week?  Are you highlighting the teachers that you work with and sharing their success stories working with you?  Have you created an "EdTech Menu of Offerings/Services" with your teachers so they know what you do?  There's a lot to consider here but this is such an important thing to do if you want be impactful in your work.  

So there you go.  Consider the heart.  Again....nothing ground breaking here!  These are simply good and best practices to help an edtech specialist become more effective and impactful (How many times can I say impactful in this post? LOL) at their schools.  

What would you add to this list?  Are you an edtech specialist?  What have you found to be successful to ensure that you and your knowledge are in demand at your schools?

Remind is #MoreThanAMessage !

Ya'll....we need to talk!  If you know me, you know that I am all about passion for education and for engaging all stakeholders in the power of education!  Remind has launched a brand new campaign called #MoreThanAMessage!  If you have used Remind at any time in your life, whether as a parent or a teacher, you know and believe in the power of Remind as just that....more than a message!

With one of the Remind founders,
Brett Kopt at ISTE 2014!

I've been a user of Remind since back in the day when it was called Remind101.  Admittedly, when I speak about Remind, I STILL sometimes refer to it as Remind101!  I'm working on it!  I have had the pleasure of meeting the amazing brains behind this phenomenal tool at ISTE years ago!  Here we are back in 2014!

Schools across the world have so much on their plates with creating curriculum, creating safe environments that students can thrive in, creating school culture and climate and everything else that goes along with running a school!  The one thing that is sometimes hard to master and implement well is engaging families in a meaningful and measurable way.  Well, Remind has sought to create a tool that addresses just this!  The entire purpose of Remind is simple and can be put into two words....FAMILY ENGAGEMENT! When families are engaged in their student's learning, students feel valued.  They feel appreciated.  They feel important.  And most of all, they feel like they matter.  We know that students are more successful when they have parents that are engaged in their lives and in their education.

Schools have typically relied on emails, Robo calls and letters sent home to parents to communicate.  This one way communication is just that, ONE WAY!  How do we know that parents are reading the emails and notes sent home or simply pressing the "#" button to note that they've received the Robo call?  Remind creates a 2 way communication between schools and families, creating meaning and engagement behind every message and piece of content delivered.  The simplest message sent to a parent about their child's education can make the BIGGEST difference!  Students and their families begin to become invested in the same goals.

To learn more about Remind and the #MoreThanAMessage mission, immerse yourself in all of the information goodness HERE!

Besides all of the awesomeness of Remind, being able able to appeal to parents and students that speak another primary language is another way that Remind bridges the gap in communication.  As it's stated in the video above, "When you are able to help a parent, you are helping a child!"  Remind makes that a seamless process!

The vision and values of Remind speak volumes to who they are as a company and to what they strive to do each and every day for teachers, students and families all across the world.

Have you used Remind before?  What's your Remind success story?  Who have you impacted through using this amazing educational tool?

Technology is Alive.....with The Sound of Music!

via GIPHY

As a little  girl, living in Canada, I remember my mom making me sit down with her, probably around the holidays, to watch The Sound of Music (TSOM), starring Julie Andrews with her.  It quickly became one of my favorite movies and I can sing the soundtrack with my eyes closed!  And I absolutely CANNOT hold a note so you can imagine what that sounds like.  I'm what I like to call a "shower singer" or a "car singer."  In my mind I sound like a mix between Beyonce, Ella Fitzgerald and Whitney Houston!  I digress....

I have two sons, a junior in college and an eighth grader and surprisingly (not really) they, nor my husband have any interest in watching The Sound of Music with me any time of the year, let alone around the holiday season.  Recently, I have discovered that a few of my coworkers also share this love and passion of this holiday classic with me and prior to letting out for the holidays, we had a few cubicle concerts while working!

Watching this movie a few weeks ago, I was singing the songs and had a thought!  Some of the songs in TSOM, relate to the world of instructional technology.  I challenge you to come along on this journey with me throughout this post as we begin to center our  thoughts around the work we will do in this realm in the new year!

For those of you that LOVE The Sound of Music as much as I do, I'm including the YouTube videos for each of the songs that I'm referencing below!  Feel free to sing along...I am as I'm typing this!  For those of you that don't share this guilty pleasure of mine, I challenge you to click on at least ONE of the videos below to "put you in character" as you finish reading this post!  😁

I Have Confidence

This song makes you feel empowered to do anything!  Let me set this up for you!  Maria (Julie Andrews) has left the Abbey to go and be a Nanny for the VonTrap family.  She is nervous and excited at the same time to go on this new journey.  As she leaves the Abbey on her way to her new life, she belts out this song.  Part of the song says, "I've always longed for adventure.  To do the things I've never dared.  Now here I'm facing adventure.  Then why am I so scared?"  In regard to edtech, this makes me think about how we feel on the first day of school when we are going to meet a new class of students, or when we've changed schools or positions, or at the beginning of a new year, or when we are about to implement a new tool.  Why do we get scared?  What are we afraid of?  I challenge you to plant yourself, be excited for the journey that you've signed up for, and dive in head first!  We've chosen to become educators, administrators, ed tech leaders, or whatever you are, so don't be scared!  Embrace the journey and know that your path is different than those around you.  You have no reason to be scared!  Have confidence!  You can and you will do whatever you set your mind out to!

My Favorite Things

This is my absolute FAVORITE song from TSOM!  I have blogged and tweeted about numerous of my favorite ed tech things!  Here are a few: Twitter, Flipgrid, Google Apps for Education, Microsoft Suite for Education, Kahoot, Quzziz, Today's Meet, Padlet, the Reflector App, to name a few.  I like to keep the list of my favorite things iterative in nature because technology changes all of the time.  This group of my favorites have been going strong for a while, however I'm always looking for the next big thing!  There have been times when I have tried a new tool and it has failed miserably!!  These are the times that I go back to my toolbox of favorites and to what I know works!  Maria sings, "When the dog bites, When the bee stings, When I'm feeling sad, I simply remember my favorite things, And then I don't feel so bad."  When we try something new and it fails, it can feel like a dog bite or a bee sting.  However, if we just remember our favorite things and those tried and true things that we know to work, we will always have a back up plan!  

Climb Ev'ry Mountain

What are you dreaming for in your classroom, for your students, for your school or for your district?  "Climb every mountain, Search high and low, Follow every byway, Every path you know, Climb every mountain, Ford every stream, Follow every rainbow, 'Til you find your dream."  Coming back to school and work in January is a mix of feelings.  There's a lot of excitement for the newness, possibility and wonder of a new year to make a difference.  There's a feeling of being refreshed.  There's also a feeling of being half way there!  One more semester to go before the summer break, the countdown is on!  I want you to consider this to be the beginning of the next 5 months to be able to make a difference and pour into your students, teachers or administrators.  Train your mind to not be on the countdown about a job that you HAVE to do, but rather a 5 month opportunity to make a difference and create positive and impactful change!  So again I ask, what are you dreaming for?  What mountain has been in front of you that you've been wanting to climb?  Is there a new tech tool that you've been wanting to learn?  Have you wanted to start a blog or a podcast?  What about Skyping or Google Hangout-ing with students in another country?  Starting a school wide Twitter account?  Whatever it is, do it!  Climb that mountain!  Follow your rainbow!  You can do it!

Do-Re-Mi

The reason that I included this song, is because if you think about it, the order in which a song comes together is the same as a good technology lesson coming together.  In TSOM, when Maria is teaching the VonTrap children how to sing, she teaches them the basics that make up any song, do-re-mi.  Once you have the basics, you can sing any song.  The same goes for the world of ed tech.  Once you know the basics, you can create an awesome lesson.  Follow me here....once you have the content that you want to teach (the notes, the do-re-mi), you can use any tool (the song) to enhance the content.  I always share with my teachers and administrators that you don't ever want to pick a tool first!  This is a trap!  Don't do it!!!  As educators, we go to conferences and hear about a cool new tool and want to go back and use it with our class tomorrow!  Don't!!!  It won't work!!!  Technology tools are NEVER something to do!  Tech tools should enhance the lessons and and act as a vehicle to deliver the content!  So, get the basics down.  What is it that you want your students to learn?  Once you know that, you can choose the vehicle, or the tools to get you there!  

Something Good

Something Good is such a romantic, feel good song. Maria and Captain VonTrap sing to each other as they declare their love for each other.  "Perhaps I had a wicked childhood.  Perhaps I had a miserable youth.  But somewhere in my wicket, miserable past, there must have been a moment of truth."  They go on and on but these lines really resonated with me in the following manner.  As educators, we all bring something different to the table.  We all have a past.  We all grew up differently and have a lot to bring to the table. The fact that you have been chosen and selected to be an educator, an ed tech leader, or otherwise is a BIG deal!  You have an opportunity and a responsibility to take the very best of you each and every day and use it to make a difference.  Your past is your past.  It's YOUR truth.  Own it!!!  I think we become a lot more approachable to our students and our peers when we are transparent and relatable.  As the song says, you may have had a not so good childhood but you had a moment of truth when you decided and demanded better for your life and your future.  You know how I know this?  Because you're here, on this day, at this exact moment.  

So Long, Farewell

Now, with all of that being said, if you try a tool out in your class and it doesn't work, so long, farewell, it goes!  One of the amazing results of creating relationships with your students along with a safe environment, is that you can take risks right along with your kids!  Be transparent with them when you want to try something new!  I guarantee they'll be open to it!  They may even help you with it's implementation!  Be honest with them, though!  Once you've tried, get their feedback.  Take time to reflect on the lesson and tech integration.  Use your feedback and theirs to make changes for improvement or even get rid of the idea all together and go back to the drawing board!

So, there you go!  You now know that I'm a SUPER fan of The Sound of Music!  What about you...what do you have to confidence to do?  What are some of your favorite things? What mountains are you climbing? What's something good that you've done so far this year? Has there ever been a time when you've had to get rid of a tool or lesson because it simply just didn't work?

Bye 2017....Hello 2018!

LONG POST ALERT!!!

Today is January 1, 2018 and as I sit here enjoying the last days of the holiday break, preparing and planning of the new year, I can't help but to reflect on 2017 and all that it brought!  At the end of 2016, I declared that my #oneword for 2017 would be "INTENT."  I chose this word based upon witnessing my twin brother's recovery from a horrific car accident that left him having to learn how to breathe, eat and talk all over again.  He's still learning how to walk.  His experience has reiterated to me the importance of living with intent and not taking any second of any day for granted.  I can truly say, that I lived 2017 with intent.  I stepped out of my comfort zone, stepped out on faith, and conquered a lot of fears!


Here are a few of the things that I conquered in 2017, fears that I overcame, experiences that brought me joy, and things that I'm proud of!

Tablet2Read
At work, we are in the middle of providing all of our first grade students with a tablet that they will be able to take home as a means of increasing literacy and providing remediation opportunities.  This year, I created the handbook for this project and was a part of the successful launch and pilot of the project.  To see the looks of the children's faces when they received their tablets was so fulfilling!  I helped leading the efforts in creating the project's name, the logo, choosing the applications, the device, and created the training plan for implementation.  We are getting ready to launch phase 2 and I'm so excited!  We also presented about this project at #GAETC this year!

Central Office "Tech Talk Series"
This was fun!  I was able to successfully launch a series of educational technology trainings for our central office staff!  My colleagues and I created and facilitated 3 sessions, 1 each month in the Spring (February, March and April) that allowed for colleagues in our central office to come and learn what is going on in the schools.  We led sessions on Google, Microsoft and other Web 2.0 tools that would help make their work days easier!  They were blown away at the ability to collaborate virtually and as a result, Google an Microsoft use have skyrocketed in our district!

Classy Graphics
Scrolling through Twitter one day, and maaaayyybeeee stalking Tony Vincent's feed, I saw that he was going to be hosting a class called Classy Graphics.  It was a 6 week course that he facilitated, created content and videos for, and taught it's participants how to create graphics that were sure to be eye catching!  I signed up and LOVED every second of it!  I looked forward to the new videos and assignments releasing every week and couldn't wait to try my hands at what he was teaching!  He is now going to release a Classy Videos course that I will DEFINITELY be signing up for and I can't wait.  If you see this offered, trust me, you NEED to do this!!

Started This Blog and created my LLC
This was a HUGE step out of my comfort zone moment for me!  Not only did I get inspired to start my own educational technology company that allows me to share my love of all things edtech with others, but I started this blog and have had some AMAZING traffic to it!  I am so humbled and blown away that so many of you care to read what I have to say!  I love learning and sharing with others so this is a win win for me!


Google Certified Trainer
A couple of years ago, Chris Craft came and trained our staff on all things Google before our district implemented Google Apps for Education.  He inspired to me to delve deeper into the world of Google and as a result I completed the requirements to become a Google Certified Trainer!  The knowledge and experiences that have come along as a result of this have been so rewarding!

Microsoft Innovative Educator Expert
This is my second year as an MIEExpert and I have LOVED every minute of it!  My district is a Google and Microsoft district so I have to be proficient in both!  Being an MIEE has been so amazing and the educators that I am fortunate enough to interact with make me a better educator!  The number of MIEEs in the state of Georgia have significantly grown this year and that just means that there are more people to learn from and collaborate with!

Twitter
I think I learn more from Twitter than I do anywhere else!  I have loved virtually meeting (and then meeting in real life) so many of my edtech heroes.  Being active on Twitter is the BEST way to grown your professional learning network.  There is soooo much professional development available out there on Twitter!  All you need to do is get involved!  I've loved taking part in different Twitter chats (ie. #alphasquirrels, #msftedu, etc) and learning from others all around the world!

ISTE
This was by far the BEST ISTE experience that I've ever had!!  I met soooo many amazing educators and got to interact with some really really smart people!  This was the first year that I was able to attend the Google Certified Trainer Meet-Up, the Alpha Squirrels Meet-Up, and the Microsoft Innovative Educator Expert Meet-Up!  San Antonio was beautiful, hot, but beautiful!  Seeing Jennie Magiera deliver the keynote was so inspirational!  Who knew that I'd meet her later in the year??

EdTechTeam Virtual Summit
Some how I was asked if I'd be interested in participating in the first Virtual Summit held by EdTechTeam.  Uhhhh, yeah!!!  I've blogged about this experience so won't relive it here, but it was amazing!  I was able present alongside some of the edtech people that I've looked up to and fangirled on Twitter over!  Definitely a highlight of 2017!

Our Voice Academy
BEST experience of 2017!  I'm STILL on a high from this experience!  Again, I've blogged about this a few times so you can read all about my experience there.  Being able to learn from 19 other minority ed tech leaders for a weekend in Minnesota was mind blowing!  I am so excited to use what I learned during this Academy in the future to help me continue to share my story and amplify my voice.  The main takeaway from OVA was that we all have a voice that deserves to be heard!

Looking forward to 2018
There is sooooo much that I'm looking forward to in 2018!  The #oneword that I have chosen for 2018 is "BE." I want to be present, be mindful, be intentional, be kind, and be impactful, just to name a few.

Professionally, there are a lot of ideas that I have for my school district that I can't wait to share with our teachers and students!  Some of these include:

• Launching the first Google Bootcamp in our District!
• Creating a district wide instructional technology podcast.
• Creating a cohort of edtech superhero educators!!!
• Launching the next phase of Tablet2Read.
• Launching the second year of our Central Office Tech and Talk Series.

Personally, I am looking forward to a lot as well!  Whether or not I will accomplish all of this is left to be determined, however these are SOME of the things that I want to do/accomplish in 2018.  I post these as a means of accountability for myself and I figure that once I put it out there, I don't have a choice, but to do it!  So, hold me accountable!

• Continue growing my PLN on Twitter, learning from amazing ed tech educators!
• Continue blogging, more often.
• Spotlight Speak with EdTechTeam.
• Deliver at least ONE keynote this year.
• Sign up for and take Classy Videos by Tony Vincent.
• Renew my Google Certified Trainer status.
• Renew my Microsoft Innovative Educator and Surface Expert status.
• Apply for the Google Innovator program.
• Being active with the second cohort of Our Voice Academy.
• FINISH MY DISSERTATION and FINALLY become Dr. Natasha Rachell!!!!
• Attend ISTE.
• Get healthier: eat better, exercise, drink more water, meditate.
• Continue on my spiritual journey.
• More to come.....

What accomplishments are you most proud of from 2017?  What's your #oneword for 2018?  What are you most looking forward to in 2018?  Write it down and find an accountability partner!  You can do whatever you set your mind to!

Our Voice Academy! The experience of a LIFETIME!!!

Last month, I received an email from THE Jennie Magiera!!!!  TOTAL fangirl moment!  In the email, she informed me that I, along with 19 other minority educational technology leaders across the nation (and Canada) had been chosen to be a part of the first cohort of the Our Voice Academy through EdTechTeam.  This opportunity brought 20 of us together along with 4 leaders (Jennie Magiera, Ken Shelton, Monica Martinez, and Sarah Thomas).

I was fortunate enough to have my blog post shared on the EdTechTeam blog.  I've posted it here, below, along with including the links:

Blog: https://www.edtechteam.com/blog/2017/12/voices-academy-entire-story/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/edtechteam/status/942771780631924737

Our Voice Academy: www.ourvoiceacademy.com

"There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you."

-Maya Angelou

This quote, by Maya Angelou, is what set the tone for a life changing weekend in Minneapolis,
Minnesota.  Jennie Magiera brought together 20 different, but like minded minority educational technology leaders from across the country (and Canada) to engage in an intense 2 days of growth, laughs, smiles, and tons of tears.  It was an emotional weekend as we learned to tell our stories and share our voices.  We all have something to say and we deserve to be heard.  Jennie led the weekend with a phenomenal crew of edtech leaders: Ken Shelton, Monica Martinez, and Sarah Thomas.   

Receiving an email inviting you to be a part of the first ever Our Voice Academy from THE Jennie Magiera was just about enough to make me freak out!  After examining the list of the other 19 minority edtech leaders that were included, I just about passed out!  The experiences that this particular group of people were able to share will never be repeated again.  And I can proudly say that I am both honored and humbled to have been a part of history.  The weekend kicked off with inspiration from Justice Alan Page, a former Minnesota Vikings football player (The Purple People Eaters-Google it!), now Minnesota Supreme Court Justice and author.  He shared his story of the power that education had on his life and encouraged us to continue to pour into the lives of the students and teachers that we interact with each and every day.  We each shared a 2 minute story during dinner to get to know each other and to become comfortable with one another.  I think it was in this moment that I truly realized that I was in the presence of some outstanding edtech leaders.

Flipgrid graciously hosted our Academy at their headquarters which was perfect as the environment fostered innovation and creativity!  The rest of the weekend’s activities included some movement activities, examining the 6 parts of a keynote, professional headshots, training and time to prepare to deliver a keynote that would be delivered to the Academy before  closing out the weekend.  To hear the stories that everyone had to tell, left me absolutely speechless.  Some of the trainings that our leaders delivered included:

Jennie:  Stage presence, how to develop a memorable keynote, storytelling.

Ken:  Slide design, image format, how to use fonts effectively.

Monica:  Slide design, all about graphics and fonts, how to appeal to the 5 senses.

Sarah:  Branding (blogging, podcasting, chats and livestreams).

The keynote that I delivered focused on using your why to drive your intention.  I shared the story of my “1 in 5.” This was a group of African American male students that I taught during my second year of teaching.  Two of the 5 are deceased, 2 of the 5 are in jail, and the fifth is a part of the 17% of African American males in the United States to earn a bachelor’s degree.  He currently serves as a police officer in a major city and is doing well!  This keynote is still a work in progress, as we only delivered a snippet of it during the Academy.  Click HERE to view the presentation that I delivered.  The story of my “1 in 5” will become a part of my larger keynote.

My top three takeaways from this whirlwind weekend were:

1. Everyone has a story to tell that deserves to be told.
2. “The single story creates stereotypes, and the problem with stereotypes is not that they are untrue, but that they are incomplete. They make one story become the only story.”  Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie  Tell the ENTIRE story!!
   
3. You only see the outside of what people present to the world.  You don’t know their daily struggle.  

This was the most inspiring time that I’ve ever spent in a professional development environment in my life!  Each and every second left me hanging on the edge of my seat wanting more!  The time that I spent with the other cohort members and the 4 leaders from all different walks of life has truly made me feel like I have found my tribe.  A tribe of passionate educators that want better for this world and the students and teachers that we are able to interact with each and every day.  I can say that I have made some lifetime friendships, more of a family, that I know I can lean on and depend on for anything that I may need.  I absolutely cannot wait to see each and every one of these individuals again!  I owe a HUGE thank you to EdTechTeam, Jennie, Ken, Monica and Sarah for seeing the need to bring together this group of educators and helping us find our voices and share our stories. I am forever grateful.

Natasha Rachell, Ed.S.

Our Voice Academy-Cohort 1

Digital Learning Specialist

Google Certified Trainer

Atlanta, Georgia

@apsitnatasha

#OVAcademy

Click here for a list of the Our Voice Academy-Cohort 1 members.

What's the 411 on SAMR??

Technology should transform learning!!!

In the world of instructional technology we hear about the SAMR Model ALL the time!  I must admit I've heard it talked about for years but just recently got super excited about it and its implementation  into the world of #edtech.  It's really a true no brainer. So, let's dive right in!

Recently, I participated in the EdTechTeam Virtual Summit and one of the things that I talked about was the SAMR Model and how, if used correctly, will allow you to be more intentional with your technology integration in your classes!   That's the goal, right!  Someone took a screen shot of the slide in my presentation that talked about the SAMR Model and it got a lot of attention, so I knew that I needed to delve in further!


It's important to keep in mind that when we choose technology tools to use with our students that we don't just select a tool for the sake of introducing a tool.  Rather, we want to REALLY understand what it is that we want our students to know and be able to do as a result of our teaching.  THEN we can pick the tool or tools that will compliment the delivery and make it understandable for our kids. The tool is the vehicle!





Here's a quick video that I found on YouTube that provides a great snapshot of what the SAMR Model is all about!

So, let's break it down!  

The purpose of the SAMR Model  is to see and understand how technology impacts teaching and learning.  The model presents a progression  of technology integration.  One reason that I love it is for those teachers that "think" they are integrating technology by simply projecting their lessons on their interactive panels (for example). The SAMR Model, when presented to teachers, gives them a guide to REAL technology integration through the different levels. The key to the model is that students must be engaged in their learning through the technology. Integration should never be viewed as "something else to do" but rather it should be woven into the culture of the classroom.  When this happens, we are properly integrating the SAMR Model.  Of course this requires having access to technology but you can properly integrate this into your classroom practice even if you don't have access to a ton of technology.  With a little technology, you will just have to be a little creative with how you go about doing things, but it can be done!

As we go through each of the steps, think of an assignment that you have given to your students that has not required technology (examples: a worksheet, an essay, note-taking, any kinds of formative assessments, etc.).

Substitution-In substitution, technology would be introduced into the lesson, however there would be no change in the outcome of the task.  For example, instead of a student writing their notes on a piece of paper, in substitution, they would take their notes in a Google Doc or in Microsoft Word.  The content of the notes doesn't change. They are the same notes on paper as they are on the computer. 

Augmentation-In this level of the SAMR Model, the integrated technology  provides students the opportunity complete a task in a different manner. A teacher may have asked their students to write a paragraph about the difference between a plant cell and an animal cell.  If we are making it a point to augment this lesson, we could ask the students to use Flipgrid to record a video of them explaining the difference between these types of cells.  The teacher and other classmates could then provide feedback to their student's videos. 

Let's take a break!  Get it?  Break dancing?  I crack myself up!  LOL!  As students move through the SAMR Model they should become more transformative in their learning as a result of being able to integrate technology.  Substitution and augmentation should enhance the student's learning.  All this means is that what we are asking our students to do will be enhanced as a result of integrating technology.  The products that they produce are a little more "shiny and blingy" as a result of integrating technology!  Modification and redefinition should transform the student's learning.  This is where the magic happens!  This is where the transformation happens in learning and it becomes more student led rather than teacher led. Learning happens on a global level...yes, all because of technology integration!

Modification-In modification, we cross over from enhancement into transformation.  At this level, we may ask students to take what they've learned and create a blog in Google Sites or Blogger.  They would complete all of the research, all of the editing, and all of the publishing themselves while the teacher kind of takes a step back and becomes the facilitator in the learning process. Students are able to find the answers to their questions and even begin to raise awareness on topics that matter to them.  Modification gives them the instructional technology vehicles to be able to make a difference using their voice. 

Redefinition-The last phase of the SAMR Model, redefinition, allows students to produce new tasks.  They are taking their notes from the redefinition example, their Flipgrid from the Augmentation example, and embedding them into their Blog in the Modification example.  They are then sharing this blog with students in another country that they communicate with via Google Hangouts or Skype.  They are not only co-writing blogposts but they are even creating videos and posting them on YouTube.  They've researched the material to create videos, they've edited them and added a creative touch.  Together, they collaborate and create a total package, if you will, that allows them to share with the world!  Learning is totally transformed!  

So there you go!  SAMR in a nutshell!  Once I broke it down in this manner it made a lot more sense to me.  I hope it does to you now as well!   

How are you incorporating the SAMR Model into your practice?  

Monday Minute: Tweet Deck

Happy Monday!

Recently, I was working with a colleague on how to facilitate and moderate a Twitter Chat.  She became very excited about the possibility of hosting her very own Tweet Meet, which in turn got me thinking about Tweet Deck!

https://tweetdeck.twitter.com

Tweet Deck is an amazing resource that allows you to keep up with your chats easier and faster!  You are able to customize your dashboard to include certain people that you follow as well as different hashtags.  During a TweetMeet this critical as it keeps everything nicely organized and neat in columns for you!  The columns are able to be deleted, changed and even dragged and dropped where you would like them!

Currently, I have about 8 columns on my Tweet Deck. Each of these columns is automatically updated as new content comes in so there is no hitting the refresh button!  Here are the first 4 columns.

I created a quick sheet for her and thought I'd share it here as well!  Of course, where you see specific hashtags, you will want to change those to meet the chats that you are wanting to follow!

This also got me thinking about researching some educational chats that I could recommend to you guys!  So, here are a few:

#alphasquirrels

#principaldynamicchat

#edtechchat

#onenoteq

#MSFTeduChat 

#edchat

#flipclass

What Tweet Chats are you following?  Have you tried using Tweet Deck before?  If not, try it out and let me know what you think!

Monday Minute!

Here's a quick tip for your Monday!

Have you downloaded the "CraftyText" Google Chrome Extension yet?  If not, what are you waiting for?  If you're a teacher or anyone else that needs to showcase text quickly and largely on your smartboard, you NEED this extension!

See that little "CT" there?  That's what this extension will look like in your Chrome Browser.  Once you install it, when you need it, you just click on it and you'll get this box:

Enter the text that you want to display in the box and hit "Display."

Bam!  Your text will appear largely across your screen.  When using this in the classroom on a smartboard, your text displays largely in the front of the room!  Once you're finished with needing the text to appear, you just click back on the little "CT" in your browser and it disappears!

You even have the option of shortening the URL if that's what you choose to display as well as creating a QR code for your audience to scan with their devices!  And because it displays so largely, you won't have students walking all the way up to the front of the room with their ipads attempting to scan a small QR code!

This is by far one of my favorite Chrome Extensions, mainly because of it's ease of use as well as it functionality!  Annnnd because one of my dear friends, Christ Craft, created it!  Download it and let me know what you think!