Let the Revamp Begin

Over the last couple months, quite a few things have inspired me to really put a focus on revamping my library spaces at both my buildings.  Although they function nicely, this is not what a 21st century library should look like.  I want creation stations, makerspaces, a revolving door of students eager to embark on inquiry, investigations, technology utilization, collaboration zones, and comfortable reading furniture.  I think by making the library (or soon-to-be innovation center) the hub and heart of the school, more classrooms would be open to shifting their outlook on teaching.  Students can no lose the chance to be collaborative, critical thinkers, or creative.  They should have choices,  essential questions to drive them, tools to create, and resources to answer their wonderings.  This is the way to we teach them to "learn to love to learn", as Kevin Honeycutt put it.

I was fortunate enough to take a day trip to visit some schools in Kenosha, WI who have already worked on making their libraries more of an innovation space.  I gained some wonderful ideas that I could take back to my buildings and implement.  Some of these ideas included moving the book shelves around to create nooks with furniture for independent work or collaboration, utilizing more technology with mobile devices and a green screen area, genre cataloging (at one building this would be ideal), and an open door policy where students can come down whenever their teacher gives them permission to explore or create.

From here my passion was furthered inspired by the project-based learning, innovation, and personalized learning happening in Finland schools.  Students were constantly investigating in areas that they could be comfortable in.  They were given essential questions to drive their inquiry and the time to really put their all into the topic, not just 30 min like the schedule says and then its time to move on.  Students could learn about things they were interested in too.

I took some time to focus on each space and what was best for my buildings in the beginning.  I know that at one building the students have a strong genre focus when it comes to checking out books in the library.  For this reason, I chose that building to be the one that I would catalog by genre in.  I shared the idea with my aides and other resource staff who are willing to volunteer their time with me this August to make this a reality.  I also know that at both buildings, buy in from staff and professional development on the space must happen.  I want everyone to enjoy this space, not just some.

I finally took the time to sit down with each of my principals and discuss my vision for these spaces.  I was met with enthusiasm and 'how can I helps'.  Talk about becoming excited.  I began scouring through some library resource catalogs to find options that fit what I was looking for.

Purchase orders were written for furniture that was mobile and comfortable.  I then visited sites like MakerShed and STEMfinity to get some good STEM resources that students could work with (and that were not consumables at this point).  I purchased resources for students to create with including textiles, paper, art supplies, and more.  I used Scholastic Dollars from my book fairs to obtain some science investigation tools and reading resources, as well as additional furniture.

Embedding the technology into the space is another goal.  I want to have mobile devices available for inquiry but also to make the space interactive with QR codes and Augmented Reality.  There will be spaces for a green screen and video camera to be setup, as well as a Mac or computer workstations available to them to edit or create presentations.  Science technology, like microscopes for investigation, and robotics equipment will be readily available to the kids too.

Lastly, I talked with my custodians about my vision for the layouts to make sure it was not only doable, but that they would be able to assist.  Both of them were on board with finding a time towards the end of the year to sit down, discuss, measure shelving, map a layout, and draw up a final plan.  I also am going to present at one of my buildings PTA meetings to see if additional funds or equipment could be donated to help brighten the space and provide additional resources.

I know this shift is not going to happen over night.  It's going to take a lot of hard work on my part, and a lot of support from staff and administration.  But I believe, just like the saying in a Field of Dreams, if you build it, they will come.

Inspired by Kevin Honeycutt

Our district was visited last week by Kevin Honeycutt, last year's ISTE keynote speaker, and if you haven't heard of him, I encourage you to check out him out.

I have been to my share of keynote speakers and district lectures.  There have been some that have left things resonating and others that I was bored to tears (I'll be honest).  This time, I couldn't help but be engaged and listen to every word.  The way Kevin gets right to your emotions was.... well I can't even describe it other than it reminded me why I chose to be a teacher again.  I was laughing and I had tears in my eyes all at the same time.

His talk made me actually Google search during our break to find the high school teacher that had the most profound impact on my life.  I remember Mrs. Buchheit as a woman who was a great listener, had the patience of a saint, promoted her lessons with energy and enthusiasm, and was there for you regardless of whether it was school related or not.  She is really the teacher that I can look back on and remember her face, her lessons, and her voice.  Mrs. Buchheit helped mold me into the teacher I am today!

His talk made me email that student that I know I reached, but has fallen by the wayside again, and tell him I'm still here and I still believe in him.  Over the course of this child's grade 3 year in my room, we moved from a setting where you didn't know what would set him off, to a child who worked for me and listened with great interest.  While in 4th grade he knew he could always come to me for help and guidance.  He often showed up before school to work on homework because he didn't have a home setting that made it possible.  I gave him a snack for the morning and mid-day because sometimes mom was too tired to make or send anything.  In fifth grade, I moved to a new district.  Not by choice but rather by circumstances.  I received this letter from him the day he found out I was leaving the school:

I still kept tabs on him, checking in every so often.  He would stop in to my friend's classroom in the building to call me or write me.  When he was having a particularly hard time, his teacher would call me and I would speak to him from my new classroom.  Eventually I found myself back in the same district.  We would send emails back and forth, but he was always vague about what was going on in his life.  The next thing I knew he was no longer communicating and through investigation I found that his mom had moved him south to be closer to his dad.  Not quite a year later they did return but this child has been on  downward slope.  It breaks my heart to know he is on the wrong path and that circumstances outside of school have lead to poor choices.  If anything that Kevin Honeycutt said really resinated with me, it would be that I can't give up on him, especially of everyone else close to him has.

Some of the best quotes and takeaways from today:

• If you don't care who gets the credit, you can make anything happen.
• Kids are learning on a digital playground and nobody's on recess duty.
• Write on your students' mind with permanent ink!
• Record your lessons and team teach with yourself.
• Don't let politicians sum us up. Tell the stories about your students, it's not bragging....It needs to be heard. Take charge! Get the word out!
• First generation to have global competition. How are you getting your students ready?
• Learn to Love to Learn
• It's okay to model that humans need to keep learning.... So if you're unsure of using tech in the class it's okay, let the kids help.
• Re-believe in your students! Make them feel valued!
• Kids come to us the best they can & sometimes it's not good. It's not our job to judge...
• They are all our kids.... Not just the easy ones!
• The most dangerous place to be in a school is alone.
• The world is changing, why aren't we?
• Worksheets on an iPad is moving sideways.... Move forward!
• Is your school global or snow global?

Bringing Augmented Reality to My Schools

Augmented Reality (AR) is something that I first learned about over a year ago at a Tech Ed conference.  I was intrigued by the capabilities and the engagement level I thought it would bring to my elementary students.  First off, I am sure there are many who are not yet familiar with this terminology.  The easiest way for me to explain it is that it is similar to scanning a QR code with your device and being brought to a webpage, picture, or video.  What is different with this is that instead you use an app to scan a picture (which you have already pre-determined) and it overlays with anything you want like a video, website, or even a 3-D character.  The benefits of this are that the students are associating a picture with part of what they are learning, or even that nothing extra needs to be created.  For example, take a picture of the cover of a story, overlay a video of the story being read, and now when the child puts the cover in their iPad window the story immediately opens and comes to life.

Here's an example of Augmented Reality being used with animal pictures to create the animal nose and a 3-D picture of the animal (almost like it is coming to life):

Slowly I began playing with the app Aurasma that allows me to do Augmented Reality.  I started by using books I had purchased for my 5 year old nephew.  I took snapshots of the covers and created videos of me reading him the story.  This way if he wanted to do his own bedtime stories with me he had that option with his iPad.  By doing these, I began becoming more comfortable with the tool.  I've always been a strong believer in playing with these new tech tools in my personal life first, usually with my nephew as my guinea pig, and then implementing them in my schools.  I had many great ideas for its use, but sadly I got pre-occupied with other things and the ideas never really came to life.

My time in Finland really rejuvenated these ideas and how they could really benefit students when used appropriately.  This is when my big idea hit.  One of my schools has adopted the Wonders reading program and started implementing it this year.  Each section, the students are introduced with a new theme and vocabulary words.  What better way to use Augmented Reality but to tie it to those.  My goal is to begin with Kindergarten and work my way up.  There are vocabulary cards in the supplementary materials that I can use as my pictures and then choose to tie it to a video, website, or 3-D character.  This, I believe, will also benefit are ELL students who may not have background knowledge in these areas.

Another area of focus is the theme of space.  This theme comes up in the 2nd grade Wonders curriculum, as well as the 3rd grade Science curriculum.  I have begun curating pictures of the different objects in our solar system and have started the search for relevant information and multimedia to overlay on these pictures.  When students get the opportunity to interact with what they are learning, the engagement level increases.  Augmented Reality does this. "Though it might be a buzz term in education circles, don't assume that AR is just another fad. After all, profound learning occurs when students create, share, interact and explain. AR not only changes the environment around children, it also allows kids to construct their own exciting learning worlds as small as the atom or as big as the cosmos."

The benefit of all of this is that I can also use the material I create as exploration activities in library (LMC), or soon-to-be Innovation Center.  This will provide the opportunity for students to investigate based upon interest in a topic.  I can continually build upon this as I listen to students' interests or other relevant topics.  I'd love to even tie it to some of our library books that are multicultural and areas of diversity.  What better way to build background knowledge.  The ideas are endless!

So check out this topic and give it a try.  I'll be sure to share some videos as soon as I get my students up and using AR!

Here is some information on Augmented Reality in education from some of my favorite blogs and resources; Edutopia and Two Guys & Some iPads:

Augmented Reality Brings New Dimensions to Learning

Meaningful Integration of Augmented Reality in Education

Goals, Connecting with the Community & the Innovation Center

Yesterday, we spent most of the morning discussing the GEC (Global Education Community) and how we move forward.  Our key focuses were on goals for the next three years, collaborating components, coordinating, research, resources and more.  Our teams brainstormed these topics to develop a plan and then shared as a group.  The big idea is that we need to get the word out about the GEC, grow our network, and continue the collaboration.  I continue to see more and more, how the work we are doing with this organization is really beneficial to our students' growth and readying them for life beyond school and in the workforce.  As a team of educators, we have really been able to come together and form a single vision of where we want to take this community.  Every member of this team sees the vast potential of the GEC in their schools.  Tis has the potential to take us to some great places!

We also talked a lot about not only just being globally conscious and connected, but also having ties to your own community. I feel like one of my buildings does an amazing job of being connected to the community, mostly through service projects that every grade does each year.  I will need to continue to focus on this critical part of creating a global citizen because it is often not sued enough or even let out.

I shared what Jefferson Elementary 2nd and 3rd grade students and staff did this year for the community.  They collected ingredients to create soup bags to donate to the local community food pantry called ECHO. The students learned about how food pantries work and help their community.​    Additional projects are happening by bringing gifts to nursing homes and globally by sending needed items to a school in South Africa. We also have community members join us for literacy nights, Junior Achievement programs, teaching topics like healthy eating, Parent Teacher Associations, and more. We encourage the community to come into our schools.

During the afternoon, we were able to visit the Museum of Technology - Tekniikan museo in Finland.  "The Museum of Technology is the only general museum of technology in Finland. The Museum of Technology highlights basic technological phenomena, technical inventions and industrial processes, and tells the story about Finland and the Finns."

This place was amazing seeing all the innovations that have come from Finland or that are apart of Finland's history.

Our main focus of this visit was the three different innovative learning activities that they are offering kids and schools.  The first one was an Innovation Game.  Before I played it I was skeptical of how it would work and promote critical and innovative thinking.  Once we began to play, then I say its potential for kids.  In my school, the students would need a facilitator so that they really play the game, but with that piece, it would really get them using some higher-order thinking.

The second activity revolved around younger kids.  A blanket was made that had many items hidden within it.  It also had some pictures that tied to the app Aurasma creating some Augmented Reality.  After the students have viewed what the pictures on the carpet took them too on the iPads, they had to  find the items hidden in the blanket and choose which ones fit with the Augmented Reality.  The last part of this activity was that each person shared a piece of technology that was important in their life. After sharing we had to create our own museum display, placing the items in groupings and displaying them based upon importance.

The last activity, I think the kids must have a blast with.  The activity is called TekGame.  "In the TekGame you'll score points by solving puzzles and brainteasers about the museum objects. Developing innovations requires both creativity and knowledge. In the TekGame Creativity Consultant Aimo and Engineer Iina introduce you to Finnish innovations and at the same time test you skills as an innovator. In the end you'll discover which area was your strength in the game – knowledge or creativity. Are you an expert? Are you bold enough to share your ideas with other players on the TekGame website?"  The entire game is played with a mobile phone (older model) and the use of QR codes setup at different exhibits around the museum.

**Moment to brag..... my team took first, being the most knowledgable and creative!  Go Team Old School (Kati and me)

I was highly engaged (and competitive) and thought this activity would really get my students interested in discovering information  They would get more out of research or exploration if it is made into a game.  This game me really fun ideas for what I could do for activities in the LMC (or soon-to-be Innovation Center) for students.  

Overall the day brought forward many great news ideas I am taking away as well as planning for the future.

U.S. Embassy, Innovation, and Collaboration

Yesterday morning I had the opportunity to visit the U.S. Embassy in Helsinki, Finland.  It was very interesting to see and hear what they had to say.  I guess the only things that I have ever known about embassies have been from movies.... It's a place to go if you feel threatened in another country and that they work as diplomats in discussions between the US and other countries.

I did have some takeaways from the presentations that they gave.  One program that the embassy is associated with is called ARC (American Resource Center) which helps teach American culture, history, and customs. "The American Resource Center seeks to further the understanding of America and its institutions. It specializes in providing the latest and most accurate information about the U.S. government and its policies, American values, history, culture and character."  They have some great databases and curated items available to the public.  Their elibrary is a great way to get access to great resources no matter what your study.

After the visit to the embassy, we returned to the University of Helsinki for some more collaborative work.  Professor Jari Lavonen spoke on assessment in Finnish schools. Teachers are trusted so no set assessments/standardized tests are given. There is a shift towards internal, teacher-conducted procedures like alternative and formative forms of assessment so that the aim is to improve learning.  I have always thought that formative assessments were more valuable than some of the summatives.  Formatives allowed me to look at where the students are currently at right away and determine if interventions are needed while the content is fresh.  It's difficult to go back at the end of a unit, after a final quiz, to focus on an area that the child is still struggling in.

The last half of the afternoon focused on tools to promote innovation.  We did activities with manipulatives, robotics, and ones that forced us to work collaboratively and think critically.  Critical thinking is an area of focus I feel sometimes is lacking in my buildings.  The children are not really given a chance to learn by solving problems.  Too often they just look to the teacher to have them give them the answer because they don't know how to problem-solve.  Integrating critical thinking in our classrooms is not an add-on but rather a mind shift.  Critical thinking and problem-solving is something students will come across in the work force so as educators it is our job to prepare them.

One of my favorite parts of the day was when I had the moment of down time and was able to talk to a few classrooms back at my school in Janesville.  It was fun answering the questions about Finland and discussing my work here.  The kids were fascinated and excited to talk with me.  I was able to share pictures to show them the similarities and differences between our schools and our cities.

I can't express enough just how amazing and valuable this experience has been.  I have so many great ideas that I can not wait to get back and implement.  The collaborative ties that I have already created is

Finnish School System

Today, we spent most of the day touring two elementary schools just outside of Helsinki, Finland.  The first school we toured was Saunalahti in Espoo.  This is a brand new school, having only been opened in 2012.

Here is some of the directing principles of the school and the vision they have.

School Values

1.     focused on child

2.     integrity and fairness

3.     tolerance and equality

4.     sustainability

5.     sense of communication

6.     holistic wellness

Vision

The inclusive Saunalahti School is a learning and expert community that enables growing roots and wings to children.

Their Mission

A child is not brought up so that he can be as pleasant and effortless for us as he can be, but so that he can be healthy and strong to fill in his future place in the world and discover himself.” –Maria Jotuni

The sense of community and personalized learning in this building could be felt the minute you walked through the doors.  I loved walking into the classroom and seeing students all over the room working, communicating, collaborating, and investigating.  The teacher gives the students the objective and the materials, then the students go where is most comfortable to begin their work.  They are not hindered by a strict block schedule.

The second school we visited was Mantymaki Elementary School in Kauniainen.

The principal shared with us the future of his and other Finnish schools through a project called The National Dream School Project.

Although the school was not as new as the previous, the key components that make the Finnish schools so great remained the same.  We were shown more of the "handycrafts" components here with wood-working, sewing, dance, and other work that in the US we would have as electives in the middle or high schools or not a focus in school at all.

3-D Printers

As I reflect on the experiences, one big takeaway is how they move forward with no testing, whereas I feel we are now inundated with testing in the US.  Saunalahti has personlized learning plans for each student and the teachers meet with the parents at least three times a year to go over this plan and set goals for both home and at school.  More meetings to go over these goals can be made on an as needed basis if they see the current methods are not helping them meet make advances.
There is no evaluation for the teachers.  As the principal of Mantymaki said, we trust our teachers. Test scores to assess teachers doesn't make sense because all kids are different and the teaching style has to change with each class.
The teachers here have a desire to be the best in their field and always strive to continue their learning too.  As the needs of the students grow, the teachers change how they work and teach.  There are some teachers I work with that do follow this path but there are many who would rather make it easy for them or not change their ways.  It was empowering to see these teachers at work.
There is a trust in the teachers and the teachers in their students.  Recess/breaks can happen for 15 minutes every 30 minutes or as they get older some are 30 minutes after every hour.  These are not supervised by teachers, but instead it works as collaboration time for them.  The students are getting the necessary movement or brain breaks they need to stay engaged.

See the articles - Why Are Finland's Schools Successful? and How Finland Keeps Kids Focused

The days can also be very flexible.  Younger students days are not as long and some students may start early for more interventions with a small group and the rest of the class arrives later.  Then the early group dismisses before the group that arrives later.
They have clubs for the kids that may involve interests and many are run by students themselves.  This goes back again to the trust in the child or learner to use their time effectively.

If I had to put just single words to what I saw they would be personalized, fluidity, quality, trust, visibility, personalized, engaged.  I'm just in awe of how they make this happen and can only think if only we could get to that place.....

Global Education Community - Beginning the Global Collaboration with Innokas

Yesterday, I arrived in Finland to attend the some professional development with Innokas and the Global Education Community conference at the University of Helsinki.  In attendance this week I am working with fellow educators from my district, as well as educators from Parramatta Marist High School in Australia, Zhenshou Normal College Affiliated Elementary School in China, Chongqing ShanHu Experimental Experimental Elementary School in China, Koulumestarin koulu in Finland, and the University of Helsinki in Finland.  Our focus is around the Innokas Network and Innovative School (ISC).

It's been amazing getting to know each other and share about our schools, lives, and ask additional questions.  Today we were introduced to the different school systems from China, Australia, and Finland.  Each school shared information and pictures.

I already knew, based upon articles I have read, that Finland has an amazing school system.  I was very intrigued to learn about the structure of their day.  There are many built in breaks to help students re-energize and within these breaks students have choice, including make their own clubs.

The finnish schools have classroom based assessments but no standardized assessments.  They are built upon respect for the teacher and their system.  Finnish education requires teachers to train for 4-6 years and develop expertise in curriculum and assessment. Medical and Law degrees are easier courses to access than Education.  It truly is all about what you value.

What I do really take away from today is the fact that we all have our promising components to our education systems and the overlap on technology integration and 21st century components.

I have had the opportunity today to have great conversations with the principal of Parramatta Marist High School in Parramatta, Australia, Gavin Hays.  We shared the strengths and struggles we have with education in our countries and got some good insight.  I can't wait to continue the journey this week and get deep into global project-based learning!