So Much Learning, So Little Time - ISTE Day 1

ISTE….. It’s amazing, it’s empowering, it’s overwhelming, and it’s motivating.  There is so much learning going on at this conference that it’s hard to even know where to begin.  But begin we did!

It’s been somewhat of a dream for me to be able to attend ISTE.  Here you meet and listen to the best of the best in the Ed tech fields.  Everyone is willing to share, collaborate, and help in anyway they can.  It's refreshing for me to attend a conference where I hear so much new apps, resources, and ideas.
For my first day takeaways, I want to share a tweet from Kevin Honeycutt.  “If MAKER, STEM and STEAM mean buying kits that kids assemble, what you're really doing are 3-D worksheets. #letkidsinvent #letkidslead”  This is the most important thing to note as we move our classroom teaching forward.  Mistakes are to be embraced and the students need to take ownership of their own learning.  When it comes to STEM or PBL, there are some key things that students should be able to do.  These items are completing a project, collecting and analyzing data, innovative thinking and inventiveness, engaging in exploring real-world issues and solving authentic problems using digital tools and resources and use of digital-age resources.  Some of our students who do not excel in testing, reading, levels, etc. will excel in these areas.
Some other key takeaways were that students need to be at the center of the learning and the teacher as a guide.  The teacher doesn't need to be the expert in the class. Students can research an answer, rely on each other or seek guidance.  While learning is happening we must be cognizant to not be asking what did you do but instead askwhat did you learn.
Relevancy is something I already knew was important but every session I attended really drove that home.  Other educators shared their experience about how adding relevancy to their lessons created more engagement and buy-in from the students.  Something as simple as inventing something that could solve a small problem in the classroom to fixing the water fountain in the hall that hasn't been working.  There are so many skills and standards met within these lessons that sometimes are not thought of.
The first day of ISTE was also a day of announcements.  ISTE itself launched their new standards.  I was quick to buy a copy and can't wait to delve in.  I did notice they added a standard on empowering students which is very exciting.  Google also announced that it has released its Expeditions app to Android and iOS is soon to come.  I loved having Google Expeditions visit my school and to be able to add this to our learning commons will be a huge benefit.  We are opening the doors to the world!

Sara: “The amount of learning taking place is unbelievable. The passion that is being shared about students and the power of technology is unbelieveable. The biggest thing I have taken away is my role in a STEM, STEAM classroom: I supply the tools and then let my kids create. They are in charge of their learning.”

I'm so looking forward to two more days of great learning opportunities!

Let the Fund For Teachers Fellowship Journey Begin!

After weeks of anticipation, the time has finally we arrived.  On Saturday, June 25th, our team of five fellows left Wisconsin for Denver, Colorado.  We are beyond excited to attend the 2016 ISTE Conference.

We arrived early in hopes of checking out some educational experiences and locations that we had all heard, and in some cases, taught about.  It's one thing to teach on a topic but another to experience it first-hand and bring that into the classroom of students.  So after flying in bright and early, and renting a car, we set off for Colorado Springs, CO.  Upon arrival we immediately went to the Garden of the Gods.  The Garden of the Gods is a National Natural Landmark.  The park itself is over 1,300 acres and is made up of beautiful red rock formations.  

While touring the Visitor and Nature Center, we could explore the geology, plants, animals, and people.  There was so much great learning to be had and a few special items that we could take home with us to share.  

After our visit to the Garden of the Gods, we went to visit the Cave of the Winds.  “Discovered in 1881, Cave of the Winds has been a must-see Colorado Springs attraction for travelers for more than a century. We’re one of the premiere show caves in the United States – and, at 7,000 feet, we’re also one of the highest!”  The formations of stalactites and stalagmites, the variety of rocks, the view from 7,000 feet, and the information we collected was amazing.  The limestone in this cave dates back to 500 million years ago.  The area was once covered completely by water and when it receded and the caves filled with air, that’s when the formations were created.  Our vocabulary was expanded to include calcite, flowstone, speleology, and speleothem.  It’s also funny to learn that this cave was discovered by two kids.  Curiosity is an amazing thing.

On Sunday, we spent the day in the Rocky Mountains.  We drove up to Estes Park and from there into the Rocky Mountain National Park.

The journey took us up 12,000+ feet and gave us some absolutely breath-taking views.  The real takeaways came from learning about the ecosystem, animal life, and the Continental Divide.  The Alpine Tundra ecosystem is the one of their most fragile ecosystems.  It's located between elevations of 11,000 to 11, 500.   When exiting your car to explore, you see many signs that read "Repeated footsteps often destroy tundra plants, allowing exposed soil to blow away.  Recovery may take hundreds of years, so please use designated trails when exploring this unique area."  

As it said this an extreme environment with strong winds and cold temperatures.  But you can also see the lichens and flowers that can withstand these harsh conditions.  You can also see the "rocks out of place" that have been left by the glaciers and from this height, view the amazing formations carved out by these same glaciers millions of years ago.

We were lucky enough to see a few animals that call this habitat home; Bighorn Sheep, Marmot, and Elk.

While driving through, our team talked a bit about how we could use pictures we had taken of the breath-taking scenery and teach about tectonic plates, glaciers, and ecosystems.  With NGSS (Next Generation Science Standards) being implemented next year, each grade level could have the opportunity to use our learning and pictures in their teaching.  

Our last stop was the Continental Divide.  

The "Great Divide separates drainage to the Atlantic from drainage to the Pacific.  It traverses America from Alaska almost to Cape Horn".  It goes along five U.S. States: Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado, and New Mexico.  

The Atlantic Ocean drainage goes from "Cache La Poulre Creek into the Platte River which flows to the MIssouri, then to the Mississippi, thus reaching the Gulf of Mexico (part of the Atlantic Ocean)."  The Pacific Ocean drainage goes to “Beaver Creek into the Colorado River, which then flows through the Grand Canyon National Park and on to the Gulf of California (a part of the Pacific Ocean).”

Being able to experience these locations in person is going to add so much more passion to our teaching of these topics.  Pictures alone are great but can be found in texts and online, the experiences that we can share with our students are priceless.

Next up: Day 1 of the ISTE Conference!