Mystery Date- Speed Dating Tech Style PD Session @ Blythewood High

Who says Professional Learning isn't fun? Today at Blythewood High School the teachers shared with other teachers on what technology activities work in their classrooms by Speed Dating. No, not actually dating but teacher presenters were set up in a speed dating style to share for 4 minutes with a group of about 4 teachers before the participants moved to another table and topic.

The a few of the topics covered 

• Classroom management ideas
• A technology tool
• A great lesson that worked well
• A great project that worked well
• A way to manage student work
• A way to manage with a sub in a 1:1 classroom
• A way to easily grade/assess online work
• Classroom assessments 
• and more....

This event was a collaboration between Blythewood and Ridge View High Schools. The Technology and Learning Coaches, Tami Lenker (BH) and Cheryl Hunter (RVHS), as well as the Blythewood media specialists, Amy Whitfield and Crystal Smith, enlisted the help of not only teachers at each school but other school-based Technology and Learning Coaches, District staff, and a former Richland 2 teacher, Lissa Layman presenting via Google+Hangout from Kuwait  to present to the teachers at Blythewood High School. Blythewood High School teachers will be given the opportunity to present to Ridge View teachers later this semester when the event will be replicated at Ridge View High School.

The event was promoted with the video below. How could you not be excited to attend?

Teachers left with a few WOW moments from Mystery Date stations about Challenge Boards, Kahoot!, WeVideo, Today's Meet, and interactive storyboards. 

Exit slips were given to teachers to provide feedback and future needs. One of the questions was "I will use _________ very soon this way.... 

Responses from teachers:

"I will use WeVideo for student created infomercials on topics."

"I will use Kahoot! instead of just lecturing."

"I will use VoiceThread for student reflections on performances."

This event was a great success but beyond the learning, Blythewood and Ridge View High schools are fostering collaboration between both schools and creating a local network of teachers to help them grow as professionals. 

Contact Tami Lenker, Cheryl Hunter, Amy Whitfield, or Crystal Smith to find out how you can try this at your school!

Technology Spotlight - Janice Rice-Kafafy, Ridge View High School

Technology has always had a special place in Ridge View High Teacher of the Year, Janice Rice-Kafafy’s heart. That love grew two years ago when her then boyfriend now husband proposed to her via a surprise Skype call (from Egypt) during class one day.

Today, she makes technology an integral part of her self-contained special education classroom. Mrs. Rice-Kafafy was frustrated by the fact that her students Individualized Education Program (IEP) meetings often consisted of parents and teachers discussing a student’s needs while the student sat mute and unable to express concerns. Last March, when she received a class set of Chromebooks she decided to use these new tools to help improve the IEP process. Now students use computer time each week to plan their own IEPs. Mrs. Rice-Kafafy believes that students must have the ability to advocate for themselves. The technology available at Ridge View High School allows the students to communicate, research future careers, create presentations about themselves, and learn about their strengths. Mrs. Rice-Kafafy hopes that by next year students will be able to lead their own IEP conference, and therefore, become a more active participant in their education. “I have seen the students. . . flourish; not only verbally, but in the knowledge of what their disability is and how they can advocate for themselves and how they can use technology to advocate for themselves.”

SAMR Contest for Teachers at Ridge View High!

There are a few teachers at Ridge View High  ROCKIN' new skins on their Chromebooks. Why, you ask? Teachers were asked to redesign a lesson plan based upon the SAMR learning model and submit the lessons for a chance to win a Chromebook cover. Winners went beyond simply substituting technology for another tool; they modified their lessons to allow for tasks that were inconceivable before technology. The lessons were examples of some of the great teaching and learning Ridge View is seeing this year.

What is SAMR?

SAMR, a model designed to help educators integrate technology into teaching and learning , was developed by Dr. Ruben Puentedura.  The model aims to enable teachers to design, develop, and integrate digital learning experiences that utilize technology to transform learning experiences to lead to high levels of  achievement for students.  Summer Technology Institute Blog  

Congratulations 

to Mrs. Carol Kannisto, Mr. Steve Nuzum, and Dr. Gordon Maynes for 

transforming their lessons with technology.

Thank you to Tami Lenker, the Ridge View ITS, for sharing this wonderful idea!

Technology Spotlight - Staci Weeks, Ridge View High School

Flipping Calculus 

Ridge View High School teacher, Staci Weeks did not want her students to skip a beat when she was out for maternity leave. Since cloning was out, she decided to go with the next best option--flipping. (Flipping is a form of teaching in which a teacher uses technology to teach content outside of class so that students have more time to practice what they have learned in the class. This allows a teacher time for small group and individual instruction.) Mrs. Weeks used a combination of Tech Smith’s Snagit software, a Smart Slate, and Edmodo to teach her lessons. She uploaded the videos to Screencast.com and to Edmodo so that students would have access to the videos both on and off campus. Students watched the videos for homework and then came to class the following day to practice what they had learned for homework. Students helped one another in class and asked questions on Edmodo. 

How did the students feel about the flip? Many would like this method to continue. One student said, “. . .The method of her teaching was rather enjoyable. While learning lessons at home, it was much easier to understand because I could rewind a lecture whenever I did not understand something and replay as many times as I wanted. Doing homework in the classroom allowed me to look to other students for guidance if I was ever stuck on a problem.”

Mrs. Weeks gives the following advice to teachers thinking of trying to flip: “If you're planning on flipping, know that it will be time intensive at first, but it will save you time in the long run.  There is a learning curve to making the videos, but once you get the hang of it, you can make a video in less than 15 minutes, and it saves you SO MUCH classroom time.  I didn't realize how much time I lost in a lecture due to small interruptions like administration calling for a student, small discipline issues that need to be addressed, waiting for a slower student to copy notes, or PA announcements until I actually started fitting 45-minute lectures into a 15-minute video.” Here is a sample of Mrs. Weeks Flipped Lesson.

Student Approved:
“This way of learning was better than I thought it would be. If Mrs. Weeks wasn't out, it would provide a way to learn the lesson at home, and then ask questions in class if we needed further assistance. Virtual lessons also allowed me to pause the video if i needed to and rewind if i she was moving too fast or if i didn't fully grasp the concept. I am able to learn the material at my own pace. In the end, I think I would much rather learn through the virtual lesson, compared to the in class lessons we have now. I am glad I had the opportunity to experience something like this, because it might be a method of learning I would need to use in college” C'Asia .

“During the time that she was out on maternity leave, we had a "reverse classroom" meaning she would teach the lessons online, which we would learn at home, then we were to complete the assignment in the classroom. Personally, I had mixed feelings towards this. Learning the lesson at my home was nice. I was able to stop the lesson and rewind it whenever I didn't completely understand anything which was helpful. However, I didn't like the lack of a teacher who knew the subject in the classroom. If I had a question about a problem, I would have to ask a fellow student or email Mrs. Weeks and wait for a response. I prefer a more hands on or personal experience. Although, if we were to continue this sort of teaching with the actual teacher present, I would probably prefer it over the traditional classroom standard of teaching” Haley.

“ I would first like to say learning from videos was a different experience and took some getting use to.

Learning from the videos was sort of the same as if learning in class.  An advantage was being able to pause the video to write down the slides and then listen to the teacher.  It was also helpful to watch the videos as homework and practice problems together in class with my fellow students.  The only difficult part was adjusting to the videos & any technical problems and being able to ask questions and have answers right away.  Overall I believe it was a nice experience and was a nice way to learn from the classroom atmosphere” Kiana.

“The virtual experience with Mrs. Weeks was remarkable. The pros of virtual AP Calculus are : Even though our teacher was not at school, we could stay in touch with her in terms of lesson plan.

We could replay the video. Thus if we miss something, we could replay and watch it. We did not have to worry about taking notes, instead we could focus on the material”  Shadman.

Staci Weeks has been a math teacher at Ridge View High School since 2007.  She loved math as a student and earned her diploma from the South Carolina Governor's School for Science and Mathematics.  After a part-time tutoring job in college, she decided to pursue a career in public education.  She married while attending USC for a BS in Mathematics.  She has since earned a Masters in Teaching, also from USC, and currently lives with her husband and two children in Lugoff, SC.  The newest addition to her family, her son Jack, was born on November 1, 2012.