Tiffany's Reflections of ISTE 2014

So I've had a full day to digest ISTE 2014 in beautiful Atlanta, Georgia.  For those of you lucky enough to have experienced it at some point in your life, you know that it is complete and total overload.  Granted, it's brain freeze of the best kind... to be completely and totally surrounded with over 14,000 educators with a positive mindset, is awe-inspiring.

Here are my TOP 5 take-away's from ISTE.  I hope you can learn from them as well.

1. It's NOT about the technology.
I know, I know.  What's a "techie teacher" thinking when she says that it ISN'T about the very thing she blogs about?  What every presenter, tweeter, keynote speaker reverberated was that it's about using technology as the fuel to EMPOWER students to CREATE, EXPLORE, ASK, PLAY, and ultimately curate their OWN LEARNING.  I was completely inspired by the stories told through two amazing individuals who have allowed life to take them to new and exciting places....simply by being bold enough to ask, "Why not?"  Check out George Curous and Kevin Carroll.  These men epitomize everything that we as educators should stand for.

"Those who initiate change will have a better opportunity to manage the change that is inevitable. " 

-William Pollard

My new class motto inspired by my learning at ISTE. 

 Learning should ALWAYS be an action verb!

2.  Project Based Learning is worth it.
Though I've dabbled in the PBL world, I leave ISTE with the resolve to implement this brand of learning into my classroom as often as possible.  It's model encourages the critical thinking skills necessary for students to open their minds to new ideas, innovative solutions, and the world beyond their classroom doors.

"If anyone’s thinking we can’t do real things with kids, I’m telling you you’re wrong."  

-Rich Lehrer, Brookwood School, MA 

Here are a few resources I gleaned from a couple of sessions:

• ScoodleJam- $2.99 app that will aid in student creation throughout the PBL process.  Limitless possibilities
• https://tuvalabs.com Data Literacy Skill development - curates data sets. Web site includes an “ASK” button and you can ask for data that you need for a project. 
• http://www.planet.com Tiny satellites in space that allow your students to zoom in on the Earth.  Created by NASA astronauts!
• http://www.chronozoom.com Historical timeline that shows you what was happening around the world at the time you are studying.  

3. My colleagues are pretty awesome.

I guess I expected to go to ISTE and be blown away with the innovation occurring around the nation.  Don't get me wrong because there are some amazing, incredible educators who presented at ISTE.  I just propose that I happen to work with a district full of highly motivated, forward thinkers who could easily showcase their talents at this level.  Walking away with a sense of validation is always a good thing in my book! 

I also happened to learn a great deal about my colleagues while at ISTE, and I feel encouraged and refreshed in part because of them.  I had a particularly challenging year, and this was just what I needed to renew my faith that there is purpose in this profession.  It's good to be reminded that it's AWESOME to have passion for what we get to do every day! 

To inspire meaningful change, you must make a connection to the heart before you can make a connection to the mind.

4. The world is clamoring to be a part of this tech revolution.

The EXPO hall was ENORMOUS.  I'm not quite sure that one word can sum it up adequately.  It's obvious that some of the world's largest companies have caught wind of this great movement in education.  Here's the take away...we have no excuses.  If we can imagine it, someone can provide us the support to do it.  It was a powerful example to me of the influence we have in industry.  Awesome.

5. Twitter is a formidable ally.

If you are an educator and aren't tapping into what Twitter has to offer, you are truly missing out.  Throughout the conference, #ISTE2014 remained at the top of the trending list as well as the somewhat humorous #notatISTE2014 hashtag.  Educators have literally taken over Twitter! 

Here are some things that have happened to me in the last week ALONE because of Twitter:

• Met some of my favorite tweeters and bloggers in person (Matt Miller, John Spencer, Matt Gomez, George Curous).

• Met some amazing folks from my home state via the INeLearn hashtag while at the conference, and enjoyed a special meet-up just for us!  How cool is that?!?

• Connected with educators from around the country and set up Skype events for our students. 

• Shared and received valuable knowledge from sessions and keynotes.  Even if you weren't at ISTE, you could catch much of what was happening via the #ISTE2014 hashtag. 

If you have been afraid to test the water of Twitter, check out this BRAND-NEW app, TweechMe! It is basically a step-by-step guide to Twitter.  Dip your toes in, and I bet it won't be long before you drive in headfirst! 

Final Thoughts on ISTE 2014

My brain feels full, my heart is happy, and my resolve has been reenergized.  ISTE 2014 reiterated the same thinking over and over...

that it's absolutely not about the technology, a device, or program. It's about having a mindset that we have a job to do empowering kids to think and learn in the ways that will serve them best in their future endeavors. We absolutely cannot allow negativity to become a toxin in our lives to the point where we become jaded to our mission in life...the mission to love kids so fully that we are willing to do whatever it takes to not just engage them, but to empower them.

-Tiffany

Brittany's Reflections of ISTE 2014

For the last few days, I've been trying to figure out how I could possibly sum up the weekend I spent at ISTE 2014.  ISTE's (International Society for Technology in Education) annual conference is basically the biggest edTech conference known to man.  People come from all over (literally) to immerse themselves in all things technology.  My school district received a grant that allowed several teachers to attend this year.  Of course, I jumped on the chance to simply be among those lucky enough to go.  

I was not disappointed.

This year's conference was held in Atlanta, Georgia.  What a beautiful city!  I stayed about a mile away from the conference itself, and this was the view from my window.

Yes, we were that high up.  33rd floor to be exact.

I attended quite a few sessions on PBL, Genius Hour, and basic eLearning stuff.  In all of the sessions, one thing that stuck out to me was that nothing was really specific to technology, but instead to student creation.  

I've made it no secret that I believe students learn best when they make an investment in their learning.  They have to be passionate about what they are learning, whether it's letters and sounds, Worksheets are not an investment or engaging.  

If I had to have just one takeaway from this weekend, it would be that our students deserve this.  Technology is a fantastic tool in giving your students all of the resources they could possibly need to attain their goals, but technology is definitely not the end all, be all.  Good teaching is still the most important thing.  

In the Genius Hour session, Vickie Davis (@coolcatteacher) encouraged us to focus on three takeaways from the conference.  Here are my big three:

"THE BIGGEST SHIFT FOR EDUCATORS USING TECHNOLOGY IS NOT SKILL SET; IT'S MINDSET"--GEORGE CUROUS

I missed out on his session, but I'm an avid reader of Mr. Curous' blog.  This quote from his session (taken from Twitter) resonates with how I've felt about technology as of late.  It's not about the technology; it's a mindset change.  Technology is a tool that can enhance and transform your teaching.  Key words--YOUR TEACHING.  How can I best exude this to my colleagues?

"YOU ARE A GENIUS, AND THE WORLD NEEDS YOUR CONTRIBUTION."--ANGELA MAIERS

I have written about my love of PBL before, but this year, I really want to expand on it.  I would love to give my students more opportunities to show their genius.  Even though they are five, they have passions and interests that need to be honored.  I hope I can do that for my students.

"DON'T TALK ABOUT IT.  BE ABOUT IT.  HOW IS YOUR WANT TO?"-- KEVIN CARROLL

Of everything ISTE had to offer, Kevin Carroll's keynote on day two inspired me more than anything else I've encountered in a long time.  Carroll told his story of being abandoned by his mother at a young age and working his way through life, eventually working for major companies such as Nike, and having all kinds of crazy cool life experiences.  

In his keynote, he inspired me to make sure to work hard, play harder, and inspire hardest.  I choked up more than once in his keynote, and I'm not a cryer.  When school starts, I want to inspire those around me to give their students the very best experience they can.  I want them to realize they are the biggest asset to their classrooms, not the technology.  I want to encourage them to use the technology, of course, not because our district has invested time and money into it, but because that technology gives students experiences we could have never imagined at their age.  

My want to is strong.  My passion is ignited.  I am ready to get to it.

Summer of eLearning Tour

Two blog posts in a week's time... We should get a medal!

Anyway...  We've been a tad busy over the course of the last seven days.

A few days ago, we were given the opportunity to share our tech knowledge at the Couch Conference in Danville, IN, as part of the Summer of eLearning Tour.  If you live in Indiana, you should check it out.

Our Quick Thoughts About the Couch Conference

The keynote speaker at the Couch Conference was the ultimate pirate himself, Dave Burgess.  Folks, if you haven't read his book, run (not walk) to Amazon to buy it.  He is by far the most inspirational keynote we've heard in our career, and we've heard a lot of keynotes. :)

Here we are with Pirate Dave himself.

In case you don't know, "pirate" stands for Passion, Immersion, Rapport, Ask and Analyze, Transformation, and Enthusiasm.  While his keynote had nothing to do with technology itself, it had everything to do with technology.  

This keynote validated everything we have been thinking for a long time now.

Our part in the Couch Conference was to present on tech integration at the elementary level.  While this was not a huge conference, we met many teachers who are excited about the opportunity to use tech tools with their students.  

We also got to meet one of our Twitter heroes, THE Matt Miller.  If you're on Twitter (and you should be), you can follow him @jmattmiller.  His website, Ditch That Textbook is also a fabulous resource.  

On the personal side of the conference, we were majorly impressed with the hospitality of this conference.  They treated their people very well.  From the yogurt bar (major props for that) to the smoothies at the end of the day, no detail was left untouched.  Bravo, Danville Schools, and Tim Kasper (@timkasper) and Morgan Walker (@walker8208), for putting on a great conference!

The next week brought us right back home to Scottsburg, IN, for our district's eLearning conference.  Digipalooza is our annual "jam session," where people from all over come to learn about tech integration.  We offer a little bit of everything, from primary specific sessions, to sessions for the administrator, to sessions about products.  Over 250 people traveled to our small little city, including John Spencer (@edrethink) and THE Matt Miller (again, @jmattmiller), to share their knowledge about all things edTech.  

Our Thoughts on Digipalooza

Call us biased, but we think Digipalooza is a top of the line conference.  Digi offers a wide variety of sessions for each level of learner and for each type of edTech position out there.  

John Spencer kicked us off with a keynote that reminded us the importance of humor in the classroom.  

On the first day of Digipalooza, we presented the same session we did at the Couch Conference.  We focused on creation apps for the elementary classroom, and we hope that we inspired teachers to think beyond the app or "staring at a screen all day."  

Day 2 kicked off with Matt Miller delivering an inspiring keynote.  He was fun, engaging, and dynamic.

On the second day of Digipalooza, we presented separately.  We both presented a break out session on Workflow, focusing on the Book Creator app.  Have we mentioned that we LOVE Book Creator?  We are excited to use it in the fall with our students and share with you all of it's functions.

Tiffany then shared on Building Digital Curriculum.  She focused on the SAMR model and finding and evaluating quality resources for curating curriculum.

Brittany shared two sessions.  The first was on PBL in the Primary Classroom.  During this session, teachers were given the bare-basics of PBL components and actually completed a mini-projects.  The second was on Social Media and the many functions of it for the teacher.  In this session, teachers were given information on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram (the "big three") and given helpful tips for using it as a means of parent communication.

All in all, we are very proud to represent such an innovative school district that is leading the way through empowering its students with technology as a tool for their learning.  We can't say enough about that.  

If you are in Indiana, make sure to check out one of these amazing conferences during the summer months.  You won't be sorry!

So it's been a few weeks...ok maybe even a few months since our last blog post.  One might be tempted to think that maybe, just maybe these Two Techie Teachers have been relaxing with drink in hand, and toes in the sand.  Don't we wish! (Well, there WAS that Disney cruise back in May...but that's another story.)

Instead, it's been an incredibly busy few months for us as the school year wound down and summer picked up.  We've both found that we've been almost busier since the last day of school!

Here's a snapshot of what we've been up to:

PBL Projects

Brittany worked tirelessly with her students to complete their Famous Americans digital wax museum.  Check the previous post to read all about that.  If anyone wants to say that little kinder-kids aren't capable of digital creation, be sure to share that post with them.  Super work!

Tiffany's third graders wrapped up their Plant Power PBL unit with some kid-driven stop-motion animation shorts, a variety of guest speakers, and a final trip to share the love of plants with a local residents' facility.  Below you will find a student created stopmotion animation using the MyCreate app.  We highly recommend this creation application for it's kid-friendly set up!

End of the Year Project Insanity

Who is crazy enough to start major projects three weeks before the end of the year?  Two techie teachers, of course!  Tiffany's third graders wrote, filmed, and produced a full-length feature film to demonstrate their learning of fairy tale elements.  The classroom was transformed into a movie theatre setting complete with popcorn machine, and five movie trailers (courtesy of iMovie).  In the words of Dave Burgess (Teach like a Pirate), "It's not meant to be easy...it's meant to be worth it!" It certainly was!

Personal Life

Teachers do have a personal life, though sometimes it's hard to find the fine line separating it from their professional ones.  Baseball season was in full swing, dance recitals, anniversaries and birthdays celebrated, and Tiffany found out she is expecting baby #4 this coming December.

Whew...makes us tired just reliving it all.

This techie teacher is expecting baby #4!

So now we are pretty much up-to-date minus our adventures together in presenting at the Conference on a Couch in Danville, Indiana.

To be shared very soon.

Project Based Learning Explained

I've heard a lot of buzz about Project Based Learning (PBL) lately.  Other bloggers, Twitter, and Facebook seem to be talking a whole lot about this method of teaching, and it just so happens that my school district is the recipient of a large grant to explore PBL.  To date, I have had some formal PBL training, as well as exploring this curricular model on my own.

What is PBL?  The Buck Institute (the PBL gurus) define Project Based Learning as "a teaching method in which students gain knowledge and skills by working for an extended period of time to investigate and respond to a complex question, problem, or challenge."  You can read all the gory details of PBL here, but the big components of a true PBL project are quality content, 21st century skills, inquiry, a solid driving question, need to knows, voice and choice, revision and reflection, and a public audience.  

How does all that fit into kindergarten, you ask?  Well, it's definitely possible.  It's a lot of planning on my part, yet it's also a lot of letting go of some control and giving students freedom in their learning.  I'm all about that!  I will admit, although my class has completed what I feel like was a very successful project, I do not claim to be a PBL expert.  I am planning on attending a national summit next month that will help me to better understand how the encompassing PBL model fits into a primary classroom.  I will make sure to keep you up to date on my findings as I learn them.

Where does technology fit into PBL?  While technology is more methodology and PBL is more curricular, the two can stand alone, but they compliment each other so well.  Technology lends itself to voice and choice, deepens the level of inquiry, opens a world of choices for a public audience, and definitely utilizes 21st century skills.  

Anyway...  Onto our PBL project...

The event that got our project rolling was our President's Day unit.  Snowmageddon 2014 caused us to not spend as much time on that unit as I would have liked, but we went on as planned. Since my students had knowledge of some of the Presidents (mainly George Washington and Abraham Lincoln), I began one of our meetings with a discussion reviewing these two famous Americans.  After discussing for a few minutes, I asked the kiddos if any of them had been to a museum.  The results were about half and half.  I showed the kids this video from the Smithsonian Museum of American History:

After watching the video, I posed the question to the kids, "How can we, as museum curators, teach our peers about famous Americans throughout history?"  (I will admit--it didn't happen quite that smoothly... I had to answer some random questions, have some random conversations, and lead back to the topic at hand before posing the question.  Tis the life of a kindergarten teacher...)

The following day, we created our list of Knows, Need to Knows, and Next Steps.  This is a critical component of PBL.  Here is our finished (and rewritten--blame it on my horrible penmanship) anchor chart.

After we finished the top part of our chart, I sent the kids to work in their groups (which I selected) to come up with a first and second choice for their topic.  As you can see, the kids chose a wide range of people to study!

From there, we spent the next few days in workshops.  The workshop consisted of a combination of direct instruction, watching videos on BrainPop Jr. and Learn360, and reading books on MyOn.  

Here is a peek inside one of our workshop days.  The kids used the MacBooks to watch BrainPop Jr. videos to research their American.

A wonderful resource I used to guide some of my instruction was this little product from Teacher to the Core:

While I did adapt this to meet the needs of our class and project, it has so many FABULOUS resources.

After workshopping was over, we began working on our final steps of our project.  We created posters of each American to display next to our projects.

We went outside to make our posters... It was 70 and sunny.  After the winter we've had, who can blame us?!?!

The kids decided (with A LOT of input from me) to create iMovies as their displays.  One partner would dress the part of the famous American, while the other held the display (the iPad).  

The students were required to find at least 4 pictures of their American, and write 4 facts.  We created the entire project on the iMovie app, which is extremely kindergarten-friendly.  It took about 2, 1 hour work sessions to complete all ten iMovies from start to finish.  I told you, it's extremely kindergarten-friendly.

Our presentation day came, and oh.my.word.  These kids blew me away.  I don't know how many times I said, "We are acting like professionals for our audience!" (may as well had my voice recorded saying it), but it stuck.  Here are some pictures from the public performance.

Abraham Lincoln

Jackie Robinson

Johnny Appleseed

Barack Obama and Martin Luther King, Jr.

Amelia Earhart

George Washington

Betsy Ross

Overall, I feel as if this was a successful attempt at Project Based Learning.  As I said in the first paragraph, I am extremely interested in learning more about how to integrate PBL into ALL subjects. While we used our literacy and math skills in this project, I would love to see what I learn at the Elementary PBL Summit next month.  

Our next project has already started!  We will be creating a pocket park in our city with the local Street Art Initiative.  Before spring break, we had our entry event; check back later this week for more details of what we will be doing next!

Integration 101: Basics Make you Better

So someone just came and dropped off 20+ iPads in your classroom, or you just heard that next year your district is going 1:1 with devices.  

Did you just jump for joy or groan with fear?

Congratulations!  Your students have an opportunity that most of the world’s children do not...connection beyond the classroom.  It’s powerful.  It’s engaging.  It’s sometimes...scary!

We’d like to kick off a series of posts covering the basics of integrating technology successfully into your classrooms.  Within each post, we will share photos, management tips, project ideas, and student work.  

Let’s get started!

Rule #1:  Don’t panic.  

On the first day of school when you cover all of those beautiful routines, procedures, and guidelines with your students...include this one for yourself and your students.  Don’t panic!  Technology is amazing, but it isn’t perfect.  Dropped networks, blank screens, spinning wheels of death happen to the best of us.

What matters is how you deal with it.  The way we see it, you have two options.  

1) Panic, shut everyone off of their device, lock them away, and go cower in the corner as far away from the devices you possibly can.  Be sure to tell everyone how terrible technology is, how it is too difficult to manipulate, and buy a t-shirt that says, “Down with technology.”

OR

2) Laugh and then teach the student how to work through problems as you discover together how to resolve the issue.  When in doubt, Google it. Many quick fixes can be found through a simple search, and you get the empowerment of learning something new. Sometimes it means calling in the big dogs.  Those people that are the “they” of the district.  The ones wearing superhero capes, carry large backpacks, and can fix all of your computer woes- often from a remote location.  Sometimes it also means humbling yourself enough to ask the techie teacher next door.  Chances are, they can help fix it in a snap all while showing you how.  Double bonus!  

The greatest difference between the two options is attitude.  In the first option, the students sense your panic and frustrations and that WILL rub off on them.  Don’t we spend our entire day teaching our students about having a good attitude, learning from our mistakes, and embracing tasks that sometimes we just don’t want to do?

What do you want to see reflected in the mirror of your students?

 

What about you?  Have you messed up?  Have you been guilty of Option 1?  That’s ok.  Today is a new day.  Start afresh...and don’t panic!

The smiles make it all worth it...we promise!

Set the Stage with Proactive Management

There are many questions you need to ask yourself before the first day with students.  If you have already started, it’s never too late to retrofit new ideas and routines!  You will just need to practice, practice, practice with the students to change habits.

These are the top four management issues we have faced in our classrooms and our tips for successful management.

1. Where will the device rest during idle periods?  

Techie Teacher Tips: Corner of the desk, seat pockets, book bins, cubbies, or even power carts if you have them.  Desks are often dangerous territory unless you have strict desk organization rules!  They need to be easily accessible, but safe! 

2. What is the protocol for student tech questions/problems?  
You will pull your hair out if you don't have a system in place. May we recommend...

Tiffany Tip:  In my third grade classroom, they must try these basics before coming to me. 

1. Ask a friend. Most of the time they can work through their own problems. 
2. Try refreshing the app/program.  In our district, they may need to "authenticate" by logging into our filter system.

3. Restart the app/program.  

4. Try restarting the device and logging back in. Many times this fixes the problem. If the device is frozen, they may need to complete a hard boot. (iPad: Press home and power for several seconds until it shuts down. Then re-power. Mac: Hold the power button until the computer powers down.  Restart.)  This is a last resort, and should only be used after the previous two have been tried.  

If the program persists in a freeze, they may bring it to me to fix.

Brittany Tip:  In my kindergarten classroom, I have a computer technician for a classroom job. They are able to help with basic issues that we encounter. The reality is that most kindergarten kids don't have the skills necessary to fix big issues.  Use the adults in your room to the fullest. Aides and parents can be wonderful resources!

3. What is the procedure for carrying/holding the device?  Expensive equipment in little, uncoordinated hands...could spell disaster if you let it!

Graphic courtesy of www.mycutegraphics.com

Techie Teacher Tips: Two Hands on Deck, Hands at “10 & 2,” No More than Four (devices at a time), etc.  Come up with something catchy to say because you will inevitably find yourself repeating it! Decide how many devices can be carried at one time.

These Kinder-Kids have Two Hands on Deck!

4. What are the repercussions for being on apps/programs other than what is permitted at that time?  What about devices that go home and do not return?  What about inappropriate photos? Be sure your school has a firm policy in place, but you also need your own classroom guidelines! Know the policy in and out.

Techie Teacher Tip:  BE PROACTIVE AND STAY FIRM!  Whatever you put into place, enforce it!  If you don’t, you will have constant issues throughout the year.  Don’t be soft.  It won’t kill them to complete paper/pencil tasks while their classmates continue along.  Trust us, they learn pretty quickly! Be an active monitor of students.  Students are much less likely to stray if you are holding them accountable.  Our district uses LanSchool to help monitor student Mac screens from a single location. The lesson here is to not use student tech time to prop your feet up, relax, check your Facebook, read a magazine, or otherwise check out!

These third grade ladies work together and stay on task!

Wrap it Up!

Share with us! What are your biggest management issues in your own classroom?  What basic integration tips would you like us to share with you?

And don't forget...

Meet the Teachers

By now you know that we are 2 Techie Teachers, but who are the faces behind the name?  We will answer our most frequently asked questions in today’s blog.  

Meet Brittany

Hi!  My name is Brittany Banister, and I am 1 Techie Teacher.  I have taught for 7 ½ years.  I taught first grade for half a year, and then was moved to the wonderful world of kindergarten.  Although there are days when I would love to change to another grade, kindergarten is where my heart is.  I am excited to share my techie adventure with you!

What made you want to become a teacher?

In second grade, I moved to a new school.  I was the kid who loved school because of the social scene, so this move was rather difficult for me.  My teacher helped me adjust and set me up with new friends, making me love school for reasons other than who played with me at recess.  She also used meaningful, engaging activities to meet the needs of every learner. Ms. Butler, was and remains my favorite teacher of all time.

What are your favorite apps?

I’m not a big game person.  Sure, I was addicted to Candy Crush for a minute, but I don’t like to waste my time on meaningless activities.  I feel the same way about apps in my classroom.  The technology is not a babysitter, although it is great to use as a “what to do until the kids are finished” activity.  I tend to lean toward creation apps over game apps, even if they are educational.  My students do use Starfall ABC quite a bit at the beginning of the year, and I do believe it helps with letter/sound recognition.  My favorite math app, by far, is the Todo Math app.  It is FANTASTIC!  

When did you realize you were a Techie?

I have been a fan of technology since the Number Muncher days, but the fact that I need technology like I need air hit me in college.  Back in the day, Facebook was just for colleges (what?!?!).  I was so jealous of my friends who went to Indiana University, because they were the first school around to get it.  About six months passed, and I was torn up, but one day, Facebook opened up to the University of Southern Indiana.  I skipped every class that day to play on it.  Now that I’ve made myself sound ultra pathetic, we shall move on.

If you could give a new teacher advice about technology in the classroom, what would it be?

PLAN.  Planning ahead is crucial to the success of any lesson, but using technology requires it even more.  Be prepared for glitches, dead iPads, and updates needing to be ran.  Don’t stress out if things don’t go great at first, because they most likely won’t.  But don’t give up.  It’s far too important for the kids.

Why technology?

I’ll tell you why.  This little guy right here.

Meet my son.  He is five years old and will start kindergarten in the fall.  He is my first baby, and he is my pride and joy.  He is seriously the smartest kid I’ve ever seen.  He just gets it.  As a baby, he was immediately intrigued by technology.  We are a techie family, so it was bound to happen.  By 18 months, he started playing letter recognition apps on one of our iPads.  By two, he knew all 26 letters and sounds.  By 4 ½, he was solving addition problems to ten.  Now, he’s beginning to read EVERYTHING.  I know what you’re thinking…  I’m a kindergarten teacher.  I have worked with him on all of these skills and drilled it all in his head.  

Wrong.  

I give quite a bit of the credit to technology.  His brain is just geared that way.  He is a natural learner, curious, and creative.  Paper bores him.  He couldn't care less if he colors in the lines.  He just sees the world differently.  Give him technology though, and he can create anything.

It’s not just the technology.  He is the most creative little person I’ve ever seen.  He can take a pile of Legos and build anything.  He watches Bob Ross every Saturday morning on PBS.  However, I see a fire in his eyes when he is using technology to create.  Recently, he and his daddy have started creating iMovies for his Lego creations.  He goes step by step in the process of how to create sets, and also makes silly videos with tips on Legos.  

Now, think about how an activity like that could apply in the classroom.  How does that stack up to a pile of worksheets?

MEET TIFFANY

Photo Courtesy of Capture Photography by Christy

Hi! My name is Tiffany Copple, and I am the other half of this duo.  I’ve been a teacher for nearly 10 years...wow! I just can’t believe it!  I am a placement bouncer by choice, a lover of all things change, and driven as I’ll get out.  I got my start as a teacher of inclusive special learners.  This wasn't exactly something I ever considered I would be doing with my life, but when God opens a door, I take it!  I still to this day draw from the life lessons those dear kiddos taught me, and I hold a very special place in my heart for the underdog.  My classroom is an open door for all types of learners.

From there, I spent four years stumbling my way through first grade.  I still wonder why they kept inviting me to come back and teach from year to year.  Whoa.  Kidding aside, I needed those years of professional struggle.  If I didn’t have those years, I wouldn’t be the teacher I am today.  

Finally, I landed here at Scottsburg Elementary School teaching third grade where I’ve been rockin’ for four years.  Instantly I felt different.  Something inside of me that had laid dormant for far too long clicked.  I was a teacher, and I was good at it.  

What made you want to become a teacher?

Some years back, I came across a drawing and writing prompt I did when I was in fifth grade.  The prompt was obviously, “What I want to be When I Grow Up.”  There was a picture of me in a long jumper dress, turtleneck, and a teacher pin clearly over my heart. To sum up my writing, I wanted to be a fifth grade teacher.  Nothing more, nothing less.  I’ve yet to teach fifth grade.

It’s easy to see why I wrote that.  My fifth grade teacher, Mrs. Funk, was in her second year of teaching.  She was young, pretty, sweet, and fun.  My first recollections of a teacher reading aloud to me...Mrs. Funk.  My first recollections of using technology in school...Mrs. Funk (Oregon Trail, Carmen SanDiego anyone?).  Fast forward twelve or so years, I became her teaching partner next door in first grade.  Her influence has been dramatic in my teaching life, and I could never thank her enough.

I was also very fortunate to live in a family full of teachers.  I loved listening to them talk about lesson plans, student woes and successes, and all of the thick, neat binders full of unit activities.  They amazed me, and still do.

What are your favorite apps?

This is a tricky question.  I’d love to make a t-shirt that says, “Tools NOT Toys.”  I’m very careful and picky about the apps I choose to use because I like to use apps to create and enhance.  You will soon learn that I feel very passionately about how iPads shouldn't be used.  Soapboxes aplenty to come.

You will note that there is NOTHING fancy about these apps, and I utilize many apps for specialized purposes such as MyCreate or ToonTastic.  You will see glimpses of these as we go along together.

These are my all-purpose, down and dirty 5 MUST HAVES.

1.  KidBlog- My students blog on a daily basis.  POWERFUL stuff.

2.  EduCreations- Basically a whiteboard with recording powers. Endless possibilities. Buh-bye

ugly lined paper and half-eaten pencils.

3.  iMovie- Movie trailers, weather forecasts, commercials...we turn writing into productions!

4. Google Drive- Gives my students the ability to save and share their work.  Time saver and

great management tool.

This one is technically a web app, but add it to your students' home screens!

5.  Kahoot- If you haven’t used this in your classroom yet...DO. Gamification Heaven.

When did you realize you were a techie?

College.

I always loved technology, grew up in a house that embraced it, and had amazing opportunities in high school.  I had no clue that most others did not.  I ended up tutoring other education students in our Computer Education course, and I even had professors ask me if I’d ever considered a career in computer related fields.  I told them laughingly, “NO!”  I firmly believe that God carefully orchestrated all of those opportunities to prepare me for teaching in the 21st Century.  I’m the go-to girl for quick computer and iPad fixes, and admittedly, I am married to one of our district’s amazing Network Administrators.  Let’s just say I have a few lifelines on tap when needed.  I have a LOVE of solving technology problems, and REFUSE to allow my husband to fix them for me.  He shows me; therefore, I learn.  

He makes me call him “The Master.”  Not kidding, but he has deemed me fit enough to be “The Apprentice.” Computer nerds….sigh.

If you could give a new teacher advice about technology in the classroom, what would it be?

Don’t panic.

If it can glitch, it will.  If you can get the spinning wheel of death, you will.  If the principal is coming to observe you, something will inevitably go wrong.  

Pretend.  Smile.  Do anything BUT put the notion in their little spongy minds that technology is the devil.  Then blame the computer nerds silently under your breath.  

Why technology?

Why not?  Sure kids today miss out on the intoxicating aroma of those blue-lined dittos, the allergy inducing chalk clouds of yesteryear, and the satisfaction it brings to bang those erasers together.

Truth be told...I'm thankful for the way I learned growing up. I have no ill side-effects of completing a pile of worksheets, or from the above-mentioned blue ink (at least I don't THINK I do). I do wonder where I would be now if I had access to what my students have at their fingertips.

I don't want my kids to learn the same way. This isn't 1990 anymore, and thank goodness for that. My children (three beautiful, little techies), literally teethed on iPhones. My 7 year old son, Jonah is a mini-me of his true-techy father. At the moment he is creating the McDonalds Golden Arches in his Minecraft world. Who thinks of that?

I want my stories of education past to amuse and entertain my children just like those of my own parents who told of theirs. Some day, my children will take their turn to share their educational history with their own. Time marches on.

That is the very essence of change and innovation. I love it.