Friday, December 26, 2014

Bird walk of the day improves by blogg #edtech

So it's the day after Christmas and that's a take it easy day. So I was wandering/wondering around on the internet. My blog has long bothered me for a few reasons. First it's not organized. I blog for different purposes and they are all mashed up together. The side bars are boring.  The function is not what I would like it to be.
So today's bird walk led me to places that taught me how to add tabs, labels, and view by label to my blog.  Look at the great resources on my NEW Blogger Resource tab if you would like to add these to your blog.
Still on my to do list is:
social widget found here: http://myhelpblogger.blogspot.com/2014/06/blue-color-social-subscription-widget.html
I'd like dynamic views to work.
and updating me website.

I hope I have started you off on your own bird walk.

#admincamp 3 reflections

11/12/2014
What a great day of expanding my thinking. There were so many great thoughts that I wanted to capture to review later. I have so many things to reflection on:

From Paul Angelise
"Who is your every body?" 
A prepared mind understand your passion. 
Being a manger used to be educational leadership but now we are moving to instructional leaders but even that alone does not define what a good educational leader is. There's an important piece about service that must be included. 

"The best prize like has to offer is the chance to do the work worth doing" 

From Adam Hartely 
The oppisite of a hero is a bystander. 
The world is a dangerous place to live not because of those people who do evil but because of the people that do nothing about it. 
"like dang" is the call of a bystander
Adam walked us through a Heroic Journey 
"we are so focused on climbing that mountain we don't take the adventure to go around it." 

interesting people to connect with on twitter 
Lars Leafblad, Daily inspiration, Clocky @poweron

A hero is compassion, empathic, mindful and attenitve
Steps in the herois journey 
call to action 
connecting/assistance
thershold
main challenge/ trail 
mastery of both worlds. Trail blazer that impacts the staus quo 
Bystander leaders build through success which means they are destoryed through losses. Heroic leaders build throught the pain and exerience to fuel their passion to face the next challenge.  

#Colchat takeaways 7/29/2014


It was so great to run into expected and unexpected tweeps at #COLchat2action. 

 There's an amazing type of learning that happens when you have a room full of a passionate professional that are doublingly  engaged. I say double egagned because I am listening to  and being inspired by great speakers such at @thenerdyteacher and at the same time my head is down engaged on my device in a back channel conversation. That head down device lit  face body language looks disrespectful on it's face value. But it's not. I am activity engaged in listening, inspiration and channeling that engagement into constructed my own learning. Is this learning our students would benefit from? Posssibly. Is this learning we would allow our students? Probably not. 

We say we go to these conferences on our own time own our own dime for connections. And #Colchat did not dissappoint. I ran into all the usual suspects. Geat to see them and hear what's going on in their life. 
But also I put faces to people I have talked to on Twitter. Another awkward face to face moment where I say so nice to meet you to someone I feel that I know well through twitter. 
But also I connected to new people. I spoke with new administrators. I learned about new groups in virtual education. 
And that's what a conference should be. 1. see those you know 2. meet those you know 3. meet new people. 

And then there was the learning. 
I learned about Voice Thread. We can have a read out with our homeschooling students. 
I missed the session on standards based grading - that will have to be home work for me. 
Someone mentioned Glide - some app. I want to figure out that is. 
I want to recommit to blogging. Not  because I want a following but to be reflective in my practice. 
 In Seth's session he challenged us to do some crappy writing. This is mine. I am a terrible speller and the iPad Blogger app does not have spell check - can you believe it!

Saturday, December 13, 2014

the "why" in leadership #miched #edleadership inspired by @pauldsupt

why i notes

I am lucky to be part of the "why I" cohort in Birmingham Public Schools where we focus on the why in your leadership and empathy.  @pauldsupt leads us in reflecting on why we want to be leaders in public schools and what type of leader we are. Here are some notes from our earlier December meeting. These questions may guide you in your own reflection about your leadership. 
12/5/2014
The difference between effective and highly effective is intentional. When learning stops, how intentional is a teacher about moving them along. John Hattie Visible Learning. 

What is your greatest strength as teacher?
How intentional are you about that?
Think of a great teacher, what's their greatest strength?
What would others say about you? 

What's an area of growth that you are working on?
How intentional are you about that? 

Evaluation process is about intentional bettering practice. The greatest variable that we can impact in student achievment is teachers. 

Rick Duford:" are you looking out the window or looking in the mirror?" Out the window is things you cannot control. The evolution process is looking in the mirror. 

Circle of Trust approach 
clearness committee is  discussed in Park Palmer book on page 44 and 92 
Clearness committee is a protocol that asks questions of your decision without giving advice 
Touchstones of Circle of Trust
give and receive welcome; speak your truth in ways that respect other peoples' truth; 

Reflection: so often we response with advice or our own story. As we tell our own story we are building connections. This protocols allows us only to ask questions, not fix and give advice.  That's a hard thing to do. To be in service of others. 

What's your Why? 
I want to be an administrator to move my service to mentoring teachers from mentoring students. With the changes teachers are going through cataclysmic changes. There is a great need to support those people that in pinched between students and all the pressures from outside. 

Tuesday, December 9, 2014

Google Certified Trainer- what may be holding up your app? #gafe


Have you applied in the last round of applications? I did!  The deadline was in November with notifications going out the week of December 2nd.  Well that's come and gone and no words. Soooo I did some digging.

First you fill out an application here: https://googleedu.onlineapplications.net/app/main/ You will need a training resume, training style demonstration in the form of screen cast or video, and training case study.

The part I did not know is that you need three online references. Once you give their name and email, they get a message from grants@resources.com. Your application is submitted but not completed until one of them fills out the form. From what I can guess, it's only one. I gave work emails and the filter kills the reference request. After the deadline, I went and switch it to personal emails. Luckily one of my references is a great person and stopped everything to fill it out right then.

My application then became "completed". Since then I got another message from google-educaiton-trainer-program@google.com that says:

Thank you for submitting an application to the Google Education Trainer program. Due to the high volume of applications received this round, we are experiencing a significant delay in reviewing the applications. We expect to email you a decision by December 15, 2014. We appreciate the time and effort you put into completing your applications and are ensuring that they are thoroughly reviewed. Thank you again for your patience and understanding.


-The Google Education Trainer Program Team


So there's still hope for me ( and you too!) i know a lot of us were talking about this on Twitter so I thought I would give an update here. 




Thursday, December 4, 2014

Embedded English breaking the subject silo #english #miched #innovation

As a special education teacher we have seen the trend from institution to least restrictive environment. Over the year inclusion has become a standard. Instructional support that is push in verses pull out. Special Education teachers have gone from being in the closet size class room now the hall to co-teaching in all subjects. 



What would it be like if we did this to English teachers?

What if we took writing instruction and embedded it into Science, History, Math and elective classes. Yes we still need literature classes where we read and discuss story, character, and other elements.  But what if an English teacher did a rotation as a co-teacher into other classes supporting the writing projects that happen in those subject. These project could be posters, brochures, website, blogs and of course the tradition research paper. As an English teacher, I can map what ever standard you are using to the assignment. I can support research, thinking, drafting and editing. Students could get two grades. One from the Science teacher for subject matter and one from the English teacher for writing. Students should be taught to write in context not isolation. I just wish someone would give me the chance to implement this! 

Monday, November 3, 2014

Google Domains Review #1 #migoogle #gafe








Buying a new domain
Easy. I have Google Wallet already. The hardest part is finding an URL  that is not taken.

Transferring a Domain
Currently I am waiting for the final release of my domain from my old provider but it was quick. There were links to click on with directions for my old provider. They made it simple.

Comparing
I have had domains with GoDaddy since 2005. GoDaddy has always worked but their screens are messy. The navigation is confusing. Google Domains is cleaner and clearer. It is a Beta with less features so that helps keep the screens cleaner.

Features
I am looking forward to sub-domain. I own mrsalspach.com. Now I can have break that into other URL's such as firsthour.mrsalspach.com or britlit.mrsalspach.com or science.mrsalspach.com. Privacy cost extra with GoDaddy. I have used domain forwarding and email aliases with my old domains. The setup screens looked cleaner with Google Domains, more in later reviews.

Cost
For a .com that cost was the same. But Google Domains included privacy in that cost where Godaddy was extra. Prices will vary.

How did I get invited
This summer, not sure when, I filled out an app to be part of the Google Usability studies. Shortly after I was asked to fill out a survey. The survey would take 45 minutes and they would send me a $50 gift card. The survey was just sorting menu options into what I thought was sensible menu sets. It took 20 minutes tops.
On October 30th, I received an invite in the mail.


Monday, October 27, 2014

What @GoogleGlass connected me to #throughtGlass #Gafe #migoogle

What Google Glass connected me to     
My Story
Last year about this time, I attend MiGoogle conference and listened to Andrew Vander Heuvel talk about his experience with Google Glass.  The innovation of Google Glass inspired me to apply to be a Google Glass Explorer. At that point the program was a closed beta. That means you needed to be accepted in order to be allowed to buy glass.  Currently it is an open beta (meaning anyone can buy Google Glass). Instead of putting my first name on the application, I put my twitter handle @JulieAllThat. Within a week I have an invitation to buy Google Glass. The cost is significant. But the experience of being a Google Glass Explorer has opened doors for me.

What I do with Google Glass
Glass has been great for first person point of view videos. I can video tape my daughter’s whole band performance without the picture dropping down because my hand is sagging. The first person point of view can best shown from this example on my YouTube Channel.  While recording my daughter’s band concert, I was invited to present at Chrysler to their team that works on vehicle connection software. I did present there and had great conversations about technology added vale verses distraction with the engineers.
Glass is also great for being there. I never have to dig for my phone. Email, tweets, texts, and phone calls are right there when I am wearing glass. It’s called heads up display.
One of the best things I do with Google Glass is share it. Yes I present at corporations, conferences, and edcamps but I also pass it around. There’s nothing more powerful than that expression on a student’s face when they start engaging in the technology. When they do engage, we open that innovative thinking to create the next generation of problem solvers.

What can Google Glass do in the classroom?
·         Star Chart gives student a heads up map of the night time sky.
·         Evernote can record a teacher’s lecture for student who need notes.
·         Student’s can record presentations and labs from their point of view.
·         Google Glass can translate text from one language to another.  
·         Google Glass can read QR codes. A student can look at a QR code to bring up more information.
·         Virtual Field trips can be created from a first person point of view to enhance the student’s engagement.

Takeaways
For me it’s not about the device. Google Glass is just a conversation starter for creative problem solving. For moving our thinking into the next step. Wearable technology is a growing field including Fitbits, smart clothing, and smart watches. Our students will be earning a living as adults in a world that moves. They will need to adapt and change with that world.  I came across a post on @teachthought called 7 Habits Of Highly Effective Teachers Who Use Technology. These are more than just habits, they are fundamental job skills for our students.

Learn More:

Sunday, October 26, 2014

Omni in Omnibox: Thinking inside the box #migoogle #geducator #gafe

Omni in Omnibox
The : tricks
Define:
Site:.edu
:filetype :ppt

Information

Compare coffee to tea
Converting
Currency $400 in euro
Units of measure 3.5 miles in km





timer (Full screen / works in background tab)
Sunset/sunrise/weather

movies 48309
Video Game information
new week of 10/19
If you search for a video game by names there’s a sidebar summary of it.

Truly Important Stuff
tilt
Google Gravity ( I feel lucky)
askew
anagram ( notice the did you mean)
do a barrel roll
the answer to life the universe and everything
Atari breakout image search

“Ok Google” in your laptop in Chrome


Thursday, October 23, 2014

#Edcampou Wrap up

This past weekend was the third edcampOu. This year we moved to Pawley Hall which is a great building. From the artium downstairs you have three floors of  people joining the learning.
Playing with Makey Makey 

Playing with Conductive Ink !

Google Classroom paperless! no lost papers! #GAFE @googleforedu



Google forms have been updated to better do the embedded tests. I really think we could embedded all tests and make them self-grading. One huge problem in middle school is missing sections of the test. We could get around this with google forms. Next year for 8th grade, we could be paperless.  ( sounds like something a virtual program should be).

Also google has a new “thing” coming out called Google Classroom in app for education. It sounds like a moodle replacement. 
Here’s the website for the Google classroom  

Tuesday, October 14, 2014

student discipline framed as a growth opportunity via Dr. Proctor #30daysreflection

Have you ever listened to one of those leaders that such is so great it's just a wow moment?

I had one Monday night. Dr Fred Proctor, retired principal of Groves HS speak to us about leadership. He wrapped up student discipline in the most positive way. Here's my utterly lacking para phrase:

"Students make choices. Choice have outcomes. Not all of those choices are wise and not all of the outcomes are good. It's a given that young people will make bad choices. Their brain are not done growing and predicting consequences is one of the last skills we develop.
As a principal, we are responding to the choices they made. Each choice has outcomes.
As principals we are face with explaining the outcomes of their choices. We help our students move through the consequences of their choices. But very importantly, we give them the tools not to make those choices again. We let them know there is redemption, second changes, and growth. We are not punishing children but raising adults. We need to help time move forward."

All his words ( paraphrased) not mine. Reflecting on this I found it powerful. He did not frame it in a negative light. In fact he focused on the positive outcome of growth and moving forward yet their was a strong accountability. And no judgement.

Sunday, October 5, 2014

teacher leadership Tomorrow's goal #30dayreflection #day3

As a teacher leader, I wear many hats. Still a teacher yet a resource for our teachers is a balancing act that I am still learning. In many ways the conversations are the same. I am still talking to a learner who is asking for support in an area.
Tomorrow's goal is to move the teachers up on the priority list to equal with my students. In the beginning of the school year management tasks were weighting my schedule down. Does everyone know their passwords and usernames.
Tomorrow's list has follow ups with students and teacher mingled together inside of student than teacher.

Friday, October 3, 2014

Advice from Lestat to help teachers with their changing professional #30dayreflection #day2

"I simply refuse to be defeated. No matter what happens to me, I fight back and I fight for myself and fight to turn the experience into something meaningful. This is not a virtue. This is an inherent disposition." Lestat 

From Anne Rice's Facebook fan Page Lestat here: Jasmine Donovan has asked: "Lestat, what do you believe has helped you to adapt to the changes in the world over the years and has helped you to survive through all the trials and tribulations you have faced? --- Jasmine, it is my optimism and rebellious spirit. I simply refuse to be defeated. No matter what happens to me, I fight back and I fight for myself and fight to turn the experience into something meaningful. This is not a virtue. This is an inherent disposition. posted 10/3

What is your inherent disposition towards ......
....learning?
.....your students?
.....your families?
..... your team members?

So much to think about from a vampire. Lestat has been through the human experience since 1760. As teachers, we think we have been through some pretty huge changes in our career.  But a good teacher has that same inherent disposition of being a fighter. A fighter for our students. A fighter for givng them the best learning so their futures, however much the world changes around them, will be bright successful and happy. 


Thursday, October 2, 2014

Teacher leadership is about the teachers not the management tasks #30dayreflection #day1

Starting up the school year is a huge job for administration. As my first time being a small part of it, I can say it was more than I expected. As I finally get my head above water again, I realize I am spending time being a manager not a leader. I am fixing schedules, checking usernames, and resetting passwords as one of my teachers needs help. 

While the management tasks do need to get done, they should not rule us. My goal is to increase the time I spend supporting our teachers. 

Sunday, August 17, 2014

My core values #edcamp #whyi..

working on my paper, here's what came out ..........

My educational manifesto is based on my three core values. Through two leadership groups I am a participant in ( Aspiring Principals Leadership Academy at Oakland Schools and Why I Leadership Cohort at Birmingham Schools), I have done an exercise repeated that is flipping through a stack of cards to pick your Core Values.  The results of this can be viewed in this presentation and are summarized below.
My first core value is learning. Learning takes several manifestation in my values. First my own life long learning and continuing to be challenged. Secondly to model, support, and create opportunities for others to learn including students and teachers to extend their learning.  Lastly our decisions must be based in what’s best for student learning because that is the bottom line. Supporting student learning is the foundation of our profession.
The next core value is innovation. Innovation has three aspects for me. First it speaks to my love of technology. But innovation is more than flashy technology, it is creativity in all forms. The purpose of innovation is to find ways for all learners to be successful. This is what drew me to special education. The three aspects of innovation are technology, creativity, and success for all learners.
Inspiration is another core value. I used to focus on passion. My passion is about me and in service of me following what’s important to me. If you take that same energy and turn it in service of others you have inspiration.  I find inspiration in my personal learning networks of twitter, edcamps, Aspiring Principal Leadership Academy, Why I cohort, and my mentor at work. I hope to be that inspiration in others.

Learning Innovation Inspiration

Technology vision #edtech

Technology Vision
Our world today is drenched in digital connections to the world. Internet tools and functions are required in order to keep up with the competition. Content knowledge is no longer a valuable skill because we have build machines that are better at content than humans can ever be.
The valued skills that people need in this world is analyzing and creativity. We need analyzing because our machines can give us thousands of pages content and information. It’s like the guilty criminal who  is suspended for records. They hand over thousands of pages of useless information but that one convicting piece is in there somewhere. Information is no good without the ability to evaluated how well it means your purpose.  With the access we have today, educators need to teach analyzing, sorting, and evaluating content and information.
Dr. Zhao’s video about world class learners and the creative class really hit home for me. I crave the change that innovation brings but most people are not like that. He talks about how our students will face problems and have jobs that are not invented yet. I would updated that statement to WE face those problems and have those jobs. I am a mentor online teacher. This is not a job that existed five years ago. As educational leaders we need to be aware that the teachers are facing the same changing realities that we expect them to prepare students to face. And odds are they are more scared then the students.
There’s a large group of educators that just love technology myself including. I believe in trying all the latest. But I do not believe in “tech for tech’s sake”. I support teachers playing on their own time to add to their overall knowledge base. But if we are bringing that tech into the schools, where it will take economic and teacher resources, we need a higher standard. When mandating technology, we need to make sure the adoption is grounded in student learning and not an excessive burden to budget and teachers. Technology cannot be just entertaining. It must engage the learner. More thought on this topics can be found on my blog on this post.
As an educational leader is it my duty to support teachers. My goal is to take those great skills and caring they already have and make it as easily as possible update their skills to address the changing needs to our students. Our decisions need to be based on student learning, not flashy trends. Educational leaders should always be the advocate of resources for staff to support the whatever adoptions are mandated.

Sunday, August 3, 2014

Better my blog

I am trying to improve my blogging. Here's my to do list

Improve layout
get link to web site going
twitter link working
tag cloud

put images on all posts. I found this resources with free sources. http://weblogs.about.com/od/startingablog/tp/FreePhotoSites.htm
I like pixabay best so far.

Coffee, Coffee Cup, Coffee Beans, Cup and just tested here< you can paste a picture into a blog post. You cannot do that on Google sites yet. You have to save then upload the picture which is a huge pain.

It's hard to find resources on Blogger so if you have any ones you like, please point me there.


Monday, June 30, 2014

#iste2014 stalking day two Post that caught my eye.

No selfies of all those happy people while the rest of us are home, but here are the posts that caught my eye today :

  + screencast = great flipped content delivery
The site says it's a web white board. 

  Primary sources: Library of Congress. National Archives.
Primary source stuff is always great. 

Primary sources: Library of Congress. National Archives.
OOoo that sounds cool


is the largest edtech conference in the US here's a toolbox for ya

Come learn how to Dig Into STEM with Minecraft PE. Visit my Poster Session today from 4-6 table 34.

If you missed my Minecraft session, here are my resources!

Did you know is on Google Play for Edu? Make beautiful ebooks on your tablet


Tour with these tweets, vids and pics handpicked from Twitter and Instagram:

Want to create ? Request invite to 4D Studio for Edu & sign up 4 our webinar this Weds!

Love the "Visible Thinking Portfolios" - Nice Ignite talk about the Current Future by at

Go paperless! Assign, collect, and review student work with

"Are You Creating a Culture of Learning" via

Our coverage is growing. Check it all out here:

For those who attending my session! Getting Started with Blended Professional Learning - ISTE 2014

Make programming fun & easy with the brand new app in Google Play for Edu


MT : Share your notes from on this Spreadsheet. Let's collaborate and share the ideas

More video interviews: How big data is poised to fundamentally alter the way schools are organized:



iTunes U update will bring course creation, management to iPad | Macworld

At , U.S. Department of Ed talks about bringing 'Student Liaison' for Tech On Board via

30+ apps added to the list: Apps We Use in Kindergarten (2014)




Educators at talk about how Google Apps has reinvented classroom collaboration:

Goodbye photocopies. Use to create a paperless classroom


The Original Tech Commandments from .

The Original Tech Commandments from .

The Original Tech Commandments from .

Great ideas presented in session at Here’s his slides if you missed him

Can't get enough of ignite? Read how you can use the 5-min model in your classroom:

Hearing a presentation on The Global Classroom Projects -- LOVE THESE PROJECTS!
Join the fun with our virtual event team!

Enjoyed presenting Twitter in the Classroom link here if you missed it

Thanks! Here's the link to my YouTube preso from the Google Playground


Second presentation of the trip - Scaffolding Novels in the Digital Age.

Enable self-paced STEM learning with , free for Android & Chrome: