Digital Learning in reality for K-8: fighting to live the dream #k12online #edtech #digitallearing

This morning Digital Learning: Glimpse of the Future popped into a newsletter I read. Since I have been a virtual teaching for four year as part of the team that started one of the first K-5 100% online programs in Michigan, I can tell you I have been living "the dream" for years now. And it's not what you think.

Digital learning has a future in k-12 education, but we are shackled by the constraints of funding and software that handicap our ability to fully embrace this ( I was going to say future but it's really the reality of the present) reality.
We still must follow the pupil accounting rules of Count Day for STW ( seat time waiver) programs. Which I am not really sure MDE has figured out. It's really just forces the brick and mortar rules into something that is doable in the click world.
We are defined as a traditional school year program and the LMS shuts down to do a roll over in the summer so our calendar is locked in.
In our LMS course must have a start date so it's not on demand for the student.
I would love to just start students where ever they are in Math regardless of grade level. But for those that are behind, we don't have a path to catch up. And for those that go ahead, it cost money to get the next grade level. It's money well spend but there is a reality of the budget.

So we hold to the principals of digital learning. We fight against the ignorance and constraints. We look for innovations to make what should be a reality happen now. The world is changing. We have to change with it so better serve our students.

That's my big thought for the day. Now back to the daily todo list battle and boredom of operational duties.

Here's a link to the blog that started this musing:
Digital Learning: Glimpse of the Future - soloprenaut.com https://soloprenaut.com/teaching-online/digital-learning-glimpse-of-the-future/ via @thesoloprenaut

Writing an Awesome Application @edutopia #michEd #teachersspendtheirownmonytoomuch

Writing grants is something I have always wanted to learn more about. It's a great way to get funding for all those projects you know will impact your students but your district cannot fund. And lord knows we pay enough out of our pockets. There's a free online course that's on my summer list.

Below is pasted  part of a post from Edutopia. This will be on my summer do to reading list.

Writing an Awesome Application

• Grant Space Classroom From Foundation Center: Foundation Center's training center features tons of useful online grant-writing courses. Many of the courses are free and self-paced, and they're designed to help anyone write more effective proposals. Great, free courses for beginners include Introduction to Proposal Writing and Proposal Budgeting Basics.
• How to Write a Winning Grant Proposal: This GuideStar resource offers concrete tips for writing the best applications. From ideas for what to include, as well as formatting and style tips, there's a lot here to help you get started.
• 10 Key Ingredients of Winning Proposals: Looking for ways to make your application stand out? Author Mathilda Harris, the director of the Grant Training Center, provides tips and ideas of what to include in your grant proposal.

source:http://www.edutopia.org/blog/teacher-travel-grants-resources-matt-davis?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=socialflow 

Ninja Online Teacher Skills Detective

The Myth:

• When student go online they disappear and never come back.

Reality:

• The online teacher fights to keep that student alive on line like a life guard saving a drowning swimmer.

• Sometimes the problem is simple. 
• They forgot their password. 
• They lost the mentor teacher's number. 
• The device broke.
• Internet is down. 
• Sometimes it's a sign of trouble
• The student is not progressing. 
• The student needs help and is not asking for it. 

What the online Ninja Teacher knows:

• That if a student is not working- there's a reason. 
• It is nesscariy to  have what we have come to call Spidey Sense. 
• Look for problems before they happen. 
• You get a sense for what questions should be asked at what time. Not asking that question is a sign of trouble. 
• 
  

Reflection:

Being an online teacher requires a techie sense. You have to be able to trouble shot and problem solve across many systems. You have to 

Virtual school is not for everyone. Not every virtual school is the same. Our model is an outreadch to homeschooling families where parents engage in teacher planned direct instruction.  

The younger the student the more books and parents are needed. 

Ninja Strategies:

Build that relationship before you have to make a difficult call. It makes the difficult call easier.

• When in doubt, call. Ask more questions.
• Don't wait to respond to parents.
• Use all your tools to detect the answer. LMS reports. Communications logs. You cannot monitor their face so monitoring the data.
• Progress is a huge hurdle for online students. Communication can help.

What are the skills an online Ninja teacher has?

Ninja skill 1:Detective 

                   The myth is that we as online teachers are faceless.

                    The truth is as an online teacher I may not know their face but I know them better academically.
Strategies the Ninja Uses: 

We always have to be on the look out for things that make the spidey sense tingle. Is there a software problem? Is that tech working right? Has the student been online active enough this week? Is that really the student's writing?

Ninja Skills of Online Teaching: techie- ness#mlearning #k12online

Techie-ness 
Definition: the ability to navigate know and unknown websites, systems, apps, devices, and all "things" technology. 

The Myth: Learning online is easy. 
What ninja online teacher knows:

• The LMS or dreaded Lesson Management System is the website where the content, assignments, and assessments are stored ( BrainHoney, Canvas, Moodle, Blackboard, Connexus) 
• The SIS or Student Information System is the schools system for enrollment, grades and transcripts. (PowerSchool, Que, MiStar)
• There's an email system somewhere. Sometimes it's in the LMS, Sometimes it's district supplied emails address ( think student google accounts). 
• The online teacher must be fluent in all these systems plus video conferencing ( Hangouts or Adobe Connect) and all google products ( Google Docs, Google Slides. etc.) 

Reflections

• When I first starting teaching the ideal of a new system to learn was daunting. Thoughts like "where's my training?", "where's the manual?", " These kids will know this better than me!" filled my head. The uncomfortable feelings were paralyzing. 
• Then I learned to trust in myself and not expect to have all the answers. Your learning a new system with the students often. You don't have to have all the answers as long as you can find the answers. This is the difference between having knowledge and having the ability to learn. 
• In the future our students face, they will need the ability to learn more than the knowledge you can give them.

Ninja Strategies

• Google is your friend. Search for a topic with PDF if you need directions. 
• There's always a YouTube Video you can watch. 
• Learn from each other. Share your solutions and listen to the solutions of other teachers. They're in the same boat. 
•  Create "Lego" directions. These are my favorite versions of directions. A table with short directions in one column and screen shots in the other. 
• Learn to do screencasts. A quick screen cast of how to do common task will  save you answering many questions. 
• Build a toolkit of FAQ's. Weather it's documentation, videos, screencasts, or podcasts build up a library of commonly asked questions so you have already created resources. Reuse those resources. 

When NOT to teach #michEd #edleadership

This week I have been spending a lot of time ( just talk to my family) with my robotics team.  I am a mentor on the strategy team. Saturdays are our work days. What I was reminder this Saturday was that as teacher sometime the best thing we can do is not teach.

The students arranged a meeting when the robotics team room was open and staffed, But I could not be there. We planned our goals for that session and they went off to meet.

When I could show up, the teacher in me want to start teaching. Stop their conversation. Start talking myself. Have everyone listening and focused on me. Start giving directions/instruction.

But I took a deep breath and just stood there for awhile observing. The team was on task with a large part of their project for the day done. I asked some questions so they could bring me up to speed. Gave some targeted feedback on what was looking good and some areas they could improve on. Then let them know I was in there until five that day.

By not teaching those students guided their own project. They worked as a team giving feedback on the project. They learned skills they can apply to any group project and any problem. Some times the teacher just needs to sit back and watching the students learn. I am proud of them.

Stock image source https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/cd/MapsAtWork.JPG

Ninja Skills of Online Teaching:The Written Word #mlearning #k12online

The Myth: You can say everything you need to say in one email.

What the Ninja online teacher knows:

• Student will only answer the last question you ask. 
  
• If they have to scroll, their eyes roll. 
• You cannot have difficult conversation in writing. 

Reflections:

• Tone is important. When writing you have to consider every tone the reader hear in that message. 
• The reader of your message hears it from their context - not yours. How will they understand your message. 

Ninja Strategies:

• Use the "Above the Fold" Rule if it could not be put on the front page of the student paper above the fold - don't put it in writing. 
• If it takes a page or 20 minutes to write an email- it should be a phone call. 
• Only ask one question per email. Only one topic per email. 
• Know when to call. For difficult conversations phone are better where you can heard the tone and the conversation can adapt better. 

What's your moon shoot? #moonshot #google #edleadership

"Moonshots live in the gray area between audacious projects and pure science fiction; instead of mere 10 percent gains, they aim for 10x improvements," according to Google. source http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2453259,00.asp

What's your moon shot? 
What are you doing to continuously improve your practice and stretch yourself?

I look for this in the teachers and staff I hire at our program. I also look for it in the mentors I  look up to. Personally I believe being highly effective is just being good at the status quo. Not something I aspire to. Beyond high effective is innovation and a growth mind set. That's where it really gets interesting! 

So with a little extra time on my hands this week here's some of my moon shots. Please join me in any ( or all) of them. 

• Apply to a PhD program 
• Apply to for award at MACUL yes! nominate yourself! 
• Get a Google certification  
• Apply to TedEd Innovative Educators due 1/29/16
• Apply to PBS Digital Innovators  due 2/8/16
• Write a guest blog post for anyone! 

Make sure you reach out to me on twitter at @julieAllThat and tell me what your moon shot was. 

Ninja Skills of Online Teaching: Organization #mlearning #k12online

The Myth:Online teachers stay in their PJ's all day and take naps.

Reality: Your still in your PJ's because you were too busy to get dressed today!
Teacher will quit online teaching because they cannot organize themselves.
Students reach out to you at all times. Sunday nights, Christmas day - because some are not Christians.

What the Ninja online teacher knows:

• The classes are there for the students 24/7. School is always open. 
• Many students are not working traditional school hours.
• Between welcome calls, weekly interactions, answering questions and live lesson, I feel like I am always behind in grading. 
• Many teachers struggling with the lack of structure. 

Reflections:

When I started teaching online it was hard to find a balance because all the student are in all different places all the time. One student might have the essay test from lesson 20 waiting for me to grade, while another is just starting composition and another is asking me to tutor them in fractions.

Grading papers during the day is great but it's often interrupted. It's hard to not to respond to every student instantly.

It was hard to find a rhythm. And that rhythm is something that changes every school year due to the students work habits. It's a balancing act between instantly responding to student, keeping up on grading, making sure weekly interaction happen, and keeping up on paper work.

Ninja Strategies:

• Make a list of what your duties are and build a schedule from that.
• When building your schedule, it's OK to have published grading time where you are not available.
• Know your busy times. The end of the semester you will be slammed. In the brick environment, I gave one test to get class at finals. In the click world those kids may submit many tests each or have retakes. Get ahead of the work in preparation for those slam times.