#GoogleEI: Taking a Risk

The Journey Begins...

It was almost two years ago when I first heard about Google's Certified Innovator (#GoogleEI) program. Honestly, it sounded cool, but way above me. It's only for super amazing, connected, world-changing educators, right? I couldn't envision myself ever being in a place where I would be "good enough" to take part.

Over the course of time, my perspective started to change. I saw many friends get into the program, and their excitement was infectious! I finally came around to deciding that I might like to apply, but I was in grad school and drowning in the amount of work I had to do each weekend. I had to remind myself that when I said "yes" to grad school, I knew I was saying "no" to other things for a short period of time, so I could just get through. After I finished my degree, though, all of my excuses were gone, and it was time for me to find the courage to take that step and apply.

I waited impatiently for the next English cohort to be announced, and was excited to hear about #LAX18!

Application & Reflection

I truly meant it when I tweeted that the application was a learning & growing process. Whether I get in or not, the application itself is worth it because of the way it's made me reflect, think big, connect with others, and truly understand the nature of the "problem" I posed. In education, it is so easy to get caught up in the day-to-day and lose sight of the big picture. This brought the big picture into much clearer focus, and gave me a reason to spend lots of time thinking about it. I loved it! The application also challenged my creativity & out-of-the-box thinking.

While I knew I wanted to apply, I was having trouble feeling inspired about what I had to offer until I attended the Aspen EdTechTeam Summit. The way that weekend pulled me out of a rut and got me inspired made me hungry for more professional development around innovative, visionary educators!

I have to give a huge shout-out and thank you to all of my friends who helped me with my application: @MsVenturino, @meagan_e_kelly, @JLenore24, @btcostello05, & @namcmurtry Your feedback helped make it better, and your encouragement kept me going!

The Video

You might be thinking, "Come on, show me the video already!" The application has both a written portion and a video, and the video definitely took the most time. Everything within me wants to give some kind of disclaimer here about the million things I wish were better, but truly, I am happy with what I created.

What now?

Well, first up is a long ten days of waiting! That's actually a very quick turnaround time, but it feels like forever when you are on the other end! If I get in, I will be super excited for a visit to Venice in July! If I don't get in, I will probably tweak my application for the next round. Here's to hoping!

If you have thought about applying...do it. #JustPushSubmit. It's scary, it's challenging, it's hard work, but it's also very rewarding. That makes it worth it! And if you ever want someone to look over your application to give you feedback...feel free to reach out!

Makerspace Adventures (4th grade science style)!

What can you do with a makerspace? Check out the ideas below from one of my classroom visits this week!

4th Grade Science

How can students show an understanding of phases of the moon, seasons, sunrise/sunset, and vocabulary such as orbit & rotate? I taught these standards in summer school, so I am familiar with some of the traditional ideas out there! I was blown away when I visited this classroom where students were given the opportunity to "show what they know" using whichever makerspace tools they wanted! Even better than seeing their creations was hearing them talk about what they had made. They clearly had an understanding of the standards, but also shared about their challenges in creating the models, how their ideas evolved, and how they could continue to improve their projects.

Without further ado...here are some of their demonstrations!

Ollie is rolling around, stopping at each
phase of the moon, and saying the name of it.

They built a contraption to hold the "sun" (flashlight) while the
Cublet orbits around it!

Programming Sphero to roll around the sun

Which Cublet is rotating - the Earth or the sun? They even
have a low-tech moon orbiting the Earth!

This group wanted to use a lightbulb for the sun. Why not?

Scratch programming to show the movement of the sun
across the sky in different seasons

Ozobots show what the sun looks like
as it moves across the sky!

Dash has planets taped to him
so they can rotate around the sun!

How do you use makerspace tools to integrate with science standards?

Aspen 2018 Summit Reflections

Last weekend, I was happily in Aspen, CO, attending the #EdTechTeam Summit! Here are a handful of my key takeaways:

1. It is so important to spend time with people who are positive, hopeful, and optimistic about education! This was my #1 takeaway! The current climate, both nationally and locally, has not been overly positive about teaching, education, and especially the role of technology in education. I know that not everyone feels this way, but sometimes it seems like it - and it wasn't until I had the chance to step out of it to realize how far I had gotten sucked into the negativity. I walked away from the summit feeling refreshed and re-energized for my job!
   
   

   

   Adults enjoy having fun too - #makered is always a hit!

   
   
2. Reaching out, relationally, is awesome. I attended the Colorado Summit in November, and it was huge! While that was really fun, the sheer number of people there meant that running into the same person twice was far less likely! Additionally, it was in my district, so I knew a ton of people there. At this (much smaller) summit, I feel like I really had the opportunity to reach out and have some good conversations with others. I always love hearing how things are going in different parts of the state and country, because it gets me out of my own little world, and I learn so much!
   
   

   

   It wouldn't be a summit without some #BreakoutEDU fun!
   

   
   

3. Share, share away! One of my favorite things about summits is how willing everyone is to share their materials and resources. Sometimes, I get discouraged when other educators are hesitant to share what they have created - we are all teaching kids, right? I've never wanted to force anyone else to reinvent the wheel if I have already done the work! Seeing people freely share and encourage others to steal, copy, iterate, and improve upon resources was like a breath of fresh air.
   
   

   

   Fresh air like my pre-summit walks both mornings -
   how could I not spend some time outside in this beautiful place?
   

   
   
4. It's nice to be a learner. In my role as an Ed Tech Specialist, I lead a lot of PD...and I love it! But I can't remember the last time I attended an event purely as a learner. I did present a couple of sessions at this summit, but I didn't feel the pressure of "being in charge". I didn't have to make sure all of the logistics were taken care of, look around the room to make sure everyone had a seat, check on the food, find the custodian, take pictures, be "on call", or think about setup/cleanup. Don't get me wrong, I really enjoy hosting PD, but it was downright relaxing to be able to just attend the event and not have to worry about the other details! Thanks to all of the Aspen crew who did do this - I know how much work it is!
   
   

   

   Our beautiful facility for the summit!
   

   
   

I am so grateful for the weekend - I didn't know it at the time, but it was exactly what I needed! As usual, #EdTechTeam Summits do not disappoint. Bonus: it gave me some great inspiration for my #GoogleEI application! I may have come home physically tired (a 4-hour drive will do that to you), but mentally & emotionally, it was so worth it!

It was awesome to spend time with my friend & coworker
(& driving companion) @staceyduval5!