iReflect

 

     My district just had their 2nd edtech conference this weekend.  iEngage Berwyn was a success, and here I am posing with a larger than life "i" with a paper mache dot because, honestly, I am a sucker for art projects.  Seeing such a large one on display at our edtech conference shows how important art integration is to so many of us educators here in Berwyn.  +Joshua Gunderlock did a great job making them.  I had the wonderful +Dana Scalzitti take my picture with the i, but I wasn't quite sure what I was going to do with it.

     And then +George Couros spoke. 

     He said many things that spoke to me as an educator, and as a human being.  He speaks from the heart, and reminds us to remember our purpose, but challenges us to embrace positivity and innovation. He also really likes Justin Timberlake, whom I adore.  So, that's a win.  There were a ton of quotes that went around Twitter from his Keynote, but this one spoke to me loudest as a coach. 

     

     I think this is so incredibly true.  It's not just about doing activities with students, but having them connect it to their own understandings.  It's not just about spending 2 days at a conference, it's about reflecting on it.  I heard so many things from so many educators Friday and Saturday, including @jcouros, @MsMagiera, @askMsQ and #bsd100 staff.  How did their message affect me?

Here I go:

 

I am Leah O'Donnell.

I am proud of the learning that happens at Hiawatha every day because our teachers put students first.  Sometimes that's hard to do, and negativity creeps in.  Find the positive. I need to do it, too.

I am (like most people) afraid of change, but I also see the benefits of change.  That makes me brave enough to take the next step.  Change is an opportunity.

I recognize that I am only who I am because of the people I have worked with along the way.  They are a part of me.  Keep looking for people to be part of your tribe.  

I am who I am.  You can't take the Leah out of Mrs. O'Donnell, and I wouldn't want to.  I tell people when they matter to me, I cry when things touch me, and I take pictures to make memories and capture moments.  It makes me human.

I recognize that other people are not me, and I need to respect that.  Empathy matters.

I learn from my mistakes.  Most times.  I need to fail to sail, but I also need to not seek out failure.  It is a stepping stone, not a destination.  

I love the fact that I can see the wonderful things my #bsd100 staff do, and I recognize it.  There were so many talents to recognize over these 2 days.  It's ok to celebrate the success of others.  

I love learning from others, and connecting with others.  It energizes me.

I want to make a difference in the lives of students in a way that matters.  

I need to challenge myself to "do something nuts" to make myself even better.  But maybe not crazy nuts.  Just slightly nuts.

iEngage, and so do the rest of my colleagues in #bsd100.

Thanks to the iEngage Team for your innovation.  I loved being a small part of your crew.

Special thanks to +Jordan Garrett for taking over this year.  You did amazing.

Thanks to the educators who joined us Friday or Saturday for being part of our PLN.

My newest PLN members from outside of #bsd100? (Follow them!)

@dladenburger

@dlawson78

@ahager22

@MrPRichey

@techcoachben

@jcouros (Keynote)

@MsMagiera (Keynote)

@askMsQ (Keynote)

Thanks to the classrooms who opened their doors to others.  

To see more pictures of the Hiawatha visits or the Saturday conference, click here.

Stay Connected!

iEngage Day #2

     The 2nd day of iEngage, my district's first EdTech conference, was a day of learning and reflection for me.  As John Antonetti said in his opening Keynote, a whole lot of educators came here on a Saturday just to make their craft better.  Just amazing.

     There were so many things that I could write about here, but I decided to go with my top 10 Word Swag big ideas that I used for the @TheEdCollab gathering a few weeks ago.  This time, however, I made them all iEngage green.  If my nails are green, I might as well might make my Word Swags green, too.

     I thought about all the new learning I had been gifted, and I looked over my notes, my tweets, and some links to the slideshows that had been shared.  Picking my top 10 big new understandings and/or inspirations was actually pretty hard.  After some deep reflection, here they are in no particular order:

     I decided to make an 11th one that is actually my own words.  I was giving a session with my principal, +Karen Marino, about Standards Based Grading.  It was a Leadership Strand, so we had some stopping points in there with questions for our participants to think about as leaders.  

     Everyone in a building, from teachers to admins, have the power to be leaders.  Whenever we got to a point in the slideshow with this image, we stopped and had them consider how they were going to use their leadership in their role to move toward SBG.  After the day was over, I was going over the tweets and saw one from my own session by +Robin Sterrett.

     I mean, isn't that the point?  That we all have the power to be leaders and make changes for the betterment of our students?  That we come to learn new things, and really put those things into action when they make a difference for the children sitting in front of us?  Whether we are making decisions that affect 1 student, 28 students, 500 students, or 4,000, we all have the ability to be a leader.  Making tough decisions on a daily basis is at the core of teaching.  Choose your actions using professional judgement, but always with your core values in mind, and make a difference.  Lead the way, now that we are all ready and inspired after #iengagebwyn.

iEngage Day #1

A yellow school bus.

41 dedicated educators.

A district on the cutting edge in the world of educational technology.

A school just filled with fantastic teachers and students!

     I had the pure honor of being part of Day 1 of iEngage Berwyn, an EdTech Conference unlike anything else.  It was a two day conference, with the 1st day being spent touring classrooms while learning is actually occurring, rather that just hearing about it from a presenter.  I had the honor of being a site visit leader, as well as +Bill Davini, +Karen Marino, and +Jodi Meyer.  What an honor to be part of their team!

     

     In the morning, we had a bus filled with 21 people who were given a brief overview of our school and got to see our trailer (above).   In the afternoon, we had 20 visitors.  Because we truly have a fantastic staff, we decided to have an open door policy and let the visitors roam the building.  We simply made signs that said the grade level, the names of the teacher(s), and the type of device they had.  We did make our staff names green if they were presenting at iEngage the next day.  

     We walked around the building, for an hour in the morning and an hour in the afternoon, and just helped answer questions and guide them in the direction they needed to go when they were looking for something specific.  Because we talked to 41 new educators, I learned new things from many of them along the way.  If I wasn't with someone, I would walk into the rooms and take pictures and talk to the kids about their learning. 

I saw teachers teaching other teachers.

I saw students working independently and collaboratively.

I saw students using tech to enhance their learning.

I saw students explain their thinking, to themselves and to adults.

I saw integration of social studies and literacy.

I saw engagement.

     I have to say, I have never been so proud of our teachers and our students.  Room to room, there was learning going on.  In the week of PARCC, a new PARCC specials schedule, F&P testing, Teacher Appreciation Week, a dental clinic, and the first temps in the 80s for the year, we were still engaged.  

     Here are the pictures I took while walking around, plus a few more from Day 2 of the conference. 

https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0B6nSB6nXSloXfjhIU1NvSmUyZXlXXzhIcUJpblgxUHpyVm1SUjA2NkNCeXJOcFNfOFdtTmM&usp=sharing

     I have never been so proud to be a Husky.