The Challenge Is YOU: Bring ON 2014!

Another year has come and passed. 2013 was full of awesome experiences and challenges for myself. I finished my first year of teaching, got engaged, bought a house, and landed my dream job at my alma mater. It was a lot of steps in one year but steps that have made me into a better, more well rounded person.

As a new year approaches, I always try and reflect on what do I want to accomplish/get better at? My goal for 2014 is to challenge myself to go where I have never gone before. To be bold, daring, and willing to challenge my mind and body in ways they have never been. We has humans have an innate ability to want to stay the same. We are creatures of habit. 2014 for me is all about breaking the habit and challenging myself to be my best. We never get time back in life. Make the most of today so you have no regrets tomorrow!

My challenge to myself is in three core areas: fitness & health, relationship, and education. I can't prevent death, but I can sure as heck lower its odds! With getting married this summer, it is important to work on the most important relationship I have in life, my wife. Lastly, wisdom in life only comes from experience and learning. I look to enrich my mind with classes and experiences that will make me a stronger and wiser person in the mind.

What are you doing to challenge yourself in 2014? Did you make a plan? Goals? Remember, we either get better or worse each day, the choice is yours!  To a happy and healthy 2014! 

-Rob D

An Hour of Code! You Game?

December 9-15 marks computer science education week in our nation. Computer Science Education Week.org has partnered with Code.org, Scratch, Tynker, LightBot, and other successful programming and coding wizards such as Mark Zuckerberg, Bill Gates, and others alike to create fun, engaging, and interactive web based tutorials that teach students the basics of programming and coding. Their mission is for ALL teachers during the week to take ONE HOUR of CODE time out of their usual lessons to let students walk through the tutorials and learn how to program a game, app, holiday card, and much more! At the end of the hour, students can print a certificate that states they completed one hour of code. To learn more visit http://csedweek.org/learn OR http://code.org 

As a business & computer science teacher, I felt I had to jump on this great learning opportunity for my students for several reasons. One, programming and coding is where the jobs are in the future. Two, being able to program is an extremely valuable skill in the workforce. Three, students are very interested in their technology, yet many do not know how it works. “Every person in this country should learn how to program a computer because it teaches you how to think.” –Steve Jobs 

For these reasons, I decided to take a day out of my classes to let the students explore and walk through the tutorials. If you are interested in what I am doing with my lessons, please click the links below. I recommend the first one if you only want to do a day or two, because it touches on the basics of programming. If you want to take more time, let the students pick an option of which tutorial they want to complete.

Many schools DO NOT teach these skills yet programmers and coders are the ROCKSTAR's of our society. They are the ones that make all of the awesome technology work. These are skills that can’t be ignored. Who knows…maybe after an hour of code, your students will want to finish the tutorials and find a passion and career path in life!  

Check out some of the following lessons: 

LESSON #1: Intro tutorial with stages

LESSON#2: Student options with different tutorials

15 Lessons I Learned From My First Year of Teaching

The 2012-2013 school year sparked my first year as a professional teacher and I must say it was a fantastic journey from start to finish. I learned a lot, met a ton of great people, and grew as a person. Below are some of the most important lessons I learned this year. Feel free to comment and add any that you think are important things teachers should know or do. Thanks.

1. Be different: You are unique because you are you! Everyone has different personalities, teaching styles, and strengths. Understand and use them in your classroom. Don't be scared to not be normal. I had a student tell me at the end of the year that I was one of his favorite teachers because I was weird. Intrigued I asked the student, "how do you mean?" He said, "I mean that you are always happy, positive, care about us and always seem excited to be here. I am not used to that."
2. If lecture and notes are your only teaching strategy, please change it up: It has been said that the average students attention span is that of their age. If you are lecturing for over 20 minutes, you have already lost your students. I have found that when I break a 45 minute lesson up into three parts, the students are much more focused and ready to learn. Also, lecture and note taking only reaches one type of learner; analytical according to researcher Dr. Robert Sternberg. It fails to reach the learners who learn best from practical and creative application. 
3. Network like crazy: I was very fortunate to attend a technology conference in Hershey this year where I met a ton of great teachers who actually ended up helping me through parts of this year with ideas and content. Also, if you are not on Twitter, every night of the week there are several education Twitter chats that take place where educators from around the globe gather to discuss emerging trends, current issues, and share fantastic ideas. Through networking and building my personal brand, I met a ton of outstanding people that I know I can count on when I need help or have a question.
   
4. Strive to meet the needs of all learners: In education, if we are not striving to meet the needs of all learners, we are failing them. Twenty or so years ago it was acceptable for teachers to teach one way and expect all student's to get it. We now know that every child learns differently. Differentiating based on student learning profiles, interests, and readiness needs to be a more common practice amongst all teachers. Yes it takes time to differentiate, but by differentiating you are hopefully helping learners maximize their potential.
5. Don't take it personal: One of my strengths yet sometimes a weakness is I care a lot about my students. I want to see them do their best and reach their full potential. Every once in a while you will run into an "immovable force" that no matter what you do, you can't get him or her to give a darn about your class or school. As educators, we have to remember that more times than not, it is not us, rather something we can't control. Continue to give choices, don't give up on the student, and don't take it personal.
6. Set high expectations: I think back to my student teaching experience with Carolyn Cusick at Upper St. Clair High School in Pittsburgh. That woman demanded a lot of me as a student teacher and she had set really high goals and expectations for her students. I learned that students will only reach the level you set for them. Push students to do their best, challenge them, and make them solve real world problems. They may at times moan and groan but if you did it right, they will thank you later.
7. Be a master at time management: As a teacher, you have a lot on your plate. Between lesson planning, creating assignments, grading, managing student and parent relationships, and taking care of other minor things, you need to be a master at managing time. Time is precious, don't waste it. The better you are a managing your time, the more time you have to enjoy your students, co-workers, and personal life. Everyday make a list of several things you must get done and set times where you can work on them.
8. Understand where the kids are: Students today, especially in middle and high school live in a digital world. They text, Tweet, Facebook, Instigram, Snapchat, Vine, play video games, etc. If we are making students do worksheets with pencil and paper all day, everyday, they will hate school because that is not where they live. Like it or not, we compete for their time and attention. If we are not incorporating technology into the curriculum, students will have a major disconnect with school. There are so many great sites, software, and apps to use in class. Use them within the context of your lessons. Your students will appreciate it!
   
9. Reflect and grow constantly: As a first year teacher, I don't feel like I had a lot of time to reflect on anything because I was so busy worrying and planning for the next thing. Next year, I plan to keep a digital journal using Evernote. The great thing about reflection is it allows us to grow. I also learned that sometimes the only way to really learn how to deal with certain situations is to go through them. Every experience you have makes you smarter and wiser.  
10. Build rapport and give positive phone calls: When I first got hired, my boss asked me to call  all 120 students parents/guardians with a positive phone. I set a goal to call all of them by Christmas. It did two things for me. One, it gave me a better rapport with my students and it built a positive reputation amongst parents. I was lucky not to have one negative parent interaction all year.
11. Attitude is a powerful thing: One thing I expect my students to have when they enter my classroom is a positive attitude. Attitude is power and I try to display a positive one everyday for my students. On my mid-year surveys, I asked the students what are two things you like about this class. Over half said they enjoyed my positive attitude and energy. Students thrive of energy and they remember those who entertained not bored to death.
12. Be an innovator and make yourself valuable: One of the many great things about education is you constantly get to be an innovator and help others. This year I started the TCOT (Teacher Collaboration On Technology) Committee. Each month I would host a meet-up where teachers would come in and we would share things that we were doing with technology. It was a great way learn from each other and discuss ideas on how to increase student performance anduse of technology in the classroom. Secondly, volunteer for events and get involved. Students love to see your faces at anything they do outside of the classroom.
13. Don't be scared to ask for help: I was very lucky my first year to have a great mentor in Brad Reist who helped me all of my "rookie" questions. Not only him, but many of the other staff were great in helping me get the answers I needed. Never be scared to ask for help because help is always available.
    
14. Take time for yourself: Again, there is not a lot of "free time" your first year of teaching. You are constantly doing school work and planning. As much as we want the best for our students and want to be great, you have to remember that it is a job and you and your family need attention. Make sure you take a day off to get away from school and re-charge the battery. It helps a ton with your attitude and energy levels.
15. Until they know how much you care, they don't care what you know: If you are in education, it is a good probability that you love working with kids. Make sure your students know how much you care about them and really get to know them as people. It makes it much easier to teach and they care a lot more about your class.

Monthly Technology Meetups: How I Did It & Why They Matter

There are several things very true about education and technology. One, many teachers have a hard time during the year staying on-top of the latest technology trends as they get buried in planning, grading, coaching, etc. Two, administrators don't get a lot of professional development time with teachers so sharing new technology software and techniques sometimes takes a back-burner. Lastly, students using technology in school to learn is the future of our schools and if our teachers are not trained on how to use/impliment it properly, I believe we our failing our students.

This year at my school district (Northern Lebanon), I created a monthly TCOT (Teacher Collaboration On Technology) meetup with the help of the district's technology department. The goal of the monthly meetup is to bring teachers together from around the district to:

1. Create awaress of technology sites/software that can be used effectively in the classroom.
2. Share and discuss ways we can better use technology in the classroom. 
3. Collaborate and learn from each other. 

The group started out small but as the year has went on, it has continued to get more popular. I have had a blast sharing ideas and collaborating with other teachers!

Each meeting, I start by sharing 3-5 technology websites/software that I think teachers can use in the classroom. Examples:

• Evernote
• Remind 101
• Quizlet
• Weebly
• Edmodo 

Next, I pick an education website of the month that teachers can visit to learn more information on their own. Examples:

• Mashable
• Edudemic
• Edutopia

Probably my favorite part of the meetings is I get to teach the teachers how to use a new software. In our early meetings we looked at how to use Twitter to build a PLN, use Edmodo as safe social media alternative, and this month I will be teaching how to use Remind 101: A software that allows you to safely text and remind your students.

Lastly, we spend several minutes sharing and discussing things that are working in the classroom and things we can improve. Overall the meetings last around 45 minutes.

I have provided a link on Google Drive to an example of my PowerPoint I use for the meetings. For those that can't make it, I send the PowerPoint out to all teachers for them to browse through when they get time.

Do you or your school district do something similar? Are you interested in starting something like this at your school? Let me know! There are just to many free and awesome resources for teachers not to be aware of. Any input, comments, and suggestions are greatly appreciated. Thanks!

-RD

PETE & C: We Came, We Learned, We Conquered!

I had the opportunity to attend one the biggest educational technology conferences in the nation on Monday and Tuesday (Feb 11-12) in Hershey, PA and learned a lot about where education is going and how educators are reaching our students in this fast-paced, tech savvy, 21st century.

For starters, the PETE & C conference was packed with educators around the state of PA and surrounding states with one common purpose: To learn more about how we use technology to increase student engagement, learning, and interest. One of the main things I took away from the conference is just how many web tools, apps, and free software is available to educators. If your students have the internet, they can access almost anything free to help them learn and grow. Here is a link to 60 web tools in 60 minutes. So much awesome free stuff!

The idea of FLIPPING out is definitly real and working. I was skeptical about flipping the classroom but after hearing and seeing people that have done it, I am definitly a believer. This summer I will begin working to record my lessons so I can spend more time in class on discussions, reflections, and meaningful work. My big argument against it was what if students don't have internet at home? Two options: One, give them a flash drive to view on a computer. Two, ff they don't have a computer, burn a DVD and have them watch it on their DVD player. Should you FLIP your classroom?


We as humans now live in the era of hyper-connectivity. For me, I had a blast using the #PETEC13 tag while in sessions seeing what people were Tweeting. Twitter is the real deal for educators to learn and build a PLN  (Personal Learning Network). It is just amazing how no one really watches and listens to a presentation anymore using a notepad to take notes. Everyone was on an iPad, smartphone, and laptops. We are becoming masters at multitasking. If you are interesting in learning more about Twitter, here is a link to
everything you need to know and a guide for teachers.

The last presentation I had the opportunity to sit in on was my favorite. Matt Bergman of Hershey Milton School killed it in sharing ways teachers can use Livebinders. Here is a link to his presentation and website Learn, Lead, Grow that has all of the information. The most important thing Matt is doing is making his content accessible 24/7 365 to students which is key in today's learning environment. He also shares some great recipes to reaching ALL learners.

Did you attend the conference? If so, what did you learn that I missed? Any other cool sites we should know about? Thanks.

-RD

Parents & Teachers: Are We Setting The Tech Example?

While on vacation in Florida over break, I came to the realization that kids, teens, and many adults are becoming hopelessly addicted to their phones. I got to hang around two teens for five days and the phone dominated their life. When we went fishing, the phones were out. When we went bowling, the phones were out. When we went to dinner, the phones were out. Now these are great kids and both have wonderful parents who limit the technology use. The problem is they need to check it every five seconds as if the world is ending. I even tested them at dinner to see who could keep their phone away the longest and they only lasted five minutes. 

It isn’t just them but it is all young people who have access to smartphones, iPods, tablets, etc. We are seeing it in commercials, we see it when people are stopped at red lights, and we see it where we shouldn’t see it. Now I teach business & computers and am a huge proponent of using technology for good but it is a matter of knowing when to use it. Maybe we need to come up with a smartphone etiquette curriculum and teach that in schools along with digital citizenship?

I just worry that young people don’t know how to have fun or hold a conversation without an iPhone in their hand. We as a society will never stop technology growth and usage but what we can do as parents and teachers is set the tech example!

Parents and teachers, teach your children when it is acceptable to be on the phone. Set guidelines and rules up for children and stick to them. If you don’t want your son or daughter to have their phone out at the table, don’t do it yourself. If you don’t want your children to text and drive, use Siri voice! Our phones, Facebook, Twitter and everything else are becoming almost, if not as addictive as drugs. Think about that for a second. It is almost as hard to quit Facebook for a month than it is to quit smoking!

Technology is wonderful in so many ways but it can also ruin us as a society. It is changing everything about how we work, live, play, chat, socialize, etc. It is up to us, the parents & teachers, the leaders to show our children what it is like to go outside and play for 30 minutes without Angry Birds. Show them what it is like to go camping in the wilderness. Show them what it is like to explore with the senses. Show them how to build and fix things. We as parents cannot fail our children because if we do, no one in thirty years will know what to do when the satellite goes off…

-RD