Oh What A Year… Victories, Lessons, and Paving the Way for Tomorrow

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It has been a while. Indeed, finishing an EdS in Instructional Technology and Media, while working full time and trying to keep up with life, just didn’t leave much blogging time. So with the EdS behind me… and only one class left to help me earn that Instructional Technology Certificate, I am embarking on a summer of reflection and planning for what is to come. I am excited to share the past, and provide a glimpse of the future with you!

This time last year, quite honestly, I was frustrated. After two years in Georgia consulting, I felt like I was spinning my wheels and just never really creating change. I never had time to build relationships, I never had time to collaborate with a teacher and see the growth potential happen. I just felt lost in a field that I truly loved. Yes, I met great people, and had some small victories, but at the end of the day, I wasn’t feeling like I really made any real difference.

Last July, things changed, opportunities arose, and I found myself going back to elementary school after a two year hiatus. It was a risk… as I moved my kids with me, and just hoped that I was making the right decision. Today, I can tell you you it was the best decision I could have ever made. Sara Harp Minter Elementary is a school that is filled with passionate teachers, wonderful students and families, and leadership that you just do not find in most elementary schools. I found myself with teachers who embraced change, students who thrived in a very different learning environment, and administrators who supported every crazy idea that I came up with. If that isn’t an #eduwin I just do not know what is!

So here is a snip-it of what I learned:

  • 45 minutes teaching technology will fly by faster that you could ever imagine
  • Lesson planning with BYOT for 750 kids is a disaster
  • The ease of using Google Chromebooks and Nexus 7’s makes me want to kick BYOT to the curb
  • Flexible seating is a victory on so many levels.. instructional… behavioral… collaborative
  • No matter what degree I have… I will always learn something from kids
  • Having supportive leadership is worth more than any job title in the world
  • Change takes time…. lots and lots of time
  • Relationships can make or break your effectiveness… take time to make the relationships
  • Listen… Listen… Listen… (one I am working on, as I like to talk, talk, talk)

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20150318_073825 (1)Those lessons led to some victories… just to name a few…

  • Kindergarten and first grade teachers, in just three months, dove into Nexus 7 tablets like pros & collaborated with me on a performance based math assessment using Lensoo Create
  • First grade teachers started using Google Classroom & Google Forms… yep.. #awesomeness
  • Second graders used multiple devices and resources to create Google presentations, and Google Drawings
  • Third Graders used Flipgrid to publish parts of stories, narrate sidewalk representations of Georgia Regions, and to create commercials for Mini Society
  • Fourth Grade Used EduCreations, worked in project based learning groups, and fell in love with GeoGuessr
  • Fifth Grade built their own Google Site and every single student met or exceeded technology growth in the state of Georgia (98 % EXCEEDED) (This was a true team effort that would have been impossible without amazing 5th grade teachers!)

 

20150323_105528 (1)And… that is just a taste of what I was lucky enough to be a part of this year. To say in retrospect it was an tremendous growth year is simply and understatement. While I had some small part in these things, these teachers took on so many new learning experiences, and our students truly benefited!

 

 

So what is to come? Well, I could write a whole blog on just that! This summer I will embark on creating20150209_135601 our instructional technology curriculum. Kindergarten and 2nd grade are going to get an extra technology class weekly, and to say I see amazing potential in this, is an understatement. With that, I feel a strong responsibility to make sure the scope and sequence of what we are doing is setting us up for amazing technology integration growth. So stay tuned, as sometime this summer I will be looking for feedback!

Wishing you a happy and learning filled summer!

Jaime

 

 

 

 

 

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