#IMMOOC Lead by Example

We want our learning to follow the same guidelines as the students' learning.  If it is best for them, isn't it probably what is best for us?  

If you are a leader, think about your teachers before making a PD mandatory.  Will it truly help them or will they just feel like it is a waste of time? The picture above says a thousand words!

#IMMOOC Sharing is Critical

We need to be more open to share our ideas with one another instead of judge what someone is doing or not doing in their classroom.  I welcome anyone to my classroom to see what we are doing and am willing to share any lesson ideas with others.  I also love to get ideas from other teachers.  I don't always do the lesson exactly how they did it, but I will take the idea and run with it to make it fit for my students and their needs.  

Let's be more open and willing to listen to other's ideas so we can spend less time recreating and more time working with our students!

#IMMOOC What Should the Classroom Look Like?

One of the sad things about being an educator is hearing my fellow educators talking about how they taught this great lesson with students sitting in their desks listening to their lecture, students practicing on a worksheet and the teachers walking around to see how each student is doing.  

Every grade level needs to give students choice and voice in their learning!  We also have to connect their learning to the real world, make time for reflection, give opportunities for innovation and self assessment and build problem solvers who can think critically.  

While I feel it easy to say every grade level, I've never taught higher than second grade.  However, I still believe that those upper grade students should have the same opportunities as lower grade students even though they take an end of year assessment (SOLs in Virginia).

Let's just try it to see how they do!  Give your students a chance to show you!!  Then come back and leave a comment to share what happened!

#IMMOOC Lay the Foundation for Innovation!

Show this graphic to your principal today!!  Every leader should take this advice from George in order to create a willingness for teachers to be more innovative in the classroom.

#IMMOOC Give Opportunities

One of the battles educators face, especially more veteran ones, is figuring out how or even being interested in finding time to use the technology themselves.  But one of the things they don't understand is that our students already know how to use it.  We just have to give them the opportunity to use it in a safe, structured way so that when they are out using it independently, they will do so responsibility!

What types of lessons do you teach about digital citizenship and how to use technology correctly?

#IMMOOC My Educator Inpirations

There are two educators that I continue to learn so much from as they inspire me to create learning opportunities for my students.  One is Alice Keeler, who was on sharing her thoughts just last week about homework and innovation.  The other is Christine Pinto, who is writing a book with Alice Keeler about how to use Google Apps for Education (GAFE) with young students, and writes a blog about it here: GAFE for Littles. 

Both of these ladies have helped break down the barriers for kindergarten students.  Almost daily, I hear the phrase, "They can't do that!"  Well how do we know???  Have you at least given them the opportunity to try?  If your answer is no, then you are prejudging a student before giving them an opportunity to show you if they can do "it" or not.  

I would encourage anyone reading this....to try something new with your students!  Something you have never done before.  Give them an opportunity to show you if they know how to do "it" or not.  I have always been surprised with what my students can teach me about new things!

What is something you have tried with your students or would like to try with them??  Leave a message in the comments, I'd love to hear from you!

#IMMOCC My How Things Can Change!

This week, as I reread part two of The Innovator's Mindset, the quote above really spoke to me because it is what I am up against right now in my school.  Before we can give students the opportunities to learn and grow and be innovative, we have to be able to do that for ourselves.  If teachers only want to do what they did last year because it is easier for them to just copy from their old plan book, they should no longer be teaching!  I also loved how George said in the book that teachers need to consider their job a passion instead of a "job."  

My energy and passion for innovation and technology in kindergarten makes people very uncomfortable if they do not have that same passion.  It can sometimes be a struggle!  As I said last week, I am so fortunate that I have an administration that values my passion and energy and are willing to let me take risks.  Sometimes I fail.  The lesson doesn't go exactly how I envisioned or the technology doesn't work exactly how I wanted it to.  That's ok!  I think on my feet and adjust the lesson in the moment to fit what is best for my students.  After the kids leave, I will rethink what went wrong and develop a plan for the lesson to go a little bit better the next time.  

One of the tools I use to help me with new lesson ideas is Twitter!  While I have not started tweeting my ideas out, I am probably the biggest Twitter stalker out there!  When I open my Twitter app and see that George Couros or Alice Keeler has shared an idea or question stem, I get so excited to see what others are saying.  Because I teach kindergarten, I also follow Christine Pinto who is a kindergarten teacher in California who believes 5 and 6 year olds can use any Google App you give them!  Her website is called GAFE for Littles (GAFE = Google Apps for Education) and she has a tab where teachers can share their Google creations.  

I now believe that even kindergarten students can use something like Google Classroom for workflow with assignments in Google Slides, Google Sheets and Google Docs.  Last year, my students worked together on a Google Slide presentation.  Each student got their own page on the slide.  We used PebbleGo to research animals and then created a page in the class book about that animal.  Does this take longer than a paper pencil activity?  YES!  But is it what is best for the students?  YES!  The time invested in teaching my kindergarten students how to use Google Apps was well worth it when the final product looks like this: 

We also used PebbleGo to research jobs in our community and created this book: 

My students, who were 5 and 6 years old last year, were able to create this document because I gave them the opportunity to do so.  I didn't tell them what to write on their slide.  I didn't tell them what pictures to use.  They researched the animal or job and then shared their learning by typing their sentence.  The Explore tool in Google Slides allowed them to find pictures to go with their writing.  I was so impressed with their willingness to write - they were so excited to share what they had learned!  We shared their work with parents on Seesaw!!!

So....how have you changed over the years or what kind of roadblocks do you have when trying to be innovative in your classroom?  If you have no roadblocks, what kind of lessons or ideas do you have to share with us?  Leave a comment below!  I love to hear what other teachers are doing in their classrooms!

STEAM Ideas in Kindergarten #IMMOCC

My school is creating a new STEAM lab this year!  I am excited to help create the space layout and brainstorm ideas of STEM tools to purchase, craft items needed and other reusable materials to add.  Here is a list of some of the tools that I'd like to have at my fingertips! 1.  Ozobot - These are wonderful robots that students of any age can use.  They do not require any additional technology.  Students program the robots using a color coding system along the black line.  It works kind of like a train where they follow a black line and then change course based on the code that you color along the line. 2. Spheros - These are similar to the Ozobot except some type of i-device is needed to control it.  We have iPads at my school what we will use to program the Sphero to move around the room.  Students will practice basic coding skills when trying to make the Sphero move. 3.  Dash and Dot - These robots are made by Wonder Workshop who also has create 5 or 6 iPad apps to help code the robots.  There are also other add ons that the robots can interact with like an xylophone and a wagon to pull.  This is a great robot to start with if you have not had experience with other robots.  It is very basic and easy to understand for any type of user! 4.  DoInk - This is an app that can be purchased for the iPad or iPhone.  At our school, we are going to purchase the bundle of Green Screening and Animation for our students to use. 5.  Craft Supplies - These are different craft materials that students can use when designing their project.  Some examples are paper bags, sequins, toothpicks, playdough, popsicle sticks, plastic cups, dixie cups, etc. I hope you find this list helpful if you are planning a STEM lab or if you are adding to a lab you already have!  Let me know in the comments if there is something that you have in your lab that I haven't listed!  I'd love to hear your ideas too!!

I am Resilient! #IMMOOC

Let me hear you shout it - I AM RESILIENT!  After reading chapter 3, I knew one of the biggest characteristics of the innovator's mindset that I believed in was being resilient!  I believe that I am here to do what is best for my students.  If I don't believe in myself and my ideas, who will?  

At times, this confidence and resilience can seem like too much for someone who has not yet developed an innovator's mindset.  It can come off to be cocky or annoying.  I get those looks ALL THE TIME when I am talking to other teachers.  It makes me feel sad for those students who are not being given the same opportunities as the students in my class.

Is doing the same ole thing easy?  Absolutely!  But the number one question is:

As educators, we have to think about our students and what is going to be the best for them.  Not what is the easiest for us!  I am so proud to be resilient and am my biggest supporter when it comes to trying new things and thinking new ideas.

I'd love to hear your thoughts....which characteristic best describes you and your teaching?  Leave me a note in the comments!

Writer's Workshop in Kindergarten

In my classroom, writer's workshop is such a fun time of day for my students to express their thoughts.  Here's why they love it: 

- they get to choose their own topic to write about

- they get to decide when they are finished and when to move on to a new book

- they get to choose what writing tools to use (pencils, crayons, markers)

When my students are writing, I am walking around and talking to them about their topics, handwriting, and sentence structure (making sure they have a capital letter, spaces, and a period).  I am also making note of skills that are being misused so that I can develop my next mini lessons for the class.  

There are not behavior problems, because students are so engaged in what they want to write about.  They love having that choice and voice in their work!  

After about 15-20 minutes to independent writing time, we gather back on the rug for a few students to share some of their writing.  Usually, these are students that I see applying the skills I have taught during mini lessons.  I like being able to show examples of how students in our class have applied those skills.  

What do you do for writer's workshop in your classroom?  Do your students have voice and choice over their topics?  I'd love to hear from you in the comments below!

Why Innovate? #IMMOOC

So I started this blog in 2013 so that I could share my ideas about teaching and what I was doing in my classroom.  I also wanted to connect with other teachers around the globe.  Little did I know how much change would happen in just 4 years!  We have added another child to our family, a son who just turned one, and I have totally changed as a teacher. I'm going to use this blog to share my thoughts about innovation in teaching during a study of George Couros's book Innovator's Mindset!  I hope you will enjoy this ride with me! 

My teaching has evolved over the years due to my amazing principal who has encouraged me (and all of us) to step outside of our comfort zone and do everything for the kids in our classroom.  She has asked us to fail forward - take risks, see if they work and make adjustments where needed.  My principal has "allowed me" to explain my thoughts and why I think these are the best ideas, lessons and teaching practices for my students.  For all of that, I am so thankful!  I also had a new team member join me last year who has a huge passion for technology, innovation and relevance.  We would discuss our plans together to brainstorm ideas of how we can make everything we do about our students and how they will gain knowledge and apply it in their adult life.  I am so thankful that this teacher joined my team and we continue to work together for the good of the kids!

For me, #innovation is important in my classroom because I have seen students learn to take a test and answer questions but have no idea what the content really means or how to be a critical thinker or how to even solve a problem without asking for help from a friend or adult.  I want to see my students grow to be the next (or even better) Steve Jobs or Mark Zuckerberg.  In kindergarten, it is easier to encourage students to just create - not even thinking about rules or others' ideas.  #Innovation is about creating or developing something new or different, something that has never been done before.  

If you have read this far, thank you!  I am excited to go on this journey with all of the other educators out there to discover how and why innovation is important!  You can follow along on Twitter with the hashtag #IMMOCC!  I'd love to hear how or why you innovate in your classroom!  Leave your ideas in the comments or questions below!