Learning is Change

At this point, collaboration is not optional, not for students and certainly not for educators. But seeking it is not always easy, and it requires us to be humble learners much of the time. I’m okay with that.

Collaboration is not created by the arrangement of desks.

It is always good to remember that flexible seating is not a panacea. Rather, student collaboration is something to build toward by creating the culture of the classroom.

Google Calendar on the web gets a fresh new look

I’m so excited for this update! It will have one of my favorite features from Outlook, side-by-side calendars. It will also look and feel more modern and responsive. Look for it soon.

Designing Group Projects So That Everyone Participates

Group Work is an essential component of most classrooms, but it requires design. Here are some resources and reflection on doing just that.

Worry is sometimes helpful. It can make sure we don’t leave any one or anything behind. But, when we worry for others, we blanket them in something they can’t use. They can use action or empathy. But, worry is a blanket that is too small and thin.

Personalized learning: The importance of teachers in a technology-driven world

Teachers are an absolutely essential component of any personalized learning classroom. Research, like the studies linked to in this article, show this too.

How to ACTUALLY Do Project Based Learning

Here are some great interviews with project-based learning practitioners in podcast form. Fortunately, the transcript makes for some great reading too.

10 Characteristics of Learner Centered Experiences

Sometimes we need a few definitions to help us sort through what we mean by learner-centered or agency. In our quest for better language and ways of framing this shift in our classrooms, this article presents a compelling picture.

Sometimes we have to jump in, with both feet. We need to feel the ground meet us as we land. We need to run fast while looking all around us, making sure we are both heading in the right direction and running with others alongside.

We Show Up

A little bit of inspiration for why Educators show up every day and amazing thing for and with kids.

A Realistic View for Self-Directed Learning

This article makes a compelling case for Lerner agency, and it provides a path to get there. (Also, if you are a sucker for visual representations of difficult teaching ideas, there are some great ones in here too!)

Google’s new browser experiment lets you learn about basic AI

If you have ever wondered what folks were talking about when they said “Machine Learning”, here is a Google experiment you can do yourself to learn more. Both fun and highly informative!

When we look out and see our community gathered: students, parents, teachers, and leaders; I hope we see folks coming together. A sea filled with diverse and essential life, unwilling to be denied. Because we are not a crowd, we are a community.

Aurora Public Schools is making a comeback of sorts – and this pilot school is leading the charge

Not sure I would call it a comeback, but I do think Personalized Learning cohort member, William Smith HS, has been doing innovative and awesome things for and with kids for years.

Micro-credentials for Teachers: What Three Early Adopters Have Learned So Far

Adult Digital Badges, or Micro-credentials, are receiving more and more attention and resources. As we look to implement in APS, it is always good to learn from those who have come before.

We are not the only ones engaged in teaching and learning. Far from it. But, knowing when we should reach out to others and when should we reach to each other for resources/advice is difficult. I tend to use this: Reach out often. Reach in daily.

Three Schools On Three Paths to Personalized Learning Success

A closer look at three schools who have been engaged in Personalized Learning work for the last few years. Lots to learn from!

Present like a pro: these new updates in Slides are designed to make you look good

An absolutely massive update to Google Slides that allows for the integration of student response tools like Pear Deck and creating linked slides that can change content across multiple decks automatically.

When the days get cold, my kids bring out their blankets from bedrooms. They carry them around for warmth, but they tend to leave them behind whenever they get excited or want to fully engage in an activity. I wonder if I’m carrying around blankets too

Where Does Personalized Learning End and Special Education Begin? – EdSurge News

A deep reflection from an educator who sees personalization as one of the core concepts of special education.

Our Untold Stories

Jennie Magiera, a veteran educator, gave in inspiring talk at Google not too long ago. It makes me question, “What stories are we leaving untold in APS?”

Launch Tour Builder Tours in Google Earth with One Click

Now that Google earth is web based, building tours to deepen understanding for places and historical significance is super easy. Students and teachers can create amazing “tours” to explore cultural connections or simply engage more fully with content.

Yesterday, I spoke with a superintendent in Singapore via video conference alongside many other APS educators. He was on the other side of the world, and we were learning from him.

It made me think: “When did Singapore get so close to Aurora, CO?”

Creating a Learning Orientation Versus a Performance Orientation

This fits really well with our Cultures of Thinking work. What kinds of questions are your kids asking most often: Performance questions or Learning questions?

Reflection Facilitated by QR Codes

Reflection is such a huge part of learning, and yet we often find ourselves skipping it because of time constraints. This tech-infused suggestion provides for quick access to reflection questions for kids on their work.

7 Strategies for Personal Professional Learning

Barbara Bray has been writing about how to make learning personal for over a decade and she just keeps digging in deeper. This time she is looking at ways of making Professional Learning more personal, starting with “Teachers are learners too.”

We are pattern recognition machines. We look for them to avoid threats and to embrace opportunities. Sometimes, though, the single unexplainable outlier is far more informative. Why did one child struggle or excel when others did not? It tells a lot.

Bringing digital citizenship into the school curriculum

Digital citizenship is something that must be explicitly taught, but it doesn’t have to be boring, for teachers or for students. Google has new curriculum and a new gamified experience to support both!

5 Common Teaching Practices I’m Kicking to the Curb

In a move of courageous reflective practice, one teacher takes a look at her previous classroom practices and sees which ones will stay and which ones will have to go.

When a child is passionate about her learning, it isn’t a secret. In fact, it is contagious. The fire in the eyes of one learner communicates to all that it is okay to get excited, and you start to see the light spread from one set of eyes to the next.

Case Study: Personalized Learning in Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools

One of the strongest proof points for personalized learning has been Charlotte-Mecklenburg. The latest case study from their work is an in-depth look at the many ways that personalization looks at different schools that have taken it up. Worth the read!

Not Short and Sweet: A Conversation with Students of America (V)

Listening to students about what they want school to be is an essential part of Personalized Learning. The StuVoice movement is a great start!