As an educator, there is one thing that is consistent in what all educators have to do - professional development. The number one complaint about professional development is most of the time it is a one size fits all, sit and get style. Today, educators are seeking out differentiated professional development that is personalized to meet their needs. I have attended many conferences, workshops, PD throughout my years of teaching and have found the "palooza" of professional development, iPadpalooza. iPadpalooza is a learning festival that takes place at Westlake High School in Austin, Texas. This event is NOT just any ordinary PD, it's a learning festival that brings educators together to learn, connect, and celebrate. I have had the opportunity to hear from keynote speakers like Sir Ken Robinson, Sugata Mitra, Guy Kawasaki, and this year Austin Kleon. All of this is put together by Carl Hooker, Director of Innovation & Digital Learning in the Eanes Independent School District. He is the founder of this learning extravaganza, and brings a unique perspective to learning. Here is what the week of iPadpalooza looks like: Pre-palooza & iLead Academy: Tuesday was the beginning of the conference which held pre-palooza sessions that included makerspace, robotics, coding, drones, and more. While the iLead Academy was an event to grow classroom, campus, and district leaders. This Academy was lead by George Couros, author of Innovator's Mindset. I was fortunate enough to attend this Academy and walked away with many ideas to take back to my campus. THE THREE DAY EVENT: This year the main event began with a slow jam recognizing the sponsors of the event performed by Carl Hooker, Felix Jacomino, and Judy Jacomino. Here are just a few things you can experience in the three days of iPadpalooza! APPMAZING RACE: If you love challenges & competition, then the appmazing race is for you. Once you have signed up with a team of 3 or 4 other racers, then the race begins with a list of many challenges that have to be completed and submitted. There are many selfies, pictures of others, silly team building moment, photobombs, created designs, costumes, and more! iPadpalooza Youth Film Festival: My students have participated the last two years in this film festival. If students move on to the semi-finals then their film is shown on the big screen at Alamo Drafthouse. The students love making videos and there are so many learning opportunities in creating and filming movies. This year our district had 7 films move on to the semi-finals, and Congrats to Walter Bristol, from Rooster Springs Elementary, Dripping Springs ISD, who won the Film Festival with his film: Abductor Pick your own session:
Here is one of the best parts of iPadpalooza, you can pick your own session to attend. What do you want to learn? What will help you grow? There are so many choices that you shouldn't walk away empty handed or feel you have wasted your time. SAVE THE DATE: I can't say enough about the benefits of this event and the learning that it provides. If you have never attended iPadpalooza, then mark your calendars for next year's event: June 5th-8th. THANK YOU! Thank you, Carl Hooker for your amazing vision to begin such an amazing event! Until next year!
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Classroom design is one of those 21st century ideas that seems to be considered last when thinking about making necessary changes to meet the needs of our 21st century students. However, I believe this is one of the first steps we need to take to bridge "what we use to do" with "what we are doing today." When talking about the skills that our students need, these soft skills of collaboration, critical thinking, communication, problem-solving, and time management, we have to look at classroom environment to help encourage these opportunities. When I think of today's classroom, my first vision is Starbucks. Not just because I love their Caramel Frappuccinos, but because of the environment that Starbucks has created. Starbucks has given thought to the design of the door handle when you enter, the flow, lighting and visual cues, seating options, and more. It might be why this coffee shop has become a multi-billion dollar company. It's not enough to have just good coffee. My first thought when thinking about changing the layout of my classroom, is always Starbucks. How do I create this type of environment that provides my students with the best opportunity to learn and become activite and engaged learners? I know, you might be saying, BUT what about the money, where will I get the funds or materials to create this awesome environment for our students. I too know the constraints of funds of a school district, but here are some great resources to help you redesign your classroom:
Donors Choose Connecting teachers in high-need communities with donors who want to help. My favorite place to go and view pictures of what other teachers are doing in their classrooms. A place for inspiration, and building your own. Online Garage Sales People are selling furniture all the time on Facebook garage sales, and sometimes you can find some items for FREE! (Teacher's favorite cost: FREE!) Grants Yes, this is work, but worth every penny. This year, I wrote a grant called "A Grand Invention." I had asked for $1000 to help students build and create their own classroom furniture. So next year, students will be helping build furniture in their own classroom. If you want to redesign your classroom, then don't let anything stop you! If you have great ideas of how to redesign on a budget, then please share. How did you get your inspiration? Where did you get the funds to redesign your classroom? Let's reach out and connect on building better classrooms. I will continue to use Starbucks as my inspiration for the redesign of my classroom! I hope to have students walk into my class and say, this is awesome. While, I hope to have teachers, parents, and administration walk in and see amazing things happening. Not because they are silent, sitting in rows of desks, but because students are engaged and active in their learning. So while I drink my Caramel Frap, I will dream of the redesign I will create for my classroom next year. Thank you Starbucks, not only for the amazing coffee drinks, but for the classroom inspiration. |
Kelly GarnerMy goal as a teacher is to inspire and equip students to dream big and take risks! Archives
August 2016
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