"But when are we going to REALLY make something?" 

The words cut through my heart like a knife.  I had just finished sharing the guidelines for the coding project assignment. It was simple-- meant to review basic coding and logic skills.  MOST of the students jumped right in-- eager to make their animated projects showing one friend helping another solve a problem.  

As I checked in with each table, I was pleased by the many creative ideas in progress. Some students even went above and beyond what I showed them last year!  Then, at the last table, I asked one sad-eyed third grader if he was okay.  He replied, "Yeah, I'm okay.  But when are we going to REALLY make something?"

I pushed my defensive feelings about my lesson aside, but I was still curious about what he meant. I decided to get some advice from my gloomy little learner.

"What do you mean by your question?" I asked.  "What do you wish you could make?"
I knew exactly what he was going to say.  His seat is next to the shelf of recycled "treasures", so I was sure he would say, "I want to make things out of all this stuff!"

Instead, I was shocked by his response.  "Cats don't talk.  Everything is not true.  I want to make a true story.  I want to make a REAL scene."  And just like that, I realized he was talking about fiction vs. nonfiction.  At the very least, he wanted to do something realistic.

After more conversation, I realized that he wanted to know when he was going to make something like a grownup would make. And making, in his mind, included digital animation. Digital animation is making in my mind, too. Why did I assume that a child would think differently?  

Digital products can vary, and they do not have to be something in a neat little package with a bow-- something that tells a story with a beginning, middle, and end.  Learning needs to follow wonder, and for the following week, the plans had changed. 

As his class walked in the next week, he was the last one through my door.  I was so excited that I whispered in his ear, "We are making something REAL today!"  His eyes got big, but narrowed when he saw Scratch Jr. on the screen again.  

"Everyone think of a scene from your favorite place outside." I pondered with the class, and we began a list of all the things we see in different ecosystems.  Then we started listing verbs-- telling how things in nature react with other things.  Before we knew it, we had programmed, together, a nature scene.  Bats flying, stars twinkling, meteors shooting across the sky.  "Doesn't this look real?" I asked, as I gave one special student a big grin.  

Another student related what we did to Disney/Pixar productions.  Even fiction movies have realistic parts, they discussed.  I gave them some criteria, and they began "REALLY" making things.  Here is what I overheard next:

• "We have to make these smaller because they are farther away!"
• "A bat doesn't just glide through the air; it flaps it's wings at the same time!"
• "How do I make the grass move at the same time?  When a snake goes through grass, it will move a little, too!"
• "We can't have a bird and a bat.  It's not realistic.  One is on the night scene; one is on the day scene.  Is it okay if we make TWO scenes?"

The video clip shows a few of the projects.  The code was MUCH more complex than it was when they made characters move across the screen with speech bubbles.  To program a TRULY realistic scene, the students had to have an overall understanding of the complexities in nature.

The word "perspective" also came up in conversation.  The students had JUST learned about that in art class the week before.  They had been analyzing scenes, noticing how size is something that can vary to show perspective.  My students naturally combined that into their digital animations.  Hearing concepts used across the curriculum is something powerful our students need.  They were making sense of their world!

 Students "REALLY make something" when they can take pride in their work.  When they feel like they've made a connection to THEIR world, then it is REAL to them.  

This summer has been QUITE exciting. Not only did I get the opportunity to attend the KTI Star Summit; I have also been a successful matchmaker in at least one instance.  The energy I feel from recognizing potential connections between people is so invigorating that I am almost as twitterpated as they are. It’s a high. At the Summit, as I was telling people about this romance kindling, I realized I was getting that same “twitterpation high” throughout the week as we learned together.  

After #KTI2019, I am definitely “in a state of nervous excitement” because I see SO MANY connections being made.  Like taking a chance on a new love, many of the connections we made this week will put us on a new path, changing our lives forever.  This also explains why we could still function after the action-packed week of PD. The twitterpation gave us a high in two ways:

1. Finding our own match(es) - These professional connections are thrilling, whether we connect to other people or to new tools and ideas.  We can imagine their potential to make our lives better.
2. Matchmaking - The electrical energy we feel from being a matchmaker is even more powerful than finding matches for ourselves.  We share, we solve problems, and we help others make connections that could change their lives.  

Either way, it’s destiny.  We were brought together for a reason.  

After amazing collaborative experiences— whether a conference, summit, or a brief day of learning together, remember this feeling.  While our KTI Summit experience can never be exactly replicated, we will continue to be matchmakers. We will feel that nervous excitement as we take risks and continue to get to know new ideas and people.  Most importantly, we will have this twitterpated, electric high by matchmaking for those around us (with educational resources). It will bring out the best in all of us, and push us all to be better teachers for our students.  
People can be anxious about taking risks, so here are some things to remember as you help others find their educational matches.

• People struggle to see the positives about themselves.  Point out what makes them awesome. Describe how they can add value to each other’s strengths.
• Remind them that the risk of trying something new does NOT mean it is a “forever” commitment!  They can always call it a learning experience if it #FailsFabulously.
• Some are scared off by that twitterpated feeling— it’s good to have that nervous excitement.  It means you care.
• We are all attracted to different things.  Our matches should not be compared. Obviously we all have specific destinies, but that doesn’t mean we can’t help each other.
• Take it slow; take it fast; pace yourself.  Speed doesn’t matter. Read the situation and do whatever brings out the best in all parties.  It’s not a race to see who can use the most ed tech or who can gain the most Twitter followers.  

Moving forward, if you ever feel like your professional energy is fading, be a matchmaker.  Not only will you bring the electric back to your own career, but you will exponentially light up the entire profession. It’s the power of love… it can change the world.

Do you work with Barney Fife? I think we all do.

Good old Barney Fife… He was my favorite character from The Andy Griffith Show. He was passionate about everything, and tried so hard to impress everyone that he failed miserably every time. Barney followed protocol to the letter, but in the town of Mayberry, his overreactions caused more problems than they helped. Just because he knew everything about the law, did not make him the best law enforcement officer. I started to think about what it would be like to work with Barney. This thought led me to The Mayberry Continuum.

My role as a coach involves instructional technology, but the type of coaching is irrelevant in The Mayberry Continuum. This model's focus is on understanding learners, regardless of content. In Mayberry, a fishing trip with Andy would surely provide insight about all the characters. This analogy reflects my experiences as a coach so far.

The Fishing Trip in Mayberry
Barney, having never fished before in his life, showed up dressed from head to toe in fishing gear. After reading about fishing, he bought every piece of fishing equipment the sales clerk showed him, sure to catch all the fish in the stream.
​
Gomer appeared without any gear-- not even a pole. He has been catching fish with his bare hands since he was a kid. His grandpa showed him that method, and it's the only way to fish, according to Gomer.

Opie brought his pole, a little tackle box with a few supplies, and a can of bait. His dad, Andy, was by his side, ready to teach him how to fish for the first time.

After a few hours of fishing, Barney grew frustrated because he did not catch one fish. He followed every procedure in his fishing manual. At one point, all of his gear threw him off balance and he fell into the stream. Other than that, he followed protocol to the letter. He had no idea why he was unsuccessful.

Gomer caught a few fish. He was soaked from being in the water all day, and fell asleep under a tree because he was so tired from all the hard work of catching fish with his bare hands. He woke up to a screaming Barney Fife who fell headfirst into the stream.

When Gomer pulled Barney out of the water, he made fun of the equipment Barney bought. He said, "That is why I never used a fishing pole, or any of that other new-fangled gear!" They both blamed the equipment for everything that went wrong that day. Barney later tried to fish with his bare hands like Gomer, but after a few minutes, they both had to just sit down and rest as Opie and Andy continued to fish.

Opie caught a dozen fish, and he still had energy to continue. Andy did most of the work when they got the first fish, but Opie caught the last six fish all by himself. Now Andy was only there to give advice as Opie needed it.
Gomer and Barney ignored them at first, but as they saw all the success Opie was having, they started to talk about it. Gomer took Barney's net and waders and headed up stream. Barney walked along a lot easier without those heavy waders, and he used some of Andy's tips as he put his pole in the water. Before they knew it, Barney and Gomer had both caught a few fish. Sure, Barney hit himself in the head with the fish a few times, but with each success came more confidence. They even asked Andy for a few more of his fishing secrets before they left, but Opie was the one to share them.

By the end, they were all successful at fishing. Individual fishing styles were respected, and they all had the tools needed to be the most effective. Those waders made Barney unsteady but were just what Gomer needed. Sure, there were some failures, but someone coached them along the way so they could learn, persevere, and thrive!

That is The Mayberry Continuum, and coaching Mayberry-style can bring out the best in everyone.

The Gomers - They have experience and wisdom that should be respected. The methods or tools that are new can sometimes insult the way they effectively taught in the past. These individuals should be shown how new tools and strategies complement their wisdom, but they should never feel like they need to leave their experience behind. In fact, they should be encouraged to share it!

The Barneys - They think they need to use every new tool or strategy every day, with all students, at all times. These people get overwhelmed easily. They may say, "One more thing we have to fit into our days!" These individuals benefit from discussions about their classroom needs. It helps to talk through which tools or strategies work best for different situations, so the focus is always on the learning.

The Opies - They are excited to try new things, and they ask for help when they need it. It is fun to work with these people because they love learning from others and have a balanced focus on content, pedagogy, and technology integration. Helping others and sharing will build confidence, so we should encourage that.

Sometimes Gomers and Barneys work surprisingly well together, as long as they can leave negative judgements behind. A coach can help people see the value in others so they feel comfortable working and learning together. Some people never want to ask for help, but they observe others trying new things. Just as Gomer and Barney learned fishing tips from Opie, people will learn from each other. Patience, coaching, and collaboration make all the difference. ​

​Giddy - adj. a feeling of elation brought on by students exceeding expectations because they want to.
In my role as a technology coordinator this year, I have had the pleasure of working with teachers across grade levels and subjects.  When I meet with teachers, a consistent request is to use technology to raise the bar for students.  Our student population is top-notch, and teachers recognize the need to increase rigor and responsibility in an authentic way.  I am giddy because of all the successes I have witnessed this year.  This post only highlights one small example of many thrilling learning experiences.   

Rigor. Responsibility. Authenticity.
With so much rigidity in education these days, several teachers made a decision that student-created videos would provide a much needed authentic experience. I expected teachers to use the videos as a culminating project at the end of units.  However, throughout the course of the school year, they used video creation before learning (to build background knowledge), in the middle of units (as formative assessment), as well as for final projects.  Another blog post is coming soon about integrating student-created videos effectively.  For this post, I will focus on one main project.

More Learning, More Questions, Repeat
Let's follow a group of sixth grade students.  At the beginning of the year, they used the green screen and video to create weather forecasts as a culminating project in science.  It was pretty straightforward.  Students used one or two backgrounds and recorded forecasts.  Most of them stood in front of the green screen like typical meteorologists.  After filming, students used basic editing skills in MovieMaker: simple video trimming, adding titles and captions, and creating scrolling credits.  One or two groups added creative twists, and in the hallway after the video screening, I overheard students asking each other about how various effects were achieved either in filming or in editing. 

Fast forward to a mid-year ELA project.  That same group of students worked in groups to create summaries for sections of a novel.  Then, they pieced all the movies into one large movie based on the book.  As the technology coordinator, I worked with the team of teachers in a similar process as the forecasts.  However, this experience was NOTHING like the first project.  The teachers' plans were similar, and so were mine.  The STUDENTS changed!  We never thought to limit the students, because most of the time these same students generally try to do the bare minimum to get "the A" on the project.  In this case, the top rating on the rubric turned into the basic guideline.

Each group wrote a script for a section of the book and rehearsed it.  As students arrived on filming day, several of them were carrying things that were out of the ordinary for a normal school day.  A bowl of fruit, a little wagon, suits, coat hangers, flags, cardboard creations, banana bunches, wigs, pillows, blankets, doctor's bags, and brief cases.  When the first group came down to my room to film, I realized all of those strange items from the morning were props!  The students even dressed in character.  It was amazing how much preparation students did outside of school!  Filming was an even crazier affair.  Some groups planned for twelve or more background changes using the green screen effect.  They even did creative photo editing to make the backgrounds fit the scenes more accurately!  All of those background changes meant that the set had to be adjusted before each scene was shot.    I actually felt like I had lost control at certain points in filming, and that was scary.  One group created a clothes rack "in a department store" by tipping desks upside down and sideways; another knew exactly how the chairs needed to be arranged so they would look like a crib.  I didn't always see their visions, but I decided to trust them.  They were so passionate about the story telling, and the group "directors" knew exactly what was going on.  At the end of the day, I had an iPad full of short clips that were somehow going to retell the story of Letters from Rifka.  I watched a few of the clips, just to review what was accomplished in that whirlwind of a day.  Again I was overtaken with fear.  Those individual clips made no sense. I went and apologized to the teachers for not guiding students as much as I probably should have.  They also seemed a little worried, but they decided to trust the students and allow them to see the project through to the editing phase.  I transferred all the files to the network, and in one "lab" period, most of the groups had their sections pieced together.  Trimming video clips seemed as effortless for them as cutting a piece of paper, and those amazing kids needed very little help from me!  I mainly existed to address questions that began with, "Is it possible to…"  The more students knew, the more questions they asked! What an awesome, natural cycle of learning!  Their visions took shape, and I was impressed. 

Oftentimes when a novel is read, students get the opportunity to compare it to the movie version.  In this case, the students created the movies.  We put all four sections together to tell the entire story.  It was about 20 minutes long.  Since the team of three classes all did the same project, there were three versions of the story.  They all were similar, but there were many differences worth discussing.  That led to deep debates about why some groups chose to emphasize certain scenes over others.  They passionately and respectfully spoke to each other.  Their movies made sense, and they were entertaining!  It wasn't like the never-ending class period of monotonous presentations or reports.  The students laughed or reacted as if they were watching a regular movie!  They were proud of themselves, and the teachers were speechless.  It was clear that the students understood the book in its entirety-- because they wanted to. 

Technology-Enhanced
A friend of mine played devil's advocate with  me one day.  She wondered why we need any technology in schools. "Why can't you just do good old-fashioned skits like when we were in school?"  In her child's school, she has heard a lot about "the devices" alone, but has not seen the direct student benefits.  Unfortunately, that is a common concern among any school stakeholders, with good reasons, I'm sure.  But any tool (even the simple pencil) has the potential to enhance learning or create a negative distraction.  Technology can be a very powerful tool when used effectively!

In this scenario, students took the project more seriously than a typical assignment.  They knew it was going to be saved.  It wasn't just something they stood up and did once.  It wasn't a worksheet that only the teacher would see.  It was valued, even treasured, by students.  It was clear that the students OWNED their "real" assignments.  Groups wanted their projects to be unique.  More importantly, they wanted their videos to be memorable for their classmates.  Students naturally dove deeper into the content.  Of course they did, because they cared.

Secondly, the shyer students flourished!  With a traditional class skit, shy student oftentimes choose the smallest part, and they mumble.  For this video project, those shy students were not threatened.  There were only a few students in the room during filming, and it was more like a practice.  They knew if they made a mistake, it could be "trimmed" during the editing phase.  They were willing to take risks and dramatically act out the parts!  During the movie screening, teachers commented about how they were surprised by the animated performance of some of the most quiet individuals!  Those students were able to gain confidence when they saw the positive reactions from their classmates, too. 

Lastly, it was not about the devices. It was about the learning.  The teachers had the ideas for learning, and I helped by integrating the technology.  In fact, in this school year, my single iPad with a green screen app was used for every project.  Scheduling and sharing was a bit of a juggling act, but it was worth it! Over 200 students created a video for this particular novel, and over 400 student shared my iPad for other green screen projects throughout the year.  For editing, students used a free program that runs on even our most ancient machines.

It is not about the devices, but we do make the most out of the resources we have.  We use them to help our students deepen understanding, ignite passion for learning, and trigger them to ask more questions so that learning in the classroom is only the beginning of an exponential learning process that extends beyond our school walls.

Looking back, I notice these recurring themes in my blog posts:

• I love teaching.
• Student success is really important to me.
• I have admired teachers my whole life.
• Solving problems and helping others is extremely rewarding.

A New Role
I neglected this site for a while because I was lost…professionally.  The name of this blog is Teacher in the Mirror.  This year, I stepped out of the classroom.  How can I blog about my teaching experiences when I am not even in the classroom?  Looking back on this year, I now realize that I should have been blogging along the way.  No matter what my official role is in my district, I am a teacher, and I always will be. 
While I was lost in my world of education, this year's journey has led me to have a deeper understanding of who I am as a professional and how being effective can come in many forms.
The Journey
My district created a few Instructional Technology Coordinator (ITC) positions as a trial for the 2015-2016 school year, so I accepted one of them at the end of last year.  In June, I moved my personal belongings out of my classroom with a heavy heart.  What did I do? How could I leave, even for just a year?  In 11 years, I took very few sick days, and I had a really hard time imagining someone else in my room.  I shed many tears on that last day of school.  And of course, I worried all summer if I had made the wrong choice.
August came, and as I settled into my new building (grades 5-6) with new colleagues, I wondered if they thought, "Who does she think she is?"  Honestly, I thought that myself. Family, friends, colleagues, and past parents asked many questions like, "So you aren't teaching anymore? Did you get tired of teaching? How could you leave your classroom?  You loved it!"
Hearing that made me sad. I was not tired of teaching.  I still love it. I took the ITC opportunity to make a difference in the district.  But then again, what difference could I possibly make?  Little me.  I knew I had to prove to myself that my year away from my classroom was worth it.  Therefore, I made a vow to myself that I would stay true to who I am. I leave every day knowing I did the best I could to make a difference.
Pleasantly Surprised
I was scheduled to train teachers at our first in-service day in August, and I was a nervous wreck.  Teachers can spot a mediocre trainer after only a few minutes together, so I knew being successful would take extra preparation.  I also wanted to gain the respect of my new colleagues.  Teachers' time is valuable, so I tried to make every second meaningful and inspiring. 
All the preparation paid off. I realized quickly that teachers LOVE LEARNING, especially when they can see the direct positive impact it can have on students.  I overheard several teachers talking about ways they could use some of the things they learned.  The day was a success, and I was still a teacher!  Their eyes lit up when they learned new things, just like my third graders' did.
There was no more time for worry after that first day!  One year now seemed like only a short time to share everything!  It was down-to-business and crunch time from that day forward!
Amazed & Proud
The teachers are true professionals! When we collaborate, I am humbled.  They ask insightful questions that go beyond the technology.  Focus is on what students need to learn and how the environment can be arranged to make lessons most effective.  One teacher told me at the beginning of the year, "I'm not tech savvy.  I actually hate technology…. but maybe I could give that one thing a try… with your help."  That teacher went on to have a love-hate relationship with technology.  It was kind of hilarious.  She was one of the first to use the new laptop cart, even though it came with some frustrations.  She reads my technology newsletters thoroughly, and always finds something that she is ready to try.  In fact, that self-proclaimed non-tech-savvy teacher volunteered to be a presenter at our last Technology in-service day!  I was so proud of her!  Actually, half of my new colleagues stepped up to be presenters!  This is only year one of our big technology initiative; imagine what those teachers will do in the future.  Just imagine how their students will benefit! 
I have learned more than I ever thought I would so far this year!  I have also confirmed that:

• I still love teaching (and I AM still a teacher).
• Student success is really important to me.
• I admire teachers, especially my colleagues!
• Solving problems and helping others is extremely rewarding.

Because of this, I will continue to add posts to ​Teacher in the Mirror.  I look forward to sharing my experiences with everyone.  They are too good to keep to myself!

Just after 9:00 in the morning, quiet cheers rang out, and students hurried to get the materials they needed for the lesson.  No, it was not time for science.  It was time for math!  What happened to make them so excited to begin?  I simply gave them one direction:

"Take out your devices.  We are going to have a little quiz before we begin math today."

Were they excited to take a quiz?  Yes, in a sense.

The main reason my students were so excited was because I said, "Take out your devices."  My students all have an Interactive Response Device.  We call them "devices" for short.  They are used to gather data from my students (in the form of little quiz questions), and I use the immediate feedback to drive my instruction throughout the lesson.  They love using the devices.  Here are some of the ways I use the devices to keep students engaged EVERYDAY.  

Expectations
As with any routine classroom procedure, my students know the expectations for using the devices.  They know I have the ability check to see exactly how they are voting.  This keeps students from just pressing any old answer. I also set a timer on the "vote" so students have to respond in a timely fashion.  They know they cannot get "points" if 100% of people do not vote within the specified time.  See below in "Team Work" for more information about the points.  They also know that these "quizzes" are not graded, so the stress level is kept to a minimum.

Team Work
My class works as a team to help each other understand the questions.  It is not unlikely to hear students asking each other for help, or to overhear a student explaining a good strategy to his/her group.  This part of my math lesson plays an integral role in the daily instruction.  Just listening to the dialogue between students allows me to understand so much about where they are in the learning process.  What does this have to do with the devices?  For every question where 100% of my students get the right answer, the class (as a whole) earns points towards a classroom reward.  
There are times when 90% get the right answer.  Students beg me to give them another try.  I do, only if a student volunteers to explain what the 10% incorrect probably did wrong.  The computer never shows the class who answered incorrectly, but I say, "Listen carefully to [so-and-so] if you missed this!"  After a student passionately explains HOW and WHY the correct answer makes sense, there are usually a few more students ready to chime in with more tips.  I also use this as a time to remind students to use math vocabulary in their explanations, but oftentimes, students will beat me to it.  They REALLY work hard to make sure all students understand so they can get points!  On days when the class is especially engaged, I award extra class points!  

Step-by-Step Check
We use devices to answer questions throughout the entire lesson.  Not only do I see what students need to learn, but individuals realize it immediately if they are missing something.  It gives us all immediate feedback.

Each day begins with a review of old material.  Usually students have already completed the questions for morning work, so it is a quick review.  It is easy to see what needs clarification before moving on.  

Before the new lesson begins, I ask a few questions that will be used to check for understanding at the end of the lesson. I also pose them at the beginning to see where my instruction needs to begin.  Students respond with devices, and we keep track of which answers have the most votes. I do not tell the students what the correct answer is.  They know they will have those questions again at the end, and the right answers will be revealed then.

As the lesson progresses, I ask various questions.  My favorite type of question does not require students to complete a whole problem, but rather they are to answer a thinking question.   I may just ask something like, "Do we need to regroup?"  Throughout the lesson, I often ask many yes/no/? questions.  The ? allows for students to show they just do not understand without guessing.  I slow down or speed up depending on the immediate data.  As students show more understanding, I demand more independent work.  

If I get to a part of the lesson where about eight students are consistently missing answers, I give the whole class independent problems to work on as I privately check to see who the struggling students are.  As everyone works quietly, I walk around to check on those specific struggling students.  I do not make it obvious with overwhelming attention on them, but this really helps me with my instruction. 

At the end of the lesson, we go back to those questions from the beginning.  I give students the chance to clarify anything or give tips to the whole class.  Then the students vote on the answers again.  Oftentimes, 100% of students get the correct answer on at least one of them.  When we can, we take time to reflect on why they were able to get the correct answer at the end.  I say, "What did you learn that made the big difference?"  If a student does miss the final questions, sometimes he/she will come to me quietly and ask for a little more help, but if they do not, I can go to them.  I can always privately see how each individual voted, or answered.    

If we do not use the devices, my students are really disappointed (and so am I).  They feel like using them makes lessons more interactive and fun.  I know that using them makes me a more effective teacher, and the learning process is much more efficient.  The devices are... bah ha ha ha ha ha... my secret weapon!