tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-76745770681092094172024-03-13T13:16:08.038-05:00No Limits on Learning!Reflections on learning, teaching, leading, and sharing.Kathryn Lasterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17378376328389008590noreply@blogger.comBlogger79125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7674577068109209417.post-23185916726304722662022-08-14T11:21:00.000-05:002022-08-14T11:21:13.476-05:00What are my #FacilitatorGoals?<p> I recently (re)heard the cliche "write the book you want to read," and that sparked my idea of my goal to "Design the PD that I want to attend." </p><p><i>Rabbit-hole: I wanted to find who authored the book quote, and it's most often attributed to Toni Morrison, but there are many <a href="https://bookriot.com/who-said-writing-what-you-need-to-read/" target="_blank">others who shared similar sentiments</a>.</i></p><p>As I wrapped up my first post-2020 summer of providing face-to-face professional learning, and because I attended several events for my <i>own</i> learning, I wanted to reflect on my learning preferences to rethink and refine my own practices.</p><h3 style="text-align: left;">Refining PD Design</h3><p>I have numerous models and frameworks in mind during my PD design process (many based on the book <i>The Art of Gathering</i>) and the purpose of this post is to document my big goals of an ideal PD session.</p><p style="text-align: left;">During the past couple of years, I've really scrutinized elements of workshops, webinars, and events I attended that met (or did <i>not</i> meet) my PD expectations.</p><p style="text-align: left;">I hope that by reflecting on my own preferences and creating this list will help me refine how I design professional learning. </p><div><br /></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb5tY3toGfrGrXuDltM3S7Az_tFmCIQi-wW-0RpEdI-8yUXvNEccUoM2nENYENCSv66fYF5EZDFF46k2GAidUw6-TsIkfPwDm-xBTHMn30x1qxIkOfYaOWPBTkzplx2XGbuGhYxg44g9JaRA5qY8qiYAkrZV1YaFgz3ULW2XL4rnN0hqtceUBstP0q/s1920/PD%20i%20want%20to%20attend.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="illustration with hands crafting; text "#FacilitatorGoals - design the PD I would want to attend." upper right, colorful lightbulb idcon" border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb5tY3toGfrGrXuDltM3S7Az_tFmCIQi-wW-0RpEdI-8yUXvNEccUoM2nENYENCSv66fYF5EZDFF46k2GAidUw6-TsIkfPwDm-xBTHMn30x1qxIkOfYaOWPBTkzplx2XGbuGhYxg44g9JaRA5qY8qiYAkrZV1YaFgz3ULW2XL4rnN0hqtceUBstP0q/w640-h360/PD%20i%20want%20to%20attend.png" title="#FacilitatorGoals" width="640" /></a></div><br /><i><br /></i><p></p><h3 style="text-align: left;">My #FacilitatorGoals</h3><div>I believe a skillful facilitator: </div><div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>knows who the participants are;</li><li>establishes session goals and a purpose and articulates those goals;</li><li>utilizes activities and protocols that engage the learners and allow meaning-making;</li><li>includes storytelling elements/structures;</li><li>builds a safe, inclusive learning community; </li><li>recognizes attendees’ preferences may differ from their own;</li><li>allows time and space for collaboration, reflections, and processing;</li><li>identifies the best format for the delivery of the material;</li><li>ensures session resources are accessible and professional;</li><li>considers the question “What’s the best use of our synchronous time?” </li><li>shares relevant, timely (research-based) information;</li><li>pinpoints ways that learners can immediately apply the new learning;</li><li>integrates technology in meaningful ways to support the learning;</li><li>considers the “container” for session resources and curated materials; </li><li>provides opportunities to extend the learning experience.</li></ul><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div></div></div><div style="text-align: left;">Earlier in the pandemic-times, I wrote about <a href="https://www.nolimitsonlearning.com/2020/08/dont-make-my-mistakes-about-learner.html" target="_blank">my mistakes about learning preferences</a>. I now think that the bottom-line is all about providing <b><i>choice</i></b>. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div>From the previous post, if I'm somehow "required" to provide a tool-based, presentation-style webinar (my least favorite type of session) if I design with this goal list in mind, I can create a meaningful learning experience - even a webinar about a digital tool - that I would like to attend.</div><div><br /></div><div>What would you add to this list of #FacilitatorGoals? And if you're in one of my professional learning sessions and you do <b><i>not</i></b> see me incorporating one of these ideals, please provide that feedback!</div><div><br /></div><div>Always learning and <i>refining</i>.</div><div><br /></div>Kathryn Lasterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17378376328389008590noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7674577068109209417.post-28263828889865097392022-08-07T11:49:00.007-05:002022-08-07T12:00:55.226-05:00Purposeful PD: Launching the Learning (Take 2!)<h3 style="text-align: left;">Inspiration</h3><p>As mentioned <a href="https://www.nolimitsonlearning.com/search?q=art+of+gathering" target="_blank">multiple times in my posts</a>, I'm constantly reflecting on ideas from <a href="https://www.priyaparker.com/thebook" target="_blank">Priya Parker's <i>The Art of Gathering</i></a> to upgrade my professional learning sessions, meetings, and personal gatherings.</p><p>For today's reflections, I share a more <i>structured</i> approach to the way I begin, or as Priya calls it, the <b><i>launch</i></b>. (i.e. How to "<a href="https://www.nolimitsonlearning.com/2021/03/purposeful-pd-begin-with-bang.html" target="_blank">Begin with a Bang</a>" - take 2!)</p><p>I recently collaborated with a new friend who had not heard about <i>The Art of Gathering</i>, and when I tried to explain this information to her, I realized it was <i>a LOT</i>; thus, this post!</p><h3 style="text-align: left;">The Launch</h3><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlmlzbs8o5vh1awb5glitzbiyshFoCuP2-X9GeJXLeXOrjJoBeXiRXGLijMBEsr17vPUkSw0EzBujjilBlaD-COtdAUF4NvLHYJffeh1sMsmeVVwbr2ob8XfeaItQ5o0XOknlwj-vjBhh5LAV40dp6XUCFU5DI8jdnbNuobvLGzJ4hmMc2-NaO4AMY/s960/Launching%20the%20Learning%20Slide.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Title box: Launching the Learning People icon and text: People: Introduce self; Connect to participants via check-in; Participants connect Magnifying glass icon and text: Purpose: Share session -INGs; Share session goals/standards addressed Info icon and text: Logistics: Share session "flow"; Share norms/community agreements; (Possibly) links to resources Lower right: colorful lightbulb icon and @kklaster" border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="960" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlmlzbs8o5vh1awb5glitzbiyshFoCuP2-X9GeJXLeXOrjJoBeXiRXGLijMBEsr17vPUkSw0EzBujjilBlaD-COtdAUF4NvLHYJffeh1sMsmeVVwbr2ob8XfeaItQ5o0XOknlwj-vjBhh5LAV40dp6XUCFU5DI8jdnbNuobvLGzJ4hmMc2-NaO4AMY/w640-h360/Launching%20the%20Learning%20Slide.png" title="Launching the Learning" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Launching the Learning</td></tr></tbody></table><p>In <i>The Art of Gathering</i>, Priya inspires us to find ways to <i>honor</i> and <i>awe</i> our guests.</p><blockquote><div style="text-align: left;">Your opening needs to be a kind of pleasant shock therapy. It should grab people. And in grabbing them, it should both awe the guests and honor them. It must plant in them the paradoxical feeling of being totally welcomed and deeply grateful to be there.</div></blockquote><div style="text-align: left;">I feel the suggestion of honoring and awing guests is a very tall order during a quick webinar about formative assessments with Google Forms, but I'm working on it! 😜</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><p style="text-align: left;">So here's my session flow to <b><i>launch</i></b> a PD session (as of August 2022):</p><h3 style="text-align: left;">People</h3><p>I say hello, check on the participants, and often have participants connect to one another.</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>My intro is typically very short. When I need to establish some quick credibility, I share my number of years of teaching (starting year 33! 🎉) or mention teaching math or working as an instructional coach. </li><li>I frequently share or mention my connection to the material, i.e. if it's a session about podcasts, I share my favorite podcasts.</li><li>Since 2020 (and moving forward), I often begin with a sincere thank you to the participants as a way to <i>honor</i> them and their time.</li><li>Especially since the pandemic, I check on the participants' state of being. The check-in might be a "share your day" in the form of a GIF, put a word in the chat, or fist-to-five how are you.</li><li>For a face-to-face session, I provide a couple of minutes for participants to meet their neighbors. I include a prompt (e.g. share something you've recently learned), a timer, and play a bit of background music. (Shout out to my friend <a href="https://twitter.com/mslkile" target="_blank">Laura</a> for the music addition. In case the participants are new to each other, the music provides a bit of buffer in a quiet room.)</li><li>When connecting during virtual events, I provide discussion prompts for the breakout room and include a suggestion for who starts the conversation, e.g. the person with the shortest name begins the conversation.</li></ul><h4 style="text-align: left;">My Personal <i>People</i> Pet-Peeves: </h4><div>These opinions are for my own preferences, and I realize others' views may differ!</div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Even if it's a recurring meeting, and I've sent a pre-email, I still introduce myself. I don't want to assume that everyone knows who I am. I recently attended a meeting where there were a lot of new people, and the speakers did not introduce themselves, nor were their names listed on the agenda. I felt newer employees did not feel a sense of belonging or connection in that meeting.</li><li>In my PD sessions, I do not share my degrees, colleges, family, pets, a collage of photos of summer vacations, ways I drink coffee, favorite restaurants, etc. (unless it is <i>truly</i> connected to the content of the session.)</li><li> At a district conference this summer, at the <i>end of the day</i>, a participant said, "Thank you for providing time to meet our neighbors. This session is the first one where I've been asked to do that." 😱 The collaboration aspect is my favorite part of this type of event, and how disappointing that wasn't encouraged throughout the day.</li><li>I want to collaborate with session attendees, but I want it to be authentic. If there is an ice-breaker, I want to understand the purpose and how that activity will move the learning forward and connect to the rest of the session objectives. During the past few weeks, I saw a lot of buzz on teacher Twitter about the dreaded back-to-school ice breakers. I agree, and my session attendees will not be lining up by making animal noises. 😳</li></ul></div><p></p><h3 style="text-align: left;">Purpose</h3><p><a href="https://www.nolimitsonlearning.com/2021/03/what-are-ings-of-your-pd-session-or.html" target="_blank">Using -INGs</a> to clarify a meeting or session purpose continues to be a solid approach for me. </p><p>Since that original post, I still love using icons from <a href="https://thenounproject.com/" target="_blank">The Noun Project</a>, but now I know that for my work to be more accessible, I add text to describe each of the icons.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihIfiGIdJuIwHzQsTMCUD7JQSLReAVBLmArDFOsny10tk5zzyYNl-HyIotQhbOeHXNdCHZ5iNFHeqpvHwNvQs0buRzSO2y7U_Pa1HXVH174Ww76vXQGojLhx7G0tBHtl2Wz_XS1GmvjaNBIHHm8WF3wUxzourRAGX4_Vfymtx2BFuH5I891ODvKjb3/s960/Burnout%20INGs.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="decorative slide with title "Today's Focused -INGs." Three icons: book+website, people connected in a triangle, lightbulb; text under each icon is learning, connecting, reflecting" border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="960" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihIfiGIdJuIwHzQsTMCUD7JQSLReAVBLmArDFOsny10tk5zzyYNl-HyIotQhbOeHXNdCHZ5iNFHeqpvHwNvQs0buRzSO2y7U_Pa1HXVH174Ww76vXQGojLhx7G0tBHtl2Wz_XS1GmvjaNBIHHm8WF3wUxzourRAGX4_Vfymtx2BFuH5I891ODvKjb3/w640-h360/Burnout%20INGs.png" title="Today's -INGs" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Slide showing session -INGs (for a webinar on <i>Burnout</i>)</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p style="text-align: left;">Depending on the session, I might also share more details about session objectives or learning outcomes. I always link the PD session to ISTE Standards (and those related to the teacher evaluation system) but I may not spend much time on these during the session. </p><h4 style="text-align: left;">Takeaways from AoG book club members:</h4><p style="text-align: left;">This summer, I facilitated my fourth iteration of an <i>Art of Gathering</i> book club, and the session participants provided additional insight to ideas from the book.</p><div>Chapter 1 of the book is all about the importance of establishing the purpose of your gathering, and I appreciated these reflections:</div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>One participant plans to develop "core" -INGs for her PLCs meetings, but then specify for each meeting which of the -INGs were to be used OR create an additional -ING for a particular meeting.</li><ul><li>I facilitated a group that met quarterly, and our -INGs were problem-solving, networking, and learning. For our May meetup, we added "celebrating" as an additional session purpose.</li><ul></ul></ul><li>Several participants are adding the meeting/session purpose to the top of an agenda or as Slide #1 in a presentation. I think that's a terrific reminder to keep a focus as the meeting designer and it helps establish and communicate a WHY.</li></ul><h3 style="text-align: left;">Logistics</h3><p style="text-align: left;">And now it's time to provide session logistics. Some of the information might be communicated in a pre-email, but the logistics I typically share are the session norms and the agenda "flow." </p><h4 style="text-align: left;">Norms</h4><p style="text-align: left;">I still have mixed feelings about explicity stating norms, and I've been a participant where I've found the session rules very off-putting. (I'm still quite stunned when I hear "put away your devices," but that has happened, even this year. 🙄) I want to respect adult learners and model best practices, but I think there's a fine line with sharing session norms.</p><p style="text-align: left;">Even though we're used to webinar world, I always include a Slide to share the norm "Cameras are your choice," and I think it's important to explicity share that option.</p><p style="text-align: left;">I'm still wondering the best verbiage to use for session norms, and I would love suggestions. Community agreements? Commitments? In 2021, I had the privilege of learning from <a href="https://twitter.com/katricequitter" target="_blank">Katrice Quitter</a> who called our norms the day's <i>Ethos</i>, which I loved.</p><p style="text-align: left;">My friend <a href="https://twitter.com/julzperkins" target="_blank">Julianna</a> and I adapted the <a href="https://www.avid.org/cms/lib/CA02000374/Centricity/Domain/26/Culturally-Relevant-Teaching-Social-Norms-Contract.pdf" target="_blank">AVID A-E-I-O-U norms</a> to create our "Road Rules" for a multi-day workshop. The theme was a PD <i>journey</i>, so we connected all ideas to a road trip.</p><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVfixzk9a6Hsov2VMqLB6dq9STW4B1x1PNbuBRu-UEQUO-J-9ULySz5J6lqN3a2W7Ydl9TlTLZqfze3S31BGmC8L8x7MxTc3ZhoNRcxWvupQ5aT6xfMPHCP-j3FOEG1Ax4xMbqBn1Sbf2RSvU6qSr3rBN7prkfIc1n-1vAPZk0zETKyg4NZAho3Q9K/s960/DRIVE%20norms.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Decorative slide with text: Community Road Rules - DRIVE Develop your own methods. Respect diverse views. Integrate new information. Vocalize feedback. Engage fully. ✨ h/t AVID’s AEIOU Guidelines" border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="960" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVfixzk9a6Hsov2VMqLB6dq9STW4B1x1PNbuBRu-UEQUO-J-9ULySz5J6lqN3a2W7Ydl9TlTLZqfze3S31BGmC8L8x7MxTc3ZhoNRcxWvupQ5aT6xfMPHCP-j3FOEG1Ax4xMbqBn1Sbf2RSvU6qSr3rBN7prkfIc1n-1vAPZk0zETKyg4NZAho3Q9K/w640-h360/DRIVE%20norms.png" title="Community Agreements" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><h4 style="text-align: left;">Flow</h4><p style="text-align: left;">Another shout-out goes to <a href="https://twitter.com/mslkile" target="_blank">Laura</a> for her examples of a session timeline or <i>flow</i>, and I've started adapting and sharing that work as part of my logistics. Laura even includes her session -INGs as part of the timeline, and I've worked to #AdmireAndAcquire that idea, too.</p><p style="text-align: left;">My script sounds something like this: "We have three parts to today's session: first we'll do ABC, then DEF, and then XYZ." I will show a Slide with these points, and I utilize an animation to emphasize each separate step in our journey.</p><h3 style="text-align: left;">Closing</h3><div>One of the benefits of this 3-step approach of<b> people, purpose, logistics</b> is that it reduces my cognitive load because I'm no longer wondering about the order of my session/meeting opening.</div><p style="text-align: left;">If I'm facilitating a 50-minute webinar, I can accomplish all of these objectives in 5 minutes. If I'm leading an academy or longer session, I can expand any of the sections based on the needs of the work. For example, if the session is highly collaborative and is over an extended period of time, I definitely want to expand the <b><i>People</i></b> section to give participants more of an opportunity to connect. In this instance, I might also start the people (and logistics) in some of the pre-work materials, too. </p><p style="text-align: left;">My next wondering: how do I convey this same type of information in an asynchronous, self-directed session? 🤔 I know educators are now looking for more online learning opportunities, and I think the <b>people, purpose, logistics </b>flow still applies, but I need more practice with designing asynchronous courses.</p><h4 style="text-align: left;">Additional Ideas</h4><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Here are a few of my other posts related to <i>The Art of Gathering</i>:</span></p><div><ul><li>In 2021, after a year of webinar-world, I suggested ways to begin PD sessions: <a href="https://www.nolimitsonlearning.com/2021/03/purposeful-pd-begin-with-bang.html" target="_blank">with a bang 🎆, rather than logistics</a>. </li><li>In my post <a href="https://www.nolimitsonlearning.com/2022/02/purposeful-pd-primed-for-learning.html" target="_blank">Primed for Learning</a>, I share strategies I use before the session or event even begins.</li><li>I use the idea of -INGs to help clarify my purpose, and I explain that inspiration in <a href="https://www.nolimitsonlearning.com/2021/03/what-are-ings-of-your-pd-session-or.html" target="_blank">this post</a>.</li></ul><p></p></div><p style="text-align: left;">In what ways do you start your PD sessions? What else is important for the beginning of the session?</p><p style="text-align: left;">I'm always ready to <i><b>launch into learning</b></i>!</p><span><a name='more'></a></span><div><i>P.S. I used <a href="https://excalidraw.com/" target="_blank">excalidraw</a> to create the illustration at the top of this post.</i></div><div><br /></div></div>Kathryn Lasterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17378376328389008590noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7674577068109209417.post-25398027386183654472022-03-17T19:01:00.005-05:002022-03-27T11:04:13.331-05:00I'm Taking Better Breaks to Beat Burnout<p>Know anyone who might be experiencing some form of burnout? 🙋🏻♀️</p><h3 style="text-align: left;">Burnout Background</h3><p>I started curating information about burnout in the fall of 2020 after hearing <a href="https://brenebrown.com/podcast/brene-with-emily-and-amelia-nagoski-on-burnout-and-how-to-complete-the-stress-cycle/" target="_blank">Brené Brown's podcast interview</a> with Drs. Emily and Amelia Nagoski about their book <i><a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/592377/burnout-by-emily-nagoski-phd-and-amelia-nagoski-dma/" target="_blank">Burnout</a></i>. In the spring of 2022, <i>burnout</i> seemed to be the theme of the season, and since I compiled so much information, I thought I would organize and share some of the resources here. </p><p>One key idea I've heard in recent months is that precision of language is important when discussing burnout. Burnout is a <i>continuum</i>, rather than on or off. Burnout is commonly associated with overwork, although a lack of fairness, poor relationships, or a failure to meet values may also lead to burnout.</p><p><a href="https://www.headspace.com/mindfulness/burnout" target="_blank">This article from the Headspace team</a> references research that identifies three subtypes of burnout: frenetic, under-challenged, and worn-out. Each burnout subtype manifests itself in different ways: profound emotional and/or physical exhaustion; feelings of lack of professional efficacy, i.e. feelings that work doesn't matter; and feelings of negativity or cynicism.</p><p>I also now know these burnout "consequences" correspond to categories in <a href="https://hbr.org/2021/03/how-to-measure-burnout-accurately-and-ethically" target="_blank">Christina Maslach's Burnout Inventory</a>. (<a href="https://www.psychosomatik.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Maslach-burnout-inventory-english.pdf" target="_blank">Here's a simple assessment</a>.) </p><h3 style="text-align: left;">Breaks to Beat Burnout</h3><p>Last year, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cFjK5WLpSHE" target="_blank">this video</a> appeared on my Headspace meditation app, and the idea of taking different types of breaks to curtail exhaustion from burnout was a small, concrete, manageable step for me.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="343" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/cFjK5WLpSHE" width="504" youtube-src-id="cFjK5WLpSHE"></iframe></div><br /><p>In the video, Dr. Yousef describes each type of break:</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>macro (at least one day off a month);</li><li>meso (at least a couple of hours of true downtime each week);</li><li>micro (a few minutes each day to breathe, recharge, or move).</li></ul><p></p><p>After watching this video, I decided to get intentional about my breaks. I gathered my resources and now have a three-step plan for my breaks. I also found quotes from additional books that supported these ideas. </p><p><i>By the way, my favorite tool from the past year is <a href="https://readwise.io/" target="_blank">Readwise</a>, which captures highlights from my Kindle books, so this tool helped me quickly find all of the quotes relevant to burnout!</i></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgeb4sV8sjHAhfY0uM4y2BbF8up8yvMWDqW8XDS0g5thCSxNSNeFvqPBHL0IAQ36pcZlqkEHAAj8KIqJh_XLlEONyQd3wPd-A5v_F4o2B-8UV-nAFiXtfC6vkSEUDxRnoirjJIJcbU3leIyTrbB_plMvSiDJC0e2DPoK06jUFB5ErlKpEcN88nOhAFS=s1920" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Taking better breaks. Do it for yourself, icon of phone with no symbol, icon of clipboard and check list. Text: “take the break.” “Step away from the screens.” “Have a plan.”" border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgeb4sV8sjHAhfY0uM4y2BbF8up8yvMWDqW8XDS0g5thCSxNSNeFvqPBHL0IAQ36pcZlqkEHAAj8KIqJh_XLlEONyQd3wPd-A5v_F4o2B-8UV-nAFiXtfC6vkSEUDxRnoirjJIJcbU3leIyTrbB_plMvSiDJC0e2DPoK06jUFB5ErlKpEcN88nOhAFS=w640-h360" title="Taking Better Breaks" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">3 Steps for Taking Better Breaks</td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><h4 style="text-align: left;">Step 1: Take the break!</h4><div>I often feel like my to-do list is overwhelming, and there's no time for breaks, but now I know that break-taking is essential.</div><p>Eve Rodsky in <i><a href="https://www.everodsky.com/unicorn-space" target="_blank">Finding Your Unicorn Space</a></i> implores,</p><blockquote><p>If we want to avoid burning out, we each have to find time to step back; cultivate our curiosities, interests, and passions; and remember who we are apart from our jobs and our family roles.</p></blockquote><p>In his book <i><a href="https://gregmckeown.com/books/essentialism/" target="_blank">Essentialism</a></i>, Greg McKeown says,</p><blockquote>If you believe being overly busy and overextended is evidence of productivity, then you probably believe that creating space to explore, think, and reflect should be kept to a minimum. Yet these very activities are the antidote to the nonessential busyness that infects so many of us. </blockquote><h4 style="text-align: left;">Step 2: Step away from screens. </h4><div>It's easy to think that I'm taking a break from a project by checking email or scrolling Twitter, but now I know that's not a true break.</div><p>From Annie Murphy Paul's book <i><a href="https://anniemurphypaul.com/books/the-extended-mind/" target="_blank">The Extended Mind</a></i>, </p><blockquote><p>We imagine that we’re replenishing the brain’s depleted resources when we spend our breaks doing something that feels different from work—scrolling through Twitter, checking the news, looking at Facebook. The problem is that such activities engage the same brain regions and draw down the same mental capital we use to do our cognition-centric jobs. We resume our duties just as frazzled as before the pause, and maybe more so.</p></blockquote><h4 style="text-align: left;">Step 3: Have a plan for breaks.</h4><p>I need to know what to do during my breaks so I don't return to the habit of mindless scrolling (or continuing my work.) </p><p>I love this entire <a href="https://nesslabs.com/structured-distraction-breaks-at-work" target="_blank">article from Anne-Laure Le Cunff</a> from Ness Labs, and she offers five different possibilities to help make the most of work breaks. These ideas could work for micro or meso breaks:</p><p></p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li>breathe</li><li>socialize</li><li>get into nature</li><li>move</li><li>create</li></ol><p></p><p>This quote comes from <i><a href="https://howtohavefun.com/" target="_blank">The Power of Fun</a></i> by Catherine Price, and she shares fantastic categories for planning for breaks, whether they're micro, meso, or macro.</p><blockquote><p>...think about my leisure time—whether with screens or without—as falling into three categories: connection, creation, and consumption. (I call these the three c’s.) Then I ask myself which of these feel the most enjoyable, nourishing, or satisfying—and in what doses.</p></blockquote><p>I've been working for several months to be more intentional about my breaks, and it seems to be helping. (At least I'm not glued to my device for so many hours of the day!) My go-to micro-break now is a movement break, which often means a single lap around the building. My meso breaks are often consumption (reading for fun) or connections (coffee with a friend), but I'm also working on more creative outlets, such as learning calligraphy. For macro breaks, I'm fortunate to have vacation days, and I'm using my days.</p><p>So what about you? Do you think taking intentional breaks might help with burnout symptoms of exhaustion?</p><p><i>Additional resources and ideas from:</i></p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><i><a href="https://www.ucpress.edu/book/9780520391529/the-end-of-burnout" target="_blank">The End of Burnout</a></i>, Jonathan Malesic (interview on the <a href="https://teachinginhighered.com/podcast/the-end-of-burnout/" target="_blank">Teaching in Higher Ed</a> podcast)</li><li>10% Happier podcast interview with <a href="https://www.tenpercent.com/podcast-episode/leah-weiss-352" target="_blank">Dr. Leah Weiss: Why You're Burning Out and How to Fix It</a></li></ul>Kathryn Lasterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17378376328389008590noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7674577068109209417.post-45964057113966935142022-02-27T10:36:00.001-06:002023-01-20T12:47:32.480-06:00Purposeful PD: Primed for Learning<h2 style="text-align: left;">Preparing Your Participants</h2><p>As mentioned in several other Purposeful PD posts, my new "textbook" for designing professional learning sessions is <i><a href="https://www.priyaparker.com/thebook" target="_blank">The Art of Gathering</a></i> by Priya Parker. Priya's notion that <b>the event begins at the moment of discovery </b>and her quote below inform my thinking about how to prepare participants for the learning experience.</p><blockquote><p>The opening, whether intentionally designed or not, signals to guests what to expect from the experience.</p></blockquote><p>In chapter 5 of the book, Priya explains three concepts about preparing for the gathering: priming (planting seeds for the gathering), ushering (providing a transition time as guests walk into the doors), and launching (<a href="https://www.nolimitsonlearning.com/2021/03/purposeful-pd-begin-with-bang.html" target="_blank">beginning the session with a bang</a>). In this post, I'm refining my thinking about an idea from this chapter, <i><b>priming</b></i>. </p><h3>Primed <i>Before</i> the Session</h3><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjyTsoOWoZoCtYjZ66gFY7S-TB3Z-mvvMsAyDmAQ9rHmFDNH16m1DRUdtSUeHbvCB7axFmLZA4B5I2O-DMvALN7pje1lS7LOEpWT-LMQ-KqMqeJg4GW22-vdLxXmaVN4NSsFcOVxyyio73rCkAF_PEhtlB6ZUg0mJpO5bB8AaSCWqCBt6z22598afQB=s1920" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjyTsoOWoZoCtYjZ66gFY7S-TB3Z-mvvMsAyDmAQ9rHmFDNH16m1DRUdtSUeHbvCB7axFmLZA4B5I2O-DMvALN7pje1lS7LOEpWT-LMQ-KqMqeJg4GW22-vdLxXmaVN4NSsFcOVxyyio73rCkAF_PEhtlB6ZUg0mJpO5bB8AaSCWqCBt6z22598afQB=w640-h360" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><h4 style="text-align: left;">Description and Audience</h4><p>When I heard Priya's phrase "moment of discovery," the first change I made was to refine my session descriptions. Many people find my PD sessions via our organization's event catalog, and before <i>Art of Gathering</i>, I never put too much thought into that description. Even though our registration system is a bit clunky, I now take the time to add more details, enhance the formatting, and specify the audience and level of expertise required for the session (which is a nod to her chapter, <i>Close Doors</i>).</p><h4 style="text-align: left;">Naming</h4><p>Priya suggests <i>naming as priming</i>, and creating session titles is an area of growth for me. But what a difference between sessions called "Workshops" vs "Visioning Labs!" Changing the name of the session or meeting can provide an entirely different feeling for the event. One example and minor tweak I made was when asked to lead our team's yearly book study (over <i>The Art of Gathering!</i>) I changed the title from a book study to a book <i>club</i>, just to provide a little more friendly feel to this work.</p><h4 style="text-align: left;">Pre-Emails as Invitations</h4><p>In <a href="https://www.nolimitsonlearning.com/2021/04/purposeful-pd-how-can-i-extend-learning.html " target="_blank">my post</a> about ways to extend the learning, I shared my ideas and possible content in pre-emails. I didn't reference <i>The Art of Gathering</i> in that post, but the pre-emails certainly utilize the concept of priming participants for the learning. And now I'm even more intentional in those pre-emails and think of them as session invitations. In addition, my favorite collaborator friend Laura started the practice of including a session slide in her pre- and post-emails (<a href="https://twitter.com/mslkile/status/1493678574850740226?s=20&t=1ZKqz-DV1k_Y_lH4AkQktQ" target="_blank">similar to this Tweet</a>) as yet another way to prime the participants. From these pre-emails, our attendees see a preview of the slides, plus the image makes the email more eye-catching and demonstrates the intentionality of the message. In addition, in the book <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00555X8OA/ref=dp_kinw_strp_2" target="_blank"><i>Thinking, Fast and Slow</i></a>, Daniel Kahneman states "...you experience greater cognitive ease in perceiving a word you have seen earlier, and it is this sense of ease that gives you the impression of familiarity." If participants have seen a glimpse of the session content and a preview of your slides, they may have a sense of familiarity when they arrive at the session.</p><h3>Primed at the <i>Beginning</i> of the Session</h3><p>A similar idea about the importance of <i><b>priming</b></i> comes from the learning sciences. In the book, <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Stop-Talking-Start-Influencing-Insights-ebook/dp/B07S98VBL4" target="_blank"><i>Stop Talking, Start Influencing</i></a>, the author Jared Cooney Horvath shares <i>priming</i> as a learning strategy, so I'm now combining ideas about what I understand from <i>The Art of Gathering</i> to the cognitive scientist's view of priming. In the book, he shares these different types of priming:</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><b>concept priming</b> activates facts to guide new incoming information;</li><li><b>expectancy priming</b> activates expectations to guide how others understand various conditions;</li><li><b>strategy priming</b> activates procedures to guide how people perform future tasks.</li></ul><p></p><h4 style="text-align: left;">First impressions count. </h4><p>I related to the example in the book when Dr. Horvath explained what happened when he wore a suit and tie to work with little learners. (The littles saw him as an authority figure and hesitated to respond, an example of expectancy priming.) I've sometimes felt a bit over-dressed during presentations, especially when presenting in the summer on an offsite campus. Most participants are in summer gear, and I'm in my work clothes, which may have led to stilted beginnings. I now realize that might be a result of expectancy priming, so I can work to create a more casual vibe, even while staying in the dress code.</p><p>Recently, my friend Laura and I presented in a high school auditorium, and we were set up on stage. Right before we began, Laura suggested we move off-stage, and I thought that tweak made a difference because it lessened the formality of the session by closing the distance between the participants and us.</p><p>In addition, is expectancy priming in effect when I continue to wear a mask and the rest of the audience is unmasked? </p><h4 style="text-align: left;">First strategies count.</h4><p>These next ideas about priming relate more to Priya's idea of <i>launching</i> a gathering, but I now understand the importance and power of the first moments of a session. Because of the pandemic, I've realized the value of participant check-ins, and that tracks with priming, too. Dr. Horvath shares that recent associations (i.e. what happens right before the PD session begins) impact how people take in and remember new information. Participants enter the session thinking about stressors at home or work, a long commute, lengthy to-do lists, etc. To help mitigate these "recent associations," I start my PD sessions by recognizing the people in the room. I may start with sincerely thanking the group and acknowledging the difficulties. I typically include some type of SEL check-ins, we may set intentions, perform a "brain-dump," or create permissions slips for the learning experience. I want to set the stage (concept priming) so that attendees can be in their best frame of mind for the learning experience.</p><p>In addition, Dr. Horvath writes, "The first strategy we activate can influence how others interpret and tackle future tasks." For my PD sessions, that means if I want participants to collaborate throughout the session, I ask them to immediately say hello in the Zoom chat or talk their neighbor. When we're using a digital document (HyperDoc, collaborative Slides, thought-catcher, etc.) I get the participants typing in that document ASAP. For a recent webinar, we wanted participants to unmute their mics and talk throughout the session (the usual norm is to mute mics) so at the beginning of the session, we broke the script with strategy priming and asked them to all unmute at once and say hello! </p><p>Priming <i>before</i> the event (detailed session description, sending a pre-email/invitation) may take a little extra time, but I believe planting those seeds are terrific ways to prepare participants for the learning.</p><p>Priming at the <i>beginning</i> of the session (the initial strategies) only required a few agenda adjustments and a bit more intentionality. I typically included these types of activities in my session, but activating the learning at the beginning guides participants to a richer learning experience.</p><h3 style="text-align: left;">Impact on Learners</h3><p>A new friend, <a href="https://twitter.com/u2woods" target="_blank">Jen Wood</a>, provided more insight into the power of priming. Jen suggested that priming may help create a safe learning space and lessen stress levels before the event even begins. If learners are introverts, new to the area or roles, unsure about the content, or in any other way feeling a bit unsure about the learning, with a little priming, I can help ease all participants into the learning experience. A thoughtful session description and an intentionally crafted pre-email may shed light on the presenter's personality, provide information and logistical details, and help the attendee feel more at home before they even walk into the building. 🤯 I thought of priming through a "setting the stage" lens, but this observation and insight are grounded in empathy, and I love this interpretation of priming.</p><p>I continue to reflect on and refine my ideas about priming and the concepts in <i>The Art of Gathering</i>. I strive to intentionally design my sessions and prime my participants in meaningful ways, and I hope these actions "signal to them what to expect from the experience." </p><p>There are certainly no limits on learning about best practices for providing professional learning, and I welcome your thoughts, strategies, and feedback!</p><span><a name='more'></a></span><h4 style="text-align: left;">🎧 Bonus: Want a bit of audio related to this post?</h4><p>I recorded this segment about priming (from <i>The Art of Gathering</i>) as a reading reflection, and it reiterates similar ideas in this post. </p><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://share.descript.com/embed/u0jfQfquRFz" width="640"></iframe>Kathryn Lasterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17378376328389008590noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7674577068109209417.post-42390527608342967862021-09-15T20:56:00.000-05:002022-08-07T11:52:04.860-05:00Purposeful PD: Timing is Everything<p>Because of the pandemic and all of the virtual learning experiences, I feel that one of the most important questions I've asked this year is "<i>What's the best use of our synchronous time?</i>" This question is one that I will keep at the forefront of my brain post-pandemic, too.</p><p>I don't often share specific tools here, but one of my favorite finds during the pandemic is the Chrome extension called <a href="https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/slides-timer/nfhjdkmpebifdelclimjfaackjhiglpc?hl=en" target="_blank">Slides Timer</a>. This extension creates a minimal count down, count up, or current time on Google Slides. I can change the fonts, sizes, and locations, so the timer matches my presentation, and it's very unobtrusive. </p><p>So that extension sounds <i>fine</i>, and using timers is a good productivity tip, but after reflecting and chatting with friends, those simple timers are a whole lot more. </p><h2 style="text-align: left;">Generous Authority</h2><p>I've written multiple times about the book <i><a href="https://www.priyaparker.com/thebook" target="_blank">The Art of Gathering</a> </i>by Priya Parker, and one of the chapters that really stretched my thinking was "Don't be a Chill Host." Previously, I wanted my sessions to be conversational, more informal, and laid back. (oops!) Rather than <i>chill</i>, Priya uses the phrase <i>generous authority</i> to describe the hosting goal. What I've learned during the pandemic (and after participating in many webinars) is that timers help me achieve a bit more generous authority.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-W7J45Uh65YM/YUKTw_X_71I/AAAAAAAAC3A/yfFCCJudqy8v_6xjAOfgqDI5DofjSGpJgCLcBGAsYHQ/s960/blog%2Btimer.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt=""Purposeful PD, Timing is everything" and a yellow circle with an hour glass icon in the center; right side, top: icon of person pointing at screen "for the presenter," underneath are 5 icons to represent an audience, "for the audience"" border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="960" height="225" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-W7J45Uh65YM/YUKTw_X_71I/AAAAAAAAC3A/yfFCCJudqy8v_6xjAOfgqDI5DofjSGpJgCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h225/blog%2Btimer.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Timers keep us all on track!</td></tr></tbody></table><h3 style="text-align: left;">Timers keep me on track.</h3><p>Because I constantly remind myself "What's the best use of synchronous time?" and because the professional learning sessions I facilitate are now typically 1-hour or less, rather than a 3- or 6-hour session, every single minute counts. I admit I can talk a bit too long, especially when chatting about a topic I love, so if I add a timer to one of my "teach-piece" slides, it is a prominent reminder for me to not ramble on about my subject.</p><p>My friend Laura and I co-facilitated a particular session, and we had one bit of input where we provided exactly 5-minutes of teaching, so we used Slides Timer. We each shared for about 2.5 minutes and moved on. The timer definitely kept me on track, and in a 50-minute webinar, sticking to that tight timing allowed us to accomplish all of our session goals. </p><h3 style="text-align: left;">Timers keep participants on track.</h3><p>Another component of generous authority is to <i>protect</i> and <i>equalize</i> your guests, or in my case, session participants. If I want to call on three participants from the group discussion, and each person has 1-minute to speak, a timer is important. (Has anyone else been in a webinar where 1-2 people dominate the conversation?) For this example, I would create 3 separate slides, each with a 1-minute timer. The timers help protect the "guests" from overly-chatty participants.</p><p>If I want each person to give a 30-second introduction, I would create a Slide with a 30-second timer and duplicate it for all participants. Now, all participants are <i>equalized</i> and have that 30-seconds timer and a visible cue when their time is up.</p><p>If I want participants to spend 3-minutes reflecting and planning next steps, I add a timer to the slides. If we're taking a 5-minute stretch break, I add a timer to the slides. The participants can check their own work and progress, and a visible timer on the screen really helps in a fast-paced session.</p><h2 style="text-align: left;">Reducing Cognitive Load</h2><p>My friend Dede recently shared the brilliant insight that using Slides Timer reduces the cognitive load for both her and her session participants. 🤯 For one of her highly interactive, 2-day, face-to-face session, Dede had Slides Timers throughout her presentation, and she always had them in the same place on her Slides. Her session had many group activities, each with a different length of time. So instead of looking for her phone each time, remembering to set the timer, and setting a new time length, the timers were built into the slides, so that was one less thing she, as the facilitator, had to worry about!</p><p>She said she saw the participants looking up at the screen throughout the activities, checking how much time they had left for their tasks. They didn't have to assign a time-keeper role, they didn't need to check the times on the phone; they just looked at the presentation screen. It was one less thing for the participants to worry about, too! In addition, I'm sure it was a way to build in trust because if Dede said the participants had 10 minutes to work on a task, they knew she would give them precisely 10 minutes.</p><h3 style="text-align: left;">Other Tips for the Slides Timer</h3><div>Laura, Dede, and I have a few pro tips about using Slides Timer:</div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Laura and I duplicate our Slides and add the actual timer, <<7:00->> for example, on the <i>second</i> slide. The timer begins as soon as I advance to that timer Slide, so I set up the activity on the first slide, and as the activity begins, I advance to the next Slide with the actual timer. Participants can still see all of the directions and info, and I add the timer to any spare space on the Slide.</li><li>Dede's tip, especially if there are a lot of activities, all with different time lengths, is to add a tiny reminder on the first slide of the upcoming activity length to reduce cognitive load. "For the next activity, you'll have <i>[checks the bottom of the slide]</i> 7 minutes to complete the tasks listed..."</li></ul><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yaBwdCG0i0w/YUKcB5H6cDI/AAAAAAAAC3I/zVA4x8Qjw8MPbKaUQl_eEDo4BjFOZ0n1wCLcBGAsYHQ/s960/blog%2Btimer%2B3.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="960" height="180" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yaBwdCG0i0w/YUKcB5H6cDI/AAAAAAAAC3I/zVA4x8Qjw8MPbKaUQl_eEDo4BjFOZ0n1wCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/blog%2Btimer%2B3.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Slide 1: tiny reminder at the bottom of the slide</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XbgnDp6NolQ/YUKcB2MJjCI/AAAAAAAAC3M/2_7wt9nDqmMQTaE39AK5wMkgx9fMhgF5QCLcBGAsYHQ/s960/blog%2Btimer%2B4.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="960" height="180" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XbgnDp6NolQ/YUKcB2MJjCI/AAAAAAAAC3M/2_7wt9nDqmMQTaE39AK5wMkgx9fMhgF5QCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/blog%2Btimer%2B4.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Slide 2: timer in edit mode <br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-z9clPrfshmo/YUKcZF6AyyI/AAAAAAAAC3Y/2lWBlmw1NKIqYRKvH3CzfJWMwXcPPU4pwCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/Screen%2BShot%2B2021-09-15%2Bat%2B8.22.12%2BPM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="2048" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-z9clPrfshmo/YUKcZF6AyyI/AAAAAAAAC3Y/2lWBlmw1NKIqYRKvH3CzfJWMwXcPPU4pwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Screen%2BShot%2B2021-09-15%2Bat%2B8.22.12%2BPM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Slide 2: timer in present mode</td></tr></tbody></table></div></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>The Slides Timer count up/down begins as soon as I advance the Slide. To reset the timer, I have to escape the presentation, and then present again.</li><li>As far as I can tell, the Slides Timer extension does not work in Slides preview mode or "Publish to the web" mode. </li><li>Because of the << >> symbols and other formatting, it's a challenge to get the timer perfectly aligned. I've only used the timer in a text box, but I recently read that adding the timer to a shape works, so that might help with the formatting. </li><li>The timer does not include sound; it's just a visual reminder.</li></ul></div><p>There are many ways to include and embed timers, but <a href="https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/slides-timer/nfhjdkmpebifdelclimjfaackjhiglpc?hl=en" target="_blank">the Slides Timer extension</a> is my current favorite since I use Google Slides for my presentations. In what other ways can we use Slides Timer to make the best use of our synchronous time, host with generous authority, and reduce cognitive load? It's a true win for designing professional learning when a small Chrome extension, like Slides Timer, can truly enhance my purposeful PD!</p>Kathryn Lasterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17378376328389008590noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7674577068109209417.post-15727640602754510192021-08-24T14:09:00.000-05:002022-08-07T11:51:58.306-05:00Purposeful PD: Knowing Me, Knowing You<p>Over the past few years, I've been reflecting on my <i>own</i> learning preferences, which leads me to consider how I design professional learning for others.</p><p><i>(Yes, the <a href="https://open.spotify.com/track/798cuJeotvXP8UVa8GJPnD?si=ce78ddf32c5b4739" target="_blank">ABBA song "Knowing Me Knowing You"</a> inspired the title of this post, but these reflections aren't too much about a breakup! Feel free to listen to the song as you read along. 😄)</i></p><p>I first shared the <i>Elements of Powerful Learning Design</i> in <a href="https://www.nolimitsonlearning.com/2019/01/youtube-for-learning.html" target="_blank">this post in 2019</a>, and because of the pandemic, I changed my views about using video and YouTube for learning. <a href="https://www.nolimitsonlearning.com/2020/08/dont-make-my-mistakes-about-learner.html" target="_blank">In this post</a>, I reflected on what I learned during 2020 related to designing professional learning.</p><p>Bottom line: preferences change. I'm writing this post in August, which means the beginning of a new school year, so I think it's a good time to think again about my own learning preferences and how I might use these understandings to design purposeful professional development for others.</p><p>In <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/New-Pillars-Modern-Teaching-Solutions-ebook/dp/B01779Y598/" target="_blank">The New Pillars of Modern Teaching</a></i> (mentioned many times in this blog) Gayle created these categories as the Elements of Powerful Learning Design: time, place, medium, and socialness.</p><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vgjT4ivM5_8/YSPKVeBkeMI/AAAAAAAAC2c/RgW3q6z_dOI-NattP2KA0uBSgndK6OlnQCLcBGAsYHQ/s960/Powerful%2Blearning%2Bdesign.jpeg"><img alt="Elements of Powerful Learning Design from The New Pillars of Modern Teaching. Icons indicate time, place, medium, and socialness" border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="960" height="180" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vgjT4ivM5_8/YSPKVeBkeMI/AAAAAAAAC2c/RgW3q6z_dOI-NattP2KA0uBSgndK6OlnQCLcBGAsYHQ/w320-h180/Powerful%2Blearning%2Bdesign.jpeg" title="Elements of Powerful Learning Design" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">Knowing me: reflecting on my <i>own</i> learning preferences </h3><div style="text-align: left;">As you read, I encourage you to grab a sticky note and reflect on your own learning preferences because, like me, your preferences may have changed during the pandemic. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Here are a few questions to reflect on your own preferences. (Answer on your sticky note!)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><ol style="text-align: left;"><li>How much <b style="background-color: #daf3f4;">time</b> do you like to spend learning? Do you like short bursts of time, like TikTok videos, quick blog posts, or fast-paced Twitter chats? Or do you prefer extended conferences or courses or long-form reads? What is your ideal <b style="background-color: #daf3f4;">time</b> of day to learn? Are you an owl (evening person) or a lark (morning person)? My time preferences remain the same as pre-pandemic; I look for longer stretches of learning held early in the day.</li><li>In what <b style="background-color: #faf4e0;">place</b> do you want to learn? The place could mean online or face-to-face. It could also mean in a classroom, coffee shop, or on a couch. This area is one that really changed for me during 2020-'21. I used to prefer a more "formal" setting, but now I want to learn at home, on my couch. </li><li>What is your preferred learning <b style="background-color: #fedde7;">medium</b>? I feel this category is the one we think about first (text, audio, video, images) but it's not the only category. I still rate myself as a text-first kind of person, and I'm now consuming a lot more books than in recent years. I still love to find small learning nuggets from listening to podcasts. But because of the pandemic, I also have a new appreciation for videos, especially when I can change the video speed.</li><li>What level of <b style="background-color: #fcede1;">socialness</b> do you need in your learning experiences? My preference has always been to work with one or two thinking partners, and this category was the one that was sometimes absent during the pandemic. I knew (from my love for the online course #ClassyGraphics) that virtual, asynchronous collaboration worked for me. And from 2020-'21, I learned that I can collaborate via Zoom just as well (or almost as well) as face-to-face. I noticed the <i>lack</i> of socialness during multi-day, online events. I hopped from one virtual session to the next, participated somewhat in the chats, but I missed session debriefs, hallway conversations, or other types of post-event sharing. (Note to self: embed socialness into future online events!)</li></ol>If you understood your own learning preferences prior to 2020, did anything change this year? Which one of the preferences is your priority when you design your own learning? For me (and maybe that's because of pandemic times) I'm willing to choose a <i>social</i> learning event, even if the time and medium do not meet my preferences. </div><h3>Knowing you: designing purposeful professional learning for <i>others</i></h3><div>As I wrote in the previous learning preferences posts, I know that when I created professional learning for others, I <i>sometimes</i> leaned into designing for my own preferences. I think that strategy is OK-<i>ish</i> because I want to develop PD that I would want to attend. </div><div><br /></div><div>What makes understanding the four elements of learning design (time, place, medium, and socialness) <i>powerful</i> is when I design PD with these categories in mind, I create opportunities for <b>choice</b> and <b>voice</b>. </div><div><br /></div><div>One of the "wins" for our organization in 2020-'21 was that the consultants created many sessions in a variety of formats. During the past summer, our participants could learn by attending 1-hour webinars, 3- or 6- hour live sessions; short asynchronous sessions, long self-paced online classes, and collaborative book studies. Our participants had so much choice with the <b style="background-color: #daf3f4;">time</b> of day and length of <b style="background-color: #daf3f4;">time</b><span style="background-color: white;"> of their sessions. They could attend in </span>virtual or "real" <b style="background-color: #faf4e0;">places</b>. In all sessions, the <b style="background-color: #fcede1;">socialness</b> varied, from collaborating in the Zoom chat or breakout rooms to working in small groups when face-to-face. For <b style="background-color: #fedde7;">medium</b>, our sessions across the organization included (original and found) content from videos, podcasts, books, blogs, and tweets. Participants also had options in their output, i.e. how they demonstrated their learning. </div><div><br /></div><div>If my sessions did not meet others' preferences, I was not <i>too</i> worried because there were so many other formats and choices available. But designing professional learning to meet the needs of my audience is an area of growth for me, and by capturing these reflections, I hope I'm more cognizant of when my <i>own</i> preferences overtake the PD sessions I create.</div><div><br /></div><div>One solution comes from my friend Julianna, who is an Instructional Designer on my team. She (mostly) creates online courses, and before she begins designing a new course, she develops a "character" for the class, i.e. a typical course participant, and keeps that educator in mind as she designs the work. </div><div><br /></div><div>Another adjustment I've made is to be more transparent in the session description about the purpose, expectations, and format of the session. (This idea comes from concepts in the book <a href="https://www.priyaparker.com/thebook" target="_blank"><i>The Art of Gathering</i></a>.) At the beginning of the pandemic, I know participants left the session as soon as I opened Zoom breakout rooms because they were not feeling social...and that's OK! As Priya Parker discusses in her book, the event begins "at the moment of discovery," which for me means when someone reads the session description. I now include phrases like "collaborate in breakout rooms," or "independently reflect on resources" to give potential participants a better idea of what's in store for the session. </div><div><br /></div><div>And that type of information helps others take ownership of their own learning, too!</div><div><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">Informed to Transform</h3><div>During the start of the pandemic in 2020, my colleague Laura and I created a podcast series called <i><a href="https://twitter.com/DigLearnRadio/status/1265256720219209729?s=20" target="_blank">From Triage to Transformation</a></i>, and we considered how learning might be transformed post-pandemic. Here's one episode where the focus was learning design for educators.</div><div><br /><iframe allowfullscreen="" height="90" mozallowfullscreen="" msallowfullscreen="" oallowfullscreen="" scrolling="no" src="//html5-player.libsyn.com/embed/episode/id/14098133/height/90/theme/custom/thumbnail/no/direction/backward/render-playlist/no/custom-color/999d9d/" style="border: none;" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="100%"></iframe></div><div><br /></div><div>We analyze our <i>own</i> favorite learning experiences based on time, place, medium, and socialness, and in this episode, Laura asks,</div><blockquote><div>How do we take our best learning experiences to inform and transform the design of what we're building?</div></blockquote><div>When I understand my own preferences (knowing me) I am able to broaden my scope of how I design for others (knowing you).</div><div><br /></div><div>Always learning.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Kathryn Lasterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17378376328389008590noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7674577068109209417.post-34838579638134993472021-04-05T14:10:00.000-05:002021-04-05T14:13:33.620-05:00Purposeful PD: How can I extend the learning experience?<p>Several years ago, I became part of a committee that developed a new framework for how our service center "does" professional learning. (By the way, my director Craig gave me the book <i>The New Pillars of Modern Teaching</i> to help prepare for this committee work, and that book completely changed how I think about teaching and learning. nbd 😉 Many of my recent blog posts include <i>some</i> connection to <a href="https://www.nolimitsonlearning.com/search/label/Pillars" target="_blank">Pillars</a>.)</p><p>From that committee work, we developed our organization's Professional Learning Model (PLM). At the core of our PLM are seven "Design Essentials," and these elements <i>should</i> be part of every one of our professional learning experiences (or meetings): application, choice, collaboration, critical thinking, curation, extension, and feedback. Choice (design), curation, and feedback are also from <i>The New Pillars</i>.</p><p>My teammates and I embraced utilizing our PLM, but it has not completely caught on center-wide YET. We're now working on the updated version of our PLM, named the PLM+ (a la Disney+). Because of the pandemic, we're also including what the elements now look like in both face-to-face and virtual learning experiences.</p><p>One of our Design Essentials that I've focused on this year is <i><b>extension</b></i>. We know that "drive-by PD," and "one-and-done PD" does not work, so extension helps address the question:</p><blockquote><p>How might we increase the amount of time participants are engaging with content?</p></blockquote><p>This year, in Zoom and webinar-worlds, my addendum to this question is "What's the best use of our synchronous time?" This question led me to ask what learning can happen <i>prior</i> to or <i>post</i> the face-to-face PD session? Pre-pandemic, I typically had <i>some</i> ideas for pre- and post- PD, but this year provided the opportunity to be more intentional about my strategies and ways to extend the learning.</p><p>When we first started Zoom-ing, I created a little video to show how to use the chat, join breakout rooms, and rename yourself in Zoom, and I sent that in a pre-email. After sessions, I typically sent a follow-up email that includes the link to the slide deck, just in case someone missed it or didn't bookmark it during the webinar. As we became more familiar with Zoom, and as my pre- and post-work became more intentional, I realized the tasks fell into one of these four categories: logistics, community building, content, and information gathering.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Z49TcsYhw14/YGtT8IDsG1I/AAAAAAAACw0/3udBTsaJL4YabDRf8ClrDrDfu1SkU7GuQCLcBGAsYHQ/s960/Pre-%2Band%2BPost-%2BPD.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Pre-and Post-[Purposeful] PD: logistics, community building, content, information gathering" border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="960" height="225" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Z49TcsYhw14/YGtT8IDsG1I/AAAAAAAACw0/3udBTsaJL4YabDRf8ClrDrDfu1SkU7GuQCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h225/Pre-%2Band%2BPost-%2BPD.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pre- and Post- work might fall into these categories</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><h4 style="text-align: left;">Pre-PD</h4><p>Depending on the complexity of pre-work tasks, I send emails 1 - 3 days prior to my professional learning sessions. Because my webinar sessions are rarely over 1-hour, I want our face-to-face time to be as meaningful as possible. I also understand the demand of educators' lives, especially now, so the pre-work tasks typically consist of small activities such as post an idea on a Jamboard, download an app, watch this video (<5 minutes). For a recent session about curation, I asked participants to watch a little video that described our definition and details about curation. During our face-to-face session, we didn't need to reiterate that definition in much detail; instead, we spent time collaborating and sharing ideas. </p><p>Here are a few ideas for each of the four categories for Pre-PD:</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><b>logistics:</b> schedule, location; how to navigate technology; clarify the agenda and audience</li><li><b>community building:</b> presenter's welcome (video or text); participants' welcomes (collaborative slides, Flipgrid, Twitter hashtag)</li><li><b>content: </b>watch a video or read an article; reflect on a teaching practice; bring a lesson or assessment</li><li><b>information gathering:</b> needs assessment; readiness assessment; "inclusify-ing," such as asking for name pronunciation, pronouns, and a favorite song</li></ul><div>Here's an example of a recent pre-email. Which of the categories above did I include?</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ianHfg_WVF0/YGtgLYSycbI/AAAAAAAACxI/enTuQucY8rI5Y8J_-Cw9z2t53UuaCDKoQCLcBGAsYHQ/s2480/pre-email.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="664" data-original-width="2480" height="172" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ianHfg_WVF0/YGtgLYSycbI/AAAAAAAACxI/enTuQucY8rI5Y8J_-Cw9z2t53UuaCDKoQCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h172/pre-email.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pre-email example</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><h4 style="text-align: left;">Post-PD</h4><p></p><div></div><p></p><div>After the professional learning experience, I hope participants keep thinking about the session, and I want to ensure they have access to session materials. Possible ideas for what I send in post emails:</div><div></div><p></p><ul><li><b>logistics:</b> link to slides/recording, certificate, subsequent sessions</li><li><b>community building:</b> a platform to continue networking (hashtag, discussion board)</li><li><b>content:</b> share evidence of implementation or reflections (possibly for additional "credit")</li><li><b>information gathering:</b> provide additional curated resources or allow participants to share more resources; feedback surveys</li></ul><div>Here's a post-email. Is this too much information for after a session? (I'm still working on <i>"How do I know this practice is effective?")</i></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-v8LDHCVvyeo/YGtZ5lOOxNI/AAAAAAAACxA/d1LBkU31Y1scefPyyFZuPOBNqjWubZWowCLcBGAsYHQ/s1898/Screen%2BShot%2B2021-04-05%2Bat%2B1.40.06%2BPM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="680" data-original-width="1898" height="230" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-v8LDHCVvyeo/YGtZ5lOOxNI/AAAAAAAACxA/d1LBkU31Y1scefPyyFZuPOBNqjWubZWowCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h230/Screen%2BShot%2B2021-04-05%2Bat%2B1.40.06%2BPM.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Post-email example</td></tr></tbody></table><p>Extending the learning doesn't completely alleviate the one-and-done PD problem, and in a future post, I'll address ideas to help the learning transfer. Taking care of a tiny bit of work prior to and after the session allows me to focus on the best use of synchronous time. </p><p>Are there more effective ways to extend the learning beyond face-to-face time? Will any of these practices transfer to classrooms? (These ideas really remind me of the original flipped classroom methods.) What else can professional learning designers do to ensure the learning is not an example of drive-by PD?</p><p>Always learning about extending (and transforming) professional learning... 🤔</p>Kathryn Lasterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17378376328389008590noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7674577068109209417.post-20065756563738589042021-03-27T14:45:00.000-05:002022-08-07T11:50:30.986-05:00Purposeful PD: Begin with a Bang<p>I recently <a href="https://www.nolimitsonlearning.com/p/what.html" target="_blank">reflected on my journey</a> as a professional learning <i>facilitator,</i> so after one full year of remote learning, </p><blockquote><p>I can now admit that I am completely obsessed with improving how I design professional learning experiences.</p></blockquote><p>In previous posts, I shared reflections on <a href="https://www.nolimitsonlearning.com/2020/08/dont-make-my-mistakes-about-learner.html" target="_blank">my learning preferences</a> and developing my PD session's purpose in the <a href="https://www.nolimitsonlearning.com/2021/03/what-are-ings-of-your-pd-session-or.html" target="_blank">form of -INGs</a>, and now I'm working to strengthen how I <i>begin</i> my professional learning sessions. </p><p>I have <i>a lot</i> of experience planning professional learning, but hearing Gayle Allen's <a href="https://www.gayleallen.net/cm-113-priya-parker-on-designing-better-meetings/" target="_blank"><i>Curious Minds</i> podcast interview with Priya Parker</a> made me realize I had <i>a lot</i> of growing to do. This episode was released in 2018, so I've been working on these upgrades for almost three years! I'm now completely obsessed with Priya's book, <i><a href="https://www.priyaparker.com/thebook" target="_blank">The Art of Gathering</a></i>. The examples in her book range from dinner parties, to corporate boardrooms, to city-wide events, and I feel I can apply most of her ideas to educational settings, specifically PD sessions, whether they're virtual or face-to-face events. (By the way, Priya says a gathering occurs any time three or more people come together with a <i>purpose</i>. A gathering is time-bound and has a beginning, middle, and end. So a PD session definitely qualifies as a gathering.)</p><p style="text-align: left;">A story from <a href="https://www.gayleallen.net/cm-113-priya-parker-on-designing-better-meetings/" target="_blank">Gayle's interview</a> that really struck me was about Priya's chapter, <i>Never Start a Funeral with Logistic</i>s. Here's that clip of the interview: </p><p style="text-align: left;"><iframe frameborder="0" height="300px" loading="lazy" scrolling="no" src="https://www.listennotes.com/clips/cm-113-priya-parker-on-designing-better-meetings--QRZ_agez1A/embed/" style="min-width: 100%; width: 1px;" width="100%"></iframe>As soon as I heard that story, I thought YIKES. How many times have I started my session with a list of norms and logistics? Once I knew better, I could easily do better, and now I start my meetings with purpose. The "How to Start" ideas tend to fall into one of these categories.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jktneRxEavk/YF9zbB4hPTI/AAAAAAAACwE/IPa9dULNh64qWonhj2IW5fCvcH1FmdR9wCLcBGAsYHQ/s960/Begin%2Bwith%2Ba%2BBang%2BPPD.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Purposeful PD: begin with a bang (icon for a map and starting point) goals (target icon), recognitions (award ribbon icon) SEL check in (emoji icons), community building (people together icon)" border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="960" height="225" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jktneRxEavk/YF9zbB4hPTI/AAAAAAAACwE/IPa9dULNh64qWonhj2IW5fCvcH1FmdR9wCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h225/Begin%2Bwith%2Ba%2BBang%2BPPD.png" title="Begin PD with a Bang graphic" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">How I want to begin my PD sessions</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>Instead of logistics, I want to begin a professional learning session (or meeting) with one or more of the following ideas:</div><h4 style="text-align: left;">Goals:</h4><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Share an essential question, session goals, or -INGs.</li><li>Provide learning outcomes.</li><li>Offer a connected standard/objective. (A favorite co-planner, Laura, and I frequently frame our sessions around a standard from the <a href="https://www.iste.org/standards/for-educators" target="_blank">ISTE Standard for Educators</a>.)</li></ul><h4 style="text-align: left;">Recognitions:</h4></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Toast the group (raise a coffee mug!) for the occasion. Shout out to my friend Erika who started our #CoffeeEDU this way.</li><li>Recognize the participants for their time, engagement, and willingness to learn and grow.</li><li>Acknowledge a significant date, work, or state of mind of the group.</li></ul><h4 style="text-align: left;">SEL Check-Ins:</h4></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Provide an opportunity for an emotional check-in.</li><ul><li>Ideas might be something simple, like a fist-to-five ranking, or silly, like "Choose your Vibe" according to <a href="https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1D9kozexyvUGIJGFb6-74CdM_LvmWu5JV53LQFL8sv9U/preview?rm=minimal&slide=id.gcaefd12ed9_0_86" target="_blank">the GIFs shown on this slide</a>.</li><li>Use a tool like the <a href="https://www.siprep.org/uploaded/Magis/Courageous_Conversations_Compass.pdf" target="_blank">Courageous Conversations Compass</a>, which my colleague Chris expertly used during our DEI team meeting on January 6, 2021, after the riots at the Capitol. </li></ul><li>Breathe, meditate, or facilitate another mindfulness activity.</li><ul><li>After the summer protests, my fabulous colleague Nancy started her Monday morning PD session with a gratitude mindfulness activity, and it was the perfect way to begin the week after the tumultuous weekend throughout the country.</li></ul></ul></div><h4 style="text-align: left;">Community Building:</h4><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Allow participants to try a quick collaborative activity. Gary Hirsch shared <a href="https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1XUHT1LonGf0_AGSt_pX6FrZcoZLboooapCf9VWbuabI/preview?rm=minimal&slide=id.gcae591da78_0_62" target="_blank">this idea for the virtual world</a>: ask participants to share something in the chat and then "steal each other's ideas."</li><li>Complete a tiny icebreaker (in the chat or breakout room, if virtual).</li><li>Create a virtual space for attendees to connect prior to the session. Use tools like collaborative Slides, Flipgrid, or Padlet; start a discussion prompt in an LMS; or share using a session hashtag.</li><li>Play music. I've had several facilitators ask in a pre-survey to share a favorite walk-up song. They created playlists of all participants' favorites and used this music for session breaks and transitions. </li><ul><li>Two side-notes: I've always enjoyed listening to music when I'm in face-to-face sessions, and I have many playlists for my own PD workshops, but I really don't enjoy music during webinars. I wonder why? Also, I'm always wondering about copyright issues with playing music...</li></ul></ul><div>I've learned my lesson about how to start a PD session or meeting, but I always know there is room for growth! What are your examples of the best ways to begin a PD session? What makes you feel connected to the content, the community, and the presenter? How else can I begin PD sessions with a bang?</div></div><div><br /></div><div>Always learning about professional learning...</div><div><br /></div><p></p><p></p>Kathryn Lasterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17378376328389008590noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7674577068109209417.post-20969700789918336952021-03-20T09:55:00.001-05:002021-04-05T14:12:00.283-05:00Purposeful PD: What are the -INGs of your PD session (or classroom)?<p>Because of the one-year "milestone" of the pandemic, and now with a bit more hope around the corner, I've been reflecting <i>a lot </i>about what happens moving forward. I don't want to have the TTWWADI (<i>that's the way we've always done it</i>) mindset. I feel like I've learned so much this past year, and I want to continue moving forward with my work, especially in the way I design professional learning experiences. "<a href="https://www.nolimitsonlearning.com/2021/03/i-used-to-think-but-now-i-think.html" target="_blank">I used to think there were only a few ways to deliver PD, but now I think the sky is the limit!</a>" I've also said many times this year that even though it's my 31st year as an educator, I've felt like a new teacher during most of 2020 - 2021. 😬</p><p>One practice that worked both pre-pandemic and during remote learning experiences is the idea of determining the <b>verbs</b> or the -INGs (gerunds, i.e. verbals for my grammar nerd friends 🤓) of each PD session, conference, or even meeting. I wonder if I can make this idea even stronger or more impactful? </p><p>I originally discovered the idea of <a href="https://www.participatelearning.com/blog/learning-space-design-guide/" target="_blank">learning space verbs from Dr. Robert Dillon</a>, co-author of the book <a href="https://drrobertdillon.com/books-2/" target="_blank"><i>The Space</i></a>. A couple of years ago, our ESC buildings underwent huge renovations, and we now have a beautiful conference center, presentation rooms, flexible seating, and advanced technology. Some employees wondered what happened if they designed PD sessions that utilized these new spaces and tools, but then they presented their work in a different building that was not equipped with such updates?</p><p>Here's why the session verbs are so useful: if I determine what I want my participants to do, such as <i>collaborate</i>, <i>reflect</i>, and <i>explore</i> [digital tools], then I design activities so those actions occur regardless of the space.</p><p>Dr. Dillon's notions were floating in my mind, but this design idea really struck a chord after listening to <a href="https://www.gayleallen.net/cm-139-kat-holmes-on-the-power-of-inclusive-design/" target="_blank">this podcast interview with Kat Holmes and her work on the power of inclusive design</a>. Kat's work is all about accessibility, inclusivity, and UDL. One of her ideas is to "provide diversity in ways to participate." In the podcast episode, she shares ideas about designing with -INGs in mind, and she provides an example of designing a playground. What are the most important -INGs that might happen on a playground? Maybe connecting, exploring, and even climbing...and then how can you design experiences around these -INGs?</p><p>I took her idea of designing with -INGs in mind, and now it's a regular part of my PD session design process. </p><h4 style="text-align: left;">Creating PD Session -INGs</h4><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rMvNBklFw1s/YFX7siZ-KVI/AAAAAAAACvY/WUzE1Mwv6y4Q9NM2rQqUW_h_tyoy4Q0LQCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/SAC%2Bings%2Bwhite%2Bboard.heic" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Marker board with a lot of text just to demonstrate lists of items" border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rMvNBklFw1s/YFX7siZ-KVI/AAAAAAAACvY/WUzE1Mwv6y4Q9NM2rQqUW_h_tyoy4Q0LQCLcBGAsYHQ/w320-h240/SAC%2Bings%2Bwhite%2Bboard.heic" title="Possible session -INGs" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brainstorming our session -INGs</td></tr></tbody></table>In 2019, two other consultants and I collaborated on a <a href="https://www.nolimitsonlearning.com/2019/07/sketchnoting-as-growthmindset-journey.html" target="_blank">Sketchnoting Across the Curriculum session</a>. Here's part of the marker board from our initial brainstorming meeting, and we jotted down possible -INGs that we wanted for our participants. (green list) From the long list, we narrowed our -INGs to six.</p><p>Once we established our -INGs, we used these actions as a lens for every part of our session design. When we created an activity, it had to address at least one of our -INGs. As we continued to design the session, we also noticed subtleties like, "One of our -INGs is 'modeling,' but we used clip art for this slide. If we want to <i>model </i>our sketchnoting, we need to replace that clip art with our own sketches."</p><p>Here's the finished view of our slide, and our -INGs became our session goals.</p><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WkQGJMh2p2s/YFX7sSqqnvI/AAAAAAAACvU/yRwdj8DqsOsVF2BjQFXEB1ZFEd5rbfIPgCLcBGAsYHQ/s960/SAC%2B-%2Bings.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Today's Goals and 6 icons that represent Modeling, Drawing, Risk-taking, Collaborating, Synthesizing, Sense-Making" border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="960" height="225" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WkQGJMh2p2s/YFX7sSqqnvI/AAAAAAAACvU/yRwdj8DqsOsVF2BjQFXEB1ZFEd5rbfIPgCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h225/SAC%2B-%2Bings.jpeg" title="Sketchnoting Session Goals" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: start;">Modeling, </span><span style="text-align: start;">Drawing, </span><span style="text-align: start;">Risk-taking, </span>Synthesizing, Collaborating,<span style="text-align: start;"> </span><span style="text-align: start;">Sense-Making</span></td></tr></tbody></table></p><p>The beauty of well-crafted -INGs is that these goals and activities seem to work both face-to-face and remotely! My friends and I held our original sketchnoting sessions as 6-hour face-to-face sessions, but we were able to use the same -INGs in our revamped asynchronous online session this summer. We had to modify some of the activities, of course, but we created ways to design with these actions in mind.</p><p>For my 1-hour webinars, I typically design with three -INGs in mind. I've written quite a bit about my love for <a href="https://www.nolimitsonlearning.com/2019/11/are-you-expert-curator-and-dont-know-it.html" target="_blank">curation</a>, and for a recent curation session, I kept struggling to land on the -INGs. My brilliant colleague Nancy said, "They should be the same as curation goals: scanning, sense-making, and sharing!" Duh! </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-g9SIIulFwrQ/YFYGKMaQW8I/AAAAAAAACvk/8ulv5R_6vtAEAhNhiABSI6b_sfFAu8elgCLcBGAsYHQ/s960/%25F0%259F%2594%258D%2BIntro%2BSlides_%2BCuration.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Today's goals and icons for scanning, sense-making, and sharing" border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="960" height="180" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-g9SIIulFwrQ/YFYGKMaQW8I/AAAAAAAACvk/8ulv5R_6vtAEAhNhiABSI6b_sfFAu8elgCLcBGAsYHQ/w320-h180/%25F0%259F%2594%258D%2BIntro%2BSlides_%2BCuration.png" title="Curation Session Goals" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Scanning, Sense-Making, Sharing</td></tr></tbody></table><p>For PD sessions, I regularly use <a href="https://thenounproject.com/for-edu/" target="_blank">The Noun Project</a> to find icons for my words and share a quick slide to explain these -INGs as session goals. (I pay for a Noun Project subscription because I like the ability to customize the colors of the icons.) I use these words to critically evaluate my session activities, such as "An important session -ING is 'collaborating,' but I didn't leave space in my agenda for breakout rooms or other types of collaboration." Oops, time to change the agenda! When we return to face-to-face sessions, an -ING of collaborating might mean moving tables to be able to work in small groups, AND creating digital collaborative spaces, such as a backchannel.</p><h4 style="text-align: left;">And for the classroom?</h4><p>I've now been out of the classroom for 5 years 😢, but I imagine this idea of -INGs would be powerful for both face-to-face and remote experiences. I would also want my students to choose their words. For my Student Council leadership class, I hope the words might have been collaborating, serving, leading, reflecting, and organizing. For my math classes, I think discovering, evaluating, connecting, sharing, and reflecting might be excellent choices.</p><p>My practice of determining -INGs has served me well during the pandemic (and prior to COVID), and I will continue this process and will continue sharing it with others. But is there a way to make the -ING ideas even stronger? I wonder what -INGs might have more of an impact on my session design and activities? Are these -INGs improving inclusivity in my sessions?</p><p>Always learning and reflecting on professional learning...</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Kathryn Lasterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17378376328389008590noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7674577068109209417.post-20353155151683590802021-03-15T15:21:00.002-05:002021-03-15T15:21:58.437-05:00I used to think _____________, but now I think ________.<h4 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i>I can't believe it's been a whole year since the world changed. </i></span></h4><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">One. Very. Long. Year. <br />We are resilient. <br />We are grateful. <br />We are choosing gratitude. <br /><br />Come join our <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/coffeeedu?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#coffeeedu</a> 🍵☕️🫖🧃🧋🥤🥧🍰🍪🍩<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/EduFriends?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#EduFriends</a> this Saturday. Can’t wait to see your faces! <a href="https://t.co/7B9SwsAiqR">https://t.co/7B9SwsAiqR</a></p>— Marvia Davidson (@MarviaDavidson) <a href="https://twitter.com/MarviaDavidson/status/1371510760757719044?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 15, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script><p></p><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: Times; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"></blockquote><p></p>Many of my favorite podcasts and PLN friends recently shared reflections, questions, and prompts to reminisce on this past year, and since I'm doing a #safeathomespringbreak, I thought it would be worthwhile to spend time reflecting, too. In addition, I received my first vaccine dose on Saturday (3/13/21) so I'm feeling especially grateful and reflective today.<div><br />I must acknowledge how fortunate I am with my health and my family's health and well-being. I know it's a privilege that I have been able to work safely at home, that I can have groceries delivered, and that I have the technology to stay connected to friends and family. </div><h4 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h4><h4 style="text-align: left;">My Pre-Pandemic Timeline:</h4><div>One of my resolutions for 2020 was to journal at least three times a week, so I have quite an accurate record of my feelings leading up to the pandemic declaration. I want to put all of this information in one place so I'll have a record of what happened.</div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>February 29, 2020: Attended an #edcamp, and one of my friends told the story of her son trying to get out of Rome and his study-abroad program. Italy was shutting down because of COVID-19.</li><li>March 6: Helped run our whole Staff Learning Day, and we started our spring break at the end of the day. I remember my shock when South by Southwest canceled that evening. </li><li>March 7: Flew to Portland, Oregon with my work friend, Arynn. We talked a little about "the virus," and we packed extra hand sanitizer and Clorox wipes for the flight. We saw a <i>few</i> masks at the airport.</li><li>March 8: Met <a href="https://www.nolimitsonlearning.com/2017/07/joy-bots.html" target="_blank">#botjoy artist Gary Hirsch</a>! We all hugged hello. (When we saw him before we left on 3/10, we elbow-bumped goodbye.)</li><li>March 9 - 11: Enjoyed an amazing time on our mural tour and loved being in PDX. We continued to use a lot of hand sanitizer, but it was not a fearful time.</li><li>March 11: Flight home, and we definitely saw more masks at the airport. Started hearing about closings: schools, districts, events. The NBA suspended its season.</li><li>March 12: Some of our first districts started closing and extending their spring breaks. Kristin called and asked me to start a website (or something) to begin curating resources for educators. Twitter exploded with resources.</li><li>March 13: the US <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_the_COVID-19_pandemic_in_the_United_States_(2020)" target="_blank">declared a national state of emergency</a>, which was fitting for a Friday the 13th. I remember my "COVID-dreams," started that weekend. I kept waking up thinking I was feverish or with a sore throat, believing I caught something on the trip to Portland.</li><li>March 16: Returned to work, and what a fearful place it was. Districts were closing all over, and we didn't know what to do, so we kept working on a website of resources. Many of us were in a large open space, sharing details about how to get the work on the remote learning website when the government declared to avoid gatherings of more than 10 people.</li><li>March 17: Worked from home and started curating resources. Our director told us mid-afternoon that we HAD to start presenting Zoom webinars <i>tomorrow</i>. We had no presentations, no materials, and little knowledge of Zoom. The team of six of us figured out what to present, and then we went to work. I was so thankful that I helped facilitate #EdChangeGlobal in 2018, and I knew something about Zoom, but I had never facilitated a webinar on my own. We weren't able to advertise until about 4:00 PM that day, and we shared via social media. </li><li>March 18: 10 AM, I kicked off our entire "Emergency Remote Learning" webinar series with a brand new session, <i>Mindsets of Remote Learning.</i> And it's been the webinar/Zoom life for me ever since that day. </li></ul></div><div>Thinking back to those days still makes me agitated and makes my heart race! I seriously can't believe it's been a year. Somewhere within that week, we first canceled our #CoffeeEDU and then re-vamped it to be an online meetup, so this Saturday's event will be a one-year celebration of resilience and gratitude.</div><h4 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h4><h4 style="text-align: left;">I used to think...</h4><div>One of my favorite <a href="https://pz.harvard.edu/resources/i-used-to-think-now-i-think" target="_blank">Visible Thinking routines</a> is to respond to <a href="https://pz.harvard.edu/sites/default/files/I%20Used%20to%20Think%20-%20Now%20I%20Think.pdf" target="_blank">the prompt</a> "I used to think ... but now I think ..." (My students even tried something similar, and I documented one example on <a href="http://mathmagicwithlaster.blogspot.com/2012/10/" target="_blank">my old class blog in 2012</a>!) That sentence starter has been useful as I've worked on my personal reflections for the year.<br /><p>For our team book study this semester, our Director chose <i>A Beautiful Constraint</i>, which is apropos for the year, right? 😳 My first "reflection" activity today was to create a "year in numbers" graphic to highlight the work I've accomplished despite the year of constraints. This year, I've "reached" more educators and created more content than in my combined past 5 years at R10! </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rK7NinvaMB0/YE-mq16nJUI/AAAAAAAACug/jiitYfFKrl4f8jghoqIJQ7ntZUzAhYSmgCLcBGAsYHQ/s960/Graphic%2Bfor%2Bby%2Bthe%2Bnumbers.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="960" height="225" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rK7NinvaMB0/YE-mq16nJUI/AAAAAAAACug/jiitYfFKrl4f8jghoqIJQ7ntZUzAhYSmgCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h225/Graphic%2Bfor%2Bby%2Bthe%2Bnumbers.png" width="400" /></a></div><p><i style="font-size: large;">I used to think there were only a few ways to deliver PD, but now I think the sky is the limit! </i></p><p>Our teams at the ESC have been so creative with their professional learning sessions, innovative solutions to reach educators, inventive formats, structures, and delivery methods, and I'm so impressed with what my colleagues designed and facilitated this year! Our team's first two weeks of the emergency remote webinars was an incredible achievement, and I'm still so proud of our work. We reached thousands of educators in a few days' time, and I think (hope!) we helped alleviate some of the enormous stress.</p><p>With synchronous and asynchronous learning, nano-courses to lengthy online courses, facilitated learning to independent explorations, I hope we continue to design and deliver a multitude of session types and formats. As I <a href="https://www.nolimitsonlearning.com/2020/08/dont-make-my-mistakes-about-learner.html" target="_blank">mentioned in my last post</a>, I also learned so much about my own preferences and the types of learning experiences that I want to participate in, and it's wonderful to have so many choices available.</p><p>Understanding the many ways to "do" PD has been a highlight and a huge area of growth for me this year. In addition, I'm on a committee at work to help design a professional learning model for our service center, so PD has been at the forefront of my mind all year. My next goal, however, is to find ways to really help that learning transfer and stick.</p><p>This week, I plan to continue to reflect on the past year. It certainly has been a time of learning for me, and I want to continue developing my ideas about PD and growing into a better designer and facilitator. </p><p>Always learning about professional learning.</p><p>PS: My 2020 spring break trip to Portland was one of the best trips. I couldn't think of a better way to spend my last pre-pandemic days. Here are a few photos of the #botjoy mural tour.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bY-jYOE_Tg8/YE_BELvoEyI/AAAAAAAACuo/3q2CUekXWyEva1z9zxLbwZiZkTA9hPKrQCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_1499.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1539" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bY-jYOE_Tg8/YE_BELvoEyI/AAAAAAAACuo/3q2CUekXWyEva1z9zxLbwZiZkTA9hPKrQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/IMG_1499.JPG" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7hPGCY0_kZQ/YE_BE-_80qI/AAAAAAAACus/kyDyJ_A4XDsGezRGnFGGa-2Sl3qooVGWwCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_1512.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7hPGCY0_kZQ/YE_BE-_80qI/AAAAAAAACus/kyDyJ_A4XDsGezRGnFGGa-2Sl3qooVGWwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/IMG_1512.JPG" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6o3M89aaTJM/YE_BYCRkirI/AAAAAAAACu4/GBxLKSud7dEbjCoeBfGB_UG87XeDnDl4QCLcBGAsYHQ/s1146/what%2527s%2Byour%2Bhappy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1146" data-original-width="1146" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6o3M89aaTJM/YE_BYCRkirI/AAAAAAAACu4/GBxLKSud7dEbjCoeBfGB_UG87XeDnDl4QCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/what%2527s%2Byour%2Bhappy.JPG" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p></p></div>Kathryn Lasterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17378376328389008590noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7674577068109209417.post-81372778574653154182020-08-17T12:46:00.000-05:002022-08-07T11:52:15.583-05:00Don't make my mistakes about learner preferences!<p>My very first day of working safely at home was March 17, 2020. I think it's very symmetrical 🤓 that my very first (limited-staff) day "back" in the office is August 17, 2020. During the past 5 months, I know most educators have been working non-stop, so I'm grateful to take time this morning to reflect on a few things I've learned during our time of emergency remote teaching and learning.<br /></p><h4 style="text-align: left;">What I've learned about my <i>own</i> learning preferences...</h4><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>A typical webinar is not my preferred way to learn. If I'm not engaged in activities, connecting with others, or at least utilizing the chat, then just send the recording for me to watch at my own convenience (and possibly speed up the presentation and pause as needed.)</li><li>I have participated in large-ish online, asynchronous courses where the instructor designed the class so we became a collaborative community of learners. My summer MOOC experience with thousands of participants is not collaborative, so in the future, I must create that community myself.</li><li>It takes a lot of effort and intentionality to design an effective online course. (h/t to my favorite instructional designer, Julianna!) Watch a 3- to 5- minute video, post a reflection on a discussion board and repeat 50 times does not work for me.</li><li>I'm obsessed with ideas in the book The Art of Gathering, so if we gather, I want a purpose, an agenda, and a plan.</li></ul><h4 style="text-align: left;">And what that means about others' preferences...</h4>At one point during the summer, I was hesitant to offer a series of tool-based webinars. Show-and-tell presentations are my least favorite ways to learn; however, as my colleagues reminded me, others benefit from this type of live stand-and-deliver type of presentation. Some educators appreciate the anonymity of courses with thousands of participants, and/or they find ways to connect with smaller cohorts within the larger group. I realize many colleagues prefer the casual, organic conversations that arise when you hold a meeting for open discussions. <div><br /></div><div>I allowed my <i>own</i> preferences to dictate how I designed professional development sessions and meetings. I limited myself because of my limited preferences. And I can't believe I fell for that mistake!</div><div><br /></div><div>I've written about <a href="https://www.nolimitsonlearning.com/search/label/learning%20profiles" target="_blank">learning profiles</a>, I've presented about differentiation and learning profiles, and I've shared extensively about learner preferences, as explained in <i>The New Pillars of Modern Teaching</i>. (<a href="https://www.nolimitsonlearning.com/2019/01/youtube-for-learning.html" target="_blank">Here's one post about that subject</a>, and it explains preferences in terms of time, place, medium, and socialness.) </div><div><br /></div><div><i>Bottom line:</i> I need to remember to design for other people's preferences, not just my own. Just because I prefer reading the text, doesn't mean everyone enjoys that same style. I want collaboration and connections, but others may prefer independent work. Not everyone is comfortable being a fearless clicker, so how can I include a bit more scaffolding within my PD sessions? </div><h4 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h4><h4 style="text-align: left;">One small solution.</h4><div>Last week, these tweets inspired me, and I had the pleasure of working with a former colleague on her first lesson plans, so I'm putting all of these fabulous ideas together, and I'm relating everything to learner preferences: </div><div><br /></div><p></p><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Was thinking about how we could use blackboards “choose your breakout room” feature to meet different learner’s needs and this is what I came up with. Different levels of support or collaboration in different rooms! <a href="https://t.co/ljt5efM2yz">pic.twitter.com/ljt5efM2yz</a></p>— Mollie Safran (@safsocialstudy) <a href="https://twitter.com/safsocialstudy/status/1292652303321899010?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 10, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">One does not simply create breakout groups, there is a sequence of gradual release when students show mastery and responsibility.<br />🍎Shout out to the Kinder teachers who teach kids to walk down the hall without licking the walls. <br />👏👏ROUTINES & PRACTICE 👏👏<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MTBoS?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MTBoS</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/iteachmath?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#iteachmath</a> <a href="https://t.co/2lABrCJIZK">pic.twitter.com/2lABrCJIZK</a></p>— Theresa Wills (@theresawills) <a href="https://twitter.com/theresawills/status/1294242324369858562?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 14, 2020</a></blockquote><p>My friend wanted to give her students options for content <i>input</i>. She had a video ready to share, but the session had to be synchronous. I shared the first tweet about all of the different possibilities for breakout rooms by learner preference, and she loved that idea! This lesson will be her first "official" lesson, after several other introductory and community building meetings, but she considered limiting the breakout rooms to two choices, rather than three or more. (The second tweet about the importance of routines and practice applies to juniors and seniors, too!) </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WZj3sAv4oT4/Xzq2ed9Rf6I/AAAAAAAACqc/UdOW0j-1XVU_syPEPtMFUo2gBWW51LebQCLcBGAsYHQ/s960/Zoom%2Bpreferences%2B-%2Bgraphic.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="1 Teacher Led: Teacher walks through process with students; 2 Independent - Students watch video, etc. on their own (headphones);3 Collaborative - Students work together, explore the resources together" border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="960" height="288" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WZj3sAv4oT4/Xzq2ed9Rf6I/AAAAAAAACqc/UdOW0j-1XVU_syPEPtMFUo2gBWW51LebQCLcBGAsYHQ/w512-h288/Zoom%2Bpreferences%2B-%2Bgraphic.jpg" title="Learner Preferences for Break Out Rooms" width="512" /></a></div><p>She's fortunate because she is allowed to use Zoom and breakout rooms, and all of her students have the same device, so they can practice together changing their names to include a 1, 2, or 3, all based on their room preference. She will stay in the main Zoom room, and others who want to stay with her do not move to a breakout room. I know there are a lot of <i>ifs </i>in place for this activity, but I think it's a great start and a way to recognize how we can manage our preferences in remote settings. </p><p></p><p>The same idea can kind of apply to face-to-face and hybrid models, too. When we're back to a face-to-face environment (that allows a bit of movement in the classroom) if the content is curated and designed for students to access it independently, they could have the same options within one class: small groups and workshops that are teacher-led; students learning and exploring resources independently; students discovering ideas by collaborating, or at least chatting while they worked. </p><p><i>Side note: In our region, I'm suggesting that educators prepare for remote experiences because I foresee the remote learning dates to be extended, plus it allows planning for student absences, teacher absences, tech troubles, etc. So if the plan is for remote and asynchronous learning, I feel it will be easier to transition to other formats. </i></p><p>I think this strategy will definitely work for PD sessions, and I can't wait to see what adult learners think about this addition of some choice in how they access the content.</p><h4 style="text-align: left;">A little more about learning preferences.</h4><p>Last spring, a teammate and I created a <a href="https://twitter.com/diglearnradio" target="_blank">podcast series</a> called <i>From Triage to Transformation</i>, and we considered what learning might look like in the fall. Here's one episode where the focus is learning design for students, which is really all about learner preferences.</p> <script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script><iframe allowfullscreen="" height="90" mozallowfullscreen="" msallowfullscreen="" oallowfullscreen="" scrolling="no" src="//html5-player.libsyn.com/embed/episode/id/14178506/height/90/theme/custom/thumbnail/no/direction/backward/render-playlist/no/custom-color/999d9d/" style="border: none;" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="100%"></iframe><div><br /></div><div>We recorded these episodes in April - May 2020, and I wonder how many of these transformational ideas can work in our current realities? </div><div><br /></div><div>During our summer of 2020, what did you discover about your own learning preferences? How can this information apply to your own classrooms, teams, or PD sessions? </div><div><br /></div><div>Always learning, even remotely. </div><div>Wishing educators all the best for this new school year.</div>Kathryn Lasterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17378376328389008590noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7674577068109209417.post-83950125775846707672020-01-05T19:56:00.000-06:002020-01-05T19:56:06.395-06:00Looking Back and Planning AheadIt's January of a new <i>decade, </i>which means many people are sharing #oneword, a yearly theme, top 5 posts/tweets/photos, or resolutions. During the past few years, I jumped on that bandwagon too, but this year, I may be a bit extreme with my themes and goals. 😳Since it's a milestone teaching year for me (30 years as an educator!) perhaps it's appropriate that I'm going a bit overboard for 2020. But hmmm, it's a bit perplexing that my word/theme for the year is <b><i>clarity</i></b>. Does that mean I still don't know what I'm doing??<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BxOLUnuUGmM/XhJ90j5_W2I/AAAAAAAACmI/RAvtjhVmu0ojUL-ZzLV4tRDaiZ5wBhd_gCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/94D6B089-B7AB-4592-B4C4-25D541EAA112%2B2.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BxOLUnuUGmM/XhJ90j5_W2I/AAAAAAAACmI/RAvtjhVmu0ojUL-ZzLV4tRDaiZ5wBhd_gCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/94D6B089-B7AB-4592-B4C4-25D541EAA112%2B2.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BxOLUnuUGmM/XhJ90j5_W2I/AAAAAAAACmI/RAvtjhVmu0ojUL-ZzLV4tRDaiZ5wBhd_gCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/94D6B089-B7AB-4592-B4C4-25D541EAA112%2B2.PNG" width="320" /></a></div>
My <a href="https://www.nolimitsonlearning.com/2019/01/zigging-and-zagging.html" target="_blank">zig-zag post from January, 2019</a>, alluded to the same feelings of uncertainty though, and since I didn't make much progress there, I hope my focus on <b>clarity</b> will shed a light on what's missing or unclear.<br />
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I consider myself pretty introspective, and I believe my inward-looking habit really started during grad school, around 2004. My very first reflection post was as a guest on a blog for new teachers. I shared my <a href="http://www.soyouwanttoteach.com/20-year-reflection-what-i-have-learned/" target="_blank">20-year reflections</a>, and re-reading it now, I'm still satisfied with what I learned. (I wonder why the quotation marks and apostrophes are now weird symbols?) Looking back at my reflections from last January, which include ideas from multiple years, it seems like my quotes, ideas, belief statements, and reflections all align...so perhaps I'm a bit more certain than I feel. But I want to know where I can focus my attention and how I can improve my life, home, and work.<br />
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By the way, my 2019 #oneword of <i>heart</i> worked really well, but I was about 70% on my 19 for 19 goals. Home improvements, travel, volunteering, and becoming ISTE certified were the wins. On the other hand, I did <u>not</u> complete 12 blog posts last year, I didn't get anywhere close to a month of all activity rings closed, and the bedroom closet is still a mess.<br />
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So this year, I've created my own happiness project with monthly themes that all focus on <b>clarity</b>. <i>Self-knowledge</i> is my goal for January, and I have plans to gain clarity on my personal value statements and actions. My future monthly themes include <i>clarity</i> with relationships, work, health, and home. In addition, each day I plan to read, write, walk, drink a lot of water, and record a video or take a picture for the 1-second a day app. These small goals are part of my 20 for 20 goals. To help with these daily habits, I'm going to re-read Gretchen Rubin's <i><a href="https://gretchenrubin.com/books/better-than-before/about-the-book/" target="_blank">Better than Before</a> </i>book<i>,</i> AND I made a <a href="https://www.glideapps.com/" target="_blank">Glide app</a> to help me track my habits. (#nerdalert and as I said, a bit extra this year. And did I mention I found a clarity color palette, too?)<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-r6i2V6iyXQ8/XhKM5RWbIoI/AAAAAAAACmk/_-MCdthJj1o2fT7KAcZ6dgNkcwDRnFiewCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Image.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="272" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-r6i2V6iyXQ8/XhKM5RWbIoI/AAAAAAAACmk/_-MCdthJj1o2fT7KAcZ6dgNkcwDRnFiewCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Image.gif" width="181" /></a></div>
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And to wrap-up, my 2019 highlights were:<br />
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<ul>
<li><b>work</b>: creating our <a href="https://directory.libsyn.com/shows/view/id/dlradio" target="_blank">Digital Learning Radio <i>Step-In</i> podcast series</a>, plus all of my self-work surrounding equity, diversity, and inclusion (which continues!)</li>
<li><b>self</b>: big furniture purchases, traveling to Philadelphia, visiting the Grand Canyon, attending the Krewe of Boo parade in NOLA</li>
<li><b>service</b>: teaching an adult ESL class each week</li>
</ul>
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Looking forward to more <b>clarity</b> in 2020!<br />
Always learning.Kathryn Lasterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17378376328389008590noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7674577068109209417.post-72584910853978595742019-11-23T09:42:00.000-06:002019-11-23T09:52:22.630-06:00Are you an expert curator and don't know it?<h3>
What is curation?</h3>
It's funny how often others have told me, "You should be a librarian!" Yes, I love reading, and I can recall a lot of information. My parents seem to be in awe of my research skills, but that just means I can do good internet searches! According to my <a href="https://www.strengthsquest.com/193541/themes-full-description.aspx">StrengthsFinder</a> results, two of my top themes are <i>Arranger</i> and <i>Input</i>, and both of those ideas lend themselves to my librarian-like-tendencies.<br />
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But I actually think all of these concepts center around the notion of <b>curation</b>, something I couldn't truly articulate until my deep <strike>obsession</strike> study of <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Pillars-Modern-Teaching-Solutions-Instructional/dp/1942496192" target="_blank"><i>The New Pillars of Modern Teaching</i></a>.<br />
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When I first started sharing the concept of <i>curation</i> in professional development sessions, participants intuitively understood the process because of the comparisons to museum curators: curators select works of art or artifacts, decide how to organize them into a museum space or room, and then add descriptive cards to share information about each piece.<br />
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In <i>The New Pillars</i>, Dr. Allen shares the three Ss of great curation, and then she suggests that educators help their students master the art of curation. I later found <a href="https://sheownsit.com/tag/gayle-allen/" target="_blank">this post from Dr. Allen that called curation your learning workflow</a>, and all of the pieces fell into place.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://docs.google.com/drawings/d/1CymVyvE0RCo6S8gNlJ0ZRUKU5wP33ovV06hiB1TJovI/preview" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="663" data-original-width="1356" height="312" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3oCncwNvKqw/XdlCRte366I/AAAAAAAAClc/i6he3GIzp3YZk0_ShumIJ5Sxh-L2pELMACLcBGAsYHQ/s640/slL5PMCzrZRMGXCheb1I7wg.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I created this graphic for an assignment in #ClassyGraphics!</td></tr>
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During the past few years, I worked to improve my own workflow for each of three Ss, but I know there is always room for improvement! Fortunately, as technology develops, I continue to find more tools that assist with my learning workflows.<br />
<h3>
Curation Renovation</h3>
In one of my favorite professional development sessions, I ask participants to reflect on their own learning workflows and preferences, and then we try a curation renovation. We use the 3 Ss of curation to find any "gaps" and spend time exploring tech tools to help make personal curation more efficient. I still occasionally email links to myself, but that process definitely slowed! If you ask me for a blog post or article that I recently mentioned or shared, I can quickly find it. The goal from <i>The New Pillars</i> is that if you understand the process of curation, you can help others, either students or colleagues, understand and improve <i>their</i> learning workflows.<br />
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Last year, my teammate Ashley and I recorded <a href="https://directory.libsyn.com/episode/index/id/7165955" target="_blank">this podcast episode about curation</a>. We revisited all three <i>Pillars</i>, so we refer to the book and our other episodes. <a href="https://directory.libsyn.com/episode/index/id/7165955" target="_blank">The episode show notes</a> include all of the blog posts mentioned, and there are many ways educators can include curation in their classrooms. The word <i>curate</i> is now included in the <a href="https://www.iste.org/standards/for-educators" target="_blank">ISTE Standards for Educators</a>, too.<br />
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We also discussed these curation tools: <a href="https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/toby-for-chrome/hddnkoipeenegfoeaoibdmnaalmgkpip?hl=en" target="_blank">Toby for Tabs</a>, <a href="https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/onetab/chphlpgkkbolifaimnlloiipkdnihall?hl=en" target="_blank">OneTab</a>, <a href="https://keep.google.com/" target="_blank">Google Keep</a>, <a href="https://www.diigo.com/education" target="_blank">Diigo</a> (educators get an upgrade!) and <a href="https://wakelet.com/" target="_blank">Wakelet</a>.<br />
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So are you actually an expert curator? Have you considered your own learning workflow? Is the process working for you, or can you make some tweaks about how you scan, study, and share?<br />
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<b><i>Always learning (and it's so fun to be learning about learning!)</i></b><br />
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P.S. For fun, Faith Salie shares her opinion about <i>curation</i> in this video. She claims curate is overused, but I think we're just beginning to understand the power of curation!<br />
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<br />Kathryn Lasterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17378376328389008590noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7674577068109209417.post-29332938865717441582019-07-26T15:25:00.000-05:002019-07-26T16:35:23.652-05:00Are you using these tools to add audio in your class?<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aePX7dcNh3w/XTsm8AbTL1I/AAAAAAAACkI/PpTmAPynj24JFdv0M9-3CyUPVJ4SajMSwCLcBGAs/s1600/mohammad-metri-1oKxSKSOowE-unsplash.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: right;"><img alt="Neon sign that reads "You are what you listen to"" border="0" data-original-height="1068" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aePX7dcNh3w/XTsm8AbTL1I/AAAAAAAACkI/PpTmAPynj24JFdv0M9-3CyUPVJ4SajMSwCLcBGAs/s320/mohammad-metri-1oKxSKSOowE-unsplash.jpg" title="" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-0c74a9b8-7fff-624d-aaac-7d744a9c920d"><span style="color: #111111; font-family: "work sans" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Photo by </span><a href="https://unsplash.com/@mohammadmetri?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #999999; font-family: "work sans" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Mohammad Metri</span></a><span style="color: #111111; font-family: "work sans" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> on </span><a href="https://unsplash.com/search/photos/listen?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #999999; font-family: "work sans" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Unsplash</span></a></span></td></tr>
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<h3 style="text-align: left;">
Podcasts for Learning</h3>
Last year, I wrote about my <a href="https://www.nolimitsonlearning.com/2018/01/podcast-love.html">Podcast Love</a> and my podcast routines, but this summer, I presented <i>Podcasts for Learning</i> multiple times, so I wanted to share a few additional ideas about using audio and podcasts in the classroom.<br />
<h3>
<span style="text-align: right;">Finding Audio</span></h3>
During my sessions, I share two tools to help find podcasts: <a href="https://www.listennotes.com/"><b>Listen Notes</b></a> and <a href="https://listenwise.com/"><b>ListenWise</b></a>.<br />
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<a href="https://www.listennotes.com/">Listen Notes</a> is a search engine for podcasts, <i>plus</i> it allows you to clip podcasts and create podcast playlists. <a href="https://www.listennotes.com/clips/audio-for-learning-GHZCrPLeMa0/">Here's a clip describing</a> what Listen Notes can do (from our <a href="https://twitter.com/DigLearnRadio">@DigLearnRadio</a> podcast!) and <a href="https://www.listennotes.com/listen/dl-radio-coaching-series-Ovhx-KqGV8g/?display=episode">here's a playlist</a> of our episodes about coaching. I also just learned that your can <a href="https://twitter.com/ListenNotes/status/1154105582422355968?s=20">add this playlist and all episodes into your podcast player</a>. Use this feature to create a podcast choice board, perhaps?<br />
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<a href="https://listenwise.com/">ListenWise</a> is a tool from NPR that has "curriculum-aligned podcasts with accompanying teacher resources." The audio clips can be filtered for content area and grade level (5 - 12). For the free version, you get the audio clip, listening comprehension questions, and a <a href="https://socrative.com/">Socrative</a> import quiz code.<br />
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Recording Audio</h3>
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In my session, I joke that podcasts fall on a continuum from "Kathryn talks to pre-schoolers" --> <a href="https://www.npr.org/podcasts/381444650/this-american-life">This American Life</a>. Students (or you) can record quick, unedited audio clips OR you can create full-blown podcasts that can be shared with others.</div>
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Creating audio can be as simple as using a recording app on your phone. Getting the recording to the teacher is sometimes a challenge, but educators in my sessions suggested email, Google Classroom, and a shared Google folder. </div>
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I discovered the <a href="https://online-voice-recorder.com/"><b>Online Voice Recorder</b></a> on <a href="https://www.freetech4teachers.com/2019/01/a-quick-easy-way-to-create-audio.html">this post from Free Tech 4 Teachers</a>, and it's a super simple way to record (and do a bit of editing.) Once you record, you save the file, and you still need to get that "published" in some way. When the Insert --> Audio feature in Google Slides is fully functional (<a href="https://gsuiteupdates.googleblog.com/2019/04/add-audio-to-slides.html">rollout paused on 7/24/19</a>) that may provide an easy way to collaborate and share, but until then... Here's my sample slide with a recording from the Online Voice Recorder inserted into Google Slides. (I have the Insert --> Audio feature in only one of my personal Gmail accounts, but not my Google for Education accounts.)<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="true" frameborder="0" height="224" mozallowfullscreen="true" src="https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/e/2PACX-1vSAKnrawRAKLViESVxEJAXBG6CaUmwbcBUOfvQQP-GrrnmXjFH_qHKDrJimoTBIFUT50KUA-m1DdOR-/embed?start=false&loop=false&delayms=3000" webkitallowfullscreen="true" width="360"></iframe>
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<b><a href="https://gosynth.com/">Synth</a> </b>is a relatively new tool for recording audio, and I've tried it in a few of my sessions with <i>some</i> success. It's still in beta form, and I think it's a bit challenging to get it going, but the teachers in my sessions this week saw a lot of potential. There are a lot of features educators loved about it, such as the time constraints, transcriptions, and the option to include text comments. It also embeds beautifully into a website, its target audience is educators, and you can create "closed" classrooms. The audio below is from our session...all in unedited format, so you get bonus content of all kinds of background noise. 😉<br />
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Within this session, I also share <a href="https://anchor.fm/">Anchor</a> for creating podcasts. I keep trying to get more people to share a recording in Anchor, but its entry point is not quite as simple. For educators who want to create their <i>own</i> podcast, and for teachers whose students are >13 years old, it does seem like the easiest platform to use for creating and publishing to the world.<br />
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Using Anchor, I collected all of the audio from this week's sessions and created a new "podcast" of all shared ideas.<br />
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<iframe frameborder="0" height="102px" scrolling="no" src="https://anchor.fm/kklaster/embed/episodes/Podcasts-for-Learning-e4oceu/a-ajlltd" width="400px"></iframe>
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Sharing Audio</h3>
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On the <a href="https://mfltwitteratipodcast.com/podcast/ep-5-wakelet-and-spotify-hack-keeping-it-real-mnemonics-and-techtalk-interview-with-daren-white/">#mfltwitteratipodcast</a>, the hosts shared a hack of how to embed podcast <i>players</i> into a <a href="https://wakelet.com/">Wakelet</a> collection. Using links from Spotify, you tweak the code to create a collection where the specific episode plays within the Wakelet.<br />
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For my recent <i>Podcasts for Learning</i> session, I decided to keep track of what I listened to and learned during a single week, and I added all of my notes to this collection. Here's my Wakelet <a href="https://wke.lt/w/s/KezFQ8">without the hack</a> (podcasts open in a new tab) and <a href="https://embed.wakelet.com/wakes/61208f76-ecd0-4f31-946f-1ae991ce7335/grid">with the hack</a> (players are embedded, also shown at the bottom of the post). The first <a href="https://www.iste.org/standards/for-educators">ISTE Standard for Educators</a> is <i>Learner</i>, and I definitely use podcasts to learn from and improve my practice!<br />
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If you want to create a podcast choice board for your students, this trick might be a great way to share the collection. You could also us this hack to create your <a href="https://meredithakers.com/2019/03/15/edu-podcast-tasting-2-0/">"Podcast Tasting" PD session</a>, as described by my PLN friend <a href="https://twitter.com/meredithakers">Meredith Akers</a>.<br />
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Even More</h3>
Within the session, we briefly discussed creating more structured, polished podcasts, and I shared resources from the <a href="https://www.theedublogger.com/podcasting/">EduBlogger</a>, <a href="https://support.listenwise.com/teachers-guide-podcasting-classroom/">ListenWise</a>, and <a href="https://www.npr.org/2018/11/15/662116901/teaching-podcasting-a-curriculum-guide-for-educators">NPR</a> about creating podcasts in classrooms.<br />
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Any other tools for recording audio? Any other favorite podcasts? I share my finds using <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23r10podpd&src=typed_query&f=live">#R10PodPD</a> and would love to have more suggestions!<br />
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<i>Listening and learning...</i></h4>
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<br />Check out my <a href="https://wakelet.com/">Wakelet</a> with embedded podcast episodes!</h3>
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<br />Kathryn Lasterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17378376328389008590noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7674577068109209417.post-84381567179304145652019-07-13T23:01:00.003-05:002019-07-13T23:01:17.042-05:00Sketchnoting as a #GrowthMindset Journey<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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A couple of colleagues and I are facilitating a full-day sketchnoting workshop, and as an introduction, we plan to share our sketchnoting journey, so I wanted to take time to reflect and pick out key steps on my path. By the way, I have no art background, and I feel like I'm quite under-qualified to "lead" this session, but I'm working with fantastic colleagues, and we've had a great time planning the workshop.<br />
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I discovered sketchnotes in the winter of 2014, and I've been trying them off and on since then. I would like to be more consistent with my practice, so this post will also serve as my attempt to become more accountable. 😉</div>
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After I learned about Carol Dweck's work, I always shared the concept of <i>mindset</i> with my students. (Check out all of my <a href="https://www.nolimitsonlearning.com/search?q=mindset" target="_blank">posts about mindset</a>.) That particular year, however, my students really struggled with the ideas of failure and risk-taking. I thought if I took up the practice of sketchnoting and shared my work with my students, I could show them my attempts and we could document my improvement over time. I still say, "I'm not an artist," and I continue to have a pretty fixed mindset about it, but I'm determined to practice what I preach!<br />
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I found a few sketchnoting resources and started practicing. I believe that's when Sylvia Duckworth started freely sharing her sketches too, so she has inspired me for many years!<br />
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At the same time, one of my teammates was finishing her dissertation (basically about notetaking and retention techniques) and she asked if we could try some visual thinking maps with our students. YES, please! One of our units was extra-heavy with vocabulary, so that's where we started. We asked the students to create graphic organizers/sketchnotes to show the relationships between the terms and concepts in the unit. <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B5CYf4aIT3-4YUl0QTQ4NXAzUEE/view" target="_blank">Here's the only sample I saved</a> (and it wasn't even my student) but I loved this student's design and use of colors.<br />
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At the end of that school year, I transitioned to my current job, and my interest in sketchnoting grew. Sketchnoting was the subject of my "Genius Hour" project in 2015, and I shared one of my very first sketchnotes with session participants that fall.</div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FzA7x7YgwwU/XSqRyaDy2FI/AAAAAAAACjM/kPFx1iUf260Fo5M6nDuAjCv2JJ7_a-ThACEwYBhgL/s1600/IMG_1111.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1061" data-original-width="1600" height="212" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FzA7x7YgwwU/XSqRyaDy2FI/AAAAAAAACjM/kPFx1iUf260Fo5M6nDuAjCv2JJ7_a-ThACEwYBhgL/s320/IMG_1111.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Since 2014, I watched countless videos and webinars about sketchnote techniques and tools. I read books, blogposts, and followed Twitter hashtags. I attended sketchnoting sessions at TCEA, ISTE, and at edcamps.</div>
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My sketchnote turning point was participating in the <a href="https://sketch50.org/blog50/blog-archives/gallery/" target="_blank">2017 #sketch50 Twitter challenge</a>. I completed all 50 prompts (on time!), learned new techniques, and grew my PLN. The daily prompts were perfect brain breaks, and every day, I looked forward to creating during lunch or as a relaxation activity after work. <a href="https://goo.gl/photos/GJkswXyofyLEERVA8" target="_blank">Here's my entire album of sketches</a>, and it's so fun for me to see the growth and improvement in my sketches.<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tU5QrSAX2Eo/XSqk8dW9zgI/AAAAAAAACjU/sI0don7_9eIM5f2l7jWZVZjAAGyUYfSAwCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_0478%2B%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="727" data-original-width="1043" height="222" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tU5QrSAX2Eo/XSqk8dW9zgI/AAAAAAAACjU/sI0don7_9eIM5f2l7jWZVZjAAGyUYfSAwCLcBGAs/s320/IMG_0478%2B%25282%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Another key from 2017 was participating in <a href="https://learninginhand.com/classygraphics" target="_blank">#ClassyGraphics</a>. That course taught me about colors, fonts, and design, which really helped with my sketchnotes, too.<br />
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For the <a href="https://sketch50.org/archives/prompts-sketch50-2-0/" target="_blank">2018 #sketch50 challenge</a>, the focus was creating quick sketches and #ProcessOverPretty. I'm working to complete more quick sketches, but I still like to take a bit more time with my sketchnotes.<br />
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In 2018, I took <a href="https://learninginhand.com/classyvideos" target="_blank">#ClassyVideos</a> and the subject of one of my earliest videos was a quick overview of my sketchnote journey.</div>
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Over the years, I have sketchnoted blog posts, TED talks, podcasts, personal learning, and books. I also try to sketch workshops, but I'm much better at creating sketches as reflections and to synthesize my work, rather than real-time sketching. I've included a few of my <a href="https://www.nolimitsonlearning.com/search/label/sketchnote" target="_blank">sketchnotes in past blog posts</a>, and another goal is to start sketchnoting our podcast episodes. (We'll see.)<br />
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For 2019, I have 19 goals ("19 for '19") and one goal is to master 50 sketchnote icons. The <i>experts</i> say you should have 100 icons in your visual vocabulary, and I'm about a quarter of the way there. 😳<br />
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A sketchnoting highlight of 2019 was to host Sylvia Duckworth at Region 10 for a full-day workshop, so I learned from the best!<br />
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We are so excited about <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/sketchnoting?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#sketchnoting</a> with <a href="https://twitter.com/sylviaduckworth?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@sylviaduckworth</a> today <a href="https://twitter.com/R10Tech?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@r10tech</a>! What a lovely person she is! (And I think <a href="https://twitter.com/kklaster?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@kklaster</a> is in heaven) <a href="https://t.co/PtJtWORWw7">pic.twitter.com/PtJtWORWw7</a></div>
— Nancy Watson, MLS, M.Ed (@NancyWTech) <a href="https://twitter.com/NancyWTech/status/1135533274930003973?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 3, 2019</a></blockquote>
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I continue to have a #growthmindset about my sketchnoting, and I'm always learning!<br />
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dpWnnHC5zuo/XSJge3j1PuI/AAAAAAAACig/KeXucGj5bJ8LyYeXiVasZ1UOcYdyLl8rwCLcBGAs/s1600/Growth_Mindset.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dpWnnHC5zuo/XSJge3j1PuI/AAAAAAAACig/KeXucGj5bJ8LyYeXiVasZ1UOcYdyLl8rwCLcBGAs/s200/Growth_Mindset.jpg" width="200" /></a><br />
<i>If you want to see the images that are too tiny to see in my Sketchnote Journey graphic, <a href="https://photos.app.goo.gl/j3YfAmSFsp5wVAtz9" target="_blank">here's the entire album</a>.</i>Kathryn Lasterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17378376328389008590noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7674577068109209417.post-74054772240099729692019-07-03T20:30:00.000-05:002019-07-07T06:17:05.639-05:00Inspired at ISTE, 2019 version!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xMGnZSuWawE/XR08FC3cT6I/AAAAAAAACiI/nxGaNh1LGz0tj1VwVrK-uLQijboonC9vgCLcBGAs/s1600/ISTE_2019_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="sketchnote of 5 points from my ISTE conference" border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xMGnZSuWawE/XR08FC3cT6I/AAAAAAAACiI/nxGaNh1LGz0tj1VwVrK-uLQijboonC9vgCLcBGAs/s320/ISTE_2019_.jpg" title="ISTE Takeaways sketchnote" width="320" /></a></div>
It is a privilege to be able to attend conferences, and I feel with that opportunity comes the responsibility to reflect and to share what I learned.<br />
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With 20,000+ attendees, the ISTE conference definitely qualifies as a mega-event, and now that I have attended four of these conferences, I have a (slightly better) grasp of how I "do" ISTE.<br />
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I've been able to share some key takeaways with my colleague Ashley, and I'm still sorting through my notes and other Tweets I curated, but here's a quick summary to explain my sketchnote and to help me document what happens next.<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Takeaway #1:</span><br />
Since reading <i>Make It Stick</i> in 2015, I've been so interested in the learning sciences, and now my interest has turned into a mild obsession. 😃 (<a href="https://www.nolimitsonlearning.com/2018/01/retrieval-practice.html" target="_blank">Read more of the story here!</a>) I was surprised that there weren't more sessions about this topic, but I found one presentation and added the presenter's book, <i><a href="https://id.iste.org/resources/product?id=4362&format=Book&name=Design+Ed" target="_blank">Design Ed: Connecting Learning Science Research to Practice</a> </i>to my TBR list. I also learned about ISTE's new initiative called <a href="https://courseofmind.org/" target="_blank">Course of Mind.</a> It includes a podcast, blog, research, and coming-soon a course.<br />
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The other presentation related to learning was <a href="https://twitter.com/mcleod" target="_blank">Dr. Scott McLeod's</a> session and exploration of his 4 Shifts Protocol. (<a href="http://dangerouslyirrelevant.org/2019/07/8-questions-that-help-get-at-deeper-thinking-and-learning.html" target="_blank">Here's a recent blog post</a> about understanding one of the 4 domains: deeper learning.) He walked us through a couple scenarios, and we worked through a (<i>re)design pivot </i>to "up" the learning experience. I've looked at his 4 Shifts protocol several times, but his explanation and our practice during the session really opened my eyes. I can't wait to explore and implement his work! (And it added his book <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Harnessing-Technology-Learning-Educational-Integration/dp/1943874085/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&qid=1532054264&sr=8-1&keywords=Harnessing+Technology+for+Deeper+Learning&linkCode=sl1&tag=scottmcleod05-20&linkId=9aef606835390f69d7d94d77c6bdda85" target="_blank"><i>Harnessing Technology for Deeper Learning</i></a> to my book pile, too.)<br />
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Analyzing the agency component of the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/4shifts?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#4shifts</a> with <a href="https://twitter.com/mcleod?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@mcleod</a> & <a href="https://twitter.com/jgraber?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@jgraber</a>. Thinking about our own lessons, how would we answer these questions? 😳 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ISTE19?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ISTE19</a> <a href="https://t.co/OEYGFJz9Mx">pic.twitter.com/OEYGFJz9Mx</a></div>
— Kathryn Laster (@kklaster) <a href="https://twitter.com/kklaster/status/1143177119633170433?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 24, 2019</a></blockquote>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Takeaway #2:</span><br />
The other big idea on my mind is equity. ISTE definitely made progress this year with more diversity in their keynote speakers and the number of sessions with "Equity" or "Cultural Responsiveness" in their titles, but there is still a long way to go for all of us. (There was some Twitter backlash about some glaringly un-diverse panels.) I think it was also at the forefront of my mind because the week prior to the conference, I worked in districts with vastly disparate device "situations." (In one district, the high school has been 1:1 MacBooks for 5 years. The next day, I was in a district where teachers were hoping for Chromebook carts in the rooms...but they had heard that for the past two years.) I also caught some Twitter discussions about the expense of the conference...how many districts or schools have the funds to send teachers to these kinds of learning events? Travel to Philadelphia and conference fees definitely added up. $$$<br />
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I attended the session <i><a href="https://spark.adobe.com/page/AuHqvXMJGXulO/" target="_blank">Constructing the Culturally Responsive Citizen: Moving Beyond #DigCit</a></i>, and I loved that one of the session norms was to "Be Brave" -- to step outside your comfort zone and to be willing to have harder conversations. We went through scenarios to analyze what bias was present and how to respond. We also had thoughtful discussions about how we equip our students with the language and skills to navigate these sensitive situations. Powerful conversations.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Takeaways #3-4:</span><br />
Take time for creativity! I've been interested in sketchnoting for at least 4 years now, so it's time I do more with it! Several of the featured speakers emphasized the importance of risk-taking and sharing your failures, so I'm on it! I've sketchnoted conference takeaways from TCEA and now 2 ISTE's and I plan to do more sketchnotes as reflections.<br />
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Great ideas for sharing failures. Mural of mistakes with chalk paint and wall of rejection. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ISTE19?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ISTE19</a> <a href="https://t.co/RfZ7U2omPP">pic.twitter.com/RfZ7U2omPP</a></div>
— Kathryn Laster (@kklaster) <a href="https://twitter.com/kklaster/status/1143502654288662528?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 25, 2019</a></blockquote>
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I also enjoyed (more than I expected) <a href="http://dlradio.libsyn.com/" target="_blank">our weekly podcast format</a>, and I did almost all of the editing and "producing" of the episodes this year...but I know that can be better. I'm working on that, too! I attended one session about podcasting for students, and it gave me great ideas for our podcast, too. I'm ready to get more creative with our podcast. Stay tuned!<br />
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<b>Connections</b><br />
Like other conferences, the hallway conversations are often the best. Conferences like these often turn into reunions, and I also enjoy opportunities to expand my PLN. I also love supporting other #R10tech friends and strive to stop by their presentations.<br />
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Starting off <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ISTE19?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ISTE19</a> at the airport!! Reconnecting w/ friends & meeting new ones! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/iste?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#iste</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/iste?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@iste</a> <a href="https://t.co/f5M1Fihl6M">pic.twitter.com/f5M1Fihl6M</a></div>
— ૮ℓαµ∂เσ ƶαѵαℓα ʝ૨. (@ClaudioZavalaJr) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClaudioZavalaJr/status/1142785464518283264?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 23, 2019</a></blockquote>
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Such a delight to catch up with my friend <a href="https://twitter.com/EdTechMason?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@EdTechMason</a> at <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/iste19?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#iste19</a>! What a great way to start my time in Philly! <a href="https://t.co/QX7WBTfm0x">pic.twitter.com/QX7WBTfm0x</a></div>
— Kathryn Laster (@kklaster) <a href="https://twitter.com/kklaster/status/1142901406749331457?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 23, 2019</a></blockquote>
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You know <a href="https://twitter.com/knikole?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@knikole</a> and I love a good <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CoffeeEDU?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CoffeeEDU</a>! Great start to the morning! Thanks, Kasey! <a href="https://twitter.com/ShakeUpLearning?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ShakeUpLearning</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ISTE19?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ISTE19</a> <a href="https://t.co/x7aJQEtDop">pic.twitter.com/x7aJQEtDop</a></div>
— Kathryn Laster (@kklaster) <a href="https://twitter.com/kklaster/status/1143493317386219521?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 25, 2019</a></blockquote>
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<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/digcit?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#digcit</a> Fan Girl Club! We love these ladies! <a href="https://twitter.com/sundevilleeann?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@sundevilleeann</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/NancyWTech?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NancyWTech</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/DrKMattson?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@DrKMattson</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/digcitstateofmind?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#digcitstateofmind</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ISTE19?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ISTE19</a> <a href="https://t.co/2hjFY9IwMQ">pic.twitter.com/2hjFY9IwMQ</a></div>
— Leah Heerema, MSIT (@TechKnowLeah) <a href="https://twitter.com/TechKnowLeah/status/1143202922571939840?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 24, 2019</a></blockquote>
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Waiting in this line to see <a href="https://twitter.com/knikole?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@knikole</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/educatoralex?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@educatoralex</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/BrianRSmithSr?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@BrianRSmithSr</a> share beyond <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/digcit?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#digcit</a> at <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ISTE19?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ISTE19</a> <a href="https://t.co/VWmIhKDVfS">pic.twitter.com/VWmIhKDVfS</a></div>
— Kathryn Laster (@kklaster) <a href="https://twitter.com/kklaster/status/1143529578377482240?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 25, 2019</a></blockquote>
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❤️❤️ Yay <a href="https://twitter.com/TxTechChick?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TxTechChick</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/DebZemanLMS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@DebZemanLMS</a> for sharing how <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/studentsCANlead?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#studentsCANlead</a> with <a href="https://twitter.com/Flipgrid?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Flipgrid</a>! <a href="https://twitter.com/cisdSWAT?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@cisdSWAT</a> 💚 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/flipgridfever?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#flipgridfever</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/iste19?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#iste19</a> <a href="https://t.co/6fnGs8ukGJ">pic.twitter.com/6fnGs8ukGJ</a></div>
— Kathryn Laster (@kklaster) <a href="https://twitter.com/kklaster/status/1143612066873446401?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 25, 2019</a></blockquote>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Takeaway #5:</span><br />
More about this news and process later, but I've spent about 6-months working on the ISTE Certified Educator process, and it was fun to be able to celebrate that accomplishment at this conference.<br />
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Celebrating <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/istecert?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#istecert</a> with <a href="https://twitter.com/cianeg?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@cianeg</a> at <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ISTE19?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ISTE19</a> <a href="https://t.co/dTkQIlWs61">pic.twitter.com/dTkQIlWs61</a></div>
— Kathryn Laster (@kklaster) <a href="https://twitter.com/kklaster/status/1142905115847929856?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 23, 2019</a></blockquote>
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Thanks <a href="https://twitter.com/ShakeUpLearning?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ShakeUpLearning</a> for hosting today’s <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/coffeeedU?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#coffeeedU</a>! Loved connecting with these METC educators. We’re all proud of our <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ISTEcert?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ISTEcert</a>! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/iste19?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#iste19</a><a href="https://twitter.com/mrscarolnelson?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@mrscarolnelson</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/ncooper_edu?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ncooper_edu</a> <a href="https://t.co/AQkXauZbLC">pic.twitter.com/AQkXauZbLC</a></div>
— Kathryn Laster (@kklaster) <a href="https://twitter.com/kklaster/status/1143492829894848512?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 25, 2019</a></blockquote>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Bonus:</span><br />
I'm a huge fan of the podcast <i>Note to Self</i>, and it was awesome to be able to hear <a href="https://twitter.com/manoushz" target="_blank">Manoush</a> share her <a href="http://www.manoushz.com/book" target="_blank">Bored and Brilliant</a> ideas (and other work).<br />
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Feeling a bit guilty about tweeting while <a href="https://twitter.com/manoushz?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@manoushz</a> is telling us about phone use and the bored and brilliant project. So excited to hear her live though! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ISTE19?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ISTE19</a> <a href="https://t.co/8FY5nKT7Ee">pic.twitter.com/8FY5nKT7Ee</a></div>
— Kathryn Laster (@kklaster) <a href="https://twitter.com/kklaster/status/1143236400097189888?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 24, 2019</a></blockquote>
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Reflections for another day: I'm glad to see more conversations on topics such as teacher wellness, mental health issues, device distraction, and the importance of unplugging.<br />
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Attending a conference is a perfect example to apply John Dewey's quote:<br />
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We do not learn from experience... we learn from reflecting on experience.</blockquote>
Always learning!Kathryn Lasterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17378376328389008590noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7674577068109209417.post-85694574294936323082019-02-08T14:12:00.003-06:002019-07-07T06:17:40.688-05:00Takeaways from TCEA 2019<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vGlh_7Pnhnc/XF3OG7JG4tI/AAAAAAAACfk/7n6Y0PM5qmQg_W-Y2Hs8tSUI5cNNjEPfwCLcBGAs/s1600/sketchnoteTCEA.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1206" data-original-width="1206" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vGlh_7Pnhnc/XF3OG7JG4tI/AAAAAAAACfk/7n6Y0PM5qmQg_W-Y2Hs8tSUI5cNNjEPfwCLcBGAs/s320/sketchnoteTCEA.JPG" width="320" /></a>After three solid days of "conferencing" in San Antonio, I am happy to be able to spend a bit of time reflecting, processing, and synthesizing a few things learned.<br />
<h3>
Curate</h3>
I think it's important to have a plan or system for how to collect and share conference resources with teammates, colleagues and others. Of course, the use of collaborative Google Docs or Slides is a go-to for many of us. I've recently started implementing outline mode in my digital note-taking, and I hope the headings and subheadings will make the massive document a bit easier to manage.<br />
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Of course, I had Tweetdeck going for TCEA, but our group also created a Twitter hashtag, <a href="https://twitter.com/search?f=tweets&vertical=default&q=%23r10atTCEA&src=typd" target="_blank">#R10atTCEA</a>. It wasn't used as much as I would have liked, but I loved that others in Region 10 contributed to this hashtag, too.<br />
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It’s the first time our whole DL team is together!! 😍 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/r10atTCEA?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#r10atTCEA</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/tcea?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#tcea</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/r10tech?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#r10tech</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/TrevinoMisty?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TrevinoMisty</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/NancyWTech?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NancyWTech</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/gilleytweet?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@gilleytweet</a> <a href="https://t.co/7x7FwbwBpQ">pic.twitter.com/7x7FwbwBpQ</a></div>
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— Kathryn Laster (@kklaster) <a href="https://twitter.com/kklaster/status/1093584068506202112?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 7, 2019</a></div>
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A new favorite curation tool is <a href="https://wakelet.com/" target="_blank">Wakelet</a>, and just last month, they announced the feature of collaborative Wakelets, so I thought it would be fun to try out that tool with colleagues at the service center. (<a href="http://ditchthattextbook.com/2019/01/23/10-ways-to-use-wakelets-new-collaboration-feature/" target="_blank">Here's a post from Matt Miller</a> that shares more ideas to use collaborative collections.) We had 9 colleagues attend the conference, and several of us posted in our <a href="http://wke.lt/w/s/BjZKL" target="_blank">#R10atTCEA wakelet</a> (and I hope others will continue adding to it next week.)<br />
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<a href="https://twitter.com/J_Bimmerle" target="_blank">John Bimmerle</a>, a TCEA area director, took curation and Wakelet to the next level, and I loved this idea! He facilitated Solution Circles throughout TCEA, and he created a collaborative Wakelet for every single session AND made them public so we can see <a href="https://wakelet.com/@j_bimmerle" target="_blank">all of the session ideas and notes</a>!<br />
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I'm always a bit bummed when presenters don't share their slides/resources, but that only happened a couple of times during this conference. Something new that I would like to adapt is a "condensed" version of the slides. I attended a 3-hour workshop from <a href="https://twitter.com/froehlichm" target="_blank">Mandy Froehlich</a>, and instead of sharing her entire slide deck, she gave us <a href="https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1mtNzVUt_LhR8RK3H2UlwBDnkiV-5IuwYnuSnYFJ_Tv8/edit#slide=id.g4eac5fbb37_0_0" target="_blank">a condensed version of organized resources</a>. She used the same template as her original slide deck, but included only slides of the key definitions and resources. Her presentation slides were colorful and more detailed, and this small deck was mostly grey. I thought this was a great idea because it allowed us to focus on her content, but when necessary, we could click links for activities or additional resources.<br />
<h3>
Connect</h3>
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The conversations in the hallways are often the most valuable! For an introvert, it is always a push for me to strike up conversations with strangers, but that was a goal that I met this year. (I even had a conversation with two other educators while waiting in line to board the plane home.) Now that I've worked at the service center for 3.5 years, the conference felt like a mini-reunion, and I ran into former colleagues and people from districts all over Region 10.</div>
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Always love unexpected reunions at <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TCEA?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TCEA</a>! Conversations while waiting in line are the best! Such a fun surprise to see Pam at this conference. 😜 🐾❤️ <a href="https://twitter.com/ceciliagalvan08?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ceciliagalvan08</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/AnneMarieYarb?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@AnneMarieYarb</a> <a href="https://t.co/mUG0OSRGXz">pic.twitter.com/mUG0OSRGXz</a></div>
— Kathryn Laster (@kklaster) <a href="https://twitter.com/kklaster/status/1092839951358717959?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 5, 2019</a></blockquote>
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One glaring takeaway: when facilitating an extended workshop and expect interactions (i.e. "turn-and-talk" activities) take time at the beginning of the presentation for introductions. I think I always remember to do that, but when it's absent during a session, I feel it's sorely needed.<br />
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I have now volunteered at several conferences, and I think this will be a must-do for me for all future events. Not only is it a way to connect with other educators, but I feel it's a very small way to give back to all of those who worked to put on this massive event! I had a great time greeting people at check-in, and helping in the Google teaching theater is always a learning experience.<br />
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Just arriving at <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/tcea?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#tcea</a>? Check in with us on the main floor! Volunteering with Angie from <a href="https://twitter.com/CueroGNN?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CueroGNN</a>! 😊 <a href="https://t.co/ZapnJRqqZN">pic.twitter.com/ZapnJRqqZN</a></div>
— Kathryn Laster (@kklaster) <a href="https://twitter.com/kklaster/status/1092863262042017794?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 5, 2019</a></blockquote>
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During my sessions, I was also on the lookout for content that might be interesting for others in our group. By using Twitter, it was easy to tag colleagues when I found resources that might connect with their subject area (even if it wasn't applicable to me.)<br />
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Hey <a href="https://twitter.com/R10library?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@R10library</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/mslkile?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@mslkile</a> check out this post TechChef » 8+ Creative Ways to Use to Old Library Cards via <a href="https://twitter.com/TechChef4u?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TechChef4u</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/R10atTCEA?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#R10atTCEA</a> <a href="https://t.co/f3K5sNIoA5">https://t.co/f3K5sNIoA5</a></div>
— Kathryn Laster (@kklaster) <a href="https://twitter.com/kklaster/status/1093219022366171136?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 6, 2019</a></blockquote>
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And as a bonus to show how connections help <i>me</i>, I heard about Tony Vincent's "Random Reflection Generator" during a session and <a href="https://twitter.com/kklaster/status/1093532854586200069" target="_blank">posted that on Twitter</a>. Someone in my PLN shared <a href="https://learninginhand.com/blog/random-messages-and-links" target="_blank">the blog post from Tony about how to create the prompts</a>, and he then shared the script he used to make his own! (Don save me so much time on my weekend coding project!)<br />
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Here's <a href="https://twitter.com/tonyvincent?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@tonyvincent</a> post on how to create it. <a href="https://t.co/ojQ7U4XE7v">https://t.co/ojQ7U4XE7v</a><br />
BTW ... I figured out how to add my wife's Bitmoji to the page as well.</div>
— Don Yerks, Jr. 😎🤗 (@dyerksjr1) <a href="https://twitter.com/dyerksjr1/status/1093857940233170945?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 8, 2019</a></blockquote>
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And speaking of reflections...my third huge takeaway from TCEA...<br />
<h3>
Reflect</h3>
After several days of learning-overload, it's so important for me to process and reflect. One new thing I tried this year was to create a separate document for singular ideas and reflections. I kept one document of session <i>content</i> notes (resources, links, summaries, etc.) but when I experienced something that I wanted to use for my own work, I added that idea to a different document of "Random Ideas." When I saw an interesting way to format slides, start a session, survey question, or prompt, I added that to my other document. I hope this will be helpful with future work.<br />
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I'm also fortunate to work with a colleague who likes to "convention" like I do. After a full-day at the conference, I'm ready to get a super early dinner and then go back to the quiet of my room...and she wants exactly the same! Our dinners were very work related though, and we spent the majority of the time sharing ideas and information we experienced and discovered throughout the day.<br />
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I was also determined this year to find the good in every session or experience. In the past, I sometimes left sessions feeling like I just lost an hour of precious time, so this year, I was on the lookout for even the smallest takeaways. Armed with that mindset, I got <i>something</i> from every session. When I was completely unimpressed, I didn't feel guilty about sneaking out of the back...and my takeaway was to be extremely thoughtful to make certain my session description matches the content of my session.<br />
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My final thought and goal was to reflect and blog ASAP, and voila! (I've been home less than 24-hours, and I have this new post!) As a bonus, I attended a session with <a href="https://twitter.com/techchef4u" target="_blank">Lisa Johnson</a> on <a href="https://techchef4u.com/portfolio/notable-note-taking/" target="_blank">Notable Note-Taking</a>, and I've been a fan of her digital/analog notes, so I'm trying something I've admired in her work...my sketchnote of take-aways, along with a <a href="https://www.thinglink.com/" target="_blank">Thinglink</a>.<br />
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<img class="alwaysThinglink" height="400" src="//cdn.thinglink.me/api/image/1150502874241826817/1024/10/scaletowidth#tl-1150502874241826817;'" style="max-width: 100%;" width="399" /><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//cdn.thinglink.me/jse/embed.js"></script> </div>
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Conference learning is powerful in so many ways! These days, I don't think I should expect (or want) to walk away from conferences with tools; instead, my head is full of ideas to try.</div>
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<i>Always learning...</i></div>
Kathryn Lasterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17378376328389008590noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7674577068109209417.post-79878648964920827922019-01-27T21:04:00.001-06:002019-01-27T21:04:36.593-06:00Zigging and Zagging<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-hIytn2hw9b0/XE5dzAwqB3I/AAAAAAAACew/l9hWlnyyjOQ4uvolJc-pUicSGr5TUmMrACLcBGAs/s1600/shield-2300042_1920.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-hIytn2hw9b0/XE5dzAwqB3I/AAAAAAAACew/l9hWlnyyjOQ4uvolJc-pUicSGr5TUmMrACLcBGAs/s320/shield-2300042_1920.jpg" width="320" /></a>I enjoy January, the start of a new year, and new beginnings. During the past several years, I created resolutions, participated in happiness projects, wrote 18 goals for 2018, and distilled yearly themes to #oneword. (This year's word is <i>heart</i>, by the way.) As part of our work evaluations, we write and submit reflections on our past and future goals, and I really enjoy that process. (I wonder how many people like completing these reflections?) I'm currently working on a portfolio for a certification project, and the synthesis process is very fulfilling for me.<br />
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In spite of all of my thinking and reflecting, for the past several months, I feel that I lost my sense of direction, and I am zigging and zagging all over the place. I don't think I even realized I was at such a loss until I heard the discussion of "<a href="https://davestuartjr.com/challenge/" target="_blank">Defining Your Everest</a>" during <a href="http://onepercentbetterpodcast.libsyn.com/ep-52-how-to-focus-on-what-matters-most-w-dave-stuart-jr" target="_blank">an interview with Dave Stuart on this podcast</a>. Bottom line, I would like to distill my work into concise, focused goals.<br />
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It's not like I've never done something like this before... I discovered this quote in 2006, and it continues to be one of my favorites. It suited me perfectly as a math teacher, Student Council sponsor, instructional specialist, and now as a digital learning consultant.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-SF0u9rSVCNk/XE5mggqmPzI/AAAAAAAACfM/vN4uDtPqBWwz3UbfeStwqFYqd_46WDsTQCLcBGAs/s1600/why.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1201" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-SF0u9rSVCNk/XE5mggqmPzI/AAAAAAAACfM/vN4uDtPqBWwz3UbfeStwqFYqd_46WDsTQCLcBGAs/s320/why.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A couple years ago, a friend even created this painting for me, and it's prominently hanging in my office.</td></tr>
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Starting in 2012, my students and I created <a href="http://mathmagicwithlaster.blogspot.com/2012/05/math-memoirs.html" target="_blank">6-word memoirs</a>. I still love this focus sentence.<br />
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I love to help find solutions.</blockquote>
The sentence worked in my previous job because it was very "math-y," plus I was working at the campus level to solve problems. Now I find ways <i>technology</i> can solve problems.<br />
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I created a <a href="https://www.nolimitsonlearning.com/2014/07/tlap-gps.html" target="_blank">5-word GPS</a> for the 2014-15 school year (my last year on a campus). When I look at the words now, I see my focus was so much about building a community of learners and creating psychological safety in my class...and that is all still good to remember for my professional development sessions.<br />
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HKau_6M-u7Y/U7qOg7wDSdI/AAAAAAAAA5U/6eK1neyliboxaI6lo9yELlqo51fqMqRtQCPcBGAYYCw/s1600/tlp%2Bgps.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="536" data-original-width="534" height="200" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HKau_6M-u7Y/U7qOg7wDSdI/AAAAAAAAA5U/6eK1neyliboxaI6lo9yELlqo51fqMqRtQCPcBGAYYCw/s200/tlp%2Bgps.PNG" width="198" /></a></div>
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Last year, I took an online class (#ClassyGraphics) where an optional assignment was to create a manifesto, and I worked for weeks to choose the right words that described my values and beliefs.</div>
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0EWS5M7Euew/XE5dvn1IS_I/AAAAAAAACe0/b3OiuTZviGcogFsXxYzZnKUXz98s5BxZgCEwYBhgL/s1600/Manifesto%2B1_19_2019.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0EWS5M7Euew/XE5dvn1IS_I/AAAAAAAACe0/b3OiuTZviGcogFsXxYzZnKUXz98s5BxZgCEwYBhgL/s320/Manifesto%2B1_19_2019.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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Looking at all of these quotes, words, and reflections from past years helps me understand my values and priorities, but how can I be more concise? I see a lot of similarities in my words and ideas. What I like about the Everest Challenge is the teacher says every single day in his classes, his students are working on one or more of his 5-6 broad goals. During the podcast interview, Dave said he started writing his ideas on an index card, carried it around for days (weeks?) to refine and reflect on his words.</div>
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What is my work all about? Right now, I'm thinking something like, "I want to help others see how technology empowers us to learn, connect, collaborate, and create." Hmmm... Am I able to spend the majority of my time using technology for learning, connecting, collaborating, and creating? Is this focus fulfilling for me? Suggestions?</div>
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Still thinking and reflecting, and always learning. </div>
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PS - With "Zigging and Zagging," I'm <i>finally</i> ending my alphabet blogging challenge. Talk about perseverance. It took way too long to finish 26 posts, but I'm glad I did it!</div>
Kathryn Lasterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17378376328389008590noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7674577068109209417.post-82873701122540223042019-01-13T07:28:00.002-06:002019-02-08T20:41:44.937-06:00YouTube for Learning?<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Anyone who is around me for more than 5 minutes hears about my favorite educational book <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/New-Pillars-Modern-Teaching-Solutions-ebook/dp/B01779Y598/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=" target="_blank">The New Pillars of Modern </a></i><i class=""><a href="https://www.amazon.com/New-Pillars-Modern-Teaching-Solutions-ebook/dp/B01779Y598/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=" target="_blank">Teaching</a>.</i><span class=""> T</span>he ideas in <a href="https://twitter.com/curiousgayle" target="_blank">Gayle Allen's</a> book truly transformed how I think about teaching and learning. (See <a href="https://www.nolimitsonlearning.com/2017/09/new-pillars.html" target="_blank">this post</a> for an overview.) So this reflection started as ponderings about YouTube, but as with most everything in my educational world, it's going to circle back to the <i>New Pillars.</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i><br /></i> Last year, I read great advice for conference-going, which was to attend a session that was outside your comfort zone or area of interest. Find something that might push your thinking. For that reason, on the last day and the final session of ISTE 18, I found the session <i><a href="https://conference.iste.org/2018/program/search/detail_session.php?id=110772252" target="_blank">Teacher Reflection and Professional Growth Through Vlogging</a></i>. The session description sounded interesting (except for the video part) but I didn't recognize the presenters' names. I ran into a former colleague in this session, and based on <a href="https://twitter.com/thatSTEMclass/status/1012055375502331904" target="_blank">his enthusiasm</a> (and the response in the room!) I learned that the presenters were "celebrities" in the TeacherTuber world! I had no idea that just like blogs, Twitter, and Instagram, there is an entire community of educators that share and support each other on YouTube. Check out <span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRGA_FqyigEPmh5U37Yn7fA" target="_blank">CJ Reynolds'</a> and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/dnak1000" target="_blank">Darin </a></span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/dnak1000" target="_blank">Nakakihara</a><span style="font-family: "raleway";"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/dnak1000" target="_blank">'s</a> channels to see their vlogs. Their presentation was dynamic and inspiring, and they spoke with enthusiasm about their community of learners and how they used video to learn, grow, reflect, and share.</span></span></span><br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WSuuI7fP-NQ/XDswIiaBDrI/AAAAAAAACdw/UTCo37HanKMWcJBfDSm9ALDTwWBv0gvvgCLcBGAs/s1600/YouTube%2BISTE.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="993" data-original-width="1600" height="197" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WSuuI7fP-NQ/XDswIiaBDrI/AAAAAAAACdw/UTCo37HanKMWcJBfDSm9ALDTwWBv0gvvgCLcBGAs/s320/YouTube%2BISTE.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "raleway";"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span> <span style="font-family: "raleway";"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">As wonderful as their presentation was, I have not spent any additional time exploring YouTube and TeacherTubers. I am not interested (right now) in joining that community of learners. BUT because of my understanding of the <i>New Pillars</i>, I realize that's OK...that type of medium is not my learning preference. I also realize that vlogging <i>might</i> be a favorite platform for some of my session participants, so how can I provide more video as an option? Just like students in our classrooms, our preferences are not going to be the same as our students, so how can we accommodate for those differences? How can we design learning experiences that meet the needs of more of our learners?</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "raleway";"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span> <span style="font-family: "raleway";"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">In <i>The New Pillars of Modern Teaching</i>, Dr. Allen provides a brief self-assessment for us to determine our own learning preferences. She asks us to reflect on a favorite learning experience and break down the experience in terms of the four elements of powerful learning design: time, place, medium, and socialness.</span></span></span><br />
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<li><span style="font-family: "raleway";"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Time</b>: How much time did the experience take? Was it a short burst of time or a semester?</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "raleway";"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Place</b>: Where did the learning occur? Face-to-face? In a university? Online? Synchronous?</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "raleway";"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Medium</b>: What platforms were used? Audio, video, online, face-to-face?</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "raleway";"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Socialness</b>: How much interaction occurred? Was it face-to-face or virtual?</span></span></li>
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<span style="font-family: "raleway";"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; white-space: pre-wrap;">I've reflected on my favorite learning experiences multiple times, and for our online book study, we ask participants to create a graphic to explain their preferences, so here's one of mine.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-06qHu6vlAAQ/XDs1u_EymLI/AAAAAAAACd8/d6RTLUOwFZUZLYQfNpRYau8VPDffHzfiQCLcBGAs/s1600/Design%2Bof%2BYOUR%2BFavorite%2BLearning%2BExperience%2B-%2BTIA%252C%2B2018.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="960" height="225" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-06qHu6vlAAQ/XDs1u_EymLI/AAAAAAAACd8/d6RTLUOwFZUZLYQfNpRYau8VPDffHzfiQCLcBGAs/s400/Design%2Bof%2BYOUR%2BFavorite%2BLearning%2BExperience%2B-%2BTIA%252C%2B2018.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "raleway";"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; white-space: pre-wrap;">Now that I deeply understand my learning preferences, I know to look for learning opportunities that meet my needs as a learner. And because I realize my preferences differ from most others, I strive to include multiple elements in my sessions. I'm always looking for more ways to provide more choice, though! And for classroom teachers, what does this look like for classrooms where the curriculum is so tight and we have so many other spinning plates?</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "raleway";"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; white-space: pre-wrap;">A couple of years ago, <a href="https://www.region10.org/programs/digital-learning/digital-learning-radio/dl-radio-archives/gayle-allen-on-the-new-pillars-of-modern-teaching/" target="_blank">we interviewed Dr. Allen for our podcast</a>, and here's a short clip of a suggestion from her. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dyicgauLlSjzySsTOFDWPn8sBLFwlq1Sfak7FbC4Oda2CDSKvxwQ9YCFuluQOH_kt8bnMHWC6B_WerIW9Uwig' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "raleway";"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; white-space: pre-wrap;">In the book, Dr. Allen recognizes that teachers lack time to be able to do it <i>all</i>, and she frequently reminds us to start small. With learning design, she suggests to choose one of the four elements (like medium) and make a few tweaks. Her example above was part of a discussion about curation, but the idea applies to both of the pillars.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "raleway";"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span> <span style="font-family: "raleway";"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Understanding these elements of powerful learning design also align with the <a href="https://www.iste.org/standards/for-educators" target="_blank">ISTE Educator standard </a>of Designer. </span></span><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">At first glance, </span><i style="white-space: pre-wrap;">The New Pillars</i><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> doesn't look like a technology book, but if we are going to succeed in implementing the three pillars, technology must be part of the picture. </span><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">This standard and indicator ask us to use technology to design experiences that take all of those learner preferences into consideration. </span></span><br />
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bA168Ttn2VM/XDs5vjP5QrI/AAAAAAAACeI/jOHW4oz0FTANgquXkIMNrQ3rNc2jHABdACLcBGAs/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2019-01-13%2Bat%2B7.13.46%2BAM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="390" data-original-width="1516" height="163" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bA168Ttn2VM/XDs5vjP5QrI/AAAAAAAACeI/jOHW4oz0FTANgquXkIMNrQ3rNc2jHABdACLcBGAs/s640/Screen%2BShot%2B2019-01-13%2Bat%2B7.13.46%2BAM.png" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "raleway";"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; white-space: pre-wrap;">If interested, here's our entire episode with Dr. Allen.</span></span><br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" height="90" mozallowfullscreen="" msallowfullscreen="" oallowfullscreen="" scrolling="no" src="//html5-player.libsyn.com/embed/episode/id/5952149/height/90/theme/custom/thumbnail/yes/preload/no/direction/forward/render-playlist/no/custom-color/000000/" style="border: none;" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="100%"></iframe>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">So if a vlog and a YouTube community is not your cup of tea, I'm certain it is for someone you know. (Have any of your students declared they wanted to become a YouTuber? That's a thing!) Maybe you're extremely social and believe collaborative groups are the way to go, but is that true for all of your students or session participants? (oops!)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Have you reflected on your learning preferences? Do you use those preferences to design your own learning experiences? Would the learning preference self-assessment help your students or those you coach?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Reflecting on learning preferences and learning design...and always learning.</span></div>
Kathryn Lasterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17378376328389008590noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7674577068109209417.post-81859706991721595872018-09-02T18:33:00.002-05:002019-01-13T07:44:36.426-06:00X-tra Special Summer X-periences<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-uHijA9CAfo0/W4xfoxiNtnI/AAAAAAAACck/Q-EhD2Z7Y_0Ptm0XEStVX3qoNgB9QykuwCK4BGAYYCw/s1600/alphabet-1223622_1920.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="132" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-uHijA9CAfo0/W4xfoxiNtnI/AAAAAAAACck/Q-EhD2Z7Y_0Ptm0XEStVX3qoNgB9QykuwCK4BGAYYCw/s200/alphabet-1223622_1920.jpg" width="200" /></a>Many (<i>many</i>) months ago, I thought it might be a fun challenge to create blog post titles using the first letters of the alphabet, not knowing it would take so long to complete 26 posts. Now that I'm so close to finishing the pattern, 🤓I'm taking creative liberties with my spelling. But I did want to share what I learned from a few special summer experiences.<br />
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Don't forget about conference Poster Sessions and Playgrounds!</h4>
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At this summer's ISTE conference, my colleague and I "presented" during the ISTE Administrator Playground, and it was so fun! I loved the opportunities to visit with people, share our work, and have face-to-face conversations. It wasn't nearly the pressure/prep of a full-scale presentation, and it was a fantastic way to network. We used our online book study example (I've mentioned <i>The New Pillars</i> in several <a href="https://www.nolimitsonlearning.com/2017/09/new-pillars.html" target="_blank">posts</a>) as a way to design professional learning to empower others. (<a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1go_dm52lFW1nxjfnLT3MzImypNwVRUflpzma477wapM/edit" target="_blank">Here's the document</a> we shared.)</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ashley and I are ready to share at the ISTE Admin Playground!</td></tr>
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Because we were presenting during one of the Playgrounds, I made a special point of attending as many of these types of "sessions" as possible. What I learned: Posters and Playgrounds may be one of my new favorite ways to conference! In the past, I did not participate too much with these types of sessions, but this summer, I was much more strategic about how I visited, and I loved this format.<br />
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With Poster sessions, you can wander around and do a bit of window shopping and eavesdropping, or you can find the 4-5 tables that truly interest you and have wonderful conversations with the table hosts. If you're strategic about your timing, you may also have the opportunity to engage in discussions with others and learn a lot in a short amount of time. OR if you're feeling introverted, or if it's too crowded, you may just smile, grab the information link, and move on. I will definitely check out future Playgrounds/Poster sessions at upcoming conferences, and I feel these types of sessions allow much more personal interactions...and because of the ability to have these up-close conversations, it brings me to the next extra-special experience...<br />
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Let others know you appreciate them.</h4>
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At mega-events like ISTE, there are more opportunities for "fan-girl" moments when you see those you admire. So this year, I decided to actually share my appreciation and thanks to those I don't know IRL. And for the most part, people seemed genuinely happy and appreciative that I spoke to them. And because I found these educators during Poster/Playground sessions, we had time for more than a few seconds of conversation. </div>
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Soooo glad we got to meet IRL! You’re fabulous !! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/iste18?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#iste18</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/sketch50?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#sketch50</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/sketchiste?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#sketchiste</a> <a href="https://t.co/uqVVxDS51Z">pic.twitter.com/uqVVxDS51Z</a></div>
— Cate Tolnai (@CateTolnai) <a href="https://twitter.com/CateTolnai/status/1012053496361779200?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 27, 2018</a></blockquote>
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Met <a href="https://twitter.com/kklaster?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@kklaster</a> at <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ISTE18?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ISTE18</a> and she's super rad!!!!!!! Dallas teachers are amazing! <a href="https://t.co/ocfwUPoywE">pic.twitter.com/ocfwUPoywE</a></div>
— Dan Ryder (@WickedDecent) <a href="https://twitter.com/WickedDecent/status/1011657709652008961?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 26, 2018</a></blockquote>
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I stopped a couple other people and just said, "Thanks for your work and what you share with educators," and that always resulted in hugs. Most people want to know that you appreciate their work, so my lesson is to tell them!<br />
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Step outside your comfort zone.</h4>
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Several colleagues from my former district created <a href="https://www.edchangeglobal.com/" target="_blank">EdChange Global</a>, which is a 24-hour online learning experience. When they asked if I wanted to be on the organizing team, I agreed and helped plan the event. But the giant step outside of my comfort zone was to go to ECG "Headquarters" to help facilitate everything the day of the event. I flew to Scottsdale, AZ, for a quick weekend of work, and wow, what a learning experience. (Everyone said to visit Arizona in January, not July!) I had not spent much time with the people from my former district, I had never been to Arizona, and I only knew the location host from Zoom meetings and emails. </div>
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One view of <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ecglobal?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ecglobal</a> headquarters! Having a great time checking out as many sessions as possible! Learning from educators all over the 🌎 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/r10tech?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#r10tech</a> <a href="https://t.co/rr0BbsOqdj">pic.twitter.com/rr0BbsOqdj</a></div>
— Kathryn Laster (@kklaster) <a href="https://twitter.com/kklaster/status/1020414939159134208?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 20, 2018</a></blockquote>
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The event was exhilarating (and exhausting.) Participating allowed me to connect with people from all over the globe and to expand my PLN. I discovered some best webinar practices. I helped connect others. I better understand the ins-and-outs of leadership and teams.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At about 20-hours into the event! 😴😴</td></tr>
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The downside of this experience was that it occurred during the busiest part of my summer. It took about two weeks for me to be able to catch up on sleep and work. If the event is at the same time next year, I doubt if I will participate in the same manner, but I'm very glad I stepped outside of my comfort zone and tried something new with a different group of educators.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Prepping for the closing session of EdChange Global</td></tr>
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As a consultant, I spend my summer facilitating learning experiences for educators. Now that school is in session, I have a bit more time to think, reflect, and unwind. It was fun to remember these extra special summer moments and to consider how these experiences helped me learn and grow.<br />
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Always learning, even during hectic work times!</div>
Kathryn Lasterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17378376328389008590noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7674577068109209417.post-1966777261246971922018-08-21T17:30:00.000-05:002018-08-21T17:30:06.457-05:00Wondering in the Windy CityEven though the conference was a couple months ago, I wanted to share a bit about this summer's ISTE Chicago experience.<br />
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I'm still processing and working through ideas, but here are a few key takeaways from my day 1:<br />
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<b><a href="http://kennethshelton.net/" target="_blank">Ken Shelton's</a> <i>Designing Culturally Relevant Learning Experiences </i>session:</b><br />
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<li>A something-to-think about quote was “If you don’t have the technology to hear from every student every day, that’s not an equitable classroom.” I'm wondering: how many of our districts practice this kind of "techquity?" (his word) Our districts are all over the place with access and use of devices. What can our team do to help facilitate more techquity in our region?</li>
<li>We tried several culturally relevant icebreaker activities during this presentation. One I adapted and played in several of my subsequent sessions this summer was <i><a href="https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/e/2PACX-1vQXk2WshicvaI93oKQu1VVEPdyV338JgMqeVDDuTuCn7E6kIeLiv345D5Nco1ij5PHrWORnNQ6ZmXIa/pub?start=false&loop=false&delayms=3000&slide=id.g3d61935b42_0_359" target="_blank">Game of Phones</a>.</i> Click through the slides to see additional resources and ideas. The idea from this activity: most of our students use Snapchat or Instagram, so how can I take advantage of those platforms in the context of learning environments? Students use visuals and imagery, so why don’t we? (If our students don't have phones, use a computer to look up a relevant image.)</li>
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<b><a href="https://twitter.com/tonyvincent" target="_blank">Tony Vincent's</a> <i>An Emoji Education</i>:</b><br /><ul>
<li>I waited outside the room for an <i>hour</i> to ensure I had a seat in this session. I participated in two of Tony's online courses and learned so much from him, so I really wanted to meet him face-to-face. I appreciated my colleague Ashley for waiting with me, and we both wanted to see him present. And side-note: I know the long lines cause some grumbling, but that's part of the conference experience, and that's where great conversations happen, too.</li>
<ul><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KCaMu32z59E/W3wMsSoeOCI/AAAAAAAACcM/OFBPI3wNRFgquroUdD8RFBGDljsvq0T5gCEwYBhgL/s1600/emoji%2BISTE.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1018" data-original-width="1600" height="203" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KCaMu32z59E/W3wMsSoeOCI/AAAAAAAACcM/OFBPI3wNRFgquroUdD8RFBGDljsvq0T5gCEwYBhgL/s320/emoji%2BISTE.jpg" width="320" /></a>
<li>Tony's <a href="https://learninginhand.com/emoji18" target="_blank">session</a> was fantastic and fun. He was engaging, the ideas were easy to implement and relevant, and he shared many tools and resources. </li>
<li>One of my favorite moments of the session was that Tony recognized me in the audience...even though we had never met face-to-face! After I recovered from the excitement of his simple, "Oh hey, Kathryn," I reflected on the importance of names, acknowledging others, and making connections. How often do I call others by their names during my sessions or even in the hallways at work? (Not enough!) After this huge reminder, I worked during the rest of my summer sessions to learn as many names as possible, even if I was with the educators for only 1 hour. If I knew anyone in the audience, I wanted to make certain I said something to them personally. How many opportunities have I missed when working with teachers? I think I did a much better job when working with students, but this personal experience made me realize that <i>"I see you"</i> is just as important for adults.</li>
<li>As Ashley and I reflected that evening, we brought up the possibility/need of offering more online courses in our work. We both mentioned that a problem with online courses was the lack of community and collaboration...but then Ashley said WAIT, Tony created an <i>amazing</i> community of learners in his courses, so it can be done. I experienced it myself, as did apparently most people in the room and in line in the hallway. As soon as Tony started walking toward his presentation room, the energy seriously changed in the waiting area. When he mentioned <a href="https://twitter.com/search?f=tweets&vertical=default&q=%23classygraphics&src=typd" target="_blank">#ClassyGraphics</a> or <a href="https://twitter.com/search?f=tweets&q=%23classyvideos&src=typd" target="_blank">#ClassyVideos</a> during his session, the room erupted with applause! Tony created this terrific community of learners, all within the confines of an online platform, so it was a reminder of the power of virtual collaboration. So the big question for us is how can we replicate a similar sense of community for online courses we develop?</li>
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Revisiting my notes and reflections from ISTE day 1 has given me plenty of things to wonder about. My theme from this day (and probably the conference) was <i>connections.</i> It's so important to find ways to make connections with our students and the adults we serve. What can I do connect with others in more meaningful ways?<br />
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Wondering and learning...<br />
<br />Kathryn Lasterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17378376328389008590noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7674577068109209417.post-12192973434813344292018-06-24T06:38:00.000-05:002019-01-13T07:36:48.694-06:00Voice and ChoiceMy teammates and I facilitate a session called <i>Designing Instruction in the Digital Age,</i> and as I updated my work this summer, I found it interesting how all of my "favorite instructional worlds" kept colliding.<br />
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Three summers ago, one version of this session was called <i>Flipped Learning</i>. The next summer, the session became <i>Blended Instruction</i>. We now take the foundations of the <a href="http://www.nolimitsonlearning.com/2017/09/new-pillars.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #e69138;">new pillars</span></a> and add bits of thinking from differentiated instruction to create the current iteration of this session. Bottom line: it's all about <b>voice</b> and <b>choice</b>. (I know, that's almost a buzzword, but it's certainly my focus now!)<br />
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Here's what we say about <i>voice</i>:<br />
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Student voice includes creating content to demonstrate their learning and sharing their voice with others through discussions, backchannels and possibly social media.</blockquote>
Our definition of <i>choice</i>:<br />
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Student choice means students choose how they learn something, how they demonstrate their learning and, possibly, what they learn.</blockquote>
Here's one slide from the presentation, and I use exactly the same wording whenever I discuss differentiated instruction.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DJleJ4U6DwE/Wy95bOmpWTI/AAAAAAAACaM/Lt3XK8PH9wAhBZBoEFsk4Uo073Q2VVmHACLcBGAs/s1600/Designing%2BInstruction%2B-%2BDISD.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="What choice to students have in choice of content, process, product, environment?" border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="960" height="225" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DJleJ4U6DwE/Wy95bOmpWTI/AAAAAAAACaM/Lt3XK8PH9wAhBZBoEFsk4Uo073Q2VVmHACLcBGAs/s400/Designing%2BInstruction%2B-%2BDISD.jpg" title="Student Agency" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">from <i><span style="color: #e69138;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Courageous-Edventures-Navigating-Innovation-Essentials/dp/1506318347" target="_blank">Courageous Edventures</a>,</span></i> Jennie Magiera</td></tr>
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In <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Pillars-Modern-Teaching-Solutions-Instructional/dp/1942496192" target="_blank"><i>The</i> <i>New Pillars of Modern Teaching</i></a>, the first pillar is <i class="gr-progress"><b>design</b></i>. Dr. Allen describes the four elements of powerful learning design as time, place, medium, and socialness. We want to provide voice and choice as we're designing instruction (or helping our students design their own learning experiences.)<br />
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In the professional learning sessions I facilitate, I feel like I'm doing a decent job with the <i><b>choice</b></i> part of the workshop or training. I provide a variety of mediums for participants to access the content. I typically allow time for educators time to pick-and-choose articles, tools, or resources to explore. For the <b><i>voice</i></b> part, I'm looking for additional ideas. We usually have a backchannel for the session, and we encourage participants to share their reflections using a common hashtag...but what else? What kind of voice and choice do educators need for their own professional learning?</div>
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I plan to ask these questions in upcoming sessions, and I hope I'll receive some audio clips to create a small podcast about this content. If you would like to try out the <a href="https://anchor.fm/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #e69138;">Anchor</span></a> and record a message (that might be included here!) the instructions are below:</div>
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<li>Download the <a href="https://anchor.fm/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #e69138;">Anchor app</span></a>.</li>
<li>Search for Kathryn Laster.</li>
<li>Click on the episode and “send a message.”</li>
<li>Respond to any of the questions: What does voice or choice mean to you? What kind of voice and choice do educators need for their own professional learning? How do you provide voice and choice in your own classrooms? Include your name and role, and then share your ideas. (You have 1 minute.)</li>
<li>Type your name as the title and send.</li>
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Thinking a lot about voice and choice, and my journey of differentiated instruction, the new pillars, and now designing instruction in the digital age.</div>
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Always learning...</div>
Kathryn Lasterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17378376328389008590noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7674577068109209417.post-21837103354236644012018-06-16T06:34:00.001-05:002019-01-13T07:37:33.731-06:00Unstuck<h4>
<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">A bit of voice and choice...</span></h4>
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<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">I update this blog <i>sporadically, </i>at best, and I know I never wake up in the middle of the night excited to write a blog post. This morning, I started brainstorming a bit and I thought that adding a little bit of audio might motivate me to become unstuck about my blogging.</span>
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<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">I was working on an upcoming session about podcasting, and I wanted to try the <a href="https://anchor.fm/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #e69138;">Anchor app</span></a>. The website declares, "It's the easiest way to start a podcast. Ever." I knew other educators used Anchor for their podcasts, so I wanted to include this tool in my session. I decided as a model, I could try Anchor for this blog post.</span></div>
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<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">In our sessions, we share the importance of providing voice and choice: to allow students to access the content or to share their work through audio, video, or text or a variety of mediums. We provide a plethora of sources and allow participants time to explore the readings and tools of their choice. That's what led me to wonder: is there a way I can add a little bit of choice on this blog? Would this choice in platform help me become unstuck with my blogging efforts?</span></div>
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<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">It took me a little bit of time to create a logo for Anchor, and it's not great, but if I wanted to create audio connected to my blog, at least I already had a name and colors. Since my colleagues and I already create our <a href="https://www.region10.org/programs/digital-learning/digital-learning-radio/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #e69138;">Digital Learning Radio podcast</span></a>, I was at least somewhat familiar with the other podcast requirements.</span></div>
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<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">We'll see how this works and how often I include a little bit of audio on the posts...but for now, this idea inspired me to jump out of bed on a summer Saturday morning. I'm a little less stuck now, and I am motivated to try something new, to explore new tools, and to share content in new ways. </span><br />
<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span> <span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Thanks for listening! </span><br />
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Kathryn Lasterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17378376328389008590noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7674577068109209417.post-32047554450876521452018-03-15T09:43:00.000-05:002019-07-07T06:17:40.623-05:00Takeaways from Episode ThreeAs I mentioned at the <a href="http://www.nolimitsonlearning.com/2018/01/podcast-love.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #e69138;">end of this post</span></a>, my work team and I host a podcast called <a href="https://www.region10.org/programs/digital-learning/digital-learning-radio/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #e69138;">Digital Learning Radio</span></a>. In our podcast, we discuss ideas for implementing technology, interview guests, and share some of our favorite things.<br />
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This year, we are working our way through the <a href="https://www.iste.org/standards/for-educators" target="_blank"><span style="color: #e69138;">ISTE Educator Standards</span></a>, and we're talking to leaders in the field as we take a deep-dive into each one of the standards. For Standard 4, <i>Collaborator</i>, we had the privilege of interviewing <a href="https://twitter.com/garyhirsch" target="_blank"><span style="color: #e69138;">Gary Hirsch</span></a>, who is a Portland artist, <a href="http://www.botjoy.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #e69138;">botjoy creator</span></a>, and co-founder of <a href="http://oyf.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #e69138;">On Your Feet</span></a>. I shared how I discovered his work in <a href="http://www.nolimitsonlearning.com/2017/07/joy-bots.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #e69138;">this post about Joy Bots</span></a>, but participating in this conversation with him was one of the highlights of my year!<br />
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As we were getting ready to publish this episode, my colleague Ashley asked if I would create a sketchnote to illustrate a portion of the interview. Gary talked a lot about letting going and the power of risk-taking, so even though I'm still working on my sketchnotes, I thought I could take a risk and share this one (in honor of the interview!)<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Used for the thumbnail in the podcast excerpt</td></tr>
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Listen to Gary discuss risk-taking:<br />
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I originally created this sketchnote for <span style="color: #e69138;"><a href="https://youtu.be/K_LqFMYWSEg" target="_blank"><span style="color: #e69138;">Gary's TEDx talk</span></a>, </span>which is all about the power of collaboration...and it's what prompted us to reach out to him to discuss ISTE Educator Standard 4.<br />
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After posting these sketches, I decided to really take a risk, so I sketched one of my favorite quotes from this episode. I also created a sketchnote of 5 of my favorite takeaways from our conversation.<br />
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<a href="https://www.region10.org/programs/digital-learning/digital-learning-radio/iste-standards-deep-dive-gary-hirsch-collaboration-junkie/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #e69138;">Listen to the entire episode here</span></a>, and enjoy.</div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" height="90" mozallowfullscreen="" msallowfullscreen="" oallowfullscreen="" scrolling="no" src="//html5-player.libsyn.com/embed/episode/id/6281687/height/90/theme/custom/autoplay/no/autonext/no/thumbnail/yes/preload/no/no_addthis/no/direction/backward/render-playlist/no/custom-color/3a62a9/" style="border: none;" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="100%"></iframe>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kQRQvnZhvq0/WqqCm6lCT5I/AAAAAAAACXs/oGVzmy2PzJg-7JF-AAN406I-tAc_a2MEACEwYBhgL/s1600/DLR%2Band%2BGH.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="852" data-original-width="639" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kQRQvnZhvq0/WqqCm6lCT5I/AAAAAAAACXs/oGVzmy2PzJg-7JF-AAN406I-tAc_a2MEACEwYBhgL/s640/DLR%2Band%2BGH.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Google Hangout with the DL Team and Gary Hirsh</td></tr>
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I'm always learning...and thanks to this inspiring interview, I'm learning to take more risks!<br />
<br />Kathryn Lasterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17378376328389008590noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7674577068109209417.post-91987061724374526742018-02-08T15:26:00.001-06:002018-02-08T15:29:06.559-06:00Screencasting for Teaching and LearningWith devices in the hands of so many students and teachers, I don't think screencasting and webcam recordings receive the credit these strategies deserve. In this post, I share a few favorite tools and how they can be used for both teaching and learning.<br />
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How can we use screencasts for teaching?</h4>
When I started creating videos for my classes, I only had an iPad. I found <a href="http://www.showme.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #e69138;">Show Me</span></a>, which was an easy way to create tutorials, plus the videos could be viewed on various devices.<br />
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I didn't have the time to "flip" my entire class, so I started by creating tutorial videos for concepts where I knew the kids struggled. (After teaching the same subject for many years, you <i>know</i> the difficult topics!)<br />
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It took a while for me to get the hang of speaking and writing (and listening to the sound of my voice). I had to let go of the idea of perfect, beautiful videos...because they were not! But I soon achieved my goal of a 3-minute video taking no more than 5-minutes to record. The students appreciated the tutorials, and they seemed to prefer my videos over ones they found elsewhere online. </div>
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(By the way, you can now <a href="https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT207935" target="_blank"><span style="color: #e69138;">record screencasts on your iPad using iOS 11</span></a>, so an app may not even be necessary.)</div>
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For my work today, I could probably utilize screencasts in every single professional learning session. Content delivery can all be done with a video. (Same is true for classrooms, right?)</div>
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I'm slowly (eek!) adding a bit of webcam to my screencasts, and there are several easy tools for these videos.</div>
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I discovered the<span style="color: #e69138;"> </span><a href="https://wistia.com/soapbox" style="color: #e69138;" target="_blank">Soapbox</a> Chrome Extension during an <a class="" href="https://www.edcamp.org/" target="_blank"><span style="background-color: white; color: #e69138;">edcamp</span></a>, and it allows you to switch between your webcam, screen, or both.<br />
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<a href="https://soapbox.wistia.com/videos/NpFDeWGJoL" target="_self"><img height="250" src="https://embed-ssl.wistia.com/deliveries/0a16a3225698360e33c7dc2e7bad0ece0cada725.jpg?image_play_button_size=2x&image_crop_resized=960x600&image_play_button=1&image_play_button_color=54BBFFe0" style="height: 250px; width: 400px;" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://soapbox.wistia.com/videos/NpFDeWGJoL">Soapbox - Using Retrieval Practice</a></div>
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I shared <a href="https://www.useloom.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #e69138;">Loom</span></a> (and WebCam Record) in <a href="http://www.nolimitsonlearning.com/2018/01/quick-wins.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #e69138;">this post about Quick Wins</span></a>. All of these tools require very little set-up, and the free plans are sufficient for my needs.<br />
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When beginning your screencast journey, start small and go for the <i>product</i>, rather than perfection. Get a video or screencast out there to help students, rather than spending too much time editing, doing re-takes, creating graphics and transitions.<br />
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How can we use screen-recordings for students and learning? </h4>
Instead of standing up giving full presentations, students could record screencasts of their work, and partners could provide feedback on each other's work <i>before</i> it is submitted to the teacher. (Save class time!)<br />
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Students could explain (justify, question) anything on a webpage...vocabulary, steps for solving a problem, what a particular reading passage means...<br />
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Teachers could provide slides (information) and students could create a screencast to develop predictions, make inferences, or draw conclusions about the content.<br />
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<li>In a math session, I provided about 15 slides with different graphs, charts, and data points, and I asked the teachers to choose 2-3 slides to discuss. See my samples below. I used <a href="https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/screencastify-screen-vide/mmeijimgabbpbgpdklnllpncmdofkcpn?hl=en" target="_blank"><span style="color: #e69138;">Screencastify</span></a> and <a href="https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/nimbus-screenshot-screen/bpconcjcammlapcogcnnelfmaeghhagj?hl=en" target="_blank"><span style="color: #e69138;">Nimbus</span></a> for the recording tools.</li>
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I know a lot of people love using Screencastify because it saves to Google Drive; however, it requires quite a bit of set-up.<br />
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You really don't need any fancy tools or programs, and if students have a device with a camera, they can take a video of them talking about their work or project. Keep it simple!<br />
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If you have Chromebooks, check out <a href="http://www.freetech4teachers.com/2018/02/7-ways-to-create-screencasts-on.html#.Wny9X5Pwa-o" target="_blank"><span style="color: #e69138;">this post from Richard Byrne and Free Tech For Teachers</span></a> where he shares 7 screencasting tools that work on Chromebooks. (Soapbox, Loom, Screencastify, and Nimbus are all included.)<br />
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Do you have any favorite tools or suggestions for screencasts? How can you use screencasts for teaching and learning?<br />
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Kathryn Lasterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17378376328389008590noreply@blogger.com