Expectations vs. Reality

Good morning colleagues! Welcome back to the 2018-2019 school year! I still can't believe that I've been back in school for seven days (and have been reporting since July 27th). I feel like there's so much to talk about, but so little time to do so! So my focus for this week is expectations for you in your job. 

I started thinking about expectations sometime last week as I was preparing for the first (of three) iPad parent night. As I was putting everything together, I realized that some of the tasks were completed by someone else last year. I haven't heard anything from this teacher, and it was too last minute to ask for help. I chatted with my principal and said, "Is this now my job?" She said, "I think it is now, yes." 

I was STRESSED. This wasn't something that I was prepared for, but, knowing it was a non-negotiable item, I knew it had to be done by me. Did I get it put together? Yes. Did I do a good job? Of course because I have really high expectations for myself. I also know that having high expectations for myself leads to burn out.

Have you ever met a teacher that is really, really burned-out? Like they do everything but utterly despise their job? That was me a few years ago. I felt like there was an expectation that I must do a, b, and c. Later, I realized, I was putting that pressure on myself. There were no expectations placed on me. I've had to recognize that I am my own worst critic, I am often a perfectionist, and I set unnecessary stress on myself. 

Since identifying those behaviors, I've met with teachers to talk to them about their stresses and behaviors. I tell teachers that they need to decide what is integral to their job and their classroom and that they need to rank the importance. What is non-negotiable? What do you WANT but know you need more time? What is extra that you can look at later in the year? 

Giving others the same advice, I realized that I should make my own non-negotiables for my classroom and my job. Basically, I'm setting goals for myself for the school year. 

So I would ask you to ponder these questions... Are you putting a lot of pressure on yourself? Do you find yourself spending too much time at school or doing school work at home? Have you figured out what is most important so that you complete that first? 

If not... why not? 

Thanks for reading! I'll see you in two weeks (I'll be in New York City next weekend!) :)

- Rachel

@historicalipad

My Teacherspayteachers website

"Teach Like a Pirate" book review

Hello to a VERY snowy Saturday at a great coffee shop in Colorado Springs! I was definitely MIA last weekend as I got SLAMMED with a nasty cold. I didn't get the flu (thank goodness), but I did miss three days of school. I spent four days laid up in bed (minus watching the Super Bowl). It was definitely something... But I am well rested, back to getting to the gym, and am drinking some chai tea.

I decided to change it up this week and do my very first book review! I discussed with Mari, a fellow #sunchatblogger, about blogging what we're reading. She's jumped in and created a book-focused blog! I'm not entirely there yet but did want to blog about a book that we're studying for Skyview's mentoring group. (I'm a mentor for another teacher. Have I mentioned that? I still struggle with the fact that I'm helping a new teacher, even if it is the second year of me doing this.)

ANYWAY. We're reading Teach Like a Pirate by Dave Burgess. The book is split into three parts. The first part is called "Teach like a PIRATE" (passion, immersion, rapport, ask and analyze, transformation, enthusiasm). Even though he explained that PIRATE was an acronym on the first page, I didn't read closely enough to realize this acronym until I was 3/4th of the way through the book. I kept thinking, "What does this have to do with being a pirate?" Duh Rachel. Get 👏🏻 It 👏🏻Together 👏🏻!

We were tasked with reading the first part before our mentoring meeting this past Wednesday. We were given a handout with discussion questions. As an introvert, I was not very excited to do a full group discussion. I wanted to discuss the book with "my people" in the building because I can easily communicate and collaborate with these people. As our whole group conversation continued, I shut down. I'll admit that I acted like a baby because the conversation did not go as I believed it should. That's a "me" thing that I have to get over.

The meeting did push me to read the rest of the book ASAP. Part two provides "hooks" to engage your students in your classroom. If a teacher doesn't walk away with one, ONE idea to incorporate into their classroom then they have <begin blunt honesty> a fixed, instead of growth, mindset. I legitimately have no other answer than this <end blunt honesty>. Part three is about "building a better pirate" which is just a way to conclude the book by looking at next steps in the classroom.

So what are my thoughts on this book? I'm going to bullet point the list because it's how I think, collaborate, and function :)

• As an introvert, this book makes me uncomfortable (in a healthy way) as it pushes me to be more creative, innovative, and "out there" than I already am. I have to work on being more silly (I don't like looking stupid) and be more humor. On days when I'm crabby, I still need to put on a show. 
• Dave talks about bringing personal passion into your classroom. I started doing that the last two years through sharing good news. I often talked about my photography and shared my pictures with my students. A few asked for my Instagram handle which I gladly shared. This has spilled into my current position as a broadcasting teacher, and now I take pictures of my students working on the broadcasts (and a few of them have asked to post as well!)
• The six words: "It's easy for you. You're creative." BOOM! This spoke to me because I've heard people use these six words against me. Yes, I'm creative, but it's because I practice. It's because I'm not afraid to take risks and try something new. This section made me realize that I need to share more about my failures in the classroom. It's taken a lot of failure and mistakes to get where I am now. The last six years has not always been easy. Turns out I can "fake it until I make it." My colleagues are none the wiser, but they should be... 
• "If your students didn't have to be there, would you be teaching in an empty room?" When I taught history, I know that some students would show. Teaching broadcast, I've heard on the regular that students come to school for my class. If I ever go back to teaching history, I would really challenge myself to make my social studies class like my broadcasting class. 
• If you don't read the whole book, please check out part two, the "hooks" section. Dave covers thirty-two different thematic hooks with multiple ideas for each. This part is helpful for new teachers, to give them ideas, and for experienced teachers, to encourage them to refresh their curriculum. 

I am quite glad that I finished reading this book. It cemented a lot about what I've already done, and what I currently do, as a classroom teacher. It also pushed me to continue to grow and learn so that I can fulfill my promise that I made in my phone interview for Skyview nine years ago... "I am a good teacher, but someday, I'm going to be a great teacher. You want me on your staff."

Thanks for reading. I'll see you next week :)

- Rachel

@historicalipad

My Teacherspayteachers website

Personality tests

Hello colleagues! So I have a random story to tell you to start the blog this week. I was scrolling on Twitter not long ago when I saw my high school best friend post about her personality type. I've taken personality tests in the past, but I figured I was due for an upgrade. Turns out that I have the exact same personality type as her, INFJ. In the Myers-Briggs personality assessment, INFJ stands for introverted, intuitive, feeling, judging.

I used a website called 16 Personalities for my "assessment." I don't usually push sites like this, but there is a reason that this website is the first Google search result! The personality descriptions are quite descriptive, and I must say, spot on. When I read through my personality type, my jaw kept hitting the floor. My husband was trying to watch baseball, and I kept interrupting him to talk about my personality and all of the things I was learning about myself! It's like someone had finally unlocked my brain code. Apparently, INFJs are the rarest personality type which explains why I've felt so isolated my entire life!

Some of my personality strengths include

• creativity (I'm pretty good at thinking outside the box)
• decisiveness (ask me a question, and I'll give you a definitive answer. Where are we going to eat? Done.)
• determined (hello magical word that I chose for myself during Path2Empathy)
• altruistic (I don't care about money, fame, and power. I want everyone to be better). 

Weaknesses?

• I'm private (You don't need to know about me - apparently other people don't feel that way!)
• sensitive (Did I take my no crying pills today?)
• perfectionist (HELLO)
• can burn out quickly (Why were the last five years so hard?! I did it to myself). 

While reading through my INFJ personality, I realized why I'd felt so misunderstood here at Skyview and how I just wanted my job to have meaning. I want people to be better because I think we, as teachers, can make a difference.

So, what's the point of this blog. Am I just talking about myself here?

Giving the kids the Myers-Briggs assessment is the perfect way to start the school year (a little late... I know!). Giving the students a personality test isn't new or innovative, but I wish I had done THIS assessmet with my students every year. Knowing my little type A self, I would have put together a Google Sheet with students' names and personalities. This would have helped me better approach students. I could have better through through my groupings and team "jobs," and I could have pushed my students towards a certain set of occupations. Also, I want all of my colleagues to take the personality test so that I can learn a little more about them. I want to have better collegial relationships, especially in this new role.

I did, earlier today, ask some of my close colleagues to take the Myers-Briggs assessment, and you know what? I learned a lot about some of my closest friends (and even sisters). Some of their strengths and weaknesses were not surprising (because I know them well), but some made me look differently at my friends and family. I guess I just enjoy learning more about people. Is that part of my personality type? :)

Thanks for reading. And if you want to know a little more about yourself (I see you teachers... I know you will), TAKE THE QUIZ. I'll see you next week :)

- Rachel

@historicalipad

My Teacherspayteachers website

Training Opportunities

Good morning colleagues! I hope you are having a rested weekend! I am up in Fort Collins visiting my in-laws and blogging in a great little coffee shop. Yesterday the Air Force Academy football team played against Colorado State (here in Fort Collins), so my father-in-law purchased tickets for us to go to the game. The weather turned out perfect, Air Force won, and I even got a little sunburn on my face in late October. Win, win, win!

I haven't blogged in three weeks, so I have many things to catch up on. But one thing that caught my interest this week is the free training opportunities that I've run into! I felt like I needed blog about how you can get more training, often for free, to become comfortable with technology or add a little innovation to your content!

I do, however, have to give a brief disclaimer. I am not teaching full-time, so I know that I have much more time available than my colleagues. Is it difficult to find time for training while also lesson planning, grading, having a life, and so on? Of course. So take this with a grain of salt.

Friday Institute: The North Carolina State College of Education provides free MOOC-Ed courses. I am currently working on a class called Coaching Digital Learning which is helping me learn how to more efficiently support others that I work with. I have a full week to work on a unit, and each block takes me about 3-4 hours. They open a new unit on Mondays, so if I want to wait until the weekend to work on the assignments, I can. They usually offer six-seven courses each "semester, " and they are not the same every time. These classes are worth looking into whether you are coaching or teaching (Note: I saw a Teaching Mathematics with Technology course that looks very interesting. Pass this on to any 1:1 math teachers in your building!)

EDpuzzle Coach Program: I am presenting "Flipped Learning with EDpuzzle" at the Colorado Google Summit next weekend. I've used EDpuzzle before, so as I'm designing my presentation, I stumble across this coaching program. WHAT?! So, of course, I'm intrigued and immediately sign-up. I have not finished the whole program, but I completed two modules, on Friday, in probably 20 minutes, and that was with students randomly asking me questions during a homeroom class where I have no students! It's an excellent way to learn more about using EDpuzzle in your class. I highly recommend EDpuzzle if you flip your content (using your own videos or not) or if you use Google Classroom!

Edcamps: I just missed an Edcamp yesterday in the Springs.

Sorry I missed #edcampcos yesterday because, you know, football. #goairforce pic.twitter.com/sM2VU23DD5

— Rachel Jeffrey (@historicalipad) October 29, 2017

Edcamps are a GREAT way to be introduced to new innovative ideas, tech or not. They are entirely free with great swag, conversations, and even lunch! Edcamps are called "unconferences" because there is no set schedule. The schedule is created on the spot by the attendees. Yes, you have to give up a Saturday, but you will walk away completely overwhelmed with a million ideas. Just go!

Apple Teacher: If you use Macbooks or iPads with (or without) your students on a regular basis, it is worth looking into Apple Teacher certification. It will take you less than two hours (as long as you're comfortable with the various applications), and you can learn some great lesson ideas through their free iBooks. Even if you don't complete the certification (which you should - you can complete it on your own time - one test a day!), the iBooks are free and are a great resource!

Google Training Center: It does cost money to get the actual Google Teacher certification, but their training center is completely free. You will get some great ideas, tips, and tricks for using Google apps in the classroom. The best training is to actually use the applications in class, but if you're hesitant, start with the training center. There is both beginner and advanced training with applications and even training for Chromebooks and becoming a trainer (a goal I have in the spring). And if you use technology often in the classroom, there is a course on digital citizenship to keep your students safe.

Have any other ideas for free training? Please leave a comment below! I love to hear about new ideas!!! But I do hope this inspires you to look into some free training in the coming weeks and months! Thanks for reading. I'll see you next week :)

- Rachel

@historicalipad

My Teacherspayteachers website

Apple Teacher Training

Welcome to your first three-day weekend, colleagues!

On Friday I put on my first training as the technology specialist in the building! My principal wants me to work with non-1:1 teachers in the building, but right now, the 1:1 teachers do not have a technology instructional coach nor have they received any training. Even though I'm not "supposed" to work with the iPad teachers, I don't want to leave them in the dark. I was in that position for the last five years, and I still see myself as an iPad teacher.

After a bi-monthly meeting with my principal in which I told her about the lack of support for the 1:1 teachers, she asked me what I could do to help. I offered to run a training for new iPad teachers, but that conversation turned into outlining a session for all iPad teachers. Together we felt that it was essential for our 1:1 teachers to be highly qualified in their technology use in the building. The first step was to have the teachers demonstrate their proficiency through the Apple Teacher training.

I recognized that I needed to become an Apple Teacher first. This was, surprisingly, easier than I thought. I started with the Mac badges first, then completed the iPad badges. It took me around two hours to complete all sixteen badges. There were some tricky questions built in, but because I've used Macs and iPads for quite some time, I knew the answers or guessed efficiently.

As I took the assessments, I followed along with Apple's iBook materials and designed a "cheat sheet" for my colleagues. The cheat sheet didn't have any answers to the exam questions but instead prompted them through what they need to know HOW to do. So yesterday, at 8 am, my 1:1 colleagues came into my classroom to take exams. Armed with their iPads, Macs, and coffee, they got down to business. I wasn't really sure how much I needed to guide them. I had them open the cheat sheet, walked them through the first part (iPad starter guide), and had them begin the first exam. I told them that they could work at their own pace and just let me know when they had questions.

What's funny is that most of them finished in a decent amount of time, but then decided to take the Mac badges as well (not required). Some of them even decided to take their level 1 Google Educator exam! On the feedback survey, the teachers all agreed that it was a good use of their time, they appreciated that it was iPad focused training, and they all agreed that they want further training and collaboration time. Sounds like a win to me!

Thanks for reading. I'll see you in two weeks :)

- Rachel

@historicalipad

My Teacherspayteachers website

Sharing my love for Screencastify!

Hello there colleagues! This week, in my new job, I found that Screencastify is the greatest thing in the world. Seriously. I don't think I could do my job properly without it!

I learned about Screencastify during a Google Summit in 2016. I know my husband mentioned it to me once or twice (as he uses it quite a bit for his job), but I never saw a reason to use it in the classroom. I tried screencasting feedback for students on projects, but they were cumbersome to make (Really? 150 videos?), and the students rarely watched them. It was a risky attempt, and it crashed and burned :)

What I found Screencastify most useful for was "how to" videos. Whenever students would get stuck on a problem, I would make a screencast for solving the issue. Instead of answering the same question 300 times, I would point them to the tutorial video. The students did not care for it because they just wanted me to give them the answer, but over time, they were trained.

Now teachers, on the other hand, value their time. They know how busy they are and how they do not have easy opportunities to visit me over and over. Tutorial videos are wonderful for teachers because they can access them on their own time, can watch the video as many times as they need, or they can completely ignore the video and pretend that I did not e-mail it!

We have had some weird technology issues in the district... such a great way to start the year! I realized that I was answering the same question over and over. I helped one teacher, who is not super tech savvy, log in to the firewall and create a bookmark to the firewall. I realized that it would be helpful to ALL teachers if they knew how to bookmark the firewall website as well.

After sending this video to the staff, many people stopped me to say "thank you." It feels good to know that my video helped!

When meeting with my principal about my job, and what it entails, she told me that I should be coaching non-iPad teachers in the building. Her goal is to have every student touch technology once a week. It is a lofty goal, but I think it can be possible as the year goes on. One thing that prevents me from co-teaching and modeling for teachers is that I have three broadcasting classes in the morning. I have to find a way to work around this, and Screencastify is working for me!

I have a 7th grade teacher who is having his students make iMovie trailers about books they are reading. He was able to figure out, on his own, how to use iMovie and how to teach his students how to use iMovie. But he wasn't 100% sure how to have his students turn in their trailers because they are using an iPad cart, not 1:1 iPads. Screencastify is not available for the iPad, so I did some Googling to find a work around. Someone online mentioned taking screenshots step by step, then screencasting the pictures on the computer like it is a video.

Worked like a charm, and the teacher said it was beneficial for both him and his students!

The last way I recently used Screencastify is to teach my students the ins and outs of iMovie. My students have been filming and are in the process of editing. Most of the 8th graders took broadcasting last year, so they knew quite a bit about editing. All of them, however, said that they learned something new from these videos. And for the students who are taking broadcasting for the first time? They learned a ton!

I just can't say enough good things about Screencastify, but I forgot the most important thing - it's free!

Thanks for reading. I'll see you next week! 

- Rachel

@historicalipad

My Teacherspayteachers website