Notes from the Innovations High Presentation

I recently attended a presentation on the "Innovations High" school model. Ken Grover (Salt Lake City, Utah) and George Philhower (Wayne County, Indiana)  led the program, a 1-day overview held in Little Rock.

NOTE: These are my notes and may not reflect completeness of the program and/or may contain my own personal opinions. Likewise, these notes reflect the speakers' views and not my own in some cases. This post serves to merely regurgitate what was covered during the program.

Personalize Learning Network

• We limit ourselves to thinking inside the box.
• Pacing Guides, etc
• Pillars of personalized learning
• Pace
• Time
• Place
• Path 

Ask STUDENTS what they want. How many people do that? Your "customers" are your students - not teachers, not parents, etc.

Ask your TEACHERS what they want.

What do your ADMINISTRATORS want?

What is stopping you from transforming your school? - Barriers

• Seat Time
• "Mastery-based"
• Sharing teachers across multiple grades
• Sports participation
• FEAR - "No one else is doing it"
• MINDSET - "We've never done it like that before"
• TRADITION - "We've always done it this way, and it has worked just fine"

Real (and perceived) barriers

• Money - How much will it cost to implement? Where do we get the money?
• Politics/Laws
• Students not wanting it/Students that DO want it
• Labor force - Teachers, staff, etc.

Know your barriers - Know what you know, know what you don't know
Sometimes we put up our own barriers
Some barriers are not on "paper"

• Bell schedules
• School calendars
• Length of school days

Create a culture

• Why are we looking to change/transform?
• Why aren't we doing things differently?
• Why are we doing the things "we've always done?"

Parents expect effective education; students hope for it.

Technology is key where possible to make the job of teacher easier - replace mundane, easy, repetitive tasks with technology.

TERMINOLOGY

• Personalized learning = Student-Centered Learning
• Competency-based instruction = Mastery-based instruction
•  Online learning = Virtual learning
• Blended Learning (FLEX)
• Not easy to blend certain classes:
• Athletics
• Auto Shop, Wood Shop
• World Languages
• Flipped Classroom
• "Technology" - Anything that makes the job easier
• LMS
• Digital content/Digital Textbooks
• "Transformation" vs "Change" - "Change" implies could be changed back; "Transformation" implies permanency - not going back. 
• Time/Seat-time
• Path
• Student control
• Pace
• Place

Use technology EFFECTIVELY - Does not replace the teacher

Essential Technology:

• Bandwidth
• Devices
• LMS
• SIS
• Digital content
• BYOD
• Other

Check-out computers to students but do not let students use the same computer over and over - prevents personalization and feeling of ownership. [I wonder if they do the same to their teachers... Do they swap out teacher devices so the teachers don't/can't make those devices personal!? I would bet not.]

Implementation

• Transformation support
• Powerful technologies
• Curriculum resources - do *NOT* have your teachers create/build curriculum!
• Professional learning and coaching - Help teachers come together. [Perhaps a #twitchat!?]

Vision + Action Plan + Resources + Skills + Incentives = Sustainable Change/Transformation

• w/o Vision = Confusion
• w/o Action Plan = False Starts
• w/o Resources = Frustration
• w/o Skills = Anxiety
• w/o Altruistic Incentives = Resistance (Do *NOT* use monetary incentives!)

Vision, Partnership, Multi-year commitment


Imagine, create, innovate


Instructional levels replaced curriculum maps


Students progress via mastery instead of scope/sequence. Ex: 9 levels of mastery per "grade" (K.1, K.2, K.3, etc)


Students are grouped by readiness not by date-of-birth


Parents get continuous feedback

No letter grades in elementary school (in the Indiana program)

At High School, they have "School w/in School"

• Students applied to be in personalized learning program
• 4 periods (periods 2-5 during 8 period day)
• 4-5 classrooms available per period in a centralized location (students aren't roaming around)
• All teachers in program do personalized learning AND traditional teaching classes
• All teachers serve as mentors to students
• Students control: 
• PACE - cannot fail
• PLACE - with help sometimes
• OWN LEARNING - use a learner profile to keep on course
• Increased valuable time w/teacher - small group, 1-to-1 w/teacher, etc
• Students talk about their path - they own it
• Teachers build relationships with the students (Same mentor throughout h.s. career)

 WHY DO THIS?

• Higher graduation rate
• Achievement
• Enrollment
• Budget
• Wanted to give STUDENTS an unfair advantage

Other Info:

• 7a-5p school day - not all students at school at the same time
• No class periods, no bells w/in program (bells for transfer to trad. classes)
• Students are ENGAGED in learning all the time w/in program
• How/when they learn
• Seat time no longer matters
• Teachers
• Flexibility and freedom - working together to set hours, create lessons
• Mentoring/Correcting
• Meet individual student needs
• 1-to-1 and small group instruction
• may have large group discussions, though that is exception not rule
• Work toward college and/or career
• Personalized Education Plan (PEP) for students
• LMS is essential
• Graduate with college credit and/or industry certifications (CCNA, Welding, etc)

OUTCOMES:

• 95% graduation rate
• 49% enrolled in college courses/448 credits passed
• (Other stats given in slides, but I did not take notes on them)

#fetc Reflections on the FETC Conference

Notes: This is not a play-by-play, but rather I will provide various thoughts and reflections of certain aspects of FETC overall. I will certainly provide focal details along the way. (This was written in January 2015 and never posted for some reason.)

Attending FETC wasn't exactly a "bucket list" item, but it wasn't NOT one, either. I have long heard about the Florida Educational Technology Conference. I've been in edutech for more than 20 years now, and in recent years, the conference remains a hot topic among my peers in Arkansas.

So, this past Fall, I presented an idea to our board in which I would help take a group of folks from the member districts in our area to FETC. Though the original core group of folks I planned to take was changed, we ended up with a group of seven educators with varying backgrounds, experience, and responsibilities.

As a group, we developed a Google Form in which to collect information about any/all sessions we attended. We chose this format because it allowed us to have uniform format for collection, ensuring everyone was providing the information we needed. I took a slightly different approach to the format because I blogged live during my sessions. Afterward, I entered info into the form with a link to my blog posts. I did this for each session. For me, it's a way to keep session write-ups in the format I prefer, but also forced me to think about those sessions in slightly different ways (because of the questions we had to answer).

Three people in our group (all from one district) attended paid pre-conference sessions. These were day-long or half-day sessions, focused on areas their district approved. The rest of us came a day later since we were attending the main conference only.

Wednesday, for me, started things off. I checked in for registration between 8:30a and 9am. I anticipated long lines, but was surprised to find the lines moving along smoothly. The folks who went the day before told me they had a MUCH longer wait, as a lot of folks had gone early to check-in and staffing seemed short-handed.

When I checked in, I was told to check out the banner table. The table had a variety of ribbons (or banners or badges, depending on what folks called them) that you could attach to your name badge. Initially, I thought the concept was a bit silly. Well, I am a bit silly. So, before long, I was seeking out the ribbons throughout the conference. By the end of the conference, I ended up with a pretty decent collection:

After checking in, I took part in the FETC PhotoWalk. We were SUPPOSED to learn about photography in the classroom, learn a little about the conference area and Orlando, and stop to take pics along the way. Instead, after the group photo of all those taking part, we were led on a 2+ mile hike in and through and around various venues, only stopping as each individual wished to stop. For me, taking photos became secondary to trying to understand what we were doing. Many of those around me were very disappointed in the execution of the PhotoWalk. If I am ever in charge of such a thing, I will be sure to provide the kind of walk where people can take pics, learn a little, and have fun along the way.

FETC certainly offers plenty to see and do. I wish the vendor area had opened earlier than 5pm on Wednesday (for folks attending pre-conference workshops, that is three full days into things). The conference offers limited-seating tickets events, open concurrent sessions, poster sessions, and other sessions. It is a bit overwhelming as a first-timer. The printed schedule was much easier to follow than the online system. My one wish: an actual app for FETC. Instead, we were directed to a website on which we could choose sessions/events and add them to our schedule. While this sounds good in theory, searching for events was cumbersome. Sessions in various formats, presented at various (often overlapping) times, made reading the online schedule a bit of a nightmare. So far as I could tell, there was no way to search for sessions other than to use the boxed-in limitations of the website.

That aside, I cannot imagine anyone going to FETC without finding something to attend. The sessions covered a variety of topics, mostly presented by classroom teachers or administrators. There were plenty of sessions that were superficially led by school personnel but were really thinly veiled vendor presentations. I just wish that was made clearer somehow - one could not glean that info from the title/presenter list.

The vendor area was one of the largest I've seen at an education conference, especially for one that is a "regional" conference. I found the vendors to be friendly and easy-going. I don't recall any of them forcing themselves on me as I walked up and down the various aisles. I know it much be hard to be a vendor at conferences these days. I stopped by many booths just to visit and talk about the programs and/or products they were sharing. What surprised me the most? The sheer number of start-ups. EduTech is a growing market, as evident by several "incubator" areas that featured dozens of companies. In fact, one company seemed to have created itself during the conference. It's a robotics kit company (forgive me that I do not recall the name). The young man at the table had bits and pieces scattered around, assembled quickly into programmable robots. He had a difficult time speaking in and understanding English. He was Asian, and I wondered if he had been hired specifically for the conference. I saw him taking pictures of other robotics kits and maker products as he roamed the venue.

The keynotes were informative and entertaining. I was disappointed that the CEO from Makerbot had to cancel at the last minute due to an "emergency meeting." Kathy Schrock, Leslie Fisher, and others took part in a panel presentation of various apps, software packages, gizmos and gadgets.  We also learned how creating, making, and marketing are affecting children around the country.

#education Workshops/Conferences: Always learn something!

I cannot recall just how I came to be given a bit of advice, but it has stuck with me for more than two decades. It is simply this: if your boss (or company or district or whatever) puts up the money to send you to a conference, you had better learn something. And, you had better tell your boss what you learned.

I don't know if that came from my father or a previous supervisor, but I take it with me every time I attend a workshop or a conference. Remember, someone has put up time and money for you to attend this thing. They want to see a return on that investment. They deserve to see the return. Moreover, by sharing your thoughts and knowledge of what you learned, you help them decide whether or not you are worth the investment.

Granted, sometimes it is extremely difficult to find the positive results of a given session or an entire conference, but you should share those experiences as well. I try to find at least one "Ah ha!" in each session I attend. I look for at least one thing I didn't know - or some new/different way of doing something I've been doing for years.

Regardless of the outcome, you should be detailed and candid about your experience. If you're not sure what or how much information your boss wants, ask.

For me, I have taken to keeping my notes here on the blog. It forces me to pay attention in the session and I share it with anyone who wants to how things went. I am very upfront about the good and the bad in any session. If something falls short, others may benefit from reading the post. Invariably, however, I always walk away with something. Often, I look back and reflect on what I wrote. Sometimes, long after the sessions are over, I need to look up a bit of information I had from a session. Sure, sometimes online notes can be a bit messy or disjointed, but that's all part of the experience.

For me, the biggest advantage to keeping notes online? Proof I went to sessions, sure, but even more important: I can show my boss what I attended. My boss has a record of what I did and approximately when I did it (I always TRY to post my notes immediately after the session). It also creates talking points for when I return to the office.

So, when you go to a conference, be sure take notes. Find your "Ah ha!" And, most of all - give your boss a reason to send you to another one.

#fetc Educational Gaming: Make Custom Games without Programming

(Note: This was published earlier on my author blog by mistake. I am reposting here as evidence for my employment grant)

#fetc Educational Gaming: Make Custom Games without Programming

Why I chose this:
Very interested in education gaming, especially in preparation for training/pd.

What we covered:

Make 21st education more interactive, more democratic, more global, more student-tailored, geared toward problem solving in the real world.

Speaker spent several minutes pitching the product he is trying to sell us. I still have no idea what it is. So far as I can tell, it helps teachers create lessons, but also can help students create lessons.

Content entered is delivered in a variety of methods.

Memarden (?) company, I think. Web-based lesson creation. Video, audio, images, text.

Tab-based design layout - content, questions, games.

Presenter trying hard to get audience participation, but this is not going well. He was finally able to get someone to toss out an idea to help generate a lesson.

While I can see where this might be a different way to develop lessons, I am not so sure the program's title matches the perceived expectation of what would be covered. Considering there are many sessions here about coding and gaming, I was expecting something like "Scratch without Scratch" or "BYOND without programming."

Q: What is cost?
A: $1/student/year.

Q: Can you download content?
A: No, content is uploaded.

Q: Can I use this as standalone?
A: Requires internet to use.

Q: Does the content become the company's?
A: Dual copyright. You own your content, company owns their content. There is also a marketplace like TPT and sell to other teachers.

Q: Can you import questions/answers?
A: Yes, you can import those.

Q: Are there discounts for sites as opposed to classes?
A: Yes, terms can be worked out.

They are developing games that use dance pads for more interactivity.

#fetc Game-Based Learning and Next Gen Science Standards

(Note: This was published earlier on my author blog by mistake. I am reposting here as evidence for my employment grant)

#fetc Game-Based Learning and Next Gen Science Standards

Presenter: Ora D Tanner

Why I chose this:
I am very interested in seeing different ways to incorporate gaming into various disciplines. I am hoping to learn some fun ways/games to share with teachers.

What we covered:
Rationale/Background
Game Development Process
Pilot Study Results

Rationale - Why Games? Big buzzword, but why should we care?
#1 Passive, unmotivated and disengaged (PUD). Lecture-based presentations, reading book, cookbook labs - not working. Causing students to disengage. Students find science boring.

Gaming creates learning environment for problem-solving. Take roles of scientist/engineer.

CHANGE Project. Climate Change Narrative Game

Piloting in 4 HS this year, 25 next year - marine biology high school curriculum.

What features do students find engaging?
What features do students see as helping with learning?

Water Gauge Warrior - game created for project. Tied into school curriculum and also university objectives.

#tie2015 #arkedchat TIE folks heading to the Ant Hill @GoNoodle

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Heading for the Ant Hill @GoNoodle #tie2015 #arkedchat

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Arkansas TIE members learning about Edulastic. #tie2015 #edutech #education

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#fetc Coffee Talk for Technology Integration Leaders

#fetc Coffee Talk for Technology Integration Leaders

Melody Paige, Tech Integration Specialist, Monett R1 Schools

Why I chose this:
I want to see what district tech integrators are doing from other parts of the country.


What we covered:

We broke up into groups and did a brief introduction exercise.

Start small and go slowly for many folks. But, some folks wants a big WOW right away. Ex: English III, students making decisions about what they know. Read Crucible. Had to pick 3 things out of list of 25 to show what they knew. Prezi, Powerpoint, video, tweets, posterboard, etc

Coffee Talk examples from others in room:

• Built fables lands in second life collaboratively (now use OpenSim or MinecraftEDU)
• GAFE as an overall "wow"
• Teachers offering 15 projects in which students picked two: student picked diorama with shoebox AND created 3d walkthrough in Minecraft

Many work with teachers to integrate tech. Any methods that "just worked?" Ex: Teachers teaching each other in PD

• TechEd Leaders (stipend) meet to talk about tech used monthly, then meet with the teachers in their subject areas to train/share with others. Some are great at it, some are not quite as good. Show them the "why" at the beginning. How does this help?
• The Instructional Design person records themselves doing the training, then cut/edit it into small chunks and post to school website.
• Teach new tool, try it out, then think time to look at how it might be used. Then, in a day or two, review which tools those teachers used and how it worked.
• Key is administration needs to be involved with the process.
• One way to help teachers onboard is to do a mini tech conference at the school. Teachers go to each session to learn techniques/ideas. Use tickets to give away meals, etc from local businesses. Timing is key. Generally, not at END of year. Do it week or two before school starts. Have teachers lead sessions, not the tech staff. Could bring in an expert from outside for a session.
• Have 'quick take' sessions - 80 minutes focused on certain topic/skill then move to next, etc.

How do you promote good, strong, meaningful tech activities?

• Hands-on, do the activity. 
• Implemented BYOD with open guest network with filtered internet access. Teachers had to change - BYOD was 'mandated.'

Went a little badge crazy!! #fetc

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#fetc Switching to a Flipped Classroom: Concept to Practice

#fetc Switching to a Flipped Classroom: Concept to Practice 

Why I chose this:
I am interested to see what this presenter has to say about flipping the classroom. Now that I am in the session, I see it is hosted by Brian Lamb with Swivl. I can only assume that means this will be another vendor-sponsored session. That's not bad, but it seems there are not many teacher/district-led sessions here.

What we covered:
Lamb has been involved with hands-on, individualized learning (at university level, not k12). Flipped - current uses, impact on students, best practices. How swivl fits.

78% of teachers have tried flipping; up from 48% 2 yrs ago (based on poll Sophia.com)
Teacher-led initiative. 92% tried on their own. Not top-down.
90% of teachers noticed a change in student engagement.

Not a technique that has been wholesale adopted. Some scenarios do not warrant flipping the classroom. Why? Not top-down. Teachers have not been trained. Takes a lot of work to switch gears.

Best Practices:

• Variety of content sources should be used.
• Content should be engaging and concise.
• Engagement should be measured and tracked - how do you know the students did the work.
• Tackling as a team helps share best practices.

Challenges:

• Hard to find existing content online that fits what they are doing.
• Takes big effort to create engaging, original content.
• Lack of tools to track engagement
• Schools not structured for teacher collaboration

Swivl - present content, follows speaker, hear audience, capture it all.
Hosting platform - host content, playback, multiple audio feed, two way commenting and analytics.

Looking at PD over video as well. Some teachers use it for self-reflection.

Teach with video, teach with slides, photos. If teaching with whiteboard, deliver the content and move around - camera moves as you present.

Flipped turns class time into content creation time - build libraries and edit later.

Create lists, send content to students. Share content with other educators. Co-teaching, chatting, etc using the content created with the swivl environment.

Students log in and you get feedback as to what they watched, how long they watched, etc.

Swivl Cloud in the platform.

I am surprised no one asked how much the Swivl device is. Guess we'll have to look that up... Okay, just did: about $400 for base and one "marker" (the handheld microphone device). You can buy additional markers to place around the room as triggers for focus during lessons, etc.

#fetc Anatomy of a Learning Game: Design, Development, Distribution

#fetc Anatomy of a Learning Game: Design, Development, Distribution

Why I chose this:
I am hoping to learn more about the dev and distro side of gaming. If we can get students to create games, not just play them, then we can turn them into entrepreneurs.

What we covered:
Hosted by Classroom, Inc.

National survey of 500 teachers who use gaming. Over half of teachers are using games for ELA and also for executive functioning skills (organization, etc)

Game-based workplace simulations for middle school and high school students.

Product dev team, partnership team, research team

Sample game: Editor-in-Chief at local paper following a hurricane (or other natural disaster).

Each 'experience' takes 20-30 minutes. Each student must complete to-do list. Point-click adventure game. All reading, no spoken words. Can take notes. Glossary use. Embedded assessments around standards.

Scores are kept on the backend, but students do have see those scores.

Build games on ethical scenarios, etc. LearningGamesNetwork. Content model, Task model, Evidence model. Works with educators across US. Games incorporate assessment pieces to gauge where the students are in terms of content knowledge and comprehension. Teachers need the data to help them understand where students are and how well/poorly the games themselves are impacting student learning.

Should be learning designers, assessment designers, game designers all part of the development team. Look at ways to map the data without killing the fun. Map out the scenarios, then map out tasks. How do we put those into the game mechanics? How do we assess that within the game? How do you keep it covert in student's eyes?

Fablevision Studios - education media developer. Games need to have education at its core. Design, dev, test, repeat. What is the problem you are trying to solve? Who is the audience? Ages? Likes/dislikes? How do you want them to think differently? What behavior are you trying to change?

Start with core mechanics and work your way out.

Best case scenario is when you can build on first success to create additional games.

• Story and personal meaning = engagement = motivation = success
• Design with a purpose, multiple points of entry
• Technology that serves end user, client, and content (what devices? How new/old?)
• Like-minded partners

Mission - what are you trying to do? Get on the same page. 

Had to deliver content and be fun - needed CMS, dashboard, etc, but be fun. 

Role-playing in the game - 1st person

Storytelling vital, even if not explicitly delivered within the game

Player put in position of authority - they are the decision-maker, personally invested in doing the work

Learning by doing

Core mechanics must make sense within the game. Don't add crafting if the game has nothing to do with crafting.

All tasks related to core objectives and assessment.

After the Storm built in HTML5 

Had to handle vast amount of content. Created a CMS the client could update themselves. Teacher dashboard that measure progress, etc.

Art and design important to game - what is the look? For After the Storm, very realistic-looking to keep students immersed in this environment.

Mood changes during game - dark at first, then light as game gets closer to end.

Reusable templates to save money and time. Reusable backgrounds, items, etc.

Challenges: Content, vetted, updated, checking - especially with decision tree scenarios. Making sure is not overwhelmed. Balance between education and fun.

Originally planned for 6 games, but realized needed a smaller game for time, materials, etc. 

Make sure you leave nothing hanging - closure, makes sense.

Agile - work in small changes and add to those. Takes time. 

Build partnership where you comfortable to discuss any/all aspects. Long-term relationships are key and amazing. Honest dialog. Real world feedback. Design decisions based on evidence.

*I asked: Are there parts of the game students did not touch? What did you do with those? Not specifically, but they had set it up to play out of order, but NO ONE played it out of order. Need that user feedback and testing. Devs WANT the teachers to provide feedback, input, etc.

BrainPop partnerships. GameUp is part of BrainPop, do not need subscription for GameUp. Most games are flash-based, but moving to HTML5. Browser-based games only - no firewall issues, etc for teachers. Encourage developers to get with them as early in the process as possible. In-house process to vet new games and give feedback to the developer.

Started in Summer 2013. Worked in two schools in Brooklyn. Twice a week, six weeks - got lots of feedback from 6th graders - what they liked/didn't, saw things they played with unexpected (finding a lost dog that was just decoration at first, but kids wanted to find the dog!). Used CMS to change/update the text within the game.

Lessons: Reading levels often below grade level. Need to build in more support for struggling readers. Want shorter, more modular pieces. Teachers want stand-alone pieces. Looking for literacy across content areas.

Next: same storyline, but now head of a community service organization. Tying into CCSS and other standards.

#fetc So You Want to Start an Education Technology Company?

#fetc So You Want to Start an Education Technology Company?

Why I chose this:
I see the role of Co-op Technology Coordinator very much like that of someone heading up a tech company. There are services provided to schools that require the TC to think in terms of being that support company the schools look to. I am hoping to gain some insights that might apply in my role. In the past, I tried to start a new program at SWAEC that would offer expanded services to schools. It failed to get off the ground, so I am looking for an 'a-ha' or two that might lead to a revamp/relaunch of that program, or a similar one.

What we covered:
siia.net - Education Technology Industry Network

Incubators, advocacy, etc for edutech companies.

Survey for where schools are/want to go: http://bit.ly/2014VisionK20

Also do surveys regarding edutech markets. Content and instructional support are two leading sectors.

Testing and Assessment grew 57% over 3 years and is by far the largest category in terms of dollars. $2.5B spent.

Three panel members talk about starting up, successes, failures.

One is neuroscience measurement for special ed students in relation to attention during instruction. Another brings industry leaders/experts/individuals into the classroom to show relevance of school to real world in order to help curb dropout rates.

Teachers in K12 have a LOT going on. We have to take into account the time-savings for the teacher. Make it very simple for the teachers.

The customers are schools and districts that have the same problems. Solve a problem for one district, and you can help many others. Schools talk to each other, so referrals will help grow your business.

Funding is always a challenge. Trying to navigate/loosen funding can be a challenge. Your info/product must be research-based because that is what K12 wants.

What is the business model? Free/Get what pay for. Confusing set of feedback. You have to make the right decision for you. Are you premium? Are you subscription? A combo? Who is your KEY audience? What specific subject areas or target areas? Drill down to those that are the primary/core group for your product/service. Must learn to navigate the players: user, approver, buyer - different people. Keep different people in the loop in the right way.

You will waste a lot of time if you go for funding first. Develop the model, build the product. Be sure you have everything in order and then raise the money. Preferably, have customers in the 'beta' stage to help get over trials and stumbling blocks.

Have a good lawyer and a good CPA.

Be relentless. Self-doubt, self-confidence, highs and lows. Remove the obstacles. Hire people that can solve the problems they identify.

Make sure you have customers that care about what you are developing. Talk to 100 people/schools to figure out what pain points your are solving. Who is willing to buy and pay for it? If you do not get that feedback and find potential customers, you are spinning your wheels.

NSF can provide up to $1.5M to help get a marketable product to market. Phase I is $150k for highly innovative products, research, etc. If you prove worth, you can apply for Phase II. Want it to be a sustainable business. Expect you to finish the product. Convince NSF that you can raise money if need more. http://www.nsf.gov/eng/iip/sbir/ Think beyond science - infant education to medical schools - "cradle to grave" funding potential. You keep all research and intellectual property. Deadline is Mid-June and Early-December. 15-20% funding rate.

How many people have signed up to use it? What feedback do you have? How are you using the feedback?

Did a survey to get initial feedback and to reach out to potential customers.

Preferred methods to reach out to customers: Have to take rejection well. Follow up on leads from shows/conf. Talk to Supts, target audience. Networking is critical, especially as a startup founder. Find local, regional events and test out your main point. Keep in touch with those first contacts, they will become your champions.

#fetc - Gamifying the Florida Standards the Minecraft Way!

#fetc - Gamifying the Florida Standards the Minecraft Way!

Presenter: Jennifer Rothman-Tait

Why I chose this:
As mentioned, I want to see how schools are using gaming. Specifically here, though, very interested in Minecraft in classroom tied to educational standards.

What we covered:
Gaming vs Gamification - Using rewards, etc for non-gaming events (Starbucks, groundings, etc)

Combined gaming (playing games) with gamification (rewards) in Minecraft Club.

Classbadges.com - create your own badges and set the goals. Earn time in LAN time to create LAN game to fight, etc.

Edmongo, Oregon Trail, Mission US, Quandry, and others that are used. GamesforChange.org is resource to get games. Internet Archive opened classic games online.

Camps in summer for 24-36 hours for each group.

The journey:
- School system went through a series of games, VR, etc, before using Minecraft.
- Based on Fla standards.
- Where do we want students to arrive?
- Do not run everything the kids do.
- Every game starts with backstory. Create backstory for kids to buy into the learning.
- Uses Weebly as the platform to build structure.
- Have to be okay with organized chaos
- Research, collaboration, frustration, loudness, discussion, earn badges, succeed and fail
- fail and change strategy - kids do it in games all the time
- MinecraftEDU
- Move students beyond the build

Immersive environments: PowerUp, EcoMuve, WolfQuest - Students get into environment and interact. Students interact with NPCs to gain clues, etc.

Storytelling
Machinema - Plan it out, write the story, recording/editing.

VR sandbox: OpenSim, Activeworlds, secondlife, inworldz

Started using SecondLife as PD platform - collaborate, storyboard, roles/responsibilities, building

Use virtual world serve as catalyst for change in the real world.

QuestAtlantis (remix) - VR world ties into curriculum easily, secure environment. Power of backstory is essential.

(This session is not focusing on Minecraft at all. They may cover some Minecraft, but running out of time).

Admongo.gov - consumerism, capitalism, writing samples, etc.

Minecraft - Set up a camp based on Minecraft. Determine skills, age level.

Boston Tea Party, Revolutionary War, other topics. Oregon Trail in Minecraft. Students researched and built various landmarks/buildings, Native American villages. Student built village for trade also made hostile village as game-within-game. Built South Pass out of wool because he could dye the wool.

#fetc Game-Based Learning and Next Gen Science Standards

#fetc Game-Based Learning and Next Gen Science Standards

Presenter: Ora D Tanner

Why I chose this:
I am very interested in seeing different ways to incorporate gaming into various disciplines. I am hoping to learn some fun ways/games to share with teachers.

What we covered:
Rationale/Background
Game Development Process
Pilot Study Results

Rationale - Why Games? Big buzzword, but why should we care?
#1 Passive, unmotivated and disengaged (PUD). Lecture-based presentations, reading book, cookbook labs - not working. Causing students to disengage. Students find science boring.

Gaming creates learning environment for problem-solving. Take roles of scientist/engineer.

CHANGE Project. Climate Change Narrative Game

Piloting in 4 HS this year, 25 next year - marine biology high school curriculum.

What features do students find engaging?
What features do students see as helping with learning?

Water Gauge Warrior - game created for project. Tied into school curriculum and also university objectives.

Graphics make or break a game.
Needs a goal and a challenge. Use of role play.
Rules and interactivity, easy to understand, easy to navigate.

StoryLine2 used to create the game.
FlamingText.com used for font/logo in game.
Used public domain images for game. Pixabay.com used for the game.

Characters in game come from characters in story that the students read (eBook).
Earn money, build rain gauge.

Interactive labs/powerpoints during lessons

Students asked questions, gain money based on correct answers.

Students can always check answers.

Added real photos in places to help dispel misconceptions gained from clipart-style graphics.

Uses the design cycle to help guide students.

Lots of work with real-life people in order get accurate functions, pricing, etc.

Students get info about incoming storm (fictional) and use that to build/design their water gauge.

Students paid a lot of attention to budgets while choosing pieces and parts.

Evaluate the water gauge they built. After storm, they get a gauge report. Uses 16 possible combinations, so gauge either succeeds or fails. Students talk about why they got certain scores.

Game is played in one 50-minute class period.

Study took place at 2 HS. 51 students. Used an observation form and focus groups. On task? Behavior? etc. Questionnaire with open-ended questions, likert scale items, etc.

Having the game made the topic interesting. Fun to play. Liked the graphics. Liked role playing, etc. Students were better able to discuss engineering practices and design cycle.

Didn't like - too simple, too hard, too long, too short

Liked that THEY got to build and compare to other students' results.

Also created a geology game.

Explicitly let students know when they are doing certain scientific practices so they can relate gameplay to learning.

Game has a backend for teachers to monitor student progress, results, etc.

Students enjoyed competition and collaboration, especially when student(s) failed initially.

Students who were disengaged were found to be logging into the game at home to play/practice.

http://bit.ly/CHANGE-USF

Can use Powerpoint with Branched Scenarios to create game.

#fetc Educational Gaming: Make Custom Games without Programming

#fetc Educational Gaming: Make Custom Games without Programming

Why I chose this:
Very interested in education gaming, especially in preparation for training/pd.

What we covered:

Make 21st education more interactive, more democratic, more global, more student-tailored, geared toward problem solving in the real world.

Speaker spent several minutes pitching the product he is trying to sell us. I still have no idea what it is. So far as I can tell, it helps teachers create lessons, but also can help students create lessons.

Content entered is delivered in a variety of methods.

Memarden (?) company, I think. Web-based lesson creation. Video, audio, images, text.

Tab-based design layout - content, questions, games.

Presenter trying hard to get audience participation, but this is not going well. He was finally able to get someone to toss out an idea to help generate a lesson.

While I can see where this might be a different way to develop lessons, I am not so sure the program's title matches the perceived expectation of what would be covered. Considering there are many sessions here about coding and gaming, I was expecting something like "Scratch without Scratch" or "BYOND without programming."

Q: What is cost?
A: $1/student/year.

Q: Can you download content?
A: No, content is uploaded.

Q: Can I use this as standalone?
A: Requires internet to use.

Q: Does the content become the company's?
A: Dual copyright. You own your content, company owns their content. There is also a marketplace like TPT and sell to other teachers.

Q: Can you import questions/answers?
A: Yes, you can import those.

Q: Are there discounts for sites as opposed to classes?
A: Yes, terms can be worked out.

They are developing games that use dance pads for more interactivity.

#fetc one of the Aspire sessions at FETC

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#FETC Designing Digital District: Panel Discussion with Leading Districts

#FETC Designing Digital District: Panel Discussion with Leading Districts

Why I chose this:
I am interested to see what topics are covered by these districts. The districts were not named in the flyer, so I am not sure who is presenting on the panel. I want to see what so-called leading districts have to say and how they compare to districts in our service area.

What we covered:

This session is sponsored by Lenovo. Session to last 1.5-2 hours. Union County Schools from North Carolina on image right. Dr. Mike Webb, Dr. Mary Ellis, Tony Burroughs. On the left  in image, Dan Rodriguez (Florida UDT), Scott Pierce (Georgia Schools), Scott Holcomb (Shelby County/Memphis City Schools) - "small rollout" of 12000 units.

Dr. Ellis: taught for 18 years, now Supt at UCSD. This is about children and learning. Digitization must be about students and instruction. 25000 devices in circulation, rotate out 13000 units at a time. Mix of economics, etc. Saved money, gave up 20% instruction money to funnel to technology. Started their own virtual school.

Tony: Played "What if.." to figure out how to support whatever device was to be used. Pull together a team to get things done. Was a priority. Trained people from the inside to grow the system. Scalable Infrastructure.

Dr. Ellis: Every middle and high school, have tech support staff. That does not include instructional staff.

Dr. Webb: Technology provides a "hub and wheel" approach to allow students to float in and out of virtual classes. Teachers were trained first before devices were rolled out. What's the classroom of tomorrow really look like? Have the buy-in, so what is next?

Dr. Ellis: Modular seating, whiteboards floor-to-ceiling, reach out to partners to help think through things. Are we the best in the world? No. But, our size fits me. Meeting needs of the child.

Holcomb: Nerdy teacher that makes enemies with IT. Trying to what is best for students. RIght now, doing blended learning. Large school district and close to 100% free/reduced. Highly mobile student population (not tech, but in terms of education/instruction).  13000 devices. Went with Lenovo for rollout. Use Yoga. Digital curriculum is center of things. Do not make the hardware the center of things. What is the curriculum? What technology fits that curriculum? Ask teachers who use technology what they need, don't just install access. Lease the devices, 3 yr lease with warranty in case student drops or loses device. Tracking devices if the device is stolen. Police department helped recover 3 devices. When student took device home, they could still work. Most students there do not have internet. Looking into cell company provided access.

Q: Why not use in-house curriculum?
A (Holcomb): Had a system in place, but content was not vetted.
A (Ellis): We do develop our own curriculum. Done on Google Docs. Took semester's worth a work. Get paid stipend for it. Looked at outside, but they were already doing what the outside companies offered and/or could develop missing pieces.

Q: How was PD delivered for blended learning?
A: PD housed in online LMS, work in progress. Created videos on how to use technology (for teachers) ex: Windows 8.1, etc.

Scott Pierce: Henry County Schools is young in the process. Changes in leadership hurts the cause for IT and integration. Technology will backup the leadership instead of serving as the lead for rolling things out. Ultimately, what is best for students? Had to reach understanding as to what can/cannot be done through tech, what do the teachers need and how can tech implement it? IT gave up control and blocking things - gave teachers the control and oversight.  Special purpose tax in Georgia, used for refresh technology and buildings/facilities. New high school: what do you want classrooms to look like? What do you want in the rooms? Modular furniture, access to more connectivity, etc. Digital hardware (50% f/r rate) - Projector, each student got a computer. Teacher supplement. Teachers can had additional hardware. Rolled out wifi over 3 years (54 locations). 5gigs coming, currently have 2gigs - too slow for teachers. BYOT network, segmented. Had to managed students bringing 2-3 devices. Once school turned off BYOT due to access issues (students had 1-to-1).

Dan (UDT) - Solution provider. Ask, "Why and how are you designing your digital district?" How do make things better? How do we measure that?  Some look at discipline, grad rates, test score, etc. Some look at collaborative learning, convert analog tasks to digital environment.
1. Where is the district now? Deployment Enablement
2. Align curriculum to outcomes. Learning beyond the bells needs to be examined and measurable.
3. Measurement is everything. What are the benchmarks? How does the district want to measure success? Analytics, big data in terms of the district.

What parts are disruptive to teachers? Which parts of implementation lift-up teachers? What are the stumbling blocks? What are the hurdles? What are the strengths?

Q&A/Discussion: NOTE: not ALL discussion is being recorded here. Basically, just high points and/or summations

- Buy extra AC adapters!

Q: Leasing vs buying
A (Holcomb): Leasing, get a new device at end and roll into new lease. Tech changes, rooms full of old laptops, monitors, etc. Leasing was smarter than having old devices. Also with damage coverage.
A (Dan): Education is comfortable with buying due to budgets. Leasing looks at sustainability.
A (Ellis): It is doable. Keep a 5-year plan going. May have to work with auditors, etc. Have to cut in places to get the money. People appreciate, expect, then demand.
A (Webb): Make sure your IT department knows the cycle. Cannibalizing equipment to extend life.

Q: Do you offer advice only or do you also work with analytics, logistics, etc?
A (Dan): Use contracts and are responsible for procurements, training, other components built in to the agreement (implementation, etc). Work out issues like insurance, repairs, etc as part of the contract agreement. Can help align to curriculum areas that make sense (ex: subjects with high-stakes EOC testing). What is meaningful to administration in terms of analyzing and measurement. Teachers often need a guide, a plan, as to what and how they should be using the devices being rolled out. Must look at TCO for implementing devices.
A (Jamie, Lenovo): Buyback - Lenovo has asset recovery/credit service.

Q: Patterns regarding what is allowed/not allowed on your networks. What is being filtered?
A (Tony): Work with high school principals as to what should be allowed in. Certain polices and rules for different levels. Does not allow Youtube.
A (Holcomb): We allow YouTube and Twitter as part of social media curriculum.
A (Dan): Sometimes the nature and access of traffic governs what is opened or blocked.
A (Tony): Bandwidth is shaped, for example when testing occurs, etc.

Q: How do you retain your IT talent?
A (Tony): I don't. But, that's part of it. I am more diverse than if they go corporate because they are working on that one thing for which they were hired in the corporate world.

Q: Middle of writing 3-year tech plan. Advice moving forward in terms of using tech plan.
A (Ellis): Get your board on your board. Tech council comprised of principals - got to stakeholders and get the buy-in. Had to revise board policy to make it happen. Tech group can talk to policy can talk to principals can talk to teachers, etc.
A (Webb): Made it part of the strategic plan. Big part was PD and how move to training of teachers.

(There were other questions, but those not recorded here)

#fetc pre-keynote - apps, sites, WOWs!

FETC Pre-Keynote Techshare Live!

Why I chose this:

Several panel members are going to share a fast and furious look at some upcoming tech concepts, ideas, etc. Looks fun! Looking forward to see what Kathy Schrock, Leslie Fisher, Hall Davidson has to share!

What I learned:

Started off with a FETC-inspired parody of Shake it Out. Very cute.

Basically, this is a panel-based commercial for a variety of products. Not quite what I was expecting. Ah well... Here is what they covered:

http://bit.ly/TweetItOut

Kano.me - $150 - kit computer

CircutScribe - Pen writes with conductive ink, buzzers, sensors, leds, etc

Hashkey - usb hastag $25

GoKey - Charge phone, find phone, use as remote

Tile - find stuff, track stuff

SingleCube - motion control, talk to TV, control stuff

Coolest - loaded cooler

Wikigalaxy - free - wikipedia in visual representation

Kathy Schrock (some of these are fake/funny):

SelfieBrush - $15

Bluesmart suitcase

MyCase Couture 

Mia Case - makeup case for iphone

In1 multi-tool utility case - pens, screwdriver, tweezers, etc

Chil Slap Stylus - slap bracelet stylus

Ringly - ring you wear that notifies you based on setting in app.

Sensoria Fitness Socks - $179 socks

Schwinn Cycle Nav - gps for your bike

Internet of Things "commercial" for things to come, from Cisco.

FlightBoard - $3.99

iOS7/8 and Yosemite - Quicktime, New Recording, record screen

Coffitivity - plays coffeeshop sounds in background

Hall Davidson:

http://Linkyy.com/TechShare15

Ubooly - Some students may respond better to a plush toy than human...?

AnkiDrive - Racing game, program cars to race

HP Pavillion Mini Stream - $179 Win8 machine

London Museum - augmented reality overlays reality. Do this in a classroom - previous class, places around town, etc.

Taylor Swift Experience - 3d augmented music video, ignoring the POV of the video

NewsELA.com - change reading level of content on the fly

Spritzlet.com - Speed reading app

Gutenberg project

VR - VR welding and other tools. 

Oculus Rift

Binaural Sound - earbuds for about $10

Linkyy.com/SoundAround to test it.

Pentatonic Scale - 

Leslie Fisher:

Kahoot - As seen before, students can take part in quiz live via phone, web, etc. 

We played a game based on FETC trivia. I finished in 700th place. Not bad for my first FETC.

Plickers.com - Create questions, classes; assign questions to classes; assign students. Scan codes printed on paper/stock from distance to record answers.

Lumenplay.com - Control sets of lights with app. Add effects, etc. 

Bunch-o-Balloons - fills a bunch of water balloons and ties them automatically.

Plastc card - use fingerprint to change/select card for paying. Can use for hotel room, loyalty cards, etc

WOW Round:

UNI - motionsavvy - user signs with table, translate sign into speech. Captures voice and converts to text.

Composite filaments for 3d printer - limestone, bronze, maple, iron, etc

Oculus

Magic Leap - Google invested. Augmented items into the real world.

3d printed body parts of patient in order to help operate, see a way to conduct operation.

Colar - turns coloring pages into 3d augmented shapes

Guinness Book of World Records - certain pages in the book can be augmented.

Elements 4d - Point app at cubes with elements on them, augments reality with element in box. Combine blocks to make substances! Hydrogen+Oxygen=water in the blocks with formula!

#fetc opening pre-keynote fun!

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