Cardinal Innovation Center Today: Create Content Not Consume

The vision behind the Cardinal Innovation Center is to get students to create content, not consume it. Creating content can be messy and feel chaotic, but when student creations are born, it is very satisfying. My role this year has shifted a bit. In addition, to my tech coaching duties, I also teach two periods of World History. This allows me to really put a lot of the innovative strategies I have learned into play. This helps me model much better for teachers.

We recently started a lesson on the Enlightenment. Before jumping into the content, I wanted students to have a firm grasp on the spirit of Enlightenment. I knew most had no clue what it means. To help build context, I first had them guess. As expected, most were not even close. I then showed them some YouTube clips that I feel are good examples of Enlightenment. One was from the Matrix when Neo chooses the pill. The other was a clip from Straight Outta Compton when Ice Cube figures out the truth about the unfair deals between Jerry Heller and Eazy E.

After the clips, I had students guess again on the meaning of Enlightenment. Their guesses were much closer now. I shared the actual definition with them and had them reflect on how close their guesses were. Some laughed about how far they still were while others were slightly disappointed about how close they came. Long story short, the term Enlightenment was no longer this monolithic, abstract term. Building context with YouTube demystified the term. They were no longer intimidated by it.

Now demystified, I challenged students to choose how to demonstrate their learning and understanding of Enlightenment. They could, for a passing score, find their own YouTube clip they feel is an example of Enlightenment and write 1-2 paragraphs explaining why. To get an A/B score, they could either write their fictional story that is an example of Enlightenment or record a 1-2 minute skit.

My absolute favorite student submission was an actual personal story from a female student. The crux of her story is centered around the traditional male and female roles in Hispanic culture. She was always taught that the women are homemakers and the men make the money and work. An event happened in her life where those roles switched between her mom and dad. At first she was unsettled, but over time she realized there was nothing wrong with this paradigm shift. She felt empowered by it.

As we went deeper into the lesson, she quickly identified with the philosophies of Mary Wollstonecraft. I am rather confident this student will comprehend the Enlightenment much better that if I had gone the traditional consumption route of answering questions at the end of the chapter. On that note, no textbooks were harmed.....errrr.....I mean used in this lesson.

My students created content. They didn't not merely consume it. Real life connections to content were made and learning became authentic.

Cardinal Innovation Center Today: #360History, Google Hangouts and The World's Most Dangerous Thinkers

Teaching two sections of World History has given me the opportunity to implement many of the innovative ideas and pedagogy I have learned on my three year journey as a tech integration coach. The fact I get to teach in the Cardinal Innovation Center makes it even more special.

Lately I have have been dabbling in elements in blended learning. Students have been accessing content through pre-recorded lecture videos of me teaching a lesson. At first, the students liked being able to go through a lecture at their own pace, but some still craved the interaction with a "live" teacher.  To address this, I took advantage of the Cardinal Innovation Center's whiteboard walls. These walls were donated through the "World's Most Dangerous EDU Non-Profit" known as Classrooms with Attitude (C.W.A.). C.W.A. is the brainchild of my friend, colleague and #CUETangClan brother Ed Campos (@edcamposjr).

Ed champions #360Math. Being a history teacher, I am attempting to adapt #360Math to history and create #360History. Since my students were craving interaction with a "live" teacher, I decided to use the whiteboard walls in a #360Math manner. Students were instructed to watch the lecture video as usual, but as they came up with questions for their notes, they would have to write their questions on the whiteboard walls. Once they wrote their questions, I could stand in middle of room, rotate 360 degrees, see all questions and immediately respond one-on-one. In addition, I added a stipulation that they had ask at least one question using Google Hangouts. This way students who wanted interaction with a "live" teacher and those who enjoy the self-paced, virtual method feel their needs are being met.

I piloted these strategies in a lesson on the Enlightenment. I compared 8 Enlightenment thinkers to N.W.A.  N.W.A was known as the "World's Most Dangerous Group" largely in part to their, at the time, controversial ideas. These ideas challenged the status quo and those of the establishment. Enlightenment thinkers had a similar effect.

As students went through the lesson video, common questions written on whiteboard walls and via Google Hangouts had to do with clarification on the connection between Enlightenment thinkers and N.W.A. Students were engaged by the N.W.A. connection, but required more clarification on the connection to the content. The whiteboards and Hangouts gave me quick, easy insight into what students needed. In addition, they earned participation points for writing on whiteboards and texting via Hangouts.

Long story short, this can all be summed up by highlighting the importance of prompt feedback and checking for understanding. Whiteboards and Hangouts allowed options for students to communicate with the teacher and gave, me, the teacher instant data from which I could provide feedback.

On that note, I would love to hear some feedback and thoughts.

Cardinal Innovation Center Today: Social Media Posse Live Tweets 1st Football Game

At the Sydney Google Certified Innovator Academy, the best feedback I received was to scale down my project. I was advised by coaches and cohort members to focus only on a few of the many layers of this project to start. One of layers I decided to focus on was the Cardinal Innovation Center Social Media Posse. The purpose of this layer is to empower students to build a positive school culture with social media. 

The soul of the Cardinal Innovation Center is to empower students. I chose to focus on this layer because it is one of the most student-driven layers in the project. Most other layers require much of my own time and effort. To get this layer up and running, I recruited an 11th grader, David, whom I have had the pleasure of knowing since he was in the 1st grade. David (@dmagana559) stepped up to the plate and spent a few hours with me learning to live tweet a football game. That is American Football for my foreign friends.

On September 8, 2017, I gave David access to the school's Twitter account (@orosihs) and gave him free reign to live tweet the game versus Granite Hills High School. 

For being a first time live tweeter covering a sporting event, David did quite well. Using a growth mindset, David knows he can and will improve. To see a record of David's maiden voyage with the Cardinal Social Media Posse, click here to access the tweets via Storify.

For more on the Cardinal Innovation Center Social Media posse, please follow David (@dmagana559), Orosi High School (@orosihs) and myself (@techcoachjuarez) on Twitter.

Cardinal Innovation Center Today: 9/8/2017

It is a momentous occasion in the Cardinal Innovation Center. For the 2017-2018 school year, the first sketchnotes have been uploaded and posted to the OHS Sketchnotes Gallery. These sketchnotes came from my 10th Grade World History students. They sketchnoted their learning and understanding of Absolute Monarchy in England.

At this point in the year, only three sketchnotes were worthy of being posted to the website. But my students have a growth mindset and we are confident the quantity of quality of the sketchnotes are bound to increase in the near future.
Take a look below at the first three sketchnotes posted this school year.

Jackie

Asly

Angelica

View more of my project at cardinalinnovationcenter.org.

Tech Coach Walkabout: Google Hangouts in an Art Class

On my first day back at work after the Sydney Google Innovator Academy, I went on walkabout at Orosi High School. On walkabout, I came across an interesting question from one of the art teachers. Last year this teacher had issues with wifi and poor visibility of the LCD projector. My visit to this class was to check on these issues. The wifi has improved greatly, but the visibility of the LCD projector persists. 

The art teacher asked me if I knew of a way for her to project her demonstrations from her iPad and have students view the demonstrations on Chromebooks at their workstations. Immediately, my mind went to Google Hangouts. 

The classroom has 8 table groups. In each group, a student "captain" will be selected. On demonstration days, the captain will get a Chromebook and log in. The teacher will create multiple-user Hangouts with the captains in each class period. For demonstrations, the teacher will initiate the Hangout and each captain will join. 

The Hangouts will allow the teacher to demonstrate and the students can view the demonstration on the LCD projector on wall and or the Chromebooks at their table stations.  Students can ask questions via text and teacher can answer verbally and provide feedback on a table by table basis.

#ManUtdEDU - Learning Through the Lens and Spirit of Manchester United

I am sure many people who have visited my website, seen my social media posts or viewed my Twitter bio have wondered what the heck #ManUtdEDU is. Well wonder no more! For those who know me, I am a rabid supporter of the Manchester United Football Club. Manchester United Football club is regularly one of the top five most valuable sports franchises on the planet. It is the most successful club in the more than 100 year history of the English Football (Soccer) Association. It has won multiple European and World Championship trophies as well.

My obsession with Manchester United began in the 1990s as they enjoyed a period of never-before-seen dominance. The club's ability to identify young talent and mesh it with experienced veterans fascinated me. This ability to mesh youth and experience was due to the expert leadership of head coach Sir Alex Ferguson.

Sir Alex Ferguson is arguably the greatest coach in the history of team sports. Ferguson is famous for developing young talent and getting players to perform above and beyond their capabilities. The hallmark of his teams were countless last-second goals to win or salvage a draw. These last-second goals were aptly nicknamed "Fergie Time."

Sir Alex's teams were often characterized as "swashbuckling" due to his cavalier tactics and the players willingness to take risks necessary to play an attractive, effective brand of soccer. The fans in stands also got in on the act. When the team's play was stale and stagnant, the entire stadium would chant "Attack, Attack, Attack!" Almost immediately, the team's play was lifted and goals were never far away.

Much of Sir Alex's success was due to his ability to research and adapt ideas and motivational strategies from a variety of sources. Ferguson iss very well read on subjects such as American presidents, famous war generals as well as legendary Green Bay Packers coach Vince Lombardi. He gleaned countless lessons from these sources, synthesized them and developed successful methods for leadership and getting the most out of his players.

Now what does this have to do with education? For me, I try to embody that same swashbuckling spirit in the classroom. I encourage students to to have a growth mindset, take risks and learn from mistakes. A #ManUtdEDU lesson is one where students are given voice and choice and also given a line of inquiry that fosters divergent thinking.

Like Sir Alex, I also do lots of reading and research to adapt my own methods of teaching, motivation and leadership. Edu-mentors such as George Couros, Matt Miller, Ed Campos, Jon Corippo and more have given me countless ideas. I have taken what I've gleaned from them and done my best to synthesize their ideas for my own purposes.

#ManUtdEDU is also a method I use to teach tech tools to both teachers and students. I use Manchester United information, statistics, history, videos, images and more as a way of demonstrating tools in a non-academic way. Since many of the teachers and students I work with are unfamiliar with Manchester United, they have a common starting point with the content. Being non-academic, it lowers their affective filter and teachers and students feel more comfortable learning an interesting fact all the while getting practice with a new tool.

For teachers and students who are familiar with Manchester United or support teams that are considered rivals, #ManUtdEDU gives me an immediate connection with that person. This connection may take the form of playful banter between myself and a fan of a rival team. The connection can be a feeling of solidarity between me and a fellow supporter. The connection can even take the form of someone not familiar with Manchester United forming a connection with a different sport or team.

Long story short, #ManUtdEDU is my attempt at injecting my passion into my teaching practice. Anyone can do this with anything about which they are passionate. If you're passionate about baseball, "edu it up". If you're passionate about animals, "edu it up". Whatever your passion is, "edu it up"!

Glory Glory Man United! 

Musings of a Tech Coach: The Power of My PLN

Just finished my first ISTE Conference. Not only did I attend for the first time, I had the privilege/pleasure of presenting three sessions. It was an absolute blast. I honestly didn't attend any sessions except for a handful of walk-by poster sessions. This was due to two things. First, each session was crowded and I really couldn't get a seat. Second, and most important, I was geeking out on all the people from my virtual PLN that I got to meet "In Real Life" (IRL) for the first time. 

As I meandered the halls, walkways, Riverwalk and Expo Center, I looked at people's faces and name tags. Cool thing is that ISTE allowed people to put their Twitter handles on the tags. More times than I can count, when I saw a Twitter handle I recognized, I introduced myself to the person and struck up a conversation. Not one person I stopped thought I was weird (I think). At the end of the conversation, I made sure to take a selfie with the person. At the end, I took roughly 30-40 selfies with my PLN Tweeps.  

Those selfies have been recorded on a Google MyMap below. As I attend and present at conferences now and in the future, I will add more PLN Tweeps. Are you on my map????

Kenny Rogers EDU - Teach Like The Gambler

Many of my EDU reflections and professional learning occurs around dawn each morning before my kids wake up. Today was no different. As my kids snoozed in the hotel room, I jumped on the Twitters and, as usual, came across another great tweet and blog post by George Couros. This post caught my eye because of a Rudyard Kipling quote he referenced.  "If history were taught in the form of stories, it would never be forgotten."

In his blog post, George touches on the topic of teachers as the "sage on the stage." This is a style of teaching that I find antiquated. Though I am opposed to this style of teaching, and the accompanying cemetery style classroom, as a classroom teacher, I was pretty good at lecturing. Students told me they enjoyed my lectures and storytelling. Long story short, the sage on the stage still has a role in the classroom. If you are a talented storyteller and lecturer, engage and empower your students with this talent. As a tech coach, I would suggest screencasting and recording your amazing lectures for students to review on their time as well as sharing with colleagues to use in their classes. 

Upon tweeting George Couros' point about the sage on the stage, an educator not too far from where I live (@madtownmath) replied to the tweet referencing a line from the song The Gambler by Kenny Rogers. The part of the song where Kenny talks about knowing when to hold 'em and fold 'em is the perfect metaphor for making use of sage on the stage pedagogy, or any pedagogy for that matter.

For me, balance is key. As a connected educator, being up to date on all the cutting edge edtech and pedagogy makes it easy to dismiss older, still-effective methods that often get looked down upon in today's educational landscape.  There is a time to be the sage on the stage and lecture, but that can't be your only method. Edtech and cutting edge pedagogy are the same. A good balance of varied pedagogies help provide students voice and choice and meet a variety of learning styles.

Like a card game, with pedagogy, we need to know when to hold 'em and fold 'em. We have to know when to lecture and when not to. We need to know when to use the cool edtech tool/strategy and when not to. Anything done for the sake of doing it often makes it less effective. It loses its soul. Teaching is a little bit like gambling. We often go bust, but if we stand on the shoulders of giants and #failforward, like gambling, those wins can be hugely memorable for students.

#CVTechTalk #LaunchBookStudy Chapter 1: Three Big Takeaways

Too many teachers today teach in a silo. They lock their doors and do not want visitors. They want to be the sage on the stage and font of knowledge. For their students, these teachers want to be the audience. They operate on a the notion that they must know everything.

Breaking down the four walls of the classroom is a foreign thought to such teachers. Reaching them and getting them to change their thinking is easier said than done. Such teachers are afraid they have to change the way they teach. They are comfortable teaching a certain way and fear change "discredits" the way they've always done things.

The way they've always done things simply doesn't work anymore. My esteemed colleague Joe Marquez (@joemarquez70) says to deal with these types of resistant teachers, let them know that we are not changing the way they teach, we are changing the way they reach (students).

Step out of that silo, find authentic audiences and plan with the 4 C's. Make student learning fun, relevant and expose student learning to feedback.

When I moved, my cat wasn't happy. I had a hard time believing he'd stick around in the new house. He was just a free spirit who was used to the country. He wasn't going to like living in a tract home surrounded by homes with other cats.

This cat was a known escape artist. When we tried to make him a house cat, he always found his way out. To help him acclimate to the new house, I bought him a large dog kennel to contain him in the new yard. As soon as I put him inside, he was obviously unhappy. He paced and immediately searched for a way out. This kennel was the most confined the cat had ever been. I locked the door and went inside the house. Thirty minutes later, I went to check on him and he was gone. I couldn't tell you how he got out, but he did.

Why am I talking about my escape artist cat? Simple. Constraints increase creativity. He needed more creativity than ever to escape the kennel. Learning structures provide constraints that increase creativity. Don't put mundane tasks and rules within the structure of your lesson design. Provide autonomy, voice and choice to foster the increased creativity.

How many students can you think of that fail at school, but are totally badass at video games? I have dealt with more students like this than I can count. Why is this so? Why are they so bad at school, but play video games so well? Simple answer, growth mindset.

These students believe they can get better with trial and error. They immediately learn from their mistakes.

In the movie Predators, Lawrence Fishburn's character notes that the Predators learn and change tactics almost immediately after one of the human prey defeats one of them. These predatory, technologically advanced aliens embody the growth mindset. Every mistake is an iteration toward success.

Why cannot we foster this type of #failforward (Cori Orlando - @coriorlando1) in our classrooms? Short answer. It is not the way school has been traditionally done. Leverage the growth mindset applied by students with video games, or the Predator, and watch the intrinsic motivation and learning increase.

What do these three #booksnaps and stories have in common? Non-traditional thinking of teaching, pedagogy and lesson design. Today's students are wired differently. What worked for our generation (I am an X-Ennial), doesn't work for students now. We can no longer expect students to adjust to antiquated pedagogy. We can no longer say "I'm gonna teach it this way and it's your responsibility to learn it." We need to flip traditional pedagogy on its head and adjust to the needs of the modern student. Long story short, the way we have done things, doesn't work well anymore. 

Engage students, have them create and empower.

Musings of a Tech Coach: Crowdsourcing

Crowdsourcing can be defined as the practice of obtaining information or input into a task or project by enlisting the services of a large number of people, either paid or unpaid, typically via the Internet. Crowdsourcing is something we often do without even thinking about it. In the EdTech world, crowdsourcing is your best friend. EdTech moves, evolves and changes very rapidly and it is impossible to be up to date on all strategies, platforms, devices, programs and apps. 

For those of you who are new to the concept of crowdsourcing, here is a little, recent testimonial from my personal experience. 

Flipgrid is a new app/program that I am completely unfamiliar with. I hear people raving about out in the Twitterverse all the time. I could do my own research and look for tutorials, but knowing so many people in PLN who are familiar with it, why not ask them? Why not pick their brains about the successes and failures of their experience with Flipgrid? 

I did, and the responses and resources were swift, helpful and dynamic.

Below are the responses to my crowdsourcing Tweet inquiring for help on Flipgrid.

Within a day, I got all these response chalkful with tips, links to resources, links to blogs and more. At this point, I still have not gotten through them all, but crowdsourcing allowed me to access curated resources for my wonderful PLN. The next time you need help with something EDU or EdTech, crowdsource to your PLN. Even better, crowdsource to your students. If you don't know how do something techie, you likely have students in your room who can help. Empower them and watch your, and their, learning grow. 

Musings of a Tech Coach: Hashtags are like "Bat Signals"

I honestly cannot remember where I heard this metaphor. If this is your idea, please contact me and I'll gladly give you credit. That being said I freaking love this metaphor. Hashtags are totally like Bat Signals for your classroom, professional learning and student work. 

When Batman sees the Bat Signal, he comes running to the rescue. But let's focus on something other than what Batman does when the Bat Signal flashes in the sky. What about the people of Gotham or the general public on Twitter? How do they react? When your hashtag appears in a search or on someone's post in your feed, how do they react? 

I imagine the people of Gotham, upon seeing the Bat Signal in the sky, having thoughts of adventure running through their minds. They wonder if they'll get to see a glimpse of the Caped Crusader in action. I know I get a similar feeling when I see certain hashtags appear in my Twitter feed. Hashtags that evoke such feelings include #ditchbook, #tlap, #tosachat, and more. Seeing these hashtags pique my interest about the conversation going on and the edu-amazing people sharing their thoughts, ideas, and resources.

Having started a hashtag and Twitter edchat of my own, #cvtechtalk, I have heard similar feedback from regular participants. They look forward to the chat and often share on Twitter using the hashtag even when we are not doing the weekly edchat.  

This feedback and my own feelings towards my favorite hashtags prompted me to attempt this in my classroom with students. I use class and or class period hashtags to promote student work. I want students to see the hashtag(s) and swell with pride. I want them to wonder what the conversation is and engage in it. Imagine the swell of pride if their hashtags develop a following. 

Part of adolescent development is their sense of "being on stage". Giving students an authentic audience on social media whether it be Twitter, Instagram, etc. can leverage this stage of their growth and development. Adolescents "being on stage", to me, means they always think someone is watching. This leads them to really try to show the best version of themselves. Posting work, thoughts and ideas on social media is like being on stage. It is my belief that students will try harder if they know people around the world are watching. That is one of the benefits of an authentic audience. 

Do you have a hashtag for your class? Is it like a Bat Signal? Does or will it evoke feelings of adventure, empowerment and pride for you and your students? 

Cardinal Innovation Center Today: April 6, 2017

George Couros page: Google me, aha moments by students, connections with college and career

As stated in my Leroy Finkel Fellowship Finalist presentation, the Cardinal Innovation Center is like an onion on steroids. It has many layers. It is still in beta mode, but will be in full effect next school year. At present, it is exciting to see the early, developmental stages of each layer. This week alone, the Sketchnotes Galleries have grown mightily. El Monte Middle School teachers are clamoring for a sketchnotes demo and word has spread like wild fire a quarter mile south to Orosi High School. 

The quality of the initial sketchnotes has been a pleasant surprise. Students are engaged in the work, and by design, they are beginning to really take ownership and be motivated intrinsically. I see students in the hall and they stop me to ask if I posted their sketchnotes on the Sketchnotes Gallery page on the Cardinal Innovation Center website. 

To get sketchnotes on the the site, students create their sketchnotes in class as part of an assigned activity. Upon completion, the teacher and I review them and scan the 5-6 best to put on the site. Students can then refer to the site for review or assistance with future assignments. One part of the vision for this is that students next year will visit the site and see the sketchnotes left behind this year. This way, students get a sneak preview of lessons and content in addition to having an opportunity to learn from peers.

6th Grade sample

It's been gratifying to see an increase in teacher buy-in. Teachers that wouldn't touch tech or any new idea with a 10 foot pole are now knocking at my door asking about sketchnotes and any new idea I glean from my PLN. I smell an opportunity to preach about the power of Twitter and PLN (#justsayin). The biggest #eduwin in this regard is how a teacher who is a mere 6 weeks from retirement is jumping in headfirst with my sketchnotes/Google Sites/Quizizz appsmash. Who knows? Maybe this teacher will stick around. 

Social media is another layer of the Cardinal Innovation Center. George Couros, in his keynote speeches, talks about how colleges and employers will "Google" you. This week I had the pleasure of teaching Orosi High School freshmen how to clean up their social media profiles and online presence to help their digital footprint work for rather than against them. Students were surprisingly receptive to taking down controversial posts, changing handles and putting new profile pictures. 

This freshman signed up for Twitter to connect with industry professionals and colleges in which he interested

Orosi High School freshmen were excited to learn Twitter and how to connect with professionals from industries in which they are interested and with colleges they would like to attend. They asked great questions about whether or not their profiles and posts could one day be part of a denial of admission or employment.  I have to admit, getting these freshman on Twitter did require a bit of bribery. I told them if they followed me and tweeted me a message stating the college and career they are interested in, then I would bring them a donut after spring break. I will reply to their tweets with suggested Twitter accounts for them to follow to pursue the college and career of their dreams. It looks like Kimbo's Donuts in Orosi is gonna get some serious business from me in a few weeks as I will need to get 4 dozen donuts. 

Can I CIC It? 

Yes you can!

#CanICICIt

Cardinal Innovation Center Today: 6th Grade History/ELA

This week marks the opening of the Cardinal Innovation Center.  The Cardinal Innovation Center is an idea I submitted for the Leroy Finkle Fellowship.  It is my spin on Classroom Cribs.  As a Tech TOSA, I have the flexibility of schedule to pull of such an idea.

The idea behind the Cardinal Innovation Center is to have a flexible learning space and makerspace where teachers can send students to be challenged, create and innovate.  Teachers will plan lessons with the 'ol tech coach and after properly formatively assessing students, they will differentiate instruction by referring "students who got the material" to the Innovation Center to be challenge and to innovate.  The "students who need more help" will remain with the teacher in a smaller setting so the teacher can re-teach and intervene.

Students in the Innovation Center will choose the tool that meets the task whether it be tech, no tech, green screen, etc.  I will work with them to find a creative, innovative way for them to demonstrate their learning. This week, I began working with a 6th grade ELA/History class.  The teacher and I planned a lesson for students to understand the impact of Greek Geography on Ancient Greece.

The teacher taught the lesson, and after formative assessment,  identified 8 "student leaders."  Those 8 students were sent to the Innovation Center where I trained them to not only create an electronic map of Greece on Google Drawings, but to teach others to create one.  On day two, those students trained 2-3 classmates each on how to create the electronic map.  On day three, I took over the classroom to do a refresher course with the whole class on screencasting.  The learning target on day four is for students to screencast their electronic map and verbally explain the places on the map and the effects of the geography on Ancient Greek culture.  Students will upload their screencasts to YouTube and submit to their teacher.