Kelley Sohler is the iPad winner!

Thanks to all staff members who attended the "How Do I Do That?" sessions throughout the year. These sessions provided a great drop-in opportunity to discover a tool or idea to take back to the classroom. As promised, each time a staff member attended a HDIDT session, their name was entered into a drawing for the end of the year. We are happy to announce that Kelley Sohler is the winner of the iPad! Kelley already has plans to incorporate the iPad into her teaching next school year. Be sure to watch for more HDIDT opportunities in the new school year. Congratulations Kelley!

The DAL Team Year in Review

As we close in on the end of the school year, it is always good to look back and reflect. The Digital Age Learning team has been hard at work this year modifying their curriculum for a one to world learning environment. We have seen an increase in efficiency and students demonstrating learning in creative and amazing ways. We have also experienced some technical issues, charging troubles, and frustration with a lack of time to adjust the curriculum. Even with all the ups and downs of the pilot program, the DAL team has produced some great resources to help everyone transition to a learning environment where all students will have a computer next year. If you have a DAL team member in your department be sure to thank them for being true risk takers and amazing teachers!

Classroom management can definitely be a big concern when all students have laptops. Be sure to read through these classroom management tips and trick for a one to world learning environment before next year.

https://sites.google.com/a/bsd220.org/bhs220pd/home/strategies-for-achieving-high-impact-instruction

Summer is the time of year when you can enjoy a well deserved break from the highly stressful routine of the school year. It is also a time when you actually have time to think about new ideas for the next school year. Checkout the learning modules on our Ed Tech Website for inspiration.

https://sites.google.com/a/bsd220.org/bhs220pd/home/learningmodules

You can also find ideas for next year and post things that have worked well for you on the BSD 220 Summer Brainstorming Document.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1a6XK2bTQe1jIynYVuETk_3SU6ZXYRJ333xFoxuZ4Ce4/edit?usp=sharing

Twitter is another great place to look for new ideas and grow your professional learning network. Millions of educators share resources everyday on twitter...even in the summer. Checkout this module for help getting started with twitter.

https://sites.google.com/a/bsd220.org/bhs220pd/home/learningmodules/twitter

I will leave you with a few words of advice directly from our DAL team members after teaching in a one to world learning environment this year. Have a great summer!

Don't try to do it all!! Take on one thing and master that before you tackle a new tool.

Start small. Don't get in over your head. Collaborate with other teachers. We are all a wealth of information.

You can still control when students are allowed to use computers and when they are not. There are times when the computers are helpful, and it is OK at times to not be using them.

Learn how to share and grade assignments electronically to save a tremendous amount of paper and be able to edit and share on the fly.

Help each other!

Use the laptops when it makes sense--to enrich your curriculum. The laptops do not have to be used every day, nor should laptops be used to replace good teaching. Think of them as a tool.

Set clear expectations from the beginning. I would definitely create a signal to let students know at the beginning of the period if they should have their laptop out or not. Be prepared for things to go wrong and ALWAYS have a plan B.

Have a back up plan and be flexible. Students tended to have their own way of doing an activity... if they get the same outcome let the student take ownership on how they get there.

Focus on just a few tools to implement in the classroom first. You can always add more but don't overwhelm yourself with too many ideas.

You, as the teacher, are still the most important element in the classroom. Technology is not automatically engaging just because it's technology, and it is most certainly not a replacement for a good lesson plan or a captivating teacher. It is a tool, and should be treated as such.