Hi, I’m Laura Bradley from Petaluma, CA, and I’m a veteran middle school teacher - I teach Design Lab, Broadcast Media, and English. Go @kjhskolts! Go @Petk12schools! #BetterTogetherCA
Hello, educators! We will be using the Q&A format. Be sure to use the hashtag #BetterTogetherCA in your responses, so you are part of the group conversation.
A1: I started blogging about my work because @skrashen told me to! I had told him how I make #pleasure#choice#reading central to my classroom, and he said, “Please blog about it! Other teachers need to hear your story!” #BetterTogetherCA
A1. I elevate my voice within the teaching community for lots of different reasons. Primarily, it's because I think I have something of value to offer. Also because doing so makes me reflect on how I teach #BetterTogetherCA
A1: I elevate my voice in support of professional learning-especially for History/Social Studies Ts. How? By reminding anyone who will listen about how important our content and skills are #BetterTogetherCA
A1: A really great principal (looking at you @emilydtodd) asked @kjhskolts teachers to do quick demos at staff mtngs. Great way to get comfortable sharing our work, and we all get a peek inside colleagues’ classrooms. #BetterTogetherCA
A1: I use Twitter, Instagram, and blogging to share my #teachervoice. I've learned so much from these platforms from other #teachers that I want to pay it forward. I try to share relevant ideas or powerful articles on the web using these tools. #BetterTogetherCA
A1: By blogging personally and profesionally, speaking at conferences and sharing my work in places loke the #goformative library and @edmodo spotlight. I think I have something to add to the education conversation and believe in paying it forward. #BetterTogetherCA
And you inspire me with your leadership in so many ways! #BetterTogetherCA
Actually, I don’t teach Gov. But I aim for civic ed and engagement in all of my classes. :)
Exactly. We know what works in our classrooms, with our students. Being open about how we go about it, and sharing what works and what does not it is a way to get better at our craft. #BetterTogetherCA
A1 I share my voice, so I can help my students and PLN. I am involved in sharing via Voxer Twitter @TsGiveTs ..... most anywhere. All the kids are all of our kids :) #bettertogetherCA
A1: To elevate my voice within our teaching community, I participate in learning experiences as much as I can to gain new insight and contribute; it sparks discussion and helps me bring something new and valuable into the classroom for my students. #BetterTogetherCA
A2: I elevate the voices of my teaching peers by writing about them on KQED's In the Classroom website. Here's a link to my latest. https://t.co/yknNPVs4db#BetterTogetherCA
A2. As the Coordinating Editor for KQED's In the Classroom website, I also help elevate the voices of my peers by encourage them to blog for the website. Other websites too. #BetterTogetherCA
A2: That is a little harder. I share their work (with permission) and encourage them to post and participate. Even when I'm not on a chat, if I see a colleague I know, I'll jump in to ensure they "do are notalone". Once bit by the sharing bug it's hard to stop. #BetterTogetherCA
A2: By building relationships that are meaningful and authentic. I love to encourage Ts as well as Ss via Twitter and put them first. If I see something amazing using technology, I won't hesitate to do a personal shout out. #BetterTogetherCA
A2. I also help elevate the voices of my teaching peers by encourage them to sign-up to give ED-Talks at the annual California Better Together Teachers Summit #BetterTogetherCA
A2. I also help elevate the voices of my teaching peers by encourage them to sign-up to give ED-Talks at the annual California Better Together Teachers Summit #BetterTogetherCA
A1: I use twitter and social media and am involved in community groups where I can advocate for my students and their families and share their stories because so many of them don’t feel they have the power or resources to do so #BetterTogetherCA
A2 I work to highlight my peers. Constantly encouraging them to share the awesome, or I share their awesome. I want to help cultivate confident leaders!!! #BetterTogetherCA
A2. Here's another way that I try to elevate teachers' voice - by idenifying those that did a great job of blogging in 2017. https://t.co/QWPovCktDD#bettertogetherca
A2. I also help teachers elevate their voice by writing blog post that tell teachers how they can elevate their own voice. https://t.co/BPrRCXatBA#BetterTogetherCA
A3: This is my only Twitter Chat - I follow historians, museums, presidential libraries, and civic groups in addition to my favorite educators. #BetterTogetherCA
A3. Articles by teachers for teachers. PD given by teachers for teachers. That's the best way to go these days. Hearing and reading from those actually doing the work. #BetterTogetherCA
A3. For new APUSH and AP Gov teachers, a great place to go to hear the voices of experienced APUSH and AP Gov teachers is the APUSH Teachers Facebook page and the APGOV Teachers Facebook page. Great teachers there who share freely. #bettertogetherca
Q3: Yes. I participate in Twitterchats often. In fact, three just tonight. You could say I'm a twitterchat junkie. Now, for more "traditional" learning opportunities, I've done basically every course on #KQEDTeach, and @Microsoft education, as well as others. #BetterTogetherCA
A4: New teachers: Start on your own campus. Find a teacher who loves their work and is willing to share. Usually that one will have peers on campus who also love teaching! #BetterTogetherCA
A4 I have seen many methods teachers like @WendyLRouse and @SCSSA_Prez that get their student teachers started on Twitter & attending Teacher-Led conferences. #BetterTogetherCA
A4: Walk across the hall! Visit other classrooms (including those outside of your content area). Read, read, read - try it out, reflect - talk it out - try again. #BetterTogetherCA
Checking in late. Chris from SoCal. APUSH and TOSA for English Learners. Excited to see my friends and colleagues leading the chat @scottmpetri@PeterPaccone#BetterTogetherCA
A4. The best way for new new or beginning teachers to connect with and learn from other teachers is to read articles by teachers for teachers. In the Classroom, PBS' Teachers' Lounge, Edutopia, all great places to start. #BetterTogetherCA
A2: Ts work as a team at our school-by knowing what our colleagues are teaching and talking to Ss about the great learning they are doing in their other classes, making connections, we are elevating the voices of our peers and reinforcing the learning with Ss. #BetterTogetherCA
A4. Ask questions. Try something new everyday. Let others come observe and give you feedback. Record yourself to watch and reflect. It’s awkward but transformative. #BetterTogetherCA
A4. I would also tell all new or beginning teachers to attend all the great free PD offerings in this state, starting with the CA Better Together Teacher Summit and including the Arcadia Innovative Teacher Summit #BetterTogetherCA
A3: Connect with a tech leader or TOSA who will help drive the passion of learning and share a wealth of knowledge to be wiser! Be willing to take time to explore, face challenges, grow, and GLOW. Persevere! Go to CUE! #BetterTogetherCA
Great point! When we share about the great things our students are doing in our classroom, we have given them a well-deserved spotlight. #BetterTogetherCA
A4: More for new (and old!) teachers: Find your tribe - which Twitter chat is right for you? Check out these suggestions: https://t.co/rvQUggdDnB#BetterTogetherCA
A4: Tell new teachers to jump on Twitter chats even if they’re 30 minutes late! #BetterTogetherCA 🤩 I also think that more schools should support new teachers with ed research reading groups.
A2: I try to encourage my peers to speak up, get involved in school and district happenings. We are our students best advocates but we need to find and develop our voice in order for this to happen. #BetterTogetherCA
A4: At your own school, find "that" teacher, who can be your mentor. Branch out on Twitter, find educators to follow and read up on different blogs (Edutopia and KqeD's In the Classroom comes to mind). Basically find your #tribe. #BetterTogetherCA
A4 It's all about the hashtag. Find yours; then find your peeps.
I want to rock #AR#VR world, so I am active in #ARVRinEDU and the abfab pees there:)
When I need my happy #JoyfulLeaders is the win!! #bettertogetherCA
Our school is moving toward this with our Instructional Rounds model. We visit other classes during conf periods at least 1x per month. #BetterTogetherCA
A2: A2: I just returned from @CCAEState and will be sharing what I learned with my colleagues. PD consisting of teachers sharing our learning with each other is always best. #BetterTogetherCA
A4: Walk across the hall! Visit other classrooms (including those outside of your content area). Read, read, read - try it out, reflect - talk it out - try again. #BetterTogetherCA
A3: Um...duh? I love Twitter chats! I have told every professional colleague I have come across...I receive better, more authentic PD via Twitter than any other professional development I’ve received elsewhere. I love #bettertogetherca chats. Also a fan of #classdojochats.
There is a symbiotic relationship between teaching and parenting. #BetterTogetherCA I have learned so much patience from being a Dad and am more relaxed in my class.
In reply to
@WonderTechEdu, @MrsBarnett_Tchr, @KristinOropeza
Q5: Teaching is a full-time job and as a result, it can be difficult to find time to effectively share your thoughts with the teaching community. How do you make time to share your voice? #BetterTogetherCA
A4: Don’t be afraid to ask for help! We all struggle with new challenges every day and we work best when we lean on each other. Teaching is a puzzle and it takes a team to figure out how to reach each and every student. #BetterTogetherCA
A5 I blogged a lot more before I started working on my National Boards. Now I'm paranoid they will ding me for plagiarizing my own work. https://t.co/Rf8NiON01p#BetterTogetherCA
A4: @MrsBarnett_Tchr and I just hosted a session on Twitter for a district PD - our advice? Lurk, lurk, and lurk some more. Find your niche. Participate and get chatting! Follow teachers who inspire you! #BetterTogetherCA
A5: I love to blog but don’t do it enough. I have written about my lessons and experiences and interactions and approaches, though I often don’t finish. I just found some articles on my computer about a new Snapchat narrative lesson from two years ago. Help! #BetterTogetherCA
A5: I try to remember to take pictures of what we’re doing in class - then it’s easy to #tweet out a #picture and a #comment about what we’re doing. #BetterTogetherCA
A5: Everyyear i challenge myself to really take care of my blog and write at least once a month. Then testing season starts and nothing happens for a while. Finding the time is a struggle, especially with all the "other" stuff. #BetterTogetherCA
A5. How do I make time to share my voice? I just do. Like exercise and spending time with family and friends. I just make it a priority. #BetterTogetherCA
A5 Others need your voice, your encouragement. Make the time to post/text/email - however you need to connect to build up your community. #bettertogetherCA
I completely agree with this! Being a parent allows me to see my students from the perspective of a parent in addition to that of a teacher. #BetterTogetherCA
In reply to
@scottmpetri, @MrsBarnett_Tchr, @KristinOropeza
I bet you will find a community into this on Instagram or one of the photo sharing sites. #BetterTogetherCA The internet will end teacher isolation if you let it.
Have you ever tried posting your blogs to https://t.co/53oXAS1s5h. I'll be suggesting that in a moment. I think of it as my "practice field." Put all kinds of stuff there, just to see how it looks, reads. Some of it takes. #BetterTogetherCA
wow! knew @edutopia but first time hearing @KQEDedspace as part of my study I am investigating @Pinterest. I wonder if there is any teacher in the twitter chat using Pinterest to share resources. #BetterTogetherCA
In reply to
@LAMBRADLEY, @CATeacherSummit, @edutopia, @KQEDedspace, @edutopia, @KQEDedspace, @Pinterest
Jumping in, but yes, blurring faces, which then means no immediate posting. there's also the well angled camera showing hands and backs #BetterTogetherCA
A5: I teach part time, so...😁
But even when I didn’t, I basically never stop talking about teaching or teaching about teaching or explaining things...😬
I’m a hit at parties 🙊
#BetterTogetherCA
I try to only take pictures of the student work, then I erase the names. I've seen students share my comments on their social media feeds. Sometimes its cool to like school. #BetterTogetherCA
Grading APUSH in Tampa. Got an @Gilder_Lehrman institute on 9/11 and @NEHgov seminar on Shakespeare in NYC. Three weeks of learning in one of my fav cities. And find some time to write. Have two pieces due in the fall. You? #BetterTogetherCA
A5: @MrsBarnett_Tchr and I are sitting at BJ’s, partctipating in this #BetterTogetherCA chat, over dinner! It’s all about balance. Connecting with other educators is enjoyable. It’s not a work obligation. It’s fun. And I get to do it with my work bestie at times. :)
Q6: Teachers are the first responders to student success or challenges. How do you communicate what’s going on with your students to those outside of the classroom -- parents, administrators, school board members, even legislators? #BetterTogetherCA
A5: Once it becomes a habit, it's easier to notice little things that would be worth sharing. After 15 years of teaching in isolation, it took awhile to get used to noticing what I could share. Now it comes more naturally. #BetterTogetherCA
A6: If student work is digital, it is easy to share! I send links of student work to our district office, parents, the local paper, my admin - I want them to see the amazing work my kids are doing! And I CC the students so they know how proud I am of them. #BetterTogetherCA
I need to do more of this. I was able to load video links of student presentations into the Jupiter Grade book so they could see their kiddo. Got lots of positive comments. #BetterTogetherCA
A6: If student work is digital, it is easy to share! I send links of student work to our district office, parents, the local paper, my admin - I want them to see the amazing work my kids are doing! And I CC the students so they know how proud I am of them. #BetterTogetherCA
A6. The way that I communicate what’s going on with my students to those outside of the classroom -- parents, administrators, school board members, even legislators is by writing. Emails twitter Facebook and blog posts. #BetterTogetherCA
A6: At the start of the year, I set up a parent email group - that way it’s easy to keep them up to date, plus I can quickly share classroom news and student work. #BetterTogetherCA
A6: Formally, through student exhibition nights. We host 4 a year and invite everyone we can think of, and they are usually very well attended up to the County Office. Now legislators, we have not tried. #BetterTogetherCA
A6 My Ss use @Seesaw to share with family, they also give input in what pics and activities I share on twitter. We also compile and create videos of student work district wide (we’re tiny) for school board meetings. #BetterTogetherCA
Maybe protected is a better word. Trying to reduce students asking to join to keep some resources unGoogleable. It’s getting tough when @quizlet is awesome but has everything... #BetterTogetherCA
A6: I use Class Dojo Stories and Portfolios, Twitter, and our classroom Google site to connect with families. They are my priority. I also invite my admin to join these groups so she can see all the awesome learning going on in #Room15. #BetterTogetherCA
A6: There are some teaching years that flow together more than others and those are the ones where I have written regular email updates to families about class happenings. I am always looking for a simpler way to get that weekly essence of what we do. #BetterTogetherCA
A6 I like to offer feedback to the whole class then reset goals for round two. Showcasing student work is a game-changer. https://t.co/Lqrh9cdFrL#BetterTogetherCA
A6 cont: In fact, you are all invited on May 23 at 5:00 to AdVENTURE in San Jose, CA for our last stduent exhibition night of this school year. #BetterTogetherCA
I created a scavenger hunt in the room for students and parents to do. Mostly online so Ss could show their work and our class website. #BetterTogetherCA
A6: This is hard in Adult Ed since we don’t have parents to share with. But we did have school board members and locals legislators attend our open house last month! And I regularly present our initiatives at district and parent engagement events #BetterTogetherCA
A6: I do have a Google folder shared with excellent student work over the years. That helps build conversations at home and elsewhere about what we do. #BetterTogetherCA
I created a scavenger hunt in the room for students and parents to do. Mostly online so Ss could show their work and our class website. #BetterTogetherCA
I do the same. My students all have their own website. I curate their URLs using a Google Form, then share the spreadsheet of responses on my website. Parents can easily find their child's work this way. #BetterTogetherCA
I want to move to this next year. Have you had any challenges with this? I have students who love to opt out of Flipgrid assignments because they don't want to be seen. #BetterTogetherCA
A6.1: Your local adult school can be one of your best resources for helping with your k-12 students. Want to help your ELs? Encourage their parents to sign up for ESL through Adult School! 1st gen HS graduate? Help mom and dad get GEDs! #BetterTogetherCA
A7 Has anyone used @pearltrees for content curation? I like the way it looks, but worry it can be redundant when loading content into an LMS. #BetterTogetherCA
A7. https://t.co/53oXAS1s5h is a very good resource for sharing of knowledge. It's free and looks cool. Anyone new to blogging should give it a go. #BetterTogetherCA
We have had some shy ones, and they can opt out, but once they realize that peers are getting positive feedback they tent to jump on board.Perhaps you can start with an activity from KQED Learn https://t.co/4PaZ0ug5Ep, and slowly move them to more public spaces. #bettertogetherCA
In the Classroom from @KQEDedspace is an AMAZING resource for learning from Ts on tech and digital media integration... @PeterPaccone has such a great network of Ts w/ lots of great ideas to share! #BetterTogetherCA
Anyone you interested in blogging for KQED's in the Classroom website, reach out to me via Twitter. ITC = articles by teachers, for teachers, describing innovative and successful ways that tech and digital media is being integrated into the classroom https://t.co/WZ1M4EskMk
I agree that video submissions can be daunting. There's that pressure to get it right, and you can't edit. With blogs and websites, students can go in at anytime and make changes if they see a mistake. #BetterTogetherca
A7: Twitter allows me to share and connect with others. I share more stuff professionally on Twitter than any other platform. Our baby blog #TechTribeEDU is starting to sprout...we are connecting with others both inside and outside of our district. #BetterTogetherCA
Love #googleclassroom for pd and sharing resources with faculty. As long as teachers are being reached, then the goal has been accomplished, right? #BetterTogetherCA
So many of my HS students have their own YouTube channels are already creating professional content. As a teacher I want them to use my class to improve these skills. #BetterTogetherCA
Depending on length of period there are some great resources for exit tickets, progress monitoring reports, discussion Qs for debriefing. #BetterTogetherCA
Anyone you interested in blogging for KQED's in the Classroom website, reach out to me via Twitter. ITC = articles by teachers, for teachers, describing successful ways that tech and digital media is being integrated into the classroom https://t.co/fsGgJjaaHS#BetterTogetherCA
What is one thing that makes Twitter better than other platforms to share learning resources? For me it is simple, clean and I have my own hashtag notebook so I mine my data :) #BetterTogetherCA
A7: I always want time to read deeply into the foundational texts of educational philosophy and come up for air inside the classroom, trying things out, free from burdens, energized to test the limits of time and space and expectation — #BetterTogetherCA
I had a student devote about 60 hours to making a video game based on Greek Mythology. His focus was inspiring. Gotta figure out how to incorporate it next year. #BetterTogetherCA
What is one thing that makes Twitter better than other platforms to share learning resources? For me it is simple, clean and I have my own hashtag notebook so I mine my data :) #BetterTogetherCA
I participated in an @EdcampUSA this year and that was a great way to meet other educators and to hear what is happening in other districts. #BetterTogetherCA
I’ve been to several CUE affiliate conferences this year, along with an EdCamp conference, and the annual SGV GAFE. They are eye-opening to the great happenings that are going on in other districts. #BetterTogetherCA
In reply to
@LAMBRADLEY, @CATeacherSummit, @edtechteam, @cueinc
Q8: Before you go, tag a teacher who is great at sharing their voice - through blogs, video, podcasts, webinars, twitter, facebook or another platform. Inspire us! #BetterTogetherCA
A8. Teachers who are great at sharing their voice are all the teachers that blog for KQED's In the Classroom, PBS' Teachers Loung, and Edutopia. #BetterTogetherCA
A8. There are also a lot of teachers who are great at sharing their voice by speaking at various teachers conferences. The CA Better Together Teacher Summit for example. And the Arcadia Innovative Teacher Summit. And various subject specific teacher conferences. #BetterTogetherCA
